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Conservation of natural resources:-
The National Mineral Policy (NMP), 2008 states that:–
1)Conservation of minerals shall be construed not in the restrictive sense of abstinence from consumption, or preservation for use in the distant future, but as a positive concept leading to augmentation of reserve base through improvement in mining methods, beneficiation and utilisation of low grade ore and rejects and recovery of associated minerals.
2)All mining shall be undertaken within the parameters of a comprehensive Sustainable Development Framework which, inter-alia includes guiding principles for a miner to leave the mining area in a better ecological condition after mining and for optimum utilization of the country’s natural mineral resources.
Renewable energy production data :-
| Source | Power Generation (in Billion Units) |
| Wind | 33.03 |
| Solar | 7.45 |
| Small Hydro Power (up to 25 MW) | 8.33 |
| Bio Power | 16.95 |
| Total | 65.76 |
| Source- Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, New Delhi | |
Approval of National Hydrology Project for Flood Forecasts
The Govt. has approved the National Hydrology Project under Central Sector Scheme as an Externally Aided Project with support from the World Bank for Rs. 3679.77 crore. The National Hydrology Project (NHP) envisages establishing a system for timely and reliable water resources data acquisition, storage, collation and management. It will facilitate informed decision making through Decision Support Systems (DSS) for water resources assessment, flood management, reservoir operations, drought management, etc. Under the Project, it is proposed to build capacity of the State and Central sector organisations in water resources management through the use of Information Systems and adoption of State-of-the-art technologies like Remote Sensing.
Govt. starts UBIN drive for budding entrepreneurs
The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has begun an exercise for issuance of Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN) for budding entrepreneurs to start their new businesses without any delay.
The move is aimed at doing away with the need for separate registration with authorities ranging from the registrar of companies to the direct and indirect tax wings, the labour department and for export and import.
Currently, entities first need to get a Company Identification Number (CIN) from registrar of companies, followed by PAN from the income tax department and labour identification number.
Second Exomars in 2020
The European Space Agency has announced that the second Exomars mission will be launched in 2020. Exomars is the mars mission launched jointly by Russia and Europe.Like the first mission, the second Exomars mission will also be launched from Baikonur in Kazakhstan with the help of a Proton rocket. It involves a Russian-led surface platform and a European-led rover.
Army chief orders rightsizing study
In an attempt to make the world’s third largest standing Army a leaner and meaner fighting force, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh, has ordered a high-level study to determine and recommend measures to improve its tooth-to-tail ratio.
Key Details:
- The study will comprehensively look at all arms and services, including logistics organisation and establishment to achieve right-sizing. Operational logistics will be reviewed, along with the philosophy and concepts to arrive at an optimal substance model both in peace and war.
- The other objective of the study is to achieve savings in manpower and cutting down on the burgeoning revenue expenditure to free up resources for military modernization.
- The study will also look at the impact of equipment modernisation and automation levels improved communication and critical infrastructure development to review stock levels, inventory management models and logistics chain which add to the “tail”.
Tooth-to-tail ratio :-
The tooth-to-tail ratio, referred to as T3R in the Army, is the ratio of fighting arms, which wage the actual battle such as infantry and armoured wings, to support services, such as logistics, signals and ordnance.