Daily Current Capsules
17-18 June 2023
Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur
- The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021 is being conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
Know! about Gandhi Peace Prize
- Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government of India in 1995, on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Mahatma Gandhi.
- The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed, or gender.
- The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.
- The past awardees include organizations such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, Akshaya Patra, Bengaluru, Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India, and Sulabh International, New Delhi.
- It has also been awarded to luminaries like Late Dr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Dr. Julius Nyerere, Former President of Tanzania, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder President of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka
- Recent awardees include Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said, Oman (2019), and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (2020), Bangladesh.
- The Jury headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi after due deliberations on 18th June 2023 unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.
Gita Press
- Established in 1923, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagvad Gita.
- The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications, for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations, strives for the betterment of life and the well being of all.
Intersolar Europe 2023
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) participated in the three-day Intersolar Europe 2023 exhibition held in Munich, Germany from the 14th to the 16th of June 2023.
- IREDA had set up a pavilion at the exhibition to educate visitors about the organization.
- Intersolar Europe provided a valuable opportunity for IREDA to showcase our accomplishments and expertise in the Renewable Energy Financing domain.
Intersolar Europe
- Intersolar Europe is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry.
- It takes place as part of The Smarter E Europe – the continent’s largest platform for the energy industry.
- It focuses on photovoltaics, solar thermal technologies, and solar power plants.
- Under the motto “Connecting solar business,” manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, and project planners and developers from around the world meet in Munich to discuss the latest developments and trends, explore innovations firsthand and meet potential new customers.
- Intersolar Europe is part of Intersolar, the world’s leading exhibition series for the solar industry, with exhibitions in Mexico City, São Paulo, Gandhinagar and Dubai, as well as other summits and conferences worldwide.
- Intersolar Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA)
- It is formed in 1987
- It is a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Government of India Enterprise
- It is administratively controlled by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
- It is a Public Limited Government Company which was established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution and works on the motto “Energy for Ever.”
- The organisation is formed for promoting, developing and extending financial assistance for setting up projects relating to new and renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency/conservation.
National Working Plan Code-2023 released
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change has released the “National Working Plan Code-2023” for scientific management of forests and evolving new approaches.
- The National Working Plan Code-2023 was released during the occasion of the ‘World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought’ organized by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun on 17th June 2023.
National Working Plan Code-2023
- The National Working Plan Code-2023 will act as a guiding principle for State Forest Departments in preparation for the working plan for different forest divisions in the country.
- National Working Plan Code-2023 deals in detail with the essentials of forest management planning, incorporating the principles of sustainable management of forests.
- This includes the extent and condition of forest and tree cover; maintenance, conservation, and enhancement of biodiversity including wildlife, forest health, and vitality, conservation and management of soil and water resources, enhancement of forest resource productivity, maintenance and enhancement of social, economic, cultural and spiritual benefits, and providing the appropriate policy, legal and institutional framework.
- For the first time, the National Working Plan Code-2023 has prescribed state forest departments to engage in continuous data collection and its updation in a centralized database.
- The “Indian Forest Management Standard” which is a part of this code, takes into account the diverse forest ecosystem in our country while trying to bring in uniformity in management.
National Water Awards, 2022
- The Vice President of India conferred the 4th National Water Awards, 2022
- 41 winners, including joint winners across 11 categories were awarded for their exemplary work in the field of water conservation and management.
- Each award winner was conferred with a citation and a trophy as well as cash prizes in certain categories.
- The Vice President also launched an animated short film on ‘Piku’, the mascot of the National Water Mission
- The event started with the traditional ‘Jal Kalash’ ceremony.
- The Vice President congratulated the state of Madhya Pradesh for winning the first prize in the best State category as well as Odisha for the second position and Andhra Pradesh and Bihar for winning the third position jointly.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti
National Water Awards
- To create awareness among the people about the importance of water and to help motivate people to adopt the best water usage practices, the National Water Awards were launched in 2018 by the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation in 2018.
