By Udbhav Bhargava

Construction of the world’s largest electrified tunnel has completed yet another phase, having finished cutting through the rocks of Aravallis. The tunnel is part of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Project near the Sohna, Haryana of the Indian railway. This connects Haryana districts Mewat and Gurgaon, and negotiates a steep gradient on the Aravalli range up and down slope. Over the next 12 months, plans are to train electrical goods with double-stack containers via it.

What are double-stack containers?

A double-stack container is a wagon for rail transport on which two containers can be stacked. Such containers allow greater freight movement and are critical assets on the railway ‘s commercial hot-routes, such as those connected to ports and container terminals.

WDFC OF RAILWAYS

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is a large, under construction gauge corridor that will connect India’s national and business capital Delhi and Mumbai. To increase freight movement rates, DFC will differentiate freight and passenger traffic. The WDFC will cover 1,483 km of electric double-lane track from JNPT to Dadri, passing via Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Palanpur, Phulera and Rewari.

ARAVALLIS – THE OLDEST ROCKS

In order to construct the world’s first electrified double-stack container tunnel, engineers had to blast through 2,500 to 500-million-year-old proterozoic rocks. The last blasting was done on 24^th of July. It means that the excavation work for the one-kilometer tunnel is complete, and now it is complete. To answer questions pertaining to geological stability, the tunnel is safe and stable as it is caved through 2,500 to 500 million-year – old proterozoic rocks, primarily quartzite, schists and slates of Alwar / Azabgarh groups of Delhi rocks which have a high bearing capacity, according to the concerned authorities.

BIGGEST TUNNEL IN INDIA

The D-shaped tunnel has a 150 square meter cross-sectional area to accommodate double lines with higher overhead equipment to allow double-stack container movement on the freight corridor. Cross-sectional area wise, it is one of India’s biggest rail tunnels.

Structural specifications

The tunnel measurements are 14.5 meters in width and 10.5 meters in height in a straight section, and 15 meters in width and 12.5 meters in height to provide additional clearance as the curve is negotiated. The tunnel height is 6.5 meters, and the minimum touch wire height is set at 5.2 meters. The country’s first electrified tunnel is built using the modern Austrian Tunneling Method (ATM), in the form of a ‘horse shoe’. Given the coronavirus pandemic, research in DFCCIL (Dedicated Freight Corridor Company of India Limited) is advancing at a rapid and resolute rate. According to the announcement, the Eastern, excluding some sections, and the Western DFC are scheduled for completion in June 2022.

By Udbhav Bhargava

BHARAT – MADE BY DRDO

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has provided the Indian Army with a special made-in-India drone at the backdrop of the recent standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called Bharat, was developed by DRDO laboratory based in Chandigarh, amid increasing border tensions with China. The drone is a piece of Indian technical expertise, and a response / counter to China’s unveiled helicopter drones.

REASONS BEHIND IMMEDIATE DEVELOPMENT

The recently developed unmanned AR500C helicopter, built by China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC). The helicopter drone is capable of performing missions including recognition and communication relay but can also perform electronic disruption, target indication, fire strike, cargo delivery, nuclear radiation and chemical contamination recognition if additionally equipped. The unmanned helicopter can be operated with ease via a keyboard and a screen.

According to experts, if commissioned into the Chinese military in the future, an unmanned helicopter such as the AR500C can assist in missions in the high elevation border areas, as it can keep a watchful eye on the skies for extended periods and patrol places that are difficult for infantry troops to reach on foot, which can increase the Chinese surveillance and recognition power.

‘Bharat’ Drone – World’s most agile and lightest

Touted by the developers to be one of the ‘world’s most agile and lightest surveillance drones’, the UAV has been developed fully indigenously by the DRDO. According to DRDO sources cited by news agency ANI, the “small yet powerful drone works autonomously at any location with great accuracy. The unibody biomimetic architecture with advanced release technology is a deadly combination for monitoring missions.

AI EQUIPPED DRONE

Interestingly, the drone is fitted with artificial intelligence to identify friends and enemies and then react accordingly. Extreme weather conditions The monitoring system has been designed to work in severe cold, with extreme weather conditions along the LAC in mind. With Chinese troops transgressing along the LAC as the key obstacle, the drone also provides real-time video transmission during the search, and can even detect people hiding under deep forest cover. The drone has also been fitted with night vision capabilities and its stealthy architecture ensures its signature from enemy radars remains undetected.

By Udbhav Bhargava

The News 

Winter diesel may soon be used by the Indians armed forces for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh. The Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has sought the permission of the armed forces’ Directorate-General for Quality Assurance (DGQA) to allow winter diesel use for military vehicles.

