8 ISSUES AND INSIGHTS MUMBAI | FRIDAY 29 MARCH 2019 > pass very close to a satellite without hit- > CHINESE WHISPERS ting it. The Mission Shakti test hit a 740 The Mission Shakti test: Why now? kg satellite in an orbit about 300 km from Earth. While this creates debris, it’s The geostrategic consequences to the Mission could be mixed. We will intercepting a ballistic missile, as India close enough to the Earth for the pieces Forbidden line has successfully done many times. to fall into the atmosphere and burn up If a topic have to wait and see what the pros and cons are Most medium and long-range ballistic quickly, reducing the danger. ignites Twitter, missiles climb well above 300 kilome- Why did India do this now? Well, social media of modern arsenals. Satellites provide There is a need to track a fast-moving tres during their flight and they have apart from elections, there is an ongoing teams of observation and communication ser- object, to predict its path, and to have complicated flight trajectories, while 25 nation conference in Geneva where various police vices, while ballistic missiles can carry weapons that can reach it. This has to satellites have predictable orbits. a Group of Government Experts are dis- units in the nuclear payloads and hit targets thou- happen quickly — the system must be India’s earlier reluctance to carry out cussing the prevention of an arms race country barely sands of kilometre away. able to detect, track, and hit the object an anti-satellite test could have been in outer space (PAROS). In analogy to let it go The ability to interdict ballistic mis- inside a few minutes. due to the widespread condemnation the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, unutilised. The siles and scramble satellite-based India had to develop these capacities of China’s testing of an anti-satellite PAROS may ban the development of Kolkata Police communication networks could be to manage its own satellite assets, and system in 2007. China hit one of its own anti-sat systems, while offering a waiver (KP) was quick crucial. Such technology might also be its missile system. Such a defence sys- defunct satellites, which weighed about to nations already possessing these. to lap up the useful to guard against the Earth being tem may itself be deployed in space to 750 kg, at a height of about 800 km. After Shakti, India may be hoping to pre- hotly debated hit by a meteorite that causes large- give quicker response times, and extend That created 3,000-plus pieces of sent a fait accompli. 'Mankad' controversy from this week’s QUANTUM LEAP scale destruction, or even a mass range. ISRO has launched satellites with debris, each cricket-ball-sized, or larger. India is a signatory to the Outer Indian Premier League match between extinction, as has occurred in the past. payloads of 5,000 kg-plus. So the DRDO Some debris collided with a Russian Space Treaty, which bans weapons of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab in DEVANGSHU DATTA Under President Ronald Reagan may even be technically capable of satellite and other pieces caused risk to mass destruction being deployed in Jaipur. Drawing an analogy between Jos (1980-88), the USA stumbled upon a deploying such a system in space. the International Space Station. space. This test doesn’t breach those Buttler's dismissal in that match — who more subtle, economic reason for a bal- India had a ballistic missile defence The European Space Agency esti- terms. India is also a member of the was controversially run out by the ow can you knockout, or dis- listic missile defence/anti-satellite system in place, by 2012. By then, it had mates that, as of January 2019, there Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination opposition captain Ravichandran Ashwin able, an object hundreds of defence project. The R&D of the so- carried out at least five successful tests, were 1950 functional satellites and Committee and Shakti was calibrated to — and traffic violation, KP put a H kilometres above the Earth, called Star Wars was expensive. The hitting and blowing up missiles (with- 3,000-odd defunct satellites orbiting ensure minimised debris. screenshot of the dismissal on Twitter moving at more than 3 kms per sec- Soviet Union lacked the financial out warheads) using versions of the Earth. Space Surveillance Networks The geostrategic consequences to along with a photo that showed a car ond? Mission Shakti involved hitting resources to stay abreast of the Prithvi and the Agni. The chief scientific track 22,300 pieces of debris larger than the Mission could be mixed. The sys- crossing the stop line at a traffic signal. it with a missile. It could also be tar- Americans, and the arms race triggered adviser at the time, V K Saraswat, 10 cm. So