The Central Government in consultation with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has notified new energy performance standards for Room Air Conditioner (RACs) on 30th October 2019.
The 240C default setting has been made mandatory from Jan 1, 2020 for all room air conditioners covered under the ambit of BEE star-labelling program vide this notification. Additionally, the Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (ISEER) as per the new standards will range from (3.30 - 5.00) for split and (2.70 – 3.50) for window air conditioners, which will be applicable from 1st January 2021 onwards.
The notification states, “All brands and types of star labelled room air conditioners, namely, Multi-Stage Capacity Air Conditioners, Unitary Air Conditioners and Split Air Conditioners which are rated from one star to five star, based on their relative energy efficiencies up to a rated cooling capacity of 10,465 Watts (9,000 kcal/hour) and manufactured, commercially purchased or sold in India, shall ensure default setting of temperature in the room air conditioners at twenty-four degrees Celsius with effect from the 1st January 2020.”
BEE launched the voluntary star labelling program for fixed-speed room air conditioners (RACs) in 2006, and this program became mandatory on 12th January 2009. Thereafter, in 2015, voluntary star labelling program for inverter room air conditioners was launched and which was made mandatory with effect from 1st January 2018. The BEE star labelling program for Room Air Conditioners now covers both fixed and inverter RAC up to a cooling capacity of 10,465 watts (2.97 TR). Continual enhancement in performance levels has resulted in substantial energy efficiency improvement of about 43% in the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for split units, which are the most popular RACs sold in the market. ISEER (Indian Seasonal Energy efficiency ratio) is the energy performance index used for Room Air Conditioners (RACs) and its assessment is based on the bin hours defined in ISO 16358.
About BEE BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It is assisted in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy. BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies, and other organization to identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the energy conservation act.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched Ministry of Defence (MoD) No Objection Certificate (NOC) web portal www.modnoc.ncog.gov.in for undertaking aerial survey with the final permission of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), here today. Shri Rajnath Singh suggested that internal mechanism should be developed to monitor the time taken to give NOC. The portal will be used by various vendors engaged by State Governments/Public Sector Undertakings/Autonomous bodies in seeking NOC from MoD.
In pursuance Prime Minister's vision for ‘Transforming India’, Ministry of Human Resource Development took a leap forward in transforming education sector with the motto of “सबकोशिक्षा, अच्छीशिक्षा ”(Education for All, Quality Education).
In the year of 2019 Dr K. Kasturirangan Committee submitted the Draft National Education Policy to Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. The Government of India had initiated the process of formulating a New Education Policy to meet the changing dynamics of the requirements of the population with regard to quality education, innovation and research, aiming to make India a knowledge superpower by equipping its students with the necessary skills and knowledge and to eliminate the shortage of manpower in science, technology, academics and industry. MHRD has launchedPradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Program (DHRUV) to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge .MHRD also launched several new schemes in Higher Education Department to boost research & Innovation culture in the country. Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP). SWAYAM 2.0, Deeksharambh andPARAMARSH are some of the other major schemes of Department of Higher Education launched in 2019.
1. Five-year vision plan 'Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)' finalised and released by HRD Ministry: In accordance with the decision of the Prime Minister for finalizing a five-year vision plan for each Ministry, the Department of Higher Education of HRD Ministry has finalized and released a five-year vision plan named Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP). This report has been prepared after a detailed exercise done by the Experts.
Sets out to deliver further on principles of Access,Inclusion,Quality,Excellence and enhancing employability in Higher Education. EQUIP is a vision plan aiming at ushering transformation in India’s higher education system by implementing strategic interventions in the sector over five years (2019-2024). EQUIP has been prepared based on reports of Ten expert groups constituted to deliberate upon important aspects of Higher Education.
Currently EQUIP has been submitted for in principal approval of EFC.
2. Institution of Eminence (IoE): 10 institutions in public sector and 10 institutions in private sector have to be declared as IoE. Each Public institute (IoE) will be eligible to receive Rs. 1000 crore during next 5 years. 10 Public Institutions are IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, University of Hyderabad, Banaras Hindu University, University of Delhi, Jadavpur University & Anna University.
10 Private institutions are BITS Pilani, MAHE Karnataka, Jio Institute, Amrita Vishwavidyapeetham, Tamil Nadu , Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Odisha, O.P. Jindal Global University, Haryana, Bharti Institute, Satya Bharti Foundation, Mohali, Shiv Nadar University, Uttar Pradesh.
3. Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS) Launched in February, 2019. To be implemented, monitored and managed by IISc, Bangalore. For providing extra mural funding to faculty of HE institutions for research projects in basic sciences. Total budget of Rs. 250 crore has been allocated out of which Rs. 50 crores will be released in FY 2019-20. More than 1000 proposals received, out of these 141 proposals approved.
4. Higher Education Financing Agency HEFA finances for HEIs, KVs, NVs, AIIMS and other educational institutions of the Ministry of Health. To fund projects to the tune of Rs. 100,000 crore by 2022. As on 11th December, 2019, projects worth Rs. 37,001.21 crore have been approved. A loan amount of Rs. 25,564.52 crore have been sanctioned and Rs. 5,537.06 crore have actually been disbursed The number of educational institutions that have availed funding through HEFA stands at 75.
5. Construction of permanent Campuses in IISER Tirupati and Berhampur Permanent campuses of IISER, Tirupati & IISER Berhampur will be setup by funding through HEFA with capital cost of Rs. 1137.16 crore & Rs. 1229.32 crores respectively Both institutes has been sanctioned Rs. 525 crore each in first tranche.
6. RashtriyaUchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Rs.5871.82 crore including Rs. 801.82 crore during the FY 2019-20 has been released to State Governments.
7. Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS) to support the social science research in the higher educational institutions and to enable research to guide policy making. A total cost of Rs.414 Crore for implementation up to 31.3.2021. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi is the project implementing agency.
8. Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) 394 proposals totalling Rs. 251.09 Crores have been approved in the first call for proposals. Rs. 80 crores have been released to IIT Kharagpur for FY 2019-20 under SPARC.
9.National Education Policy Currently, the Ministry is in the process of finalising the National Education Policy, 2019 based on the Draft NEP report submitted by the Committee to Draft NEP, and the stakeholder feedback thereon.
10.SWAYAM 2.0 Launch of SWAYAM 2.0 with enhanced features and facilities. To offer Online Degree Programmes through SWAYAM by Top Ranking Universities.
Key Features of SWAYAM 2.0 – Higher Scalability and Performance Enhanced features for faculty and students Improved assessment and evaluation Internationalisation Translation to Indian languages Local chapters and mentors Offering of On-line Degrees SWAYAM 1.0 was Launched on 9th July 2017 by the President of India with the Objectives ofEqual access to Quality education ,Increase GER in Higher Education from 26 to 30 in next 5 years and Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime learning
In SWAYAM platform 2800+ courses offered 1.23 Crore students enrolled in the courses Examinations conducted across 125 cities across India Over 5 lakh students obtained certificates
11. SWAYAM PRABHA- DTH Educational Channels: Project for telecasting high quality educational programs through 32 DTH channels on 24x7 basis to reach out to student/learners of India with wide reach and minimal cost. It aims to support those students who do not have good learning options like lack of teacher or internet etc. It also aims to provide dedicated channels ‘IITPAL’ to assist the students of 11 and 12 standards aspiring to join premier educational institutions in the country.
SWAYAM Prabha project is managed by Chief Coordinator from IIT Madras. All 32 channels are telecasting high quality curriculum mapped educational contents on 24x7 basis. Every day, there will be new content for at least (4) hours which would be repeated 5 more times in a day. All telecasted videos are available on YouTube as archival. Total telecasted videos are around 60,000. On YouTube there are 4,12,403 subscribers and 2,05,70,482 views.
12. Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) A new Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) was launched for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS). The program aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and earning of stipend.
13. Study in India Programme: An initiative of MHRD Total Number of Registrations on Study in India Portal was 69012 from across 190 countries of the world. Total Number of Admissions till date around 3800. 1800+ scholarships awarded. Education Fairs conducted in Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Approval received to start IND-SAT examination in April 2020.
14. Scholarship Schemes Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) : 37293 scholarships disbursed involving an amount of Rs 44.66 crores in F.Y. 2019-20. Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir :10720 scholarships disbursed involving an amount of Rs 165.82crores in F.Y. 2019-20. Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (CSIS) :Total 935497 interest subsidy claims involving an amount of Rs 1584.69 crores in F.Y. 2019-20.
15. ASEAN Fellowship Launched on 16th September, 2019 by MHRD & MEA. 1000 fellowships to the students of ASEAN countries for pursuing integrated Ph.D programmes in IITs.
16. Launch of the Endowment Fund of IIT Delhi Launched on 31.10.2019. Will work towards building a relation of trust and credibility with its alumni through better communication, professionally managed team structure and periodic reporting. The Alumni are coming together to make an initial contributions to the tune of INR 100 Crores towards the target of USD 1 billion that will be created over a period of six to seven years (2025).
