1. Atal Innovation Mission and UNDP India launches Community Innovator Fellowship
Tags: National News
Atal Innovation Mission of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Ayog, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has introduced a Community Innovator Fellowship to mark the ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’. 11 February is celebrated in the world as the “ International Day of Women and Girls in Science”.
The fellowship is developed as a pre-incubation model which will provide youth with an opportunity to establish their social enterprise focusing on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) based solutions for solving community issues.
UNDP
The United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) was set up in 1965 by the United Nation .
Its headquarters is in New York , United States .
UNDP helps countries in eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, and building resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
NITI Ayog
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Ayog was set up on 1 January 2015 to replace the Planning Commission.
Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of NITI Ayog
Current Vice-chairman : Rajiv Kumar
Its headquarters : New Delhi
2. Diesel to be replaced by renewable energy in Agriculture by 2024
Tags: National News
The Government of India has set a target to replace the use of diesel by renewable energy in the agriculture sector by 2024.
Agriculture sector after transportation sector is the second largest consumer of diesel in India.
Diesel is used by farmers for running pumps for irrigation purposes , harvesters, threshers , and running tractors.
Diesel is the most-popular fuel, accounting for about 40% of India’s petroleum sales.
Green Energy Target
According to the Union Power Minister R.K.Singh ,the Government of India has set a target of 500 GigaWatt(GW) of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 .
It has also set a target that by 2030 the contribution of the non -renewable source of energy in total energy production shall be 50 %.
Concept
Fossil Fuels
It is a hydrocarbon fuel which is formed due to decomposition of organic materials like tree, animals over a period of time . Petroleum, Natural Gas, Coal are examples of fossil fuels. They are burned for energy production.
Renewable Energy
The energy derived from natural processes that are replenished at a rate that is equal to or faster than the rate at which they are consumed. For eg Sun(solar energy,), river (hydel energy). Wind, hot springs (geothermal energy), biomass(bio-fuels), Tides(tidal energy ).
Non-Renewable Energy
The energy source which cannot be replenished during human lifetime is called non-renewable energy . Eg. Fossil fuels If we use 1 kg coal for producing power then the formation of new 1kg of coal by nature will take millions of years to form to replace the consumed coal.
FACTS
The total renewable energy installed capacity in India as on 30 September 2021 was 150.54 GW.of which
Solar energy was 48.55 GW,
Large Hydroelectric energy was 46.51 GW
Wind energy was 40.03 GW,
Biomass energy was 10.62 GW. and
Small Hydroelectric energy was 4.83 GW,
India has the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world after China, U.S and Germany.
3. Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting
Tags: Popular International News
Australia hosted the third in- person foreign minister’s meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue also known as QUAD in Melbourne on 11 February 2022. Earlier in person foreifn ministers’ meetings were held in Tokyo in October 2020 and the inaugural meeting in New York in September 2019.
The Melbourne meeting was attended by the Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken , Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and the Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payn.
A joint statement was issued after the end of the meeting .The main highlights of the statement were as follows :
For the first time the QUAD mentions the terrorist incident of 2008 Mumbai attack of 26/11 and the attck on Pathankot air base 2016 and called for bringing the prepartotrs to justice .
The foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the US reviewed the Quad Vaccine Partnership, which was launched in March last year, during their meeting in Melbourne. The partnership envisages the production of at least 1 billion doses of US-developed vaccines in India with American and Japanese funding.
Indian company Biological E is producing corona vaccine developed by U.S Texas Children’s Hospital scientists Drs Peter Hotez and . Maria Bottazzi. The vaccine is called Corbevax. This vaccine will be supplied to poor countries through Quad Vaccine Partnership.
Australia will hold an Indo-Pacific Clean Energy Supply Chain Forum meeting in mid-2022 to establish responsible and resilient clean-energy supply chains
QUAD
Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a group of four countries US, Japan, Australia and India. The concept of QUAD was given by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 for maritime cooperation between these countries after the Indian ocean Tsunami disaster in 2004.
Now the group is mainly seen as a group to counter the Chinese influence in the region .
The first virtual summit meeting of the leader of QUAD was held in March 2021.
