National
GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2022
⇒ The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Headquarter in New Delhi has won the prestigious GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2022, a top national level Green Building Award.
- GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is a national rating system for green buildings in India.
About UIDAI HQ:
- UIDAI HQ has been declared a winner among the existing highest rated building category.
- UIDAI believes and promotes the idea of recycle and reuse to reduce carbon footprint. It has been harnessing solar power to meet a portion of its energy consumption. It is recycling and reusing water and has been adhering to sustainable waste management practices.
- On an average, 25% to 30% of its daily water consumption is coming from recycled water. Similarly, the UIDAI HQ building is also recharging ground water 3590 KL per year, on an average.
- In 2021, UIDAI HQ building was adjudged the runners up.
Winners of GRIHA Exemplary Performance Award 2022:
Energy Management Category: Satellite Centre of PGIMER, Sangrur, Punjab
Integrated Water Management Category: Utkarsh Bank, Varanasi
Renewable Energy Utilization Category: Bhopal Nagar Nigam Head Office Building, MP
Construction workers health and safety (During construction) Category: New parliament Building, New Delhi
Site management (During construction) Category: New parliament Building, New Delhi
Existing Building Category:
- UIDAI Head Quarters, New Delhi
- Renew Power Pvt. Ltd. Building, Gurugram
Existing Day-schools Category: The School Krishnamurti Foundation India, Tamil Nadu
14th GRIHA Summit:
GRIHA Council hosted “14th GRIHA Summit” on 15-16 December, 2022 at India Habitat Center, New Delhi.
- Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Council, is an autonomous, not for profit society jointly set up by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.
- The objective of GRIHA Council is to promote and administer the development of sustainable buildings and habitats in India through GRIHA.
- GRIHA is the indigenous rating system developed by TERI which was adopted as the ‘National Rating System’ of India by MNRE.
Theme:
The theme for 14th GRIHA Summit was “Towards Net Positive Habitats”. The theme, ‘Towards Net Positive Habitats’ centres a step taken towards achieving the COP 26 commitments of India.
- Its objective was to bring in experts from different industries on one platform to deliberate on reducing carbon emissions, increasing carbon sequestration and taking the net positive habitat movement to the general masses.
- GRIHA Council organizes “Exemplary Performance Awards” every year, to recognize the efforts of projects that have met sustainability goals and acknowledges their commitment to the cause of sustainable development.
26th Delhi Book Fair 2022
⇒ Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, participated in the 26th Delhi Book Fair held in New Delhi from 22nd to 26th December, 2022.
Organized by:
The 26th Delhi Book Fair was organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in association with Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP).
- Publications Division showcased its wide collection of books and journals at the fair.
- Publications Division also showcased much sought after books on Indian cinema, art and culture, Indian history, eminent personalities, and children’s literature.
Book titled 'India: The Mother of Democracy'
⇒ The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was presented book titled ‘India: The Mother of Democracy’, by the Union Minister of Education, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
Prepared and published by:
The book prepared and published by the ICHR is an evidence-based account of the origin of democracy in India.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi appreciated the book, the hard work put in to it and the intellectual endeavour of ICHR.
About Book:
- The book talks about India’s democratic traditions that not only changed the destiny of the Indian subcontinent but also inspired many countries across the world. Democracy has deep roots in India’s national ethos and our ancient culture, which teaches respect for divergent and even dissenting point of view.
- The book draws a distinction between Praja-Tantra, Jana-Tantra, and Loka-Tantra. The book has innumerable citations of prevalent democratic institutions in India, through the ages. It further authenticates that Democratic system in India has evolved over the ages.
- Also, this book is an attempt to bring to the kind attention of the world academia that the Vedic term for law is Dharman.
International
3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum in Cambodia
⇒ The three-day 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum organized by the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India concluded on 22 December 2022 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
- The forum consisted of Grassroots Innovation Competition, Student Innovation Competition, Panel discussions, Keynote speeches and an exhibition of innovations consisting of participants from India and the ASEAN Member States (AMS).
» The 1st two forums were organized in Indonesia (2018) and Philippines (2019) respectively while there was a brief pause of two years owing to the pandemic.
Grassroots and Student Innovation Competition:
First Prize in the Grassroots Innovation Competition:
» Ms Shalini Kumari from India received first prize in the Grassroots Innovation Competition at the 3rd ASEAN India Grassroots Innovation forum for her innovation ‘Modified walker with adjustable legs’.
The technology which was transferred to the industry, Vissco Rehabilitation Aids, a leading manufacturer of orthopaedic products in the country, is available for purchase through Brick-and-Mortar stores and also through marketplaces like Amazon India for purchase by common people of the country.
- Ms Shalini Kumari received the prize from H.E Dr. Hul Seingheng, Cambodia COSTI Chairman and Director General, General Department of Science, Technology & Innovation under the Ministry of Industry Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), Kingdom of Cambodia.
- She has won the cash prize of USD 1,500 by virtue of being the winner of first prize.
- The first prize winner from India Ms Shalini Kumari at the forum, a resident of Patna in Bihar; she was first recognized by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India, an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India through IGNITE Competition in the year 2011 for the same technology.
» The 2nd and 3rd prize has been won by grassroots innovators from Philippines and Myanmar respectively who have won USD 1000 and USD 500 respectively.
» The first and second prize in the Student Innovation competition has been won by participants from Thailand whereas the third prize has been won by the student from Lao PDR.
Grassroots Innovation Competition
- 1st Prize: Ms Shalini Kumari (India)- Modified walker with adjustable legs
- 2nd Prize: Mrs Meriam Bouquia (Philippines)- Multi-purpose Fiber Stripper
- 3rd Prize: Mr. Myo Thaw (Myanmar)- GreenToddy’s Plamyra palm coconut
Student Innovation Competition:
- 1st Prize- Ms. Napaschol Inthapan (Thailand)- ORA (Osteoarthritis Rehabilitation Assistant)
- 2nd Prize: Mr. Tanapat Charunworaphan (Thailand)- The HealthTech that keeps your heart in checked
- 3rd Prize: Mr. Phonsena Chanthavong (Lao PDR)- Intelligent boat for a cleaner river