1. 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.
2. Second Phase of Sari Festival “VIRAASAT”- Celebrating 75 handwoven Saris of India begins in New Delhi
Tags: place in news National Government Schemes
The second phase of the Sari Festival “VIRAASAT”- Celebrating 75 handwoven Saris of India will begin from 3- 17 January 2023 in New Delhi . The Union Ministry of Textile is organising the festival.
Over 90 participants from different parts of India the will display a wide variety of sarees like handloom Saris of Jamdani, Ikat, Pochampally, Banaras Brocade, Tussar Silk (Champa), Baluchari, Bhagalpuri Silk, Tangail, Chanderi, Lalitpuri, Patola, Paithani etc
The first phase of “VIRAASAT”- Celebrating 75 handwoven Saris of India started on 16th December 2022 and concluded on 30th December 2022. The event was inaugurated by Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on 16th December 2022, along with Hon’ble Minister of State Smt. Darshana Jardosh and other women parliamentarians.
The event is likely to bring renewed focus on the age-old tradition of Sari weaving and thereby improve earnings of the handloom community.
Union Textile minister: Piyush Goel
3. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates Indian Library Congress in Kannur, Kerala
Tags: place in news State News
The Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Indian Library Congress at the Collectorate Ground in Kannur, Kerala on 1 January 2023.
The Indian Library Congress has been organized by the People’s Mission for Social Development and Library Council from 1 -3 January 2023 and hosted by Kannur University, Kerala.
Representatives from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar and other states and foreign countries are participating in the Indian Library Congress.
Earlier on 26 December 2022, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that his constituencyDharmadamhas become the first complete library constituency in India.
4. PM to address 108th Indian Science Congress to be held in Nagpur
Tags: place in news National Science and Technology Summits
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) on 3rd January, 2023 through video conferencing. The 108 Indian national Science Congress is being organised by the Indian Science Congress Association from 3-7 January 2023 at the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.
The 107 Indian Science Congress 2022 was held at the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka in January 2022.
Theme of the 108th Indian Science Congress 2023: Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment”.
The Congress will hold discussions on issues of sustainable development, women empowerment and the role of science & technology in achieving this. A special programme to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology will also be held, which will also witness lectures by renowned women scientists.
Other Programmes at the ISC
Several other programmes will also be organised alongside ISC. Children’s Science Congress will also be organised to help stimulate scientific interest and temperament among children. Farmer’s Science Congress will provide a platform to improve the bio-economy and attract youth to agriculture.
Tribal Science Congress will also be held, which will also be a platform for scientific display of indigenous ancient knowledge system and practice, along with focusing on the empowerment of tribal women.
Indian Science Congress Association
The Indian Science Congress Association owes its origin to the two British Chemists, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P. S. Mac Mahon. It was set up in Kolkata in 1914.
It was their view that scientific research in India would be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged.
Every year its members meet annually in the first week of January named Indian Science Congress. The first session of the Congress was held in 1914.
5. ISRO, NCES and Andhra University to set up equipment along beaches to predict rip currents and prevent drowning at sea
Tags: place in news Science and Technology State News
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with National Centre for Earth Sciences (NCES), Thiruvananthapuram and Andhra University will jointly set up equipment to forecast rip currents at Rushikonda and RK beach of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
According to the state government over 200 people have drowned in sea at various beaches in and around Visakhapatnam during 2012 to 2022 and of these, RK beach in the city accounted for 60 percent of deaths. Majority of the death has been due to the presence of rip currents.
The equipment will be used to inform the local marine and local police to alert visitors in the coastal areas.
Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water which moves from shore towards sea. The rip currents are so powerful that they pull people away from the shorelines towards sea. The majority of people who are pulled away by the rip currents die when they are unable to keep themselves afloat and swim to the shore.
Rip currents are found in almost all the beaches of the world.
6. Union Home Minister Amit Shah lays the foundation stone of the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) at Devanahalli, Karnataka
Tags: place in news National State News
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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) at Devanahalli, Karnataka on 31 December 2022.
This will be the 6th CDTI of the Bureau of Police Research & Development under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the country.
The Devanahalli center of CDTI will serve the forensic needs of the neighbouring States of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union Territory of Daman-Diu.
Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI)
There are five functioning Central Detective Training Institutes (CDTI) in the country under the Bureau of Police Research & Development. The first CDTI was set up in Calcutta in 1958. Others are at Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Ghaziabad. The objective of the CDIT is to provide training to the police personnel up to Deputy SSP rank.
The main objective of the in-service training is to improve the standard of crime investigation in this country by familiarizing Police Investigation Officers with the various developments in Forensic Science. They are trained to match the skill and resources of the modern criminal with the aids that the progress of science has placed at their disposal. They are taught to adopt scientific methods and new techniques and processes and enlist the aid of various branches of science.
Director General of Bureau of Police Research & Development: Balaji Srivastatva
7. Koneru Humpy win’s Silver at the World Chess Blitz championship
Tags: place in news Sports Person in news
Former Indian World Rapid Chess champion Koneru Humpy won the silver medal in the women's section of the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship that concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 30 December 2022.
She finished on 12.5 points, just half a point behind the winner Bibisara Balabayeva of Kazakhstan. Koneru Humpy has won the World Rapid Chess Championship 2019.
World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2022
The International Chess governing body FIDE organises World Rapid and Blitz chess championship at the end of the year. This year it was held in Kazakhstan's capital Almaty from 26-30 December 2022.
World Rapid Chess Championship
It was held on 26 and 28 December at Almaty, Kazakhstan.
In the Rapid section the Men’s title was won by No.1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway. It was the 4th time that Carlsen has won the Rapid title.
The women's title was won by the Chinese Grand Master Tan Zhongyi.
Savitha Shri of India won the Bronze medal in the world Rapid section.
World Blitz Chess Championship
It was held on 29 and 30 December at Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The men’s section was won by Magnus Carlsen. He became the first player in chess history to hold the Classical chess world championship, Rapid world championship and the Blitz world Championship at the same time.
Women's Section
The women's section was won by Bibisara Balabayeva of Kazakhstan.
Koneru Humpy came second and won the Silver medal.
Indian medal winners in the Rapid and Blitz event
Only three Indian’s Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy and Savitha Shri have won medals at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz chess championship.
Viswanathan Anand won the Gold medal in World Rapid and Bronze medal in World Blitz Championship 2017.
FIDE
The International Chess Federation or French acronym FIDE Fédération Internationale des Échecs) is an international organization that was set up on 20 July 1924 in Paris, France.
It is the international body which governs world chess championships.
President of FIDE: Arkady Dvorkovich,
Headquarters of FIDE: Lausanne, Switzerland
8. India, Cyprus signs three agreement during S. Jaishankar visits to Nicosia
Tags: place in news Person in news International News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who is on a three day visit (29-31 December 2022) to Cyprus signed a number of agreements with his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides in the capital Nicosia on 29 December 2022. This is the first visit of S. Jaishankar to Cyprus.
Three agreement signed
Both the ministers signed agreements to;
- Increase defence and military cooperation between the two countries ,
- Letter of Intent on immigration and mobility to check illegal migrations , as well as the agreement on
- Cyprus joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
S. Jaishankar also released the commemorative stamp on the 75 years of Indian Independence and 60 years of establishing diplomatic ties with Cyprus.
The minister said India and Cyprus were collectively working on pressing issues such as food and energy security, maritime security, as well as on sustainable environment.
During his three-day visit to Cyprus, Jaishankar will call Annita Demetriou, President of the Cyprus Parliament's House of Representatives.
He will also address the business and investment community of Cyprus, apart from an interaction with the Indian Diaspora.
Republic of Cyprus
It is an island European country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
It gained its Independence from Britain in 1960. The country has a majority population which are of Greece descent while the minority population are of Turkish origin.
Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and created a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983. Except Turkey no country recognises Turkish Cyprus.
India also recognises the Cyprus government.
Capital: Nicosia
Currency: Euro
President: Nicos Anastasiades
9. President Murmu lays foundation stone for PRASHAD project in Bhadrachalam and at Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa), in Telangana
Tags: place in news Person in news State News
The President of India Droupadi Murmu, laid the foundation stone for the Bhadrachalam Group of Temple’s project and the Rudreswara (Ramappa) Temple’ project in Telangana on 28 December 2022 to be developed under the Union Tourism ministry’s PRASHAD (National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) Scheme.
The PRASHAD scheme was launched by the Union Tourism Ministry in 2014-15 to provide assistance to the states for the integrated infrastructure development of pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations in the country.
Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples’
The Bhadrachalam Group of Temples, Sri Seetha Ramchandra Swamyvari Devasthanam, is situated in the Bhadradri Kothagudem District of the state of Telangana. It is said to be 350 years old and is associated with Lord Rama with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Lakshmana.
The project has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism at an estimated cost of Rs 41.38 Crores.
‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara Temple (Ramappa)’
The project has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism at an estimated cost of Rs 62 Crores.
The Ramappa temple which is located in the Mulugu district of Telangana is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built in 1213 AD by the Kakatiya rulers and has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2021.
10. Home Ministry approves the name change of two places in Uttar Pradesh
Tags: place in news State News
The Union Home Ministry on 27 December 2022 gave its consent to change the names of two places in Uttar Pradesh following recommendations from the state government.
The 'no-objection' certificates were issued by the ministry for changing the name of municipal council 'Mundera Baazar' in Gorakhpur district to 'Chauri-Chaura' and that of 'Telia Afghan' village in Deoria district to 'Telia Shukla'.
Procedure to change the name of the cities in a state
- Under Article 3 of the constitution Parliament has the power to change the name of a state.
- However there is no mention of procedure to be followed in case of change in the name of cites of a state in the constitution.
- The procedure which is followed is based on the guidelines issued in 1953 by the Union Home Ministry to the state governments.
- Under these guidelines the state government which wants to change the name of cities has to send the proposal to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The Home Affairs ministry consults other central agencies like Railways, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Survey of India, and Registrar General of India.
- After the approval from the agencies, the Home Ministry issues no objection certificate to the concerned state government.
- Only then the state government can change the name of the cities.
Union Minster for Home Affairs : Amit Shah
