6 JANUARY 2014

Ø  The integration of the southern power grid with the national grid fulfils a long-felt need of consumers and state electricity utilities in the South. The integration was achieved when the Power Grid Corporation of India commissioned a 765-kilovolt transmission line between Raichur and Solapur on New Year’s Day, five months ahead of schedule. The southern grid is the third largest in terms of power consumption amongst the five regional grids and is perennially starved of power. With a base energy deficit of 7.7 per cent that shoots up to 12.5 per cent during peak hours (as per latest data from the Central Electricity Authority), the southern grid has been hamstrung by inadequate generation capacity. The absence of synchronous connectivity with the national grid meant that the southern states could not take advantage of surplus power available in other regions.

Ø  One of India’s most ambitious dreams became a reality on Sunday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5), powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, effortlessly put the 1,982-kg GSAT-14 communication satellite into a perfect orbit after 17 minutes of flight.  The mission’s success means India now has the ability to put satellites weighing more than two tonnes in orbit, joining the elite club of the U.S., Russia and France.

Ø  Sources said the EC would announce the schedule either in the last week of February or early March. It would mean that the first phase could be held in mid-April and the entire process completed by the first or second week of May. The next Lok Sabha has to be constituted before June 1 as the term of the 15th Lok Sabha ends on May 31. Apart from deploying a large number of polling staff, the EC would also put to use nearly 15 lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in eight lakh polling booths.

Ø  The Centre will soon appoint Justice B.S. Chauhan, a Judge of the Supreme Court, as Chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal to take up pending applications.

Ø  Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Queen Jetsun Pema will arrive here on Monday on a five-day official visit.

Ø  The Navy is looking to pave the way for circumnavigation of the globe by an all-woman crew, with the member officers to be trained aboard the INS Mhadei, the first Indian solo circumnavigator, as it participates in the ‘Cape2Rio Yachting Race’ 2014.