Uttarakhand gets Rs 1,583 crore from Centre as ‘development, capital’ funds
Uttarakhand has received Rs 1,583 crore from the union government as part of the 14th instalment of tax devolution to state governments in order to accelerate their capital and developmental expenditure.
The Union Government has released the 14th instalment of tax devolution to State Governments amounting to Rs 1,40,318 crore on Friday, as against normal monthly devolution of Rs 70,159 crore, according to a statement released by the ministry of finance. Neighbouring Himachal Pradesh has received Rs 1,177 crore, while Haryana has got Rs 1,546 crore from the central government.
INTERNATIONAL
Singapore snatches back ‘world’s best airport’ crown from Qatar
Changi has regained its title as the world’s best airport, after losing its long-held crown to Qatar for two years running during the height of pandemic travel restrictions.
The Asian hub edged Doha’s Hamad International Airport into second place, with Tokyo’s Haneda Airport bagging third, in the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2023. The US was conspicuous by its absence in the top 10.
Paris Charles de Gaulle was Europe’s top performer, up one spot to fifth place, while Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was the highest ranked North American airport, languishing in 18th position — but an improvement from 27th place last year.
NATIONAL
Maharashtra lags in clean energy transition, Karnataka, Gujarat top list
Maharashtra, the state with the highest electricity demand in India, lags behind several others when it comes to energy transition to renewable sources. This is mainly due to slow renewable energy uptake in the state and its inability to shut down older, polluting coal power plants, said a report on Monday. It should nevertheless be considered that though Maharashtra lags on the transition parameter in percentage terms, because of its greater net power generation, it has a higher reference point for a comparison with other states.
The report analysed sixteen Indian states, which together account for 90% of the country’s annual power requirement, across four dimensions.
According to the study, Rajasthan and Maharashtra showed low participation in green markets. It said that Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra have a huge potential to become renewable energy export hubs by utilising their untapped clean energy potential. These states have made limited efforts to participate in green market mechanisms like GDAM (green day ahead market)
Govt nod to nano liquid DAP important step towards making life easier for farmers: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the government’s approval to nano liquid DAP fertiliser, saying it was an important step towards making life easier for farmers.
Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said the government has approved the launch of nano liquid DAP (di-ammonium phosphate) fertiliser for the benefits of farmers and making the country self-reliant.
Indian Railways to become Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030
Indian Railways has set a target of becoming a ‘net-zero carbon emitter’ by 2030, said Union Railways Minister AshwiniVaishnaw in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Railways plans to achieve this ambitious target in two steps: A complete transition to electric trains by December 2023 and powering the trains and stations primarily through non-renewable sources by 2030.
For this, the Railways will need to create a renewable energy installed capacity of 30,000 MW as solar and wind energy is not available round the clock and the generation varies region to region. Till August 2022, the installed renewable energy capacity of the Indian Railways was only 245 MW.
