The 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and 5th ADMM-Plus were held recently Singapore.
The conferences were attended by defence ministers from India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and US.
ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in regional security architecture for promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.
ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 in Thailand.
ASEAN has 10 members namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
ADMM-Plus is platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners to strengthen security and defence co-operation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
Azad Hind Government
2018 is 75th anniversary year of the Azad Hind Government, founded on 21st October, 1943.
It was inspired by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who was the leader of Azad Hind Government and also the Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile.
It was a part of the freedom movement, originating in 1940s outside India with a purpose of allying with Axis powers to free India from British rule.
The existence of the Azad Hind Government gave a greater legitimacy to the independence struggle against the British.
Pertinently, the role of Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) had been crucial in bequeathing a much needed impetus to India’s struggle for Independence.
Man-Made Moons
China is planning to launch its own ‘artificial moon’ by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas.
For this China has developed “illumination satellites” that will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter
By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace streetlamps in urban areas, saving an estimated 1.2 billion yuan, expected this man-made moons illuminate an area of 50 square kilometres.
C-FLOWS
National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) has invented Chennai Flood Warning System (C-FLOWS).
It is a six-module ensemble which can predict flooding due to heavy rainfall sea-level rise and increase in water levels of the three rivers Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar that traverse the Chennai city.
The State government shared data such as ward boundaries, population details, and infrastructure available across Tamil Nadu, which have been used in the warning system.
Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been simulated.
National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)
The Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management Project Directorate (ICMAM PD), an attached office of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) was established at Chennai in 1998.
Its objective is to implement International Development Association (IDA) assisted Environment Management Capacity Building Project.
The Project Directorate has been continuing its activities in the field of Coastal Research, fully funded by MoES.
It was re-designated as National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) in 2018.
