Rewa Solar power project, National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), six strategic bridges in Jammu & Kashmir
1. Inauguration of Asia's largest 750 MW Rewa Solar power project
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the 750 MW Solar Project set up at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh on July 10, 2020.
- This Project comprises of three solar generating units of 250 MW each located on a 500 hectare plot of land situated inside a Solar Park (total area 1500 hectare).
- The Solar Park was developed by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), a Joint Venture Company of Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Central Public Sector Undertaking.
- Central Financial Assistance of Rs. 138 crore has been provided to RUMSL for development of the Park.
- After the Park had been developed, Mahindra Renewables Private Ltd., ACME Jaipur Solar Power Private Ltd., and Arinsun Clean Energy Private Ltd were selected by RUMSL through reverse auction for developing three solar generating units of 250 MW each inside the Solar Park.
- Rewa Solar Project is an example of the excellent results that can be achieved if there is synergy between Central and State Governments.
- The Rewa Solar Project was the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity barrier.
- Compared to prevailing solar project tariffs of approx. Rs. 4.50/unit in early 2017, the Rewa project achieved historic results: a first year tariff of Rs. 2.97/unit with a tariff escalation of Rs. 0.05/unit over 15 years and a levelized rate of Rs. 3.30/unit over the term of 25 years.
- This project will reduce carbon emission equivalent to approx. 15 lakh ton of CO2 per year.
- The Rewa Project has been acknowledged in India and abroad for its robust project structuring and innovations.
- Its payment security mechanism for reducing risks to power developers has been recommended as a model to other States by MNRE.
- It has also received World Bank Group President’s Award for innovation and excellence and was included in the Prime Minister’s “A Book of Innovation: New Beginnings”.
- The project is also the first renewable energy project to supply to an institutional customer outside the State, i.e. Delhi Metro, which will get 24% of energy from the project with remaining 76% being supplied to the State DISCOMs of Madhya Pradesh.
- The Rewa Project also exemplifies India’s commitment to attain the target of 175 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, including 100 GW of Solar installed capacity.
- The Rewa Solar plant would supply power to the Delhi Metro, said the state-run MP Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (MPUVNL).
- Also, this is the first project in the country supplying power to an inter-state open access customer — Delhi Metro.
- DMRC, the Delhi Metro has been instrumental in ushering in a new era in the sphere of mass urban transportation in India.
- The modern Metro system introduced comfortable, air conditioned and eco-friendly services for the first time in India and completely revolutionized the mass transportation scenario not only in the National Capital Region but the entire country.
- DMRC will get 24% of the power produced from the Rewa Solar Power plant and would cater to almost 90% of its day requirements.
- Hence, this will opens up an entirely new chapter or an era in the utilization of renewable energy in the country, where large institutional open access consumers can start procuring it inexpensively.
Benefits:
Cheap power to the Discom in Madhya Pradesh
Fulfilment of Discoms RPOs
PGCIL developed ISTS network under green corridor will be beneficial for the state to evacuate green power generated
Overall employment generation during construction phase of solar plant as well as after commissioning
2. Project of reprinting volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM)
- The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM).
- The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the NMM was presented to the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on 4th July 2020.
- It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March, 2022.
- The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts.
- One of the objectives of the mission is to publish rare and unpublished manuscripts so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and general public at large.
- Under this scheme, reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur has been taken up by the Mission.
- Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.
- In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular.
- It is held in high esteem by the Mongolian Buddhists and they worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual.
- The Kanjur are kept almost in every monastery in Mongolia.Mongolian Kanjur has been translated from Tibetan.
- The language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian.
- The Mongolian Kanjur is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.
- During 1956-58, Professor Raghu Vira obtained a microfilm copy of the rare Kanjur manuscripts and brought them to India.
- And, the Mongolian Kanjur in 108 volumes was published in India in 1970s by Prof. Lokesh Chandra, former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).
- Now, the present edition is being published by the National Mission for Manuscripts, Ministry of Culture, Government of India; in which every volume will have a list of contents indicating the original title of the sutra in Mongolian.
- Historical interaction between India and Mongolia goes back centuries.
- Buddhism was carried to Mongolia by Indian cultural and religious ambassadors during the early Christian era.
- As a result, today, Buddhists form the single largest religious denomination in Mongolia.
- India established formal diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955.
- Since then, the overwhelming relationship between both the countries has now reached a new height.
- Now, the publication of Mongolian Kanjur by the Government of India for the Government of Mongolia will act as a symbol of cultural symphony between India and Mongolia and will contribute to furtherance of bilateral relations during the coming years.
3. e-inauguration of six strategic bridges in Jammu & Kashmir
- Ushering in a new revolution in the connectivity of roads and bridges in sensitive border areas close to the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh dedicated six major bridges to the nation through video conferencing from here today.
- These bridges of strategic importance were completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in a record time.
- As roads and bridges are the lifeline of any nation and play a vital role in the socio-economic development of far flung regions.
- Shri Rajnath Singh said, “It is a pleasant experience to inaugurate these bridges that ‘connect people’, at a time when the world is insisting on keeping distance, being isolated from each other (due to COVID-19). I would like to congratulate the Border Road Organisation on completing this important task with great skill.”
- Continued construction of roads and bridges in the border areas of the country with total commitment by BRO would help in realisation of the efforts of the Government to reach to the remotest areas.
- Roads are the lifeline of any nation.
- Roads in the border areas are not only strategic strengths, but also act to connect remote areas with the mainstream.
- In this way, be it a strategic necessity of the Armed Forces or other development work related to health, education, trade, all these are possible only with connectivity.
- The construction of modern roads and bridges will bring prosperity to the region.
- Government of India is committed to promoting infrastructure on our borders and necessary resources will be provided for this.
- Keeping in mind the need of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Armed Forces, many other development works are also in the pipeline, which will be announced in due time.
- About 1,000 kilometre long roads are currently under construction in Jammu region.
- Over the last two years, with the use of latest technologies and state-of-the-art equipment the BRO has done cutting of over 2,200 kilometres about 4,200 kilometres of roads surfacing and about 5,800 metres of permanent bridges have been constructed.
- Government of India has ensured that sufficient resources are provided to the BRO for the construction of strategic roads.
- Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government will not let the resources of BRO fall short.
- Also, the ministry will take care of the facilities of BRO’s engineers and personnel.
- The two bridges on the Tarnah Nallah in Kathua District and four bridges located on Akhnoor-Pallanwala road in Akhnoor/Jammu district have spans ranging from 30 to 300 metres and were constructed at a total cost of Rs 43 crores.
- These bridges constructed by Project Sampark of the BRO will facilitate movement of Armed Forces in this strategically important sector and will also contribute towards the overall economic growth of remote border areas.
- The annual budget of the BRO that varied from Rs 3,300 crore to Rs 4,600 crore in the FY 2008-2016, saw a substantial rise to Rs 8,050 crore in FY 2019-2020.
- With focus of the Government in improving infrastructure in border areas, the budget for FY 2020-2021 is likely to be Rs 11,800 crore.
- This will give a major boost to ongoing projects and will expedite the construction of strategic roads, bridges and tunnels along our northern borders.