The First in person summit meeting of the leaders of the four countries was held by the United States in September 2021 in Washington attended by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
The next summit meeting will be held in Japan in 2022.
4. Government of India to set up two Centre for excellence in Carbon capture facility in India
Tags: National News
The Government of India is setting up two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation for long-term research, design development, collaborative and capacity-building hubs for state-of-the-art research and application-oriented initiatives in the field of Carbon capture.
The two centre s are:
National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCoE-CCU) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay,
National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCCCU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru
Concept clearing
Carbon Capture and Storage and Utilisation
Carbon Capture and Storage is the process of capturing the carbon dioxide which is released due to industrial activities/power generation using fossil fuels, before it is released in the atmosphere .
The captured carbon- dioxide can be used to make commercially marketable products . This is called Capture Capture Storage and Utilisation (CCSU). Normally it is used in enhanced oil extraction where carbon dioxide is injected in oil fields to increase their extraction efficiency.
The first large-scale CCSU project began operating at Sleipner in Norway in 1996.
Important full form for EXAMS :
NCoE-CCU: National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization
National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilisation.
NCCCU: National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilisation
CCSU.: Carbon Capture Storage and Utilisation
JNCASR: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
5. INCOIS Brings out Coastal Vulnerability Index
Tags: National News
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad has brought out the Coastal Vulnerability Index(CVI).
The Coastal Vulnerability Index ranks the coastal areas of the States /Union Territories on the basis of physical and geological risk they face if there is rise in sea level in future.
To prepare the Index, INCOIS used various parameters. The parameters were selected on the basis of the change expected in the coastal area when the sea level rises. These parameters are based on :
Tidal range;
Wave height;
Coastal slope;
Coastal elevation;
Shoreline change rate;
Geomorphology; and
Historical rate of relative sea-level change,
Risk assessment of the coastal states
According to the CVI the States/Union Territories which are going to be affected are as follows
Gujarat’s 124 coastal km or 5.36 % of its coastal area is going to get affected , similarly
Maharashtra 11 km or 1.22%
Karnataka & Goa 48 km or 9.54% each ,
Kerala 15 km or 2.39%,
Tamil Nadu 65 km or 6.38%,
Andhra Pradesh 6 km or 0.55 %,
Odisha 37 km or 7.51%
West Bengal 49 km or 2.56%,
Lakshadweep Islands 1 km or 0.81%,
Andaman Islands 24 km or 0.96 km and Nicobar Islands 8 km or 0.97%.
INCOIS
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO).
Functions :
It issues alerts on Tsunami, storm,high waves alerts etc.
It provides information to the fisherman on areas having abundant fish in the ocean.
Headquarter : Hyderabad
Facts
India has a coastline of 7516.6 Km.
It has 6100 km of mainland coastline plus a coastline of 1416.6Km of 1197 Indian islands .
Serial no | State/Union Territories | Length of coastline (in km) |
1 | Andaman and Nicobar | 1962.0 |
2 | Gujarat | 1214.7 |
3 | Andhra Pradesh | 973.7 |
4 | Tamil Nadu | 906.9 |
5 | Maharashtra | 652.6 |
6 | Kerala | 569.7 |
7 | Odisha | 476.4 |
8 | Karnataka | 280.0 |
9 | West Bengal | 157.5 |
10 | Lakshadweep Islands | 132.0 |
11 | Goa | 105 |
12 | Daman and Diu/Dadra Nagar Haveli | 54.50 |
13 | Puducherry | 30.6 |
Total Coastline | 7516.6 |
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs .
Important full form for EXAMS :
INCOIS: Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
CVI : Coastal Vulnerability Index.
ESSO.: Earth System Science Organisation
6. Prime Minister address One Ocean Summit
Tags: National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the One Ocean Summit organised by France at the French city of Brest on 11 February 2022.
The One Ocean Summit is being organised by France from 9 to 11 February 2022 in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank.
The objective of the Summit is to mobilise the international community to take tangible action towards preserving and supporting healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems.
7. America is the biggest customer of ISRO
Tags: National News
Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has launched 222 American satellites during 2016-17 to 2021-22.
The Government of India has informed the Parliament on 10 February 2022 that ISRO successfully launched 285 customer satellites from 29 foreign countries, on-board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on commercial basis.
