National
Data products and services of RISAT-1A satellite for the user community
⇒ Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Minister of State (I/C) Science & Technology; Minister of State (I/C) Earth Sciences; Minister of State PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh formally released the data products and services of RISAT-1A satellite for the user community on 13 December 2022.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that Space Satellites herald Agritech revolution and Agritech StartUps which is going to mark a major next breakthrough for India’s Agriculture sector after the Green revolution of yesteryears.
- Dr Jitendra Singh informed that some of the unique operational applications which RISAT-1A offer include “Revolutionary Radar Images” which is High-End, Strategic Technology mainly used for Defence, but in this case will be widely utilized for civilian use in Agriculture Sector.
- Data from RISAT-1A include Kharif crop sowing prospect, estimating crop damage severity levels, forest cover mapping and water body mapping etc.
- RISAT-1A is India’s first Radar Imaging Satellite, which was launched on 14th February 2022.
- RISAT-1A is an all-weather satellite and can penetrate deep into vegetation. It can take high resolution geospatial images regardless of lighting conditions.
- RISAT-1A was the first satellite funded by four users’ ministries viz., Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers welfare, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Space. This is first of its kind in the Indian space programme, as the data from this satellite is having significant use in agriculture and disaster management sectors.
- Under the Modi Government’s SVAMITVA scheme, geospatial technology along with Drones will survey all the over 6 lakh Indian villages and at the same time, pan-India 3D Maps will be prepared for 100 Indian cities.
» On the occasion, an MoU was signed between the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Department of Space to develop the Krishi-Decision Support System using geospatial technologies and related databases for enhancing evidence based decision making capability of all the stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is developing Krishi-DSS, a decision support system, on the lines of Gati Shakti, using RISAT-1A and VEDAS of Department of Space.
- This will enhance the evidence-based decision-making capability of all the stakeholders in the agriculture sector by way of integration with MOSDAC and BHUVAN (Geo-platform) of ISRO and systems of ICAR.
Addressing on the occasion, Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that a new dimension is being added in the field of agriculture. The agreement between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Space will further enhance the strength of the agriculture sector. If this knowledge reaches the farmers, their production and productivity will increase. The quality of production will increase and export opportunities will also increase.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of State, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that RISAT-1A data would be extremely useful in developing decision support systems for Agriculture, Bioresources, Environment, Water Resources and Disaster Management.
NTPC crosses 1 GW Annual capacity mark in renewable energy segment in FY23
⇒ NTPC Ltd, the country’s largest power generator, crosses 1GW annual capacity in the renewable energy (RE) segment by adding 1074.59 MW RE capacity in Financial Year (FY) 2023 taking the total NTPC non-fossil capacity to 9.41%.
- With the successful commissioning of entire capacities of 150 MW & 90 MW Devikot Solar PV Projects at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, are declared on Commercial Operation with effect from 13 December 2022.
- With this, the standalone installed and commercial capacity of NTPC has become 58041.27 MW, while the group installed and commercial capacity of NTPC has become 70656.27 MW.
Total number of GI Tags of India comes to 432
⇒ India having a diverse culture is home to various arts and crafts mastered by many generations over the years.
Adding to the present collection of GIs, 09 new items from various states of India such as Gamosa of Assam, Tandur Redgram of Telangana, Raktsey Karpo Apricot of Ladakh, Alibag White Onion of Maharashtra etc. have been given the coveted GI Tags.
Key Points:
- With this the total number of Geographical Indications (GI) Tags of India comes to 432.
- The top 5 states holding maximum number of GIs are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
- Government has supported the promotion of GIs by approving an expenditure of Rs 75 Crores for 03 years for promotion at awareness programmes.
- The Geographical Indication, which is recognised by the World Trade Organization, is used to denote the Geographical Territory from where a Product- Agricultural, Natural or Manufactured- Originates, and also carries an assurance of quality and attributes unique to that specific geographic region.
Several Tourism Projects in Puducherry
⇒ The Union Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G Kishan Reddy, dedicated several tourism projects during his visit to Puducherry on 13th December 2022.
- The projects were sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism under the SWADESH DARSHAN scheme.
The projects that were inaugurated include:
- Renovation of Aayi Mandapam and dynamic lighting at Bharathi Park at a cost of Rs 1.33 Crore
- Development of Pilgrim Facilities and Ghat along the sacred river at Sri Gangai Varagha Natheeswarar Temple at Thirukanchi at a cost of Rs 5.82 Crore
- Development of Spiritual Park at Thirunallar Karaikal at a cost of Rs 7.40 Crore
- Development of Eden Beach at Chinna Veerampattinam at a cost of Rs 3.51 Crore
» The Union Minister also inaugurated the Puducherry Shopping Festival 2022 logo which aims to promote business tourism and trade, particularly by creating unique shopping experiences for the tourists visiting Puducherry.
» The Ministry of Tourism under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme has sanctioned a total of Rs 148.31 Crore for 3 projects in Puducherry. These include:
- Development of Spiritual Tourism Pondicherry at Thirukanch- Karaikal- Yanam (Rs 34.96 Crore)
- Development of Franco Tamil Village at Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam (Rs 54.91 Crore)
- Development of Dubrayapet, Arikamedu, Veerampatinam, Kalapet, Puducherry, and Yanam (Rs 58.44 Crore)
Important Day
CBIC celebrates completion of 60 years of Customs Act, 1962
⇒ The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Government of India, celebrated the completion of 60 years of Customs Act, ’62 on 13 December 2022 to mark the enactment of the Act.
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman presided over as the Chief Guest of the event and Union Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary was the Guest of Honour.
- Speaking on the occasion, Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman remarked that ‘Shashtipurti’ is an important event in Indian tradition which is marked with solemn ceremonies at home, pondering over the achievements of last 60 years and taking care for the journey of next 60 years.
This occasion saw the release of Mascot for India Customs.
This mascot (Officer Hans) is the majestic blue Swan which symbolises purity and knowledge of Customs.
The ability of the bird to extract milk from a mixture of milk and water represents the ability of Customs to differentiate between good and evil and to identify and prevent illicit activities of smuggling, narcotics, duty evasion etc.
» A Medallion for Customs was also released. All modes of transport whether sea, air or land are represented in the medallion along with tricolour to depict the dedication of Customs to nation building and facilitation of all EXIM trade.
» The Compendium on Ease of Doing Business Reforms undertaken by CBIC was also released. This is an initiative to put in one place the details of various trade facilitation initiatives. The Compendium is a handy guide that traces the reforms journey that Customs laws and procedures have made over the last few years.