National
Chairperson of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
⇒ Shri R.K. Singh, Union Minister for Power and NRE administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Shri Jishnu Barua, Chairperson, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) on 02 March 2023.
- Shri Jishnu Barua has been appointed Chairperson of CERC vide Ministry of Power’s Order dated 27 February 2023.
About Shri Jishnu Barua:
- Shri Barua was Chief Secretary, Govt of Assam from October 2020 to August 2022. Post retirement, Shri Barua held the charge of Chairperson of Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd.
- Shri Jishnu Barua holds M Phil degree in Defence and Strategic Studies, PG (History) Degree and Graduation (Philosphy) degree.
About CERC:
- The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) had been established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998.
- CERC is the Central Commission for the purposes of the Electricity Act, 2003 which has repealed the ERC Act, 1998.
- The Commission consists of a Chairperson and four other Members including Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority who is the ex-officio Member of the Commission.
- Major functions of CERC under the Act are, inter-alia, to regulate the tarrif of generating companies owned or controlled by the Central Government, to regulate the tariff of other generating companies having a composite scheme for generation and sale of electricity in more than one State, to regulate the inter-State transmission of electricity and to determine tariff for such transmission of electricity, etc.
- Under the Act, CERC shall also advise the Central Government on formulation of National Electricity Policy and Tariff Policy; promotion of competition, efficiency and economy in activities of electricity industry; promotion of investment in electricity industry; and any other matter referred to the Central Commission by the Government.
Aromatic 'Marcha Rice' from West Champaran gets GI tag
⇒ As per GI registry, Bihar’s famous ‘Marcha Rice’ which is known for its aroma and palatability was awarded the Geographical Indication tag in April 2023.
About Marcha Rice:
- Marcha is a short indigenous cultivar of rice found in West Champaran district of Bihar.
- By its size and shape, its grain appears like black pepper so it is known as ‘Mircha’ (pepper in Hindi) or ‘Marcha Rice’.
- It (the rice) is also known as Mircha, Marchaiya, Marichaetc locally. Plants, grains and flakes have a unique aroma that makes it different.
- The major growing areas of Marcha rice include Mainatand, Gaunaha, Narkatiyaganj, Ramnagar and Chanpatiya blocks of West Champaran district.
Three Padma Shri awardees from Bihar
⇒ Padma Awards 2023 were conferred at a Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 March 2023. President Droupadi conferred 106 Padma Awards to noted personalities of various fields.
Three Padma Shri awardees from Bihar:
» The three personalities from Bihar who have been selected for the Padma Shri award are Subhadra Devi, Anand Kumar and Kapil Dev Prasad.
- Bihar’s Mathematician and founder of Super 30 Anand Kumar was awarded the Padma Shree. He is being awarded Padma Shree in the field of Literature & Education.
- Subhadra Devi and Kapil Dev Prasad have been selected for the Padma Shri award for distinguished service in the field of art. Kapil Dev Prasad, 70, a resident of Nalanda, is a handloom artist. He has been associated with the textile industry for almost 60 years.
Frozen Semen station in Ranbirbagh, Jammu & Kashmir
⇒ Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala laid the foundation stone of the Frozen Semen station in Ranbirbagh, Jammu & Kashmir in March 2023.
Under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission scheme this semen station has been sanctioned a total sum of Rs 2163.57 lakhs. It will enable Kashmir province to be self- sufficient in the production of high quality and disease free-germ plasm to be used for Artificial Insemination coverage.
About Frozen Semen Project Ranbir Bagh:
- Frozen Semen Project Ranbir Bagh was established under INDO-DANISH project in the year 1980. The equipment for processing of frozen semen were obtained under DANIDA, an assistance programme between Danish Government and GOI. The project was commissioned to process cryo-preserved semen in the year 1982.
- Frozen Semen Project Ranbir Bagh (Livestock Development Board-Kashmir) is primarily engaged in production of frozen semen doses to be used for artificial insemination of cattle in the Kashmir province of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Key Points:
- The station is spread over about 300 Kanals of land estate with inhouse fodder production. Situated under the foothills of the Harmukh mountain range in Ganderbal district of the UT, the station is endowed by natural means of biosecurity.
- The strengthening of Frozen Semen Project Ranbir Bagh is sanctioned under RGM scheme to produce 10.95 Lac frozen semen doses by the year 2025-26, maintain ISO/ GMP certification, secure GLP certification and grade A by CMU.
- The project will strengthen Frozen Semen Bull Station, Ranbir Bagh in accordance with the MSP guidelines to realise production of over 10 Lac FSSs annually.
- This project and its successful implementation/execution is expected to augment the existing infrastructure and create new infrastructure in the Frozen Semen Project-Ranbir Bagh.
International
India and Australia sign a Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications
⇒ Australian Education Minister Mr. Jason Clare visited New Delhi from February 28th, 2023 to March 4, 2023 to facilitate India-Australia relations in the field of education.
- He came with a large delegation of vice chancellors of key Australian universities, five peak groups and a regulator.
- India and Australia already share very strong ties in the education sector. Education is also a very important pillar of India – Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications:
» India and Australia signed a Framework Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Qualifications that will help ease the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.
- The agreement was signed following a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on 02 March 2023 between India’s Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and the Australian Education Minister Mr. Jason Clare.
- This agreement is part of the commitment by Prime Ministers of both countries at the 2nd India-Australia Virtual Summit held on 21st March 2022, wherein they had agreed to establish a Joint Taskforce for mutual recognition of qualifications.
Task Force:
- A Task Force was accordingly set up consisting of senior officials of education and skill ministries and regulators on both sides.
- It has come up with a comprehensive mechanism that covers both education and skill qualifications of the two countries and will help facilitate two-way mobility of young people for education and employment purposes by mutually recognizing various levels of education and skill qualifications.
» While addressing media, Shri Pradhan said that the signing of G-to-G mechanism for mutual recognition of qualifications, the announcement of the IEIF Critical Skills Project and 11 institutional MoUs mark a landmark moment in educational relations between India and Australia.
» The Australian Education Minister Mr Jason Clare said that India has set the target of providing 50% of its youth with either higher education or skill education by 2035 and Australia would be privileged to partner with India in this program.
» In bilateral meeting the two sides also discussed issues like promoting student mobility and enhancing research and academic collaborations between Indian and Australian universities through the mechanism of Joint/ Dual/ Twinning degrees that have been brought in recently under NEP2020.
Background:
- In recent years, Australia has become one of the preferred destinations of Indian students for pursuing higher studies, and even more so for gaining vocational skills.
- There are talks to facilitate more Australian students to come to India especially for both short and longer-term study, internships and research. There is immense potential between institutional collaboration between India and Australia especially in Higher Education, Skill development and training.
- Government of India has unrolled several initiatives to facilitate partnership with foreign institutions especially in the field of Higher education by facilitating Joint/Dual Degree programs.
» A number of institutional level MOUs were also exchanged between India and Australia’s university sectors, which will promote research and academic collaborations between the two countries in several key sectors.