23rd, June, 2022
Topic: Discovery of a rare species of bird.
Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains
What is the news?
- Grey crowned Prinia: For the first time in Himachal, a rare species of gray crowned Prinia bird were discovered by two youths.
Where it is discovered?
- In the Majathal wildlife area of Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, a rare species of bird named Grey crowned Prinia has been found.
Who discovered this?
- This bird has been discovered by two youths of Chamba district. The name of this bird is not recorded till date in the records of the Wildlife Department of Himachal Pradesh.
About Grey crowned Prinia:
- Small, rather stumpy-looking prinia with a highly restricted range in the south-central and southeastern Himalayan foothills. Warm brown with pale underparts and a gray crown.
- This rare species of bird is found in Uttarakhand. Rakeshwar Kapoor, a resident of Churah in Chamba district and Virendra, a resident of Saho, are doing PhD on biology in Solan.
(Source: Amar Ujala)
Topic: Solar Energy Target
Importance: Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains
What is the news?
- Target of 10 MW in solar power generation, central government gives two-year moratorium in Himachal.
About Project:
- Projects ranging from one to three kilowatts will be set up across the state to complete 10 MW. The special thing is that in order to meet this goal, the central government has also made a provision of subsidy.
How much subsidy will be given by central government?
- The central government will provide subsidy of up to 40 per cent on solar power projects. The project of one kilowatt of solar power can be installed on the roof of the house for 50 thousand rupees. For this project, the Centre has made a provision of subsidy up to 20 thousand rupees.
- If a snow power plant is installed from 3 kW to 10 kW, the subsidy will be 20 per cent. However, the cost of the project from 3 to 10 kW will be 48 thousand 600 rupees per kilowatt.
- Here, the state government has also decided to subsidise at its own level to complete the scheme in a time-bound manner. This subsidy will be at the rate of six thousand rupees per kilowatt.
How much subsidy will be given by state government?
- Earlier, a subsidy of four thousand rupees per kilowatt was being given by the state government. That is, now a one-kilowatt solar power project can be installed at less than half the price.
- To set up a 50,000 project, the consumer will have to pay only 24 thousand rupees.
Important Point:
- However, the central government has made it clear in the guidelines sent to the state that the subsidy will be provided only to domestic consumers. If the solar power plant is used commercially, then the benefit of this subsidy will not be available.
About Solar Energy to Electric Energy:
- A solar cell is a device that directly converts the energy of light into electrical energy through the photovoltaic effect.
Solar cells or photovoltaic cells are made based on the principle of the photovoltaic effect. They convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity.
(Source: Divya Himachal)
