National
47th meeting of the Executive Committee of NMCG
⇒ The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on 22 February 2023 held the 47th meeting of the Executive Committee of NMCG under the chairmanship of Shri G. Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG.
» Nine projects worth around Rs 1278 crore were approved in the meeting.
- Out of them, 7 pertain to abatement of pollution in the Ganga Basin and 2 to ghat development.
9 Projects:
- In the main stem of River Ganga, a project in West Bengal worth Rs 123.02 crore was approved for creation of a 13 MLD STP and a 300 KLD decentralized STP at Chakdaha Municipal Town.
- In Uttar Pradesh, three projects were approved worth Rs 422 crore. These include a project to intercept and divert 13 drains by augmenting the sewage treatment capacity of Salori STP by 43 MLD in Prayagraj.
- Another project in Uttar Pradesh pertains to rejuvenation of River Kali East by development of in-situ Constructed Wetland System at 8 locations in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur and Bulandshahar was approved costing Rs 95.47 crore.
- For ghat development, one project worth Rs 2.84 crore was approved for Nageshwar Dham Ashram ghat in Fatehpur.
- A project for development of two Sewage Treatment Plants (10.91 MLD and 10.66 MLD) for pollution abatement in River Ganga at an estimated cost of Rs 94.12 crore was approved for Lakhisarai town in Bihar.
- For ghat development in Bihar, one project for the development of Atal Ghat Manjhi, Saran, Bihar was also given a go ahead at an estimated cost of Rs. 10.04 crore. Atal Ghat project includes development of ghat area for bathing, space for Pooja and other religious activities, flood lights for night, place for ‘shraad’ pooja and ‘mundan’, landscaping and wet and dry dustbins for segregation of waste at the source.
- Two projects were placed before the Executive Committee for Madhya Pradesh for approval, out of which a major project costing Rs 511.15 crore was approved to abate pollution in Rivers Kahn and Saraswati in Indore.
- For the monitoring of industrial pollution, a project titled ‘Pollution Inventorization, Assessment and Surveillance on River Ganga Basin (PIAS) piloted by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) were approved at an estimated cost of Rs 114.42 crore.
- A first-of-its-kind project titled ‘Survey, Investigation for Rejuvenation and Conservation of Shahdara Drain with nature-based treatment – Soil Biotechnology (SBT) was also approved worth Rs 1.9 crore. The project envisages drone survey, bathymetric survey, field survey/data collection and investigation of Inlet Drain Discharge, Water Quality & Testing and Soil/Sludge Properties.
MoU for establishing ‘BIS Standardization Chair Professor’
⇒ Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Guwahati, IIT Gandhinagar and NIT Calicut for establishment of ‘BIS Standardization Chair Professor’ at these institutes.
- This is an initiative towards institutionalizing its engagement with the eminent institutes of the country for securing active participation of academia in standards formulation and making teaching of Indian standards an integral part of the curriculum.
BIS Standardization Chair:
- The BIS Standardization Chair is created for research and development, teaching and training in the field of Standardization and Conformity Assessment in the country with focus on the areas of Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Earthquake Engineering, Development and Management of water resources and renewable energy projects, Infrastructure Development, Medical Biotechnology & Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, etc.
- This will promote excellence and leadership in teaching and research & development in the field of science and various disciplines.
On this occasion, Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General, BIS said that the MoUs between the premier academic institutes and BIS would strengthen and enhance the standards formulation activity by facilitating Research & Development projects, encouraging involvement of young minds.
International
World Sustainable Development Summit 2023
⇒ Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, delivered the keynote address on Visionary Leadership for Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience at the inaugural session of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2023 held in New Delhi on 22 February 2023.
» On this occasion Shri Yadav also released the report on “Assessment of Avoided CO2 Emissions during Construction and Operation of National Highways”.
- The report assesses the extent of CO2 which can be avoided per km in construction of the National Highways.
- India has the 2nd longest road network in the world. Amongst the different types of roads, the National Highways (NH) extending to 1,44,634 km1 till date has contributed significantly to India’s rapid economic development. Between 2014 and January 2023, more than half of the existing highways (~77,265 km)2 have been added.
