National
Alexander Dalrymple Award
⇒ Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar, AVSM, NM, Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India received the Alexander Dalrymple award from the British High Commissioner, Mr Alex Ellis on 23 July 2021 in New Delhi.
The Admiral has been awarded the Alexander Dalrymple award in recognition of his unparalleled dedication, professionalism and leadership in the disciplines of hydrography and nautical cartography, not only as the Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India but throughout the Indian Ocean region.
Vice Admiral Vinay Badhwar was conferred with the prestigious award in 2019 but the award ceremony was delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
About Award:
The Alexander Dalrymple award has been named after the first hydrographer of the Admiralty and was instituted in 2006.
Service for Updating Mobile Number in Aadhaar
⇒ Recently, India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) announced that it has launched a service for updating mobile number in Aadhaar as a Registrar for Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
Now a resident Aadhaar holder can get his mobile number updated in Aadhaar by the postman at his door step.
The service will be available through the extensive network of 650 IPPB branches and 146,000 postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks equipped with smartphones and biometric devices.
Dasarathi Krishnamacharya Award for 2021
⇒Former Vice-chancellor of Telugu University, Dr Elluri Shivareddy has been awarded the prestigious Dasarathi Krishnamacharya Award for 2021.
Dr Elluri Shivareddy, who hails from Nagarkurnool, has been honored for his outstanding contributions in the field of literature.
Indian Army Skiing expedition, ARMEX-21
⇒ The Indian Army Skiing expedition, ARMEX-21 was flagged off at Karakoram Pass in Ladakh on March 10, 2021 and culminated at Malari in Uttarakhand on July 06, 2021, covering 1,660 kms in 119 days.
The ARMEX-21 was conducted in the mountain ranges of the Himalayan region to promote the adventure activity in the country and the Indian Army.
During the expedition, the team travelled through several passes of 5,000-6,500m, glaciers, valleys and rivyers.
International
Renewables Integration in India 2021
⇒ A report on “Renewables Integration in India 2021” was jointly launched by Dr. Rakesh Sarwal, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog & Mr. Keisuke Sadamori, Director of Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency (IEA) on 22nd July, 2021.
Based on:
The report is based on the outcome of three states workshops held with the Governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat to understand the specific energy transition challenges faced by these renewable-rich states.
Highlights of the Report:
» India’s power system can efficiently integrate renewables 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
To achieve this, it will require identification of resources and proper planning, regulatory, policy and institutional support, energy storage and advance technology initiatives.
Indian states need to employ a wide range of flexibility options to transition to cleaner electricity systems.
The flexibility options are as follows:
Demand response, more flexible operation of coal based power plants, storage, and grid improvements.
» Larger shares of renewables can be better managed by shifting time of use in agriculture.
Time of Use (ToU) tariffs will be an effective tool to incentivise demand side management and encourage flexible consumption.
Byju's acquired US-based kids learning platform Epic
⇒ Education Tech Company, Byju’s has acquired US-based kids learning platform Epic in a $500-million cash-and-stock deal.
Edtech firm, ‘Epic’ has 50 million user children in the United States, who access digital books for free as well as through subscriptions.
Sports
All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21
⇒ AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21:
Blue Tigers defender Sandesh Jhingan was named the winner of All India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21.
It is the first time that the towering central defender has received the Player of the Year award, having won the Emerging Player of the Year Award in 2014.
AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2020-21:
Midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam was named the winner of AIFF Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year 2020-21.
20-year-old Suresh Singh Wangjam, who made his Blue Tigers debut earlier this year against Oman, becomes the latest midfielder to win the Men’s Emerging Footballer of the Year Award.
» The winners for the awards were chosen on the basis of votes from Hero Indian Super League and Hero I-League club coaches.