Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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Modi to visit Palestine in February

News:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to the Palestinian capital of Ramallah on February 10, a diplomatic source has confirmed.

Beyond News:

• The visit to the Palestinian territory is likely to be part of Prime Minister Modi’s outreach to the Arab world, during which he will hold a meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
• This will be the first time that an Indian Prime Minister will visit the Palestinian capital of Ramallah.
• The visit was confirmed even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on the last leg of his trip to India.
• The official said that the trip indicates that India remains on track with its traditional stance on Palestine. Palestine had praised India’s recent vote in the UN against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
• The issue of Indian support to the two-state solution was also discussed during the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Mr. Netanyahu.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Agni-5 ballistic missile tested successfully

News:

• India successfully tested Agni-V, validating the long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile’s reliability.

Beyond News:

• The Defence Ministry said in a statement that,this was the fifth test of the missile and the third consecutive one from a canister on a road mobile launcher. All the five missions have been successful.
• The flight performance of the missile was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission.

Agni-V:

• Agni-V, with a range of over 5,000 km, is India’s longest range ballistic missile and can reach most parts of China, making it the mainstay of India’s triad to deliver nuclear weapons.
• The user associate test-flight of the missile has further boosted indigenous missile capabilities and deterrence strength of the country.
• Agni-V is the most advanced missile in the Agni series with new technologies incorporated in it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine.
• The missile is so programmed that after reaching the peak of its trajectory, it will turn towards the Earth to continue its journey towards the intended target with an increased speed due to the attraction of the Earth’s gravitational pull, he said.
• Official added that,its path is precisely directed by the advanced on-board computer and inertial navigation system.

India to set up $350 mn fund for solar projects to meet renewable energy target

News:

• India will set up a $350 million fund to finance solar projects, as the country steps up efforts to achieve its ambitious target of adding 175 gigawatts (GW) in renewable energy by 2022.

Beyond News:

• India will need at least $125 billion to fund a plan to increase the share of renewable power supply in the country’s grid by 2022, underlining the immense financing challenge ahead.
• The country, which receives twice as much sunshine as European nations, wants to make solar central to its renewable expansion.
• Installed renewable power capacity is currently about 60 GW, and India plans to complete the bidding process by the end of 2019/20 to add a further 115 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022.
• It expects renewable energy to make up 40% of installed power capacity by 2030, compared with 18.2% at the end of 2017.
• Power ministry said in a statement that, India’s Yes Bank Ltd. has committed to financing solar projects worth $5 billion, while state-run NTPC Ltd. will contribute $1 million to an ISA fund.

Disaster warning system for Odisha by March

News

• The Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS), a project that aims at establishing a fool-proof communication system to disseminate disaster warning up to the community level, is expected to be commissioned by this March.

Beyond News

• The EWDS had missed several deadlines before being fast-tracked recently.
• The EWDS is a first-of-its-kind automatic public address system in the country.
• Managing Director of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) said that,it will help the State to warn a vast population residing along its coast from the State headquarters through loud sirens from towers installed at 122 locations in the event of occurrence of natural disasters like a tsunami or cyclone.
• The EWDS for last mile connectivity is being implemented under a World Bank project.

Static thermal imaging cameras to track elephant movement

News

• The Forest Department will install permanent thermal imaging cameras at four places along forest boundaries in Coimbatore to track movement of wild elephants and to develop an early warning system.

Beyond News

• The thermal imaging captured by the cameras will be sent to the control room of the Forest Department. This will help alert staff and residents in the locality about the animal movement.
• At present, the department is using two hand-held thermal imaging cameras that are used for anti-depredation works at night.

Importance of Thermal imaging camera

• Thermal imaging camera capture the heat in the body of the animal. The hand-held cameras are very helpful in tracking presence of wild elephants at night, early morning and late evening when visibility is poor.
• The four places selected for developing the warning system had witnessed frequent movement of elephants.
• Installation of thermal imaging camera is expected to boost up the alert system at Madukkarai.
• After the installation of thermal imaging cameras, the Department has plans to create an early warning network where information on the movement of wild elephants animals can be shared to Forest staff and people in the conflict zone.

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