UPPSC 2020 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 55 of 150

Correct — C, an Offshore Patrol Vessel. 'Sarthak' (ICGS Sarthak) is an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Indian Coast Guard, which functions under the Ministry of Defence. It was built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited as the fifth in a series of five 105-metre OPVs, and is designed for coastal and offshore surveillance, protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone, anti-smuggling operations and search-and-rescue. (The load-bearing fact is the vessel type — an OPV. Note that Coast Guard records date the launch/float-out of ICGS Sarthak to October 2020, so treat the exact month cited in the question with some caution; the identity 'Sarthak = OPV' is firm.)

• (a)Smart Bomb — Sarthak is not a munition or guided bomb; it is a naval patrol ship.
• (b)Rocket Launcher — Sarthak is not a rocket/artillery system; it is an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Coast Guard.
• (d)Light Combat Aircraft — India's Light Combat Aircraft is the HAL Tejas; Sarthak is a ship, not an aircraft.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), an armed force under the Ministry of Defence, guards India's maritime zones and Exclusive Economic Zone. Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are its long-range surface platforms for patrol, EEZ protection, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy and search-and-rescue. Many are built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a defence PSU, supporting the 'Make in India' / self-reliant shipbuilding push.

This is a 'what does this named platform relate to' recall. Indian defence platforms carry evocative names, and the trap is to guess a missile, bomb or aircraft. Anchor Sarthak to the Indian Coast Guard OPV series built by Goa Shipyard — a ship, not a weapon or aircraft.

• ICGS Sarthak = an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Coast Guard
• Built by Goa Shipyard Limited (indigenous); about 105 m long, the fifth of five OPVs in its series
• The Indian Coast Guard operates under the Ministry of Defence
• OPV roles: coastal/offshore patrol, EEZ surveillance, anti-smuggling and search-and-rescue

• Guessing a missile, smart bomb or aircraft from the name — Sarthak is a ship
• Confusing the ICGS prefix (Coast Guard) with the INS prefix (Navy)

Defence current-affairs recalls pair a platform's name with its type (ship/aircraft/missile) and builder; here 'Sarthak → Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel, Goa Shipyard'.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  ICGS Sarthak, commissioned for the Indian Coast Guard, is a:

  • (a)Submarine
  • (b)Offshore Patrol Vessel
  • (c)Aircraft carrier
  • (d)Missile destroyer

  Answer(b) Offshore Patrol Vessel — built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Indian Coast Guard.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Indian Coast Guard functions under which Union Ministry?

  • (a)Ministry of Home Affairs
  • (b)Ministry of Shipping
  • (c)Ministry of Defence
  • (d)Ministry of External Affairs

  Answer(c) Ministry of Defence — the Indian Coast Guard is an armed force under the Ministry of Defence.