18. Central Universities Two new Central University in the State of Andhra Pradesh have been established in August, 2019 namely: Central University of Andhra Pradesh and Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh.
19. Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) IIIT has been opened at Raichur (Karnataka) from July, 2019 in PPP Mode. IIT Hyderabad is the Mentor Institute. Financial allocation for this in year 2019-20 is 03 crores.
20. Language Institutes: The proposals to convert the three Sanskrit Deemed to be Universities namely, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (RSKS), Delhi, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (SLBSRSV), New Delhi and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSV), Tirupati has been passed in Lok Sabha and is proposed to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the forthcoming budget session of Parliament.
Central Institute of Classical Telugu shifted from Mysore to Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. Fund allocation for National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) & National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL) is Rs 84 Crore and 5.65 Crore respectively in both the years 2018-19 & 2019-20. In the FY 2019-20, For Langauage Institutions a total of Rs 52.84 Crores has been allotted.
21. National Institutes of Technology & Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology: Foundation stone for permanent campus of NIT, Uttarakhand has been laid by the HRM. 10% EWS reservation has been implemented. NIT Think Tank Group has been constituted to suggest ways for improving NIRF rankings of NITs & IIEST.
22. Filling up of vacancies in Higher Educational Institutes Vacancy position in centrally funded higher education under MHRD is updated on every friday. Vacancy position in state funded institutions is maintained by RUSA. Since June-19, advertisements have been issued for 12272 faculty vacancies in CFIs and 1507 posts filled up. In HEIs under State Govts, 25419 faculty vacancies advertised since June-19 and 6170 posts filled up.
23. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) : For IITs an amount of Rs 5616.77 Crores has been Budgetary allotted in FY 2019-20. After including an amount of Rs 526.25 crore through HEFA, the total allocation mounted to Rs 6143.02 crores.
24. UNESCO Activities Organisation of ‘World Youth Conference on Kindness’ by MGIEP in partnership of MHRD on 23.08.2019 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi Nomination of four Indian cities i.e. Srinagar, Mumbai, Lucknow and Hyderabad for the UNESCO Creative City Network.
Coordination of INCCU with Ministry of Culture :- UNESCO Reactive Monitoring Mission : Mrs. Nao Hayashi, UNESCO, Paris and Dr. Michael Pearson, ICOMOS, Australia, Members of Reactive Monitoring Mission nominated by UNESCO World Heritage Centre visited Mountain Railways of India - World Heritage Sites and give-suggestions for maintaining of World Heritage Status. For this purpose, the team met the Deputy Secretary-General of INCCU on 12.12.2019. Representatives of Ministry of Culture and ASI were also present in the meeting.
Nominations for Reconstitution of Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO have been called from Ministry of Culture. Nominations for 40th General Conference of UNESCO were called from Ministry of Culture Forwarding of communication from UNESCO that in the framework of the forthcoming Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, an Information and exchange session took place on 3 October 2019 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
International Center for Documentary Heritage (ICDH) of UNESCO, newly established UNESCO Category II Institution in the Republic of Korea specialized in documentary heritage-related issues including UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) Programme, organized its first capacity-building workshop for Member States. The workshop was held in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, from 19 to 22 November 2019.
Forwarding a letter received from the Assistant Director-General for Culture, inviting GoI to participate in the thirteenth meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention, scheduled to take place on 2 December 2019, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room XI, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
Forwarding a letter received from Assistant Director-General for Culture, inviting GoI to participate the seventh meeting of the Parties to the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. This session will take place on 3 and 4 December 2019, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room XI, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
In consultation with Ministry of Culture, nominations of four Indian Cities for UNESCO Creative Cities Network sent to UNESCO
Coordination of INCCU with Ministry of Communication :- Nominations for 40th General Conference of UNESCO were called from Ministry of Communication
Coordination of INCCU with Ministry of Environment &Forest :- Forwarding the proposal of Panna Biosphere Reserve (PBR) received from Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change for inclusion in the World Network of Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO.
25. International Cooperation Launch of DUO- India Fellowship Programme. Exchange of faculty and students would be taken up between India and 14 European countries which come under SPARC. Initiated the process of setting up of a chair in a University in the UK on Guru Nanak Dev Ji in commemoration of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in coordination with University Grants Commission (UGC). Study in India Programme: Number of Foreign students admitted under Study in India Programme for the Academic Year 2019-20 is 3164.
