National
NHDC to construct 525 MW Pumped Storage Power Project near Indira Sagar, Khandwa
⇒ Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC Ltd.) is going to construct a 525 MW Pumped Storage Project near Indira Sagar Dam, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh using the existing reservoirs Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar of the Indira Sagar Project.
- NHDC Ltd is a Joint Venture of NHPC Ltd and Government of Madhya Pradesh.
Key Points:
- The project is being undertaken, keeping in view the need for increasing peak hour demand of the state. With the increased renewable energy generated through this Pumped Storage Project, the energy needs of the state can be met during peak energy hours (morning and evening).
- The project will generate 1,226.93 million units of energy during peak hours.
- The project is estimated to cost Rs 4,200 crores. The Department of New & Renewable Energy, Government of Madhya Pradesh has allotted this project to NHDC Limited.
- There is a potential for 11.2 GW of Pumped Storage Projects in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
- At present, two power stations of NHDC Limited, namely Indira Sagar Power Station (1000 MW) and Omkareshwar Power Station (520 MW) are in operation in the Khandwa district.
- 100 percent of the power produced by these power stations are supplied to the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Biparjoy
⇒ Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Biparjoy was first noted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 6 June 2023, before intensifying into a cyclonic storm.
- Biparjoy was a long lived, powerful tropical cyclone that formed over the east-central Arabian Sea.
- This cyclone was named by Bangladesh, Biparjoy means ‘calamity’ in Bengali language.
Key Points:
- The third depression and the second cyclonic storm of the 2023 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Biparjoy originated from a depression.
- The cyclone steadily weakened due to deep flaring convection. Biparjoy accelerated northeastward, strengthening to a Category 3-equivalent tropical cyclone and an extremely severe cyclonic storm.
- The cyclone made landfall in Naliya, India on June 16. Biparjoy was downgraded to a depression, and further into a well-marked low-pressure area late on 19 June 2023.
International
8th Meeting of Standing Committee of International Solar Alliance
⇒ The 8th meeting of the Standing Committee of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held in New Delhi on June 6, 2023.
Chairpersonship:
- The meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy R. K. Singh, in his capacity as the Power Minister of India, the current President of the ISA.
- The French Republic as Co-President of the ISA Assembly was the Co-Chair of the meeting.
Discussion:
The eighth meeting of the ISA Standing Committee discussed ISA Demonstration Projects in the ISA Member Countries, ISA Solar Technology Application Resource Centre (STAR-C), ISA SolarX Start up Challenge, ISA Solar Finance Facility and Preparations for the Ninth Meeting of the ISA Standing Committee and Preparations for the Sixth Session of the ISA Assembly.
About the ISA:
- The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries.
- It is an international organisation with 93 Member countries and 115 Signatory countries and the first international intergovernmental organisation to be headquartered in India.
- The ISA strives to develop and deploy cost-effective and transformational energy solutions powered by the sun to help member countries develop low-carbon growth trajectories, with particular focus on delivering impact in countries categorized as Least Developed Countries and the Small Island Developing States.
- The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity. This would help mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 every year. ISA member countries are driving change by enacting policies and regulations, sharing best practices, agreeing on common standards, and mobilising investments.
- The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions.
- The ISA was conceptualized on the sidelines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015. With the amendment of its Framework Agreement in 2020, all member states of the United Nations are now eligible to join the ISA.
Sports
ISSF Junior World Cup 2023
⇒ The ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 took place in Suhl, Germany from 1st June to 9th June 2023.
- Overall, 511 junior shooters from 46 different countries took part in the championships. The Suhl meet was the only ISSF World Cup for junior shooters in 2023.
- Following a nine-day event in Suhl, the Junior World Championships were held in Changwon, Republic of Korea from 14 to 25 July.
Performance of India:
India topped the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 medals tally in Suhl, with a total of 15 medals – 6 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze.
Indian Medal Winners at ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 Suhl:
Gold Medal:
- Sainyam – Women’s 10m air pistol
- Dhanush Srikanth – Men’s 10m air rifle
- Amanpreet Singh – Men’s 25m pistol
- Gautami Bhanot/Abhinav Shaw – 10m air rifle mixed team
- Gautami Bhanot/Swati Chowdhury/ Sonam Uttam Maskar – Women’s 10m air rifle team
- Megana Sadula/Payal Khatri/ Simranpreet Kaur Brar – Women’s 25m pistol team
Silver Medal:
- Sameer – Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol
- Dhanush Srikanth/Abhinav Shaw/Saalim – Men’s 10 air rifle team
- Sainyam/Abhinav Choudhary – 10m air pistol mixed team
- Sainyam/Suruchi Inder Singh/Urva Chaudhary – Women’s 10m air pistol team
- Abhinav Choudhary/Shubham Bisla/Amit Sharma – Men’s 10m air pistol team
- Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu/Sameer/Jatin – Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol team
Bronze Medal:
- Suruchi Inder Singh/Shubham Bisla – 10m air pistol mixed team
- Harmehar Singh Lally/Sanjana Sood – Skeet mixed team
- Mahesh Pasupathy Anandakumar – Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol
2022 Junior Shooting World Cup in Suhl:
India had topped the medals tally at the 2022 Junior Shooting World Cup in Suhl as well with 33 medals – 13 golds, 15 silvers and five bronze.