GOI approves National Green Hydrogen Mission

NEW DELHI: The Government of India has approved the National Green Hydrogen project with an initial capital outlay of `19,744 cr. The mission aims to produce five million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030. Anurag Thakur, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, informed that out of the total allocated amount, `17,490 cr is to be used for Strategic Interventions and `1,466 cr to conduct pilot projects. He also informed that the Research and Development component will also receive `400 cr and `388 cr towards other mission components. The government’s goals under this mission are to increase annual green hydrogen production to five million tonnes, add approximately 125 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, attract over `8 lakh cr in investments, create lakhs of jobs, and most importantly, reduce cumulative fossil fuel import bill by over `1 lakh cr. The mission is expected to help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50 million tonnes. Due to its advantageous geographic location and the presence of natural resources, India has a significant advantage in the generation of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen, as opposed to grey hydrogen, which is produced using natural gas, is created by electrolyzing water with renewable energy, which results in no carbon dioxide being released.

ADB lends $350 million loan to India

NEW DELHI: The Government of India signed a $350 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve and expand the connectivity of the metro rail system in Chennai and upgrade the existing public transport system.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, signed the tranche 1 loan agreement for the Chennai Metro Rail Investment Project whereas Nilaya Mitash, Officer-inCharge of ADB’s India Resident Mission signed from ADB’s side. The loan is a part of the $780 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) approved by the ADB to develop three new metro lines in Chennai.

The project will support the development of three metro linesthree, four, and five, including the construction of tracks around 10.1 kilometres (km), 10 km, and 31 km respectively. The stations will be built with disaster and climate-resilient features and will be responsive to the needs of women, children, the elderly, differently-abled, and transgender people.

An additional $1 million ADB Technical Assistance (TA) grant will help the Chennai Metro Rail Limited to plan and manage multimodal interchanges and facilities along with the rail corridors including better dropoff and pick-up areas for the commuters, bicycle facilities, and sheltered waiting areas.

Indian Oil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Central TB Division (CTD) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH & FW), and the states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh to undertake intensified TB Elimination Project, marking a historic milestone that demonstrates India’s commitment to combat the menace of tuberculosis (TB).

Odisha provides `100 cr to community partners

The Odisha government has given 26,691 Mission Shakti groups `100 crore as supervision fees (incentives) to strengthen community partnerships under various urban verticals, such as MUKTA, AAHAR, JALSATHIs, solid waste management, shelter for urban homeless, pickle making units, etcs that are ongoing throughout the state.

NGT forms panel to tackle Yamuna pollution

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a high-level committee to tackle the problem of rising pollution levels in the Yamuna River. Chaired by Justice A K Goel, NGT noted that lots of work regarding Yamuna rejuvenation, is yet to be executed. Also, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has not taken any strict action against defaulters.