NISAR Launch

Context: ISRO-NASA’s NISAR, the heaviest Earth observation satellite, was successfully placed in orbit to deliver detailed global maps every 12 days for five years.

About the Launch

• Launch Vehicle and Orbit: Successfully launched on July 30, 2025, aboard GSLV-F16 into a 747 km Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO),
  • This is ISRO’s first SSPO mission using GSLV due to NISAR’s heavy 2,392 kg payload
  • SSPO is a special type of polar orbit where a satellite passes over a specific point on Earth at the same local time on every orbit

About NISAR Satellite

• NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the world’s first dual-frequency SAR mission, using both L-band and S-band radars to provide high-resolution, all-weather, day-and-night imaging of Earth.

Key Features

• Dual-Band Radar Capability:
  • L-band radar (1–2 GHz): Developed by NASA, penetrates dense forests and vegetation.
  • S-band radar (2–4 GHz): Developed by ISRO, offers detailed surface imaging.
    
• Large Deployable Antenna: Equipped with a 12-meter deployable antenna with an 18-meter radar swath, enabling wide-area coverage.
• SweepSAR Technology: NISAR uses SweepSAR, allowing efficient and detailed Earth surface mapping over large areas
  • It will enable NISAR  to  observe earth with a swath of 242 km and high spatial resolution for the first time.

Applications

• Environmental and Resource Monitoring: NISAR enables global scanning every 12 days to monitor tectonic activity, glaciers, permafrost, soil moisture, and surface water, aiding in climate research, agriculture planning, and resource management.
• Disaster and Ecosystem Management: The satellite supports natural disaster tracking, forest monitoring, and biodiversity conservation, improving disaster preparedness, coastal resilience, and sustainable land-use strategies.

Klyuchevskoy Volcano

Context: Recently the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted in Russia’s Far East, hours after an 8.8 magnitude  earthquake struck the Kamchatka region, triggering tsunami alerts across the Pacific.

About Klyuchevskoy volcano

• It is an active stratovolcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, home to over 300 volcanoes.
• Standing at at 15,597 feet (4,754 metres), it is the tallest active volcano in Europe and Asia.
• Klyuchevskoy is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka:
  • At least 18 eruptive phases since 2000
  • Over 60 eruptions in the past 100 years
• The area is seismically and volcanically active, lying within the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• The eruption featured:
  • Red-hot lava flowing down the western slope,
• A powerful glow and Explosions at the summit.

The Resistance Front and the UNSC Report

Context: The UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Team has for the first time mentioned The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir. 

Implications for Pakistan

• The report undermines Pakistan’s longstanding tactic of using modern names like TRF and People Against Fascist Front (PAFF) to mask LeT and JeM proxies.
• Observers stated that Pakistan’s “lies and deceitful narrative” are now globally visible.

Strategic and Diplomatic Significance

• Consensus-Based Process: All Monitoring Team reports are adopted by consensus among UNSC member states, indicating broad international agreement.
• First Mention : This is the first mention of LeT or any Pakistan-based group in a UNSC sanctions report since 2019.
• India’s Credibility: Enhances India’s counter-terror narrative and diplomatic leverage in global forums.

UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee

• Establishment: Formed through Resolution 1267 to impose an air embargo and asset freeze on the Taliban.
• Evolution: Expanded after the 9/11 attacks to include Al-Qaeda and later ISIL; now formally called the Da’esh and Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
• Composition: Comprises all 15 members of the UN Security Council, both permanent and non-permanent.
• Purpose:
  • Aims to combat terrorism linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIL.
  • Maintains a consolidated global list of designated terrorists and affiliated entities.
  • Enforces sanctions such as travel bans, asset freezes, and arms embargoes.
• Decision-Making: Operates by consensus—any of the five permanent members (P5) can block a proposal.

Operation Shivshakti

Context: Recently, the Indian Army conducted Operation Shivshakti in Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, killing two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attempting to infiltrate the LoC. 

• Operation Shivshakti follows Operation Mahadev, where three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack were killed.
• Operation Mahadev was a joint counter-terror effort by Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Key Details of the Operation

• Location: Maldivalan area, Degwar sector, along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch.
• The operation was based on synchronised intelligence inputs from Army intelligence units and Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP).
• Forces Involved: Indian Army troops (White Knight Corps)

Centre Notifies Single Window System for Appointing State DGPs

Context: The Union Government has introduced a Single Window System for the appointment of State Director-General of Police (DGP)/Head of Police Force (HoPF). 

• The new system addresses the non-compliance by several states with the Supreme Court’s Prakash Singh (2006)  case  and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines on the appointment of DGPs/HoPFs.

Features of the Single Window System

• Check-list and Standard Formats: The system includes a detailed check-list and standard formats that make it easier for states to submit proposals for the empanelment of DGPs to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This will ensure a smooth and expeditious process.
• Certification of Eligibility: To prevent discrepancies, the Centre has mandated that an officer not below the rank of Secretary to Government must certify the eligibility of the proposed candidates. This is to ensure that the minimum tenure and other guidelines are adhered to.
• Supreme Court Guidelines: The guidelines specify that a DGP/HoPF should have a minimum residual service of six months from the date of the vacancy and that states should send proposals at least three months before the vacancy or the retirement of the incumbent.

Current Appointment Process

• Submission by States: States must send a list of eligible officers to the UPSC at least six months before the current DGP’s retirement.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • Officers must have a minimum of 30 years of service or hold the rank of police chief (or one rank below) as stipulated for that state.
  • Officers who have less than 6 months remaining before retirement are not eligible.
• UPSC Empanelment Committee: The UPSC Empanelment Committee selects a panel of three officers (or two officers for smaller states) based on merit.
• Selection by State Government: The State government then selects the DGP from the panel of qualified candidates.
• The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions related to the non-compliance of states with the norms prescribed for DGP appointments, specifically in the case of Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta.

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