1. Five lighthouses in Odisha poised for eco-tourism makeover on PPP mode
Odisha’s five lighthouses, which have been providing safe voyage to mariners and navigators since the British era, will be developed into eco-tourism destinations on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model as a part of a country-wide programme to give infrastructure facelift to these Victorian age coastal establishments.
The central government has initiated action for the development of tourism at five lighthouses-Gopalpur (Ganjam) Puri lighthouse (Puri), Chandrabhaga (Puri), Paradip (Jagatsinghpur), and False Point (Kendrapara)- in Odisha on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal replying to a query by BJD MP Prashanta Nanda told the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
Source: The States Man
2. What drives sea level rise?
Sea levels are rising, and that will bring profound flood risks to large parts of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts over the next three decades.
A new report led by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns that the U.S. should prepare for 10-12 inches of relative sea level rise on average in the next 30 years. The rise is due to both sinking land and global warming. And given the greenhouse emissions released so far, the country is unlikely to be able to avoid it.
Source: PBS
3. REITs: The Big Investment Theme Of 2022
Commercial real estate as an asset class has been out of reach for an average Indian investor. Let’s be honest. Many of us aspire to own commercial properties in the most prestigious localities and rent them out. Real estate investment trusts or REITs have made this fantasy come true for many investors. REIT is an entity which pools in resources from various investors and then collectively invests in real estate to earn capital appreciation and dividends. This investment vehicles buys, sells, and manages real estate assets on behalf of investors.
Source: NDTV
4. India’s NTPC explores canal-top, floating solar potential
State-owned power producer NTPC has invited bids for a site survey exploring solar potential at its Tanda Thermal Power Station located in the Ambedkar Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The selected agency shall provide the feasibility study and consultancy services for canal-top solar at the cooling water discharge channel, elevated-module-mounting solar at Link Road-River Bank Road, and floating solar at Makeup Pump House Reservoir 1 and 2, situated at NTPC Tanda.
Source: PV Magazine
5. Hit by apathy, wait for National Waterways 5 gets longer
Administrative apathy has delayed construction of the ambitious National Waterway 5 (NW 5) that would connect the coal-belt of Talcher with Dhamra and Paradip ports besides facilitating transportation and tourism.
Divided into three phases, the 588 km waterway, one of the six National Waterways in the country, was to link Brahmani, Kharsua, Kani, Dhamra and Matei rivers besides the Mahanadi delta region and east coast canal providing a cost-effective alternative route for transportation of bulk cargo.
Source: New Indian Express
6. PM Gati Shakti will enable MSMEs to become globally competitive: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the PM Gati Shakti – the national master plan for infrastructure development – will also benefit exports and enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become globally competitive. In order to reduce logistics costs for businesses, PM Modi said a national single window logistics portal will be created with the integration of 24 digital systems of six ministries through Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), proposed in the budget 2022-23.
The digital platform PM Gati Shakti was launched in October last year to bring 16 ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
Source: Financial Express
7. USAID plans feasibility study on inland waterways to boost cross border trade
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is planning to take up a feasibility study on inland waterways trade possibility through the Padma river of the neighbouring country by creating a channel from Farakka itself, to reduce 400-500 km distance to connect north-eastern states and Bangladesh.
The Cross Border Infrastructure and Connectivity Project (CBIC) which USAID proposes to take up independently will boost faster connectivity and cost effective cargo movement to north east and Bangladesh from the current route.
Source: The Print
8. Delhi builds on logistics plans with multibillion port project investment
The Indian government’s ambitious roadmap for its major public ports is under way, as cargo volumes rebound after crashing at the height of Covid lockdowns.
Maritime India Vision 2030 comprises 963 projects across 12 ports, at an estimated total cost of Rs677.2bn ($8.9bn), and essentially involves the addition of terminal capacity, equipment upgrades, mechanisation, connectivity improvements and digital solutions.
Of these schemes, 208, worth Rs44bn, were completed last year, while 504, with a cost outlay of Rs482.6bn, are at various stages of development, according to a new government port review presentation.
Source: The Load Star
9. Developing 22 Greenway Expressways, 23 Key Connectivity Projects, 35 Logistics Parks, Under PM Gati Shakti NMP
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) today said that it has made significant progress under the “PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP)”, aimed at improving multi-modal connectivity and last mile connectivity across the country.
