08-10-22 Daily-Karnataka-KPSC Current Affairs

Bangalore Electricity Supply Company(Bescom) has installed solar panels on the rooftops of 147 government buildings, including schools, bus depots and courts. However, it has fallen short in achieving the stipulated target.

The state-run power agency set up solar panels in 73 locations across the state, enabling government institutions to run on sustainable power and save . A total of Rs 60 crore has been spent on the Solar Rooftop Photovoltaic Project.
The project was conceptualised in 2015 under an initiative of the 13th Finance Commission and Rs 63 crore was set aside for it. The target set for installation was 10.2MW, but the authorities only managed to set up solar panels of 8.4MW capacity. Furthermore, only 5.4MW is being generated. Bescom sources said they have been unable to meet the target because of lack of interest from government agencies.

The project was tendered in 2019, awarded in 2020, and executed in one year. Various government bodies were asked to apply to get solar panels commissioned, after which Bescom through an outsourced agency carried out a feasibility study of the rooftops of the buildings for selection.

Over half the homes sanctioned under the BJP-led Centres flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) housing scheme have been delivered and the rest are under various stages of completion, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said.

Mr. Puris comments came on the sidelines of the PMAY-U Awards 2021 scheduled annually to recognise the contribution of States, Union Territories and with regard to the implementation of the scheme in Rajkot.

In the awards, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first position followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu at second and third place, respectively.

Amid the continued debates over the imposition of Hindi across the country, the Union Government on Thursday announced a month-long programme to strengthen and rekindle the cultural and civilisational bond between Nadu and Varanasi. Named the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, the programme would be held from November 16 to December 16 this year.

The period will cover the Tamil month of Karthikeya during which all Tamil households go pray to Lord Shiva. This programme, which would be a part of the Ek Bharat Sreshtha Bharat initiative, is aimed at rekindling the civilisational link between the new Kashi and Tamil Nadu both deep centres of knowledge, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. He added that building a heritage bridge for the new generation was a key feature of the National Education Policy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 7, 2022 said India has the potential to lead the fourth Industrial revolution and the government has worked on reforms to make the country a manufacturing hub of the world.

He said that the fourth industrial revolution is as much about new technology, as it is about innovative thinking.

Due to various factors, India may have missed being a part of earlier industrial revolutions. But India has the potential to lead 4.0, because, for the first time in recent HISTORY, we have many different factors like demography, demand and decisive Governance coming together.

The production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery storage will help India in cutting down its imports and become an exporter in the coming years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched Mission LiFE, a global plan of action aimed at saving the planet from the disastrous consequences of <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change.

The action plan – a list of ideas on lifestyle changes that can be taken up as climate-friendly behaviour – along with the logo and tagline for Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) were jointly launched by PM Modi and Mr. Guterres.

This includes nudging individuals to practice simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand), enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the changing demand (supply), and to influence government and Industrial Policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy).