National
MoU signing between IWAI, SDCL, ATDC and DIWT for ‘Riverine Based Tourism Circuit’
⇒ Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is committed towards developing Inland Waterways.
» In this line, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Guwahati, Assam for the development of ‘Riverine Based Religious Tourism Circuit’ being developed over river Brahmaputra.
- MoU was signed in Guwahati among Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Sagarmala Development Corporation Limited (SDCL), Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and Department of Inland Waterways Transport (DIWT), Government of Assam on 19 May 2023.
About ‘Riverine Based Tourism Circuit’:
- The MoU will facilitate modern ferry service on a ‘Hop On Hop Off’ among seven (07) historic religious sites around Guwahati.
- The seven religious sites are Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwalknata, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar and Auniati Satra to be covered with the help of this agreement.
- The project is being developed under the Sagarmala Programme. The project, executed via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), is likely to completed with an investment of ₹45 crores and will be completed within 12 months.
- SDCL and IWAI will jointly contribute 55% of the project cost while the remaining will be provided by ATDC. DIWT has consented to provide the usage of Ghats near the temples free of cost for the project.
- The circuit will sail from Hanuman Ghat, Uzan Bazar and the ferry service is expected to reduce the overall travel time to less than 2 hours for completing one complete circuit.
SIXTH SCORPENE SUBMARINE ‘VAGHSHEER’
⇒ The sixth submarine of Project 75, Yard 11880, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class commenced her sea trials on 18 May 2023.
Key Points:
- The submarine was launched in 20 April 2022 from the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
- Vaghsheer is scheduled for Delivery to the Indian Navy in early 2024 after completion of these trial.
- MDL has ‘Delivered’ three submarines of the Project – 75 in 24 months and the commencement of sea trials of the sixth submarine is a significant milestone.
Wings India 2024
⇒ The Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) organized a curtain raiser ahead of Wings India 2024 in New Delhi on 18th May, 2023.
- Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel unveiled the event and promo video and released the Wings India 2024 brochure.
About Wings India 2024:
» Wings India 2024 is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad from 18 to 21 January 2024.
- Wings India 2024 is expected to be Asia’s largest event on Civil Aviation on Commercial, General and Business Aviation.
- Wings India 2024 will bring together various stakeholders and participants from all over the world from the aviation industry to promote collaboration, showcase innovations and explore business opportunities.
International
Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2023
⇒ The Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2023 was held on 18-19 May 2023 in New Delhi, India.
Presided by:
Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertliser Dr Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference 2023 on 19 May 2023, in the presence of Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, “India is poised to be the new destination of petrochemicals, globally. Due to our business-friendly policies, the world views India as a trusted partner and priority destination for investment.”
- Addressing the event, Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said that we have increased India’s refining capacity from 215 MMTPA in 2013-14 to 251.2 MMTPA – the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China and Russia.
Theme:
The theme of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference 2023 was “Ushering in a Sustainable Future”.
Participation:
Over 1200 delegates from seven member nations as well as participants from Europe, China, America, Mid East and other Asian Countries, other senior government officials of key nations as well as regional and global partners participated in the conference.
About APIC:
» The Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) is a broad-based petrochemical industry conference with membership from seven partner countries – India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
- Established 40 years ago in 1979 by Japan, Korea and Taiwan as the East Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (EAPIC), it was rechristened as Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) in 2000 with the inclusion of India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
- APIC is hosted annually on a rotational basis by the partner Country Associations.
The affiliation is through their respective trade bodies:
- Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers’ Association (CPMA, India)
- Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA, Japan)
- Korea Petrochemical Industry Association (KPIA, Korea)
- Malaysia Petrochemical Association (MPA, Malaysia)
- Singapore Chemical Industry Council, (SCIC, Singapore)
- Petrochemical Industry Association of Taiwan (PAIT, Taiwan)
- Petrochemical Industry Club the Federation of Thai Ind. (FTIPC, Thailand)
Important Day
World Metrology Day 2023
⇒ World Metrology Day is celebrated every year on 20 May to raise awareness and promote the importance of metrology in our daily lives.
- Metrology is the science of measurement, encompassing all aspects of measurement, including scientific, industrial, and legal aspects. Metrology plays a crucial role in various sectors, including science, industry, trade, and consumer protection.
- World Metrology Day serves as a platform to highlight the importance of metrology in these areas and emphasize its contribution to global development.
Theme:
The theme of World Metrology Day 2023 was “Measurements supporting the global food system”, which was declared jointly by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML).
History:
- World Metrology Day is an annual celebration commemorating the signature of the Metre Convention which was held on 20th May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations.
- The signing of the Meter Convention resulted in the establishment of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and laid the foundation for a unified global measurement system.
- The idea of celebrating World Metrology Day was first proposed in 1985 during the General Conference of Weights and Measures (CGPM). Since 1986, World Metrology Day has been observed annually, with each year focusing on a specific theme related to measurement.
CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, organized and celebrated the World Metrology Day (WMD) 2023 on 19th May, 2023 in association with Metrology Society of India (MSI).
- On this occasion, four Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravyas (BNDs®) namely, BND® 9002 for Atenolol, BND® 9003 for Atorvastatin Calcium, BND® 9004 for Paracetamol, and BND® 9005 for Trimethoprim were also released.
- These BNDs are the Indian Certified Reference Materials jointly developed by CSIR-NPL, New Delhi & Pharmaffiliates Analytics & Synthetics (P) Ltd. Panhckula, Haryana.
- These BNDs are intended to be used as Reference Standards for validation of methods for the characterization of measurands for Analysis.