12-06-21 Daily-Gujarat-GPSC Current Affairs

The semi-high speed rail project between Ahmedabad and Rajkot moved up a notch afterGujaratRail Development Corporation Limited (G-RIDE) called for consultants to prepare an Environment and Social Impact Assessment study for the project. G-RIDE is planning to reach out to various multilateral financing agencies like World Bank and Asian Development Bank to fund the project.

At present, G-RIDE is undertaking alignment studies of the project. It is estimated that a majority of the alignment will be along national highway (NH-47) connecting Ahmedabad and Rajkot. The take-off point in Ahmedabad is being planned at Sabarmati.

The EIA study will entail a comprehensive environment and social impact study along the route corridor. The consultants will identify mitigation measures, conduct public consultations, prepare a resettlement action plan as well as an environmental and social management plan. The project will act as a high-speed rail feeder for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train and reduce travel time from Rajkot to Mumbai, which, currently takes more than 12 hours, to less than 5 hours.

The Aspirational Districts Programme was lauded in a UNDP report.

Highlights:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) lauded India’s Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) in the report, saying it should serve as a model for several other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for a variety of reasons.

According to the report, previously neglected districts, including those in remote locations and those affected by Left Wing Extremism, have experienced more Growth and development in the last three years than ever before as a result of concerted efforts under the ADP.

The Supreme Court has issued the Draft Model Rules for Court proceeding’s Live-Streaming and Recording. The Rules are part of the National Policy and Action Plan for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Implementation in the Judiciary.In Swapnil Tripathi v Supreme Court of India (2018), the Supreme Court ruled in favour of live-streaming the proceedings at the apex court. It determined that live streaming proceedings are part of the right to access guaranteed by Article 21.

Except for cases involving matrimonial disputes, gender-based violence, or minors, all proceedings in high courts can be televised.

Aerosol particles smaller than 3 nanometers can reach a size with Climate influence and are often formed in urban areas of India.

Highlights:

Scientists tracked the concentration, size and evolution of aerosol particles smaller than 3 nanometers in a city in India, and found that sub-3 nanometer aerosol particles are often formed in the .

This is critical because a significant proportion of these newly formed particles can reach the sizes of cloud condensation nuclei, where they have climatic consequences.

Aerosol nucleation refers to the formation of small molecular clusters of less than 3nm in size, and atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) refers to the subsequent Growth of these newly formed clusters to larger sizes.

The IREDA has requested bids for a Rs. 4500 crore Solar PLI scheme.

Highlights:

The Indian Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has been designated as the scheme’s implementing agency by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).

The applicants must establish either a brownfield or a greenfield manufacturing facility for the entire capacity allotted under the scheme. Under the scheme, applicants are not permitted to build a facility that is both brownfield and greenfield.

As the domestic Industry has limited operational capacities of solar PV cells and modules, solar capacity addition currently relies heavily on imported solar PV cells and modules.

Three Indian institutes are ranked among the top 200 in the QS World University Rankings 2022.

According to these rankings, IISc Bengaluru is ranked first in the world for research. The institute was ranked 186th in the universities ranking.

IIT Bombay was ranked 177th, while IIT Delhi was ranked 185th.

The QS World University Rankings is a university ranking published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Quacquarelli Symonds is a British firm that specialises in higher Education analysis higher education institutions.

World Day Against Child Labour is determined globally on twelfth June each year. By the ILO (International Labour Organization), there are about 152 million teenagers globally who are engaged in child labour, seventy-two millions of whom are in hazardous work.

The day Against Child Labour focuses on action taken for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. The theme of this years World Day Against Child Labour is Act now: End child labour! It is the first World Day in view that the popular ratification of the ILOs Convention No. 182 on the bad Forms of Child Labour & takes vicinity at a time when the COVID-19 disaster threatens to reverse years of progress in tackling the problem.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focal point attention on the worldwide extent of youngster labour and consequently the motion and efforts wished to cast off it.