Deadline for Coal-Based Power Plants to Meet Emission Standards Extended Again

• The Union Environment Ministry has for the third time extended the deadline by which coal plants must install pollution-control technologies to reduce emissions, drawing criticism from environment and clean-energy activists.
• The Ministry first specified emission norms for the control of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and mercury (Hg) from coal-fired power plants.
• However, non-compliance and limited progress by the plants led to a new extension following the recent notification pushing it to 2025.
• According to the latest notification, power plants within a 10-km radius of the NCR and in the vicinity of cities with a population of more than one million have until December 31, 2024, to meet the deadline.
• For power plants within a 10-km radius of “critically polluted” areas (as designated by the Environment Ministry), the deadline has been extended to December 31, 2025. Finally, for all other power plants across the country, the deadline stands at December 31, 2026.

India - Bangladesh Joint Statement during the State Visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India

• These include the conversion to dual gauge the Tongi-Akhaura line, supply of rolling stock, Kaunia-Lalmonirhat-Mogalhat-New Gitaldaha link and Hili-Birampur upgradation of track.
• Similar works are also on on the Benapole-Jashore and Burimari-Changrabandha lines.
• These multiple rail track projects will create a smooth flow of goods and people within Bangladesh overcoming infrastructure bottlenecks.
• India and Bangladesh have been in talks for the construction of an Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Sirajganj in the north-west of capital Dhaka and help in movement of bulk items.
• The leaders “agreed to expeditiously implement” projects to connect the power grids of both sides through the proposed high capacity 765 kV transmission line from Katihar in Bihar to Bornagar in Assam through Parbatipur in Bangladesh.
• In a separate event, Ms. Hasina awarded the Mujib scholarships to 200 descendants of the Indian soldiers who were martyred or injured in the 1971 war.

India, Bangladesh welcome panel on use of Ganga waters

• The Ganga technical committee is one of the several initiatives, including several major connectivity and energy initiatives, that the two sides have announced.
• The leaders welcomed the formation of a joint technical committee to conduct a study for optimum utilisation of water received by Bangladesh under the provisions of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996.
• The Ganga Water Sharing Treaty is a 30-year agreement which is expected to be reviewed or renewed in 2026.
• The Indian side also raised the “urgent” irrigation-related requirements in Tripura which can be addressed with the waters of the Feni, and urged Bangladesh for “early signing of the interim water sharing agreement” on the river.

FinMin to hold meeting with stakeholders to push overseas trade in rupee

• On July 11 this year, the RBI issued a circular saying it had decided “to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports/ imports in INR”.
• The idea, the RBI said, was to “promote growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of global trading community in INR”.
• While the move to allow trade settlements between India and other countries in rupees was seen to primarily benefit trading with Russia, it was also expected to help check dollar outflow and slow the depreciation of the rupee to a “very limited extent”.
• To settle trade transactions with any country, banks in India would open Vostro accounts of correspondent bank/s of the partner country for trading. Indian importers can pay for their imports in INR into these accounts.
• These earnings from imports can then be used to pay Indian exporters in INR.
• A Vostro account is an account that a correspondent bank holds on behalf of another bank — for example, HSBC Vostro account is held by SBI in India.

China''s fully solar-powered, semi-satellite drone

• With a wingspan of 164-ft, the drone is a large machine powered entirely by solar panels.
• The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV can stay airborne for long durations.
• Named the Qimingxing-50, or Morning Star-50, this drone flies above 20-km altitude where there is stable airflow with no clouds.
• This helps these drones to make the maximum use of solar equipment to stay functional for extended durations.
• The fact that the drone can operate in near-space – 20 km to 100 km above the Earth’s surface – makes it capable of carrying out satellite-like functions.

PM Modi virtually addresses Plenary Session of Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India is keen to strengthen its partnership with Russia on Arctic subjects.
• He said, along with energy, India has also made significant investments in the Russian Far East in the fields of pharma and diamonds.
• The Prime Minister said, in 2019, he had a chance to participate in this forum face-to-face and at that time he had announced the Act Far-East policy of India.
• Eastern Economic Forum is an international forum held each year in Vladivostok, Russia, for the purpose of encouraging foreign investment in the Russian Far East.
• It is held each year since 2015 in September, at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia.

Centre extends ceasefire with National Socialist Council of Nagaland faction

• The MHA said that a ceasefire agreement was in operation between the Government of India and NSCN (K).
• “It was decided to extend the Ceasefire Agreement with the NSCN (K) Niki for a period of one year with effect from 08.09.2022 to 07.09.2023,” the MHA said in a statement.
• The MHA first signed the agreement in 2021.
• Sumi is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly planning the attack on an army convoy in Manipur’s Chandel district on June 4, 2015 in which 18 personnel were killed.

India-US 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting held in New Delhi

• The officials also reviewed the outcomes of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue which was held in April 2022. The India-US 2+2 Inter-sessional meeting was led by senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence and the US Departments of State and Defence.
• This is the sixth India-US 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue.
• Through these dialogues, the United States and India will advance an ambitious set of initiatives across the defence partnership ahead of the 2+2 ministerial next year, including in support of information-sharing, logistics, technology, and high-end navy cooperation.
• Notably, India is the centrepiece of the Joe Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy – Indian Foreign and Defence Ministers recently held the ‘2+2’ meeting with their American counterparts.

Cabinet approves policy on long-term leasing of railway land

• The Union Cabinet has approved policy on long term leasing of Railway Land for implementing PM Gati Shakti framework.
• The revised policy for railway land will allow leasing of such land for cargo use for longer periods at lower costs.
• The move is expected to enable integrated development of infrastructure and more cargo terminals, helping improve revenues for the Railways.
• As per the new policy, the land can be now leased for cargo-related activities for up to 35 years (as against five years earlier) at 1.5% of market value of land per annum, down from 6% earlier.
• Additionally, 300 cargo terminals would be developed over next five years and about 1.2 lakh employment would be generated.
• The existing entities using railway land for cargo terminals will have the option to switch to the new policy regime after transparent and competitive bidding process.