MHA and SECI Sign MoU to Realize India’s Green Energy Initiative
MHA and SECI Sign MoU to Realize India’s Green Energy Initiative
As a step towards Government of
India’s efforts to promote renewable energy thereby moving towards a carbon neutral economy, under the
guidance of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs
has initiated a proposal to install Solar
Energy Panels in the campuses of Central
Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and National
Security Guard (NSG).
Why is it in news?
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on May 6th,
between Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
and Solar Energy Corporation of India
Limited (SECI) in New Delhi, in the presence of Union Home Secretary and
Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This Umbrella MoU envisages
collaboration between the two parties for jointly undertaking installation of Solar Rooftop PV Power Plants.
Highlights
·
On the basis of
available data, the Solar Energy
Corporation of India (SECI) has estimated the total solar power potential
of 71.68 Megawatts in the campuses of CAPFs
& NSG.
·
SECI having expertise in the field of solar power projects, will
either directly or through an agency or agencies selected through a competitive
bidding process, support the MHA in implementing rooftop solar PV power plants.
Aspirational district concept based on objective parameters: Programme scientifically designed.
Aspirational district concept based on objective parameters:
Programme scientifically designed.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh visits Sitamarhi and reviews developmental
scenario under the Aspirational District Programme (ADP)
The Minister lauds District Administration for achievements in areas like
Education, Agriculture and Health
Dr
Jitendra Singh directed the officials to strive for saturation in financial
inclusion that is ‘number of Jan Dhan accounts opened’
Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth
Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and
Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Aspirational District concept is based on
objective parameters and the Aspirational District Programme (ADP) is
scientifically designed with evaluation based on certain essential indices. Accordingly,
112 districts were identified across the country for special focus to bring
about transformation.
Why is it in news?
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the Aspirational Districts programme
launched by Prime Minister four years ago is aimed at localizing Sustainable
Development Goals, leading to the progress of the nation. This was stated by
the Minister, while reviewing the progress of work being carried out in
Sitamarhi district of Bihar last evening under the Aspirational District
Programme (ADP). Sitamarhi is one of the 13 Aspirational Districts in Bihar.
Highlights
·
Dr Jitendra Singh said that ADP has
emerged as a shining example of competitive & cooperative federalism, where
Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch up with the best district
within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country,
by competing with and learning from others.
·
He informed that the broad contours
of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes),
Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District
Collectors), and Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking; all
driven by a mass movement.
· Regarding the work done in Sitamarhi, Bihar under ADP, Dr
Jitendra Singh noted with satisfaction that it has made considerable
improvement across various socio-economic indicators and the district is one of
the top performers from the State under the Education Scheme. In education, the
district has strived to improve the ‘pupil-teacher ratio in elementary schools’ from 16% to 35% in
the last 4 years, indicating improvement in governance and capacity building.
· Sitamarhi is also nearing
saturation in indicators related to school infrastructure and it has also
initiated innovative best practices such as initiation of Modern Libraries,
initiating a mass movement to have wholehearted participation from students,
teachers and parents, which can be replicated in other districts.
· Dr Jitendra Singh was given
a detailed presentation by District Magistrate Sunil Kumar Yadav and apprised
him of the progress made in key indicators related to pregnant women health and
child nutrition that address issues like MMR and IMR.
· The district has shown good
improvement in indicators such as ‘percentage of institutional deliveries’
‘percentage of children fully immunized, ‘percentage of underweight children under
6 years. The Minister directed the concerned officers to work with utmost
dedication in order to be amongst the top in the ranks of the Programme.
· The District Magistrate
informed that based on good work done in ‘Agriculture and Water Resources’ on
ADP indicators, Sitamarhi has been rewarded with 5 projects with estimated cost
302.69 lakh on 22nd March 2022 that include Establishment of Mushroom
Spawn production unit and Establishment of Custom Hiring Centre of Farm
Machinery for purpose of Agriculture mechanization in Sitamarhi.
· Referring to Prime
Minister’s special focus on financial inclusion, Dr Jitendra Singh directed the
officials to work hard and strive for saturation in financial inclusion that is
‘number of Jan Dhan accounts opened’
and in Health that is ‘Percentage of children fully immunized (9-11 months).
The district also needs to improve the administrative reported data quality,
the Minister added.
· It is Noteworthy to mention
that Centre has directed Union Ministers to visit different aspirational
districts for official appraisal of the ground level assessment of the
initiative. Launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018, ADP aims to quickly
and effectively transform under-developed districts across the country. The
broad outline of the programme includes Convergence, Collaboration and
Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking, all driven by a mass
movement.
· With States as the main
drivers, this program focuses on the strength of each district, identifying
low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement and measuring progress by ranking
districts on a monthly basis. The ranking is based on the incremental progress
made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic
themes - Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources,
Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Infrastructure. The
delta-ranking of Aspirational Districts and the performance of all districts is
available on the Champions of Change Dashboard.
