Daily Current Affairs Notes for 10 September 2022

The Biden Administration has approved a whopping USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan.

Overview

The Biden Administration has approved a whopping USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan. As a notification to the US Congress, the State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale of F-16 case for sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 450 million, arguing that this will sustain Islamabad’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet.

First Major Assistance To Pakistan After Trump Ceased It In 2018:

• This is the first major security assistance to Pakistan after Trump in 2018 had announced to stop all defense and security assistance to Pakistan alleging that Islamabad was not a partner in its fight against terrorism. “The United States Government has notified Congress of a proposed Foreign Military Sales case to sustain the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 programme. Pakistan is an important counterterrorism partner, and as part of longstanding policy, the United States provides life cycle maintenance and sustainment packages for US-origin platforms,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Pakistan’s F-16 programme is an important part of the broader United States-Pakistan bilateral relationship. The proposed sale will sustain Pakistan’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet. The F-16 fleet allows Pakistan to support counterterrorism operations and we expect Pakistan to take sustained action against all terrorist groups,” the spokesperson further said in response to a question.

What The U.S. Said:

• According to the Congressional notification, the proposed sale does not include any new capabilities, weapons, or munitions. It said that Pakistan has requested to consolidate prior F-16 sustainment and support cases to support the Pakistan Air Force F-16 fleet by reducing duplicate case activities and adding additional continued support elements. The USD 450 million foreign military sale to Pakistan participation in F-16 Aircraft Structural Integrity Programme, electronic combat international security assistance programme, international engine management programme, engine component improvement programme, and other technical coordination groups; aircraft and engine hardware and software modifications and support and aircraft and engine spare repair/return parts.
• The Pentagon said this proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by allowing Pakistan to retain interoperability with US and partner forces in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and in preparation for future contingency operations.

India’s Response:

• India maintained a studied silence a day after the United States announced a $450 million package to refit Pakistan’s large F-16 aircraft fleet with the latest technological advances. The announcement from the US State Department came in the backdrop of intersessional talks that the Indian and American senior officials including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu held on September 7, 2022.  The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to clarify if Mr Lu and his team had informed the Indian side about the announcement from the Biden administration that will add considerable lethality to Pakistan Air Force which poses the biggest challenge for India from west and northwest.

SBI-WAARE collaborate: The largest solar panel producer in India, WAAREE, has an agreement with SBI for unsecured solar project financing through the Surya Shakti Solar Finance Scheme.

Overview

SBI-WAARE collaborate: The largest solar panel producer in India, WAAREE, has an agreement with State Bank of India (SBI) for unsecured solar project financing through the Surya Shakti Solar Finance Scheme and working cash for channel partners under EDFS (Electronic dealer finance scheme). Through the Surya Shakti Solar Finance Scheme, WAAREE plans to leverage a credit line of more than $500 million and offer loan borrowers a digital platform for a simple application process.

SBI-WAARE collaborate: Key Points

• Through its network of Channel partners (SBI and WAARE), which serves the client base in the farthest reaches of the nation, WAAREE boasts the broadest presence throughout India.
• Commercial Institutions, Industries, Resorts, Hotels, Manufacturing Units, and Warehouses will make full use of this unsecured financing instrument in order to switch to solar energy.
• Increasing solar adoption will therefore help India’s energy security and hasten the decarbonization of power.
• The complete ecosystem has been built up to guarantee that consumers receive all the assistance and advice required to select the appropriate equipment, address technical issues at their doorsteps, and quicken loan approvals.

SBI-WAARE collaborate: WAAREE, a Top Performer

• Through a plethora of Innovative products and the high-wattage Solar panels that are required today, WAAREE has always been at the forefront of industry advancement. By becoming the only producer in India to have a 650Wp Solar panel classified in ALMM, WAAREE has achieved distinction. The need for high-quality, high-efficiency solar panels is met by WAAREE’s state-of-the-art panel production facilities, which are equipped to produce panels with a Wp rating of 540 or higher. The Economic Times has named WAAREE “India’s Best Brand” in the renewable energy sector. In its 2022 Scorecard, which is published to highlight the success of international manufacturers, PVEL, a lab with a worldwide reputation for photovoltaic testing, identified WAAREE as one of the Top Performers.

