The Department of Space (DoS) has taken the initiative to integrate NavIC (Navigation in Indian Constellation), which is India’s indigenous satellite navigation system, with the Aadhaar enrolment devices. Noteworthy, NavIC, consisting of seven satellites, serves as India’s version of the American GPS and is designed to provide navigation and positioning services.
The service range of NavIC encompasses India, extending up to 1,500 km beyond the Indian boundary. Two key services rendered by NavIC are Standard Position Service (SPS) for civil use and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic applications. The application of NavIC in disaster management has added value to agencies like the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System (INCOIS). It assists such agencies in spreading alerts pertaining to natural calamities.
The ongoing move includes modifying Aadhaar enrolment kits to make them compatible with NavIC, thus improving their accuracy and functionality.
Revival of Trilateral Cooperation: India, Japan, and Sri Lanka
After the cancellation of a joint memorandum between India and Japan for the East Container Terminal (ECT) project in Colombo, efforts are being made to reestablish trilateral cooperation between India, Japan, and Sri Lanka. With India and Japan assisting Sri Lanka amidst last year’s economic crisis, new areas for cooperation are being explored by the three countries.
India and Japan jointly envision a Free Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific (FOIIP). Potential cooperative projects include renewable energy and grid connectivity, development of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka as an oil pipeline hub, and people-centric initiatives in fields like tourism and education.
Exercise ‘Zayed Talwar’: A Collaboration Between India and UAE
In a move to build maritime partnership and shared understanding of regional security challenges, two Indian Navy ships – INS Visakhapatnam, and INS Trikand – visited Port Rashid, Dubai, UAE. This visit was for conducting the bilateral exercise ‘Zayed Talwar’.
In addition to this, other bilateral exercises between the two countries include the In-UAE BILAT (bilateral naval exercise), Desert Eagle-II (bilateral air force exercise), and Exercise Desert Flag-VI. Diplomatic relations between India and UAE were established in 1972. In 2022-23, UAE stood as India’s 3rd largest trading partner and 2nd largest export destination.
Havana Syndrome: A Matter of Concern
Recently, the Central government has assured the Karnataka High Court that it will probe into the matter of the ‘Havana Syndrome’ in India. This move came following a petition by a resident of Bengaluru who sought a Writ of Mandamus from the High Court for an enquiry on Havana Syndrome in India.
The Havana Syndrome refers to a number of health symptoms such as hearing certain sounds with no external noise, experiencing nausea, vertigo and headaches, suffering from memory loss and balance issues. It was first identified in Havana (Cuba) in late 2016. Despite several theories, the exact cause behind Havana Syndrome remains uncertain. Some U.S-based studies speculate that victims might have been exposed to high-powered microwaves that interfered with or damaged their nervous systems.
