National
11th edition of CII Bio-Energy Summit- 2023
⇒ The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep S Puri addressed the 11th edition of Confederation of Indian Industry’s flagship event “Bio Energy Summit 2023” held on 12th January, 2023 in New Delhi.
Theme:
The theme of the Bio Energy Summit 2023 was “Energy Transition- Solution for a Sustainable Tomorrow”.
» The Summit provided an opportunity for Innovators and a way forward for Clean & Green Energy Solutions for future. The summit also dwelled upon the relevance of biofuel in the overall sustainability agenda.
Sessions:
» The CII Bio Energy Summit 2023 was addressed by more than 30 speakers across six sessions focussing on compressed biogas, ethanol, financing, and waste to biofuels besides ministerial sessions.
- More than 500 delegates including CEOs, policy makers, academia & researchers, innovators, diplomats, and investors attended the summit.
Discussion:
During the Summit, they discussed the solutions to the challenges facing the world including climate change and sustainable development. While the bioenergy sector is one of the ways of creating solutions for a sustainable tomorrow, it needs to be integrated into global trade policies.
Addressing the summit, Shri Hardeep S Puri said that India has increased the ethanol blending in petrol from 1.53% in 2013-14 to 10.17% in July 2022.
- India enacted Green Hydrogen Policy with a production target of 5 million tonnes by 2030.
- India’s Green Hydrogen policy announced in February this year is a revolutionary shift which is set to make India a global hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia production. India aims to produce 4 MT Green Hydrogen annually & accrue Rs 1 lakh crore of cumulative fossil fuel import savings by 2030.
- The Minister also said that India is undertaking an ambitious journey of energy transition to achieve net carbon zero by 2070 and this transition has to be stable and ensure that it remains consistent.
First time in India, FSSAI notifies comprehensive regulatory standards for Basmati Rice
⇒ For the first time in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has specified the identity standards for Basmati Rice vide Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023 notified in the Gazette of India.
Basmati Rice includes Brown Basmati Rice, Milled Basmati Rice, Parboiled Brown Basmati Rice and Milled Parboiled Basmati Rice.
As per these standards:
- Basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances.
- These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-basmati rice etc.
- The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally.
- These standards will be enforced w.e.f 1st August, 2023.
Why is it needed:
- Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent and is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and flavour.
- Due to its unique quality attributes, Basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally and India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.
- Being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, Basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice.
- Therefore, in order to ensure supply of standardised genuine Basmati rice in domestic and export markets, FSSAI has notified regulatory standards for Basmati rice.
International
Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs called on the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana
⇒ The Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Hardeep S. Puri called on the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on 12 January 2023.
Discussion:
- The discussion on increasing cooperation across the entire oil & gas ecosystem was fruitful and engaging. The two sides took note of the recent developments in bilateral energy partnership.
- The leaders agreed on direct Government to Government cooperation across the entire spectrum of the oil & gas sector including increased long-term offtake, participation in exploration and production activities in Guyana, technical cooperation in the midstream and downstream sector and capacity building.
- The leaders agreed to set up two technical teams to take forward these discussions.
- The leaders also witnessed the signing of a contract between Guyana Power and Gas Inc (a wholly owned company of Govt of Guyana) and Engineers India Limited (EIL) for providing Consultancy Services for Integrated NGL Plant and 300 MW CCGT Power Plant project in Guyana.
Important Day
Road Safety Week 2023
⇒ Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India observed the Road Safety Week from 11th to 17th January 2023, under “Swachhata Pakhwada”, to propagate the cause of safer roads for all.
» Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari participated in a 4-hour telethon and outreach campaign “Sadak Suraksha Abhiyan” during the Road Safety week.
- Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari said that efforts by all are necessary to reduce road accidents by 50 percent before the end of 2025. He said a law will soon be brought in the country to determine the working hours of truck drivers.
» Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) is committed to reduction in road fatalities and injuries and has undertaken multiple initiatives across all 4Es of Road Safety i.e. Engineering, Enforcement, Education and Emergency Care.
Several activities:
- During the Week, various activities were organised throughout the Country to create awareness among general public and to give an opportunity to all stakeholders to contribute to the cause of road safety.
- This included various awareness campaigns related to causes of road accidents and measures to prevent them.
- Ministry conducted several activities including Nukkad Nataks (Street Shows) and Sensitization Campaigns at various locations in the Capital.
- Further, Essay Writing & Poster Making competition for school students, Exhibition & Theatre Pavilion by corporates /PSUs/ NGOs actively working in the field of road safety, Walkathon and Talks/ Interactions with senior officers also held at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, Delhi.
- In addition, road owning agencies such as NHAI, NHIDCL etc. conducted special drives related to compliance of traffic rules and regulation, pedestrian safety, eye check-up camps for drivers and other road engineering related initiatives throughout the Country.
Death
Former Union Minister Shri Sharad Yadav
⇒ Former Union Minister Shri Sharad Yadav passed away on 12 January 2023 in Gurugram. He was 75.
About Sharad Yadav:
- Shri Sharad Yadav was born on 1 July 1947 in Babai village in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh.
- Sharad Yadav, who started politics as a student leader, was active in the Bihar student movement and was greatly influenced by the socialist ideas of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia.
- Sharad Yadav served as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the late ’90s and the VP Singh government in 1989.
- A three-time member of Rajya Sabha, he was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time at the age of 27 from Jabalpur in 1974.
- He was founder-member of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal United. He was the first national president of Janata Dal United, serving from its formation in 2003 until 2016.
- In 2018, he launched his own party, the Loktantrik Janata Dal, but merged it with Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal two years later.