21 JANUARY 2015: China to link Africa under Maritime Silk Route

Ø  Discussions on the nuclear liability clause and supply of reactors for nuclear plants coming up at Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and Mithivirdi near Bhavnagar of Gujarat is likely to figure prominently during the visit of United States of America President Barack Obama to India. The Indian government has decided in-principle to get reactors required for Mithivirdi from Westinghouse Electric Corporation and for Kovvada from GE-Hitachi for which negotiations are in progress. The Kovvada nuclear plant will generate 1594x6 MW and is expected to involve an investment of Rs.1 lakh crore at the rate of Rs.10 crore per megawatt. Kovvada Nuclear Park Project Director G.V. Ramesh told that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) -- the project proponent -- would get generation III plus reactors. The environment impact assessment study was already over. He said a notification would be reissued according to the New Land Acquisition Act. The project would need acquisition of 2,000 acres. Various chapters as part of site evaluation report have already been submitted to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. NPCIL is expecting to get all the six reactors from the US in 10 years after acquiring the site. Civil construction will take three years. After obtaining statutory clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests and other agencies, a public hearing will be held.

Ø  The stage is set for the Mahamastakabhisheka of the 42-ft high statue of Lord Bahubali atop the Bahubali Betta in Karkala. The Mahamastakabhisheka is held once in 12 years, but the last Mahamastakabhisheka was held in 2002. Though it should have been held last year, it was postponed on account of the general elections. Karkala was the capital of the Jain rulers belonging to the Bhairava dynasty. It was king Veera Pandya who got the statute of Lord Bahubali installed on the Bahubali Betta in 1432.

Ø  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India to grow at 6.5 per cent in 2016, overtaking China whose growth was forecast to slow down to 6.3 per cent. In its World Economic Outlook report released, the IMF forecast that India would grow at 6.3 per cent in 2015, up from 5.8 per cent in 2014. China’s 2014 growth rate was 7.4 per cent. In another forecast released on Tuesday, the U.N. WESP report predicted a smart recovery for India in 2015.

Ø  Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices and satellite images would be used by intelligence and security agencies to keep a constant watch on the movements of U.S. President Barack Obama’s convoy during his visit. It is learnt that a dedicated joint control room consisting of senior Indian and U.S. security officials has been set up to monitor the security arrangements for Mr. Obama. A part of ITC Maurya, where the U.S. President will stay, has been converted into a control room. As a precautionary measure, agencies may block public access to online GPS maps of about a dozen places in Delhi, which Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit. GPS maps of all venues have been designed to keep track of his movement. However, no drones will be deployed for aerial surveillance. U.S. sleuths have brought along anti-sabotage scanners to sanitise the venues in coordination with their Indian counterparts. Cyber security experts have been engaged for surveillance of suspicious online activity. Mr. Obama will use his own vehicle ‘The Beast.’ “His will be a larger cavalcade with over two dozen vehicles,” Following several rounds of meetings, it has been decided that on Republic Day, Mr. Obama will not accompany President Pranab Mukherjee to the parade venue, but will arrive in his 18-foot long Presidential car with Mr. Mukherjee’s cavalcade.

Ø  The Periyar Tiger Reserve, spread over 925 sq.km. in Kerala, bagged the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) biennial award for encouraging local public participation in managing the reserve.

Ø  Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Guinness Book of World Records had recognised the achievements made under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the biggest financial inclusion initiative in the world.

Ø  A plane with the top speed of a homing pigeon is set to embark on a landmark round-the-world flight using nothing but the sun’s energy to power it. Solar Impulse 2, the first solar-powered plane to be able to fly for several days and nights, will land in 12 destinations along its 35,000-km trip including a five-day stretch above the Pacific Ocean without a drop of fuel. “We want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the impossible,” said Solar Impulse chairman Bertrand Piccard, the scion of a dynasty of Swiss scientists-cum-adventurers. Its route begins in the emirate and includes stops in Oman, India, China, Hawaii and New York. It will take around 25 days of total flying time.

Maritime Silk Route

Ø  China has accelerated its drive to draw Africa into the Maritime Silk Road — Beijing’s ambitious transcontinental initiative — following the visit to the continent by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Among the several themes covered during Mr. Wang’s five-nation visit, the push for speedy construction of a modern standard-gauge rail link between Nairobi and Mombasa was one of the star highlights. The project to linkup the capital of Kenya and the country’s well-established port has much larger implications. Once it is through, the rail corridor will help connect the vast hinterland of East Africa with the Indian Ocean, making it a salient strategic project, which will add one more layer to the realisation of President Xi Jinping’s dream of establishing a 21st century Maritime Silk Road (MSR). If plans materialise, Mombasa would be eventually linked with Malaba in west Kenya and then Kampala, Kigali and Juba — capitals of Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan respectively.