General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2014

Nov 2014

Apr 23, 2022

India's First Pure Green Hydrogen Plant Commissioned in Jorhat

India's first 99.999% pure Green Hydrogen pilot plant was commissioned by the Oil India Limited (OIL) at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam. The plant has an installed capacity of 10 kg per day. The plant produces Green Hydrogen from the electricity generated by a 500kW Solar plant using a 100 kW Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyser array. The use of AEM technology is being used for the first time in India.
This plant is expected to increase its production of green hydrogen from 10 kg per day to 30 kg per day in future. The company has initiated a detailed study in collaboration with IIT Guwahati on the blending of Green Hydrogen with Natural Gas and its effect on the existing infrastructure of OIL. The company also plans to study use cases for commercial applications of the blended fuel.

PM Modi Releases Coin, Stamp on Guru Tegh Bahadur's 400th Parkash Purab

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin and a postage stamp to mark the 400th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. Modi also addressed the nation from the historic Red Fort to mark the celebrations.
The programme was organised by the Centre in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. The programme was focused on highlighting the teachings of Guru Tegh Bahadur - the Sikh Guru who sacrificed his life to protect religion and human values, ideals and principles in world history. He was executed for supporting the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits on the orders of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

UK's PM Boris Johnson Opens New JCB factory Built at Halol Near Vadodara in Gujarat

National Apprenticeship Mela-2022 was organized across the country in more than over 700 locations. Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Apprenticeship Mela at an event in New Delhi. He said the initiative will empower the youth of the nation. He stated that people will be job creators through this Apprenticeship programme. Mr. Pradhan said apprenticeship boosts the confidence level of a person.
The event witnessed participation from more than four thousand organizations across the country, operating in more than 30 sectors such as Power, Retail, Telecom, IT/ITeS, Electronics, and Automotive. In addition, the aspiring youth had the opportunity to engage and select from more than 500 trades including Welder, Electrician, Housekeeper, Beautician, and Mechanic.

Apr 22, 2022

Integrated & Hi-tech Online Portals,CROP and PQMS, to Strengthen Indian Agriculture

In a bid to strengthen the agriculture sector of India, the Ministry of Agriculture has launched two portals that intend to create a smooth channel for the export/import of agricultural commodities and pesticides registration.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar launched these two portals, one for the Computerized Registration of pesticide (CROP) and the other for the Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS).

KVIC Puts Jammu & Kashmir Ahead of All Indian States in Creating Self-Employment Under PMEGP

Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) scripted the golden chapter of industrial growth and employment boom in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). In the year 2021-22, KVIC, in J&K, has established the highest number of manufacturing and service units under its flagship scheme- Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) and created the highest number of jobs in comparison with all other states and UTs in India. With a record 21,640 manufacturing and service units, J&K stands way ahead of bigger states like Uttar Pradesh (12,594 units), Madhya Pradesh (8082 units), Tamil Nadu (5972 units), Karnataka (5877) and Gujarat (4140 units). A massive 1.73 lakh new employment in J&K in 2021-22, under PMEGP alone, is also the highest across all states and UTs in India.
In 2021-22, KVIC had set a target of 3360 PMEGP units in J&K but buoyed by the Centre's major push to local manufacturing, it ended up establishing a whopping 21,640 units and thus exceeding the target by a massive 544%.
It is noteworthy that in 2021-22, a majority of the PMEGP units in J&K have been set up in districts like Baramula, Badgam, Pulwama, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Bandipora and Doda that are largely prone to militancy.

PM Modi Announces Electric Locomotive Plant in Tribal-dominated Dahod in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that an electric locomotive manufacturing plant with an investment of Rs. 20,000 crore would be set up in the tribal-dominated Dahod district of Gujarat.
Dahod is one of the 100 cities which are part of the Smart Cities Mission of the Union government.
Indian-made electric locomotives are in demand in foreign countries too, and India is one of the very few countries which has manufactured the 9,000-horsepower locomotives which are very powerful.

Apr 21, 2022

AK Sood is Principal Scientific Advisor

The government appointed AK Sood as the Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to it. He succeeds Prof. K. VijayRaghavan. Dr. Sood is a physicist and member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) and a physicist known for his work on graphene. He is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
The PSA's office coordinates with several Ministries and advises the government in science and technology policies and interventions that are of strategic socio–economic importance. It also advises institutions, academia and industry. The PM-STIAC is one of the catalysts for such tasks and also overseas the implementation of the tasks.
The body has nine major missions: Natural Language Translation, Quantum Frontier, Artificial Intelligence, National Biodiversity Mission, Electric Vehicles, Bio–science for Human Health, Waste to Wealth, Deep Ocean Exploration, Accelerating Growth of New India's Innovations (AGNIi).

Delhi Govt. to Deploy Cranes with 'Real Time' Updates to Ease Bus Congestion

The Delhi government will give real-time updates to teams so that they can rush with cranes and ease bunching of buses caused by wrong parking or other obstructions. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot inspected the ongoing bus lane enforcement drive near Apollo Hospital, across Ashram Chowk to Badarpur Corridor, and said that by training and inculcating lane discipline, the government aims to ensure safety of the people on Delhi's roads.
Zone with appropriate measurements 75 meters ahead of the bus stands is designated as pick-up and drop-off area for autos, taxis, and cars.

