Factly articles for October 5, 2020

1. EC announces new rules for postal ballot

News: Election Commission has released new guidelines regarding postal ballot in the elections.

News:

• Aim:The rules aim to make the procedure to opt for postal ballot more convenient for those above 80 years of age and people with disabilities.
• What does the new rules provide: It says that the form required to opt for the postal ballot would be delivered at the residence of all those above 80 years of age and people with disabilities by the booth level officer under his polling station.It would be up to these two category of voters to opt for postal ballot.

Additional Facts:

• Postal Ballot: It is a type of voting in elections whereby Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot Papers(ETPB) are distributed to electors and returned by post.
• Section 60 of the Representation of the People Act,1951 provides for the person to be given postal ballot facility by the Election commission in consultation with the government.

2. Prime minister inaugurates Atal Tunnel

News: Prime Minister has inaugurated the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh Rohtang.

Facts:

• Atal Tunnel (earlier known as Rohtang Tunnel): It is a 9.02 km long tunnel that connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year.
• Significance: The tunnel is theworld’s longest highway tunnel above the altitude of 10,000 feet (3000 metres).
• Constructed by: The tunnel has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation(BRO).

Additional Facts:

• BRO: It was formed in 1960 to secure India’s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.It has been under the control of the Ministry of Defence since 2015.

3. Dhaulasidh Hydro Project

News: Prime Minister has announced the construction of 66 MW Dhaulasidh Hydro Project at Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.

Facts:

• Dhaulasidh Hydro Project: It is proposed on the horseshoe curve of the Beas river.The aim is to generate hydroelectricity and use water for irrigation in adjoining areas of the districts.

4. China’s climate commitment: How is it significant?

News: China has announced significant climate change announcements at the virtual UN General Assembly in New York.

Facts:

• What has China announced? China would become carbon net-zero by the year 2060.
  • Net-zero: It is a state in which a country’s emissions are compensated by absorptions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
    • Absorption can be increased by creating more carbon sinks such as forests while removal involves application of technologies such as carbon capture and storage.
• Other announcements: China has made a small but important change in China’s already committed target for letting its emissions “peak”,from “by 2030” to “before 2030”.That means China would not allow its greenhouse gas emissions to grow beyond that point.
• Significance of China’s Commitment: China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It accounts for almost 30% of global emissions more than the combined emissions in the United States, the European Union and India,the three next biggest emitters.

Additional Facts:

• Other Countries Commitment: European Union has committed itself to a net-zero emission status by 2050.South Africa has also declared its intention to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

5. Chardham committee alleges violations of Supreme Court orders

News: The chairman of a Supreme Court-appointed expert committee under Ravi Chopra has alleged violations of the court orders in the execution of the Chardham road project.

Facts:

• Chardham Road Project: It is a project that involves developing and widening 900-km of national highways connecting the holy Hindu pilgrimage sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

Additional Facts:

• Chamba Tunnel: It is a 440-metre long tunnel built by Border Roads Organisation(BRO) on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway(NH94) in Uttarakhand.The tunnel will facilitate all-weather connectivity to Chardham – Gangotri, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Badrinath.

6. India PV-Edge 2020 – A Global Summit on solar manufacturing

News: NITI Aayog, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Invest India are organizing a global symposium virtually, ‘India PV EDGE 2020’.

Facts:

• India has become the third-largest solar capacity country in the world and set an ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable capacity by 2030 comprising 300 GW of solar capacity.
• The major factor behind the rise of solar deployment is giga-scale solar manufacturing and the continuous adoption of innovations to reduce prices.
  • Hence, solar PV manufacturing is one of the strategic sectors announced by the Indian government as part of the post-Covid Atma Nirbhar Bharat recovery initiative.
• Cutting-edge giga-scale solar manufacturing stands on three pillars:
  • disruptive PV chemistries
  • manufacturing by custom-engineered advanced production equipment, and
  • utilisation of innovative BOM components like special glasses and coatings.

Additional Facts:

• Invest India: It is the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency of India and acts as the first point of reference for investors in India.
  • It was set up in 2009 as a non-profit venture under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.