1 JULY 2016

Ø  The World Bank on Thursday announced $ 1 billion in support of India’s ambitious solar generation plans, its largest financing of solar projects for any country in the world. The projects now under preparation include solar rooftop technology, infrastructure for solar parks, bringing innovative solar and hybrid technologies to the market, and transmission lines for solar-rich States. The commitment includes an agreement for a $ 625 million grid-connected rooftop solar programme for financing the installation of at least 40 megawatts of solar photovoltaic installations. According to him, India had become a leader in implementing the promises made in Paris for COP21 and the efforts against global warming.

Ø  Two indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft are set to join the Indian Air Force here on Friday as part of the first squadron. They will launch the new Squadron 45 ‘Flying Daggers’, which will get the remaining 18 aircraft including four trainers in 2018. Air Marshal Jasbir Walia, Air Officer Commanding-in Chief, Southern Air Command, will formally induct the squadron at the Aircraft System Testing Establishment, according to an IAF communique. Sulur in Tamil Nadu has been chosen as the LCA base. The LCA project began in 1985 and the IAF planned to induct it in 1994 to replace the MiG-21s. After long delays, the LCA achieved the first level of flight worthiness or Initial Operational Clearance in December 2013. The Final Operational Clearance is expected by this year-end.

Ø  A new generation Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM), developed by India and Israel, was successfully test-fired twice on Thursday from the Integrated Test Range off Odisha Coast, significantly boosting India’s efforts to fill gaps in its air defence capabilities. Developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Indian Air Force, the missile successfully shot down pilotless target aircraft twice on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said. Many Indian industries like BEL [Bharat Electronics Ltd], L&T [Larsen & Toubro], BDL [Bharat Dynamics Ltd], and Tata group of companies besides other private industries have contributed to the development of a number of subsystems which have been put into use in this flight test. Capable of intercepting incoming aerial threats up to a range of 70 km, MRSAMs could be deployed in sensitive air force stations, the national capital and also for protecting other sensitive installations such as nuclear plants.

Ø  China on Thursday slammed the United States for trying to drive a wedge among regional countries in response to remarks by a U.S. official in New Delhi on India’s unsuccessful bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the South China Sea issue. Reacting to comments in New Delhi by U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon, on New Delhi’s effort to join the NSG, which functions on the principle of consensus, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said: “In the plenary meeting in Seoul, India’s accession was not on the agenda”. He added that the Seoul conference, instead, discussed “technical, political and legal” issues concerning the accession of countries, which had not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He stressed that the U.S. official in his remarks had not shown “any regard for facts”.