Priyanka Mohite Becomes First Indian Woman to Scale Five Peaks Above 8,000 m Priyanka Mohite was awarded the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.
Priyanka Mohite
Becomes First Indian Woman to Scale Five Peaks Above 8,000 m Priyanka Mohite was awarded
the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.
Why is it in news?
Priyanka Mohite from Satara in western
Maharashtra has become the first Indian woman to scale five peaks above 8,000
metres after she climbed Mount Kanchenjunga on Thursday.
Highlights
·
Priyanka
Mohite (30), the recipient of Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award 2020, successfully
completed her expedition to Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), the third highest
mountain on the planet, at 4.52 pm," her brother Akash Mohite told PTI.
·
In
April 2021, she had scaled Mt Annapurna (8,091 m), the 10th highest mountain
peak in the world and had become the first Indian woman climber to achieve the
feat.
·
Priyanka
Mohite has also climbed the world's highest peak Mount Everest (8,849 m) in
2013, Mount Lhotse (8,516 m) in 2018, Mount Makalu (8,485 m) and Mount
Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in 2016.
·
Passionate
about mountaineering since childhood, Ms Mohite started to scale mountains in
the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra as a teenager and in 2012 scaled Bandarpunch,
a mountain massif of the Garhwal division of the Himalayas, in Uttarakhand.
·
In
2015 Priyanka Mohite scaled Mt. Menthosa which at 6,443 metres is the
second-highest peak in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.
·
Priyanka
Mohite climbed the world's highest peak Mount Everest in 2013.
Enhance capability through latest technology for faster infrastructure development in border areas: Raksha Mantri tells BRO on its 63rd Raising Day Continuous border area development is part of our defence strategy to stay prepared with changing times: S
Enhance capability through
latest technology for faster infrastructure development in border areas: Raksha
Mantri tells BRO on its 63rd Raising Day
Continuous border area development is part of our defence strategy to stay
prepared with changing times: Shri Rajnath Singh
Raksha Mantri Shri
Rajnath Singh has called upon Border
Roads Organisation (BRO) to further enhance its capability through optimum
use to technology and strive to strengthen the infrastructure of the border
areas at a faster pace. He was addressing all ranks of the BRO at an event
organised in New Delhi on May 07, 2022 to celebrate the 63rd Raising Day of the
Organisation.
Why is it in news?
Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri
Ajay Bhatt, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Defence Secretary Dr
Ajay Kumar, Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry and
other senior officials of BRO were present on the occasion. A number of BRO
personnel attended the event virtually.
“The Chinese presence has increased in the
Northern sector in the recent past. Due to their proficiency in construction in
mountainous areas, they manage to reach different places very quickly. The BRO
must continue to work in parallel and focus on increasing their capability with
full use of technology,” said the Raksha Mantri. He added that the Government,
on its part, is making all efforts to provide the required support to the BRO
in this direction.
Highlights
·
Shri Rajnath Singh
mentioned about the recent announcement of increase of capital budget of BRO by
40% to Rs 3,500 crore in Financial Year 2022-23, reiterating the Government’s
commitment to the country's security and development of border areas. He
assured the BRO of not just budgetary, but all possible support in this
endeavour.
·
The Raksha Mantri
described the development of border areas as a major part of Government’s
comprehensive defence strategy, noting that it will bolster the security
apparatus of the country and bring a positive change in the lives of people
residing in remote areas. He stated that people's participation is also a key
part of the defence strategy. “The more empowered the people of border areas
become, the more aware and concerned they will be about the security of those
areas. Citizens are the greatest power of a Nation. Therefore, with changing
times, we are committed to move forward for the development of our border
areas. It is our top priority to provide maximum facilities to those who work
round-the-clock for our security,” he said.
·
Shri Rajnath Singh
lauded the Organisation for opening new doors of security and prosperity not
just in the areas where it is undertaking a project, but for the entire
country. He described BRO as not just a construction organisation, but a shining
example of unity, discipline, dedication and devotion to duty.
·
Underlining the
importance of roads, bridges & tunnels in the progress of a nation, the
Raksha Mantri said the projects completed by the BRO have enhanced the
operational preparedness of the Armed Forces and improved the socio-economic
conditions of the people living in far-flung areas. “Infrastructure development
in border areas is an indicator of the Government’s unwavering commitment to
build a strong, secure and self-reliant ‘New India’ as envisioned by Prime
Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” Shri Rajnath Singh said.
·
Shri Rajnath Singh
highlighted that border areas have emerged as new centres of development and
the regions like the North-East are not only developing themselves, but have
also become a gateway for the all-round progress of the country. He asserted
that the development of these areas is important for the Nation’s progress at
the international level as well, as the North-east region connects India with
South Asia and Southeast Asia.
