BSF’s operation ‘Sard Hawa’ started in Rajasthan

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1 BSF’s operation ‘Sard Hawa’ started in Rajasthan

The Border Security Force (BSF) has started  Operation ‘ Sard Hawa ‘  on  the India-Pakistan border  in  Rajasthan . This operation  is being run by the BSF to further strengthen security in view of   Republic Day on 26 January . All the BSF soldiers and officers will maintain vigilance on the border till 29 January  under this operation and will monitor with modern weapons. According to the BSF officer, the purpose of Operation ‘Sard Hawa’ is to prevent any kind of infiltration and undesirable activities during the winter season. Although the BSF remains vigilant on the border throughout the year, but special vigilance is being maintained at this time.

2 India’s renewable energy capacity increased to 217.62 GW

 

India’s  renewable energy capacity has increased to 217.62 gigawatts as of January 20.  The central government has said that to achieve clean energy goals, many challenges related to regulatory, financial and infrastructure will have to be resolved this year. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said that India has made great progress in the field of installation of solar and wind energy and policy reforms in 2024. This has laid a strong foundation for achieving the goals of 2025 and beyond. The government  aims to  achieve  500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. In 2024, India added a record 24.5 gigawatts of solar energy  and  3.4 gigawatts of wind energy  capacity. This capacity of solar energy is more than double compared to 2023, while wind energy has increased by 21%. It is worth noting that solar energy contributes 47% to India’s total renewable energy capacity. Last year, 4.59 GW of new capacity was added in the rooftop solar sector, which is 53% more than in 2023.  PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme  played an important role in this growth. Under this scheme, 7 lakh rooftop solar plants were installed in 2024. At the same time, 3.4 GW of new capacity was added in the wind energy sector in 2024. Of these,  Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu  contributed the most. New wind power of 1,250 MW was installed in Gujarat, 1,135 MW in Karnataka and 980 MW in Tamil Nadu. Overall, these three states played a 98% share in the wind energy sector.

3 World Bank-appointed expert says it is capable of taking decision on two hydropower projects under Indus Water Treaty

 

The expert appointed by the World Bank  has said that it  is capable of deciding on the differences between India and Pakistan on  two hydropower projects   in  Jammu and Kashmir  under  the Indus Water Treaty  . The expert has rejected Pakistan’s appeal to set up an arbitration tribunal on this issue. Pakistan has expressed concern over the design of both these projects. India  had appealed for the appointment of a neutral expert to address the concerns related to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects  . The expert said that after discussing all the aspects, it seems appropriate to decide on the issue on the basis of merits. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India has been saying from the beginning that the difference related to the Indus Water Treaty should be decided by a neutral expert only.  In the year 2022, the World Bank  appointed a neutral expert to resolve this issue. The Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan   in 1960.

 

4 For the first time in the Republic Day Parade 2025, such a joint tableau of the three armies will participate, the theme of which will be ‘Strong and Secure India’

 

Demonstrating the spirit of jointness and integration to the countrymen,  a joint tableau of the three services   will be shown on the path of duty for the first time during the 76th Republic Day Parade  on  January 26, 2025. With the theme of ‘ Strong and Secure India ‘, this tableau will showcase the conceptual approach of jointness and integration in the armed forces, ensuring national security and operational excellence. This tableau will depict the Joint Operations Room facilitating networking and communication between the three forces. It will showcase battlefield scenarios, showing synchronized operations on land, water and air. The tableau will have a glimpse of the indigenous Arjun main battle tank, Tejas MK II fighter aircraft, advanced light helicopters, destroyer warship INS Visakhapatnam and a remotely piloted aircraft.   2025 has been declared as the ‘ Year of Transformation ‘ in the Ministry of Defence .

5 Foreign Ministers meeting of Quad countries in America

Indian Foreign Minister  S Jaishankar  participated   in the meeting of  foreign ministers of QUAD countries  on 21 January in  the US . QUAD i.e. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue  is an alliance of   4 countries  India, America, Australia and Japan . This was the first meeting of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio  and he joined it just 1 hour after assuming office. QUAD was formed  in the year 2007.  The objective of the QUAD countries is to protect the Indo-Pacific region and its countries from Chinese interference.  India is going to host the QUAD summit with the leaders of Australia, Japan and America in  the year 2025.  This conference  can be held in April or October .

6 A new religious circuit will be built in Uttar Pradesh

A new religious circuit will be formed by combining 7 districts  including  Prayagraj and Varanasi   in  Uttar Pradesh  . The religious circuit will  include  Prayagraj, Kashi, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Bhadohi  districts. This religious circuit will be spread over an area of ​​22 thousand kilometers. Niti Aayog  had proposed to create a new tourism circuit by connecting Varanasi and Prayagraj. It is proposed to form a regional development authority by combining all of these. This scheme can directly affect more than 2.38 crore people.

 

7 Tata Group India’s most valuable brand

 According to a new report by Brand Finance , one of the world’s largest brand valuation consultancies  ,  Tata Group  has  retained its position as   the number 1 Indian brand . It  has also become India’s first brand with  a valuation of $31.6 billion (Rs 2.74 lakh crore) . At the same time, the group company TCS  has become the second largest IT service brand in the world  . Tata has maintained its position in the top 100 by retaining its rating AAA and is ranked 60th.

8 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: The scheme completes a decade of success

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme   launched   by  PM Modi  on  22 January 2015 in Panipat, Haryana is completing a decade of implementation. This flagship initiative of the Government of India aims to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and prevent gender-based sex-selective elimination and promote the survival, protection and education of girl children. The BBBP scheme   is now integrated with Mission Shakti, a comprehensive programme for women safety and empowerment for implementation during the 15th Finance Commission period from 2021-2022 to 2025-2026. Mission Shakti consists of two broad sub-schemes. 1. Sambal: Safety and Security The Sambal sub-scheme of Mission Shakti ensures safety of women through One Stop Centre (OSC) Women Helpline (181) and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP). It also introduces Nari Adalat, which provides an alternative grievance redressal mechanism to resolve minor issues such as harassment and violation of rights. 2. Samarthya: Empowerment Samarthya sub-scheme empowers women through Shakti Sadans, Relief and Rehabilitation Homes, Sakhi Niwas, which provide safe places to stay for working women in cities. Also, Palna-Crèche provides safe places for children of working women. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) now supports even if the second child is a girl, thereby improving maternal health. It also compensates for the economic loss suffered by working women due to pregnancy and delivery. The success of the flagship development campaign is evident from the progress made towards addressing gender disparities, with impressive statistics showing its positive impact on society. 1. Improvement in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) From an SRB of 918 in 2014-15, the national SRB increased to 933 in 2022-23   (Source: HMIS, MoHFW). 2. Increase in enrolment of girls in secondary education The enrolment of girls in secondary education has witnessed a significant increase, with the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for girls increasing from 75.51% in 2014-15  to 79.4% in 2021-22  . (Source: U-DISE Plus, MoE). 3. Increase in institutional deliveries Institutional deliveries increased from 87% in 2014-15  to over 94% by 2019-20  , ensuring safe delivery for mothers and infants in many areas, which has been essential in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.