16th July 2022 | Power; Industrial Policy of Telangana; Structure and growth of service sector; employment trends in Industry and Service sectors; Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy of Telangana.

Number of questions- Mains: 02, Prelims – 10

Mains Questions of the day:  

1.Discuss the India’s largest floating solar power project in Telangana. Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of this project. 

Introduction:

Write briefly about India’s largest floating solar power project in Telangana.

Body:

Mention the advantages and disadvantages of this technology.

Conclusion:

This technology is still in nascent stage, Government should careful watch and monitors its outcomes so that Government can balance both advantages and disadvantages of this technology. 

Content:

• Telangana is floating solar parks on water to get around land acquisition challenges
• Ramagundam in Telangana has a unique landscape. 
• The Godavari river flows on one side of the city. 
• Being one of the important power generation centres of National Thermal Power Corporation in South India. 
• The area comes under the Godavari Valley Coalfields the only coalfield of South India. 
• Here coal is mined and processed to create thermal energy to cater to the needs of the state.
• However, the region, besides being known for its coal mining reserve and thermal power generation.
• The National Thermal Power Corporation announced one of India’s largest 100 megawatts floating solar parks (at a single location) at Ramagundam. 
• Floating solar photovoltaic plants are renewable energy generation plants where solar panels are mounted on a structure on a water body. 

Floating solar park:

• The floating solar park is situated away from the Godavari river. 
• The plant produce 100 megawatts of clean energy. 
• It is also working towards producing Green Methanol using green hydrogen and carbon captured from flue gases of the thermal project. 
• The traffic signals have already been energised with off-grid solar energy, which is used by the local residents of the city. 
• There are around 15 solar floating power plants in India under different stages of construction. 
• While some are undertaken by the National Thermal Power Corporation, some by National Hydro Power Corporation and others. 
• All these 15 solar plants, after construction might help the country in achieving its clean energy targets.

Advantages of this technology:

• No loss of land space.

• Land space is a huge deal when it comes to solar. 
• Especially with the rise of community solar. 
• Many people wish miles of land weren’t being used for solar farms and would prefer things like homes and businesses to be built on the land. 
• Sometimes, trees are even removed to place solar panels there, which is the opposite of the environmental ideals pushed by the solar industry. 
• With floating solar, no land is used and no nature is killed in the process.
• Avoids overheating:

• A common problem with solar panels is overheating. 
• They’re out in the sun all day but solar panels also have to do with overheating causing a lower efficiency. 
• On large bodies of water, the panels will still receive the optimal amount of sunlight, and they won’t have to deal with overheating due to cooling effects from the water.
• Solar helps the water:

• Solar panels help the water. 
• This is because the panels on the water stop it from evaporating as fast, which reduces the amount of droughts in the area. 
• It also provides shade, which reduces the amount of algae that blooms.

Disadvantage of this technology:

• They cost more:

• The new technology costs more. 
• Because of it is harder to install, the need for special equipment and the need for a specialised installer. 
• However, the benefits outweigh the costs. 
• These are only good for large-scale application:

• A residential home is not suited for this technology. 
• These are generally used for large companies, community solar and utility companies.

State initiatives

• Land requirement is one of the challenges faced by renewable energy projects such as solar and wind parks. 
• But with this floating solar plant, clean energy projects that do not need land. 
• In India, given the rise in demand for power and the need for more clean energy growth, experimenting with new technologies like floating solar power becomes significant. 
• It has more potential to create power than solar panels installed on land in addition it will reduce the evaporation from the water bodies.
• If they are confined to stagnant water bodies below 5% of the total area of the water body, there are less chances of any possible damage to the water body due to this technology.
• It costs around 20% to 25% higher than the ground solar plants due to the extra cost of floats and other additional devices needed to ensure its anchoring to the water body that reduces its viability.
• Environmentalists meanwhile demanding for well-defined standard operating protocols and policies for this technology from Government to avoid any conflicts in future. 
• The concept of floating solar power plants is new in the country but it is slowly getting expanded in different parts of the country. 
• In future, there could be some conflicts among different stakeholders like the local communities, farmers and others with the private developers of such plants. 
• Thus there is a need for well-crafted standard operating protocols and policies from the Government to redress to any such issues arising in the future as the technology expands.

2.Write briefly on Telangana Government policy on urban technologies for 2021-2026. 

Introduction:

Mention the reasons why Telangana Government wanted this policy.

Body:

Mention the domains or areas where urban technologies are used in Telangana.

