16-12-22 Daily-Kerala-KPSC Current Affairs

Tourism and public littering are the main contributors to beach litter, says a pan-Indian litter density study of beaches in the country, including Kerala done in 2019 and 2021 by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).

A total of 33 beaches in 2019 and 30 beaches in 2021 were studied. Based on density, the national beach litter Average was 0.475 items per square metre in 2019 and 0.3 items in 2021. Plastic was the dominant litter type (65% in 2019; 74 % in 2021) and single-use plastics (SUPs) were predominant. Based on the clean-coast index, six beaches in 2019 and three beaches in 2021 are classified as extremely dirty.

Among the studied 33 beaches in 2019, data on litter density (number of litter items per square meter of area) from 22 beaches and data on litter weight from 33 beaches were deemed suitable for inclusion in the final analysis. A total of 3,26,424 litter items from 22 beaches and 36,519kg of litter from 33 beaches were collected during the 2019 international coastal cleanup (ICC) day. Whereas, in the 2021 ICC-day event, a total of 1,97,309 items and 11,809kg of litter from 30 beaches were collected.

Ministry of Power had constituted a high-level committee under Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority with representatives from Corporation of India, Central Transmission Utility of India Ltd, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, National Institute of Solar Energy, and National Institute of Wind Energy for planning the transmission system required for having 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based installed capacity by 2030.

The Committee prepared a detailed Plan titled Transmission System for Integration of over 500 GW RE Capacity by 2030″ in consultation with States and other stakeholders. The Plan is a major step towards achievement of the goal of integrating 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based capacity by 2030 by providing broad plan of required transmission system for having 537 GW of RENEWABLE ENERGY capacity by the year 2030.

The Plan has identified major upcoming non-fossil fuel based generation centres in the country, which include Fatehgarh, Bhadla, Bikaner in Rajasthan, Khavda in Gujarat, Anantapur, Kurnool RE Zones in Andhra Pradesh, offshore wind potentials in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, RE park in Ladakh etc. and based on these potential generation centres, transmission systems have been planned.

Indiahas emerged as one of the world leaders in energy transition with the fastest rate of Growth of renewable energy capacities in the world. India has huge ambitions in energy transition and plans to have 500 GW of non-fossil fuel based electricity installed capacity by 2030, so that cleaner fuel comprises of 50%of the installed capacity mix by 2030.

Amid a row over the status of Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela among the major stadia across the globe, the Odisha government on Friday claimed that it is the world’s largest facility in terms of seating capacity and it was certified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).The Rourkela facility will host the Men’s World Cup Hockey, organised by the FIH, along with Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Department had launched the SMILE scheme , however the modalities of the implementation of the scheme namely SMILE – Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise are under consideration.

The institution said that the government is expected to meet the target of 6.4 per cent of the GDP in 2022-23.

The World Bank saw the government meeting the fiscal deficit target of 6.4 per cent of the GDP in 2022-23. It expected Inflation to be 7.1 per cent in current fiscal year.

The country however remains affected by spillovers from the US, Euro area and China. The World Bank saw the government meeting the fiscal deficit target of 6.4 per cent of the GDP in 2022-23. It expected inflation to be 7.1 per cent in current fiscal year.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying into space the first ever Arab-built lunar spacecraft.

The Rashid Rover was built by Dubais Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is being delivered by the HAKUTO-R lander, engineered by Japanese lunar exploration company ispace. If the landing is successful, HAKUTO-R will also become the first commercial spacecraft ever to make a controlled landing on the moon.

The Rashid Rover, named after the late Sheikh Rashid Al Saeed, the former ruler of Dubai, will analyze the plasma on the lunar surface and conduct experiments to understand more about lunar dust. Razor-sharp lunar dust particles can stick to and erode spacesuits and equipment, causing operational problems for astronauts.