UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 02-05-2020

CRISIL Research Report on Renewable Energy

• CRISIL Industry research covers 86 sectors and is known for its rich insights and perspectives.
• It has released its report on renewable energy.
• According to the report Gujarat and Rajasthan managed to add more capacities than others, while Karnataka retained its Number One position in total installed capacity.
• Gujarat’s total renewable capacity crossed the 10,000 MW mark in FY20, making it the third State after Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have more than 10 GW of installed capacity.
• It added the highest new capacity, of 1,934 MW, followed by Rajasthan, which added 1,911 MW.
• In terms of overall solar energy capacity addition in FY20, the top three States were Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• In wind energy, the top three were Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
• However, Karnataka retained its leadership position in total installed capacity during the year.
• The State has the highest installed capacity for solar at 7,278 MW, up from 6,096 MW a year ago. Its wind energy capacity is at 4,791 MW.

Important Solar power Plants in India

• Bhadla Solar Park – It is the world largest solar park as of March 2020 located in India which is spread over a total area of 10,000 acres (45 sq.km) in Bhadla, Phalodi tehsil, Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, India. 
• The park has total capacity of 2,245 MW, The park has witnessed one of the lowest bids for tariff of Rs 2.44 per kWh, which is lowest for solar in India so far.
• Pavagada Solar Park - Pavagada Solar Park is a solar park covering an area of 13,000 acres (53 sq.km) in Pavagada taluk, Tumkur district, Karnataka.
• It was completed in 2019, the park has a capacity of 2,050 MW and is the World's second largest photovoltaic power station after 2245 MW Bhadla Solar Park.
• Kamuthi Solar Park – It is a photovoltaic power station spread over an area of 2,500 acres (10 sq.km) in Kamuthi, Ramanathapuram district, 90 km from Madurai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
• With a generating capacity of 648 MWp at a single location, it is the world's 12th largest solar park based on capacity.
• It is one of the world's largest single location solar power project, It was commissioned by the Adani Group.

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States.
• Founded in 1780, the Academy is dedicated to honoring excellence and leadership, working across disciplines and divides, and advancing the common good.
• Membership in the academy is achieved through a thorough petition, review, and election process and has been considered a high honor of scholarly and societal merit
• The academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, and other Founding Fathers of the United States.
• Today the Academy is charged with a dual function: to elect to membership the finest minds and most influential leaders, drawn from science, scholarship, business, public affairs, and the arts, from each generation, and to conduct policy studies in response to the needs of society.
• The Academy is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Recently Professor Shobhana Narasimhan from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), has been elected as an International Honorary Member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• She has done significant work on the rational design of nanomaterials, examining how the lowering of dimensionality and reduction of size affect material properties.
• Her work is relevant for a number of different applications, such as nanocatalysts for clean energy applications, and magnetic materials for memory storage.
• The list of previous International Honorary Members includes Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Nelson Mandela.

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

• The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India.
• It is an Autonomous institution, CNR Rao founded it in 1989.
• It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to mark the birth centenary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India.

IUPAP

• The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to assist in the worldwide development of physics, to foster international cooperation in physics, and to help in the application of physics toward solving problems of concern to humanity.
• It was established in 1922 and the first General Assembly was held in 1923 in Paris.
• IUPAP is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

International Council for Science

• The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science.
• Its members were national scientific bodies and international scientific unions.
• In 2018, the ICSU merged with the International Social Science Council (ISSC) to form the International Science Council (ISC).
• In 2017, the ICSU comprised 122 multi-disciplinary National Scientific Members, Associates and Observers representing 142 countries and 31 international, disciplinary Scientific Unions.
• ICSU also had 22 Scientific Associates.
• India is a member of ICSU.

International Centre for Theoretical Physics

• The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between

1. Italian Government,
2. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
3. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

• It is located near the city of Trieste, Italy.
• The centre was founded in 1964 by Pakistani Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam.

Manipur Black rice Chak-Hao

• Chak-Hao is scented glutinous rice popularly known as Black Rice which is cultivated in Manipur since centuries and popular to people apart from the State.
• Recently it has got GI (Geographical Indications) registration.
• Chak-Hao of Manipur is registered under GI certificate number 364 which application was filled by North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).
• However, the whole documentation processed was done by Manipur State Agriculture Department in collaboration with other agencies including Manipur Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium.
• It is genuinely originated from Manipur and some States contended in the battle.
• Varieties of its products in different forms are marketed inside and outside Manipur by entrepreneurs.

Kashmir Saffron

• Kashmir Saffron has been given geographical Indication
• It is cultivated and harvested in Karewas ( High lands) of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is the only saffron in the world which is grown at an altitude of 1600m-1800m above the mean sea level.
• It is grown in Kishtwar, which is popularly known as “The Land of Sapphire and Saffron”.
• It was introduced in India by central Asian migrants around 1^st century BC, It is known as Bahukam in ancient Sanskrit literature ( Amarakosara).
• Three types of Kashmir saffron are

1. Lachha Saffron - Stigmas that got separated from the flowers and dried up without any further processing.
2. Mongra Saffron - Stigmas detached from flower, dried in the sun and then further processed traditionally.
3. Guchhi Saffron - Stigmas joined together and ties with cloth thread.

• The Kashmir saffron has unique characteristics which are as follows

1. Longer and thicker stigmas
2. Natural deep-red color of stigmas
3. High aroma
4. Bitter flavor (Picrocrocin)
5. Chemical free processing
6. High quality of crocin (coloring strength)
7. High medicinal values.

Click here to know more about GI Tag

 Shramik Special trains

• Indian Railways has launched Shramik Special trains to bring back home people stranded in different parts of the country due to lockdown. 
• The passengers have to be screened by the sending states and only those found asymptomatic would be allowed to travel.
• Sending State Governments will have to bring these persons in batches that can be accommodated in the train to the designated Railway Station in sanitized buses.
•  It will be mandatory for every passenger to wear face cover.

Source: News on Air, PIB, Business Line, India Today