Conclusion:

• Telangana has been on an incredible journey towards excellence since its establishment.
• The state is looking to double production, productivity, farmer’s income and overall, improve the welfare of all sections of society. 
• It also aims at having the most optimum utilization of natural resources, high quality of living and an accountable and citizen-centric Government. 
• Technology will play a major role in pursuing all the above goals.
• The 2nd ICT Policy of Telangana Government will place IT in the center stage of fulfilling the above goals. 
• This policy document will set the path to:

• continue achieving greatness and 
• empowering the citizens.

Content:

• Telangana is one of the most urbanized states in the country with over 40% of the state’s population being urban residents. 
• The government aims to convert all cities and major towns into smart cities and facilitate this conversion for rural locations as well

Town Domain Services

A multitude of town-specific application services will be supported through new technological functionalities in the domains such as:

• Mobility planning waste management 
• Housing parking
• Health and 
• Education facilities 

Smart Lighting:

• The use of Information of Technology(IoT) has greatly improved the scope and potential of Lighting Solutions in cities.
• LED and IoT-based smart lighting systems will be used to enhance power savings and add additional features to study air quality noise pollution and pedestrian safety

Smart Education:

• Digital education solutions will help us serve the students of the state better. 
• The ITE&C Department will work with the Education Department and develop state-of-the-art learning solutions and give all students access to the best learning solutions

Smart Mobility:

• New technologies have the potential to transform to transportation needs of citizens. 
• Projects like smart traffic signals, smart buses tracked public transport solutions will be explored by the government to improve reliability, accountability and to ease citizens Iives.

Smart Water:

• Smart Irrigation and water supply systems will be developed in the upcoming smart cities to study and improve the availability of water, decrease waste and monitor the usage of water better.

Smart Healthcare:

• Digital Healthcare is a fast-growing space with innovations taking over the healthcare needs of citizens. 
• Digital consulting, record-keeping, monitoring and medicine delivery among others will be explored and made standard in the smart cities.

Smart Tourism:

• With the emergence of technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology, there is a lot of scope to make tourist spots in the state more interactive and attractive for local and international tourists. 
• The government will deploy suitable solutions with an emphasis on cultural showcases.

Smart Waste Management:

• Waste management is a key consideration to designing a well-structured city. 
• Hyderabad already has loT-based smart waste management systems that help save fuel, time and other resources. 
• More such solutions will be explored and more locations will have such smart technologies for waste management.

Data Driven Administration:

• Tools for smart administration will be set up in the city to monitor the operations, quality, and flow of elements like water, air, and traffic. 
• The government and citizens will be enabled to get a holistic view of the city’s operations and status. 
• In addition, this will also enable data driven and evidence-based decision-making and planning for the activities in the city.

Emergency Control:

• ICT functionalities will be developed in the selected smart localities to control activities and help the town’s administrators to carry out operations efficiently during medical emergencies and natural calamities. 
• Facilities along the lines of smart ambulances, smart traffic systems, and early crisis detection will be developed to aid emergency control services

Government Services Enablement:

• Through E-Governance and M-Governance services, the Government is enroute to enabling a 100% digital service environment. 
• The government will facilitate the setting up of physical infrastructure in the form of Mee-Seva centers and T-Fiber to promote accessibility of digital services from the government

Safety and Security:

• The digital transformation provides us with opportunities to improve the safety and security standards in smart cities. 
• While the risks faced by citizens are both online and physical, through the use of technology, cyber security police will be facilitated to counter them. 
• There will also be a special focus on developing technological systems to make Telangana the safest state for women and children.

Employment and Investment Attraction 

• Data generated will not only allow innovators to provide solutions but will also help the smart cities to track and enhance objective development metrics like the Quality of Living Index, Mun icipal Performance Index, and ISO indices. 
• These will portray development and attract further investments, jobs, and highly skilled employees to these cities. 
• The Government of Telangana will engage with various private consulting and research organizations, to benchmark itself with the best in the world.

Safety and Security

• The government will set up a dedicated Smart Cities wing equipped with expertise in this space.
• It will consist of resources from the MA&UD Department and the ITEAC Department that will focus on identifying the ideal solutions, piloting projects, and strategizing the deployment of the projects.

Prelims of the day:

1.Consider the following statements regarding Telangana

1. The services sector remains the dominant sector in Telangana’s economy with a share of 61.33% in the Gross State Value Added (GSVA) at current prices in 2021-22.
2. The ‘Real Estate, Ownership of Dwelling and Professional Services is the most dominant sub-sector of the services sector in the state.

Which of the above statements are incorrect?

