Prime Minister e-Inaugurated 750 MW Asia’s Largest Solar Power Plant in Rewa

Through video conferencing, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Plant on 10^th July 2020. To date, the 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project is the largest single-site solar power projects in India and also in Asia.

Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project

• The Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project is located in Gurh Tehsil of Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district. 
• It is spread over 1,590 acres of land.  
• For the successful implementation of the Power Project, a Joint Venture Company between Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikash Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) was set up. 
• The name of the Joint Venture Company is Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL).
• The entire cost of the Solar Power Project is worth around Rs 4000 crore. 
• International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the transaction adviser for the Solar Power Project.  
• On 31^st January 2018, the World Bank Group has approved a loan of USD 30 million (approx Rs 225 crore) for the internal infrastructure of the project.
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is an institutional customer of the 750 MW Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project. 
• 24 percent of the power generated by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Plant will be supplied to Delhi Metro.

Boeing Completes Delivery of 37 Military Helicopters to India

The United States-based multinational Aerospace Company- Boeing had completed the delivery of all 37 Military Helicopter in the month of June 2020 that were ordered by the Defence Ministry for the Indian Armed Forces in 2015. This was informed by Boeing through a news release statement on their website on 10^th July 2020.

• Out of the 37 Military Helicopter- 22 were AH-64E Apache Helicopter and 15 were CH-47F(I) Chinook heavy-lift Helicopter. 
• The last five of the 22 Apache Helicopters were delivered in June 2020 to the Indian Air Force at the Air Force Station in Hindan while the delivery of Chinook Helicopters was completed in the month of March 2020.

Background

• On 22^nd September 2015, the Union Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the procurement of the 37 Military Helicopters from Boeing.  
• A week later on 29^th September 2015, the contract for the purchase of the 37 Military Helicopters was signed.
• The contract has a follow on orders clause as per which apart from the 22 Apache and 15 Chinook, India can place an order for 11 more AH-64E Apache Helicopter and 7 additional CH-47F(I) Chinook Military Helicopters.

New Helicopters Deal Signed in February 2020

• During the visit of the United States President to India in February 2020, a combine USD 3 billion deal has been signed for the purchase of 24 MH-60 Romeo Seahawk Helicopter(built by Lockheed Martin’s subsidiary company-Sikorsky Aircraft) for the Indian Navy at USD 2.6 billion and another 6 AH-64E Apache Military Helicopters.

Uttar Pradesh ‘Startup Policy 2020’ gets Cabinet Approval

For making the State more conducive for Startups, the State Cabinet of the Uttar Pradesh Government has given its approval to an independent and comprehensive ‘Startup Policy 2020’ on 8^th July 2020. Until the Startup Policy 2020, Uttar Pradesh did not have an independent and comprehensive Policy for the Startups in the state, policy for Startups was governed under the- Uttar Pradesh Information Technology and Startup Policy 2017.

The Uttar Pradesh ‘Startup Policy’ was prepared by the State Government with the help of NITI Aayog back in 2018. The Policy got the approval of the State Cabinet on 8^th July 2020.

Startup Policy 2020

• From the date of notification by the State Government, the Startup Policy 2020 will be applicable for a period of 5 years. 
• The aim will be of the corporatization of more than 10,000 startups across the state in these 5 years.
• For achieving the aim, 100 incubators will be set up across all the 75 districts of the state by making sure at least one incubator in a district has been set up. 
• As per Government estimates, this Startup Policy will generate 50,000 direct and 1,00,000 indirect jobs across the state.
• Other Major Goals under the Policy are:  To establish the largest incubator of India in the state and also to establish the first dedicated Incubator for the Defence Sector in the country.

Startup Fund

• On 20^th May 2020, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had launched the Uttar Pradesh ‘Startup Fund’. 
• This Startup Fund will be managed by SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India).

IIT Alumni Council signs Agreement with CSIR-IGIB

On 8^th July 2020, an agreement has been signed between the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and IIT Alumni Council.

About the Agreement

• As per the Agreement Signed, joint research work on COVID-19 will be conducted and data of COVID-19 positive patients will also be analyzed jointly by the CSIR-IGIB and the IIT Alumni Council.
• Along with the statement for the signing of the agreement, it was also informed that Imaging data of over 8500 COVID-19 patients have been handed over to CSIR-IGIB by the IIT Alumni Council. 
• The imaging data of 8500 patients are from the temporary COVID Care Facility at the National Sports Club of India Dome (NSCI Dome) at Southern Mumbai’s Worli. 
• The imaging data will be provided in the de-identified form by the CSIR-IGIB.

First Line of MegaLab Mumbai by the End of July

• On 29^th May 2020, the IIT Alumni Council had announced that it will set up one of the largest COVID-19 testing facility of the world in Mumbai. 
• The name of the facility will be MegaLab Mumbai. Mumbai University was announced as a partner for the MegaLab Mumbai initiative.
• The MegaLab Mumbai will have three independent lines. First-line with a capacity of 1 million (10 lakh) tests per month), Second with 3 Million Tests per month, and the Third line with 6 Million Tests per Month. In combination, all three independent lines will have a total capacity of 1 crore (10 million) tests per month.
• The First Line of the MegaLab Mumbai is expected to be ready by the end of July 2020, which will have the capacity to test 10 million samples per month.
• MegaLab Mumbai is part of the C19 initiative. C19 initiative was launched by IIT Alumni Council in February 2020.

