National:
South Western Railways Zone introduces Biodiesel for trains
The South Western Railways (SWR) Zone with headquarters in Hubli, Karnataka has introduced biodiesel for trains, operating under its zone.
In this regard, SWR’s first train Hubballi-Bengaluru Janshatabdi Express powered by five per cent biodiesel blended with High Speed Diesel was flagged off from Hubli.
The main aim of the initiative is to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission and carbon footprint and also to make fuel consumption more efficient.
To meet its biodiesel demand, SWR zone has set up Biodiesel filling centres at Hubli, Bengaluru and Hospet. In next one year all the 13 railway depots within the zone will have their own filling units and the biodiesel blending will be gradually increased to ten percent.
Biodiesel
• Biodiesel is a green fuel that provides quasi-renewable energy for cleaner alternatives as sustainable fuel for diesel locomotives and reduces dependency on fossil fuel especially diesel.
• It is commonly obtained from crops such as sugarcane, cassava, corn, potato, beetroot and recently from grapes, banana and dates etc.
• Union Government is promoting use of biodiesel in India Railways for the purpose of energy security, cleaner air and savings in foreign exchange along with employment opportunities in rural areas.
India’s forest & tree cover increased by 5, 081 Sq km: ISFR 2015
According to the recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015, India’s forest and tree cover has been increased by 5081 Square kilometre.
The report was released by the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi
Key facts
• The total forest and tree cover in the country is 79.42 million hectare, which accounts for 24.16 per cent of the total geographical area.
• The total forest cover of the country has increased by 3, 775 sq km and the tree cover has gone up by 1, 306 sq km.
• The majority of the increase in forest cover has been observed in open forest category mainly outside forest areas, followed by Very Dense Forest.
• Open Forest area: Increased by 4744 sq km and accounts for 9.14 per cent of the total geographical area.
• Very Dense Forest area: Increased by 2404 sq km and accounts for 2.61 per cent of the total geographical area.
• Total carbon stock: Increased by 1.48 per cent (103 million tonnes) and is estimated to be 7, 044 million tonnes in the country’s forest.
• Around 40 per cent forest cover in India is in 9 big patches of 10, 000 sq kms and more. The increase in mangrove cover also has been included in the increase in total forest cover.
• State wise maximum increase in forest cover: Tamil Nadu (2, 501 sq km), Kerala (1, 317 sq km) and Jammu & Kashmir (450 sq km).
• Largest forest cover in terms of area: Madhya Pradesh (77, 462 sq km), Arunachal Pradesh (67, 248 sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55, 586 sq km).
• Highest percentage of forest cover: Mizoram (88.93%), Lakshadweep (84.56%).
• States/UTs having forest cover above 33 per cent: 15 States/UTs have forest cover above 33 percent of the geographical area.
• Out of these 7 states/UTs have more than 75 per cent forest cover. They are Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur.
• 8 states have forest cover in between 33 per cent to 75 per cent. They are Tripura, Goa, Sikkim, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh and Assam.
Background
The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2015 is the fourteenth report in the series. It is based on interpretation of LISS (Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor) III data of indigenous remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat&ndashII. The satellite data interpretation is based extensive and rigorous ground truthing.
International:
China’s 1st manned electric aircraft gets license for production
China has granted a license for production of first manned two seater electric aircraft RX1E known as RX1E by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
The aircraft has been designed by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning General Aviation Academy in northeastern Liaoning province.
Key facts
• RX1E electric light-sport aircraft and it is China’s first manned electric light aircraft.
• This plane is powered by lithium batteries and is capable of flying a maximum altitude of 3000 meters.
• The plane has a 47-foot wingspan and has a charging time of 90 minutes enables it to fly for 45 to 60 minutes. The plane can take the maximum takeoff weight of 480 kg.
Current Affairs: 5th December, 2015 Current Affairs: 4th December, 2015 Current Affairs Round up November, 2015.
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