08.04.23 Daily [Uttarakhand] UKPSC Current Affairs

The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun has carried out a study on the incidents of landslides in the vicinity of hydro projects and has prepared a report on landslide studies in commissioned / under construction hydro projects utilising remote sensing and GIS technology.The study revealed that landslide activities around hydropower projects are not related to the construction activity of the project while the topography, geological conditions and rainfall have been found to be the major causative/ triggering factors of landslide activities.

The IIRS carried out the study in nine NHPC power stations/ projects which include Dhauliganga in Uttarakhand, Subansiri Lower in Arunachal Pradesh, Teesta-V and Rangit in , Salal, Dulhasti and Uri-II in Jammu and Kashmir, Chamera-I and Parbat-II in Himachal Pradesh. The study undertook preparation of landslide inventory maps 10 years before the start of construction of the project upto the current status of the project/ power station. The report highlights that in most of the cases, the landslide area decreased considerably in comparison to the landslide area observed before construction of the project. According to the report, it appears from the temporal statistics that in most of the cases, the construction of hydropower projects and related activities and post commissioning hydrological condition might have helped in stabilising the area. Further, the size of hydropower projects, size of reservoir, local geology, Soil and land cover conditions (especially vegetation cover) seem to play some slope stabilisation role for mitigating landslides in the project areas.

The report has been prepared with the help of satellite image-based interpretation, subject to resolution and availability of satellite image.

The bell was given by Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, who recently retired as the Vice Chief of Navy Staff, to the commanding officer of INS Vikrant on March 22.

The INS Vikrant is expected to exhibit the original bell at the carrier to motivate current and future officers and sailors about the warships significant HISTORY. In 1961, the bell was installed on the first INS Vikrant carrier after India acquired a British aircraft carrier, HMS Hercules, and renamed it. The original bell was then transferred from the decommissioned carrier, INS Vikrant, to the designated residence of INDIAN NAVY Vice Chief located at Motilal Nehru Marg.

According to the latest tiger census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tiger Population in India has reached 3,167 in 2022, which is a significant increase compared to the previous census figures of 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, and 2,967 in 2018. During the inauguration of the commemoration of 50 years of , the Prime Minister also launched the International Big Cat Alliance that aims to protect and conserve seven major big cats worldwide, including tigers and lions. The Prime Minister emphasized that wildlife protection was a universal issue and that the IBCA was Indias contribution to protecting and conserving big cats. Additionally, he released a booklet named Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision, which outlines the vision for tiger conservation in the next 25 years

Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in India on April 1, 1973, to protect and increase the tiger population in the country. Initially, the project covered nine Tiger Reserves spread over 18,278 sq km. currently, there are 53 tiger reserves spanning more than 75,000 sq km, which is approximately 2.4% of Indias geographical area.

India has been making significant strides toward in recent years, with a focus on Solar Energy. The country has set ambitious targets to increase its solar energy capacity and has been taking various steps to achieve them. In line with this, India is expected to become the worlds second-largest solar manufacturer by 2026

According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India is poised to become the second-largest solar manufacturing country in the world by 2026, overtaking Japan and trailing only China. The report states that Indias solar manufacturing capacity is expected to increase from 10 GW in 2020 to 50 GW by 2030. This increase in capacity is expected to create around 3 lakh (300,000) direct jobs and 9 lakh (900,000) indirect jobs

Indias solar manufacturing Industry has received a boost due to the governments focus on renewable energy and initiatives like the National Solar Mission. The government has also introduced various policies and schemes to promote domestic solar manufacturing, such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Under this scheme, the government has earmarked a budget of Rs 4,500 crore ($600 million) for the solar PV segment, which is expected to create manufacturing capacity of 10 GW

Indias solar manufacturing industry has also received a boost due to the global demand for renewable energy. As countries around the world are looking to shift towards clean energy, the demand for solar panels and other solar equipment is expected to increase. This presents an opportunity for Indian manufacturers to tap into the global market

World of Statistics has shared the ranking of the worlds most criminal countries. On the list, Venezuela has been ranked top, followed by Papua New Guinea (2), Afghanistan (3), South Africa (4), Honduras (5), Trinidad (6), Guyana (7), Syria (8), Somalia (9) and Jamaica (10), respectively. India stood at 77 spots while the US and UK were ahead of India in the criminal ranking country. The USA was at 55th number and the UK at 65th rank, according to the World of Statistics. Turkey, Germany, and Japan were among the least criminal countries, ranking at 92nd, 100th, and 135th ranks