26. National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT): Finalized a newly proposed scheme i.e. National Education Alliance of Technologies (NEAT) through PPP Model between MHRD and EdTech companies for offering Adaptive and personalized learning through Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the students with specific emphasis on students from economically and socially backward regions..
27.Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) Launched in 2018. The first round of training was completed in March 2019 with the conduct of examination. For ARPIT 2018, 75 NRCs identified, 9 deleted due to non- adherence of timelines; 51000+ enrolments, with actual enrolment being 37199 (one learner registering in more than one course). Of these, 6411 faculty registered for exam, 3338 qualified and in re-examination 469 qualified thereby a total 3807 faculty qualified ARPIT 2018 UGC as per their notification recognised ARPIT as equivalent to a refresher course for their career advancement.
Funding for NRCs is as per the approved budget for development of online MOOCs faculty refresher courses under National Resource Centres (NRCs) through SWAYAM which is Rs. 14.70 lakhs. An additional provision of Rs. 5 Lakh has been provisioned for meeting of Advisory Council / workshop and other contingency expenditure. In order to popularise the ARPIT 2019, this time Ministry used the database of Higher education faculty in the disciplines notified as NRCs and intimated each of the faculty individually through SMS and e-mails informing them about ARPIT program offered by different NRCs in distinctive disciplines persuading them to log in and join this online program and get benefit from it. Total 1,46,214 learners enrolled for 48 ARPIT courses.
28. University Grants Commission (UGC) : Implementation of Quality Improvement Programme Deeksharambh – A guide to Student Induction Programme’ has been launched on 18.07.2019. In 8 Regional Workshops 1650 candidates participated. Total 319 HEIs have implemented the Student Induction Programme.
Learning outcomes based curriculum framework (LOCF) revision: New curriculum in 16 subjects which is based on LOCF has been uploaded on UGC website to facilitate universities to revise the curriculum. Use of ICT based learning tools for effective teaching learning process: 125 Universities have come on board for accepting credit transfer for MOOCs courses done through SWAYAM platform.
Life skills (Jeevan Kaushal) for students : The curriculum launched on 11th September, 2019 Social and Industry connect for every institution: Every institution shall adopt at least 5 villages for exchange of knowledge and for the overall social/economic betterment of the village communities.
Induction training for all new teachers, and annual refresher training for all the teachers – role of the NCRs; and mandatory leadership/management training for all educational administrators. Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (STRIDE): launched on 01.07.2019 for Promoting quality research by faculty and creation of new knowledge. PARAMARSH- A scheme to mentor institutions seeking National Assessment and Accreditation Council accreditation Launched on 18th July, 2019.
29. AICTE achievements: Training for Technical Teachers: “A comprehensive training Policy for Technical Teachers” introduced for the first time in the world. Target: 30,000 fresh faculties & 30,000 faculties having up to 5 years of teaching experience are to be trained every year. Revision of Curriculum: Diploma in Engg. & Tech. (7 Disciplines); B. Arch.
ATAL Academy: 11 Academies launched covering as many states; Conducted 100 FDPs in thrust areas. Protsahan Mudra Scheme: Android App has been developed and launched. Mandatory Induction Program: 120 Faculty Development Programs; 15,000+ Faculties Trained.
Examination Reforms: To test the understanding of the concepts and the skill – rather than the subject knowledge. 2250 teachers participated in 17 Workshops held in 2019. Mandatory Internship: Over 1 Lakh internships posted on an exclusive portal developed by AICTE. Smart India Hackathon 2019: Over 3 lakh students participated at 66 centers. One Student One Tree: More than 55,000 AICTE Institutions Participated; More than 2 Lakhs Students Participated; More than 28 Lakh trees Planted. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: More than 34000 Students of AICTE colleges mapped to the local administration of water- stressed districts.
30.EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT : Celebrating Diversity to Realise Unity 4 Lakh Plus people across country participated/ witnessed range of activities About 16 states showed enthusiasm & regular activity 358 Schools, 227 HEIs, 28 states, 7 Uts, 7 Central Ministries participated About 1000 activities of Literary, Cultural, Sports, Culinary & Student Exchanges etc. held Same pairing of States/ UTs to be continued till June 2020.
