An organic solar cells consisting of a combination of an organic polymer and PCBM (an organic semiconductor) developed on steel substrates can potentially convert a steel roof into an energy-producing device with greater efficiency than those currently available in the market.

 

* The potential of third-generation solar cell technologies lies in their integration with flexible and conformal surfaces. However, this integration requires developing new top transparent conducting electrodes as alternatives to indium tin oxide, an optoelectronic material currently in use and poses limitations because of its brittleness and as its optoelectronic efficiency varies with temperature. 

 

* Researchers at IIT Kanpur have developed organic solar cell devices consisting of a blend of organic polymer PTB7 as a donor and PCBM as an acceptor.

* The devices were fabricated on opaque steel substrates with a MoO3/Au/MoO3 top electrode. 

 

* The research carried out at the laboratory of Prof. Ashish Garg at IIT Kanpur demonstrated the integration of multi-layered electrodes of configuration MoO3/Au/MoO3 with the organic solar cells. It was published in the journal ‘Energy Technology’. 

 

* These electrodes offer higher optical transmission as compared to only metallic electrodes. The devices with multilayer electrodes showed a clear improvement in the photovoltaic performance by 1.5 times, as compared with those obtained with single-layer top metal electrodes of gold.

 

* The materials and device fabrication of perovskite and organic solar cells took place in the Class 10000 clean room facility at IIT Kanpur, which was supported by funding from DST under the DST-RCUK APEX project. 

 

* The facility can carry out the complete fabrication of organic and perovskite solar cells. It consists of two interconnected 4-port glove boxes maintained under a nitrogen gas environment, has the capacity for handling chemicals that are sensitive to atmospheric components, mainly moisture and oxygen, and has a vacuum annealing chamber. The glove box is integrated with a spin coater, a solar simulator, a thermal annealing setup, and a high-vacuum multi-channel thermal evaporator..

Source : PIB

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted the India's GDP growth rate of 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal year (2022-23).

* IMF has also estimated the India's growth rate of 6.1 per cent in the next fiscal years (2023-24).

* In its report, IMF has stated that the growth of India is expected to moderate as it is navigating a "very difficult" external environment.

* IMF has also highlighted that Indian economy has rebounded from the deep pandemic-related downturn..

Source : Economic Times

Sitiveni Rabuka became Fiji’s 12th prime minister on Friday (23rd Dec 2022), ending a political impasse that had gripped the small Pacific island nation in the 10 days since an undecisive election.

* The parliament convened on Christmas Eve to vote in Rabuka, who was handed the job for a second time.

 

* Here are five facts on Rabuka’s life and career:

 

* Born on September 13, 1948, Sitiveni Rabuka resides in Suva but originally came from the village of Drekeniwai, on Vanua Levu, the second-largest island of Fiji.

 

* He is a graduate of the Indian Defence Services Staff College and was awarded a master’s degree in science from the University of Madras in 1979.

* He has commanded two infantry battalions on peacekeeping duties in Lebanon and in the Sinai Dessert, Egypt. He was awarded the French Legion D’Honneur for bravery in saving a French officer during an attack on the UN Headquarters in Lebanon in 1980.

* Rabuka also represented the country in rugby union and, in the Commonwealth Games, athletics.

Good Governance Day : Every year, in honour of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Vihari Vajpayee’s birthday, India observes “Good Governance Day“.

The day is devoted to former prime minister Atal Vihari Vajpayee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2014 announced that “Good Governance Day” will be observed annually on December 25 in memory of the former PM.

 

* The Indian government decided that every year December 25 would be a full day of work.

* The government has been commemorating Good Governance Day every year since 2014.

* The day is celebrated to t make sure that the country’s residents are treated fairly by the government and they receive the advantages of various government services.

* The purpose of Good Governance Day is to increase public access to various government programmes and services via good governance. It was established with the slogan “Good Governance through e-Governance.”

 

 

* Atal Vihari Vajpayee, the former prime minister was born on December 25, 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

 

* He was elected three times as the nation’s prime minister. In 1996, he was elected as the nation’s Prime Minister for the first time.

 

* In 1998–1999, he was elected prime minister for a second term. On October 13, 1999, he was elected as the nation’s prime minister for the third time.

 

* Significantly, former prime minister Atal Vihari Vajpayee was the first head of state to address the UN in Hindi.

The “Bharat Ratna” award was given to him on March 27, 2015

 

P.N. Vasudevan has been reappointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of Equitas Small Finance Bank.

* His current term as MD, CEO will expire on July 22, 2023.

* The board of Bank has decided to renew his term for a further period of 3 years with effect from July 23, 2023, subject to approval from RBI.

* He is the founder of Equitas and has been associated with its journey as a microfinance institution since 2007.

* It was converted into a bank in 2016..

Source : Business Standard

Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps, including development of indigenous equipments, are being undertaken on a continuous basis to prevent train accidents.

Indian Railways has indigenously developed an automatic train protection system rechristened as ‘Kavach’ (Train Collision Avoidance System), to prevent accidents due to human error resulting in Signal Passing at danger and over-speeding.

 

Keeping in view the complexities involved in implementation, which require all Rolling Stock, way side stations and track to be equipped with ‘Kavach’, it has been decided to implement ‘Kavach’ in a phased manner.

So far, ‘Kavach’ has been deployed for 1,455 Route Kms on South Central Railway with 77 nos. of locomotives. Currently, ‘Kavach’ work is in progress on Delhi-Mumbai & Delhi –Howrah corridors (3000 route Kms).

 

Other benefits of ‘Kavach’ include controlling speed of trains by automatic application of brakes on approach of turnouts, repeating of signal aspects in cab, which is useful for higher speeds & foggy weathers, and auto whistling at level crossing gates.

 

At present ‘Kavach’ is being implemented on Indian Railways in a phased manner. Further, ‘Kavach’ does have export potential in future.

 

This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today(23rd Dec 2022)..

Source : PIB

PMSSY provides insurance coverage to fishers which includes fish workers, fish farmers and any other categories of persons directly involved in fishing and fisheries related allied activities

PMMSY comprehensively caters to the needs of the personal insurance of fishers

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) implemented with effect from 2020-21 inter-alia provides insurance coverage to fishers which includes fish workers, fish farmers and any other categories of persons directly involved in fishing and fisheries related allied activities.

The insurance coverage provided under the PMMSY includes :

(i) Rs.5,00,000/- against accidental death or permanent total disability.
(ii) Rs.2,50,000/- for permanent partial disability.
(iii) hospitalization expenses in the event of accident for a sum of Rs. 25,000/-.

 

Since, the existing and ongoing PMMSY is comprehensively catering to the needs of the personal insurance of fishers, fish workers, fish farmers and any other categories of persons directly involved in fishing and fisheries related allied activities, the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.

 

This information was given by Shri Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying in a written reply in Rajya Sabha 23d Dec 2022..

Source : PIB

Spain’s lower house of Parliament on Thursday(22nd Dec 2022) passed a law that allows people over 16 years of age to change their legally registered gender without any medical supervision.

 

* Under the law, drawn up by the centre-left coalition government, minors aged 12 or 13 will need a judge’s authorisation to make the change, while those between 14 and 16 will have to be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

 

* The law also bans so-called conversion therapies to suppress sexual orientation or gender identity, establishes fines and punishments for attacks on LGBT people, and overturns a ban that prevented lesbian couples from registering their children under both parents’ names.

 

* Up to now, transgender people needed a diagnosis by several doctors with gender dysphoria, which is the psychological condition of not feeling a match between one’s biological sex and gender identity.

 

* In some cases, they also needed proof they had been living for two years as the gender they identified with — or even records showing they had taken hormones.

 

* Transgender rights groups say the law represents a “before and after” in LGBT rights. But some feminist activists regard gender self-determination as a threat that blurs the concept of biological sex.

 

This is the first cohort of the NIRMAN Accelerator Program launched by Start-ups Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) IIT Kanpur.

The accelerator program is supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science & Technology through its NIDHI scheme.

 

It is an umbrella programme conceived and developed by the Innovation & Entrepreneurship division, Department of Science & Technology.

Aims: To nurture start-ups through scouting, supporting and scaling innovations.

Key stakeholders : Various departments and ministries of the central government, state governments, academic and R & D institutions, mentors, financial institutions, angel investors, venture capitalists and private sectors.

Funding : By the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB).

 

An accelerator is typically a 3-6 months fast track structured program helping ideas get accelerated to the next orbit.

 

To fast-track the growth of potential start-ups through rigorous mentoring and networking support in a short span through existing TBIs.

To attract subject matter experts, mentors, and angel investors to get associated with technology Business Incubators through structured accelerator programs.

To build a vibrant start-up ecosystem, by establishing a network between academia, financial institutions, industries and other institutions.

To act as a hub for several incubators in the region, so that high-potential start-ups can be fast-tracked for increased exposure and validation.

Characteristics of NIDHI -Accelerator Programs

 

 It is envisaged that 2 broad types of Accelerator Programs will be supported by NSTEDB under this scheme.

 

Sectoral Programs : These are accelerator programs focused specifically on start-ups focused on a certain sector or theme. For example Smart Cities or healthcare.

Non-Sectoral Programs: Non-sectoral accelerator programs are most relevant for locations where a critical mass of ventures within a specific sector may not exist..

Source : PIB

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha announced three New Schemes- Holistic Development of Agriculture & Allied Sectors, Aspirational Towns, and Aspirational Panchayat for J&K Union Territory.

* The projects which have now been approved by the administrative council, have an outlay of 5013 crore rupees.

 

* Over the next five years, these projects would transform the agriculture economy of J&K putting it on a new trajectory of growth with doubling the output of the sectors and making them sustainable and commercially viable.  Lt. Governor said, this will herald a new phase of farmer prosperity and rural livelihood security in J&K.

* The agricultural output which stands at Rs 37,600 crore shall increase by over Rs 28,142 crore to reach more than Rs 65,700 crore per year, with a resultant increment in sectoral growth rate to 11 per cent.

* The interventions shall create employment opportunities for over 2.8 lakh youths and establish around 19,000 enterprises.

* On the Aspirational Panchayat Development Programme, Jammu and Kashmir is going to select the most backward 285 panchayats — one panchayat in each block — for their holistic development.

* The Union territory administration constituted an apex committee for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors and the committee came with a comprehensive plan in the form of 29 projects covering all the sectors in a record time of five months.

 

* A total of 100 measurable indicators have been identified across nine sectors, which shall give insight of existing status and incremental progress over a period of time.

 

* Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Development Index-2022 is a tool to assess the development of urban local bodies across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir against the normative development benchmarks..

Source : Times now News