1. GoI Announces Plans to Add 250 GW of RE Capacity Over the Next 5 Years
(i) The Government of India (GoI) aims to generate 500 GW of clean energy by 2030 and install 250 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity in the next 5 years.
(ii) Annual bidding for 50 GW of RE capacity from FY24 to FY28 is planned to accelerate renewable energy deployment, with a minimum of 10 GW of wind power capacity included in the bids each year.
(iii) India's total renewable energy (RE) capacity as of February 28, 2023, is 168.96 GW, with 82 GW in various stages of deployment and 41 GW available for auction.
(iv) The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released a quarterly bid plan for FY23-24, including bids for a minimum of 15 GW of RE capacity in each quarter.
(v) Four companies, Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), NTPC Ltd, NHPC Ltd, and SJVN Ltd, have been designated as Renewable Energy Implementing Agencies (REIAs) for issuing bids for renewable energy projects.
(vi) REIAs have flexibility in issuing bids for various types of renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, solar-wind hybrid, RTC RE power, and others, based on market evaluation or government mandates.
2. MoHUA forms 14-member panel to examine stalled Real Estate Projects; Headed by Amitabh Kant
(i) The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has formed a 14-member committee, chaired by Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa for 2023 and former CEO of NITI Aayog, to address stalled real estate projects.
(ii) The committee's mandate is to recommend solutions for completing these projects and delivering them to homebuyers in a time-bound manner.
(iii) The committee includes top central and state government officials, representatives from financial institutions, and regulatory authorities.
(iv) The Central Advisory Council (CAC) under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) decided to form the committee to address the issue of legacy stalled real estate projects.
(v) Around 500,000 homes worth Rs 4.48 lakh crore are estimated to be stuck in seven micro markets in India, with the National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) accounting for 77% of such projects among metro cities.
(vi) The committee is expected to submit its report within six months from the date of its first meeting.
3. Skyroot Aerospace Test-Fired Dhawan-II Fully 3D-printed Cryogenic Rocket Engine
(i) Hyderabad-based private space technology startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully test-fired their advanced fully 3D-printed "Dhawan-II" cryogenic engine for 200 seconds at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra on April 4, 2023.
(ii) The Dhawan-II engine is slated to be used in the upper stage of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram II rocket, scheduled for launch in 2024.
(iii) The Dhawan-II engine builds upon Skyroot Aerospace's first privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the Dhawan-I, which had a thrust of 1.0 kN and was successfully test-fired in November 2021.
(iv) The endurance test of Dhawan-II demonstrated impressive performance results.
(v) The cryogenic engine series is named in honor of Satish Dhawan, a renowned Indian rocket scientist.
(vi) The 3D printed Dhawan-II engine features a 3D printed torch igniter and a bellow-actuated cryo-injection valve with quick response time.
(vii) Skyroot's cryogenic rocket engines use Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen (LoX) as propellants, which require temperatures below minus 150 degrees Celsius for storage and operation.
(viii) Skyroot Aerospace plans to develop the next generation of cryogenic engine technology using LNG as fuel.
(ix) The cryogenic propulsion program aims to enhance the payload capacity of the Vikram series of space launch vehicles.
4. MIB partners with Amazon India in the field of Media, Entertainment and Public Awareness
(i) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has formed a partnership with Amazon India to collaborate in the domains of media, entertainment, and public awareness, as revealed by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur.
(ii) The partnership will involve various organizations under the MIB, including the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Prasar Bharati, Publications Division, and the media training institutions of Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). It will also include collaboration with Amazon Prime Video (APV), Alexa, Amazon Music, Amazon e-marketplace, and IMDb.
(iii) Initiatives under the partnership will include promoting Indian heritage, such as a dedicated catalogue of books on India's culture from the Publications Division on the Amazon e-commerce website, and promoting Indian music on Amazon Music and Alexa.
(iv) Public speeches by the President of India and Prime Minister of India, contents related to events of national importance, public interest campaigns, and daily news bulletins will be disseminated through Alexa and Amazon Music as part of the partnership.
(v) Award-winning films from the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and films produced through India's international co-production treaties will be onboarded by Amazon Prime Video (APV), and APV and MiniTV will onboard archival content owned by Prasar Bharati and the NFDC.
(vi) APV will sponsor scholarships, create internship programs, and offer job opportunities for students of FTII and SRFTI as part of the talent development component of the partnership.
(vii) APV will also organize skill-building activities in partnership with NFDC, conduct masterclasses by Indian and international film personalities in academic institutions for the media and entertainment industry, and launch initiatives to refine the talent of the winners of the '75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow' program.
(viii) Amazon will work with NFDC to enhance the availability of information about Indian artists on IMDb, a global database for the creative industry.
5. ‘Top 10 Busiest Airports Worldwide for 2022’ by ACI: Delhi Airport Emerges as The World's 9th Busiest Airport in 2022
(i) The Airports Council International (ACI) World released the 'Top 10 Busiest Airports Worldwide for 2022' rankings, with Delhi Airport (Indira Gandhi International Airport - IGIA) emerging as the 9th busiest airport in the world, surpassing Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport in France.
(ii) IGIA showed significant improvement from its previous positions of 13th in 2021 and 17th in 2019, with a total of 59,490,700 (5.94 crore) passengers in 2022.
