1. Union cabinet approves Rs 2,614.51 crore investment in the 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project
Tags: National State News
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 January 2023 approved the investment of Rs 2,614.51 crore for the 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project by state-owned SJVN Ltd in Himachal Pradesh.
The 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project is being developed by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam limited (SJVN) on Sutlej river in the Shimla and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh. The project on completion is expected to generate 1,382 million units of electricity annually.
This project would help in reduction of 11 lakh tons of carbon dioxide from the environment annually and Himachal Pradesh would benefit with around Rs 2,587 crore worth of free power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually laid the foundation stone of the 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project in Himachal Pradesh on 27 December 2021. He also laid the foundation stone of 210 MW Luhri Stage-1 on river Sutlej and 66 MW Dhaulasidh project being built on Beas river .All the projects are being developed by SJVN.
Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVN)
It is a Mini Ratna Category-I Central public Sector Enterprises Company under the Union Ministry of Power.
The company is a joint venture of the Government of India and Himachal Pradesh government with the government of India holding the majority shares. It was set up in 1988 for hydroelectric power generation and transmission.
SJVN is presently implementing or operating power projects in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Odisha, Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh in India besides neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.
Chairman and Managing Director: N L Sharma
2. 1st All India Annual State Ministers Conference on Water
Tags: Summits National News
1st All India Annual State Ministers Conference on Water to be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 5th & 6th January, 2023.
Important facts
The Government is deliberating on the preparation of the Action Plan and Vision Document of India@2047.
Water Vision@2047 is part of PM’s India@2047 plan.
Thematic sessions will be organised at the conference to focus on water security, water use efficiency, water governance, water infrastructure and water quality.
Ministers of State for Water Resources, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Irrigation of all States/Union Territories of the country will participate.
The participants will have to prepare a blueprint of Water Vision @ 2047 and prepare a road map to overcome the water problems of the country.
Objectives of the conference
To collect inputs for India@2047 and 5P vision from various water stakeholders of the states as water is a state subject.
Improving engagement and partnership with states and sharing of initiatives and schemes of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
5 thematic sessions of the conference
Water Security in Water Deficit, Water Surplus and Hilly Regions
Water Use Efficiency including Reuse of Waste Water/ Grey Water
Water Governance
Climate Change Resilient Water Infrastructure, and
Water Quality
Union Minister of Jal Shakti - Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
3. PM Modi presides over annual general meeting of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library society
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd January chaired the Annual General Meeting of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society in New Delhi.
Important facts
He underlined the need to widen the scope of research on modern Indian history by involving individuals and institutions to create awareness about the country's past.
He stressed the need for institutions in the country to record research work for the benefit of present and future generations.
He also expressed satisfaction over the design and contents of the Prime Minister's Museum and described the museum as truly nation-centric and not individual-centric.
The Prime Minister's Museum is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since independence.
It is a descriptive record of the contribution made by each PM to the development of the country in the last 75 years.
The PM mentioned that the 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, is in 2024.
About Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
It was established in 1964 in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964).
It is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
It is located in Teen Murti House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India.
It has four major components, a Memorial Museum, a Library on Modern India, a Center for Contemporary Studies and the Nehru Planetarium.
It is a specialised library designed and developed as an exclusive research and reference centre on colonial and post-colonial India. It has a rich manuscript section.
4. PM Modi presides over annual general meeting of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library society
Tags: National National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd January chaired the Annual General Meeting of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society in New Delhi.
Important facts
He underlined the need to widen the scope of research on modern Indian history by involving individuals and institutions to create awareness about the country's past.
He stressed the need for institutions in the country to record research work for the benefit of present and future generations.
He also expressed satisfaction over the design and contents of the Prime Minister's Museum and described the museum as truly nation-centric and not individual-centric.
The Prime Minister's Museum is a tribute to every Prime Minister of India since independence.
It is a descriptive record of the contribution made by each PM to the development of the country in the last 75 years.
The PM mentioned that the 200th birth anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, is in 2024.
About Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
It was established in 1964 in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964).
It is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
It is located in Teen Murti House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India.
It has four major components, a Memorial Museum, a Library on Modern India, a Center for Contemporary Studies and the Nehru Planetarium.
It is a specialised library designed and developed as an exclusive research and reference centre on colonial and post-colonial India. It has a rich manuscript section.
5. Govt exempts public sector companies from minimum public float rules
Tags: National Economy/Finance
The government of India has exempted public sector entities from the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm which mandates at least 25 per cent public float for all listed companies.
The Securities Contracts (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2022 was notified by the government on 2 January 2023.
According to the notification “any listed entity in which the Central Government or State Government or public sector company, either individually or in any combination with others, holds directly or indirectly, majority of the shares or voting rights or control of such listed entity, are exempted from any or all of the provisions of this rule”.
Rule 19 A of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules prescribes that a listed entity must have at least 25 percent of public shareholding. Public shareholding means an investor who is not the promoter of the company. The investor could be either an individual or an institution.
Listed Company means that the capital instrument of the company (shares, debenture or bonds etc) is listed on any stock exchange and it can be bought and sold in the market.
