Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 January 2025

Topic: Defence

1. DRDO developed HIMKAVACH has successfully passed all user trials in actual operation.

• HIMKAVACH is a multi layer clothing system that is designed for temperature range of +20°C to -60°C. 
• HIMKAVACH will be useful in military operations in cold weather conditions along the Himalayan region.
• Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) was being used by Indian Army before HIMKAVACH.
• ECWCS is a three-layered outfit developed by Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences of DRDO.
• It provided insulation and waterproofing.
• It included a reversible outer layer for camouflage in both snowy and non-snowy terrain.

Topic: National News

2. India Meteorological Department (IMD) will complete 150 years on 15 January 2025.

• In 1875, provincial British government established the organisation.
• Henry Francis Blanford was its first (Imperial) Meteorological Reporter.
• 1864 Calcutta cyclone and the Orissa famine that occurred just two years later accelerated its formation.
• The organisation was initially headquartered in Calcutta. It had moved to New Delhi by 1944.
• IMD became a member of the World Meteorological Organisation in 1949.
• At present, IMD operates six Regional Meteorological Centres and a Meteorological Centre in every State capital.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

3. India’s total renewable energy capacity reached to 209.44 gigawatts (GW).

• India’s renewable energy sector has registered remarkable growth.
• The total installed capacity has reached 209.44 gigawatts (GW) as of December 2024.
• The capacity has increased by 15.84% from 180.80 GW in December 2023 to 209.44 gigawatts (GW) in December 2024.
• In 2024, India added a total of 28.64 GW of renewable energy capacity.
• This increase is part of the government’s strategic efforts to accelerate the transition towards clean energy and strengthen energy security. 
• Solar energy has played a key role in increasing India’s total renewable energy capacity. It has added 24.54 GW in 2024.
• The total cumulative solar energy installed capacity has reached 97.86 GW.
• Wind energy contributed 3.42 GW to the overall capacity increase, which brought the total installed capacity to 48.16 GW.
• Bioenergy has also registered growth, with its installed capacity raised from 10.84 GW in December 2023 to 11.35 GW in December 2024.

Topic: Geography

4. Indonesia's Mount Ibu volcano erupted and spews hot lava.

• Indonesia's Mount Ibu erupted and spews hot lava and smoke for four kilometers.
• Mount Ibu is located on Halmahera Island. The lava spread to two kilometres.
• This volcano is still at the second-highest alert level.
• Ibu is one of the most active Volcanoes in Indonesia. It has erupted more than 2,000 times in 2024.
• Mount Ibu is part of the the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" which has 127 active volcanoes.
• It is a stratovolcano on the north-west coast of Halmahera island.