 

Diamond League 2022 Finals: Neeraj Chopra won the Diamond League Final in Zurich. He has now won the Diamond League Trophy, making him the first Indian to do it.

Overview

Diamond League 2022 Finals: Neeraj Chopra gained another accomplishment when he won the Diamond League Final in Zurich. Neeraj Chopra has now won the Diamond League Trophy, making him the first Indian to do it. The expert javelin thrower recorded a throw of 88.44 metres on his second attempt, which was sufficient for him to win the competition.

Neeraj Chopra wins Diamond League 2022 Finals: Highlights

• The remaining five participants were no match for the gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra, who ultimately won the Diamond League 2022 Finals handily.
• Neeraj Chopra registered a throw of 88.44m in his second attempt and he followed it up with an 88m throw in his third attempt and 86.11m in his fourth attempt.
• While his final try was 83.6m, Neeraj’s fifth attempt was 87m.
• Neeraj Chopra had earlier won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League series to mark his amazing comeback from a one-month injury layoff and earn a spot in the two-day finals.
• Neeraj Chopra accomplished a first by winning a Diamond League meet championship.

Neeraj Chopra wins Diamond League 2022 Finals: A Worthy Comeback

• Due to a slight groyne injury he had had during his silver-winning performance at the World Championships in the USA in July, he had to skip the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (July 28 to August 8).
• After making a successful comeback, the 24-year-old Indian superstar threw the spear to 89.08 metres in his maiden attempt to clinch the victory in Lausanne on July 26.
• He accomplished his third career-best performance, making it appear as though the injury had never occurred.
• The Diamond League, which is structured like a championship, consists of 32 Diamond Disciplines.

Asia's richest man Gautam Adani, a ports-to-power conglomerate will build three Giga factories for manufacturing solar modules, wind turbines, and hydrogen electrolyzers.

Overview

Asia’s richest man Gautam Adani, a ports-to-power conglomerate will build three Giga factories for manufacturing solar modules, wind turbines, and hydrogen electrolyzers as part of a USD 70 billion investment in clean energy by 2030. Adani group is stepping up investments across the green energy value chain as it aims to become the world’s top renewable energy producer by 2030.

Highlights:

• The new giga factory for power electronics will be in addition to four giga factories announced last year for making integrated solar PV modules that will produce electricity from sunlight, electrolyzers that produce hydrogen from water, fuel cells and batteries to store energy from the grid as well as 20 GW solar energy capacity by 2025 for captive needs.
• Listing out imperatives for US-India engagement, Adani said the combined value of the GDP of the two nations in 2050 is expected to be a staggering USD 70 trillion dollars or 35-40 per cent of the global economy. By that year, the combined population of the two countries will be over 2 billion with a median age of less than 40 years as compared to the already median age of 44 in Europe and 40 in China.

The first Indian Defence Minister to visit Mongolia, Rajnath Singh was gifted a majestic horse "Tejas" by President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

Oveview

The first Indian Defence Minister to visit Mongolia, Rajnath Singh was gifted a majestic horse “Tejas” by President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Seven years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a similar gift from the leadership of this country. In 2015, Prime Minister Modi received a special gift a brown racehorse from his then Mongolian counterpart Chimed Saikhanbileg during his historic visit to this country. The horse was named Kanthaka’.

• Defence Minister Singh is on a five-day visit to Mongolia and Japan with an aim to expand India’s strategic and defence ties with the two countries in the backdrop of evolving regional security matrix and geo-political turmoil.
• The Mongolian President expressed satisfaction with the expansion of relations and cooperation with India, Mongolia’s important third neighbour while pointing out that the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mongolia in 2015, and the ongoing visit of the Defence Minister Singh are important impetus for further development.

Interesting Points:

• Mongolia is known as the land of the horse, according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
• Mongolia is home to more than 3 million horses, making the horse population almost equal to the human population in the vast nation.
• Even in the 21st century, Mongolia remains a horse-based culture and retains its pastoral traditions.