8 Participating Ministries :Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Sports, Department of Youth Affairs , Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Defence activities : Student Exchange , Teacher Exchange , Youth Festival , EBSB Day , EBSB Clubs , Screening of Films, Translation of Books
31.Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan : SwachhtaPakhwada 2019 for HEIs conducted during 1st-15th September Swachhata Hi Seva 2019 observed in HEIs from 11th September to 27th October, 2019 6900 institutions participated in Swachhta Ranking exercise. Swachhta Awards given to HEIs on 3rd December, 2019 BBA and MBA Courses on Waste Management Launched
32. FIT India Movement: Fitness Pledge taken by HEIs on 29th August, 2019. FIT India Plogging Run organised on 2nd October, 2019 in Universities and Colleges. Participants collected plastic garbage while running.
Other Activities Proposed: Fitness Hour - Every HEI to provide for a fitness hour in its daily routine from January 2020. Fitness Clubs – Each Institution to have a fitness club that will lead the activities during Fitness Hour Monthly, theme based Fitness Awareness Campaigns – Every Institution to carry out month long campaign on selected themes related to various aspects of fitness
Sports Competitions – Every HEI to organize annual sports competitions, which will lead to State level and National level University games. First University Games to be held in Odisha in February 2020 Star Rating of Universities based on performance on the above Fitness promoting criteria
33. 70th Anniversary of Indian Constitution : A year long, mass awareness campaign was launched on the Constitution Day - 26th November 2019 in institutions of Higher Education across the country 155075 students and faculty from over 700 universities and colleges viewed the live telecast from Central Hall of Parliament and read the Preamble to the Constitution Kartavya Portal launched An online, National Essay Competition for students of HE Institutions announced The competition to be held in 11 rounds, one every month, focussing on one Fundamental Duty
Over 5000 students registered for Ist round to be held on 26th December National Law University, Delhi is the national coordinating university, 25 state coordinating universities Competition to be held through NTA, registration through the portal - kartavya.ugc.ac. Debates, Mock Parliaments, MOOT Courts workshops, guest lectures by eminent jurists, poster making , slogan writing, street plays
Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar will confer the first ‘Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman’, in New Delhi on 07th of January, 2020.
Acknowledging the positive role & responsibility of media in disseminating the outreach of Yoga in India and abroad, the Ministry of I&B had instituted the first Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) in June, 2019 to mark the contribution of media in spreading the message of Yoga.
The Samman to be conferred on Media Houses would be given under the following categories: Thirty (30) Sammans under Three (3) categories will be conferred. Eleven Sammans to be conferred under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Newspapers. Eight Sammans to be conferred under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Television.
Eleven Sammans to be conferred under the category “Best Media Coverage of Yoga in Radio. The Samman will comprise of a special medal/plaque/trophy and a citation. The contribution of Media in popularizing of Yoga and the entrieswas assessed by a Jury comprising of 6 members and was headed by Justice C. K. Prasad, Chairman, Press Council of India.
Brief on International Day of Yoga The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on 21 June since 2015. The idea of International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on 27 September 2014.
While proposing the idea the Prime Minister stated: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”
Following this initial proposal, the UNGA held informal consultations on the draft resolution, entitled "International Day of Yoga", on 14 October 2014. The consultations were convened by the delegation of India.On 11 December 2014, India's Permanent Representative introduced the draft resolution in the United Nations General Assembly. The draft text received broad support from 177 Member States who sponsored the text, which was adopted without a vote. This initiative found support from most global leaders. A total of 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA resolution of such nature.
Launched by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on January 5th, 2015, the Government of India’s zero subsidy Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), marked its fifth anniversary today.
SLNP is the world’s largest streetlight replacement programme and UJALA is the world’s largest domestic lighting project. Both have been spearheaded and implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
Under the SLNP programme, over 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till date, enabling an estimated energy savings of 6.97 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 4.80 million tCO2 annually. LED streetlights have been installed in various states across the country, helping generate approximately 13,000 jobs to support GoI's Make in India initiative.
Through the UJALA initiative, over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted in estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kWh per year, avoided peak demand of 9,394 MW, and an estimated GHG emission reduction of 38 million t CO2 annually.
With the concerted efforts towards building a robust ecosystem for LED in India, these programmes have bagged global awards like the prestigious South Asia Procurement Innovation Award (SAPIA) 2017 and for the innovative use of IT and the business results achieved in Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), it won 2019 CIO 100 award. The highly successful UJALA and SLNP have also bagged the Global Solid State Lighting (SSL) award of excellence for the transformational contribution to the LED sector.
