28 MARCH 2015: Isro to launch IRNSS1D today

Ø Rajasthan became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Assembly on Friday passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (amendment) Bill, 2015, which makes Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch — except in tribal reserved areas, where the minimum qualification is Class V — and Class X for Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samiti elections. The amendments to Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 also make a functional toilet mandatory in the house of a contestant.

Ø The ISRO will launch the IRNSS 1-D satellite through the PSLV C-27 (XL) vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Saturday, helping India begin the operation of an indigenous regional navigation satellite system. With the functioning of IRNSS 1-D in orbit, proof-of-concept of an independent regional navigation satellite system over India can be established. The 1,425-kg IRNSS is the fourth in a series of seven satellites that, along with ground stations, form the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The IRNSS 1-D launch, scheduled for 5.19 p.m., will help the country begin operations partially, and the system will become efficient once all seven satellites are positioned in space, an ISRO official said. A common service and restricted service will be provided after the seventh satellite is launched. Though the navigation system is indigenous, it cannot be compared with the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), since the IRNSS will cover areas only in South Asia.

Ø Abhay K., India’s First Secretary in Kathmandu, has been appointed as the Director of the Nehru Centre in London. An Indian Foreign Service officer from the 2003 batch, Mr. Abhay K will take over from the current director Sangeeta Bahadur and is expected to join in June. Mr. Abhay K, who describes himself on his website as a poet-diplomat, is the author of two memoirs and six collections of poetry. He is a recipient of the SAARC Literary Award for his contribution to contemporary South Asian poetry, and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2013. His latest book of poetry is The Seduction of Delhi . He has a forthcoming collection titled The Eight-Eyed Lord of Kathmandu . The Nehru Centre was started in 1992 as the cultural wing of the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom. Amongst its past directors are the playwright Girish Karnad, and diplomat Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who later went on to become Governor of West Bengal.

Ø Defence cooperation, particularly under the ‘Make in India” initiative, will be high on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda in France and Germany during his European sojourn beginning on April 9. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is scheduled to meet on Saturday ahead of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s visit to Japan starting on Sunday. Several issues connected with the two visits are on the agenda, along with the upgrade of Russian-built Kamov helicopters of the Navy. While the focus in France will largely be on the $20-billion deal for 126 Rafale fighter aircraft under the multi-role combat aircraft contest, which both sides have been negotiating since 2012, a few other big-ticket deals too are on the table. France will press for the conclusion of the $6-billion ‘Maitri’ project for co-development and production of short-range surface-to-air missiles. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a memorandum of understanding with MBDA of France in 2013, but no progress had been made since. Several Defence Ministry officials feel that this deal is unnecessary as it directly competes with the DRDO’s Akash system. “The Maitri project can go on, but we want the missiles, and Akash is serving that purpose,” The other issue pertains to a single-vendor situation involving Airbus in two projects. One is the Avro aircraft replacement programme and the second is the requirement for aircraft for the indigenous Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) programme under development by the DRDO. In Berlin, the focus will be on how Germany can play a bigger role in the “Make in India” initiative in general and defence in particular, as German officials have emphasised on several occasions. Mr. Parrikar’s Japanese trip is his first official foreign tour. India and Japan are negotiating the purchase of ShinMaywa-built US-2 amphibious aircraft. India recently invited Japan to participate in the P-75I contract for diesel-electric submarines.

Ø Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2014 for its contribution to the country’s development through space technology and satellite-based services. The award, comprising Rs.one crore and a citation, was decided after the jury for the prize met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Member of Parliament L.K. Advani and Gopalkrishna Gandhi are other members of the jury. The Gandhi Peace Prize for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence was instituted in 1995. Some of its previous winners are Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Julius K Nyerere, Baba Amte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and Ramkrishna Mission. 

Ø The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its review report that India needs a “national policy” for nuclear safety and radioactive waste management, and needs more “internal emergency arrangements.” The IAEA review came at the invitation of the Indian government after it concluded handing over its civilian nuclear reactors for international scrutiny, and submitted to IAEA requirements for accounting for spent fuel and other nuclear processes. India has also completed its “policy issues” with the U.S. over administrative arrangements for the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal, paving the way for nuclear trade to begin. At the end of his visit, Director General Yukiya Amano met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Nuclear trade for reactors and fuel would be a part of Mr. Modi’s discussions when he visits France and Canada next month. India is also keen to get backing for a future bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which it has been kept out of as New Delhi has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). All 93 signatories will be meeting at a conference at the UN in April and May, which will be significant ahead of the NSG’s annual conference in June.