Daily News Mail - News of 12/02/2015

Comptroller and Auditor General of India - Shashi Kant Sharma

Shashi Kant Sharma

Decision to decontrol of urea prices, reduction of subsidised cylinders and withdrawal of kerosene from PDS are put on hold

• The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely announcement in his maiden speech on July, 2014 to decontrol of urea prices, fewer subsidised cylinders a year and withdrawal of kerosene from the Public Distribution system (PDS) are put on hold.
• Fertilizer Minister Ananth Kumar has said that the administered price control for urea would stay and further added, "we are committed to keeping policy pro-farmer".
• This might be effect of Delhi Assembly election result as election promises that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made in Delhi were protecting and even expanding the PDS and keeping fertilizer prices low.

INS Viraat to be decommissioned in 2016

• The Navy have taken the call to retire INS Viraat in 2016.

Indian Aircraft Carrier's History :

1. INS Vikrant - Commissioned in 1961 - Decommissioned in 1997

• The aircraft was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. 
• She played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade on East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
• The ship was built under the name Hercules for the British Royal Navy during World War II.
• INS Vikrant was commissioned as the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. 

2. INS Viraat - Commissioned in 1987 - Decommission 2016 (announced)

• INS Viraat is a Centaur-class aircraft carrier in service with the Indian Navy. 
• Viraat was completed and commissioned in 1959 in British Royal Navy as the Royal Navy's HMS Hermes and was transferred to India in 1987.

3. INS Vikramaditya - Commissioned in 16 November 2013

• INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013.
• Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet and later with the Russian Navies as 'Admiral Gorshkov' before being decommissioned in 1996 as she was too expensive to operate on a post-Cold War budget.
• It has a maximum speed of 32 knots (59km/h).

3. INS Vikrant - To be Commissioned in 2018(expected)

• INS Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier built in India and the first Vikrant-class aircraft carrier built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Indian Navy.
• Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier to be designed by the Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy and the first warship to be built by Cochin Shipyard.