Six Strategic Bridges in Jammu & Kashmir e-Inaugurated by Defence Minister

On 9^th July 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has e-Inaugurated 6 strategic bridges in sensitive border areas of Jammu & Kashmir. All the six bridges with strategic importance along the International Border and Line of Control were constructed in record time by working in extremely difficult weather conditions and terrains by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

About the Bridges

• 2 bridges out of the 6 are on the Tarnah Nallah of the Kathua district
• In Jammu district’s Akhnoor-Pallanwala road, 4 bridges are located
• All these 6 bridges were constructed by Borders Roads Organisation under Project Sampark
• The length of the 6 bridges ranges from a minimum of 30 metres to a maximum of 300 metres
• Total cost for the construction of the 6 bridges was Rs 43 crore
• The 6 bridges are constructed by focusing on the strategic importance of the region as all these bridges will help in facilitating the movement of the Indian Armed Forces

Tarnah Bridge

• Two Bridges out of the six have been constructed at Tarnah Nallah of Kathua district. 
• Out of these 2 bridges, one bridge is 160 metres (named Tarnah I bridge) long while the other is 300 metres (named as Tarnah II bridge) long.
• Tarnah I bridge of 160 metres is on the old Samba Kathua Road. Tarnah II bridge of 300 metres is on Jammu-Kathua National Highway.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• The Former and First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru is credited as the founder of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). 
• It is headquartered in New Delhi and was founded on 7^th May 1960.
• At present, BRO operates under 18 projects in the country. 
• It maintains across 32,885 Kilometers of road and more than 12,200 meters of permanent bridges across the country. 
• In the last two years, BRO has constructed around 5,800 metres of permanent bridges across the country.

From Air Pollution- New Delhi has the Most Economic Impact in the World in the First Half of 2020

Environmental Groups has launched an Online Tool on 9^th July 2020 as per which India’s Capital New Delhi has the most Economic Impact (based on Per Capita) in the World from Air Pollution during the first half of the year 2020.

About the Online Tool

• The online tool is named ‘Clean Air Counter’. To estimate the health impact due to Air Pollution, the Clean Air Counter tool uses models that have been devised under the epidemiological observational study of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD).
• The tool was launched under a combined effort of the Regional South East Asia Office of the global environmental organization- Greenpeace, Centre For Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA- Headquartered at Finland’s Helsinki) and IQAir AirVisual.
• Clean Air Counter Tool has measured Smog Pollution in 28 major cities across the world.

Highlights from the Report by Clean Air Counter Tool (1^st January to 30^th June 2020)

• China’s Shanghai registered the highest an estimated 27,000 deaths due to Air Pollution among the 28 cities, followed by New Delhi with an estimated 25,000 and China’s capital Beijing with estimated 22,000 deaths.
• On Per Capita Basis:  New Delhi has suffered the most economic impact. An estimated 5.8 percent of New Delhi’s annual GDP was lost due to Air Pollution. Beijing and Mumbai are ranked in 2^nd and 3^rd Place respectively in terms of annual GDP loss.
• USD 3.5 billion is the total estimated cost of air pollution in New Delhi during the first half of 2020. Out of USD 3.5 billion, USD 2.57 billion is the estimated cost in New Delhi due to Year of Life Lost (as a result of high PM2.5).

Bhutan: Boundary with China hasn’t been Demarcated, under Negotiation with China

The Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China had claimed last week that their boundary with Bhutan has never been delimited and there are long-standing disputes between the two countries in eastern, central and western sections.

The Royal Bhutanese Embassy in India has clarified China’s claim on 7^th July 2020 that the boundary talks between Bhutan and China is under negotiation and hasn’t been demarcated yet. Further Bhutanese Embassy has also stated that 24 rounds of ministerial-level talks have been conducted to date for demarcating the boundary between the two countries, the 25^th round of talks was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

• On June 2^nd, 2020, during the 58^th meeting of the U.N. Development Programme’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), China objected to the funding for the development of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary by claiming the area to a disputed region between Bhutan and China. 
• Bhutan denied the claims of China by stating the Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan.
• Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary comes under Trashigang Dzongkhag district in Eastern Bhutan. 
• The Trashigang Dzongkhag district is the bordering district of Bhutan with India’ Arunachal Pradesh.

China’s Claim in Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is to pressurize India

• Between 1984 to 2016, in a total of 24 boundary talks between Bhutan and China, there are no records of talks regarding the Trashigang Dzongkhag district or the Eastern part of Bhutan as a disputed area, neither China had claimed the any of the Eastern regions of Bhutan in the past at any international forum or during its talks with Bhutan.
• China does not have a boundary with the Trashigang Dzongkhag District of Bhutan, its sudden claim in an international forum is clearly meant to target India.