- They have provided a good opportunity for start-ups as well as leading organizations to engage and deliberate with senior policymakers on how to adopt the best water resources management practices in India.
- These awards have been instituted to recognize and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals, organizations, etc across the country in attaining the vision of a ‘Jal Samriddh Bharat’.
- It covers 11 categories Best State’, ‘Best District’, ‘Best Village Panchayat’, ‘Best Urban Local Body’, etc.
- The award winners in different categories will be given a citation, trophy, and cash prize.
- The cash prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rank winners are Rs.2 lakhs, Rs.1.5 lakhs, and Rs.1 lakh, respectively.
Challenges in terms of our water resources in India
- We face great challenges in terms of our water resources as India is home to about 18% of the world’s population, and over 18% of the livestock, but we have just 4% of the freshwater resources of the world.
- Our challenge is grave as the pace of urbanization is high and India also has large geographical variation”.
Initiatives of the Ministry of Jal Shakti
Jal Shakti Abhiyan – Catch the Rain campaign
- It has been carried out with the cooperation from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Rural Development and has brought about a new momentum in the field of rainwater harvesting and water conservation.
Jal Jeevan Mission
- It is the world’s biggest drinking water supply program and is well on its way to providing household tap connections to about 194 million rural households, thereby providing drinking water security.
- Under the Mission, the journey which the Ministry started with a little more than 15% households, today in a short span of less than 4 years, has surpassed from 15% to about 63% households”.
Atal Bhujal Yojana
- It focuses on demand side management of groundwater and the encouraging results in groundwater recharge demonstrate community-led sustainable groundwater management.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
- It has, on one hand, created 30 lakh hectares of new irrigation area and on the other, brought about 70 lakh hectares of land under smart/micro irrigation due to coordinated efforts with the states.
Amrit Sarovars
- 56,000 Amrit Sarovars all over the country have been constructed and almost the same number of Amrit Sarovars are under construction.
- River Linking
- Linking of the Ken and Betwa rivers as the beginning of a new era in the country.
- 30 links have been identified which will help to quench the thirst of thirsty rivers and thirsty throats.
Dugdh Sankalan Sathi App
- Union minister of heavy industries launched the groundbreaking “Dugdh Sanakalan Sathi Mobile App” in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
- The app, developed by Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), a “Mini Ratna” Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, aims to bring about a significant transformation in the Indian dairy industry by addressing key challenges in the milk collection process.
- This mobile app aims to improve the quality of milk, foster transparency among stakeholders, and streamline operations at the grassroots village level, including milk cooperative societies
- This will inform all services to milk producers in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu and other languages
- Key features and benefits of the app include increased transparency among stakeholders, online monitoring of milk collection at Milk Cooperative Societies, real-time updates on milk prices, direct beneficiary transfers of payments and government subsidies to milk producers‘ bank accounts, push notifications for milk collection, and multilingual support
Mahindra Defence begins deliveries of ‘Armado’ for Indian armed forces
- Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra announced that Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of his company, has started deliveries of ‘Armado,’ an Armoured Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) built for the Indian armed forces.
Know about Armado
- A fully-indigenous vehicle, Armado can accommodate a driver and 5 passengers, the standard 1,000 kg load capacity, the ASLV can carry another 400 kg.
- A modular vehicle, it can be used in counter-terrorism operations, raids in open and desert terrains, and reconnaissance missions. Special forces and quick reaction teams, too, can use it, doing so for conventional operations, weapon-carrying, border patrolling, etc.
- It gets ballistic protection up to the B7 level and STANAG level-2. This means that its armour offers protection against armour-piercing rifles. Also, the ASLV gets protection on all sides (front, side and rear) from ballistics and explosives.
- Powering the 4-wheeler is a 3.2-litre multi-fuel diesel engine that generates 216 hp of maximum power. A 6-speed automatic gearbox sends power to the wheels through a dedicated 4×4 system.
- Armado takes just 12 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 160 kmph, and runs at a speed of more than 120 kmph.
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