BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a British citizen.🧵.He made this statement by sharing a document on X platform, saying that it is Rahul Gandhi's "annual return filed with the British government". It raised concerns of legitimacy of a

First pay 18% GST on your income, then pay 33% income tax on what remains, then subsidize the industrialists making ethanol in the name of farmers, ethanol will burn your engine, then buy a new car and pay 50% of the car's price to the government, because you will go to work in.

Russian oil flows to India have so far remained robust, despite criticism from the West and actions by the US and its allies against Russia’s oil trade. India has consistently stated its willingness to purchase oil from any supplier offering a competitive price, provided the

India, On January 26, 1950 and after the 1956 Reorganisation. On January 26, 1950, India was divided into 28 states, falling under four categories. There were nine Part A states.There were eight Part B states.There were ten Part C states.There was only one Part D state. The

10 BRS MLAs' disqualification. Supreme Court gives Speaker 3 months to decide. The SC noted that Parliament needs to examine whether the current mechanism of assigning the Speaker the responsibility of deciding on the disqualification of legislators who defect is sufficient.

Myanmar's military junta has lifted the state of emergency imposed since the 2021 coup. The Junta may proceed with long-delayed elections in December 2025. The junta announced the formation of an 11-member election commission led by military chief and de facto ruler Min Aung

Trump has no choice!. Replacing nearly 2 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil supply to India overnight is impossible, and it would take at least three to four months to cut down on Russian oil volumes substantially.

Global policy rollbacks, like the 2017 Trump administration’s reevaluation of Clean Power Plant rules, risk increasing CO₂ emissions up to seven times current levels.

Of 206 GW coal plant capacity, 39 plants completed FGD installations, 238 awarded contracts or are under implementation, 139 are tendering, and 121 are in pre-tendering as of August 2024. NTPC’s centrally-owned plants have 68% FGD compliance (35.4 GW).

Biotechnological sulphur bacteria can produce elemental sulphur in thermophilic conditions. FGD installation costs ~50 lakh/MW, partially offset by gypsum sales. Studies suggest ambient SO₂ levels remain low without FGD due to India’s geography and meteorology.

Dry FGD uses limestone slurry to form calcium sulphite/sulphate; wet scrubbing produces gypsum. Regenerative SO₂ capture (e.g., Wellman-Lord) produces sulphuric acid and elemental sulphur.

IGCC achieves up to 45% efficiency, removes particulates, mercury, sulphur, and allows CO₂ capture. Post-combustion control uses flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), including dry and wet systems.

Coal washing reduces sulphur content by ~10%, lowers ash, and improves boiler efficiency. FBC removes over 90% of sulphur, operates at ~800°C, and reduces NOₓ formation.

Pre-combustion SO₂ control includes fuel switching, coal washing, fluidized bed combustion (FBC), and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). Fuel switching reduces SO₂ emissions by 30–90% temporarily.

Sulphate aerosols reduce visibility and penetrate deep into lungs. Other SO₂ sources include petroleum refining, copper smelting, and cement production. SO₂ conversion to sulphate particles takes days and can travel hundreds of kilometers.

In India, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, sets SO₂ limits at 50 µg/m³ annually for residential/industrial areas, 20 µg/m³ for ecologically sensitive zones, and 80 µg/m³ for 24-hour averages.

Acid rain leaches soil nutrients, mobilizes toxic aluminum, and disrupts freshwater ecosystems. Acid deposition from SO₂ can collapse pH buffer capacity in freshwater bodies, causing fish deaths due to aluminum salts in gills.

Sulphur dioxide (SO₂) from coal plants contributes to acid smog, acid rain, and secondary aerosols. SO₂ forms sulphurous and sulphuric acids, contributing to acid rain and sulphate aerosols (0.2–0.9 µm).

Coal contains 0.5–6% sulphur as organic sulphur and inorganic sulphur (iron pyrites, FeS₂). Inorganic sulphur can be partially removed through coal washing and pulverising.

India’s dominant coal type is sub-bituminous, of Gondwana origin, with low sulphur, low moisture, low carbon content, and high quartz content. Sub-bituminous coal’s low calorific value leads to higher coal consumption per kilowatt-hour, increased CO₂ emissions, and large ash

The govt scaled back the 2015 mandate for coal-based thermal plants to install flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) devices due to capital investment needs. Pollution control systems in coal plants can account for 40% of construction costs and consume 5% of generated power.