WHY IN THE NEWS?

• With a network of solar-based electric vehicle charging stations, the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway has become the country’s first EV-friendly highway in the country.
• The network of stations was set up by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) under the FAME-1 (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) & Electric Vehicles) scheme of the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
• Union Minister of Heavy Industries (MHI) Mahendra Nath Pandey remotely inaugurated the state-of-the-art charging station at Karna Lake Resort.
• The EV charging station at Karna resort is strategically located at the midpoint of the Delhi-Chandigarh highway. It is equipped to cater to all types of e-cars currently in the country.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• India has ranked second in terms of crypto adoption worldwide behind Vietnam, but ahead of countries such as the US, UK, and China, according to the 2021 Global Crypto Adoption Index by blockchain data platform Chainalysis.
• This comes even as worldwide crypto adoption grew by 880% between June 2020 and July 2021, according to the report.
• A report by US-based research platform Finder released this month corroborated that the top five countries in terms of crypto adoption were all from Asia.
• The company surveyed 47,000 users worldwide and 30% of those surveyed in India said they owned cryptocurrencies.
• Bitcoin is the most popular coin in India, followed by Ripple, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash, according to the report.
• Crypto adoption in India has also been led by smaller towns in the country. The largest crypto exchange in the country by trading volume, WazirX, said last week that it had seen more than 2,648% growth in user sign-ups from tier II and tier III cities in India.

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, the Vice President visited the Tungabhadra dam in Karnataka.

About:

• Tungabhadra dam also known as Pampa Sagar is a multipurpose dam built across Tungabhadra River in Hosapete, Ballari district of Karnataka. It was built by Dr. Thirumalai Iyengar in 1953.
• Tungabhadra reservoir has a storage capacity of 101 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) with catchment area spreading to 28000 square kms. It is about 49.5 meters in height.

Importance:

• It is the life-line of 6 chronically drought prone districts of Bellary, Koppal and Raichur in Karnataka (popularly known as the rice bowl of Karnataka) and Anantapur, Cuddapah and Kurnool in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
• Besides irrigating vast patches of land in the two states, it also generates hydel power and helps prevent floods.

WHY IN NEWS?
The Karez System of Afghanistan is in threat whereas a similar system named Surangam in South India is thriving.

About Surangams:

• The surangam or suranga is usually found in northern Kerala and southern Karnataka.
• Surangam is basically a tunnel dug through a laterite hillock from the periphery of which water and moisture seeps out.
• Surangams are similar to Qanats which once existed in Mesopotamia and Babylon around 700 Before Common Era (BCE). By 714 BCE, this technology had spread to Egypt, Persia and India.
  • Qanats are underground tunnel systems that bring infiltrated groundwater, surface water, or spring water to the earth’s surface using only gravitational force.
• This system has been very effectively used for domestic and agriculture purposes in dry areas of northern Malabar.
• Some people believe the surangam is indigenous and a likely origin of the suranga system refers to 18 Karhada Brahmin families that had been moved to the Kasargod area from modern-day Maharashtra in the 17^thcentury under duress.

Karez System:

• The karez system is a legacy of its Persian cultural moorings. It has suffered extensive damage in 43 years of war and stares at an uncertain future under the Taliban’s second regime.
• Karez is water harnessing technology in which groundwater is brought to the surface by a tunnel.
• In this system, no mechanical pump or lift is used. Gravity alone brings the water from the underground source.
• The technology originated in Persia/Iran and was widely used during the medieval period

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, the Narayankoti temple (Uttarakhand) has been included under the Centre’s Adopt a Heritage project.

Adopt a Heritage Project:

About:

• Launched on 27^thSeptember, 2017 (World Tourism Day), it is a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), State/UTs Governments.

Aim:

• To develop tourism amenities at heritage/ natural/ tourist sites spread across India to make them tourist friendly, in a planned and phased manner.

Narayankoti Temple:

• The temple is a group of ancient temples, about 2 km from Guptkashi on the Rudraprayag-Gaurikund highway.
• This is the only place in the country which has nine planetary temples in a group that are a “symbol of nine planets”.
• It is devoted to Lakshmi Narayana who is associated with Pandavas.
• It is believed that these temples were constructed in the 9^th

WHY IN NEWS?

