·       Location: It is located in the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.

·       It is being developed as an International Container Transhipment Port (ICTP).

·       It is also eligible for central funding and will be developed under the public-private partnership model.

·       The proposed facility is envisaged to be developed in four phases with Phase 1 is proposed to be commissioned in the year 2028 with handling capacity of ~ 4 Million TEUs, increasing to 16 Million TEUs in the ultimate stage of development by 2058.

·       Once operational, the Galathea Bay project will help capture a large share of transhipped cargo which is handled at ports outside India.

Significance of this project

·       The project focuses on three key drivers, which can result in making it a leading container transhipment port, i.e.

·       Strategic location in terms of proximity (40 nautical miles) with the International shipping trade route

·       Availability of natural water depth of over 20m and carrying capacity of transhipment cargo from all the Ports in the proximity including Indian Ports.

·       Its atomic number is 2, making it the second lightest element after hydrogen.

·       Helium also has a very low boiling point (-268.9° C), allowing it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments.

·       The gas is non-toxic, but cannot be breathed on its own, because it displaces the oxygen humans need for respiration.

How is it used in Rockets?

·       Helium is used to pressurize fuel tanks, ensuring fuel flows to the rocket’s engines without interruption; and for cooling systems.

·       As fuel and oxidiser are burned in the rocket’s engines, helium fills the resulting empty space in the tanks, maintaining the overall pressure inside.

·       Because it is non-reactive, it can safely mingle with the tanks’ residual contents.

Is it prone to leaks?

·       Helium’s small atomic size and low molecular weight mean its atoms can escape through small gaps or seals in storage tanks and fuel systems.

·       But because there is very little helium in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaks can be easily detected – making the gas important for spotting potential faults in a rocket or spacecraft’s fuel systems.

·       The National Initiative for Developing and harnessing innovations (NIDHI) program was launched in 2016.

·       It is an umbrella programme conceived and developed by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship division, Department of Science & Technology.

·       Aim: To nurture start-ups through scouting, supporting and scaling innovations.

·       Key stakeholders: Various departments and ministries of the central government, state governments, academic and R & D institutions, mentors, financial institutions, angel investors, venture capitalists and private sectors.

·       Funding: It is funded by the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB).

Key Components of the Program

·       The NIDHI- PRAYAS (Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring Innovators and Startups) program at Proof-of-Concept level provides mentoring and financial support to innovator for converting their ideas into prototypes.

·       NIDHI Entrepreneurs-In-Residence (EIR) Program provides fellowships to the students opting for entrepreneurship.

·       The NIDHI Seed Support Program provisions availability of early-stage seed support funding to startups and the NIDHI Accelerator program speeds up the investment readiness of the startups.

·       The NIDHI program has been helpful in creating state-of-the art infrastructure for incubating startups in technology sectors through Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) and Centres of Excellence (CoE).

·       NIDHI Accelerator: An accelerator is typically a 3-6 months fast track structured program helping ideas get accelerated to the next orbit.

·       The CoE originally adopted this International AI treaty in May 2023.

·       Prepared against the backdrop of fast evolving AI technology and growing concerns about their misuse, such as deep fakes, the treaty sets out a legal framework to govern the entire lifecycle of AI systems and address the risks they may pose while promoting responsible innovation.

·       It is open for even non-European members.

·       It governs the use of AI systems for the public and private sectors with different models of complying with its principles and obligations when regulating the private sector.

Council of Europe (CoE):

·       It is an international organization of European countries that seeks to protect democracy and human rights and to promote European unity by fostering cooperation on legal, cultural, and social issues.

·       It is Europe’s oldest and largest intergovernmental organisation.

·       Founded in 1949, it includes 47 member states, 27 of which are members of the European Union (EU).

·       It is headquartered in Strasbourg, France.

·       CoE should not be confused with the European Council, which is a policy-making body of the EU.

·       The CoE addresses issues of common concern to its members, including human rights, crime prevention, drug abuse, environmental protection, bioethical issues, and migration.

·       To manage these affairs, the council has devised more than 160 international agreements, treaties, and conventions that have replaced literally tens of thousands of bilateral treaties between various European states.

·       Among the most important of its agreements are the European Convention on Human Rights (1950), the European Cultural Convention (1954), the European Social Charter (1961), the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment (1987), the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1995), and the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997).

·       It is composed of four principal bodies: the Committee of Ministers (decision-making body), the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, and the Secretariat.

Need:

·       Presently, international and domestic brands available in India use measurements from the US or the UK for garments, having ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘large’ sizes.

·       However, Western body types differ from Indians in terms of height, weight, or specific measurements of body parts.

·       It fails to account for the diversity in Indian body types, leading to frequent fitting issues and consumer dissatisfaction.

·       The Ministry of Textiles sanctioned the INDIAsize project to develop standard body sizes for the Indian apparel sector to address the prevailing disparities and inconsistencies in provided fits.

·       The project entails gathering anthropometric data pan India from more than 25000 (Twenty-Five Thousand) male and female persons between the age group of 15 years and 65 years using human safe 3D whole body scanning technology.

·       The created body size chart will help national and international retailers and manufacturers to produce goods which are best suited for Indian body types and create a balance between demand and supply of well fitted garments.

·       Once rolled out, INDIAsize will serve as a benchmark for Indian and international fashion brands selling in the country.