Now, Bihar has sufficient mineral resources to boost its economy (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- The Bihar government is preparing to auction mining rights for minerals such as limestone, vanadium-bearing magnetite ilmenite, magnetite and glauconite that have been discovered in various non-forest areas of the state.
- The state government will engage SBI Capital Markets (SBICAPS) as the transaction advisor for the auctions, and also to suggest the terms and conditions based on which the auctions would be held.
Key Highlights:
- Explorations near Patalganga in Gaya, parts of Rohtas district and Majos in Jamui district found the presence of millions of tonnes of mineral reserves.
- The general exploration (G2 stage) in Jamui's Majos has found 48.40 million tonnes of magnetite. Preliminary exploration (G3 stage) in Pipradih-Bhurwa block in Rohtas has established 88.38 mt of Glauconite over a 12.46 sq km non-forest area.
- While magnetite, a rock mineral, is one of the main iron ores, glauconite is a green-colored mineral and structurally similar to mica.
Preliminary exploration:
- The preliminary exploration in Bhora-Kathra in Rohtas found limestone deposits across 5.60 sq km, 39.68 mt of limestone is estimated in the area.
- Vanadium-bearing magnetite ilmenite was found northeast of Patalganga and east of Sapneri village in Gaya and Jehanabad over a 2 sq km area.
- Vanadium is used in manufacturing steel, pipes, superconducting magnets, medical implants and batteries.
- The state government has also lined up two mines, worth Rs 14,048 crore, of glauconite -- a common source of potassium in fertilisers, in Pipradih and Chutia-Nauhatta blocks of Rohtas for auction.
- Besides, the Mines and Geology Department has decided to auction iron ore deposits, worth Rs 6,000 crore, in Jamui district.
Four stages of exploration:
- There are four stages of exploration for any mineral deposit; reconnaissance (G4), preliminary exploration (G3), general exploration (G2) and detailed exploration (G1).
Mumbai ranks among world's tree-rich cities 2022, second time in a row
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Chided as a concrete jungle, India's commercial capital Mumbai has been included in the World Tree City 2022 list, for the second consecutive year.
What is Tree City of the World (TCW)?
- The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) conduct the TCW programme and in the past 50 years, the ADF has planted more than 35 crore trees worldwide, with a target of 50 crore more trees by 2027.
- Since 2019, the TCW was implemented to recognise efforts of cities globally that strive to balance the trees and environment and are included in the TCW list.
Five standards set by ADF to be recognised as a ‘Tree City’:
To be designated as a tree city,
- A city must have a written statement delegating responsibility for the care of trees within the municipal boundary to a staff member, a city department, or a group of citizens – called a Tree Board.
- The city should have a law to govern the management of forests and trees.
- The city should have an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resource so that an effective long-term plan for planting, care, and removal of city trees can be established.
- The city should have a dedicated annual budget for the implementation of the tree management plan.
- The city should organise an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness among people and to acknowledge citizens who carried out the tree programme.
Mumbai:
- Mumbai fulfilled the five ADF criteria for the award like determining responsibilities for tree care, setting rules to govern urban forests and tree management, maintaining an up-to-date inventory or assessment of local tree assets, allocating resources for a tree management plan, and organizing an annual tree festival to educate citizens.
- With this accolade, Mumbai is once again part of cities worldwide promoting best practices in urban forestry for the second time - in 2021, it shared the honour with Hyderabad.
About Arbor Day Foundation:
- The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization founded in 1972 in Nebraska, United States, by John Rosenow.
- It is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to tree planting.
India, Sri Lanka to jointly build solar power plant
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, India and Sri Lanka have agreed to jointly build in two stages a 135-megawatt solar power plant in Sri Lanka’s eastern port district of Trincomalee to promote renewable energy.
- Sri Lankan Cabinet has given approval for the project as the country aims to generate 70 per cent of its electricity requirement by 2030 from renewable energy sources.
Details of Stage I & II:
- The National Thermal Power Corporation of India and the Ceylon Electricity Board have entered into an agreement to jointly implement a solar power project in two stages.
- The first stage of this project is expected to implement a solar power project of 50 megawatts with a total estimated investment of USD 42.5 million and to construct a 220 kilowatts transmission line with 40-km length from Sampoor to Kappalthure spending USD 23.6 million.
- It is expected to complete this stage in two years from 2024 to 2025.
- A solar power generation plant with an additional 85 megawatts is expected to be constructed under a total investment of USD 72 million at the second stage of this project.
India’s support:
- The Indian government has expressed willingness to promote and strengthen cooperation in the renewable energy sector by operating and facilitating power generation projects utilising solar and wind power, including coastal wind and biomass.
- India will also provide continuous transmission of infrastructure in places where agreed mutually in Sri Lanka including the northern and eastern provinces in cooperation with private and state entrepreneurs in India and Sri Lanka.
