1. Rooftop solar energy panels to be set up in all CAPF establishments
Tags: National News
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) in New Delhi on 6 May 2022, in order to realise the objectives of green energy and the efforts of the Government of India towards a carbon-neutral economy.
This umbrella MoU envisages cooperation between the two sides for jointly setting up solar rooftop PV power plants.
The move will help generate up to 71.68 MW of solar power and facilitate the use of green energy in a large number of security installations across India.
There are around 10 lakh personnel in CAPFs - CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB and they are deployed in different areas of security in different parts of the country.
Based on the available data, SECI has estimated a total solar power capacity of 71.68 MW in the campuses of CAPFs and NSG.
The SECI has expertise in the field of solar power projects.
2. PM Modi urges people to participate in Logo Design Contest for G-20 Presidency of India
Tags: Popular National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to participate in the logo design competition for the G-20 Presidency of India.
He said, it is a special competition which celebrates the creativity of the youth of the country.
The logo design competition window is open to the participants from today till 7th of next month.
The Ministry of External Affairs has invited logo designs for the upcoming G20 Presidency of India.
The first winner will get a prize of one lakh 50 thousand rupees and the next five best entries will receive 15 thousand rupees each.
The logo design should include artistic expressions of colour combination and arrangement in the national tricolour.
About G-20
The "Group of 20" (G20) is made up of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union.
Member countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States of America.
It is a major forum for international economic cooperation.
The G20 plays a strategic role in achieving future global economic growth and prosperity.
Origins of the G-20
In the wake of the 1997 economic crisis, the G7 finance ministers announced the creation of a "Group of 20".
The first official meeting of the G20 was held in Berlin in December 1999.
G-20 leaders have met every year since 2010.
Contribution of G -20
G20 member countries represent more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of international trade and 60% of the world's population.
Presidency of G -20
Its presidency rotates with each member country.
India will hold the Presidency of the G-20, for the first time, from 1st December 2022 to 30 November 2023 culminating in the G-20 Summit in 2023.
3. Border Roads Organisation celebrates Raising Day
Tags: National Important Days
Border Roads Organisation celebrating Raising Day today on 7th May, 2022.
About Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
BRO, a pioneer in the field of infrastructural development in the border areas of the country, is celebrating its 63 years of illustrious service to the nation.
BRO is a major road construction agency under the Ministry of Defence with the primary objective of providing road connectivity to the border areas.
BRO was formed on 7th May 1960.
It develops and maintains the road network in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring countries.
This includes operating infrastructure in 19 states and three union territories (including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.
One of the biggest infrastructural achievements of BRO - longest highway tunnel built in Himachal Pradesh, and its name is Atal Tunnel.
Atal tunnel under Rohtang Pass is an 8.8-kilometer-long tunnel.
This will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kms and will save on transportation costs.
Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhry assumes the position of Director General of BRO.
4. India's first Regional Rapid Transit System train
Tags: National News
The first train of the 'Regional Rapid Transit System' (RRTS) was handed over to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on May 7 at a function in Savli, Gujarat.
These state-of-the-art RRTS trains are being manufactured in the country under the 'Make in India' initiative at Alstom's factory in Savli, Gujarat.
Alstom is a French multinational company that acquired Bombardier Transportation early last year.
The Canadian-German company Bombardier built the Metro car for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
The RRTS trains are capable of running at a top speed of 180 kilometre per hour.
The train set will be brought to the Duhai depot in Uttar Pradesh and will be maintained and operated from there.
The fully air-conditioned train comes with several modern commuter-centric features including cushioned seating, laptop-mobile charging, luggage racks and dynamic route-maps.
About NCRTC
National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is a joint venture company of the Government of India and the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP under the administrative control of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
It is empowered to implement the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project in NCR of India.
It ensures balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and accessibility.
5. India gets its 100th unicorn startup
Tags: National News
The unicorn wave in India has reached an all-time high and the Neobank Open has become the 100th Unicorn in the country.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that one in every 10 unicorns produced globally is from India.
Neobank startup, Open has become the 100th unicorn in India with the latest funding of $50 million from IIFL along with existing investors.
The Indian startup ecosystem is the third largest in the world in terms of number of unicorns.
India is now home to 100 unicorns, with a total value of $332.7 billion.
According to the ministry, in the first four months of 2022, India has generated 14 unicorns with a total valuation of $18.9 billion.
The year 2021 saw a huge jump in the number of unicorns, with a total of 44 startups entering the unicorn club throughout the year, with a total value of $93 billion.
Since the launch of the Startup India initiative on 16 January 2016, more than 69,000 startups have been recognized in the country till 2 May 2022.
What is a Unicorn?
A unicorn is any privately owned firm that has a market capitalization of more than $1 billion.
The term unicorn was first coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013.
Some popular unicorns include SpaceX, Robinhood, and Instacart.
There are over 1,000 unicorn companies around the world as of March 2022.
6. India's first Flow Chemistry Technology Hub (FCT Hub)
Tags: National News
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India's first Flow Chemistry Technology Hub (FCT Hub) has been established at Dr. Reddy's Institute of Life Sciences (DRILS), Hyderabad.