- This rapid pace of construction of highways is enabling integration of the local economies of far-flung towns and villages into the national economy. Construction and maintenance of roads is known to be a source of CO2, which is over and above the CO2 emitted from fuel operated vehicles on roads.
- In 2016, about 243 million tonnes of CO2 was emitted from the operation of fossil fuel run vehicles in India, which is 10.8% of the total national CO2 emissions.
World Sustainable Development Summit 2023:
The 22nd Edition of the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2023), was held in Hybrid mode from 22-24 February 2023 in New Delhi.
Theme:
The Summit deliberations focused on the umbrella theme: Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action.
Partners:
WSDS 2023 was supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Nodal Ministry) in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy (Country Partner), Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Star Partners); Rockefeller Foundation (Premier Partner); German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, IKI, European Union and World Bank (Senior Partners); Tata Capital, TERI School of Advanced Studies and International Energy Agency (Associate Partners), Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, Johnson Controls International, Capgemini, and McKinsey (Co-associate Partners).
Highlights:
- TERI brought together leading representatives from international organizations, government, business & industries, research & academia, civil society, and youth to deliberate on the modus operandi required for mainstreaming sustainable development and climate resilience for collective action.
- The Summit deliberations examined topics such as finance, science, technology and innovation, sustainable consumption, inclusive energy transitions, climate action, and the global commons.
- Special features at the Summit included Ministerial Sessions, Youth Plenary, Women Leadership Plenary, CEO Forum, Media Colloquium and Thematic Tracks.
» Act4Earth initiative was launched at the valedictory session of WSDS 2022. The Summit also saw the launch of WSDS 2023 ‘Act4Earth Manifesto’, which distils the headline messages emanating from WSDS 2023.
» At the Valedictory Session of WSDS 2023, the 12th edition of Vasundhara Magazine was launched with the central theme ‘Genesis’. The issue aims to focus on sustainable technology and its importance in envisioning a greener future.
- Vasundhara comprehensively embodies diverse youth opinions along with the views of field experts on several contemporary burning topics. This magazine is a complete package containing intellectual write-ups loaded with factual information, constructive ways forward, and opinions.
» Dr Shailly Kedia, Curator of the Summit, announced the theme of WSDS 2024.
The 2024 Edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit will be organized under the umbrella theme of ‘Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice.’
Discussions will focus on six thematic areas:
- Sustainable lifestyles
- Integrating sustainable development
- Climate action
- Addressing the energy trilemma
- Adaptation and resilience
- Nature and ecosystems
About WSDS:
- The World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) is the annual flagship Track II initiative organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Instituted in 2001, the Summit series has a legacy of over two decades for making ‘sustainable development’ a globally shared goal.
About TERI:
- The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is an independent, multi-dimensional organization, with expertise in research, policy, consultancy and implementation.
- Registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860, TERI is a research institute which is headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has regional centres and campuses in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Mumbai, Panaji, and Nainital.
28th Gulfood - 2023
» Agricultural and Process Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated in the 28th edition of Gulfood 2023, held in UAE.
- In Gulfood organized from 20th – 24nd February 2023, there was participation of 5000 companies from 125 countries.
- GULFOOD is a platform that connects food and beverage sectors around the globe, providing ample of opportunities to Indian exporters.
» India participated in GULFOOD to augment trade.
- Over the years APEDA has participated in Gulfood and brought a strong contingent of suppliers from Indian diaspora.
- In an area of appx 600 sq mtr, more than 50 Indian exporters from the different categories like women entrepreneurs, Startups, merchants and manufacturers showcased agricultural, dairy, pulses and meat-based produce with focus on Millet and its products through APEDA pavilion.
- In the International Year of Millets (IYOM) 2023, India participated in GULFOOD with the theme focused on export promotion of millets and its value-added products. Indian Pavilion promoted around 100 delegations of exporters.
- The India Pavilion was inaugurated by Shri Pashupati Kumar Paras, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries along with others officials.