Development Watch – Week #4 August ’23

Development News

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Renewables to make 65% of India’s energy mix

By the year 2030, renewable energy would account for 65% of India’s energy mix. The country will need 40 GW more electricity this year as India’s power demand has grown by 14%. India has 186 GW non-fossil-fuel based power generation capacity in 2023. The target of 40% renewable in energy mix, set for 2030, was achieved in 2021. This is 9 years earlier. On the whole, India has 423 GW of installed power generation capacity.

First set of indigenous SCR Catalysts manufactured

Government-owned engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Ltd. announced that it has successfully manufactured the first set of indigenous SCR catalysts for limiting NOX emissions from thermal power plants. Previously, the Selective Catalyst Reactors (SCRs) were being imported. Hence this is a significant milestone under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government. First set of SCR catalysts were flagged off for the 5X800 MW Yadadri Thermal Power Station in Telangana. Combustion of coal converts nitrogen in coal to form products like Nitric Oxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Nitrous Oxide (N2O), collectively known as NOx. This is a major pollutant.

Delhi hotels prepare for G20 summit

Major hotels in and around Delhi are booked to capacity as business and political dignitaries from G20 member countries come together for the leaders’ summit on 9 & 10 September. The G20 event would provide an opportunity to showcase India’s ‘culture, heritage, and hospitality’. Hotel facilities like spas, gyms and restaurants may be off limits to other guests due to security concerns. The summit would also be attended by political, cultural and business delegations from member countries. The most prominent hotels, ITC Maurya, Taj Palace, Taj Mahal, The Oberoi, The Lodhi, The Imperial, Le Meridien, Shangri-La, Hyatt Regency, Leela Palace, The Lalit and The Claridges are fully booked from 7-11 September. Some hotels in Aerocity are also fully booked as they offer presidential suites to heads of states. This is also the first time when every hotel will be hosting 2-3 state heads and their accompanying groups.

WeWork India opens 50th workspace in India

WeWork India is the leading workspace provider in the country. It has recently leased 54,000 sq ft office space in New Delhi. This is WeWork’s 50th workspace in the country. The new building also marks wework’s foray into New Delhi. The newly opened property offers workspaces tailored to changing business needs. It has 700 desks. The launch of WeWork Eldeco centre also marks WeWork’s entry in it’s 7th location.

Washout in Himachal tourism due to rains

Incessant rains and landslides have wreaked havoc on the travel sector in Himachal Pradesh. Cancellations have been piling and the situation has become even more dire than the covid pandemic. Since July 08, cancellations have reached over Rs. 60 lakhs. There are no bookings and no roads to even reach Himachal Pradesh. The National Highway is closed. Essential supplies are hit. There are no future reservations happening due to the bad road conditions and weather conditions.

India’s first drone CTC in Tamil Nadu

India’s first Common Testing Centre for Unmanned Aerial Systems (drone) would be established in Tamil NAdu. It would involve an outlay of Rs. 45 Crores. Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is the nodal agency for TN Defence Industrial Corridor. The n on-availability of CTC is an ‘entry barrier’ for organizations engaged in aerospace and defence industry. TIDCO has planned to set up such test centres under the Centra’s Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme in TN. For setting up such a common testing centre, TIDCO has also floated a REquest for Proposal (RFP) to identify industrial partners.

7 Rail projects and Green Mobility get cabinet approval

The Union cabinet has approved 7 multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways. These rail projects will add 2,339 kilometres to the existing network of Indian Railways. A total of Rs. 32,500 Crores has been allocated to these projects. It also includes a Rs. 13,000 Crore scheme to upskill and provide concessional credit to craftsmen. Priority will also be given to cities having no organized bus service.

MP farmers applying to become drone pilots

Close to 120 farmers in Madhya Pradesh have applied to the state government for permission to fly drones to improve their agricultural practices. The government is reviewing the application to check if any of the farmers already have a drone license from the DGCA. If yes, they would be given a go-ahead to fly immediately. The state government will also subsidize the acquisition of drones and the cost of training. Farmers would only have to pay half of the training fee. Drones are considered an efficient way to apply fertilizers and pesticides to crops. this also saves time and labour.

New airport at Port Blair begins operations

Operations at the new terminal building of the Port Blair airport began on August 21. the first Indigo flight arrived from Chennai, landing at the Veer Savarkar International Airport, carrying 83 passengers. The second flight, an Air India, landed next with 84 passengers from Chennai. The Indigo plane departed from Port Blair with 159 passengers for Chennai. A special programme was organized at the new terminal to mark the commencement of the operations. The Indian PM had virtually inaugurated the new integrated terminal building of the airport in the capital city of andaman & Nicobar islands on July 18. The bell-shaped terminal has been built at a cost of Rs. 707 Crores. It has the capacity to handle 40 lakh passengers annually.

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