India is ahead in the green hydrogen sector:
- Union Minister for Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said that India is ahead of other countries in the green hydrogen sector.
- A floating solar power plant is located in the Omkareshwar dam in Madhya Pradesh.
- The central government has sought a contract for the world’s largest green ammonia production project.
- Similarly, Gujarat has also sought contracts for a project to set up wind farms in the sea.
- The floating solar power plant in the Omkareshwar dam generates 278 MW of electricity.
- This electricity is supplied to the Delhi Metro.
- The target of generating 500 GW of electricity through solar power by 2030 and 2047 GW by 2047 has been set.
Plant cultivation project in space: ISRO
- ISRO scientists had planned to conduct an experimental attempt at plant cultivation in space.
- Accordingly, ISRO has announced that the safflower seeds carried into space by the PSLV C-60 spacecraft have germinated.
- The PSLV C-60 rocket was successfully launched into space on December 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- On Earth, seeds that are suitable for growing in the space environment and are short-lived crops were tested.
- Accordingly, various seeds were examined and finally the safflower seed was selected.
- An asteroid named Thumba, which contains eight safflower seeds in a closed box, has been prepared for this and will be continuously monitored in a microgravity environment for 5 to 7 days.
- In it, only the germination of the safflower and the growth of the first two leaves have been developed as initial stages of study.
- ISRO has conducted this experiment to study whether agriculture can be done in space and as a preliminary attempt to establish an agricultural environment in space in the future.
- The CROPS satellite, launched by the PSLV-C60 rocket, was one of 24 small satellites with carom seeds in a microgravity environment.
Bharatiya Antariksha Station:
- ISRO plans to establish an Indian research centre called Bharatiya Antariksha Station in space by 2035.
- As part of its SPADEX programme, ISRO has designed and launched two spacecraft, SPADEX A and SPADEX B, with the participation of private companies.
- Work to integrate these spacecraft is about to be carried out.
- After establishing the Indian Research Centre in space, ISRO plans to conduct many very deep studies.
International Conference on Discovery of Indus Valley Civilization:
- Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the International Seminar on the Centenary of Discovery of Indus Valley Civilization on behalf of the Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu.
- The Chief Minister will also release the book ‘Indus Valley Calligraphy and Tamil Nadu Symbols: A Geometric Study’ and deliver a speech.
- Chief Minister Stalin will lay the foundation stone for the statue of Sir John Hibbert Marshall, former Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, who announced the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization to the world.
January 5: National Bird Day
- National Bird Day is celebrated every year on January 5 by nature lovers and bird enthusiasts across the country.
- National Bird Day was established in 2002 by the Alliance for Bird Welfare (AWC).
- The national bird of India, the Indian peafowl, was declared the national bird in 1963.
Important Facts:
- 50 judges from Bangladesh will undergo 10-day training at government judicial academies in India.
- The entire cost of the training, which will be held from February 10 to 20 at the National Judicial Academy and the State Judicial Academy in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, will be borne by the Indian government.
- The Union Education Ministry’s ‘UDISE’ data for the academic year 2023-24 has revealed that only 57% of the country’s schools have computer facilities.
- Prime Minister Modi has been offering the holy blanket every year for the ‘Urs’ festival, the memorial day of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, in Ajmer Dhaka, Rajasthan.
- The Muthamizh Murugan International Conference was held in Palani on 24th and 25th August on behalf of the Hindu Religious and Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
- Kevin Gabriel won gold and silver medals at the Junior National Equestrian Championships held in New Delhi.
- Jay Shah, who was serving as the BCCI secretary, took over as the ICC president last year.
- Devajit Saikia will take over as the new BCCI secretary.