National
Ghaziabad-Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay section becomes IR's longest fully automatic block signalling section
⇒ The Ghaziabad-Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay section has become the longest fully automatic block signalling section of Indian Railways.
With the commissioning of Automatic signalling system in Sath Naraini- Rundhi- Faizullapur Station section of Prayagraj Division, 762 KM long Ghaziabad-Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay section has been fully automated and has also become the longest automatic block signalling section of Indian Railways.
Background:
- In order to increase line capacity to run more trains on existing High-Density Routes of Indian Railways, Automatic Block Signalling (ABS) is a cost-effective solution.
- Indian Railways has been rolling out Automatic Block signalling on a mission mode.
- ABS has been commissioned on 268 Rkm during 2022-23. As on 31 December 2022, ABS has been provided on 3706 Route km over IR.
- With implementation of Automatic Signalling, increase in capacity will accrue resulting in more train services becoming possible.
- Electronic Interlocking are being adopted on a large scale to derive benefits of digital technologies in train operation and to enhance safety.
- Electronic Interlocking systems have been provided at 347 stations during 2022-23. So far 2888 stations have been provided with Electronic Interlocking up to 31 December 2022 covering 45.5% of IR.
Varanasi Cantt Railway Station awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ with a 5-star rating
⇒ Indian Railways’ Varanasi Cantt Railway Station has been awarded a 5- star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.
About Certification:
- This certification is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices.
- The ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
- The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5. The 5-star rating indicates full compliance by the station to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
- The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians.
Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.
Other railway stations:
The other railway stations with Star certification include Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station (Delhi); Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai); Mumbai Central Railway Station, (Mumbai); Vadodara Railway Station, Chandigarh Railway Station and Bhopal Railway Station.
Astro Tourism- A Sky Gazing event
⇒ Under the banner of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in association with Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) organised a spectacular Astro Tourism event at India Gate Lawns, Kartavya Path Delhi.
The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal. The program was held on January 06-08 with various activities.
Key Points:
- The Astro Tourism event included various activities like Astro Talks by expert Astronomers, Exhibition on Astronomy, Storytelling related to celestial objects, Experience of using telescope to see craters of Moon, Astronomy Activities, Photographic Panel Exhibition, Astro-Photography.
- This 3-day program was a great learning experience for children of all age groups.
Goa MSME Adhiveshan
⇒ Union Minister of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Narayan Rane addressed the Goa MSME Adhiveshan in Panaji on 06 January 2023.
Organized by:
The meet was organized by Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB) in association with the Department of Trade, Industries & Commerce, Government of Goa.
Key Points:
- The Goa MSME Adhiveshan was a conference of representatives of the MSME sector in Goa, intended to serve as a platform to network, ideate and share knowledge.
- The daylong event witnessed multiple sessions by industry experts on a range of topics from ‘Business Process Automation’ to ‘Brand Driven Growth’.
- At the event, Goa Chapter of LUB expressed its resolve to focus on increasing exports and creating industrial clusters that generate employment and promote entrepreneurship in the State.
- The event was described as the largest gathering of representatives from the MSME sector in the State and marked the official launch of the Goa chapter of LUB.
India's first-of-its-kind inclusivity, 'Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity'
⇒ India’s first-of-its-kind inclusivity, ‘Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity’ began in a glorious ceremony in Goa on 06 January 2023.
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Minister for Social Welfare, Goa government Subhash Phal Dessai were present on this occasion.
Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar said that Goa has organized a unique purple festival, which will go long way in furthering the agenda of empowerment of Divyangjan.
Aim:
The festival aims to showcase how we can come together to create a welcoming and inclusive world for everyone.
- Aimed at furthering the spirit of inclusion, the Purple Fest featured a variety of exciting live performances, sporting events, grand exhibitions, immersive experience zones, accessible movie screenings, & discussions on vital subjects like inclusive education, tourism, employment, & independent living.
» As part of the festival, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in association with Office of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) organised a two days Sensitization Workshop on 6th and 7th January in Goa.
- The workshop featured best practices in the field of disability with a focus on improving accessibility addressing implementation related issues of various schemes and programmes for Persons with Disabilities, and innovations and action plan in the field of accessibility.
Important Day
76th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
⇒ BIS has completed 75 glorious years in serving the Nation and has entered the 76th year on 06 January 2023.
About BIS:
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body is a statutory body functioning under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
- It has been established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 which came into effect on 12 October 2017.
- BIS operates various schemes like Product certification (ISI Mark), Management Systems Certification, Hallmarking of Gold & Silver Jewellery & CRS (Compulsory Registration Scheme) for the benefit of common consumers.
- The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI). The Indian Standards Institution (ISI) came into being on the 06 January 1947 and in June 1947 Dr. Lal C Verman took over as its first Director.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal addressed on the occasion of 76th Foundation Day of BIS.
The Minister also launched the Portal for mapping of Industrial Units and Laboratories on the occasion.
- This is a centralized platform for information on industrial units and laboratories across the country. This will enable analysis of test facilities in the country and help entrepreneurs in accessing information about testing facilities.
On the occasion, Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal also launched the following:
- Launch of Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022- 27: Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022 – 27, the document to serve as strong foundation for standardization to meet the emerging technologies and concerns of sustainability and climate change.
- Launch of Revision Exercise of National Building Code of India (NBC 2016): BIS, through its concerned technical committee, namely, National Building Code Sectional Committee, CED 46 is initiating the Exercise of Revision National Building Code of India to include sustainable city planning norms; new and sustainable building materials, design concepts, construction technologies and building and plumbing services and to deal with the various challenges being posed in the current scenario, without compromising on the safety of the occupants and assets in buildings and built environment.
- Launch of Revised National Electrical Code of India 2023: The National Electrical Code of India 2023 (NEC 2023), a comprehensive electrical installations Code prepared by BIS, is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the Electrical Installations practices across the country. India’s first National Electrical Code was formulated in the year 1985, which was subsequently revised in the year 2011.
- Standards Clubs in Schools: Through Standards Clubs, BIS aims to expose science students of class 9th and above to the concepts of Quality and Standardization through student centric activities.
- Launch of Training Courses on National Building Code of India 2016 and National Electrical Code of India