• The Pentagon said it tested a conventionally configured ground-launched cruise missile with a range of more than 500 km (310 miles), the first such test since the United States pulled out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
• The United States formally withdrew from the landmark 1987 pact with Russia on Aug. 2 after determining that Moscow was violating the treaty, an accusation the Kremlin has denied.
• Moscow denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the pact, allegations rejected by the United States.

• The treaty, negotiated by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, banned land-based missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,400 miles (500 to 5,500 km).
• The INF was a 1987 pact with the former Soviet Union that banned ground-launched nuclear and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,000 kilometers. However, the United States and NATO allies have for years declared Russia in violation of the agreement.
• The missile hit its target after more than 500 km of flight. The test would have been prohibited by the INF treaty.
• The dispute is aggravating the worst U.S.-Russia friction since the Cold War ended in 1991. Some experts believe the treaty's collapse could undermine other arms control agreements and speed an erosion of the global system designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SARAL ) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development -energy )
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Power has launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL
• The State of Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in the Index that evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development. Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have got 2^nd, 3^rd and 4th rank respectively.
• The purpose of SARAL is to incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the States.
  
  

Know! more about SARAL

• SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).

It was launched during the Review Planning and Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State Power Utilities. SARAL currently captures five key aspects

1. Robustness of policy framework
2. Implementation environment
3. Investment climate
4. Consumer experience
5. Business ecosystem

• It encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far, and what it can do to improve its solar rooftop ecosystem.
• This will help states to channelize investments that can eventually help the sector grow. In addition, such an exercise is likely to create a more conducive environment for solar rooftop installations, encourage investment and lead to accelerated growth of the sector.

India's Renewable target

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to be operational by March 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.
• The Indian Grid Connected Rooftop PV (GRPV) segment is slowly gaining momentum with substantial interest from entrepreneurs, developers, financial institutions, development banks, end users and government entities.

Reason for the development of SARAL

• To achieve our rooftop solar targets, it is important to develop an ecosystem that ensures information symmetry, access to financing and clear market signals.
• Thus, the MNRE has developed the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL that evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development.
• SARAL is the first of its kind index to provide a comprehensive overview of state-level measures adopted to facilitate rooftop solar deployment.

Social Issues
HRD Minister launches Teachers Training Programme 'NISHTHA'

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NISHTHA ) + Mains ( GS II issues relating to development and management of social sector/services relating to health
What's the NEWS

• Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' launched the Integrated Teachers Training Programme, NISHTHA, National Initiative for School Head's and Teachers' Holistic Advancement

Know! all about NISHTHA

• The integrated programme aims to build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering all teachers and Heads of the school at the elementary level in all government school, faculty members of state councils of Educational Research and Training and other educational departments of all States and Union Territories.
• The integrated training will motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students, handle diverse situations and act as first level counsellors.
• Through this initiative, teachers at elementary level will be able to acquire scientific temperament and knowledge of other important educational aspects and transfer it to students.
• HRD Minister also launched NISHTHA initiative's Website, Training Modules, Primer Booklet and Mobile App built for purpose.
• The Mobile App and Learning Management System (LMS) which will be will be used for registration of Resource Persons and Teachers, training gap and impact analysis, monitoring, mentoring and measuring progress online is based on MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) and have been developed by NCERT.

Know! about the training module

• Inclusive education, ICT in teaching-learning, including artificial intelligence, health and well-being, initiatives in school education, including library, eco club, youth club, kitchen garden, school leadership qualities, environmental concerns, pre-school, pre-vocational education and school-based assessment in a joyful learning manner, are among the areas that will be covered in the training
• The training will be conducted directly by 33,120 key resource persons (KRPs) and state resource persons (SRPs) chosen by the state and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120 national resource persons identified from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), KendriyaVidyalayaSangathan (KVS), NavodayaVidyalayaSamiti (NVS), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and NGOs.

Prelims Factoids
Five new fish species discovered from Arunachal Pradesh
What's the NEWS

• Five more species of fish were discovered from Arunachal Pradesh by a fisheries and aquatic ecology research team led by Prof DN Das from Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) recently.

Know! more about the discovered fish

• The discovery and descriptions of the fish species have been published in various journals of international repute, according to a release from RGU's zoology department.

The newly discovered species include the
 Mystus prabini (discovered in Sinkin and the Dibang rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district)

1. the Exostoma kottelati (discovered in the Ranga river in Lower Subansiri district)
2. the Creteuchiloglanis tawangensis (discovered in the Tawangchu river in Tawang district)
3. the Garra ranganensis (discovered in the Ranga river); and
4. the Physoschistura harkishorei (discovered in the Dibang and the Lohit rivers in Lower Dibang Valley district).
   
   
   

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