Andhra Pradesh Affairs
Andhra Pradesh secures investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore in 3 years
Despite being handed a raw deal during bifurcation,Andhra Pradeshhas emerged as a top investment destination, garnering investments to the tune of Rs 40,361 crore in the first seven months of 2022 alone.
Though it was left without a capital city, after it lost undivided AP’s bustling economic engine and capital Hyderabad to Telangana, and failed to get special category status (SCS), AP has galloped ahead of other states in parameters such as industrialization, economic growth, and gross value added (GVA).
AP ranked numero uno in terms of actual industrial investment that came into the country in the January-July 2022 period, as per DPIIT’s July 2022 report. AP and Odisha, with investments of Rs 40,361 crore and Rs 36,828 crore, respectively, accounted for 45% of the total 1,71,285 crore investment inflow into the country in the first seven months of 2022, as perDPIITdata. AP also surpassed the national average on certain parameters and achieved higher growth than some of the developed states.
National and International Affairs
CERC approves proposal to start new market segment for ‘expensive’ power
India’s power regulator has approved a proposal to start a separate spot market segment for ‘expensive’ power, according to an order handed down to the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), with record demand levels expected this summer.
The approval from the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), given to the country’s largest spot power market, is for electricity derived from costlier sources of imported coal and gas, as well as battery storage.
Other power plants operating on low-cost fuel will not be allowed to sell electricity on the new market segment, according to the order, a move seen as ensuring increased electricity availability.
The power regulator fixed a ceiling of 50 rupees ($0.6042) per unit of electricity (kWh), according to the order.
Most of the plants based on costlier fuel operate at low capacity for lack of buyers. However, until last year states purchased electricity at 20 rupees per unit to meet high demand during summer months and crop sowing seasons.
India top country in AI skill penetration globally: Nasscom report
India currently ranks first in terms of AI skill penetration and AI talent concentration and fifth in AI scientific publications, aNasscomreport said.
India’s ‘AI Skills Penetration Factor’ has been reported to be 3.09 — the highest among all G20 and OECD countries.
It shows that India’s tech talent is 3X more likely to have or report AI skills than other countries, according to the report by the National Association of Software and ServicesCompanies(Nasscom) in partnership with Salesforce and Draup.
India is also expected to witness high growth in the demand for data science and AI professionals with an estimate of more than 1 million professionals by 2024.
More than 1,900 AI-focused startups are providing innovative solutions, primarily in the areas of conversational AI, NLP, video analytics, disease detection, fraud prevention and deep fakes detection.
Astronomers detect radio signal from atomic hydrogen in distant galaxy
Astronomersfrom McGill University in Canada and theIndian Institute of Science(IISc) in Bengaluru have used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune to detect a radio signal originating fromatomic hydrogenin an extremely distant galaxy.
The astronomical distance over which the signal was picked up is so far the farthest. This is also the first confirmed detection of strong lensing of 21 cm emission from a galaxy.
Israel approves law to strip Arab attackers of citizenship
Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a law to strip Arabs convicted in nationalistic attacks of their Israeli citizenship or residency and deport them if they have accepted stipends from the Palestinian Authority.
The decision, which could potentially affect hundreds of Palestinian citizens and residents of Israel, was condemned as racist by Arab lawmakers as well as Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has long provided stipends to the families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned for attacks on Israelis.
Prisoners are widely seen as heroes in Palestinian society, and the PA considers these payments as a form of welfare to needy families. But Israel says they reward violence and serve as an incentive for others to carry out attacks.