Category Indian Defence Forces

What is the Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony?

Do you know that booking for witnessing the Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony on India-Pakistan international border goes online?

If you have been following the news, you might have read that booking for the Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony can be made online. The online booking facility opens on Jan 1, 2023. What is this ceremony and when can it be watched? Let’s find out.

A daily ceremony

The Attari-Wagah front is along the India-Pakistan international border in Punjab. The Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony the daily national flag lowering and retreat ceremony taking place along the border. It is open for viewing by visitors. Symbolising rivalry as well as brotherhood and cooperation between the two nations, the purpose of the Attari-Wagah retreat ceremony is to formally close the gate at the border for the night. The Border Security Force (BSF) that guards the frontier conducts the event. The Attari border front, also called the joint check post or JCP, is located about 26 km from Amritsar city, and hundreds of domestic visitors and foreign tourists watch the daily ceremony conducted in a synchronised manner by smartly-dressed BSF personnel along with their counterparts, the Pakistan Rangers, on their side known as Wagah.

The background

India and Pakistan have been traditionally hosting the evening flag-lowering ceremony on the Attari-Wagah border since 1959 and the event is attended by people from both the countries on their respective sides. The ceremony which starts between 3.30 and 4 every evening lasts 60-120 minutes. The synchronised ceremony involves lowering of the flags of the two countries, foot stomping manoeuvres of the troops and loud shouts with patriotic songs being played in the background on either side. The ceremony ends with a retreat after a brief handshake between the soldiers on both sides.

Web portal launched

At present, people reach the retreat area without prior booking and the BSF allows them to take seats in the gallery on producing an ID card. A web portal for people desiring to witness the joint retreat le ceremony in person – http://attari.bsf.gov.in – has been launched by the BSF.

Online booking can be made from January 1 onwards. The new facility is not chargeable and visitors will be initially allowed to book 12 persons in one group, 48 hours prior to the desired day, after furnishing photo ID card details online. The booking details will be sent through an SMS to the mobile number of the group leader or the first visitor listed.

The BSF has now numbered the seats in the viewing gallery so that it can hold about 20,000-25,000 visitors daily. The online booking will also allow the tourists to visit the BSF museum and border pillar No. 102 that is erected next to the Attari border gate.

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Which is the largest aircraft carrier in India?

INS Vikrant is India’s largest aircraft carrier and the largest ship that has ever been built in the country. The ship was named after its famous predecessor, the country’s first aircraft carrier, which was pivotal in the success of the 1971 war. The ship was designed and built by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and Cochin Shipyard Limited, which is a Public Sector Shipyard governed by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

With 14 decks consisting of 2,300 compartments, which can accommodate 1,500 sea warriors, it has the facilities to meet the food requirements of the people on board. Around 10,000 chapatis or rotis can be prepared in the ship’s kitchen, which is called the ship’s galley.

The aircraft carrier is 18-storeyed. Built to be larger and more advanced than its predecessor, INS Vikrant is 262-metre-long and has a full displacement of around 45,000 tonnes. INS Vikrant has the capacity to carry 30 aircraft, which include MIG- 29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH- 60R multi-role helicopters, and other indigenously manufactured helicopters.

As per Indian Navy’s reports the carrier has the size of two football fields and the hangar holding the aircraft is as large as two Olympic pools.

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Which is the highest battlefield?

Siachen Glacier is the world’s highest battlefield at an elevation of 5416 metres above sea level. At Siachen, the temperature is always freezing, and can even drop to temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius. Apart from the freezing weather, the oxygen level here is as low as 10 per cent of what we have on the grasslands.

Existing as a barrier between the Shaksgam Valley and Baltistan, it holds a significant importance for India by preventing the link-up of the Pakistani army with the Chinese army, thus protecting Ladakh – the Shaksgam valley is under the control of China and Baltistan is occupied by Pakistan. With about 3000 soldiers on duty every day, India spends around 5 to 7 crores daily to guard the glacier. Every soldier who gets to guard the glacier, serves only for about three months, as the harsh weather conditions make it very difficult to survive for longer periods.

Since the Indian army took control of Siachen in 1984, more than 1000 soldiers have died here. This number is almost twice the number of men who lost their lives in the Kargil war! A war memorial with the names of all the Indian soldiers who lost their lives for their country can be seen at the Siachen Base Camp of the Indian Army.

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What is ATAGS?

ATAGS is the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System which has been developed by the Centre-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

For the first time in the history of India, an indigenously developed artillery gun ATAGS was used for the ceremonial 21-gun salute during the 75th Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort, New Delhi, along with the vintage British guns which are traditionally used.

ATAGS is a 155mm x 52 calibre heavy artillery gun, capable of hitting targets from 45 to 48 km. The howitzer boasts advanced features such as high mobility, quick deployability in combat, auxiliary power mode, advanced communication system, automatic command and control system with night capability in direct-fire mode. The folding cannon is said to be the longest-range cannon in the world. The gun was first showcased at the 68th Republic Day parade on January 26, 2017.

The ATAGS project was started in 2013 by the DRDO to replace older guns in service in the Army. DRDO’s laboratory Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune, partnered with two private firms, Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, to manufacture this specialised gun.

ATAGS has gone through rigorous trials in varied weather and terrain conditions towards meeting the specifications of the Army. The development of ATAGS comes as part of the government’s push to make the country self-reliant in the defence sector.

*Howitzers are towed, self-propelled heavy duty field guns designed to throw exploding shells in an arcing trajectory.

*21-gun salute is a type of military salute that is performed by firing guns or artillery to honour the President and visiting heads of state and on special occasions such as Independence Day and Republic Day.

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What are the variants of Agni missiles?

Dr. Kalam was responsible for the development of Agni and Prithvi missiles. Named after one of the five elements of nature, Agni is a family of medium to intercontinental range, ballistic missiles. These missiles, developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP), are long range, and capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The first missile of the series, Agni-l was tested in 1989. After its success, it was separated from the IGMDP upon realizing its strategic importance.

India started adding the Agni series missiles to service by November 2019. It has the following missiles: Agni-I, Agni-II, Agni-III, Agni-IV, Agni-V, Agni-P and Agni-VI.

Agni-VI is the latest addition to the Agni series, developed by the DRDO. It is in the early stages of development.

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