SSB PATRIKA
Tuesday Students
1 Oct 2024 Version
India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants
Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh takes over as air
force chief
Air Chief Marshal (ACM) A. P. Singh took over as the Chief of Air Staff on
Monday as the incumbent Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari retired from
service. ACM Singh was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of the IAF
on December 21, 1984. He is a qualified flying instructor and an
experimental test pilot with more than 5,000 hours of flying experience.
He has commanded an operational fighter squadron and a frontline air
base. As a test pilot, he led the MiG-29 Upgrade Project Management
Team in Moscow, Russia. He was also the Project Director at the National
Flight Test Centre looking after the flight testing of the Light Combat
Aircraft (Tejas). He served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at
Central Air Command before taking over as the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff
in 2023. The ACM is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Ati
Vishisht Seva Medal.
Hamas, PFLP leaders killed in Israeli strikes on
Lebanon
The Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli air strike killed its leader in
Lebanon in the city of Tyre on Monday, and another Palestinian organisation
said three of its leaders died in a strike in central Beirut — the first such hit
inside the capital’s limits. The killings were the latest in a two-week wave of
intensified Israeli attacks on militant targets in Lebanon, part of a conflict also
stretching from the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank,
to Yemen, and within Israel itself. Apartment hit Hamas said its leader in
Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el Amin, was killed along with his wife, son and
daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a refugee camp in the southern
city of Tyre in the early hours of Monday. Another group, the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said three of its leaders were killed in a strike
that targeted Beirut’s Kola district. This was the first time Israel had struck
Beirut beyond its southern suburbs in a campaign which culminated in the
assassination of Hezbollah’s veteran leader Hassan Nasrallah last week in a
succession of heavy air strikes.
The strike against the PFLP hit the upper floor of an apartment building, Reuters witnesses said.
The latest attacks indicated Israel has no intention of slowing down its offensive on multiple fronts even after eliminating Nasrallah.
Wider war Israel’s intensifed attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi forces in Yemen have prompted
fears that West Asia fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and the United States, Israel’s main ally. More than 1,00,000
people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon — including nationals of both countries — since the conflict between Israeli forces
and Hezbollah escalated this month, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said on Monday
Nepal surveys wreckage after deadly floods and
landslides kill at least 200
Search and rescue teams in Nepal’s capital picked through wrecked homes
on Monday after waters receded from monsoon floods that killed at least
200 people around the Himalayan republic. Deadly floods and landslides are
common across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to
September but experts say climate change is making them worse. Entire
neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were inundated after the heaviest rains in
more than two decades, with the capital temporarily cut off from the rest of
Nepal after landslides blocked highways. “According to the latest figures, 200
have died and 127 are injured and 26 are still missing,” Home Ministry
spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari said.
Police said at least 35 of those killed were buried alive when earth from a landslide careened into vehicles on a
highway south of Kathmandu. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development , a Nepal-based
think tank, said the disaster had been made worse by unplanned urban encroachment around the Bagmati River,
which flows through the capital.
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SSB PATRIKA
Tuesday Students
1 Oct 2024 Version
India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants
Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
In national day speech, China’s Xi calls for Taiwan
reunification
As China prepared to mark its National Day holiday, it used the occasion to
once again call for “reunification” with Taiwan and to flex its military might.
On the eve of National Day Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his
view that reunification was inevitable and essential for fulfilling goals of
national rejuvenation. Just one day earlier, China carried out multiple missile
firings that put Taiwan’s military on alert.
"It is an irreversible trend, a matter of justice, and it is in accordance with the
popular will. No one can stop the march of history," Xi said in his remarks.
Since its establishment on Oct. 1 in 1949, the People’s Republic of China or
PRC has never ruled Taiwan, but it views the democratically governed island
as its own territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control, by
force if necessary.
On Tuesday, China will mark 75 years since the Communist Party defeated Kuomintang Nationalist forces, ending a bloody civil
war. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan, which after decades of one-party rule by the Kuomintang eventually became a thriving
democracy.
According to public opinion polls in Taiwan there is very little support for unification with China, regardless of whether it is as
soon as possible or in the future.
