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SPECIAL
August 15th 2023
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On this Independence Day, IFL wishes....
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India is the 2nd largest troop contributor to UN Peacekeeping in the World India is the second largest contributor to UN missions and has suffered the highest fatalities since 1948 when peacekeeping operations were initiated. The UN has undertaken 71 peacekeeping operations since 1948, At present, the Indian Army is part of UN missions in Congo, Lebanon, South Sudan, Syria, Western Sahara, and Cyprus. So far, it has taken part in around 50 peacekeeping operations, sending over two lakh troops to troubled regions worldwide.
Recently, the Indian Army commemorated the 75th International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers on 29th May (which was designated by the UN General Assembly) at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The highest Indian deployments have been to UNMISS (South Sudan – 2,403 troops), MONUSCO (Congo – 2,041), UNIFIL (Lebanon – 895), and UNDOF (post-Arab-Israeli war – 200). India has contributed in many ways to strengthen UN peacekeeping. During panemeic it delivered 200,000 doses of made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines, which has helped vaccinate 140,000 field personnel and India is also working with UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations for development of a mobile tech platform – UNITE AWARE, which, India's deputy envoy said will help "increase situational awareness and provides terrain related information to peacekeepers. Many gallant Indian soldiers have laid their life to bring peace and harmony to the world. While serving under the blue flag, 168 Indian soldiers have, so far made the supreme sacrifice. India’s contributions to the UN peace keeping efforts as reflecting its ethos as a “messenger of peace”. As a founding member of the United Nations, India strongly supports the purposes and principles of the UN and has made significant contributions in implementing the goals of the Charter, and the evolution of the UN's specialised programmes and agencies. India always "proud" of its "contribution" to UN peacekeeping mission. Feel Proud to be an Indian. Happy Independence Day!
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The primary objective of UN Peacekeeping is to facilitate peace and security, protect civilians, and support the restoration of stable governance structures. It brings together the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security.
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Why am I Proud to be an Indian Being an Indian has a special status of honour and dignity in the eyes of the world. The culture and traditions that we have can hardly be compared to any other nation. None of the nations in this world could visualise such a diversity in human population. Still we stay united and feel proud to be called as Indians. There are more reasons to feel proud to be an Indian. I am living in world’s largest democracy. I am living in world’s 2nd most populous country. I am living in a land of diversity. I am living in a land of 2nd largest English speaking population in the world. I live in a country where people belonging to different religions coexist. I live in a country which produces world’s largest number of Engineers, Doctors and Scientists. I live in a country which is an emerging superpower. I live in a country which is home to more than a hundred different languages. I live in a country where Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus originates. I live in country which invented Chess Game. I live in country which is the world largest democracy with 900 million voters. I live in country which has world largest no of Post offices. I live in country which exports Software’s to 90 countries. I live in country which has largest number of elected women in power. I live in country which has the highest no of news channels and newspapers in vernacular languages. I live in country which is the 2nd largest army in the world. Today we are living freely because many sacrificed their lives for the sake of our country. Salute to the great souls! Happy Independence Day |
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My Duties towards my Country as being a Citizen Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Indians. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality. Performing duties towards the nation is the respect of a citizen towards his/her nation.
Each and every person is individually responsible for the growth and development in the country. Happy Independence Day!
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Indian armed forces: A source of pride The Indian Army is known worldwide for its exceptional courage, bravery and the highest standards of professionalism. Indian Army will always remain the pride of our nation. Every Indian is proud of our Army and will always be grateful. They have always kept our nation safe and are widely admired for their service during times of crisis. Here are some inspirational quotes from the brave soldiers of the Indian Army: 1. "A Soldier is above politics and should not believe in caste or creed." Field Marshal KM Cariappa. 2. "Either I will come back after hoisting the tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure." Capt. VikramBatra. 3. "The enemy are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round." Major Somnath Sharma. 4. "There will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued." Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. 5. "You have never lived until you have almost died. And for those who choose to fight, life has a special flavour. The protected will never know." Capt. R Subramanian. 6. "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha." Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw. Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. Happy Independence Day!
