In which of the following districts of U.P. a major solar power plant was established in collaboration with France in 2018 ?
- (a)Agra
- (b)Ballia
- (c)Deoria
- (d)Mirzapur
Correct — D, Mirzapur. On 12 March 2018, during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron jointly inaugurated what was then Uttar Pradesh's biggest solar power plant, built at Dadar Kalan village (Chhanvey block) in Mirzapur district by the French energy company ENGIE. The project was a showpiece of India-France solar cooperation, the partnership that also produced the International Solar Alliance (jointly launched by India and France at the 2015 Paris climate conference).
- (a)Agra — Agra is not the site of the 2018 India-France solar plant; that project was in Mirzapur. (Agra is best known for the Taj Mahal and the later Sur Sarovar/Keetham wetland.)
- (b)Ballia — Ballia, in eastern UP, was not the location of the France-collaboration solar plant inaugurated in 2018.
- (c)Deoria — Deoria was not the site; the major solar plant built with French (ENGIE) collaboration and inaugurated by Modi and Macron in 2018 was at Dadar Kalan, Mirzapur.
India and France have been the twin drivers of global solar diplomacy: they jointly launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the COP-21 Paris climate conference in November 2015, and the ISA is headquartered at Gurugram, India. Flowing from this partnership, French energy majors invested in Indian solar capacity — the Mirzapur (Dadar Kalan) plant, built by ENGIE, was inaugurated as a symbol of that cooperation during Macron's March 2018 visit.
This is a current-affairs recall tying a place (a UP district) to an event (a France-collaboration solar plant, 2018). The anchor is the Modi-Macron joint inauguration in March 2018 at Dadar Kalan in Mirzapur. Exact capacity figures were reported differently by different outlets, so a candidate should hold on to the location (Mirzapur) and the France/ENGIE link rather than a specific megawatt number.
- PM Modi and French President Macron jointly inaugurated the plant on 12 March 2018 at Dadar Kalan village, Mirzapur
- Built by the French energy company ENGIE; described as UP's biggest solar plant at the time
- Reflects India-France solar cooperation — the same partnership behind the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
- ISA was jointly launched by India and France at COP-21, Paris (Nov 2015) and is headquartered at Gurugram, India
- Guessing a famous district like Agra instead of Mirzapur
- Fixating on a specific megawatt figure — reports varied; the reliable anchor is the location and the France/ENGIE link
UPPSC/UPSC frame these as 'which place/which country' current-affairs recalls — pair the milestone (India-France solar plant, 2018) with its district (Mirzapur) and the broader ISA context.
Consider the following statements: 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(a) 1 only
Same concept — India-France solar cooperation. UPPSC asks about the France-collaboration solar plant in UP (Mirzapur); UPSC tests the International Solar Alliance, the India-France initiative launched at COP-21 (2015).
- practice — not a real PYQ
The International Solar Alliance (ISA), headquartered in India, was jointly launched by India and which other country?
- (a)Germany
- (b)France
- (c)United States
- (d)Japan
Answer(b) France — India and France launched the ISA at COP-21, Paris, in November 2015; its headquarters is at Gurugram.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The headquarters of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) is located in which country?
- (a)France
- (b)United Arab Emirates
- (c)India
- (d)Switzerland
Answer(c) India — the ISA Secretariat is at Gurugram (Gwal Pahari), Haryana.