National Cyber Exercise Underway To Train Govt. Officials on Cyber Threat

The National Security Council Secretariat organised National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise (NCX India) for government officials and critical sector organisations to strengthen India's cyber posture. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval inaugurated the National Cyber Security Incident Response Exercise.
The participants will be trained on various key cyber security areas such as Intrusion Detection Techniques, Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP), Vulnerability Handling & Penetration Testing, Network Protocols & Data Flows, Digital Forensics, among others.
The exercise came on the backdrop of incidents of hacking of power grids in Ladakh and a number of incidents wherein Twitter handles of ministries were hacked.

400th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Guru Tegh Bahadur

Hidden from the public eye for years, rare relics of Guru Teg Bahadur adorned a special segment at the historic Red Fort when the government marked the 400th birth anniversary of the ninth Sikh master. Wooden slippers worn by Guru Teg Bahadur's wife Mata Gujri while she was carrying Guru Gobind Singh in her womb, which are the descendants of Bhai Rup Chand, a long-time associate of the sixth Guru Hargobind until the 10th Guru Gobind Singh were also displayed.
Also on display was an exhibition on the ninth Guru's life entitled 'Dharam di chadar'. Of special attraction at the Red Fort event was a historic painting of Guru Tegh Bahadur, learnt to have been painted by Ahsaan, the royal painter of Shaista Khan, the Mughal Governor of Bengal at the time and taken to Dhaka. It is believed that the painting from Dhaka's Gurdwara was brought to Kolkata by Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora after the liberation of Bangladesh.

Apr 20, 2022

BRO to Build World's Highest Tunnel at Shinku La Pass

BRO Director General Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary announced that the Border Roads Organisation will build the world's highest tunnel at Shinku La Pass, at 16,580 feet, to connect Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. He said this while opening the strategically crucial Himachal to Zanskar Road at Shinku La Pass, where more than a half-dozen vehicles crossed from the Zanskar side towards Manali.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), according to Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhary of PTI, would begin construction of the tunnel connecting Himachal Pradesh and the Zanskar Valley in Ladakh by July 2022. He stated that the Centre has already established BRO's 'Mission Yojak' to carry out this ambitious project. The tunnel, which is expected to be completed by 2025, will transform the economy of Zanskar Valley.

The Solar Plant in the Palli Panchayat of Samba District of Jammu and Kashmir Completed in Record...

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on 24th April on the occasion of "Panchayati Raj Diwas", the 500 Kilowatt Solar Plant at Palli Panchayat in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir was completed in a record time and is ready to become functional. 500 Kilowatt Solar Plant installed on a total area of 6,408 square metres was completed in a record time of 20 days that will provide clean electricity and light to 340 houses in the Panchayat.
Panchayat Palli in Jammu was selected for the Panchayati Raj Diwas function this year and an exhibition showcasing latest innovations will be put up enabling farmers, sarpanchs and village heads to improve their income and their produce.

Union Agriculture Minister Inaugurates National Conference on Agriculture- Kharif Campaign - 2022

Union Agriculture Minister, Sh Narendra Singhr Tomar inaugurated National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign 2022-23 at NASC Complex, New Delhi. The Minister expressed satisfaction that that as per 2nd Advance Estimates (2021-22), total food grains production in the country is estimated at 3160 lakh tonnes which will be an all time record. The pulses and oilseeds production will be 269.5 and 371.5 lakh tonnes, respectively. As per third advanced estimates, horticulture production during 2020-21 is 3310.5 lakh tonnes which is the highest ever for Indian horticulture.
The objective of this conference was to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for Kharif season in consultation with State Governments, ensure supply of critical inputs and facilitate adoption of innovative technologies with a view to enhance production and productivity of the crops.

Apr 19, 2022

Narendra Singh Tomar Launches 2 New Portals for Agriculture Sector

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched two new portals, including one for registration of pesticides. The second portal is for documentation related to import and export of agri products and plants. The portals — CROP (Comprehensive Registration of Pesticides) and PQMS (Plant Quarantine Management System) — aim at improving ease of doing business. The portals would make the process of pesticides registration and documentation process for export and import simple and transparent.

Assam's Kamrup District Gets a First-of-its-kind Transgender Tea Stall

Kamrup district of Assam, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, got a 'Trans Tea Stall'. The tea stall was set up under the aegis of the All Assam Transgender Association in collaboration with the District Administration to empower the trans community of the state and to help them learn entrepreneurial skills.
This tea stall aims to empower the trans community of Assam and help them learn entrepreneurial as well as business communication skills.

K. N. Vyas Gets One-year Extension as Atomic Energy Commission Chairman

The government granted an extension of one year to Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas. The appointment committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension in service to Vyas for a period of one year. This is the second extension for Vyas, who was first appointed to the post in September 2018.

First IT Training & Services Centre of Ethosh Digital in Leh

Leh took the first step towards establishing Information Technology sector. Ladakh Additional Director General of Police S.S. Khandare inaugurated the first IT Training and Services centre of Ethosh Digital, in Leh.
Ethosh Digital is a California-based Multinational Company, working in the field of digital communications and AR-VR products. Aseem Foundation, a Pune-based NGO, working in India's border regions in the fields of Education, entrepreneurship, health, sports and sustainable development has helped Ethosh Digital to establish the first IT office in Ladakh.

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