Infrastructure

India’s first undersea twin tunnels in south Mumbai are close to completion. The tunnels start near Girgaon, extend north under the Arabian Sea, Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and end at Breach Candy’s Priyadarshini Park. It is 2.07-km long which are are a part of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) being built by the Brihanmumbai …

Trial runs are underway on India’s first underwater transport tunnel. The 16.55-km East-West corridor is the second line of the Kolkata Metro network. The East-West Corridor of the metro was approved in 2009. The line, called the Green Line, will link Howrah station to Sealdah station, which is the hub of Kolkata’s suburban railway network. …

A recent working paper from Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) extends the earlier minerals assessment for 23 minerals by assessing the criticality levels of 43 select minerals for India based on their economic importance (demand-side factors) and supply risks (supply-side factors) which are determined through the evaluation of …

Chile is keen to partner with India on tapping into the lithium value chain by extending technical expertise in exploiting the newly established “inferred” lithium resources of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir. Key details: The ‘inferred’ reserves of 5.9 mn tonnes in J&K’s Reasi are …

The closure of the Indira Gandhi Canal, considered the lifeline for northern and western Rajasthan districts, for repair and relining of feeders, is set to have an impact on the drinking and irrigation needs of 1.75 crore people in the State. Indira Canal: The Indira Gandhi Canal, originally called, Rajasthan Canal is …

The Union government will not allow the displacement of tribespeople to make way for the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar island project, the Tribal Affairs Ministry told the Rajya Sabha. About the project: The project, being implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), includes: International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) The proposed …

Australian technology may help generate power from defunct gold mines in Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka. Need for such technology: A drawback that makes renewable energy unreliable, from solar or wind power, is that there is no power during nights or windless days. The idea is to address this challenge by relying on low-tech gravity. How power will be generated? …

India emerged as world’s second largest crude steel producer since 2018 and second largest consumer of finished steel since 2019. A Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Specialty Steel was approved by the Government on 22.07.2021, with a financial outlay of ₹ 6,322 crores. The PLI scheme aims to extend an incentive of 4% to …

India’s first cable-stayed bridge and the first-of-its-kind in the country, is currently under construction and will soon be completed. The Anji Khad bridge is being constructed in the Reasi district of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a 80 km long bridge. The idea was first conceived in 2002 and was declared a …

Lights at public places and some temples in different cities including Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi were turned off between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. as part of the global ‘Earth Hour’ event. Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund and its partners in Sydney, Australia. Earth Hour is described …

Indian Railways completes 100% electrification of Odisha. Key details: On the lines of setting the target of achieving Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030, the Indian Railways has 100% electrified existing Broad Gauge network of Odisha. Benefits: saving on account of reduced line haul cost, heavier haulage capacity, increased sectional capacity, reduced operating & maintenance cost of electric loco, energy efficient and eco-friendly mode of transportation …

The Kerala government recently announced the State’s first waste-to-energy project in Kozhikode. The planned facility is expected to be built in two years and generate about 6 MW of power. There are around 100 waste-to-energy projects around the country but only a handful of them are operational, thanks to various production …

In unprecedented haste, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has cleared the decks for a mega project at the cost of about ₹70,000 crore at the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. NITI Aayog is piloting the project and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands …

Union Power Minister informed the Parliament that 3377 MW capacity allocated to States and 4.3 lakh people have benefited from the Programme. What is solar energy? Solar energy is obtained from the sun. Solar energy is less costly in comparison with electrical energy. The solar energy can be used for both household as well as for commercial …

Ministry of Defence, on March 07, 2023, signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft & three Cadet Training Ships respectively in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar …