Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI (GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- Recently, the India - Malaysia joint military Exercise “Harimau Shakti -2022” commenced at Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia on 28th November and will culminate on 12th December 22.
About Harimau Shakti:
- Exercise Harimau Shakti is an annual training event between the Indian and Malaysian Army which is being conducted since 2012.
Key Highlights:
- Combat-experienced troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of Indian Army and the Royal Malay Regiment of the Malaysian Army are participating in the exercise this year to share experiences gained during operations in order to enhance inter-operability in planning & execution of various operations in jungle terrain.
- The scope of this exercise involves a Command Planning Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX) on sub-conventional operations in jungle terrain.
- The joint exercise schedule includes the establishment of a joint command post, joint surveillance centre, sharing expertise in employment of aerial assets, technical demonstrations, casualty management & casualty evacuation apart from planning logistics at the Battalion level.
Way Forward:
- Exercise HARIMAU SHAKTI” will enhance the level of defence co-operation between Indian Army and the Malaysian Army, which in turn will further foster the bilateral relations between the two nations.
Space start-up Agnikul Cosmos sets up Indias first private launch pad
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Space tech start-up Agnikul Cosmos has inaugurated the first privately made launch pad in India.
- The facility will be used for testing and developing new launch vehicles as private sector becomes increasingly involved in the Indian space program.
Salient features of launchpad:
- Located at Sriharikota, the launch pad has been developed has two sections to it - the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control center (AMCC).
- All critical systems connecting these two sections - which are 4 km away from each other are redundant to ensure 100% operationality during countdown.
- The launchpad is specifically built keeping in mind the ability to support liquid stage-controlled launches, while also addressing the need for ISRO’s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches.
- Additionally, it can, as necessary, share data and other critical information with ISRO’s Mission Control Center.
What’s next?
- Agnikul is planning to conduct its first launch in the coming months, which will be a controlled & guided mission, having a vertical launch, using its patented engine.
- The mission would be a technology demonstrator that will mirror Agnikul’s orbital launch but at a reduced scale.
- Agnibaan is a highly customizable, 2-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking upto 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables plug-and-play configuration.
Indore plans nations first retail municipal bond for solar power project
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Indore Municipal Corp. seeks to raise as much as 2.6 billion rupees ($31.8 million) via a 10-year bond in December 2022.
Details:
- Indore has won the award of India’s cleanest city for six years in a row, based on a survey conducted by the country’s housing and urban affairs ministry.
- The offering from Indore, which is in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, is also set to be the country’s maiden municipal green bond designed for retail investors.
- The issuer has mandated A.K. Capital Services Ltd. and SBI Capital Markets Ltd. as lead managers of the offering.
Why it matters?
- The green debt sale is occurring at a time when the World Bank has estimated that Asia’s third-largest economy will need to invest $840 billion over the next 15 years on urban infrastructure to meet demand from a fast-growing urban population.
- RBI also has called on local authorities, which are heavily dependent on bank loans or government grants, to consider issuing municipal bonds to meet funding requirements.
What’s next?
- The 60-megawatt solar plant will be built near Indore at a cost of 3 billion rupees. It will help the city save an electricity bill of as much as 250 million rupees a month.