6. UIDAI allows change in address online with the consent of head of family
Tags: National
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in a notification issued on 3 January 2023 has allowed residents to update addresses in Aadhaar online with the consent of their head of family.
The new process can be initiated after submitting proof of relationship documents like a ration card, mark sheet, marriage certificate, passport etc, mentioning the name of both the applicant and head of family (HOF) and the relationship between them. The process requires OTP-based authentication by the HOF.
According to the UIDAI any resident above the age of 18 can be a HOF for this purpose and can share his or her address with his or her relatives through this process.
Residents have to pay a fee of Rs 50 for the service.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.
It was set up on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
UIDAI was created to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), Aadhaar, to all residents of India. It issues a 12 digit biometric Aadhaar number to the residents of India after satisfying the verification process laid down by the Authority.
Chief Executive officer (CEO): Dr Saurabh Garg
7. Hydrogen blended PNG project starts operation at NTPC Kawas ,Gujarat
Tags: place in news National Science and Technology State News
India’s largest power company NTPC Ltd has commissioned India’s first green hydrogen blending project at Kawas, Gujarat. The piped natural gas (PNG) blended with green hydrogen gas is being supplied through the Gujarat Gas limited piped natural gas (PNG) network in the NTPC Kawas township, Surat.
In April 2022 the NTPC signed an agreement with Gujarat Gas for blending of green hydrogen in the piped natural gas (PNG) to be supplied to the NTPC Kawas Township.
Green Hydrogen refers to the breaking down of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable sources of energy.
The Central government owned NTPC provides the green hydrogen produced at its 1 megawatt (MW) floating solar project of NTPC Kawas in the Surat district of Gujarat for blending purposes.
Initially, the percentage of hydrogen blending in the PNG shall be around 5% and after successful completion, it will be increased. The Hydrogen blended PNG will be used for cooking purposes.
This is the first project of its kind in the country .This is seen as a first step toward the decarbonization of the cooking sector and self-sufficiency for the energy requirements of the nation.
Gujarat Gas Limited (GGL) is India's largest City Gas Distribution (CGD) Company in terms of sales volume, with operation across 43 districts in 6 states and 1 Union territory in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh and Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
It is owned by Gujarat government owned Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.
Headquarters: Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
8. Dr. Vinay Prakash Singh takes over as the Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Postal Union
Tags: Person in news International News
Dr Vinay Prakash Singh assumed the charge as the Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) on 1 January 2023. . This is the first time that an Indian is leading an international organization in the postal sector. Dr Singh will remain in office for 4 years.
Former Member (Personnel), Postal Services Board, Department of Post Dr Vinay Prakash Singh was elected as the Secretary General during the 13th APPU Congress held in Bangkok during August- September 2022.
Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) is an intergovernmental organization of 32-member countries of the Asian-Pacific region. APPU is the only Union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the region, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The headquarters of the Asian Pacific Postal Union is in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Secretary General leads the activities of the Union and is also the Director of the Asian Pacific Postal College (APPC) which is the largest intergovernmental postal training institute in the region.
The Asia Pacific region generates around half of the global mail volume and has around one-third of the global postal human resource.
9. Captain Shiva Chauhan becomes the first women officer to be operationally deployed in Siachen
Tags: National Defence Person in news
Fire and Fury Corps officer Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the highest battleground in Kumar Post on the Siachen glacier.
This information was tweeted by the official account of the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army.
Ms Shiva had to undergo arduous training before her posting in Kumar Post.
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen glacier lies in the Karakoram Range .It is 75 km (47 miles) long, which makes it the second longest nonpolar glacier in the world, after Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
Strategic Significance of Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. The Glacier is of strategic significance for India namely;
- The Glacier guards the routes which lead to Leh, the capital of Ladakh.
- Secondly the Saltoro Ridge overlooks the area of Gilgit–Baltistan of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
- Thirdly, it overlooks and dominates the Shaksgam Valley, which was illegally ceded to China by Pakistan.
- Fourthly, it is close to the Karakoram Pass through which the Karakoram Highway passes connecting Gilgit-Baltistan to Xinjiang Province of China.
Due to its strategic significance both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).
More than 2,000 soldiers have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of mountain warfare.
Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to take control of Siachen Glacier on the morning of April 13, 1984 before the Pakistani army did so.
At that time Siachen Glacier was in the State of Jammu and Kashmir but presently it is in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
10. MOIL registers record production in December
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
MOIL has registered its best December production of 1,41,321 tonnes of manganese ore in December, 2022.
Important facts
MOIL has registered an increase of 18 percent in production as compared to November 2022.
Along with this, sales of 1,64,235 tonnes have also been done for the month of December with an increase of about 91 percent as compared to November 2022.
Besides this, the company has increased prices in an effective range of 2.7-15%.
About MOIL
It is a Schedule-A, Miniratna category-1 Company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Steel, Government of India.
It is the largest producer of manganese ore in the country with about 45% market share, operating eleven mines in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
The company aims to almost double its production to 3 million tonnes by 2030.
It is also looking for business opportunities in the state of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Odisha apart from other regions of the state of Madhya Pradesh.
