18th July, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
India’s Longest and Largest Urban Tunnel

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s longest and largest urban tunnel project, the Thane Borivali Twin Tunnel, developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
• This Rs. 16,600 crore project will reduce travel time between Thane and Borivali from over an hour to just 12 minutes, cutting the travel distance by 12 km. This initiative is part of broader infrastructure projects worth Rs. 29,000 crore aimed at enhancing connectivity in Mumbai.
• Established in 1975, MMRDA is responsible for planning and overseeing development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It initiated the development of the Bandra-Kurla complex and the Mumbai Metro, among other significant infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project and the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link.

INS Delhi Wins Best Ship of Eastern Fleet 2024

• On July 14, 2024, Visakhapatnam hosted the prestigious Fleet Awards Function to honor the Eastern Fleet’s exceptional operational achievements over the past year. INS Delhi was recognized as the Best Ship of the Eastern Fleet for its outstanding performance and operational prowess.
• INS Delhi, a guided-missile frigate of the Delhi class, stood out for its strategic capabilities and mission success. The event also acknowledged INS Kavaratti as the Best Ship among Corvettes, OPVs, and LSTs, while INS Shivalik, INS Sumedha, and INS Sumitra were commended for their spirited contributions to the Sunrise Fleet.

ECONOMY
ADB Approves $240.5 Mn Loan For Rooftop Solar Systems In India

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of USD 240.5 million to finance rooftop solar systems in India, aiding the government’s efforts to expand energy access through renewable energy.
• The ADB announced on July 17, that this financing will support tranches 2 and 3 of the Multitranche Financing Facility (MFF) Solar Rooftop Investment Program, initially approved by ADB in 2016. In 2023, the program was restructured to focus specifically on deploying residential solar rooftop systems.
• India aims to achieve about 50 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel energy sources by 2030 in line with its global commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
• The approved financing will be allocated to the State Bank of India (SBI) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
• ADB will provide SBI with USD 90.5 million from its Clean Technology Fund (CTF), while NABARD will receive USD 150 million, comprising USD 80 million from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and USD 70 million from the CTF.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Missy Elliott’s “The Rain” Sent to Venus by NASA

• NASA has transmitted Missy Elliott’s 1997 hit song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus, marking the first time a hip-hop song has been beamed into deep space.
•  The transmission was made possible through NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), from their Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
• Traveling at the speed of light, the song covered the vast distance of 158 million miles to Venus, taking approximately 14 minutes to reach its destination.
• This mission underscores NASA’s ongoing exploration of Venus, with upcoming missions like DAVINCI and VERITAS slated to launch in the coming decade. DAVINCI will study Venus’s atmosphere and drop a probe to its surface, while VERITAS aims to uncover the geological and environmental history of Venus compared to Earth. These efforts are part of broader international collaborations, including partnerships with the European Space Agency, signaling a new era in planetary exploration.

ANDHRA PRADESH
Andhra Pradesh’s Geological Links with Gondwana Supercontinent

• Scientists from Hyderabad’s National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) have revealed a historic collision between India and East Antarctica over a billion years ago. Their findings, including a hidden ridge in Andhra Pradesh’s Darsi and Addanki regions, suggest significant geological shifts.
•  Seismic data reprocessing uncovered Proterozoic sediment layers, shedding new light on India’s eastern coast evolution. Published in the Journal of Pure and Applied Geophysics, this research enriches the understanding of ancient Indian subcontinent ties to Antarctica.
• By reprocessing seismic data along a 325-kilometer profile from Alampur to Ganapeswaram, the team investigated the subsurface crustal seismic structure of the north Cuddapah basin, uncovering a thin layer of alluvium underlain by Gondwana sediments and Proterozoic sedimentary layers.
• These discoveries highlight the role of the Gondwana supercontinent, which included present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica, in the geological evolution of these regions, marking a significant contribution to the understanding of ancient geological events shaping the Indian subcontinent and its connections with Antarctica.

Published date : 19 Jul 2024 11:07AM