UJALA project brought the market transformation in energy efficiency sector. Prices of LED bulbs being distributed under UJALA programme have fallen to one-tenth of their rates in 2015 from INR. 310 to INR 38 in 2018. The switch from inefficient incandescent bulbs to LEDs is helping families reduce their electricity bills while also enabling them to access better brightness in homes. The money saved adds to a household’s disposable income and lifetime savings, thus improving their quality of life, generating prosperity in local communities, and in expanding energy access to all. With the average household electricity bills down by 15 per cent, the annual energy saving is equivalent to a week’s average earning. The sale of LED bulbs in the Indian market increased from 0.1 per cent of the lighting market in 2014 to 15 per cent within a year, with a projected increase to 60 per cent by 2020. The domestic LED market has also grown significantly beyond the UJALA programme, with the industry selling over 1.15 billion LEDs, far exceeding the UJALA programme’s target of 700 million LED unit sales.
Apart from this, the Government of India initiated the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (GSA) in 2018, which was aimed at promotion of social harmony by apprising rural communities of various government welfare schemes and initiatives. As a part of GSA, 21,058 Indian villages with a significantly large number of poor households were able to buy LED bulbs for a special price under UJALA programme. The LED bulbs equipped homes with energy-efficient, cost-effective lighting, and higher lumen output than conventional incandescent bulbs.
Simultaneously, LED Street Lighting National Programme has enabled citizens to increase productivity at night and made roads safer for pedestrians and motorists due to enhanced brightness and reduced dark spots. The power utilities of states where the installation of LEDs has been implemented save up to 50 per cent in electricity bills, while ensuring 95 percent of streetlight uptime. As these lights are automated, they switch on and off at sunrise and sunset thereby reducing wastage. Utilities can also remotely track and rectify any faults with support of CCMS. In the last five years, the LED streetlights installed have illuminated 3,00,000 km of roads in India, enabling public safety and energy efficient lighting.
Functioning of Gram Panchayats (GP) has a direct impact on the everyday life of millions of rural people. Hence, the role of GP is critical for overall inclusive development and for deepening democracy through participatory governance. The estimated number of streetlights in GPs of India is 3.08 crores, by retrofitting these 3.08 crores conventional streetlights to LED streetlights can enable energy savings of approx. 3420 Million kWh & CO2 emission reduction of approx. 29 lakh tons. Till date, under Street Lighting National Programme, approx. 23 lakhs LED streetlights have already been retrofitted in the Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
By March 2020, SLNP aims to replace 1.34 crore conventional streetlights in India with smart LEDs. This ambitious goal will make a tremendous difference, enabling peak demand reduction of about 1500 MW, annual energy savings of 9 billion kWh, and reduction in 6.2 Million tons of CO2 per year. EESL has an ambitious plan in this portfolio for next 4-5 years where it intends to bring investment to the tune of INR 8,000 crores by 2024 by covering entire rural India. It is expected that more than 30 million LED streetlights would be retrofitted/installed by EESL.
About PMFBY: Launched in April, 2016, after rolling back the earlier insurance schemes viz. National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), Weather-based Crop Insurance scheme and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
Premium: It envisages a uniform premium of only 2% to be paid by farmers for Kharif crops, and 1.5% for Rabi crops. The premium for annual commercial and horticultural crops will be 5%.
Objectives: Providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events. Stabilizing the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming. Encouraging farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
Ensuring flow of credit to the agriculture sector which contributes to food security, crop diversification and enhancing growth and competitiveness of agriculture sector besides protecting farmers from production risks.
Farmers to be covered: All farmers growing notified crops in a notified area during the season who have insurable interest in the crop are eligible. Compulsory coverage: The enrolment under the scheme, subject to possession of insurable interest on the cultivation of the notified crop in the notified area, shall be compulsory for following categories of farmers:
Farmers in the notified area who possess a Crop Loan account/KCC account (called as Loanee Farmers) to whom credit limit is sanctioned/renewed for the notified crop during the crop season. and Such other farmers whom the Government may decide to include from time to time. Voluntary coverage: Voluntary coverage may be obtained by all farmers not covered above, including Crop KCC/Crop Loan Account holders whose credit limit is not renewed.
Challenges at present: Insufficient reach and the issue of penetration. Data constraints: With just around 45% of the claims made by farmers over the last three crop seasons data for the last rabi season is not available paid by the insurance companies.
Low payout of claims: The reason for the very low payout of claims is that only few state governments are paying their share of the premiums on time and till they do, the central government doesn’t pay its share either. Till they get the premium, insurance companies simply sit on the claims.
Gaps in assessment of crop loss: There is hardly any use of modern technology in assessing crop damages. There is lack of trained outsourced agencies, scope of corruption during implementation and the non-utilisation of technologies like smart phones and drones to improve reliability of such sampling. Less number of notified crops than can avail insurance, Inadequate and delayed claim payment.