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Indian Railways We are all proud of the Indian Railways for its extensive network and service to the nation. Railways are the lifespan of India. Rail is the most accessible, cheap and the only way to reach one place from one place to another in the country. It is the backbone of Indian economy with connections to major locations of the country, becoming not only a medium of transportation but a lifeline for trade and commerce. We must know some facts about amazing Indian Railways
"Stop complaining & start participating" - This should be the mantra for the success of the Country growth. Happy Independence Day Wishes! |
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Remarkable discoveries and inventions by Indians Some of our Indians have made remarkable discoveries and inventions. We are not about the great invention of ‘zero’ or the origins of ‘Plastic Surgery’ in the B.C but more of contemporary inventions in the field of technology. Indian (Bengali) inventor and microbiologist Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty created a species of man made micro organism to break down crude oil. He genetically engineered a new species of Pseudomonas bacteria ("the oil-eating bacteria") in 1971. The inventor Chakrabarty secured his patent in 1980. Sir J. C. Bose holds the first patent worldwide to invent a solid-state diode detector to detect EM waves. The detector was built using a galena crystal. Bose has been credited belatedly for his achievement. The world famous and most widely used chip in computers, the Intel Pentium Chip was invented by Vinod Dham. He is also called the 'Father of Pentium Chip'. The USB is a part of our daily lives. This tiny, data storage gadget was co-invented by an Indian-American computer architect Ajay Bhatt. But he didn't do it for money. Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany is named as one of the 7 ‘Unsung Heroes' by Fortune Magazine and is widely recognized as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics' for his pioneering work in Fiber Optics technology. VA Shiva Ayyadurai is an American scientist of Indian origin, inventor and entrepreneur. As a high school student in 1979, he developed an electronic version of an interoffice mail system, which he called "EMAIL" and copyrighted in 1982. In this spirit, we should encourage our young people and show them how invention improves people’s lives. Which will inspire them to investigate and solve challenging problems. Together, let’s help the next generation of inventors make the India a better place!
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Contribution of science and technology to national development As India completes 76 years of its independence, it is time to introspect at the contribution of science and technology to national development. Several scientific and technological developments have touched the lives of common people in the last seven decades, though limelight is often hogged by achievements in fields like space and atomic energy. India was able to gain pace in scientific discovery only after independence. Getting back the reigns of democracy and planning the years ahead to regain our prosperity encouraged people to work towards scientific and technological advancements. In all these years, India witnessed a massive shift in these fields of discovery by strategically aligning its skills and resources. In the past seven decades, India has built satellites and sent probes to the moon and Mars, established nuclear power stations, acquired nuclear weapon capability and demonstrated firepower in the form of a range of missiles. Undoubtedly these are all fabulous achievements of Indian scientists and technologist. At the same time, scientific research – combined with favourable public policies - has made India self-sufficient in production of food, milk, fruits and vegetables, drugs and vaccines. All this has had great social and economic impacts and directly and indirectly touched the lives of ordinary Indians. Developments in communications and information technology have enabled timely forecast of weather and early warning of cyclones, saving thousands of lives. At the time of the independence, India was not only importing foodgrains but also milk products like baby food, butter and cheese. In 1955, India was importing 500 tonnes of butter and 3000 tonnes of baby food from dairy companies in Europe. Political independence does not have much meaning without economic independence. One of the important indicators of economic independence is self-sufficiency in food grain The overall food grain scenario in India has undergone a drastic transformation in the last 75 years. India has achieved self-reliance in the production of food grains in the last several decades, and it is a mammoth achievement for our agriculture sector as well as the overall economy. Today, India is the world’s largest sugar-producing country and holds the second position in Rice & Wheat production. India is also inching towards self-reliance in pulse production. India is the world’s second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables and India has the world’s greatest livestock population. India today is known as ‘pharmacy of the world’ as Indian companies are supplying affordable drugs and vaccines to not only developing but also to developed countries.
