Thermal power output
Context
Why in News?
To secure its electricity supply amid soaring electricity demand, Karnataka is targeting higher coal stocks and procuring extra railway rakes to aggressively ramp up its thermal power generation.
Features
- Deficient Monsoon: Inadequate rainfall has severely restricted the state’s hydropower generation capabilities.
- Spike in Demand: Daily electricity demand has soared between 310 MU and 350 MU, vastly exceeding the ~200 MU recorded during the same period last year.
- Supply Hurdles: Current challenges include rainwater logging at coal mines, three thermal power units being shut down for maintenance, and wet coal disrupting regional transit.
Action Plan by KPCL
The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) has initiated several steps to bridge the gap:
- Production Target: Setting a goal of 29,500 MU of thermal power for the year, aiming to generate roughly 100 MU per day.
- Inventory Expansion: Increasing operational coal stockpiles to ensure a cushion of 15 to 18 days of generation.
- Logistics Boost: Partnering with Indian Railways to supply extra empty rakes to smoothly move up to 50,000 metric tonnes of fuel daily.
- Captive Sourcing: Ramping up extraction at its own Baranj Captive Coal Mine in Nagpur to safeguard fuel security.
Multi-Pair Kidney-Swap Transplant
Context
Why in News?
The Andaman & Nicobar Administration has invited Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from private-sector companies to explore the feasibility of establishing a private-sector-led “Green AI/Data Centre Vertical” in Great Nicobar or Little Andaman. The EoI was issued on 10 August 2026 and is meant for feasibility assessment, not a final approval or construction decision.
What is Being Proposed?
The administration is looking for interest from:
- Hyperscalers and cloud-service providers
- AI infrastructure companies
- Data-centre developers and operators
- Renewable-energy companies
- Marine-engineering firms
- Submarine-connectivity providers
The proposed facility could include AI-focused computing, GPUs, high-performance computing, cloud infrastructure and sovereign digital infrastructure.
Possible Locations
Little Andaman
- Hutbay Sea Area
- Netaji Nagar Sea Area
Great Nicobar
- Campbell Bay Sea Area
- Anderson Bay Sea Area
- Vijay Nagar Bay Sea Area
- Gandhi Nagar Bay Area
Why Great Nicobar?
The islands offer several potential advantages for a data-centre ecosystem:
- Seawater availability
Data centres require significant cooling. The proposal explores seawater-based and freshwater-free cooling technologies.
- Renewable Energy
The administration wants to examine the possibility of renewable-energy-powered data centres, reducing dependence on conventional energy sources.
- Submarine Connectivity
The islands’ connection to submarine optical-fibre networks can support high-speed digital connectivity.
- Strategic Location
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are located close to important Indo-Pacific maritime routes, giving the proposed infrastructure potential strategic significance.
What is a “Green Data Centre”?
A green data centre is designed to reduce the environmental footprint of computing infrastructure.
Possible measures include:
Renewable energy → Energy-efficient computing → Innovative cooling → Reduced freshwater use → Waste-heat recovery
The EoI specifically mentions:
- Renewable-energy-powered operations
- Seawater-based cooling
- Freshwater-free cooling
- Waste-heat recovery
- Possible use of waste heat for low-temperature desalination
- Submarine and terrestrial digital connectivity
The Federal Dilemma of Delimitation
Context
Senior Congress leader Gurupadagouda Sanganagouda Patil (G.S. Patil) was unanimously elected as the 18th Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly
Features
- Constitutional Provisions
- Article 178: Mandates that every state Legislative Assembly must choose two members of the Assembly to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
- Article 179: Details the vacation, resignation, and removal of the Speaker. A Speaker can be removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then members of the Assembly (Effective Majority), requiring a 14-day notice.
- Article 180: Outlines the power of the Deputy Speaker or a Pro-tem Speaker to perform the duties of the office when it is vacant.
- Article 181: States that the Speaker cannot preside over a sitting while a resolution for their removal from office is under consideration, though they retain the right to speak and vote in the first instance (but not in case of an equality of votes).
- Article 212: Courts cannot inquire into the validity of any proceedings of the State Legislature on the grounds of an alleged irregularity of procedure, protecting the Speaker’s decisions inside the House.
- Powers and Functions
- Presiding Officer: Regulates the business, maintains order, and enforces the rules of procedure within the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
- Casting Vote: Does not vote in the first instance but exercises a casting vote to break a tie (maintaining political neutrality).
- Money Bills: Possesses the final authority to decide whether a bill is a Money Bill or not. This decision cannot be challenged in a court of law.
- Anti-Defection Law: Under the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the Speaker acts as the sole authority to disqualify members on grounds of defection (subject to judicial review following the Kihoto Hollohan case).
- Key Historical Facts (Frequently Asked in KPSC)
- First Speaker: V. Venkatappa was the inaugural Speaker of the Mysore Legislative Assembly (1952).
- First Woman Speaker: K. S. Nagarathnamma served as the first female Speaker from 1972 to 1978.
- Bicameral Structure: Karnataka is one of six states in India with a bicameral legislature. The lower house (Legislative Assembly) features 224 elected seats.
- Recent Administrative Updates (Current Affairs Context)
- Predecessor: The office fell vacant after former Speaker U.T. Khader resigned to join the State Council of Ministers.
- Pro-tem Speaker: Senior leader T.B. Jayachandra conducted the election process as the Pro-tem Speaker.
- Deputy Speaker: A.S. Ponnanna serves alongside G.S. Patil as the Deputy Speaker of the House