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- The government has recently announced the formation of an 18-member committee, chaired by NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand, to revise the base year of the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and to develop a roadmap for transitioning to the Producer Price Index (PPI).
- About the Ramesh Chand Panel:
- The panel has been set up with the objective of updating the base year for the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from 2011-12 to 2022-23.
- Key responsibilities of the panel include:
- Proposing an updated commodity basket for both the WPI and Producer Price Index (PPI) with the new base year of 2022-23, taking into account structural changes in the economy.
- Reviewing the current price collection system and recommending necessary improvements.
- Determining the computational methodology to be used for the WPI and PPI.
- The panel will include economists from government bodies, rating agencies, asset management companies, banks, and representatives from both the government and the Reserve Bank of India.
- The committee has been instructed to submit its final report to the Office of the Economic Adviser at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIT) within 18 months.
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- The Telangana government has decided to collaborate with experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H), to assess the environmental and ecological effects of the construction of the Polavaram project on the Godavari River.
- About Polavaram Project:
- The Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation scheme located on the Godavari River, spanning across the West Godavari and East Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. This ambitious project involves the construction of a dam designed to alleviate water scarcity, enhance agricultural productivity, and generate hydroelectric power. The dam stretches over 1.2 km with a pier height of 54 meters and includes 48 radial gates (16m x 20m). Built to withstand extreme flooding events expected once every 1000 years, the Polavaram Spillway is designed to have the largest discharge capacity in the world. With a capacity of 50 lakh cusecs, it is expected to surpass China’s 3 Gorges Dam, one of the largest dams globally. Recognized as a national project by the central government, it is considered a critical infrastructure development.
- Objectives:
- The project aims to create an irrigation potential of 4,36,825 hectares, benefiting agricultural activities in the region. Additionally, the Polavaram Project is expected to generate 960 MW of hydroelectric power, supply drinking water to 28.5 lakh people in 611 villages, and divert 80 TMC of water to the Krishna River basin. Furthermore, the dam will help regulate floodwaters from the Godavari River, significantly reducing the flood risk to surrounding communities.
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- Indian Railways has once again demonstrated its engineering prowess with the completion of the Anji Khad Bridge, India’s first-ever cable-stayed rail bridge.
- About Anji Khad Bridge:
- The Anji Khad Bridge is India’s inaugural cable-stayed rail bridge, situated in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. A crucial part of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, this bridge forms an essential link between Katra and Reasi. The primary goal of the project is to significantly improve connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of India. It is built over the Anji River, a tributary of the mighty Chenab River. Built in the rugged Himalayan landscape, the bridge navigated numerous engineering challenges, including seismic risks and unstable rock formations. Indian Railways worked in partnership with IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi to carry out extensive site-specific investigations to ensure the structure's safety and resilience.
- Features:
- The bridge is an asymmetrical cable-stayed design, supported by a central pylon. Spanning 725.5 meters, it boasts a towering 193-meter-high main pylon, which rises 331 meters above the riverbed. The design is engineered to endure wind speeds of up to 213 km/h and is capable of handling train operations at speeds of up to 100 km/h. The bridge consists of four main sections: a 120-meter-long approach viaduct on the Reasi side, a 38-meter approach bridge on the Katra side, a 473.25-meter-long cable-stayed segment crossing the valley, and a 94.25-meter embankment that connects the main structure to the viaduct.
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- State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) recently announced the successful commissioning of the first two units at the 6x170 MW Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric project (PHEP-II) in Bhutan.
- About Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project (PHEP-II):
- The Punatsangchhu-II is a 1 GW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power generation facility currently under construction in the Wangdue Phodrang district of Bhutan. It is situated on the right bank of the Punatsangchhu River. The project is being developed by the Punatsangchhu II Hydroelectric Project Authority, in line with an Inter-Government Agreement (IGA) between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Government of India.
- Key Specifications:
- The project includes the construction of a concrete gravity dam, 91 meters high and 223.8 meters long. Additionally, it features an 877.46-meter-long diversion tunnel with a diameter of 12 meters and a discharge capacity of 1,118 cubic meters per second. The project also involves the construction of a 168.75-meter-long and 22-meter-high upper cofferdam, as well as a 102.02-meter-long and 13.5-meter-tall downstream cofferdam.
- The Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric power plant will feature an underground powerhouse, equipped with six Francis turbines, each with a capacity of 170 MW. Once all six units are commissioned, the expected annual power generation will be 4,357 million units of electricity.
- Funding:
- The project is funded by the Government of India (GoI), with 30% provided as a grant and 70% as a loan, which carries a 10% annual interest rate. The loan is to be repaid in 30 semi-annual installments starting one year after the project’s operational commencement.
- All excess power generated by the project will be exported to India.
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