The Ministry of New and Renewable (MNRE) has conducted a review of implementation of Prime Minister’s Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme and Rooftop Solar Programme Phase-II and suggested measures for expansion of the schemes.

About PM-KUSUM:

• The PM-KUSUM scheme was launched by the MNRE in 2019, to support installation of off-grid solar pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas.
• The objective of the scheme is to enable farmers to set up solar power generation capacity on their barren lands and to sell it to the grid.
• The government’s Budget for 2020-21 expanded the scope for the scheme with 20 lakh farmers to be provided assistance to install standalone solar pumps; another 15 lakh farmers to be given help to solarise their grid-connected pump sets.

Intended Benefits of the PM- KUSUM Scheme:

Helping Farmers:

• It ensures water-security to farmers by providing a day-time reliable source of power for irrigation activities.
• It also incentivises the farmers to sell surplus solar energy to the states, which in turn will augment their income.

Helping Environment:

• If farmers are able to sell surplus power, they will be incentivised to save power and, in turn, it will mean the reasonable and efficient use of groundwater.
• Also, expansion of the irrigation cover by providing decentralized solar-based irrigation and moving away from polluting diesel.

Helping Discoms:      

• As farmers will be less dependent on subsidized electricity, the PM KUSUM scheme will support the financial health of electricity distribution companies (discoms) by reducing the burden of subsidy to the agriculture sector.
• Help them meet the RPO (Renewable Purchase Obligation) targets.

Helping States:

• Promotes decentralised solar power production, and reduces transmission losses.
• A potential way to reduce their subsidy outlay towards irrigation.

About Rooftop Solar Programme Phase II:

• The aim is to achieve a cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by the year 2022.
• In a grid-connected rooftop or small Solar Voltaic Panel system, the DC power generated from the Solar Voltaic panel is converted to AC power using the power conditioning unit and is fed to the grid.
• This scheme is being implemented in the states by distribution companies (DISCOMs).
• The MNRE is providing a 40% subsidy for the first 3 kW and 20% subsidy beyond 3 kW and upto 10 kW of solar panel capacity.

Objectives of the Rooftop Solar Programme:

• To promote the grid-connected SPV rooftop and small SPV power generating plants among the residential, community, institutional, industrial and commercial establishments.
• To mitigate the dependence on fossil fuel based electricity generation and encourage environment-friendly Solar electricity generation.
• To create an enabling environment for investment in the solar energy sector by the private sector, state government and the individuals.
• To create an enabling environment for the supply of solar power from rooftop and small plants to the grid.
  • Therefore, the installation of rooftop solar will bring down the electricity consumption of the households and save electricity expenditure.

WHY IN NEWS?

India’s highest herbal park, at a height of 11,000 feet, was inaugurated near Indo-China border at Mana village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

Aim of the high-altitude herbal park

This high-altitude herbal park was inaugurated with the aim of conserving various medicinally and culturally important alpine species and to conduct research on propagation and habitat ecology of these species.

Where it was developed?

The Park has been developed on the area of three acres in Mana Village. The land was given by Mana Van Panchayat. It was developed by the Research Wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department.

How it was developed?

This Park was developed in three years under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme of the central government.

About the Herbal Park

Herbal Park comprises of 40 species which are found in high altitude alpine areas in Indian Himalayan region.  Many of these species are categorized as endangered and threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list as well as by the State Biodiversity Board. Park comprises of several important medicinal herbs also. Park was inaugurated by the Sarpanch of Mana Van Panchayat.

Four sections of park

Park has been divided into four sections:

• First section– It comprises of species associated with Badrinath (lord Vishnu) including Badri Tulsi, Badri Tree, Badri Ber, and sacred tree of Bhojpatra.
• Second section– It is dedicated to Ashtavarga species. This species is a group of eight herbs that are found in the Himalayan region.
• Third section– It comprises of Saussurea species and includes Brahmakamal which is the state flower of Uttarakhand.
• Fourth section– It comprises of assorted alpine species such as Ateesh, Meethavish, Choru and Vankakdi

WHY IN NEWS?