"Taiwan is sacred territory for China. People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have blood ties, and these family ties will always
be stronger than others," Xi said.
Xi’s call comes just one day after Taiwan’s Defense Ministry detected multiple waves of missile firings within China’s interior.
Earlier last week, Beijing also test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into international waters, a drill the likes of which
China has not conducted since the 1980s.
On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden approved $567 million in military support for Taiwan, the largest aid package America has
granted the island. The funding will aid Taiwanese “military education and training” and allow for the speedy delivery of military
articles, according to a statement from the White House.
Japan's incoming PM Ishiba calls election for Oct 27,
seeks to unify party
Shigeru Ishiba, the head of Japan’s governing party, plans to call a
parliamentary election to be held on October 27 after he is elected as
Prime Minister on Tuesday. Mr. Ishiba was chosen as the Liberal
Democratic Party’s leader on Friday and is assured to also succeed
Fumio Kishida as Prime Minister because the party’s coalition controls
Parliament. Mr. Ishiba mentioned the election date as he announced his
top party leadership lineup on Monday ahead of forming his Cabinet.
The plan is not offcial since he is not Prime Minister yet, but Mr. Ishiba
said he mentioned the date early for the logistical convenience of those
who have to prepare on relatively short notice. “I believe it is important
to have the new administration get the public’s judgment as soon as
possible,” Mr. Ishib
Trade deficit widens India’s Q1FY25 CAD to
$9.7 billion
India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened marginally to $9.7 billion
(1.1% of GDP) in Q1 FY25 from $8.9 billion (1% of GDP) in the year-earlier
period and a surplus of $4.6 billion (0.5% of GDP) in Q4FY24, as per Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) data. “The widening of CAD on a year-on-year basis
was primarily due to a rise in merchandise trade deficit to $65.1 billion in
Q12024- 25 from $56.7 billion in Q12023-24,” the RBI said. Net services
receipts rose to $39.7 billion in Q12024-25 from $35.1 billion. Private
transfer receipts, mainly representing remittances by Indians employed
overseas, rose to $29.5 billion in Q12024-25 from $27.1 billion.
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SSB PATRIKA
Tuesday Students
1 Oct 2024 Version
India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants
Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Vaishnaw undertakes three-day Japan tour to clear bullet train
hurdles ahead of Modi’s visit
Senior officials led by Union Railway Minister Ashwini
Vaishnaw undertook a three-day trip to Japan in September
to resolve several problems that have resulted in a deadlock
between India and Japan over Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s pet project — Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.
Sources said, among the problems they discussed were
Japan’s insistence on Japanese vendors for the trains and
signalling systems, and costing and timing estimates for
project completion. Anil Kumar Khandelwal, Member
(Infrastructure), Railway Board, and Vivek Kumar Gupta,
Managing Director of the National High Speed Rail
Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), accompanied Mr. Vaishnaw,
sources said, as pressure to complete construction
milestones grows ahead of Mr. Modi visit to Tokyo for the
annual summit later this year. Officials said that while the entire land acquisition in Gujarat and
Maharashtra had been completed, and 215 km of viaduct of the total 508 km distance was completed,
the deadlock over costs for supplying rolling stock or train sets and signalling systems still persists.
“Japan which is providing all the technical support and technology for running the bullet trains, is keen
that the train sets and the signalling system be purchased from Japanese suppliers only,” sources told
The Hindu. According to Japan International Cooperation Agency loan conditions, only Japanese
manufacturers such as Kawasaki and Hitachi can participate in the bid. The increase in the project’s
costing is becoming another issue. According to NHSRCL figures, an expenditure of up to ₹60,372 crore
(unaudited) has already occurred between FY 2020-21 to FY 2023-24, against a total outlooked budget
of ₹1.08 lakh crore. “A majority of this cost has been spent in creating infrastructure for the bullet train
like constructing the viaduct, girder casting and launching, laying rail level slabs and so on. This leaves
increasingly small margin for spending on buying the train sets and setting up the signalling systems,”
officials said indicating the project costs will further escalate.
