Gujarat Affairs
Solar installations up 85% in Gujarat
Gujarat, the state that led the way in solar power adoption in India, has secured the third position in terms of cumulative large-scalesolar installationsin the country.
Notably, Gujarat experienced an impressive 85% increase in such installations during the first quarter of 2023, while solar installations across India declined by 30% during the same period, according to the India Solar Market Update 2023 report by Mercom India.
Between January and March 2023, Gujarat witnessed 261 megawatts (MW) of solar installations, compared to 141MW in the previous quarter. Since Q1 2022, Gujarat has consistently ranked as the third-highest state for large-scale solar capacity addition, with an impressive quarter-over-quarter increase of nearly 85% in Q1 2023.
Furthermore, experts credit Gujarat’s rise in installation rates to its favourable policies and aggressive push for RENEWABLE ENERGY adoption.
Pan-India solar installations declined due to commissioning deadlines for several large-scale projects being postponed to the following year. Out of the total 1.9GW of solar installations in India during the January to March 2023 quarter, Gujarat accounted for 19% of new installations, trailing behind Karnataka (21%) andRajasthan(42%).
National and International Affairs
92% travellers opt for domestic adventures in India: Survey
Tracking consumertravelsentiment across India this summer, a global travel technology company has published its Summer Vacation Index 2023. As per the report, the travel resurgence continues strong, with 82% Indians intending to travel during this summer season. TheCOVIDtravel restriction-induced trend of rediscovery of our own countrysbeautyalso continues strong with a staggering 92% planning to explore domestic destinations.
As travel sentiments started to improve in early 2022, most people travelled to reunite with friends and family whom they hadn’t seen since the pandemic’s onset. However, this year brings about a complete shift in preferences. As per the survey, 59% travellers preferred to travel to rest and rejuvenate, followed by 19% adrenaline junkies seeking thrills and adventure this summer.
PM Narendra Modi to Inaugurate Indias First Water Metro, Will Improve Connectivity Around Kochi
Kochi Water Metro Project, Indias first-ever initiative to enhance the port citys development. On April 25, 2023 (Tuesday) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will put this water metro service into action. With this, the Kochi Water Metro, the country’s first water metro service, on April 25. This transport system will link about 10 island communities in and around Kochi with the mainland.
Centre-state company Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) made the proposal for this watercraft and it received the final Environment clearance in October 2019. While the cost of this innovative metro has been Rs 1,136.83 crore, this is going to accelerate living across the Greater Kochi region.
The Kochi Water Metro project has been jointly subsidized by the Government of Kerala and KfW, Germans leading financial agency. Keralas CM Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted on April 22 (Saturday) stating that the nation will now have the top-notch Kochi Water Metro service will be functional soon.
About the availability of seeds in the district under various schemes, he said 1,786 quintals of wheat, 2,246 quintals of maize and 127.6 quintals of paddy seeds had been distributed among farmers.
Indias defense exportshave achieved a record-breaking milestone, skyrocketing from 686 crore rupees in 2013-14 to nearly 16 thousand crore rupees in 2022-23. This impressive growth of 23 times demonstrates Indias advancement in theglobal defense manufacturing industry.
With exports reaching more than 85 countries, Indias defense sector has demonstrated its ability to design and develop high-quality products to the international community.
Currently, 100 companies are engaged in exporting defense goods.
The government has implemented several policy initiatives and reforms in the past nine years to bolster defense exports.
The World Meteorological Congress has made a groundbreaking decision to approve a newgreenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring initiative, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This initiative aims to support urgent action in reducing heat-trapping gases that contribute to rising global temperatures. The newly establishedGlobal Greenhouse GasWatch will address critical information gaps, integrating various observing systems, modeling capabilities, and data assimilation under one comprehensive framework. The unanimous support from WMOs 193 members highlights the growing importance of greenhouse gas monitoring and the need to strengthen the scientific foundation for climate change mitigation efforts.
Filling information gaps and providing an integrated framework
Unifying surface-based and space-based observations, modeling, and data assimilation
Overcoming limitations in international exchange of greenhouse gas observations and modeling products
Nepal has decided to allow IndiasSatluj Jal Vidyut Nigam(SJVN) Limited to develop a second hydropower project in the country. At present SJVN is developing a 900-MW Arun -III hydroelectric project, a run-of-river located on the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, scheduled to be completed in 2024. A meeting of theInvestment Board Nepal(IBN) chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda approved the draft project development agreement (PDA) to be signed with Indias state-owned SJVN to develop the 669-megawatt (MW) Lower Arun Hydropower project in eastern Nepal.
The decision for development comes days before Prime Minister Prachanda visited India.
The draft needs to be endorsed by the Council of Ministers before it gets implemented. The previous meeting of the IBN had approved a Rs 92.68 billion for the development of the project.
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