National
2nd generation (2G) Ethanol Plant in Panipat
⇒ On the occasion of World Biofuel Day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated the 2nd generation (2G) Ethanol Plant in Panipat, Haryana to the nation on 10th August, 2022 via video conferencing.
The dedication of the Plant is part of a long series of steps taken by the government over the years to boost the production and usage of biofuels in the country. This is in line with the Prime Minister’s constant endeavour to transform the energy sector into being more affordable, accessible, efficient and sustainable.
About 2G Ethanol Plant:
- The 2G Ethanol Plant has been built at an estimated cost of over Rs. 900 crore by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and is located close to the Panipat Refinery.
- Based on state-of-the-art indigenous technology, the project will turn a new chapter in India’s waste-to-wealth endeavours by utilising about 2 lakh tonnes of rice straw (parali) annually to generate around 3 crore litres of Ethanol annually.
- The project will have zero liquid discharge. Through reduction in burning of rice straw (parali), the project will contribute to a reduction of Greenhouse Gases equivalent to about 3 lakh tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions per annum; which can be understood as equivalent to replacing nearly 63,000 cars annually on the country’s roads.
» Creating an end-use for the agri-crop residue would empower farmers and provide an additional income generation opportunity for them.
- The Project will provide direct employment to people involved in the plant operation and indirect employment will be generated in the supply chain for rice straw cutting, handling, storage, etc.
‘Asian Regional Forum’ Meet
⇒ The Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted a virtual meet of the ‘Asian Regional Forum’ on the theme “Making our Elections Inclusive, Accessible and Participative” at Nirvachan Sadan on 11 August 2022.
- The Regional Forum meet was a precursor to the “Summit for Electoral Democracy”, hosted by the National Electoral Institute of Mexico.
Participation:
Chief Election Commissioner of India, Shri Rajiv Kumar, and Election Commissioner, Shri Anup Chandra Pandey, presided over the Asian Regional Forum meet.
- The meet was participated by Election Management Bodies of Mexico, Mauritius, Philippines, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Maldives and Representatives from International IDEA, Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
This Asian Regional Forum (ARF) meet had two sessions.
- The first session on ‘Inclusive Elections: Enhancing Participation of Youth, Gender and Citizens in Remote Areas’ was co-chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner from Mauritius and Nepal.
- The second session on ‘Accessible Elections: Enhancing Participation of Persons with Disabilities & Senior Citizens’ was co-chaired by the Commissioner, COMELEC, Philippines and CEC of Uzbekistan.
» As part of this ‘Global Summit for Democracy’, five Regional Forums namely Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and countries of the Arab States have been created.
» India hosted the Asian Regional Forum meet of the EMBs to reflect upon the changing geo-politics, emerging technologies and their use in election management in view of the challenges presented by COVID-19 pandemic.
National Conference of Rural Co-operative Banks in New Delhi
⇒ Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah addressed the National Conference of Rural Co-operative Banks in New Delhi on 12 August 2022.
- Shri Amit Shah also presented awards to outstanding State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).
Key Points:
- The short-term cooperative credit structure in India comprises 34 State Cooperative Banks, 351 District Central Cooperative Banks and 96,575 PACS.
- The National Federation of State Cooperative Banks was established on May 19, 1964 with the broad objective to facilitate the operations of State and Central Cooperative Banks and development of short-term cooperative credit structure.
- NAFSCOB provides a common forum to its members and their affiliates/shareholders/ owners to project their achievements, focus their concerns and promote their interests.
International
2nd India-Bangladesh Tri-services Staff Talks
⇒ The 2nd India-Bangladesh Tri-services Staff Talks (TSST) were held in New Delhi on August 10, 2022.
Chaired by:
The meeting was co-chaired from the Indian side by Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff, IDC(A), HQ Integrated Defence Staff Brigadier Vivek Narang and Director General Operation and Plan Directorate Armed Force Division from the Bangladesh side Brigadier General Husain Muhammad Rahaman.
Discussion:
The discussions focused on the ongoing and new initiatives taken under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism of all three services and further strengthening the bilateral defence engagements.
About TSST:
The TSST is a forum established to boost defence cooperation between both the nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels between HQ IDS and Bangladesh Armed Forces Division.
Sports
44th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022
⇒ The 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from July 28 to August 9, 2022. 187 countries were participated the in the Chess Olympiad.
Winners:
- Uzbekistan won the gold medal in the Open event, which was their first overall medal in the Chess Olympiads.
- Ukraine claimed their second gold in the Women’s event. Ukraine had previously won in 2006.
Read More About 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022
Important Day
World Biofuel Day 2022
⇒ World Biofuel Day is observed every year on 10th of August to create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels.
Theme:
The theme of World Biofuel Day 2022 was “Biofuels Towards a Carbon Neutral World”.
History:
- This day also honors the research experiments by Sir Rudolf Diesel who ran an engine with peanut oil in the year 1893. His research experiment had predicted that vegetable oil is going to replace fossil fuels in the next century to fuel different mechanical engines.
- In India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) started celebrating World Biofuel Day, 2015 onwards.
About Biofule:
Bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas are the three types of biofuels used in India.
- Bioethanol is made from sugar and starch-heavy crops and surplus agricultural waste and biomass.
- Biodiesel is produced from various types of vegetable oil and biomass wastes from agricultural farms and forests.
- Biogas is produced via anaerobic digestion of biomass wastes and animal wastes.