this is a very serious problem. tems were indigenously developed The message in Bangla read: "Crease or geted with laser beams, or an electron- an economic crisis that probably has- claimed at the 97th Indian Science In 2012-13, the DRDO was looking to and DRDO, ISRO, et al, have been road, you will regret if you cross the line." ic pulse weapon, to fry the object with- tened the demise of the USSR. Congress that India had “all the build- tweak the ballistic missile defence sys- inured to sanctions since 1998. But This brought back memories of the Jaipur out blowing it up. In technical terms, viable ballistic- ing blocks in place for an anti-satellite tem electronically to carry out anti-sat other programmes may be affected. Police using the infamous no-ball that Why would you do this? Satellites missile defence systems and anti-satel- system”. simulation tests, maybe with a “fly-by” We’ll have to wait and see what the Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah had bowled and ballistic missiles are part and parcel lite weapons require similar capabilities. Blowing up a satellite is easier than where an anti-satellite missile would pros and cons are. in the 2017 Champions Trophy final to give a similar message. Bumrah had not taken it kindly and had expressed his displeasure on Twitter. Wonder if Ashwin, usually an active and chirpy social media EC stand on VVPAT audit must change user, has taken note of the KP post. Another scheme With the introduction of the voter-veri- essary and very cumbersome. You don’t This is the season of giving and it simply VVPAT slips should be matched with the EVM count fied paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines, need a sample of 50 per cent for any ver- doesn't matter if you don't have a real in 14 booths per assembly constituency now there are two independent ways ification. Statisticians tell us that one plan. Now the Communist Party of India through which votes can be counted for need not think of sample in terms of per- (Marxist) government in Kerala has said each booth. There is the EVM’s display centage of the total number of booths. it would offer farmers a minimum parties. Three, voters should be allowed board that shows, at the press of a button, What matters is the actual number of support price that is 50 per cent above to register an objection if the paper slips the number of votes secured by each can- sampled booths, not the percentage. the cost of production, ~18,000 in do not match the party they voted for. didate. And now, there are paper slips So, let me repeat my earlier suggestion minimum wages, and ~6,000 as Four, the malfunctioning EVMs should produced by the VVPAT machine that go that meets both the requirements. One, minimum welfare pension. Thomas be replaced within 30 minutes. And inside a sealed box, which can be opened VVPAT audit should be done in 14 booths Isaac, Kerala finance minister, said the five, VVPAT slips should be matched and the slips can be physically counted. per assembly constituency (or assembly package his party was proposing was with the EVM count in 14 booths per The whole point of introducing segments within a parliamentary con- better than the income support scheme assembly constituency. VVPAT machines was to generate greater stituency). There is nothing statistical or of the Congress because the CPI (M) did To my pleasant surprise, I received a confidence among voters, candidates magical about the figure 14. It so happens have a strategy for resource response from secretary, Election and political parties. Thus, the EVM that each round of counting is done on mobilisation. And that includes raising YOGENDRA YADAV Commission (EC) that the first three of could now be subjected to “VVPAT 14 tables (for reasons I have never under- taxes on the rich and on corporate my suggestions are actually part of the audit”: Matching votes secured by each stood) in each assembly segment. profits, restoring the wealth tax for the electoral rules and are being followed. candidate in the EVM display with the Two, this audit should be done at the super-rich, the introduction of the he next hearing of the electronic There is an established protocol of first- physical counting of the paper slips. beginning of counting, not at the end. inheritance tax and restoring the long- voting machines (EVM) case in level checking of every EVM in the pres- However, under the existing provi- One randomly selected EVM and its term capital gains tax. T the Supreme Court on April 1 pre- ence of political party representatives. sion, this verification is for all practical TAKE NOTE The whole point of respective VVPAT should be opened and sents a golden opportunity to set this There is also a set procedure for two- purposes left to the courts.