·
The Raksha Mantri also
commended the BRO for promoting tourism in far-flung areas through its 75 Cafes
and Tourism portal (https://marvels.bro.gov.in). These initiatives are symbolic to the ever-increasing
growth of the Organisation, he said.
·
Shri Rajnath Singh
remembered former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had laid the
foundation of the Golden Quadrilateral, which connected Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai
and Kolkata and provided a major base for a large number of economic activities
all over the country. The Raksha Mantri said, this vision of increasing the
connectivity in the country is reflected in the ‘PM Gati Shakti-National Master
Plan for Multi-Modal Connectivity’ envisaged by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi. He predicted that, in the coming times, it will definitely prove
to be a master-stroke plan for the holistic development of the nation.
·
In his address, DGBR Lt
Gen Rajeev Chaudhry exhorted the BRO personnel to continue on the path of
excellence with renewed vigor and dedication. He encouraged them to soon
conclude certain critical tunnel and airfield construction projects.
·
On the occasion, the
Raksha Mantri also virtually laid the foundation stone of a married
accommodation complex at Todapur for the BRO personnel posted at Delhi during
their peace tenure. The complex will house 323 quarters, along with allied
infrastructure for the personnel.
·
Shri Rajnath Singh also
launched two softwares - BRO Resource Management System and BRO Budget
Management System – developed by Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space
Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N). The softwares will automate the
distribution and utilisation of the resources as well as the budget of the BRO.
·
In addition, the Raksha
Mantri flagged-in ‘BRO@63 Multi-Dimensional Expedition’ organised in the run up
to 63rd Raising Day. Sixty-three BRO personnel, including six women, took part
in the 12-day expedition which comprised four distinct activities i.e., a
mountaineering trek to the 15,000 feet Pangarchula peak covering a distance of
approximately 50 kilometres; Rafting in the rapids of River Ganga for 35
kilometres; Cyclothon from Dehradun to Delhi covering a distance of 591
kilometres and a Fit BRO Endurance Run from Roorkee to Delhi covering a
distance of 190 kilometres. During the expedition, the teams also conducted
various public outreach programmes and interacted with the people, especially
with the youth, urging them to contribute to the Nation Building. The expedition
was flagged-off by Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh from Dehradun,
Uttarakhand on April 26, 2022.
·
Shri Rajnath Singh also
flagged-off ‘BRO@63-All Women Electric Vehicle Rally’. A team of 10 women
officers and all ranks of BRO will traverse approximately 750 kilometres on
Electric Cars through the National Capital Region, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. This first-of-its-kind Electric Vehicle Rally has been organised
to sensitise the people on ‘Environmental Conservation and Climate Change’, in line
with Prime Minister’s vision to switch over to 100 per cent Electric Vehicles
by 2030. The initiative is also a part of a series of events being organised to
commemorate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
·
The Raksha Mantri also
felicitated officials of Project Himank in Ladakh and 13 Border Roads task
force in Jammu and Kashmir for their commendable work during last year.
·
It is pertinent to
mention that raised with just two projects in 1960 - Project Tusker in the East
and Project Beacon in the North - the BRO has today become a vibrant
organisation with 18 projects in various states. It has constructed over 60,000
kilometres of roads, over 840 bridges, four tunnels and 19 airfields under
adverse climatic and geographical conditions along India's borders as well as
in friendly foreign countries, thus contributing towards our strategic
objectives.
·
In 2021-22, a total of
102 infrastructure projects - 87 bridges and 15 roads - were completed by the
BRO - the most in a single year. This included construction of world’s longest
highway tunnel, above 10,000 feet Atal Tunnel, Rohtang and world highest
motorable road over Umling La in Eastern Ladakh. For the first time in the
history of the BRO, women officers were given the command of Units, with three
road construction companies (RCCs) being currently commanded by them. It also
created the first-ever All Women RCC in Joshimath, Uttarakhand.
Draft notification issued pertaining to ease of doing business - Trade Certificate
Draft notification
issued pertaining to ease of doing business - Trade Certificate
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has published a draft notification dated 5.5.2022
regarding amendments in certain provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989
pertaining to the Trade Certificate.
A Trade Certificate is required only
in case of vehicles which are neither registered nor temporarily registered.
Such vehicles can only be in the possession of a dealer/ manufacturer/importer
of motor vehicles, or a test agency specified in rule 126 or any entity
specified by the Central Government.
In an endeavour to promote “Ease of
doing business”, it is proposed that such agency can apply for a
Trade Certificate and Trade Registration Marks electronically for multiple
types of vehicles in a single application on the Vahan portal, without the need
to visit the RTO. Streamlining of fees is also proposed, on the basis of
the number of trade registration marks being applied for. Further, as the
Trade certificate and registration marks are proposed to be allotted online
i.e. electronically on the portal, therefore compliance burden regarding
Intimation of loss or destruction of a trade certificate and application for
duplicate has been removed. The validity of the Trade Certificate has been
increased from 12 months to 5 years.