High actuarial premium rates: Insurance companies charged high actuarial premium rates. If states delay notifications, or payment of premiums, or crop cutting data, companies cannot pay compensation to the farmers in time.
Poor capacity to deliver: There has been no concerted effort by the state government and insurance companies to build awareness of farmers on PMFBY. Insurance companies have failed to set-up infrastructure for proper Implementation of PMFBY.
What was the iran nuclear deal? Iran agreed to rein in its nuclear programme in a 2015 deal struck with the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany.
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) Tehran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy-water, all key components for nuclear weapons. The JCPOA established the Joint Commission,with the negotiating parties all represented, to monitor implementation of the agreement.
Why did Iran agree to the deal? It had been hit with devastating economic sanctions by the United Nations, United States and the European Union that are estimated to have cost it tens of billions of pounds a year in lost oil export revenues. Billions in overseas assets had also been frozen.
Why has US pulled out of the deal? Trump and opponents to the deal say it is flawed because it gives Iran access to billions of dollars but does not address Iran’s support for groups the U.S. considers terrorists, like Hamas and Hezbollah. They note it also doesn’t curb Iran’s development of ballistic missiles and that the deal phases out by 2030. They say Iran has lied about its nuclear program in the past.
Implications for India: On Oil and Gas: The impact on world oil prices will be the immediately visible impact. Iran is presently India’s third biggest supplier (after Iraq and Saudi Arabia), and any increase in prices will hit both inflation levels as well as the Indian rupee.
It would impact the development of Chahbahar port. INSTC: It will also affect these plans, especially if any of the countries along the route or banking and insurance companies dealing with the INSTC plan also decide to adhere to U.S. restrictions on trade with Iran.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:China may consider inducting Iran into the SCO. If the proposal is accepted by the SCO, which is led by China and Russia, India will become a member of a bloc that will be seen as anti-American, and will run counter to some of the government’s other initiatives like the Indo-Pacific quadrilateral with the U.S., Australia and Japan.
Global Implications: Down trends in global economy. Fuel prices would reach high points. Iran may block Strait of Hormuz which is a strategic choke point which inturn would affect global trade. Giant economy like India, China and Russia will suffer. US may cancel airlines from US to India because they pass over Iran which would affect airspace industry.
Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference The conference is being organised in the country for the first time by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). The last four editions of this conference took place in Taipei, Seoul, Beijing and Osaka.
About APDRC: The Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conferences (APDRC) are biennial events that aim to promote the interaction of Drosophila Researchers in the Asia-Pacific region with their peers in the rest of the world.
What is Drosophila? It is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called “small fruit flies” or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit.
It is one of the most widely-used and preferred model organisms in biological research across the world for the last 100 years. Several discoveries in biology have been made using this. Its genome is entirely sequenced and there is enormous information available about its biochemistry, physiology and behaviour.
Performance of the schemes: Under the SLNP initiative, in five years around 1.03 crore smart LED street lights were installed. This helped in reducing Green House Gas emission by 4.8 million tonnes annually. Also, the initiative has created 13,000 jobs. Under UJALA programme, 36.13 crore LED bubs have been distributed so far. This helped in reducing the green house gas emission by 38 million tonnes annually.
About UJALA scheme: The main objective of the scheme is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment which reduce electricity bills and help preserve environment.
The scheme is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Union Ministry of Power. UJALA is a flagship project of the Govt. of India where it wants every home in India to use LED bulbs so that the net power or energy consumption rate comes down and the carbon emission rates can also be checked.
About SLNP: Launched in 2015, EESL’s Street Light National Programme (SNLP) has been instrumental in replacing over 50 lakh street lights in over 500 cities in India, leading to 135 crore kWh of energy savings and cost saving of INR 742 crore every year.
Under the programme, EESL replaces the conventional street lights with LEDs at its own costs, with no upfront investment by the municipalities, thereby making their adoption even more attractive.
What is Project NETRA (Network for space object Tracking and Analysis)? Under the project, the ISRO plans to put up many observational facilities: connected radars, telescopes; data processing units and a control centre. They can, among others, spot, track and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km and equal to a space orbit of around 2,000 km.
Significance of the project: The project will give India its own capability in space situational awareness (SSA) like the other space powers — which is used to ‘predict’ threats from debris to Indian satellites. NETRA’s eventual goal is to capture the GEO, or geostationary orbit, scene at 36,000 km where communication satellites operate. The effort would make India a part of international efforts towards tracking, warning about and mitigating space debris.
