Daily News Simplified -

DNS
21 03 21
Notes
SL. THE HINDU
TOPICS
NO. PAGE NO.

1 India, United States resolve to intensify defence cooperation 01

2 The emerging crisis of obtaining helium in India 17

NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological

3 01
concerns

4 Detecting the unified call of black holes 13

1. UPSC Current Affairs: India, United States resolve to intensify defence cooperation | Page – 1

UPSC Syllabus: Prelims: International Relations | GS Paper II – International Relations

Sub Theme: General Security of Military Information Agreement | LEMOA | COMCAS | UPSC

India on Saturday resolved to intensify defence cooperation with the U.S. Central Command in Florida and
with the U.S. Commands in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa. The announcement was made by Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh who held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defence General Lloyd James Austin III (retd).

Mr. Austin described the partnership as a “central pillar” of the American policy for the Indo-Pacific.
What are foundational agreements?

 The United States enters into what are called ‘foundational or enabling agreements’ with its
defence partners. These agreements govern the nature and scope of U.S. defence partnerships.
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Partners enhance the capabilities of the U.S. military in distant places through sharing
information, platforms and logistics.
 The competitive advantage of the U.S. military is maintained primarily by the advanced
technologies that the country develops continuously.
 The U.S. sells military equipment to other countries with strict control over their deployment and
use. For instance, consider the B777-300ER aircraft that India bought from Boeing recently for the
use of VVIPs.
 The sale of advanced communication and security systems on the aircraft — which are not
commercially available — is made seamless by foundational agreements.

The U.S. is also eager to advance ‘interoperability’ with defence forces of the countries that are its defence
partners. Interoperability involves real-time coordination of forces. The U.S. has signed these foundational
agreements with at least 100 countries, which mostly follow a standard text. Country-specific changes
were made in India’s case in all four foundational agreements.

What do these agreements do?

 The General Security of Military Information Agreement or GSOMIA, and its extension, the
Information Security Annex (ISA) signed in 2019, allow military technology cooperation for the
sharing of classified information between governments and companies in both countries.
 The LEMOA enables logistics support, say refuelling of planes or ships, supply of spare parts or
maintenance to each other.
o For instance, U.S. Navy’s P8 aircraft landed in Port Blair last month for refuelling, under
LEMOA. Even in the absence of this agreement, such cooperation can and has taken place
between India and the U.S., but the agreement makes it seamless, and the accounting
easier.
 The COMCASA allows Indian forces to procure advanced, secure communication equipment from
the U.S. Such equipment was earlier denied for U.S. origin platforms such as C-17, C-130, and
commercial systems were used in their place. Only after COMCASA was signed were the encrypted
systems provided to India.

The BECA enables exchange of geospatial information. Akin to a GPS that enables navigation, such
exchange of geospatial information enhances the accuracy of a missile or the utility of a drone.

What is the strategic importance of these agreements?

 Since the Civil Nuclear Agreement of 2005, the India-U.S. defence cooperation has been advancing
at a rapid pace.
 The U.S. has relaxed restrictions on technology trade in India’s favour considerably, and India is
designated a ‘Major Defence Partner’.
 Foundational agreements deepen defence cooperation, in trade and operation. India and the U.S.
are also part of a broader shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region, where both countries, along
with Japan and Australia, are increasing their military cooperation. U.S.-built platforms used by
partner countries can talk to one another and share operational information.

Are there any concerns?

 Critics worry that tying itself too closely with the U.S. may limit India’s choices. The evolution of
technology makes it inevitable that all military platforms will be integrated and networked in the
future. The U.S. is very particular about the integrity of its networks, and pressure could mount on
India to remain firmly in its camp. The U.S. is particularly irked by India’s continuing defence
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cooperation with Russia. India will be taking the delivery of Russian S-400 missile defence system
next year, ignoring American objections.
 The U.S. could respond with sanctions. At any rate, it will not be possible to integrate Russian and
American platforms, and this could throw up new challenges of military planning for India.

The moot question, say experts, is whether India could ramp up its defence cooperation with the U.S.
without ending up as its ally.

2. UPSC Current Affairs: The emerging crisis of obtaining helium in India | Page – 17

UPSC Syllabus: Prelims: General Science | GS Paper III – Science & Technology

Sub Theme: | Helium | Uses of Helium | Second Lightest Element | UPSC

Properties of Helium
• Helium (He) is an inert gas of Group 18 (noble gases) of the periodic table.
• The second lightest element (only hydrogen is lighter), helium is a colorless, odorless, and
tasteless gas that becomes liquid at −268.9 °C (−452 °F).
• The boiling and freezing points of helium are lower than those of any other known
substance.
• Helium is the only element that cannot be solidified by sufficient cooling at normal
atmospheric pressure; it is necessary to apply pressure of 25 atmospheres at a temperature of
1 K (−272 °C, or −458 °F) to convert it to its solid form.

Abundance
• Helium constitutes about 23 percent of the mass of the universe and is thus second in
abundance to hydrogen in the cosmos. Helium is concentrated in stars, where it is synthesized
from hydrogen by nuclear fusion.
• Although helium occurs in Earth’s atmosphere only to the extent of 1 part in 200,000 (0.0005
percent) and small amounts occur in radioactive minerals, meteoric iron, and mineral springs,
great volumes of helium are found as a component (up to 7.6 percent) in natural gases in the
United States (especially in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Utah).
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• Smaller supplies have been discovered in Algeria, Australia, Poland, Qatar, and Russia.
Ordinary air contains about 5 parts per million of helium, and Earth’s crust is only about 8 parts
per billion.

Uses of Helium

• Helium is used as a cooling medium for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the
superconducting magnets in MRI scanners and NMR spectrometers.
• It is also used to keep satellite instruments cool and was used to cool the liquid oxygen and
hydrogen that powered the Apollo space vehicles.
• Because of its low-density helium is often used to fill decorative balloons, weather balloons and
airships.
• Because it is very unreactive, helium is used to provide an inert protective atmosphere for
making fibre optics and semiconductors, and for arc welding.
• Helium is also used to detect leaks, such as in car air-conditioning systems, and because it
diffuses quickly it is used to inflate car airbags after impact.
• A mixture of 80% helium and 20% oxygen is used as an artificial atmosphere for deep-sea divers
and others working under pressurized conditions.
• Helium-neon gas lasers are used to scan barcodes in supermarket checkouts.
• A new use for helium is a helium-ion microscope that gives better image resolution than a
scanning electron microscope.

3. UPSC Current Affairs: NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns | Pg 1

UPSC Syllabus: Prelims: Environment | GS Paper III – Environment

Sub Theme: Holistic’ and ‘Sustainable’ vision for Great Nicobar Island | NITI Aayog | PVTG | UPSC

More than 150 sq. km. of land is being made available for Phase I of a NITI Aayog-piloted ‘Holistic’ and
‘Sustainable’ vision for Great Nicobar Island the southernmost in the Andaman and Nicobar group.
This amounts to nearly 18% of the 910 sq. km. island, and will cover nearly a quarter of its coastline. The
overall plan envisages the use of about 244 sq. km. — a major portion being pristine forest and coastal
systems.
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The proposal for
denotification of any Projects to be executed in Phase I include a 22 sq. km. airport complex, a
trans-shipment port (TSP) at South Bay at an estimated cost of
Sanctuary/National Park
₹12,000 crore, a parallel-to-the-coast mass rapid transport system and a
requires recommendation
free trade zone and warehousing complex on the south western coast.
of the National Board for
Wildlife as per the Previously NITI Aayog has given a plan for the sustainable and holistic
provisions of the Wild Life development of the 680 sq km, fragile Little Andaman Island in the
(Protection) Act, 1972 and Andaman and Nicobar group.
thereafter, approval from
Hon’ble Supreme Court
also.

 Supreme Court
vide their order
dated 13. 11.2000
had directed that
there shall be no
dereservation/
denotification of
National Parks and
Sanctuaries
without approval
of the Supreme
Court.

Declaration and de-

notification of tiger
reserves — On January 5, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National Board for
Wildlife (NBWL) denotified the entire Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to
1. No alteration in allow for the port there.Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated
the boundaries of Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) as the nodal agency (Chief
a tiger reserve Secretary, A&N Administration is the chairman)
shall be made
except on a
recommendation
National Marine Turtle Action Plan has listed Galathea Bay as one of
of the Tiger the ‘Important Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Areas’ and
Conservation ‘Important Marine Turtle Habitats’ in the country.
Authority and the
approval of the  Considering the need to have a conservation paradigm for
National Board for marine mega fauna and marine turtles, the Ministry of
Wild Life. Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released
2. No State ‘Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Guidelines’ and ‘National
Government shall Marine Turtle Action Plan’ in January 2021.
de-notify a tiger
reserve, except in Giant leatherback turtle and the Nicobar megapode, two charismatic
public interest species for whom Great Nicobar is very important. The beaches here, like
at the mouth of the river Galathea in South Bay, are among the most
with the approval
prominent nesting sites globally of the Giant leatherback. It for this
of the Tiger
Conservation
Authority and the
National Board for
Wild Life.
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reason that the bay was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1997, but has now been denotified to allow for
the transhipment port.

There are five species in

Nicobar megapode
Indian waters i.e. Olive
Ridley, Green turtle,
 globally endangered bird unique to the Nicobars. Found in some
Loggerhead, Hawksbill, of the Nicobar Islands.
Leatherback.  IUCN Status: vulnerable
 90% of this ground nesting bird’s nests to be within a distance of
 The Olive Ridley, 30 m from the shore.
Leatherback and  Like other megapode relatives, it builds a large mound nest with
Loggerhead are soil and vegetation, with the eggs hatched by the heat produced
listed as by decomposition.
'Vulnerable' on
the IUCN Red List
of Threatened
Species.

 The Hawksbill
turtle is listed as
'Critically
Endangered' and
Green Turtle is
listed as
'Endangereed' on
the IUCN Red List
of Threatened
Species.
on January 18, another Environment Ministry expert committee
 Leatherbacks are approved a “zero extent” Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for the
Galathea NP to allow use of land in the south-eastern and south-western
the largest of all
part of the island for the NITI Aayog plan.
species of sea
turtles on the
planet and also
the most long-
ranging.They are
found in all oceans
except the Arctic
and the
Antarctic.Within
the Indian Ocean,
they nest only in
Indonesia, Sri
Lanka and the
A&N Islands.
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Eco-Sensitive Zones
The October 2020 draft notification for this zero extent ESZ had ironically
 Eco-Sensitive
listed out in great detail the park’s ecological uniqueness — that it is part
Zones or of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses a range of forest types, has
Ecologically Fragile one of the best preserved tropical rainforests in the world, is home to
Areas are areas 648 species of flora and hosts 330 species of fauna including rare and
within 10 kms endemic ones such as the:
around Protected
Areas, National  Nicobar wild pig
Parks and Wildlife  Nicobar tree shrew [Endangered]
Sanctuaries.  the Great Nicobar crested serpent eagle [NT]
 ESZs are notified  Nicobar paradise flycatcher and the [LC]
by MoEFCC,  Nicobar megapode [VU]
Government of
It also notes that the park is home to the indigenous Shompen
India under
community.
Environment
Protection Act
1986.
 In case of places It is included in Coastal Regulation
with sensitive Coastal Regulation Zone Zone (CRZ)-I, the zone with maximum
corridors, (CRZ) protection.
connectivity and
ecologically CRZ Rules govern human
important and industrial activity
patches, crucial for close to the coastline, in Similar concerns exist about the impact
landscape linkage, order to protect the on the Shompen community. The
fragile ecosystems near proposed project areas are important
even area beyond
the sea. foraging grounds for this hunter-
10 km width can
gatherer nomadic community and the
also be included in
official Shompen Policy of 2015
the eco-sensitive They restrict certain kinds
specifically noted that the welfare and
zone. of activities — like large
integrity of these people should be
 The basic aim is to constructions, setting up given priority “with regard to large-scale
regulate certain of new industries, storage development proposals in the future for
activities around or disposal of hazardous Great Nicobar Island (such as trans-
National Parks and material, mining, shipment port/container terminal etc.)”.
Wildlife reclamation and bunding Now, large forest areas here could
Sanctuaries so as — within a certain become inaccessible and useless for the
to minimise the distance from the Shompen.
negative impacts coastline.
of such activities
on Tribes
the fragile Coastal Regulation Zone Islands
Andamanese (CRZ) notification are Strait Island
ecosystem
Sentinelese issued by Ministry of Sentinel Islands
encompassing the
Jarawa PVTG Middle and South Andaman
protected areas. Environment, Forest and
Onges Little Andaman
Climate Change (MoEFCC)
Shompen Great Nicobar
under Environment
Nicobarse Great Nicobar
(Protection) Act, 1986
with the mandate to take
measures to protect and
conserve our coastal
environment.
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Geological volatility:geological volatility of these islands are also not being factored in. The December 26,
2019, tender document by WAPCOS Limited for a ‘Traffic Study for Creating Transshipment port at South
Bay, Great Nicobar Island’ justifies the port here by noting that “the topography of the island is best
suited, which has not been damaged much even by the tsunami on 26.11.2004”.

