Determine the correctness or otherwise of the following Assertion $$(a)$$ and the Reason$$(r).$$

Assertion(A): In a power plant working on a Rankine cycle, the regenerative feed water heating improves the efficiency of the steam turbine.

Reason(R): The regenerative feed water heating raises the average temperature of heat addition in the Rankine cycle.

Assertion (A): Condenser is an essential equipment in a steam power plant.

Reason(R): For the same mass flow rate and the same pressure rise, a water pump requires substantially less power than a steam compressor.

In the velocity diagram shown below, $$u=$$ blade velocity, $$C=$$ absolute fluid velocity and $$W = $$ relative velocity of fluid and the subscripts $$1$$ and $$2$$ refer to inlet and outlet.

Consider a steam power plant using a reheat cycle as shown. Steam leaves the boiler and enters the turbine at $$4$$ $$MPa,$$ $${350^ \circ }C$$ $$\left( {{h_3} = 3095\,\,kJ/kg} \right).$$ After expansion in the turbine to $$400$$ $$kPa$$ $$\left( {{h_4} = 2609\,\,kJ/kg} \right)$$, the steam is reheated to $${350^ \circ }C$$ $$\left( {{h_5} = 3170\,kJ/kg} \right),$$ and then expanded in a low pressure turbine to $$10$$ $$kPa$$ $$\left( {{h_6} = 2165\,kJ/kg} \right).$$

The thermal efficiency of the plant neglecting pump work is