Morning Brief: ISRO Plans To Set Up First Overseas Ground Base At North Pole; Slim Lead For Congress In Karnataka Local Polls; And Other News

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

ISRO Plans To Set Up First Overseas Ground Base In North Pole

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to expand its overseas presence significantly. The agency is currently drawing up a plane to establish its first ground station at the North Pole. This move comes just two years after arch-rival China built its first station in the region. The ground base at the North Pole is primarily aimed at augmenting the India’s Remote Sensing operations, the Times of India has reported. This will not only be used for civilian purposes like disaster management but also have military applications.

According to the scientists at ISRO, a ground station at the North Pole will help the agency get a 14-orbit coverage through its satellites. “This will provide an opportunity to download the complete data within the same orbit and enable the usage of on-board resources in every orbit and to transfer the raw data in near real-time to Shadnagar,” the scientist said. ISRO is also planning to install its second antenna in Antarctica. The space agency had, in 2013, installed its first antenna on the frozen continent. The antenna has since been receiving remote sensing data from satellites like Resourcesat-2, Risat-2, Saral and Oceansat, and transfering the same to a ground station of the National Remote Sensing Centre located in Shadnagar of Ranga Reddy district of Telangana.

Slim Lead For Congress In Karnataka Local Body Polls

Over 2,700 seats were up for grab in 29 city municipal corporations, 53 town municipal corporations, 23 nagara panchayats and 135 city corporation wards in Mysuru, Shivamogga and Tumakuru districts. Out of these, the Congress has won 982 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 927, Janata Dal (Secular) 375 with Bahujan Samaj Party’s 13 and others have got 363 seats. The election to three Town Panchayats in Kodagu with 45 seats was postponed due to recent floods. However, this is far from a comforting victory for the Congress.

While the BJP has reportedly got a majority in five bodies, the Congress has a clear mandate in only three. However, with the help of its alliance partner JD(S), the Congress will be able to keep the BJP out in 10 more. The situation in at least two bodies remains unclear due to the fractured mandate. In 2013, when the elections were held for over 4,976 seats, Congress had won about 1,960 seats. The BJP and JD(S) won 905 seats each and the independents bagged 1,206. Ironically, Electronic Voting Machines were used for polling in all the wards. The Congress, along with parties like the BSP and the Trinamool Congress, has been demanding that the Election Commission bring back the old paper ballot.

Kashmir: Why Targeting Policemen Helps Terrorists

In the last few months in Kashmir, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists have been targeting policemen and their families in revenge attacks. Last week, 11 family members of six policemen were kidnapped by terrorists, who raided the homes of several police officers across four districts in south Kashmir. This came after a spate of killing of policemen and army jawans who were on leave and visiting native places. According to this report, around 30 policemen have been killed.

Most of these killings are reported in four districts of south Kashmir — Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam. This region, considered the hotbed of terror, has over 20,000 police families. One in every five police personnel recruited in J&K in the last three years comes from the region. Moreover, the number of policemen recruited from these four districts has surged five-fold. Over 755 policemen have been recruited from Anantnag district since 2015, 403 from Pulwama, 187 from Shopian and 299 from Kulgam. The killing of policemen and soldiers on leave is a tactic to intimidate and threaten the local men in the security forces. It also helps terrorists warn people against joining security agencies.

In Flood-Hit Nagaland, 50,000 People Cut Off

In flood-hit Nagaland, over a dozen people have died and over 3,000 have been displaced. Over 50,000 people in over 530 villages have remained cut-off for a month after road communications are snapped. Incessant rains since 26 July have caused flash floods and landslides, washing away roads completely in some areas. Major roads, including NH-29, have been cut off. With the state's road network badly damaged, essential commodities are either being air dropped or shipped on smaller vehicles. The hilly terrain has made relief efforts difficult.

The Nagaland government has said that it requires around Rs 800 crore immediately for the restoration of the damages caused to infrastructure by landslides and flash flood. The government is sending a team of ministers to Nagaland today. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Chief Minister Niephiu Rio and assured all possible support to the flood-ravaged state.

Soon A ‘One-Nation One-Card’ For Public Transport In India

National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog Chief Executive Office Amitabh Kant has said that a ‘one-nation one-card’ policy would be introduced for public transport very soon, IANS has reported. The card is expected to bring in seamless connectivity between different modes of transportation. While speaking at the event ‘Future Mobility Summit-2018-India's Move to NextGen Transport Systems’, Kant said, “The objective is to plan for the citizens first, rather than focusing on vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility by switching to a cleaner mode of transportation.”

In the wake of high urban air pollution, climate change and ever-increasing oil import bill, mobility is the key to unlock the potential of Indian economy and its people, he said, adding that sustainable modes of transportation for a densely populated country like India is the backbone for development.

From Swarajya

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The Vacuous ‘Intellectualism’ Of Arundhati Roy: Roy’s self-projected image of an intellectual, progressive is a facade. It is time the mask is taken off.

How Women Of A Jodhpur Village Propel The Bishnoi Sentiment For Ecology And Life: There is much to admire and learn from Bishnoi women. Especially, how to move from ‘ecological conservation’ to a culture where the service of the environment becomes a revered tradition, and the normal way of life.