Need: Currently there are 15 functional Indian communication satellites in the geostationary orbit of 36,000 km; 13 remote sensing satellites in LEO of up to 2,000 km; and eight navigation satellites in medium earth orbits. Their protection is utmost importance for India.
Background: Space junk is an ever-growing problem with more than 7,500 tonnes of redundant hardware now thought to be circling the Earth. Ranging from old rocket bodies and defunct spacecraft through to screws and even flecks of paint – this material poses a collision hazard to operational missions.
The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles, but especially to the International Space Station (ISS), space shuttles, satellites and other spacecraft.
What is Miyawaki method? The Miyawaki method, developed by a Japanese botanist after whom it is named, involves planting saplings in small areas, causing them to “fight” for resources and grow nearly 10 times quicker. It originated in Japan, and is now increasingly adopted in other parts of the world, including our Chennai. It has revolutionised the concept of urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests.
The process explained: A pit has to be dug, and its dimensions depend on the available space. Before digging the pit, the list of tree species should be chosen judiciously. As there is very little space to work around with, trees with varying heights should be chosen.
Fill it with one layer of compost, followed by a layer of natural waste such as bagasse and coconut shells and then top it with a layer of red soil. Plant the saplings following interval and tree height specifications. The whole process can be completed in two to three weeks. The saplings have to be maintained regularly for a year.
Cost analysis: The exercise will cost approximately ₹ 20,000 for a 600 sq. ft mini forest.
What’s the case? The man who brought the case, Jordi Casamitjana, claimed that he was fired from an animal welfare charity, The League Against Cruel Sports, for raising concerns about its pension funds’ alleged investment in companies that use animal testing.
What has the tribunal said? The tribunal determined that ethical veganism meets the test required to be a philosophical belief, because of which it is protected under The Equality Act, 2010.
What is Veganism, ethical veganism? Broadly, a vegan person does not consume meat products and also products that are derived from animals (such as milk, eggs, etc). Ethical veganism, on the other hand, has been defined as the view that attaches a positive ethical valuation to a vegan lifestyle.
There are two types of ethical veganism: broad absolutist veganism, under which it is always wrong to use any product made by or from animals, and modest ethical veganism, under which it is typically wrong to use products made from or by a range of animals including cats, dogs, cows, pigs, etc. An example of the former category is a person who would not press a leather button, “even if doing so were necessary in order to avert global nuclear war”.
How is it different from ethical vegetarianism? Ethical veganism is different from ethical vegetarianism — the latter makes a distinction between products made from animals, such as meat, and products made by animals, such as milk. Ethical vegetarianism is opposed to products made from animals in particular.
It is native to the Yangtze, Asia’s longest river. It is one of the world’s largest species of freshwater species. It has been declared extinct by Chinese scientists. The last confirmed sighting of the fish was in 2003.
It is thought to have become functionally extinct — which means there are no breeding pairs left — in 1993. Two other notable Yangtze species — reeves shad, a type of fish and the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin — were declared ‘functionally extinct’ in 2015 and 2006 respectively.
There are now 1,757 crocodiles in the park, the census conducted on January 3, 2020, found. Last year, there were 1,742.
Back to Basics: There are three species of crocodilians—saltwater, Mugger and Gharial.
Mugger: The mugger crocodile, also called the Indian crocodile, or marsh crocodile, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as vulnerable by IUCN. The mugger is mainly a freshwater species, and found in lakes, rivers and marshes.
Gharial: The Gharial or fish eating crocodile is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as a Critically Endangered by IUCN. Small released populations are present and increasing in the rivers of the National Chambal Sanctuary, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Son River Sanctuary and the rainforest biome of Mahanadi in Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, Orissa.
Saltwater Crocodile: It is the largest of all living reptiles. It listed as least concern by IUCN. It is found throughout the east coast of India.
Delhi gets its first smog tower. In November, the Supreme Court had directed the Centre and the Delhi government to prepare a plan to install ‘smog towers’ across the capital to deal with air pollution.
What is a ‘smog tower’? Smog towers are structures designed to work as large-scale air purifiers. They are usually fitted with multiple layers of air filters, which clean the air of pollutants as it passes through them. After the cleaning, the tower releases clean air.
The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter load.
It is a tomb located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It was commissioned in 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the memory of his first and chief wife Dilras Banu Begum.
It is considered to be a symbol of Aurangzeb’s ‘conjugal fidelity’. The structure, known as the ‘Taj of the Deccan’ because of its striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal.