Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 06 Apr 2023
National Maritime Day
On April 5th, India celebrated National Maritime Day, which commemorates the maiden voyage of the first Indian commercial vessel, the SS Loyalty, from Mumbai to London in 1919. This year's theme was "Propelling Indian Maritime to Net Zero." It was organized by the Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in Mumbai concluded with a ceremony at the Domestic Cruise Terminus in Mumbai Port Trust, highlighted the need for a coordinated and collaborative approach to achieve the net-zero target in the maritime sector.
The Government has acknowledged the contribution of seafarers during the pandemic and emphasized India’s efforts to promote ‘Ease of Doing Business” to reduce logistics costs and facilitate shipping to make India a pre-eminent player in the maritime sector. And the importance of academic partnerships with global maritime universities and enhancing the skills of Indian maritime institutes to achieve the goals of Maritime Vision 2030. During the program, Sagar Samman Awards were awarded to the contributors to the growth of the Indian maritime industry.
Read more: Maritime Vision 2030
GI Tag for Ladakh's Wood Carving
Recently, The Geographical Indication (GI) Registry in Chennai, responsible for registering products under the GI Act, 1999, has awarded the registration to Ladakh's wood carving. The GI registration ensures that the product has a unique identity and origin, and it cannot be duplicated or sold under the same name by any other manufacturer from a different region.
Ladakh's wood carving is renowned for its intricate designs and unique patterns that are mostly inspired by Buddhist themes and motifs. Local wood such as willow and apricot are used to make these wood carvings, which are often used to decorate doors, windows, and other household items.
Read more: Geographical Indication (GI)
GI Tag for Banarasi Paan
Recently, Banarasi Paan is granted with GI tag, Religious and tourist city Kashi has emerged as a GI hub. Special Banarasi Langda Mango, Banarasi Paan, Ramnagar's Bhanta (White Big Round Brinjal), and Adamchini Rice (District Chandauli) have got the Geographical Indications and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) tag.
Not only ‘Banarasi Paan’, but Mathura’s ‘Peda’, Agra’s ‘Petha’ and Kanpur’s ‘Sattu’ and ‘Bukunu’ would also get tags as part of efforts of the Uttar Pradesh government to provide wider recognition to local goods. After the success of the One District One Product (ODOP), aiming to provide wider recognition to local goods.
India Targets 500 GW Non-Fossil Fuel Capacity by 2030
The Indian government has announced a plan to invite bids for 50 GW of renewable energy capacity annually for the next five years, starting from the financial year 2023-24, which will include the setting up of at least 10 GW of wind power capacity each year. The aim of this plan is to achieve the target of 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, including nuclear, by 2030. India currently has a total renewable energy capacity of 168.96 GW, with around 82 GW at different stages of implementation and about 41 GW under tendering stage.
This plan is in accordance with the Prime Minister's announcement at COP26 and is a significant step towards achieving a faster energy transition. Renewable energy projects typically take 18-24 months for commissioning, so this bid plan will add 250 GW of renewable energy and ensure 500 GW of installed capacity by 2030. The targeted bid capacity for FY 2023-24 would be allocated among the four Renewable Energy Implementing Agencies (REIAs), namely Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI), NTPC Ltd., NHPC Ltd., and SJVN Ltd.
Read more: India’s Green-Energy Transition
Ice Memory
A team of Arctic scientists from Italy, France, and Norway are embarking on a mission to extract samples of ancient ice before they melt away due to climate change. The researchers have set up camp in Norway's Svalbard archipelago and will drill ice tubes from as far as 125 meters below the surface, containing frozen geochemical traces dating back three centuries. These ice cores will be used for immediate analysis while a second set will be sent to an "ice memory sanctuary" in Antarctica for future generations of scientists. Extraction is a race against time to preserve crucial ice records that provide valuable data about past environmental conditions. Human-caused carbon emissions have warmed the planet by 1.1 degrees Celsius since the 19th century, and the Arctic is warming between two and four times faster than the global average.
Read more: Rapidly Melting Antarctic Ice