(iii) Delhi Airport witnessed a notable 17% increase in passenger traffic from October-December 2022 compared to the same period in fiscal year 2021-22 (FY22).
Delhi Airport is currently undergoing a significant expansion project led by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with an estimated value of USD 850 million, including the development of a fully integrated terminal that will accommodate both departures and arrivals under one roof, and a fourth runway.
(iv) Among the top 10 airports, five are located in the United States (US), and they all have significant shares of domestic passenger traffic ranging from 75% to 95% of total domestic traffic.
(v) Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in the US claimed the first spot on the list of the world's busiest airports for 2022, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD) in the top four spots.
(vi) Dubai Airport (DXB) ranked fifth, showing a significant increase of 127%, and Istanbul Airport (IST) ranked seventh, showing a growth of 73.8%.
(vii) London Heathrow Airport, Delhi Airport, and Paris CDG Airport secured the eighth, ninth, and tenth spots respectively on the list.
(viii) Los Angeles (LAX) was the only exception among the Top 10 airports, ranking 6th with 65.9 million passengers and a growth of 37.3%.
The top 10 airports experienced a 51.7% increase in total passenger traffic from 2021, marking an 85.9% improvement from their 2019 figures.
India Elected to UN Statistical Commission and Commission on Narcotic Drugs :
(i) India has been elected as a member of the United Nations (UN) Statistical Commission and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
(ii) India secured an impressive 46 out of 53 votes in a secret ballot. This marks India's return to the UN Statistical Commission after a gap of two decades, having last been a member in 2004.
(iii) India's term of office for both commissions will begin on January 1, 2024, and will last for four years.
(iv) India competed with South Korea, UAE, and China for two seats from the Asia Pacific States category.
(v) South Korea won the second seat over China in the election after two inconclusive rounds of secret-ballot voting, in which they each received 25 votes. South Korea was elected by drawing lots as per the Council's rules of procedure.
(v) Austria, Armenia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, UK, and US were elected by secret ballot for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2024.
(vi) Argentina, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, and US were elected by acclamation to the Statistical Commission for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2024.
(vii) India was elected by acclamation to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs along with Argentina, Burundi, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe for a four-year term beginning January 1, 2024.
(viii) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India’s expertise in statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission.
ECOSOC Elected India for the Board of UNAIDS :
ECOSOC Election Results for UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board -
(i) India was elected by ECOSOC for a term of office starting April 5, 2023, and expiring on December 31, 2025, to fill the outstanding vacancies from the Asia-Pacific States in the Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS.
(ii) UNAIDS is a significant subsidiary body of the UN that addresses economic, social, and environmental issues related to HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
(iii) Along with India, Cambodia was also elected to fill the vacancies from the Asia-Pacific States on the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board.
7. Assam CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma launches scheme to aid Higher Secondary and Degree Students in Buying Books
(i) Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated a scheme on March 31, 2023, on the occasion of Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma's 67th birth anniversary, celebrated as "Students' Day".
(ii) The scheme aims to benefit students of Higher Secondary and Degree courses in Assam.
3.4 lakh students will receive Rs. 1,459 each for buying books, and 16,763 pupils will be given Rs. 7,157 each to cover meal expenses.
(iii) Post Graduate (PG) girl students will be entitled to Rs. 10,000 annually under the scheme.
Special benefits including minority scholarships of Rs. 2000 and Rs. 4000 will be provided to girl students pursuing Higher Secondary and Degree courses respectively.
(iv) In March 2023, the Assam government declared Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma's birthday as Students' Day across Assam.
8. IDBI Bank & YES Bank Offers E-Bank Guarantee Service in Collaboration with NeSL
IDBI Bank, in partnership with National e-Governance Services Ltd. (NeSL), has developed an innovative e-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) service that replaces the traditional paper-based Bank Guarantee (BG) issuance process with e-stamping and e-signature.
In a significant milestone, YES Bank has successfully issued its first electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in collaboration with NeSL, an Information Utility (IU) designated by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). This marks a significant step towards digitization and streamlining of the bank guarantee issuance process, making it more efficient and convenient for businesses and stakeholders involved.
Key notes :
(i) The existing paper-based process for issuing and managing Bank Guarantees (BGs) has been fully digitized through API integration with NeSL's DDE platform, streamlining the BG issuance and maintenance process.
(ii) YES Bank's integration with NeSL is in line with its collaborations with various government-run digital services, such as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Account Aggregator (AA), and Government e-Marketplaces (GEM), showcasing its commitment to leveraging digital technologies for enhanced efficiency and convenience in banking services.
What is " e-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) " ?
(i) An e-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) eliminates the need for physical documentation in BG issuance.
(ii) The digital steps in an e-BG include application, preview, confirmation, e-stamping, e-signing, hosting on NeSL's portal, and beneficiary notification.
(iii) NeSL's Digital Document Execution (DDE) platform provides e-Stamp and e-Sign functions, reducing BG issuance time from days to minutes.
(iv) Registration for e-BG users is simple and one-time on NeSL's portal, with API integration available for bulk e-BG users' ERP systems.
(v) NeSL's 24x7 platform offers instantly available e-BGs, accessible to beneficiaries after a quick one-time registration process.
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