Morning Brief: Strategically Important Bridge Blown Up In 1971 War Inaugurated; India May Not Reach 100 GW Solar Power Target By 2022; And Other News

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.

Strategically Important Bridge Blown Up In 1971 War Inaugurated

A strategically important 280-foot long bridge in Punjab’s Hussainiwala, that was originally blown up during the 1971 war, was inaugurated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday. The bridge connects Ferozepur to Hussaniwala on the old Ferozpur-Lahore highway and will serve as the only land link for 10 villages in Hussainiwala with the rest of the country. The bridge was blown up to prevent Pakistan from using it for its advance into India during the war.

After the war, the Army built a Bailey bridge to restore road connectivity to Hussaniwala. However, when it developed cracks, the Border Roads Organisation rebuilt a permanent truss-type bridge under their “Project Chetak”. The bridge will facilitate the movement of Indian troops for offensive operations towards Kasur, located south of Lahore in Pakistan, in event of a conflict.

India May Not Reach 100 GW Solar Power Target By 2022

A report prepared by rating agency CRISIL has said that India may not be able to achieve its ambitious target of generating 100 GW solar power by 2022. The country, at best, may touch 78-80 GW mark in the next few years. At present, India has installed solar energy capacity of 21.65 GW. Addition of 56-58 GW of solar capacity, a significant improvement, is possible between 2019 and 2023.

According to the report, safeguard duties imposed by India on import of solar modules from China and Malaysia has come into effect this month and will continue for two years, slowing down capacity addition. The rooftop solar segment, the target for which is set at 40 GW by 2022, is a key area of concern. The agency expects this figure to be not more than 8 GW by 2023. This is because the cost of power in the rooftop segment, which involves using the rooftops of commercial and industrial units to generate power, is expected to be far higher than from the grid.

ISRO Plans To Launch 22 Missions In 2019, 50 In Three Years

In an effort to scale up its operations, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch at least 22 missions in 2019 and a total of around 50 successful missions in the next three years. The most important missions to be launched in 2019 include the Chandrayaan-2, Aditya-L1 (India's solar mission) and two demonstration flights of the SSLV (small satellite launch vehicle).

After slowing down in the first half of this year, ISRO’s launch activity will pick up from September. It will launch two UK satellites- dedicated commercial launches- on PSLV-C42 in September. In October, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MK-III D2 will launch GSAT-29. Following this, PSLV-C43 will launch a hyper-spectral imaging satellite with 30 commercial co-passengers. Then, ISRO will launch GSAT-11 and GSAT-31. While the former was called back from the launch pad due to problems in the power system, the latter is a replacement of the ageing INSAT-4CR.

Indians Disrupt Pakistan Sponsored Pro-Khalistan Event In London

A group of Indian citizens in the United Kingdom, along with the members of the Overseas Friends of the BJP, disrupted an event in London organised by extremist elements with Pakistan’s support to demand a separate Sikh state. The group, which is planning to organize a referendum for the same in 2020, raised slogans in support of Khalistan and against the Indian government. The pro-India group sang patriotic songs and danced to the accompaniment of loud dhols.

Pakistan-origin Nazir Ahmed, member of the House of Lords, was also present at the event and declared his support for Khalistan “for my Sikh brothers and sisters”. Last week, reports revealed that Indian intelligence agencies had managed to get documents from the computer of a senior Pakistan Army official, which give detailed insight into Pakistan’s Khalistan plan.

Centre Gives Approval To Waterdrome Plan

The Modi government has given in-principle approval to set up “water aerodromes” in different parts of the country, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu said. The move, Prabhu said, was aimed at boosting tourism and connecting places of religious importance throughout the country. The government has identified five states - Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Assam - for this project. Chilka Lake in Odisha, Sabarmati River Front and Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat will get waterdromes in the first phase.

Several Indian players, including SpiceJet and state-run Pawan Hans, have unveiled plans to buy seaplanes to capture the market. To make seaplanes, Mahindra Aerospace has tied up with Canada’s Viking Air. SpiceJet, which plans to operate a mix of 100 small amphibian and non-amphibian aircraft, has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Japanese firm Setouchi Holdings.

MUST READ OPINIONS AND COLUMNS

Don’t Dilute Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code: Any attempt to bypass Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code will open the floodgates for special interest lobbying, as far as power sector NPAs are concerned.

The ‘How’ And ‘Why’ Of The Venezuelan Crisis: The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘evil’ as ‘doing or intending to do harm’. Ultimately, there is no other plausible explanation for what has happened in Venezuela.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Why Swaraj Is Wrong On The ‘Rising Hindu Count’ In Bangladesh: The External Affairs Minister’s statement in Parliament is not based on actual ground knowledge of Hindu plight in Bangladesh. Rather, it seems like a declaration meant to appease a neighbouring dispensation which is in control of the relationship.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!