Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 09 May 2023

Indian Air Force Heritage Centre

India's Defence Minister, inaugurated the nation's first Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh. The centre, spread across 17,000 sqft at the Government Press Building, houses five vintage aircraft, including the first IAF-made patent aircraft, the Air Force 'Kanpur-1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft'. The heritage centre also provides visitors with cockpit exposure and experience with flight simulators. Along with the historical significance, the centre will also showcase various rescue operations being undertaken by the IAF all over the country and the initiatives undertaken by the Air Force Family Welfare Association for the benefit of the families of air warriors.

Read more: INDIAN AIR FORCE DAY

Paralakhemundi Railway Station

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has opposed the railway ministry's decision to demolish the heritage station at Paralakhemundi, one of the oldest railway stations in Odisha, built in 1899 by the then royals. The station is being redeveloped, and a new building is being constructed that overshadows the existing heritage structure. INTACH has requested to give the old station a heritage tag and preserve it as it is.

The INTACH is a non-profit organization based in India, founded in 1984 with the aim of conserving and preserving India's cultural heritage. The organization works towards promoting awareness about India's diverse cultural heritage, protecting and conserving historic buildings, monuments, and sites of archaeological importance, and supporting traditional art forms and crafts.

MoHUA and MoR jointly Signed MoU with JICA for Project SMART

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Ministry of Railways, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), have signed an MoU for 'Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail' (Project-SMART). This project aims to develop the surrounding areas of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway (HSR) stations to improve accessibility and convenience for commuters and other stakeholders and to promote economic activities in the vicinity of station areas. The project will enhance the institutional capacity of state governments, municipal corporations, and urban development authorities to plan, develop and manage the surrounding areas of MAHSR stations.

The MoU covers four HSRs: Sabarmati, Surat, Virar, and Thane. Surat, Virar, and Thane are greenfield developments while Sabarmati is a brownfield development.

The MoHUA, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and JICA are organizing seminars and field visits. The goal is to prepare Station Area Development Plans and a model handbook for Transit Oriented Development. The handbook will contain methodologies adopted in Japan, India, and other countries.

India's Coal Imports Increase by 30% in FY23

India's coal imports have surged by 30% to 162.46 million Tonnes in the 2022-23 financial year from 124.99 MT in the previous year, as per a report by Mjunction services limited. The import of coking coal, a key raw material used in steel production rose by 5.44% to 54.46 MT from 51.65 MT in FY22.

In March, non-coking coal imports stood at 13.88 MT, a growth of 9.8% from the previous year. However, coking coal imports decreased to 3.96 MT against 4.76 MT imported in March 2022.

Although India is among the top coal producers globally, the country is heavily dependent on imports, particularly for coking coal. Rising demand for steam coal in India and weakening seaborne prices led to increased imports in March, likely to continue in the coming months. Besides coal, imports of anthracite, pulverized coal injection (PCI coal), met coke and pet coke grew by 24% to 249.06 MT in FY23.

Read more: Coal Sector in India