The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, 12th Oct 2022 has approved a new Scheme, Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26.  

 

The new Scheme, PM-DevINE, is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding and will be implemented by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).

 

The PM-DevINE Scheme will have an outlay of Rs.6,600 crore for the four year period from 2022-23 to 2025-26 (remaining years of 15th Finance Commission period).

 

Efforts will be made to complete the PM-DevINE projects by 2025-26 so that there are no committed liabilities beyond this year. 

 

This implies front-loading of the sanctions under the Scheme in 2022-23 and 2023-24 primarily. While expenditure would continue to be incurred during 2024-25 and 2025-26, focused attention will be given to complete the sanctioned PM-DevINE projects.

 

PM-DevINE will lead to creation of infrastructure, support industries, social development projects and create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation.

 

PM-DevINE will be implemented by Ministry of DoNER through North Eastern Council or Central Ministries/ agencies. Measures would be taken to ensure adequate operation and maintenance of the projects sanctioned under PM-DevINE so that they are sustainable.

 

 

(a)    Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti;

 

(b)    Support social development projects based on felt needs of the NER;

 

(c)    Enable livelihood activities for youth and women;

 

(d)    Fill the development gaps in various sectors..

Source : PIB

As per the World Wide Fund(WWF's ) Living Planet Report 2022, the Wildlife populations have been declined by 69% between 1970 and 2018.

 

Latin America and Caribbean regions have seen the largest decline (94%) of monitored wildlife populations globally.

 

Wildlife populations have dipped by 66% in Africa and 5% in Asia Pacific.

 

While, Freshwater populations have declined by 83% on average as compared to other species groups.

 

As per the IUCN Red List, cycads are the most threatened species.

 

Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, said: "We face the double emergencies of human-induced climate change and biodiversity loss, threatening the well-being of current and future generations.

 

"WWF is extremely worried by this new data showing a devastating fall in wildlife populations, in particular in tropical regions that are home to some of the most biodiverse landscapes in the world..

Source : Business Standard

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has entirely switched to green sources for its energy consumption needs, making it one of India’s 100 per cent sustainable airports, said a CSMIA official.

 

Notably, the CSMIA was the first in India to launch hybrid technology that solely runs on green energy since April 2022. This sustainable initiative undertaken by the CSMIA is part of the airport’s efforts that reduces its carbon footprint and further propels its journey towards ‘Net Zero’ emissions.

 

Out of the total 100 per cent needs, the CSMIA procures around 5 per cent of the airport’s electricity requirement through its onsite solar generation and the rest 95 per cent from other green sources such as hydro and wind energy.

 

The CSMIA initially installed a 1.06 MW rooftop solar power plant, which the airport eventually strengthened to 4.66 MW. This effort was recognised by the Confederation of India Industry (CII), which awarded the CSMIA.

 

The CSMIA has prepared a roadmap to achieve “Net Zero Carbon Emission” by 2029. In April 2022, the CSMIA enhanced its capacity usage of green energy and deployed a 10 Kwp Hybrid Solar Mill consisting of 2 Kwp Turbo Mill (3 Savonious type VAWT) and 8 Kwp Solar PV modules with an estimated minimum energy generation of 36 Kwh/day.

 

This first-of-its-kind, fully integrated, hybrid renewable energy product, harnesses solar and wind energy combined to generate electricity. This green transition to renewable energy ensures a reduction of around 1 lakh 20 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO 2 e) every year, thus moving closer to the CSMIA’s target of Net Zero by the year 2029.

 

The CSMIA implemented a Carbon Accounting and Management System (CAMS) based on ISO 14064-1:2018 to identify, measure and manage Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The CSMIA is the first Indian airport to have participated in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme of the Airports Council International (ACI) in 2012..

Source : Indian Express

October 13 is designated as International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with a focus on encouraging a global culture of risk awareness and catastrophe preparedness. 

 

The day is an opportunity to acknowledge the progress being made toward preventing and reducing disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods, economies and basic infrastructure in line with the international agreement for reducing global disaster risk and losses.

 

In 2022, the International Day will focus on Target G of the Sendai Framework : “Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.”

 

 The urgency to achieve this target was strengthened in March 2022 by the announcement made by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres that “the United Nations will spearhead new action to ensure every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within five years.”

 

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was established in 1989 in response to a United Nations General Assembly request for a day to encourage a world view of risk awareness and disaster reduction. The drastic change in recent years has been a triggering factor in many natural calamities.

 

The UN Secretary-General used the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2016 to launch the Sendai Seven Campaign, which refers to the seven objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).

It was implemented at the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, a city that was at the epicentre of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The disaster left 20,000 dead, causing huge economic turmoil..

Source : News18

 

To provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Himachal Pradesh, the state government has started a new scheme named HIMCAD.

