Current Affairs

1. AS OF MARCH 2024, INDIA’S TOTAL INSTALLED ROOFTOP SOLAR (RTS) CAPACITY STOOD AT 11.87 GIGAWATTS (GW), WITH A NOTABLE INCREASE OF 2.99 GW IN INSTALLED CAPACITY DURING 2023-2024 –

• The government introduced the Rooftop Solar Programme in 2014 to promote rooftop solar installation. The original target was 40 GW installed capacity (out of 100 GW by 2030) by 2022 but the goal was not met by 2022, the deadline was extended to 2026.
• Rooftop solar panels are photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of a building and connected to the main power supply unit.
• This program was launched as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in 2010, the Initial target was 20 GW of solar energy by 2022 then the revised target was 100 GW by 2022, including 40 GW from RTS.

Key Initiatives under Rooftop Solar-

• SUPRABHA (Sustainable Partnership for RTS Acceleration in Bharat).
• SRISTI (Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India).
• Centrally driven by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and executed through state nodal agencies and power distribution companies.

Top performers States: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan.

Moderate performers: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.

Underperformers: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand.

What is the Significance of the Rooftop Solar Programme-

1. Decentralised Energy Production
2. Economic Advantages
3. Energy Independence
4. Rural Electrification and Energy Diversification
5. Sustainable Development

• India’s total installed rooftop solar capacity is reported to be approximately 11.87 GW, with Gujarat leading the table followed by Maharashtra, as of March 2024.

 

2. RECENTLY, RUSSIA HAS SENT TWO TRAINS CARRYING COAL TO INDIA THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR (INSTC) FOR THE FIRST TIME –

• The consignment travels over 7,200km from St. Petersburg, Russia to Mumbai port via Bandar Abbas port of Iran.
• International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a 7,200-kilometer Multimode Transit Route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
• It connects ship, rail, and road routes for moving cargo between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.
• It was launched on 12th September 2000 in St. Petersburg, by a trilateral agreement signed by Iran, Russia and India at the Euro-Asian Conference on Transport in 2000 for promoting transportation cooperation among the Member States.
• Since then, INSTC membership has expanded to include 10 more countries (total 13)-Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Belarus, and Oman.

 

3. THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA RECENTLY ADDRESSED THE JOINT SITTING OF BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE ADDRESSED THE NEWLY ELECTED 18TH LOKSABHA –

• A joint sitting involves both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) meeting together.

There are two main types of joint sittings in the Indian parliamentary system.

• First is the presidential address under Article 87 and
• Second is the resolution of legislative deadlocks under Article 108.
• The President addresses the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha at the beginning of the first session after each general election. The President also addresses both Houses at the beginning of the first session of each year.
• The Constitution (First Amendment) Act of 1951 modified Article 87 as follows: In clause (1), the phrase “every session” was replaced with “the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year.