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@Noon: 🎖️ India Gets New Chief Of Defence Staff
1. 🤔 India's second CDS: Who is Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retd)?
Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan (Retired) is India's second Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
Context: India needed a CDS after General Bipin Rawat died in a chopper crash near Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on 8 December last year.
Who's a CDS? He is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
He also serves as the principal adviser to the Defence Minister and the political leadership on matters of defence and security.
The chief mandate is to bring convergence in the functioning of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and bolster India's overall military prowess.
General Rawat served as the first CDS from 1 January 2020 to 8 December 2021.
Life and work. Get to know India's second CDS, in 10 points:
Born in 1961, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
He retired from the Indian Army in May 2021.
Before his retirement, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command.
As the Eastern Army Commander, he played a significant role in bolstering India's overall combat readiness along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors.
He was the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Army during the Balakot air strikes in 2019.
He is known to be a China expert.
He is presently serving as a military adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat, headed by NSA Ajit Doval.
He will assume the rank of a four-star General once he takes charge as CDS. He will be the first retired three-star officer to return to service in four-star rank.
He will also essay the role of Secretary to the Department of Military Affairs.
The work ahead: As CDS, Lt Gen Chauhan (retd) will face the challenge of implementing the government's ambitious plan to ensure tri-services synergy through setting up of theatre commands.
2. 🚉 Rs 10,000 crore for railway station redevelopment
Regular rail-commuting folks in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai have something to look forward to.
Context: The Cabinet has okayed Rs 10,000 crore for the redevelopment of the New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway stations.
The target completion time for redevelopment of the New Delhi station is three and a half years; for Ahmedabad and Mumbai, it is two and a half years.
Whereas the New Delhi station will integrate train services with buses, auto, and metro rail services, the Ahmedabad railway station redesign will be inspired by Modera's Sun Temple in Gujarat.
The CSMT heritage building itself won't undergo change, but nearby buildings will be redeveloped.
Larger station redevelopment work: As many as 199 stations with a footfall of 50 lakh per day are planned to be redeveloped in the first phase.
The total cost of redevelopment, including of the three stations in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai, is Rs 60,000 crore.
While the tender for 47 stations are out, work is underway at 32 stations.
The mega plan is expected to create 35,733 new jobs and will enhance the travel experience of more than 20 lakh passengers.
How will it happen? To prevent additional burden on passengers, redevelopment will be done in the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) model (investment from government) instead of the PPP mode.
3. 😟 India concerned over oil price spike
India has expressed concern over the spike in the price of oil due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Context: The spike is "breaking our back," External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said.
He was responding to a question about a cap on Russian oil during the joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The war in Ukraine, which is the cause of the oil price spike, "is not in anybody's interest," Jaishankar said.
He said energy markets have come under a lot of stress these past few months.
Quote. "Look, we have concerns about the price of oil but we are a USD 2,000 per capita economy. When the price of oil is breaking our back and it's our big concern." — EAM S Jaishankar
India has looked to Russia for oil. India’s crude oil imports from Russia has witnessed a rise of over 50 times since April.
Before the war in Europe, Russian oil made up just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India. Now it makes up 10 per cent.
In contrast, Western countries are gradually bringing down their energy purchases from Russia after its attack on Ukraine.
The G-7 nations and the EU have mooted an oil price cap on Russian crude and refined products to limit Kremlin's revenues.
The US has asked India to join the coalition to cap the prices of Russian oil.
New Delhi has said it would "carefully examine" the proposal before taking a decision.
4. 🛕 Amazing finds in ASI exploration of Bandhavgarh after 84 years
The ASI has unraveled remarkable remains in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve.
Context: The finds include ancient caves and temples, remains of Buddhist structures, and mural inscriptions bearing names of cities like Mathura and Kaushambi in old scripts.
46 sculptures, including of Lord Vishnu avatars like Varaha and Matsya, and "board games made in natural caves" were uncovered.
26 temples or relics from the Kalachuri period, ninth century CE to 11th century CE, are documented.
26 caves, dating from second century CE to fifth century CE, and mostly Buddhist in nature, were found.
Plus, two monasteries, two stupas, and 24 Brahmi inscriptions, dated second century CE to fifth century CE.
Quote. "For me, the most startling finding is the remains of the Buddhist structures in the region where a Hindu dynasty ruled. It suggests religious harmony, but who built these Buddhist structures is not known yet." — Superintending Archaeologist of the Jabalpur Circle, S K Bajpai
The exploration exercise was conducted by the Jabalpur Circle of ASI.
It was held from 20 May to 27 June this year.
The team covered nearly 170 sq km within the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve area.
Bandhavgarh is situated about 500 km from MP state capital Bhopal.
It is home to the majestic big cats.
The ASI has explored this region for the first since 1938, when archaeologist N P Chakravarti had led the search.
5. 🚁 Seen this thrilling teaser of the Light Combat Helicopter?
The Indian Air Force has published a sleek teaser of the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
Context: "Coming soon to an IAF base near you in the Western sector," the IAF tweeted along with the teaser.
The LCH is India's first indigenous dedicated attack helicopter.
It will be inducted into the Air Force formally at the Jodhpur Air Force Station on 3 October.
Purchase of 15 LCHs for the Army and Air Force was approved in March this year.
Ten helicopters will be operated by the IAF and five by the Army.
LCH capabilities: The helicopter comes armed with a cannon, which is mounted below its nose.
It is capable of piercing light armour with a thousand 20-mm bullets each minute.
It also carries 70-mm rockets on pods on either side.
It can also be armed with air-to-air missiles to target slow-moving aircraft and anti-armour missiles to destroy tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
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