 

According to latest data, about 80% of the agricultural area of Himachal Pradesh is rain-fed.

 

The scheme will provide end-to-end connectivity of farmers’ fields for better water conservation, crop diversification and integrated farming.

Under the scheme, it is planned to provide command area development activities to 23,344 hectares of cultivable command area by March 2024, and the State Technical Advisory Committee has approved 379 minor irrigation schemes worth Rs 305.70 crore..

Source : Times of India

Google is set to launch Play Points, a global rewards Programme for users in India. Users will earn points when they purchase with Google Play, including in-app items, apps, games, and subscriptions. 

 

The reward program has four levels known as platinum, gold, silver, and bronze. The levels will provide members with perks and prizes. The levels and tiers are based on the number of points they have collected.

Google says it is partnering with participating titles that include games from global studios such as Miniclip (8 Ball Pool), TG INC (Evony: The King's return), games from local studios such as Gametion (Ludo King), Playsimple Games (Word Trip), Gameberry Labs (Ludo Star), and popular apps such as Truecaller and Wysa. Google Play will look at expanding the program to more global and local developers in the future.

 

The users can redeem the points awarded in the Play Store.

 

Google has partnered with developers of popular apps and games across the world to help users to redeem their points on special in-app items.

 

The Play Points by Google is available in 28 countries and Google claims that more than 100 million people find value in the program.

 

Google Play Points will also provide local developers a new avenue to build a local and global user base.

 

This will help them to engage their user, drive discovery, and acquire users across markets that have Google Play Points.

 

More than 2.5 billion people in over 190 countries use Google Play every month to discover apps, games, and digital content.

 

More than 2 million developers working with Google to build their businesses and reach people across the globe..

Source : India Today

Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia 10th Oct 2022 said that a civil enclave will be built in Jammu at a cost of Rs 861 crores and the Srinagar’s present terminal will be expanded three times from 20,000 square meters to 60,000 square meters at a cost of Rs 1500 crores.

Sh. Scindia said this while inaugurating 4th Heli-India Summit 2022 with the theme ‘Helicopters for last Mile Connectivity’ at Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre, Srinagar, in presence of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Sh. Manoj Sinha.

 

During the summit, Sh. Scindia said that the decrease in VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 26.5 percent to one percent by the J&K government has set a new dawn for air connectivity in the Union territory with 360 percent increase in refueling, thus increasing the air connectivity to Jammu and Kashmir.

Actor "Tom Cruise", who is renowned for pulling off high-octane stunts in his projects, is taking things to the next level and may soon become the first actor to shoot in space.

The Top Gun actor has reportedly partnered with director Doug Liman on a project that calls for him to perform a spacewalk.

The Hollywood actor and director have reportedly approached the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG) with a proposal for Tom to launch himself up to the International Space Station.

 

Conversations about Cruise’s desire to film in space were put on hold during the COVID pandemic, but have recently resurfaced.

Dame Donna Langley, chairwoman of Universal Studios, confirmed to the BBC that sending Mr Cruise to space is one of the studio’s missions. She revealed the project’s details, saying that Mr Cruise and Mr Liman, who previously collaborated with the actor on the Edge of Tomorrow, pitched the film during the pandemic. Ms Langley reveals that the movie takes place on Earth, and then the character must travel to space to save the day..

Source : News18

India’s 1983 World Cup winning hero "Roger Binny" is set to become the new BCCI President as incumbent Sourav Ganguly, who held the position for three years, will make way for him at the Board’s AGM on 18 October 2022.

 

After hectic parleys and back-channel discussions in the past one week, it was decided that the 67-year-old Bangalore man would be the 36th Board president.

 

Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will continue as BCCI Secretary for his second consecutive term. Shah will also replace Ganguly as India’s representative at the all powerful ICC Board.

 

The only Congressman in the BCCI cabinet is Rajeev Shukla, who will continue as vice president. Sports minister Anurag Thakur’s younger brother Arun Singh Dhumal will now become IPL chairman. He will replace Brijesh Patel.

 

Influential Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar will be the new treasurer which means that he won’t become Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president. He was supposed to take up the role with support from Sharad Pawar faction.

 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s close aide Devajit Saikia will replace Jayesh George as the new joint secretary..

Source : The Print

Road Transport and Highways Minister "Nitin Gadkari" launched Toyota’s first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles in India 11th Oct 2022.

These vehicles will run on 100 percent petrol as well as 20 to 100 percent blended ethanol and electric power.

 

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Gadkari said, the success of this pilot project will make India a global leader in the manufacture of these electric vehicles.

He said such technologies are innovative, revolutionary, sustainable, cost-effective, energy-efficient and will completely transform the transportation sector in New India.

 

Union Ministers Mahendranath Pandey, Bhupender Yadav, Rameswar Teli and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion..

Source : AIR