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India - Defence Power Just like its economy, the defence preparedness of a country also forms its backbone. Self-sufficiency in defence products and equipments manufacturing is a milestone that every developing country hopes to achieve – and India is no different. India’s indigenous defence industry, over several years, has achieved multiple successes to its credit across the spectrum of armed forces. The defence industry, including MSMEs, are increasingly being encouraged to build world-class weapons by the government under the ambitious ‘Make in India’ initiative. Aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Tejas Fighter jet, LCH, Arjun battle tanks, Pinaka rockets, K9 Vajra, BrahMos, – the list of lethal and potent indigenous defence systems is endless. Let's we look some world-class state-of-the-art indigenous defence systems that India is proud of INS Vikrant – India’s first homegrown aircraft carrier At 45,000 tonnes, Vikrant is the largest naval ship to be designed and built in India, Building Vikrant hasn't been easy for India. Till now, this type of aircraft carrier was made only by developed countries. India joined an elite league of the world's naval powers, when it commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant. The carrier has filled the nation with "new confidence," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a ceremony marked by fanfare at the Cochin Shipyard in India's southern Kerala state. With the commissioning of INS Vikrant, India will have two operational aircraft carriers (the other one is INS Vikramaditya) , which will bolster the maritime security of the nation.
INS Arihant - India's first homegrown nuclear submarine
Tejas – Air strength to new heights
ATAGS is the pride of the nation. An indigenous artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), being jointly developed by the DRDO and the private sector has set a new world record in range by hitting targets at a distance of 48 km. ATAGS is India’s first indigenously built gun system with automated ammunition handling facility. The one thing on artillery is: We’ve always called it ‘the king of battle,’ Since Napoleonic times to recent Ukraine-Russia conflict , just because there’s really no defense against it once it’s firing. LCH "Prachand" – India’s first homegrown light weight combat helicopter
PM Modi said in earlier times, controversies and allegations of kickbacks were linked to imported weapons due to competition among foreign vendors who often launched campaigns to target the products of their rivals. “This created confusion, doubts and even opened doors for corruption. A lot of confusion was created over which weapon is good, which is not…which is useful and which is not. Atmanirbharta is the solution to this problem too,” India would soon notify a new list of weapons and systems that cannot be imported to promote self-reliance in the defence sector. This will be the third positive indigenisation list --- the government has already notified two lists of 209 weapons and equipment that cannot be imported. The secure environment provided by the Army, ensuring the path to prosperity and development for the country as a whole, is only a part of the larger and ubiquitous role played by the Indian Army in nation building. |
INS Arihant, India's first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, has enabled India to join a select club of nations like the US, Russia, China, the UK and France, which possess nuclear-powered submarines. India is now the sixth country to have nuclear-powered submarines with ballistic missile launch capabilities. She is designed to carry four nuclear-tipped submarine-launched ballistic missiles called the K-4 which have a range of 3,500 kilometres or a dozen Bo 5 missiles which can strike targets about 700 kilometres away. Arighat, India's second ballistic missile submarine (nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles or SSBN), could enter service by 2024, a new report says.
After 33 long years of wait, Indian Military Aviation made history when on 01 July 2016, two Light Combat Aircrafts (LCA) were inducted into the Indian Air force. The Tejas is the first supersonic multirole fighter aircraft designed and built entirely in India. Tejas is not only indigenous, but it is also better than its foreign equivalents on several parameters and also comparatively cheaper. Many countries have shown interest in Tejas. Tejas is a single engine multi role aircraft catered to meet the tactical needs of IAF. Its delta wing configuration has been specially designed to increase agility and maneuverability in the air. Its total weight is 8.5 tonnes and it has the capability to carry three tonnes of weapons. LCA can carry precision-guided munitions, missiles, bombs and rockets etc. Tejas can fly at a maximum speed of 2205 km/h and at a max altitude of 15200 meters. It has a range of 3000 kms and can be refueled in the air also. The LCA-Tejas will be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in the years to come.
ATAGS 155mm Artillery Gun - A “Make in India” Marvel
Recently, the Indian Air Force formally inducted the indigenously developed multi-role Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Prachanda which is suitable for operating in high-altitude battlefields. The LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 (16,400 ft.) meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel. The LCH became the first attack helicopter to land in Siachen at altitudes as high as 15,800 feet (4,815 metres). The LCH has the capabilities of combat roles such as destruction of enemy air defence, counter insurgency warfare, combat search and rescue, anti-tank, and counter surface force operations.
