UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS SIMPLIFIED

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) DRDO is the R&D (Research and Development) wing of the Ministry of Defence with a vision to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies. Its pursuit of self-reliance and successful indigenous development and production of strategic systems and platforms such as Agni and Prithvi series of missiles, Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, multi-barrel rocket launcher, Pinaka, air defence system, Akash, a wide range of radars and electronic warfare systems, etc. have given quantum jump to India’s military might, generating effective deterrence and providing crucial leverage. It was formed in 1958 from the amalgamation of the Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army and the Directorate of Technical Development & Production (DTDP) with the Defence Science Organisation (DSO). DRDO is a network of more than 50 laboratories which are deeply engaged in developing defence technologies covering various disciplines, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems etc.

Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) * It is an informal and voluntary partnership among 35 countries to prevent the proliferation of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology capable of carrying greater than 500 kg payload for more than 300 km. * The members are thus prohibited from supplying such missiles and UAV systems that are controlled by the MTCR to non-members. * The decisions are taken by consensus of all the members. * This is a non–treaty association of member countries with certain guidelines about the information sharing, national control laws and export policies for missile systems and a rule-based regulation mechanism to limit the transfer of such critical technologies of these missile systems. * It was established in April 1987 by G-7 countries – USA, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Japan. * In 1992, the focus of the regime extended to on the proliferation of missiles for the delivery of all types of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), i.e., nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. * It is not a legally-binding treaty. Hence, no punitive measures could be taken against non-compliance to the guidelines of the regime. * These efforts of non-proliferation of ballistic missile systems had further been strengthened by “The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation”, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), which was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles with 136 UN member countries including India. # India was inducted into the Missile Technology Control Regime in 2016 as the 35th member. * India has joined MTCR as a full member and also agreed to join the Hague Code of conduct which bolstered its position as a responsible nuclear state and strengthen its case for the membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group. * India can procure high-end missile technology and run joint programmes for development of unmanned aerial vehicles with other countries. eg. Procurement of theater missile interceptor “Arrow II '' from Israel, military drones like “Avenger” from the USA etc. * India being a member of the regime will have some obligations like sharing critical information about its military and technological assets, consulting other member countries regarding the export of any MTCR items, especially those notified or denied by another partner. # China is not a member of this regime but it had verbally pledged to adhere to its original guidelines but not to the subsequent additions.

BrahMos BrahMos is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India (DRDO) and the NPOM of Russia. BrahMos is named on the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva. It is a two-stage (solid propellant engine in the first stage and liquid ramjet in second) missile. It is a multiplatform missile i.e it can be launched from land, air, and sea and multi capability missile with pinpoint accuracy that works in both day and night irrespective of the weather conditions. It operates on the "Fire and Forgets" principle i.e it does not require further guidance after launch. Brahmos is one of the fastest cruise missile currently operationally deployed with speed of Mach 2.8, which is nearly 3 times more than the speed of sound. # The BrahMos missile was initially developed with a range capped at 290 km. The range of the missile was originally capped at 290 km as per obligations of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). However, following India’s entry into the MTCR club in June 2016, the range is planned to be extended to 450 km and to 600km at a later stage.

Inflation Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or common use, such as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transport, consumer staples, etc. Inflation measures the average price change in a basket of commodities and services over time. Inflation is indicative of the decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a country’s currency. This could ultimately lead to a deceleration in economic growth. However, a moderate level of inflation is required in the economy to ensure that production is promoted. In India, inflation is primarily measured by two main indices —WPI & CPI which measure wholesale and retail-level price changes, respectively. #Core Inflation It is the change in the costs of goods and services but does not include those from the food and energy sectors. This measure of inflation excludes these items because their prices are much more volatile. Core inflation = Headline inflation – (Food and Fuel) inflation. # Wholesale Price Index It measures the changes in the prices of goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale businesses to other businesses. Published by the Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It is the most widely used inflation indicator in India. Major criticism for this index is that the general public does not buy products at wholesale price. The base year of All-India WPI has been revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2017. # Consumer Price Index It measures price changes from the perspective of a retail buyer. It is released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The CPI calculates the difference in the price of commodities and services such as food, medical care, education, electronics etc, which Indian consumers buy for use. The CPI has several sub-groups including food and beverages, fuel and light, housing and clothing, bedding and footwear. Four types of CPI are as follows: CPI for Industrial Workers (IW). CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL). CPI for Rural Labourer (RL). CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined). Of these, the first three are compiled by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Fourth is compiled by the NSO in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Base Year for CPI in general is 2012. However the base year for CPI for Industrial Worker (CPI-IW) is 2016. # The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) uses CPI data to control inflation (within range 4+/-2%). In April 2014, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had adopted the CPI as its key measure of inflation. # CPI vs. WPI WPI tracks inflation at the producer level and CPI captures changes in prices levels at the consumer level. WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.