Akash missile test-fired successfully

• The DRDO on 27th May successfully test-fired the new version of the Akash surface-to-air defence missile system with a new indigenously-developed seeker in Balasore off the Odisha coast.
• This is the second successful test of the missile following another on Saturday.
• The medium range multi-target engagement capable missile was developed as part of the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) other than Nag, Agni, Trishul, and Prithvi missiles.

Highly mobile

• The supersonic missile has a range of around 25 km and up to the altitude of 18,000 metres.
• The missile uses high-energy solid propellant for the booster and ramjet-rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase. The missile system is said to be highly mobile.
• Several variants of the missile — Akash MK1, Akash-MK2 — with improved accuracy and higher ranges are under development by the DRDO.

History of the missile

• The missile system was formally inducted into the IAF on July 10, 2015, and in the Army on May 5, 2015. In September that year, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared seven additional squadrons of the missile for the IAF.
• However, it had been bogged in controversies with a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in 2017 stating that 30% of the missiles failed when tested.
• The Army too had said in 2017 that the missile did not meet its operational requirements due to higher reaction time.

P.S. Golay becomes CM of Sikkim

• Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) was on 27th May sworn in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. Mr. Golay’s party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), won 17 of the 32 Assembly seats in the April 11 election.
• The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has ruled the State for 25 years, won 15 seats.

Longest-serving CM

• He succeeds Pawan Chamling of the SDF, who has the record of being the longest serving Chief Minister of the country, having won five consecutive terms for a little over 24 years.
• Governor Ganga Prasad administered the oath of office to Mr. Golay at a grand ceremony at the Palzor Stadium in Gangtok.
• Eleven other MLAs were sworn in as Ministers, including Kunga Nima Lepcha, the acting president of the SKM who won from two seats; Arun Uperti, the MLA from Airthang; and Sonam Lama, who won from Sangha, a seat reserved for monks.
• Mr. Golay, 51, the sixth Chief Minister of the Himalayan State, started his career as a school teacher. Mr. Golay was elected to the Assembly in 1994 as an SDF candidate when he was just 26 and went on to serve as Minister holding several portfolios for three consecutive terms till 2009.
• However, after differences cropped up between him and Mr. Chamling, the party president, he formed the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha in February 2013.
• In the 2014 Assembly election, the SKM bagged 10 seats. Mr. Golay was later convicted and served a prison term till his release in August 2018.
• Since his release, Mr. Golay’s political events and rallies drew huge crowds. It was not clear whether the SKM chief would take up the post of Chief Minister or appoint someone else, but the speculation was set aside on Monday.
• After being sworn in, Mr. Golay assured the people that his government would work to ensure peace in Sikkim, and for the welfare of all sections.
• At his first meeting with government officials, he asked them to work without fear or favour. He also announced that Saturdays would be a holiday for government employees.

Plus One seats increased by 20% in State

• The government has increased the number of Plus One seats in government and aided higher secondary schools by 20% to accommodate the maximum number of students who have cleared the Class 10 examinations this year.
• The marginal increase in seats will be implemented in such a manner that it does not impose additional financial burden on the government, an order issued by the General Education Department said.
• Admission to the seats will be on the basis of the existing parameters.
• The increase will not be applicable to the batches in unaided higher secondary schools.
• This is the second consecutive year that the number of seats is being increased.
• A total of 4,26,513 students had cleared the SSLC examinations this year to become eligible for admission to Plus One, along with those from other Class 10 streams.
• Only 3,61,713 seats
• With only 3,61,713 Plus One seats available for admission, a large number of students would have found themselves deprived of the opportunity for higher education.

Fani satellite era’s most intense cyclonic storm to hit Odisha coast in pre-monsoon season, says IMD 

• Cyclone ‘Fani’, which hit Odisha on May 3, was the most intense cyclonic storm crossing the state coast during “pre-monsoon season” in the satellite era (since 1965), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a report on 27th May while flagging how increased forecast accuracy and effectiveness of early warning system minimised loss of lives.
• The last extremely severe cyclonic storm to develop and cross Odisha coast in May-June (pre-monsoon season) was the 1982 cyclone which crossed the coast between Paradip and Chandbali during midnight of June 3. IMD’s summary report on Fani, shared with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), also mentioned about its effective alert dissemination mechanism which saw delivery of over 6 million SMS (short text messages) to the general public, disaster managers, farmers and fishermen in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal ahead of the landfall of Fani.
• The report showed that the country’s national weather forecaster had, in fact, started tracking and predicting ‘Fani’ from April 18, 15 days ahead of its landfall. Its chart on ‘landfall forecast errors’ indicated how IMD reduced the margin of errors – both in predicting landfall point and landfall timing – in 2019 as compared to the long period average of 2014-18 period.
• Citing examples, the report noted that IMD’s ‘landfall time forecast error’ for 24 hours’ lead period for Fani reduced to 1.5 hours from 3 hours during 2014-18 period.
• Similarly, its ‘landfall point forecast error’ reduced to 11 km this year from 47 km during 2014-18 period, showing remarkable improvement after cyclone Phailin that hit Odisha in October, 2013.
• Its ‘track forecast errors’ and ‘intensity forecast errors’ have also been reduced substantially over the years.
• Referring to Fani’s intensity which crossed the coast close to Puri with maximum wind speed of 175-185 kmph gusting to 205 kmph between 8-10 am on May 3, the report said it was the “most intense cyclone to cross Odisha coast after Phailin” which had a maximum wind speed of 215 kmph.
• Fani had one of the longest track lengths of 3,030 km.
• In terms of intensity, Fani maintained the “cyclonic storm intensity” for almost 21 hours after landfall on May 3.

About its monitoring

• The report said that the cyclone was monitored with the help of available satellite observations from INSAT 3D and 3DR, polar orbiting satellites, and available ships & buoy observations in the region.
• From May 1 onwards till May 4, the system was tracked gradually by IMD Doppler Weather Radars at Chennai, Machillipatnam, Visakhapatnam, Gopalpur, Paradeep, Kolkata and Agartala as it moved from south to north.
• The report said that various numerical weather prediction models developed by ministry of earth sciences’ institutions and dynamical-statistical models were utilized to predict the genesis, track, landfall and intensity of the cyclone.
• A digitized forecasting system of IMD was utilized for analysis and comparison of various model guidance, decision-making process and warning product generation.”

Centre rejects proposal for small hydro project in T.N.

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has rejected a proposal by a private company in Tamil Nadu seeking Central finance assistance for their small hydropower project due to non-compliance with the provisions in the scheme.
• M/s. Dazzle Power (P) Ltd. had proposed to set up 0.35 MW small hydro project at Tuklapatti Canal Drop, Madurai.
• It is one of the 53 proposals of private companies across the country that had been cancelled by the Ministry.
• The total capacity was over 400 MW for projects across multiple States.
• The Ministry is vested with the responsibility of developing small hydropower projects of up to 25 MW station capacity.
• Under the programme, Central finance assistance is provided to projects for resource assessment and support for identification of new sites, among others. The project proposals were received before March 31, 2013 for Central financial assistance but no communication followed the initial application.
• Therefore, they were barred from receiving assistance, the Ministry said in a recent notification.
• No correspondence in this regard would henceforth be entertained, as the project developers had not submitted any progress report on project execution after submission of application seeking CFA
• According to the MNRE, the estimated potential for power generation in the country from such plants is about 20,000 MW.
• Most of the potential is in Himalayan States