1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of them

Answer: D

Explanation: 

• The services sector remains the dominant sector in Telangana’s economy with a share of 61.33% in the Gross State Value Added (GSVA) at current prices in 2021-22.
• The ‘Real Estate, Ownership of Dwelling and Professional Services is the most dominant sub-sector of the services sector in the state, which contributed more than one-third (33.79%) of the GVA at current prices by the sector in 2021-22.

2.Arrange the following in increasing order based on their installed capacity in Telangana by 2021

1. Solar energy
2. Bioenergy
3. Hydropower
4. Wind energy

A. 3-2-4-1

B. 2-3-4-1

C. 3-2-1-4

D. 2-1-3-4

Answer: A 

Explanation: 

3,806 MW of power in the state is from renewable energy sources in 2021, of which 3,489 MW is Solar Energy, 128 MW from Wind Energy, 74 MW from Bagasse Cogeneration, 63 MW from Waste to- Energy, 45 MW from Biomass, and 7 MW from small Hydropower units.

3.Consider the following: 

1. It aims to scale the exports to 3 lakh crores by 2030
2. Increasing the employment in the service sector to 10 lakh by 2030
3. Digital empowerment of citizens

Which of the above are the major goals of the Second ICT Policy?

1. Only 3
2. 2 and 3
3. All of them
4. 1 and 3

Answer: A

Explanation: 

The Second ICT Policy of Telangana focuses on the digital empowerment of citizens, innovation, and entrepreneurship as drivers of the sector’s growth. It aims to scale the exports from this sector from Rs.1.45 lakh crore in 2020-21 to Rs. 3 lakh crore by 2026. In doing so, it targets to increase employment in the sector from 6.3 lakh to 10 lakh by the year 2026.

4.How much percentage of the total workers in Telangana are employed in the services as Telangana Socio Economic Outlook 2022?

1. 33%
2. 30%
3. 41%
4. 43%

Answer: A

Explanation:

Approximately one-third (33.32%) of the total workers in Telangana are employed in the services sector.

5.Which of the following initiative of the Telangana government has received the Outstanding Youth Transformation Initiative Award in the India Global Education and Skills Summit 2021 and the Global Ignite Excellence Award in 2021?

1. T Hub
2. We Hub
3. TASK
4. T- PRIDE

Answer: C

Explanation: 

Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) has received the Outstanding Youth Transformation Initiative Award in the India Global Education and Skills Summit 2021 and the Global Ignite Excellence Award in 2021.

Q6) Consider the following statements:

1. T-PRIDE is the state’s flagship programme to encourage entrepreneurship among historically marginalised groups like the SC and ST community, women, and specially-abled persons.
2. Under T-IDEA, the state offers incentives to entrepreneurs for setting up industries

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of them

Answer: C

Explanation:

T-IDEA (Telangana State Industrial Development and Entrepreneur Advancement) and T-PRIDE (Telangana State Program for Rapid Incubation Dalit Entrepreneurs incentive scheme) are important components of the state’s industrial policy. While TS-IDEA is aimed at using subsidies to promote industrial development in Telangana, T-PRIDE is the state’s flagship programme to encourage entrepreneurship among historically marginalised groups like the SC and ST community, women, and specially-abled persons.

7.How much amount was allocated as a subsidy to the power sector to provide free power to the agriculture and other subsidized categories under the 2021-22 budget?

1. 15000 crores
2. 8500 crores
3. 15500 crores
4. 10500 crores

Answer: D

Explanation: 

The Government allocated a subsidy of Rs. 10,500 crores to the power sector to provide free power to agriculture and other subsidized categories under the 2021-22 budget.

8.Which district has secured the highest employment generation through the investments received under TS-iPASS?

1. Rangareddy
2. Warangal Urban
3. Hyderabad
4. Sangareddy

Answer: B

Explanation:

 9.Which of the following district doesn’t have a Food Processing Park? 

1. Nizamabad
2. Khammam
3. Zahirabad
4. None of the above

Answer: D

Explanation: 

The Telangana state has 4 major Food Processing Parks, located in Nizamabad, Khammam, Jogulamba Gadwal, and Zahirabad districts.

10.What is the Service sector’s share in all exports by value from Telangana during 2020-21?

1. 79%
2. 49%
3. 59%
4. 69%

Answer: D

Explanation:  

In 2020-21, Telangana sold Rs. 2,10,081 crore worth of goods and services to the international markets, accounting for 21.4% of the state’s nominal GSDP. A majority of these originated in the services sector, which made up 69.3% of all exports by value.