 Andaman and Nicobar Islands are southward extension of ArakanYoma range (Myanmar).
ArakanYoma in itself is an extension of Purvanchal Hills.
Date: 21-March-21 DNS Notes - Revision

 The Andaman and Nicobar Islandsare vulnerable to tsunamis generated from earthquakes
originating from different sources that exist along the Sumatra Subduction Zone (SUSZ), Andaman
Subduction Zone (ANSZ) and Arakan Subduction Zone (ARSZ)
 Loss of life and property then was limited because the Great Nicobar coast is largely uninhabited.
This raises questions over safety of life, property and the investments in this zone and that too
without accounting for the complex ecological, social and geological vulnerabilities here.
 Yet, a 2005 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) Special Earthquake Report by a team
from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, recorded witness accounts of 8-metre-high
tsunami waves hitting the Great Nicobar coast on December 26, 2004. “The lighthouse at Indira
Point, the southernmost tip of the Great Nicobar Island, which was on high ground before the
earthquake,” the report notes, “is now under water, indicating a land subsidence of about 3-4 m.”

4. UPSC Current Affairs: Detecting the unified call of black holes | Page - 13

UPSC Syllabus: Prelims: Economy | Mains – GS Paper II – Economy

Sub Theme: LIGO Detectors | VIRGO Detectors | KAGRA detector | PSC

Since the first detection of the merger of black holes dated September 14, 2014, by the two gravitational
wave detectors at LIGO in the U.S., the field has witnessed important developments. The LIGO detectors
have been joined in their search for gravitational waves from various sources by the VIRGO detector in
Italy and the KAGRA detector in Japan. The Indian detector LIGO India is being developed and is expected
to join these in their search. In the meantime, Indian scientists have been involved in many aspects of the
research and data analysis, especially in gravitational wave radiometry, which is a way to measure
gravitational waves from hitherto unknown sources and detect their presence in the sky.

Until now, the number of mergers detected by LIGO, VIRGO and KAGRA detectors is minuscule compared
with the number of mergers actually taking place in the sky. The idea that the gravitational waves
arising from the collection of all these mergers should be present like a background signal has
been around for some time. As suggested by Sanjit Mitra of IUCAA Pune, who has worked in this area,
take the analogy of people watching a football game: When you observe individual members among the
spectators, you can see their actions, hear their comments etc. But when you look at the crowd as a
whole, you may observe the roaring sound of the applause and the cheering which is quite different from
Date: 21-March-21 DNS Notes - Revision

observing individuals. The background gravitational waves are like watching the stadium from far, while
detections made by the detectors so far has been like observing individuals.

Researchers from India have contributed significantly to building up an algorithm that is geared to detect
such a so called stochastic gravitational wave background.

Just as studying the cosmic microwave background tells us about the early universe, its formation, the
stochastic gravitational wave background would reveal the structure of the universe around us.
Detections till now have been of events that were relatively close to us. Distant binary coalescences, milli-
second pulsars, etc are expected to produce a background, and detecting any of this would be a great
breakthrough.

The radiometer algorithm which Indian researchers played a key role in developing, comes in useful as a
tool for detecting hitherto unknown sources: with recent algorithms developed in India, the radiometer
analysis has been made hundreds of times faster and they are now being used by the international
collaboration for the official analysis.

The gravitational wave background consists of an isotropic component and an anisotropic component.
The isotropic component is constant when you look in different directions and the anisotropic component
depends on the direction.

The present results are not that the isotropic component has been detected, we are still far from
that, but that the group has successfully shown that it must be below a certain level as otherwise it would
have been detected. Future improved versions of the detectors will have to work below this level to detect
the background.

“If the gravitational wave background is discovered, it will be a major discovery in astronomy, probably
one of the most celebrated ones.