Country wise breakup of number of foreign satellites launched during 2016-17 to 2021-22:
Algeria (3), Australia (1), Austria (1), Belgium (3), Brazil (1), Canada (5), Chile (1), Colombia (1), Czech Republic (1), Finland (3), France (2), Germany (2), Indonesia (1), Israel (2), Italy (4), Japan (2), Kazakhstan (1), Latvia (1), Lithuania (7), Luxembourg (1), Malaysia (1), The Netherlands (2), Republic Of Korea (5), Slovakia (1), Spain (2), Switzerland (2), UAE (1), United Kingdom (6), USA (222).
ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation was founded on 15 August 1969.
It is the premier space agency in India
Its headquarters is at Bengaluru
It launches its rockets from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at SriHarikota , Andhra Pradesh.
Antrix Corporation
Antrix corporation was set up as a company owned by the Government of India in 1992.
It is a marketing company which promotes ISRO’s capabilities to launch satellites successfully at a low cost around the world . It brings foreign clients to India for launching their satellites through ISRO’s PSLV rockets .
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
To involve the Private sector in the space programme and to develop technologies and products for the world market, the government of India set up a new company NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
It was set up in 2019 as a company owned by the Government of India under the administrative control of the Department of Space .
Unlike Antrix Corporation which is a pure marketing company NSIL will involve the Indian companies to develop technology and products for the foreign buyers.
8. Iran unveils a new missile that can hit US base and Israel
Tags: International News
Iran has claimed to develop a new missile, the Khaibar-buster. a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors in the early days of Islam.
The missile has a range of 1,4500 km and uses solid fuel.
The missile can hit the United States military bases in the West Asian region and also deep inside its arch enemy Israel.
Islamic Republic of Iran
It is a muslim country in West Asia .
Capital : Tehran
Currency : Iranian Rial
President : Ebrahim Raisi
9. ICJ orders Uganda to pay $325m for Congo occupation
Tags: International News
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has held Uganda guilty of occupying parts of Democratic Republic of Congo from 1998 to 2003.
Uganda was held responsible for the deaths of 10-15000 people in the eastern Ituri region of Congo and for looting its gold, diamonds and timber .
The ICJ has ordered Uganda to pay $ 325 million as compensation to Democratic Republic of Congo.
Congo filed a case against Uganda in 1999 for acts of armed aggression committed against it and its citizens. It accused Ugandan soldiers of looting and human rights violations.
The ICJ decision is final but it has no power to enforce its decision .
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- The International Court of Justice is also called the World Court, and is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
- It was set up in 1945
- Its headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands .
- It hears cases relating to disputes between member countries but it has no power to enforce its decision.
Uganda
- It is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa. It is the second most populous landlocked country after Ethiopia in the world .
- Capital : Kampala
- Currency : Ugandan Shilling
Democratic Republic of Congo
- It is located in Central Africa . It is the second largest country in Africa after Algeria .
- Capital : Kinshasa. It is on the bank of River Congo
- Congo is the only river in the world to cross the equator twice .
- Currency : Congo franc
10. Atal Tunnel is the world's longest tunnel above 10,000 feet
Tags: National News
- The United Kingdom based “World Books of Records” has officially recognised Atal Tunnel as the “World's longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 feet above the mean seal level .”
The Atal tunnel is 9.02 kilometres long and it runs under the Rohtang pass on the Manali-Leh Highway.
It is at a height of 10,171 feet and it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3 October 2020.
It has been constructed by the Border Road Organisation which comes under the Ministry of Defence .
It has reduced the distance between Manali(Himachal Pradesh) and Sarchu(Leh) by 46 km and travel time by four to five hours .
It is an all weather road of strategic significance for the Indian Army as it opens an alternative route to ladakh for the Army.
Manali- Leh Highway
It is part of the National Highway 3 which starts from Attari in Punjab to Leh in Ladakh through Manali .
The Manali-Leh highway is 427.7 Km long .It has 178 Km in Himachal Pradesh after the opening of the Atal Tunnel and 250 Km in Ladakh .
Sarchu in Ladakh is the major halt point at the boundary of the Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