What happens to fuel in Low temperatures? 

Standard diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is used to improve viscosity and lubrication. The paraffin wax gets thicker or “gels” at low temperatures, which impedes the fuel flow in the car engine. Gel point is the temperature at which solid diesel fuel melts and cannot flow by gravity or be pumped into fuel lines any more. This phenomenon happens when a fuel reaches a temperature that is low enough that ample wax crystals have formed to prevent any movement in the oil.

For diesel this is usually around −8 °C and for petrol this is at -68 °C. Use of kerosene to dilute diesel to make it functional can seem like an improvisation that can help but it will cause more air pollution and harm to modern diesel engines, contrary to common opinion. If improvised, then fuel tank preheating can be fatally risky. A rational alternative may be to apply anti-gel additives to diesel or biodiesel where the temperature is supposed to cool. They serve to reduce the formation of wax crystals in the fuel, thereby reducing the fuel’s pour point and gel point.

The armed forces in these areas are fuelled by winter-grade diesel in cold deserts, like Ladakh. IOCL and other oil marketing firms are supplying armed forces with Diesel High Sulphur Pour Point (DHPP -W) for operations in those areas which also have a -30 ° C pour point.

What is Winter Diesel?

The winter-grade diesel produced by IOC has a low pouring point (the temperature below which the liquid loses its flow characteristics) of -33 ° Celsius, enabling it to withstand the harsh winter weather conditions in Ladakh. It also follows the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) BS-VI Grade specification. The winter-grade diesel is provided by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited Panipat Refinery. The special winter-grade diesel would help the the challenges for transport and mobility faced by local citizens during the harsh winter months.

By Udbhav Bhargava

Germany’s parliament was preparing to pass new legislation finalizing the phase-out of coal as an energy source. Both houses of parliament were to vote on the roadmap that envisions the phase-out of coal between now and 2038. Germany is the first industrialized country that leaves behind both nuclear energy and coal energy.   

The environmental pressure groups do deserve some credit for the change. Greenpeace and other environmental organizations have protested vociferously against the proposal, including by lowering a banner down the Reichstag building door. We claim that the road map of the government does not curb greenhouse gas emissions from Germany quickly enough to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement.

Carbon Emissions and Nuclear Energy – hindrances 

However, Germany has demonstrated low results in relation to more recent European targets for rising carbon emissions. In Germany, the growing share of RES has not been enough to cut carbon emissions.

The share of RES has not been effective to eliminate pollution in Germany due to a decrease in nuclear power alone and the continuous maintenance of high coal-fired electricity products. Another reason is, nearly forty years after the start of the German energy transition, Germany remains the world’s largest lignite (brown coal) producer, with lignite and hard coal supplying nearly 40 per cent of its electricity. These reasons have hampered renewables to have a larger share in the ‘energy pie’. Germany will miss its own 2020 climate target by about 7%, but is determined to cover it up and augment its renewables energy generation.

Positive outcomes of the energy shift

German shift to renewable energy sources originated from bottom-up efforts by individuals and private-owned businesses supporting renewable energy sources. RES share in total power generation rose from 3 percent in 1990 to 40 percent in 2018. This has generated about 350,000 new jobs and has spread fairly evenly across the world.

Impact of Fukushima nuclear disaster

The nuclear catastrophe of 2011 at Fukushima in Japan resulted in massive anti-atomic power demonstrations across Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced two months after the incident that all the plants would be demolished in the next decade. Germany will be the second nation to shut down all its nuclear power stations after Italy.

Final stretch of the phase-out

Germany has vowed to start decommissioning all of its 17 nuclear power facility by the end of 2022. In December 2019, Operators began shutting down the Philippsburg nuclear power plant in southern Germany. It was the only nuclear plants still operating in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg. 2050 and 2038. Germany is planning to become neutral of greenhouse gas by 2050. It has set the tentative target of reducing emissions by at least 55 per cent compared to rates in 1990. Germany wants to phase out coal power by 2038 to attain this goal.

By Udbhav Bhargava

The ‘Necklace of Diamond’ is India’s reaction to China’s ‘String of pearls.’ This is part of a multi-stakeholder strategy to combat the aspirations of China in the Indian Ocean region and the Indo-Pacific region.

What is ‘String of pearls’?

The ‘Pearl String’ strategy of China ensures that maritime bases are established in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Djibouti to enhance its influence and military network. India claims that China is seeking to encircle the Indian Ocean with a network of dual-use port facilities. Concern-Choke points for defense, energy and stability. Sea lines run through several major maritime choke points like the Mandeb Strait, the Malacca Strait, the Hormuz Strait and the Lombok Strait. These pearls are positioned close to many of those Chinese choke points.