Value of MoUs inked under Rajasthan global investment summit
swells to ₹12.50 lakh cr.
The total value of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed for investments in
Rajasthan under the upcoming global investment summit swelled to ₹12.50 lakh
crore, with new agreements worth ₹8 lakh crore inked in New Delhi on Monday.
The investors’ meet in the national capital for the ‘Rising Rajasthan’ summit, set to
be held in Jaipur from December 9 to 11, saw a large number of industrial groups
and companies signing the MoUs with the State government’s Bureau of
Investment Promotion. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Industries Minister
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant were present at
the event. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Sharma said Rajasthan at present stood
at the “cusp of a transformative era”, while embracing a new vision for growth and
prosperity. “The State government’s focus is not just on signing the MoUs for
investment intentions, but to realise them into projects on the ground,” he said.
The Chief Minister said his government has set a goal of doubling the State’s economy from $180 billion to $350 billion in the next
five years. “We wish to build a sustainable future for the generations to come. Our commitment is rejected in the initiatives
designed to attract investment, boost local production, and empower our people,” he said. State govt. support Referring to the
State government’s investor-centric approach, the CM said the focus was on supporting businesses with proactive policies,
streamlined processes, reduced compliance burdens, and fostered transparency. Industrial land acquisition and development
have been simplied, and initiatives like the private industrial park scheme and land aggregation and monetisation policy are being
rolled out, he said. The MoUs were signed across a range of sectors such as renewable energy, power transmissions, oil and gas,
compressed natural gas, logistics, cement, and agricultural technology. The State government’s delegation led by Mr. Sharma will
interact with Ambassadors and diplomats from several countries on Tuesday to seek their’s
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SSB PATRIKA
Tuesday Students
1 Oct 2024 Version
India’s First Newspaper Specifically Made For Defence Aspirants
Current Affairs SSB Group Discussions Lecturette topics Vocabulary TAT + PPDT Stories
EDITOR OF THE DAY
India’s space programme needs more resources to realise its full
potential
In July,
NASA cancelled its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission to the moon
after the development was beset by delays and costs had ballooned. By this time its engineers had fully
assembled it and completed some tests, but NASA held its ground. The sudden decision dismayed
scientists. VIPER was designed to map the distribution of water-ice in the moon’s south pole region and
the soils in which it occurred, over three months. In all, the golf-cart-sized rover was to be launched by a
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and deployed using Astrobotic’s ‘Griffin’ lander, all managed through
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme. Landing on the moon is an expensive, time-
consuming exercise. NASA’s decision to cancel VIPER at this late stage thus drew the attention of the
U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and of the wider international community,
which sees in VIPER’s absence an opportunity for China’s increasingly complex lunar programme to lead
the way. The world’s rush back to the moon offers potentially signi- cant commercial and geopolitical
gains. VIPER was expected to be a pivotal component of the US-led ‘lunar axis’ defined by the Artemis
Accords, which counts India among its leaders. Yet,
India missed a trick when, on September 18, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal by the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) to begin the second phase of the country’s lunar programme with
Chandrayaan-4, a sample-return mission. Moments after the Chandrayaan-3 lander descended on the
moon’s surface on August 23, 2023, reports erupted to claim India had yet again admitted itself into a
small, elite group of countries that have achieved an autonomous lunar soft-landing. But such
proclamations overlook the considerable gaps between these countries’ space agencies from an
operations perspective. One pertinent difference is that ISRO is unable to execute multiple flagship
missions in parallel. Instead, it follows a ‘one major mission at a time’ cadence that, in exchange for
maximising resource use efficiency, leaves the organisation incapable of manoeuvring rapidly to
respond to new opportunities. Had it been able, ISRO could have sought the Cabinet’s approval for the
‘Lunar Polar Explorer’ mission it is planning with its Japanese counterpart, to land a rover on the moon to
perform many of the crucial tasks VIPER was expected to, especially prospecting for large water-ice
deposits.
Even now, the VIPER incident should remind the Centre that despite an expanding allocation and
new funding modes in the offing, the Indian space programme needs more resources to realise its
full potential.
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