Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 14 Jun 2023

'Anjadip' Marks Milestone in Indigenous Shipbuilding for Indian Navy

The launch of the third 3^rd Anti-Submarine Shallow Water Craft (ASMSWC) ship, 'Anjadip', signifies a significant milestone in the indigenous shipbuilding efforts of the Indian Navy. Manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Shipbuilding, the launch ceremony was held at the Kattupalli, Tamil Nadu on June 13, 2023.

Named after the strategically important island of Anjadip, situated off the coast of Karwar, Karnataka and connected to the mainland by a breakwater, the ship represents the vital maritime role played by the island.

Furthermore, it is part of the larger INS Kadamba naval base. The ASW SWC project involves the construction of a total of eight ships, designed to replace the existing Abhay class ASW Corvettes. These Arnala class ships are specifically designed for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and Mine Laying operations, including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters.

These ships boast over 80% indigenous content, promoting large-scale defence production by Indian manufacturing units and bolstering employment opportunities while strengthening the country's capabilities in naval defence.

Sanshodhak

The 'Sanshodhak', the fourth ship of the Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) Project being constructed by L&T/GRSE for the Indian Navy, was launched in Kattupalli, Chennai. The ship's name, 'Sanshodhak', meaning 'Researcher,' signifies its primary role as a Survey Vessel. The SVL project involves four ships, with the first ship built at GRSE in Kolkata and the remaining three ships constructed up to the outfitting stage by M/s L&T Shipbuilding in Kattupalli. The first three ships of the project, Sandhayak, Nirdeshak and Ikshak were launched in Dec 2021, May 2022, and Nov 2022 respectively.

These new-generation hydrographic survey ships, measuring 110m in length and 16m in width, will replace the existing Sandhayak Class ships and are equipped with state-of-the-art hydrographic equipment for collecting oceanographic data. They will conduct coastal and deep-water surveys, collect oceanographic and geophysical data, and have secondary roles in defense, HADR, and acting as a hospital ship during emergencies.

TRAI Directs Access Providers to Deploy AI-based System to Combat Unsolicited Commercial Communication

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a directive to all Access Providers, mandating the deployment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) based system called UCC_Detect.

The purpose of this system is to detect, identify, and take action against senders of Commercial Communication who are not registered under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018). These unregistered entities, known as Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs), use 10-digit mobile numbers to send commercial communications via messages or calls.

UCC_Detect system is capable of adapting to new signatures, patterns, and techniques employed by UTMs. Access Providers have also been instructed to share intelligence with other Access Providers using the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform. All Access Providers are required to comply with these directives and provide an updated status on the actions taken within thirty days.

3D Scanning and JATAN Virtual Museum Builder Software

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the MeitY and Union Culture Ministry to complete 3D digitisation of all museums under its administrative control for better conservation of artefacts.

The digitisation process involves 3D scanning which means analysing a real-world object or environment to collect three-dimensional data of its shape and possibly its appearance. The collected data is then used to construct digital 3D models. The 3D digitisation would be done using the JATAN virtual museum builder software which has been designed and developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group, Centre for Development of Smart Computing, Pune, Maharastra.

JATAN is a digital collection management system for Indian museums. It is a client server application with features such as image cropping, watermarking, unique numbering, management of digital objects with multimedia representations. It can create 3D virtual galleries and provide public access through web, mobile or touch screen kiosks.

Read more: 3D Printing