“Gati Shakti” is a digital platform, which will bring 16 Ministries, including railways and roadways together, for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects for industrial cluster and economic nodes.
Source: Swarajyamag
10. Centre receives 16 proposals for metro projects from states and union territories
With an aim to provide speedy and clean urban transport system to the public, seven states and two Union Territories have sent 16 proposals for the expansion/fresh construction of metro rail projects to the Centre.
The proposals also include three regional rapid transport systems that will connect different parts of Haryana and Rajasthan with Delhi, as well as two from Jammu and Kashmir.
Source: WIO News
11. Railways to equip freight wagons with GPS system
In a belated yet much-needed move, the railways has decided to equip the rolling stock of freight wagons with GPS to monitor their real-time movement and provide information to the parties booking the wagons.
In the initial phase, the railways plans to install the system in the wagons being used on the dedicated freight corridors. A highly placed railway source said funds to the tune of `600 crore have been allocated to complete this ambitious project.
Source: New Indian Express
12. IIT-Bombay surfs the mighty oceans for clean energy
The seas are throbbing with energy. The ocean swells — the up-down movement of the water — is a source of energy, as are the tides, underwater currents and the crashing of the waves. All of this is steady, base-load energy, unlike other renewable energy sources that supply intermittently.
But mankind is yet to tap this energy source, save for sporadic efforts in the UK, Brazil and Denmark, among other countries. The problem is the cost , but that is not insurmountable. Technology and scale have always tamed costs, as was seen in the case of solar equipment and electric vehicles among several instances. Besides, until recently, there was no big need to go gunning for ocean energies. But the climate crisis has changed the dynamics.
Source: The Hindu Businessline
13. Tata Power proposes switch to renewable energy at 84 paise a unit extra
The Tata Power managed distribution companies (discoms) have proposed to supply green energy to consumers keen to switch to renewable energy with an additional cost of 84 paise per unit. Submitting the proposal to the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) in its tariff application for 2022-23, the Tata Power Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL) said that for the initial period of one year, green tariff may be applicable to those consumers who will choose to purchase renewable energy to the extent of 100 per cent of their requirement.
While the consumers have the choice to use renewable energy, they will have to commit to purchase the electricity for a minimum of three months. This will help in better power purchase planning by Gridco in the short term market if required, the distribution utility said.
Source: New Indian Express
14. EU Invests Over €1 Billion in Energy Infrastructure in Support of the Green Deal
EU countries have agreed on a Commission proposal to invest € 1.037 billion (US$ 1.18 billion) in five cross-border infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for trans-European energy networks. CEF will provide financial support to 4 projects for construction and 1 study. The largest amount of funding will go to the EuroAsia interconnector project (€ 657 million or US$ 746 million) to support the first electricity interconnection between Cyprus and the European grid.
Source: TD World
15. Earnest money deposit provision in highways bidding process restored
The government has restored the earnest money deposit (EMD) provision in the bidding process for highway construction and consultancy contracts. It said that the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the highway sector has been neutralised.
The government’s decision also comes in the backdrop of a rising tendency of bidders to make abnormally low bids for construction and consultancy contracts.
Source: Business Standard
16. Air strips on 28 highways for emergency landing
Three months ago, an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, demonstrating yet again the potential of highways to facilitate such landings. Now, the central government is gunning for more such airstrips for emergency landing on highways across the country, as part of the PM Gati Shakti National Mission.
The Union road ministry has identified 28 locations on key and strategic operational national highways to build landing strips for fixed-wing aircraft
Source: Live Mint
17. Why India’s Budget Push To Infrastructure Should Consider Climate Resilience
In May 2021, when Cyclone Yaas hit the eastern coast of India, a hospital in Bihar’s capital Patna was inundated in the floods and patients had nowhere to go. In September 2021, parts of the national capital, Delhi, were waterlogged because of heavy rains and residents in some areas had to wade through knee-deep water to commute.
These incidents lay bare the vulnerability of India’s critical infrastructure, including hospitals, roads, bridges and water treatment systems, to extreme weather events in a warming world. And as budget 2022-23 puts a renewed focus on infrastructure, experts say it must be ‘climate-proof’ and hazard-proof.
Source: India Spend
