National
NTPC REL declares Commercial Operation of its Maiden Project - the 50 MW Dayapar Wind Project in Kachch
⇒ NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has declared the commercial operation of its first project, the 50 MW wind project at Dayapar in Kachch, Gujarat, on 4 November, 2023.
Key Points:
- With this, the total installed capacity of NTPC Group has become 73,874 MW and the total RE operational capacity of NTPC Group now stands at 3,364 MW.
- Dayapar Wind is the first project of NTPC REL and the first capacity in India to be declared commercial under new Indian Electricity Grid Code and General Network Access Regime.
- Apart from Dayapar Wind, there are 15 others RE projects under different stages of execution, totalling to a capacity of 6,210 MW. Also, when fully commissioned, Dayapar Wind Complex will add 450 MW to NTPC’s existing wind portfolio of 100 MW.
Other Points:
- In addition to solar and wind capacity, NTPC REL is also investing in Green Hydrogen technologies. Based on green hydrogen storage and microgrid principle, it is setting up a large capacity in Ladakh.
- NTPC Green Energy Ltd, another wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has commissioned RE capacity of 2,711 MW and is setting up two solar projects, namely a 40 MW Solar project at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and a Hydrogen Hub at Pudimadaka in Andhra Pradesh.
- NTPC REL was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC on 7th October, 2020, to accelerate RE capacity addition of NTPC.
- As part of long-term growth plan and sustainability, NTPC targets to have 60 GW Renewable Energy capacity by 2032; it now has a pipeline of 20 GW+ RE capacity.
‘ATL Marathon 2023-24’- a flagship innovation challenge
⇒ Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog opened applications for ‘ATL Marathon 2023-24’- a flagship innovation challenge on 03 November 2023.
Organised by:
- It is organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, YuWaah and UNICEF.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the hosting partner of the ATL Marathon 2023-24.
» ATL Marathon is a national-level innovation challenge for young innovators across India who can solve community problems of their choice, and develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes.
Theme:
The theme of ATL Marathon 2023-24 is around “India’s 75th Republic Day”, with several problem statements on which student teams can build projects like Space, Agriculture, Inclusivity, Disaster management, Mobility, Health, Education & Skill Development.
Prizes & Certificates:
Top teams will get an Internship opportunity through the Student Innovator Program with leading corporates & Incubation Centres of India, certificates from AIM, NITI Aayog and many more exciting opportunities.
- Top 400 teams – Student Internship Programme (SIP)
- Top 75 teams – Student Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP)
Special Certificates-
- Top 10 Teams from Each State
- Top 10 Teams from Rural Areas
- Top 10 Teams from Government Schools
- Top 10 Teams from Aspirational Districts
- Top 10 Teams Including Children with Special Needs
» The last edition of the Marathon witnessed 12000+ innovations, the top 400 of them got internship opportunities through the Student Innovator Program with leading corporates and Incubation Centres of India, prizes and certificates from AIM, NITI Aayog.
International
Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman was on an official visit to Sri Lanka
⇒ Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, embarked on an official visit to Sri Lanka, beginning November 1, 2023 for three days.
‘NAAM 200’:
» During the visit, Smt. Sitharaman addressed the ‘NAAM 200’ organized by the Government of Sri Lanka at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo on 2 November as the guest of honour.
- ‘NAAM 200’ was organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of arrival of India-origin Tamils (IOTs) to Sri Lanka.
India Sri Lanka Business Summit:
» Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman also addressed the India Sri Lanka Business Summit at Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo on 2 November.
Theme:
The theme of the India Sri Lanka Business Summit was ‘Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity’.
Organised by:
The summit was jointly organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Meetings:
» As part of the official visit, the Union Finance Minister held meetings with His Excellency Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka and Mr. Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
- They discussed India-Sri Lanka joint initiatives in the economic and commercial sphere.
- They discussed various issues on India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership and exchanged views to promote greater trade and investment, enhance tourism and promote people-to-people ties.
- The two leaders also talked about greater collaboration in promotion of digital education in addition to digital payments and digital identity and cooperation in dairy development.
MoUs:
» The Union Finance Minister witnessed the exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka wherein India will allocate INR 82.40 crores out of the GOI grant assistance of INR 107.47 crores earmarked for the promotion of Buddhist ties.
Inauguration SBI Branches:
» Smt. Sitharaman also inaugurated State Bank of India (SBI) Branches at Trincomalee and Jaffna on 2nd November and 3rd November respectively.
Important Day
Foundation Day of Haryana
⇒ Haryana Day is celebrated every year on 1 November.
History:
- This special day marks when Haryana became a separate state from Punjab in 1966. Haryana was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 November 1966 on a linguistic basis.
- In April 1966, the Indian government established the Shah Commission to assess Punjab’s existing state and define the boundaries of the new Haryana state, considering the language spoken by the local people.
- The commission unveiled its recommendations at the end of May 1966, leading to the formation of the state of Haryana on 1 November 1966.
- The name “Haryana” means “land of God.” In Sanskrit, “Hari” means God, and “Avana” means home.