Diplomatic Debt traps 

Sri Lanka had depended heavily on China to develop a port in Hambantota for $1.5 billion. After the port worked at a loss and was unable to produce enough revenue to repay the loan to Beijing, the port was leased to China for 99 years in exchange for $1.1bn which eased its situation.

Encircling India. China through several measures, such as, debt traps, CPEC, Belt and road projects, et cetera has established or expedited the establishment of ports and naval bases.

India’s Counter

India has been creating a “Necklace of Diamonds” to counter the “String of Pearls” created by China. The ‘Necklace’ comprises

1. Changi Naval Base in Singapore

2. Chabahar Port in Iran

3. Assumption Islands in Seychelles

4. Sabang port in Indonesia

5. Duqm Port in Oman

Changi Naval base, Singapore 

In 2018, PM Modi signed the India-Singapore Bilateral Navy Cooperation Agreement which allows logistical support for Indian Navy vessels, including refueling at the Changi naval base in Singapore. Benefit-The Malacca Strait is known as one of the world’s most significant (and busiest) shipping lanes. This is the main lane for shipping between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Chabahar Port in Iran 

The port of Iran offers links to Afghanistan, and a significant trading route to Central Asia.

Assumption Island, Seychelles

India buttresses its position to fight the Chinese who established and operated nearby Gwadar Port in Pakistan from Assumption Island naval base. India and Seychelles decided in 2015 on building the naval base for that area. This base is of strategic significance for India as China wants to expand its influence on the African continent via the maritime route and the island of Assumption lies on the main coast.

Sabang Port, Indonesia 

In 2018, India got the military access to Sabang Port which is located right at the entrance of Malacca Strait, near the Nicobar Islands. A large chunk of trade and crude oil passes on to China through this region.

Duqm Port, Oman

India also got military access to the Port of Duqm in 2018. It sits on Oman’s south-eastern seaboard. The harbor facilitates crude imports from the Persian Gulf from India. In addition, Indian facilities are located right between the two major Chinese pearls — Djibouti and Gwadar. Besides that, India is building strong naval ties with Vietnam, Japan, France, Australia and the US.

Introduction

The word “adultery” derives its origin from the French word “avoutre”, which has evolved from the Latin verb “adulterium” which means “to corrupt”. The dictionary meaning of adultery is that a married man commits adultery if he has sex with a woman with whom he has not entered into wedlock.

Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code was a section dealing with adultery. Only a man who had consensual sexual intercourse with the wife of another man without his consent could have been punished under this offence in India. The law became defunct on 27 September 2018 by a judgement of the Supreme Court of India.The Supreme Court called the law unconstitutional because it “treats a husband as the sole master.” However it is still a sufficient ground for divorce as ruled by the Supreme Court.

The offence of adultery is non-cognizable (a case in which a police officer cannot arrest the accused without an arrest warrant). Also, it is a bailable offence.

The offence of adultery is compoundable by the husband of the woman with whom adultery is committed. Compoundable offences are those where the court can record a compromise between the parties and drop charges against the accused. [Section 320 CrPC].

Section 497 read as follows:

Adultery.—
Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such case the wife shall [not] be punishable as an abettor

The Court began to hear the arguments on this petition on 1 August 2018. The Court said that if the party challenging this section can simply prove that it violates Article 14 of the Constitution of India, then the section will be struck down.

A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on 27 September 2018 unanimously ruled to scrap Section 497 and it is no longer as a offence in India

While reading the judgment, Chief Justice Dipak Misra said, “it (adultery) cannot be a criminal offence,” however it can be a ground for civil issues like divorce.

In October 2017, Joseph Shine, a non-resident Keralite, filed public interest litigation under Article 32 of the Constitution. The petition challenged the constitutionality of the offence of adultery under Section 497 of the IPC read with Section 198(2) of the CrPC.

Section 497 IPC criminalised adultery by imposing culpability on a man who engages in sexual intercourse with another person’s wife. Adultery was punishable with a maximum imprisonment of five years. Women, including consenting parties, were exempted from prosecution. Further, a married woman could not bring forth a complaint under Section 497 IPC when her husband engaged in sexual intercourse with an unmarried woman. This was in view of Section 198(2) of CrPC which specified how a complainant can file charges for offenses committed under Sections 497 and 498 IPC.

Section 497 was unconstitutional as the very basis for criminalising adultery was the assumption that a woman is considered as the property of the husband and cannot have relations outside of marriage. The same restrictions, however, did not apply in case of the husband. Section 497 violates right to privacy as well as liberty of women by discriminating against married women and perpetrating gender stereotypes.

