The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) Scheme, launched in 2019, aims to enhance energy security for farmers in India and promote the use of clean energy in the agriculture sector. The scheme seeks to achieve Indias commitment to increasing the share of non-fossil fuel sources in the countrys installed capacity of electric power. In a bid to boost the implementation of solar projects on agricultural lands, the central government is considering linking thePM-KUSUM schemewith the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). This move aims to provide farmers with access to cheaper loans for setting up solar projects and procuring equipment.

Individual farmers, groups of farmers, cooperatives, panchayats, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and Water User Associations (WUAs) can set up solar power Plants with capacities ranging from 500 kW to 2 MW.

India stands as a net exporter of steel witnessing an export of6.72 MTof finished steel against the import of 6.02 MT in the year 2022-23.

In the financial year 2022-23 alone,total finished Steel Production was 122.28 MT which is a increase of 49 % as compared to 81.86 MT in financial year 2014-15.

Under the PLI(Productive linked Incentive) scheme, the Government has approved Rs. 6322 crores to give a new impetus to the Steel

sector. Shri Scindia said that the PLI scheme is expected to generate an of about Rs. 30,000 Crores and additional capacity creation of about 25 Million Tonnes of specialty steel in the next 5 years.

Ukraines Nova Kakhovka Dam Disaster

In recent events, theNova Kakhovka Damin Ukraine has suffered a catastrophic blow, leading to concerns of devastating flooding. Ukraines military command has accused Russia of causing the

explosion, given the Dams strategic significance.

The Nova Kakhovka Dam is situated on theDnipro Riverin southern Ukraine. Constructed in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, it holds back a massive reservoir of water, estimated to contain 18 cubic kilometers, similar in volume to Utahs Great

Salt Lake. The dams destruction would have severe repercussions locally and affect Ukraines broader war effort.

According to data released by theFederal Statistical Office, Germanysgross domestic product (GDP)decreased by 0.3 percent between January and March.

This follows a 0.5 percent decline in the previous quarter, making it the largest economy in Europe to experience a downturn.

href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/kerala-notes-for-state-psc-exams/">KERALA (508)

Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme

The Tourism Minister praised the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Program (IITFC) on the occasion of World Environment Day (5th June)

The IITFC Programme is a digital initiative of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) to encourage Indian citizens to participate in the thriving tourism .

It is an online programme where people can learn about tourism at their own pace, in their own time, space, and path.

After successfully completing this programme, the learner will be able to work as a Certified Tourist Facilitator for the Ministry of Tourism.

The DEFENCE Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the issuance of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the construction of

six conventional submarines as part of Project P 75 (I) under the Strategic PARTNERSHIP (SP) Model.

The SP model of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) aims to promote Indian Industry‘s role in manufacturing and to build a domestic defence industrial ecosystem.

This would be one of the most significant Make in India‘ projects.

The SP model will identify a few Indian private companies as Strategic Partners who will collaborate with a few shortlisted foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to manufacture defence equipment.

World Bank Approves $500 mn Program to Help Boost MSME Sector of India

Board of Executive Directors of has accredited a USD five hundred million programs to support Indias nationwide initiative to revitalise the MSME sector, which has been heavily impacted by way of the COVID-19 crisis.

The MSME area is the spine of Indias economy, contributing 30% of Indias GDP and 4% of exports. The USD 500 million Raising and Accelerating Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Performance (RAMP) Program is the World Banks 2d intervention in this sector, the first being the USD 750 million MSME Emergency Response Program, authorised in July 2020 to tackle the instantaneous liquidity and deposit desires of hundreds of thousands of manageable MSMEs severely impacted by using the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The nation marked the 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star.

About Operation Blue Star:

It is the code name for

an Indian military operation to remove the separatists who were hiding inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on June 5, 1984.

The operation was ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, with the primary goal of regaining control of the Harmandir Sahib Complex in Amritsar (popularly known as the Golden Temple).

The Indian military entered the temple grounds to evict Sikh extremist religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers.

The operation was divided into two parts: Operation Metal, which involved an invasion

of the temple complex, and Operation Shop, which was limited to the state’s countryside.

This operation aided in the elimination of Khalistani terrorism.

Internet through LEO Satellites

OneWeb, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications operator, has launched its next batch of 36 Russian satellites. With the latest launch, OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation now stands at 218 satellites. These would be added to OneWeb’s fleet of 648 LEO satellites.

Using LEO satellites, OneWeb hopes to provide connectivity throughout the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, the Arctic Seas, and Canada.
The service is expected to go live before the end of the year, according to the company.
This programme is known as the ‘Five to 50’ service, and it provides Internet connectivity to all regions north of 50 degrees latitude.

World Ocean Day is on 8th June

World Ocean Day is found globally on eighth June each and every year. This day is discovered to raise world attention about the importance of the ocean in our lives and the ways thru which we can shield it.

Theme 2021: The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods as properly as an announcement of intentions that launches a decade of challenges to get

the SG14 ( Goal 14), Conserve and sustainably use the Oceans, seas and Resources“>Marine Resources, via 2030.

This years theme is specifically applicable in the lead-up to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for the Sustainable Development, that will run from the year 2021 to the year 2030.

NTCA Constitutes New Committee to Oversee Cheetah Project

(NTCA) has established an 11-member Cheetah Project Steering Committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate-change”>Climate Change, and Rajesh Gopal, secretary general

of Global Tiger Forum, has been appointed as its chairman. The decision was taken after six cheetahs, who were brought as part of the translocation project, died in the last two months. The other 10 members include RN Mehrotra, former principal chief conservator of forest of Rajasthan; PR Sinha, former director of the Wildlife Institute of India; HS Negi, former APCCF, Wildlife; and PK Malik, former faculty at WII.

GS Rawat, former dean of the WII; Mittal Patel, an Ahmedabad-based social worker; Qamar Qureshi, WII scientist and Inspector General of NTCA; and the MPs Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, and Chief Wildlife Warden are the other members.

Mission Amrit Sarovar: Rejuvenating Water Bodies Nationwide for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

A high-level meeting was held to review theprogress, monitor, and ensurethe quality ofMission Amrit Sarovar, chaired by Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development. The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Secretary of Rural Development from all States/Union Territories (UTs), the State Nodal

officer for the Mission Amrit Sarovar, DM/DC/CEOs of over 700 districts, and District Nodal officers of the Mission.

As part of the celebration ofAzadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Amrit Sarovar Mission was launched on24th April 2022with the objective ofdeveloping and rejuvenating 75 water bodiesin each district across the country. The mission aims to create atotal of 50,000 water bodies, each spanning an area of about an acre or more, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of Resources“>Water Resources.