This Centre of Excellence has been set up by the Government of Telangana in partnership with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Laurus Labs.
The centre will provide practical training and promote scientific capacity building.
This hub will ensure greater incorporation of flow chemistry techniques into pharma R&D and greater adoption of continuous synthesis for manufacturing of Active Pharma Ingredients (APIs).
Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana, is regarded as the life sciences capital of India and an important life sciences hub in Asia Pacific.
Hyderabad contributes about 35% of India's total pharmaceutical production.
Hyderabad has more than 800 pharmaceutical companies, hosting the largest number of USFDA approved facilities globally.
7. Enterprise India National Coir Conclave 2022
Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Shri Narayan Rane inaugurated the 'Enterprise India National Coir Conclave 2022' organised under the "Amrit Mahotsav of Independence" at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
On this occasion, the Coir Industries Awards were distributed to 44 units producing/exporting/exporting coir and coir products.
On this Absar, the Care Board has introduced new coir products such as Care Composite Fruit Bowl, Jio-Textile Shadow Lamp, Care Fores, Care Flattened Auto Mirror Cover, Flat Rectangular Train, Certificate Holder as well as technology manuals for coir along with introducing new coir products. Books related to furnishing of floor-made floor-made floor-made floors were also released.
The 'Run for Care' is also being organised on May 6, 2022 as a natural, disabled and environmentally friendly product to promote the use of coars.
About Care Board -
The Coir Board is a statutory body by the Government of India under the Coir Industry Act 1953.
The headquarters of the Coir Board is in the city of Cochin.
Coir is a fibre made from the outer husk of the coconut.
Coir is used to make ropes, mattresses, brushes, doormats, etc.
Coir is a good example of 'Waste to Wealth', which provides a sustainable solution by being eco-friendly and helpful in conserving water and soil.
The coir industry provides employment to more than seven lakh people in the rural areas of coconut producing states.
8. Ukraine and Britain (UK) have signed a preferential trade agreement
Tags: International News
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Ukraine and Britain (UK) have signed a preferential trade agreement for the abolition of import duties and tariff quotas.
By signing this agreement Ukraine and the UK have legally abolished import duties and tariff quotas in bilateral trade.
The Preferential Trade Agreement will be valid for 12 months.
The agreement is set to promote exports of high value-added goods such as flour, cereals, dairy products, poultry, tomato paste, honey, corn, wheat, juice, mushrooms and sugar from Ukraine.
Recently the European Union also decided to abolish tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian industrial goods and food items.
About Ukraine-
Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia in the east, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia in the north, Hungary in the west, Romania in the south and Moldova and the Black Sea in the south and the Black Sea and Azov Sea.
Capital - Kyiv
President- Volodymyr Zelensky
Prime Minister- Volodymyr Groysman
currency - hryvnia
9. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a trafficking free nation
Tags: Latest National News
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Railway Protection Force (RPF) signs MoU with Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) for a trafficking free nation.
The deliberations were taken forward with signing of MoU wherein both RPF and AVA (also known as Bachpan Bachao Andolan) pledged to work together to share information, build capacity of RPF personnel and railway employees to work against Human Trafficking.
A joint action by both the stakeholders under the framework of the MoU will certainly increase the reach and effectiveness of "Operation Aahat" (Action Against Human Trafficking) launched by RPF across the country.
Role of Railway Protection Force
Railway Protection Force has been entrusted with the responsibility of security of railway property, passenger area and passengers.
It has succeeded in rescuing more than 50,000 children from human trafficking since the year 2018 under "Operation Nanhe Farishte".
It has recently launched "Operation Aahat" to take strong action against human trafficking and rescue victims of human trafficking from the clutches of traffickers.
The RPF has also established Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) at over 740 locations across India, which have been directed to take action against human trafficking.
Bachpan Bachao Andolan
Bachpan Bachao Andolan, associated with Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation was founded in 1979 under the leadership of Nobel laureate Mr. Kailash Satyarthi.
The mission of Bachpan Bachao Andolan is to end all forms of violence against children and to create a world where all children are free, safe and healthy and receive quality education.
10. Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for Ministry of Steel held at Shimla
Tags: National News
A meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Steel was held on 6 May 2022 at Shimla to discuss the topic "Transition to Green Steel" under the chairmanship of Union Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh.
The Chairman urged the stakeholders to come together in developing a time bound action plan and make concerted efforts to reduce emissions from the steel industry.
In the meeting, the members of the Committee discussed the current scenario and the way forward to promote the transition towards Green Steel with senior officials of the Ministry of Steel and experts from the steel industry.
Various strategies & technologies that can be adopted by the steel industry to produce green steel and their Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) were also discussed.
The focus of the discussion was on the possibilities of using green hydrogen for use in iron production and the use of CCUS technologies to reduce emissions in line with the commitments made in COP26.
Challenges of Iron and Steel sector
The iron and steel sector is particularly challenging with respect to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as the use of fossil fuel-based energy and reductants is deeply embedded in the production process.
The emissions from the Indian iron and steel industry is higher primarily due to higher usage of coal based energy source and as reductant.
It is thus imperative for the Indian steel industry to substantially reduce its emissions and take appropriate action in keeping with the commitments made in COP26.