On August 21, 2021; Exercise Konkan 2021 was held in English Channel in between INS Tabar and HMS Westminster.

About:

• Konkan exercise witnessed the participation of integral helicopters of two ships and Falcon Electronic Warfare aircraft.
• Exercises like co-ordinated anti-submarine procedures, combined maritime picture compilation, firing drills, replenishment at sea and combat formation maneuvering were conducted during the exercise.
• These exercises and diverse professional engagements enabled Exercise Konkan 2021 in consolidating interoperability which in turn have helped in establishing a strong bond of friendship between both the navies.

About Konkan exercise

The naval exercise Konkan 18 is held in between the navies of India and United Kingdom. It is based on the long-term strategic relationship between them. This exercise provides a platform for the Navies to periodically conduct exercise at sea and in harbour in order to build interoperability and share best practices.

Background

The bilateral Konkan exercise started in 2004 and has now grown in scale.

INS Tabar

INS Tabar is the third Talwar-class frigate in Indian Navy, which was commissioned on April 19, 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia. Captain Mahesh Mangipudi is the current Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Tabar. It reached the home-port of Mumbai on July 31, 2004. INS Tabar is assigned to Western Naval Command of Indian Navy, which is headquartered in Mumbai. This warship can handle air or surface or subsurface missions and defend herself.

HMS Westminster

It is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, which was launched on February 4, 1992. It has been named after Dukedom of Westminster.

WHY IN NEWS?

Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, will inaugurate India’s first smog tower at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place (CP), Delhi.

Smog tower at CP

• It is over 20-metre-tall structure and was set up to improve air quality in a radius of around 1 km.
• The tower will operate at full capacity after the monsoon season.
• This smog-tower was built at the cost of Rs 20 crores.
• Performance of the tower will be assessed by scientists of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and they will present a monthly report.

Smog tower at Anand Vihar

Central government will build a 25-metre-tall smog tower at Anand Vihar. It is likely to become operational by August 31.

Who have designed the tower?

Kurin Systems is developing a 12-metre-tall smog tower in Delhi. The tower is dubbed as Kurin City Cleaner. Tower at CP as well as Anand Vihar will comprise of 1,200 air filters developed by experts at the University of Minnesota, United States. This university also helped in designing a 100-metre-high smog tower in Xian, China.

Background

This project was approved by Delhi cabinet in October 2020. It was approved after The Supreme Court directed the central government in January 2020 to construct a smog tower in order to reduce pollution at Anand Vihar and Delhi government to install it at Connaught Place in three months.

What is smog tower?

Smog towers are structures that are designed as large-scale air purifiers in order reduce air pollution particles. Prototype for such structure was built in 2017 in Beijing (China) by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde. A 100-metre tower was built in Xi’an, Shaanxi in 2018 in a bid to tackle pollution.

WHY IN NEWS?

According to a new report by UNICEF, Children in India are at extreme high risk of impacts of climate crisis

About:

• As per report, India is among four South Asian countries where children are most at risk.
• Climate change threatens their health, education, and protection.
• Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India are the four South Asian countries where children are at extremely high risk.
• Pakistan was ranked at 14^thposition, Bangladesh at 15^th, Afghanistan at 25^th while India at 26^th.
• Nepal is ranked at 51^st, Sri Lanka 61^st, while Bhutan is ranked 111^th.
• About 1 billion children live in 33 countries that are classified as ‘extremely high-risk’.
• More than 600 million Indians will face ‘acute water shortages’ in upcoming years.
• At the same time, flash flooding will increase significantly in India’s urban areas once the global temperature increases to 2° Celsius.
• Further, twenty-one of world’s 30 cities with the most polluted air were in India in 2020.

CCR-about Index

These findings were published in UNICEF’s report titled: “’The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index” (CCRI). CCRI is the first focussed report on children by UNICEF. The index ranks countries on the basis of children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks like cyclones and heatwaves including the vulnerability to those shocks on the basis of their access to essential services.

High-risk in India

Index has placed India among one of the 33 extremely high-risk countries where flooding and air pollution are repeated environmental shocks. Such shocks lead to the socio-economic adverse consequences for women and children.