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India as an emerging weapons exporterAfter having emerged as a global hub for manufacturing automobiles, India is now graduating to making weapons, arms, ammunition, warships and planes for the international market and also for its own use. Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in its report last month, compared two five-year blocks — between 2012-16 and 2017-21 — saying Indian arms imports decreased by 21 per cent. India now has four clear demarcations in the military equipment market. First, it continues to import selected niche technologies. Second, exports are growing and will show up in a big way. Third, Indian private companies now make entire systems, parts and components for global manufacturers while also being suppliers to Indian armed forces. And fourth, Indian private companies are in joint ventures with foreign manufacturers and have joined their global supply chains. India may be a big importer of defence equipment but has been making steady progress in exports of such products to 75 countries including those who are big names in the export market like the US, Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, South Africa and Sweden. These countries are in the list of 75 nations that also included Azerbaijan, Seychelles, Estonia, Indonesia, Guinea and the Philippines. Notable export deals include the supply of 155-mm artillery guns and Teevra 40-mm guns to the Indonesian Navy, and a $250 million contract with Armenia for the supply of Pinaka missiles. India is also on its way to finalise BrahMos missile deals with Indonesia and the Philippines, following the successful $375 million agreement signed last year. “Defence exports have recorded a six-fold increase in the last five to six years. Today, we are providing Made in India defence equipment and services to more than 75 countries,” the PM said. India has listed 85 kinds of equipment and 47 sub-systems for export to Indian Ocean & African countries to help increase defence base to $25 billion by 2025 - — some of the top items featured on it are the Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers, and the Combat Management System. There are 30 land systems mentioned in the list. Chief among them are the Akash and BrahMos missiles and artillery guns. India is offering the Akash Area Defence System for defending vulnerable areas/points against penetrating targets at low, medium and high altitude. In the case of the BrahMos cruise missile, even as India works on extending its range, it is offering the 290 km-range missile for export. BrahMos is much sought after by countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. The list also includes Ashok Leyland military vehicles, mine protected vehicles, combat helmets and vests manufactured by private firm MKU, multi-mode hand grenades and various kinds of ballistic protection. On the naval front, India has offered to export anti-submarine warfare corvettes made by the state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), apart from various kinds of patrol and interceptor boats and Landing Craft Utility, which are used to transport troops and materiel from ship to shore and vice-versa. Also on offer are lightweight and heavyweight torpedos, beside naval 30 mm guns, rocket launchers, coastal surveillance systems and communication and combat management systems for ships. Emergence of the Indian private defence industry is a success story. Bengaluru-based Dynamatic Technologies is making aero structures for global companies like Bell, Airbus and Boeing. Idea Forge, which got a contract recently from the Indian Army for smaller tactical UAVs, now has an export order. Kanpur-based Lohia Group is into 100 per cent exports. Bharat Forge and Tata are making artillery guns for the Army. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) is making guns, warships and hulls of nuclear submarines. Bengaluru-based New Space and Technologies has inked a contract with the MoD to make a high-altitude communications and surveillance ‘pseudo satellite’ that can remain airborne for months. The other side of the success story is joint ventures. Airbus has tied up with Tata to make the C295 military planes in India. The world’s biggest military equipment company, Lockheed Martin, in December last year formally recognized Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) as a potential future co-producer of fighter wings. The TLMAL facility is integrated into Lockheed Martin's global supply chain for making parts of the C-130J planes. Adani makes complete carbon composite aerostructures for Hermes 900 UAV for Israeli company Elbit. Mahindra is making the ULH M77 guns in collaboration with BAE systems and separately has a contract with Indian Navy to make submarine warfare suites. Boeing has a joint venture with Tata for making aerostructures of helicopters. Several Indian firms, especially MSMEs, have integrated with foreign manufacturers to make India a part of the global supply chain. From initially just producing parts to now indigenously producing from scratch, the liberalized private sector players have progressed and expanded. India is in a good position to seize the potential export opportunity from the current pool of multi-domain engineering talent, cheap production costs, and friendly connections with the majority of countries. "As you celebrate this day, always have it in mind that no nation is perfect and it can only be made perfect by me and you. Happy independence, proud to be a citizen!"
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