On 27.09.2018, a 5 Judge Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously struck down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code as being violative of Articles 14. 15 & 21 of the Constitution.

Conclusion

The most important reason for debate to get re-ignited is the drastic change in the social status of women. Gone are the days when Women were suppressed or subjugated lot. The practices of sati, child marriage, polygamy, etc, have been done away with.

Today there are laws against these evils and also laws providing effective relief against heinous acts such as domestic violence, dowry and others. Almost all professional colleges has a quota for women. Thus women today are in no way inferior to men or suppressed, and are at par with the opposite sex. The effective implementation of these laws and other women friendly provisions in the constitution insures that women, today, have an edge in the society. All this has resulted in them gaining the power of choice. They can no longer be classified as victims in cases of adultery

The biggest reality show of Telugu bigg boss is gearing for season 4 ,the host Nagarjuna confirmed his presence in the show as host,the housemates have been decided by the team

Now, the team is constructing Bigg boss house for the show, the housemates are going for COVID tests, and the housemates are going for isolation for 14 days before entering the house

The show is starting from August 30 and going to be telcast in star maa Telugu and hotstar

A 23-year-old, Aishwarya developed labor pains during the wee hours of the morning. Her husband and mother rushed her to the Rapussal Primary Health Centre (PHC).

“It was 2 am when we went to the PHC. The staff there said that the baby’s head was turning, and asked us to go to the Pudukkottai Medical College Hospital,” said Gopalakrishnan.

On their way to MCH, Aishwarya experienced excruciating pain and discomfort, and that’s where the ambulance driver, and the emergency medical technician stopped the ambulance and helped Aishwarya deliver her baby.

“The lives of both the mother and the baby were at stake here, and that is when we decided to proceed with the delivery,” said the medical technician.

“I could see their struggle while delivering the baby. It was a little complicated, yet they managed it well. They made us feel very comfortable. We will be forever grateful to them,” said Gopalakrishnan.

The new born’s parents were incredibly delighted and grateful to them for saving the lives of the mother as well of the child.

Devabaskaran, the ambulance driver, and Boopathiraja, the emergency medical technician, had helped with deliveries for over 10 women in the past year itself.

A. Karuppuraja, a student of Pothakudi village said that a common switchboard near his house has the switches for all the 35 streetlights.

“When the lockdown began, I saw a bird filling the box with straw and leaves, when I looked into it, I could see 3 greenish-blue eggs with spots,” said the 20 y/o.

The village youngsters had a common WhatsApp group called Pottakudi Ilaingnargal Kuzhu. Karuppuraja shared the bird story and all the 35 members decided to ensure the bird nested in peace for the eggs to hatch.

The group members went around the village convincing the nearly 100 households to refrain from switching the streetlights til the nesting period gets over. H. Kaleeswari, the President of Panchayat joined in too.

“Some readily agreed. Others called it stupid to switch of light for a small bird. But we managed to convince everyone and the entire village has gone without streetlights for 35 days now,” said N. Muruganantham, a villager.

The villagers said that they would clean the box and restore the power once their “winged visitors” leave.

For now they are managing with the help of torches and flash lights from mobile phone to continue their routine.

The Big Four is a novel by Agatha Christie published in the year 1927 which has a very intriguing story. The action in the novel begins from the very first moment when Captain Hastings arrives at his friend, Hercule Poirot’s place. They have an unexpected guest at his place. He has some very important information to give but is killed at the detective’s very place in his absence. This is related to a case Poirot had shown interest in lately. Further some incidents occur which again point to the same case. What is in common, is the number Four.

The novel series a very consistent fight between the people who make up the four the Big Four. Everytime it seems that Poirot has got to them seem to go even farther. It has the power of science, money, criminal brain and artistic mastery against Poirot’s own brain which he famously calls “little grey cells”. There are a lot of red herrings Agatha Christie has employed in such a way that you can’t help but read along. The story is told by Hastings who has his share of adventures and a very significant part to play in the novel. For the first time you will be introduced to a relation of Poirot: Poirot has endured a lot more than in any of his novels that I have read.

Christie has employed a very revealing/unrevealing kind of story telling style. You seem to know a lot of things but yet you know nothing. At some places you are able to guess what Poirot has posed as a question to Hastings but not always is that assumption true. But at the same time I am not very satisfied with the ending of the novel. It would have been better if Christie would have given more explaination. because during the endpoint it seems to have done his action all in the background. Evan Hastings is unaware of them. Nevertheless this book is worth reading.