- 05 January 2023
- By GyanOk
Daily Current Affairs Notes for 05 January 2023
Cabinet Approves Rs 19,744 Cr for National Green Hydrogen Mission
Overview
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore with an aim to make India a global hub for manufacturing of this clean source of energy. “The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved National Green Hydrogen Mission," Union Minister Anurag Thakur said while briefing reporters about the Cabinet decisions.
The initial outlay for the mission will be Rs 19,744 crore, including an outlay of Rs 17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, Rs 1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs 400 crore for R&D, and Rs 388 crore towards other mission components.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation.
The mission seeks to promote development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country by 2030.
It envisages an investment of over Rs 8 lakh crore and creation of over 6 lakh jobs by 2030.
It will also result in cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports of over Rs 1 lakh crore and abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Gautam Mohanka, managing director of Gautam Solar, said, “We genuinely welcome the Government of India’s much-awaited initial outlay for the National Green Hydrogen Mission. India’s dependency on fossil fuels has been a matter of concern, given that our power consumption demands are likely to soar massively over the next twenty years."
He added that the initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore will boost the production of green hydrogen in India and will eventually help the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors alike. Given that we currently import more than 80 per cent of India’s national oil requirements, green hydrogen along with solar and wind could be the answer to the future, with this initial outlay being projected to curtail fossil fuel imports of over Rs 1 lakh crore by the year 2050.
“Of these Rs 19,744 crore, Rs 17,490 crore is allocated for the SIGHT programme, which will not only provide a growth opportunity to the domestic manufacturing of electrolysers but also provide a boost to the target of production of 5 million metric tonnes of Green hydrogen by 2030 and making India a green hydrogen hub. This is our international commitment as well for becoming a zero emission nation. Hydrogen and Ammonia will help to further decrease the use of fossil fuels and is wished to be future fuels and will provide clean air to the future generation," Mohanka said.
According to an official statement, the Mission will have wide ranging benefits — creation of export opportunities for green hydrogen and its derivatives; decarbonisation of industrial, mobility and energy sectors; reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels and feedstock; development of indigenous manufacturing capabilities; creation of employment opportunities; and development of cutting-edge technologies.
The Mission will facilitate demand creation, production, utilisation and export of green hydrogen. Under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT), two distinct financial incentive mechanisms — targeting domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and production of green hydrogen — will be provided under the Mission.
The Mission will also support pilot projects in emerging end-use sectors and production pathways. Regions capable of supporting large scale production and/or utilisation of hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs, the minister added.
An enabling policy framework will be developed to support establishment of the green hydrogen ecosystem. A robust standards and regulations framework will be also developed.
Further, a public-private partnership framework for R&D (Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership – SHIP) will be facilitated under the Mission. R&D projects will be goal-oriented, time bound, and suitably scaled up to develop globally competitive technologies. A coordinated skill development programme will also be undertaken.
All concerned ministries, departments, agencies and institutions of the central and state governments will undertake focussed and coordinated steps to ensure successful achievement of the Mission objectives.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will be responsible for overall coordination and implementation of the Mission, he stated.
17th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023 announced
Overview
17th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2023:
Thiru Sivakumar Nadesan, a renowned editor of a leading Tamil newspaper in Sri Lanka, will be conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA), India's highest honour for the members of the Indian diaspora. Nadesan, the Managing Director of Express Newspapers, will be conferred with the highest Indian government award for overseas Indians by President Droupadi Murmu at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, from January 8-10.
Theme of 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award
List of Overseas Indians Chosen for the Honour
| S.no | Person | Country | Field |
| 1 | Jagadish Chennupati | Australia | Science & Technology/ Education |
| 2 | Sanjeev Mehta | Bhutan | Education |
| 3 | Dilip Loundo | Brazil | Art & Culture/Education |
| 4 | Alexander Maliakel John | Brunei Darussalam | Medicine |
| 5 | Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan | Canada | Community Welfare |
| 6 | Joginder Singh Nijjar | Croatia | Art & Culture/Education |
| 7 | Ramjee Prasad | Denmark | Information Technology |
| 8 | Kannan Ambalam | Ethiopia | Community Welfare |
| 9 | Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay | Community Welfare/Medicine | Germany |
| 10 | Mohamed Irfaan Ali (Guyana President) | Guyana | Politics/Community Welfare |
| 11 | Reena Vinod Pushkarna | Israel | Business/Community Welfare |
| 12 | Maqsooda Sarfi Shiotani | Japan | Education |
| 13 | Rajagopal | Mexico | Education |
| 14 | Amit Kailash Chandra Lath | Poland | Business/Community Welfare |
| 15 | Parmanand Sukhumal Daswani | Republic of Congo | Community Welfare |
| 16 | Piyush Gupta | Singapore | Business |
| 17 | Mohanlal Hira | South Africa | Community Welfare |
| 18 | Sanjaykumar Shivabhai Patel | South Sudan | Business/Community Welfare |
| 19 | Sivakumar Nadesan | Sri Lanka | Community Welfare |
| 20 | Dewanchandrebhose Sharman | Suriname | Community Welfare |
| 21 | Archana Sharma | Switzerland | Science & Technology |
| 22 | Frank Arthur Seepersad | Trinidad & Tobago | Community Welfare/Education |
| 23 | Siddharth Balachandran | UAE | Business/Community Welfare |
| 24 | Chandrakant Babubhai Patel | UK | Media |
| 25 | Darshan Singh Dhaliwal | USA | Business/Community Welfare |
| 26 | Rajesh Subramaniam | USA | Business |
| 27 | Ashok Kumar Tiwary | Uzbekistan | Business |
About the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Honour/Award) is the highest Indian award for Non-resident Indian and Overseas Citizen of India or an organisation or institution established and run by Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin, constituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India in conjunction with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident Indian Day), to honour exceptional and meritorious contribution in their chosen field/profession. The award is given by the President of India. Since 2016, the Government of India has doubled the number of awardees each year to 30 after a decision to grant the award once every two years.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (PBS) is conferred for outstanding contributions in any of the following areas:
- “Social and humanitarian causes in India or abroad”
- “Better understanding of India”
- “Support to India’s causes and concerns in a tangible way”
- “Building closer links between India, the overseas Indian community and their country of residence;”
- “Welfare of the local Indian community”
- “Philanthropic and charitable work”
- “Eminence in one’s field or outstanding work, which has enhanced India’s prestige in the country of residence; or”
- “Eminence in skills which has enhanced India’s prestige in that country (for non-professional workers).”
The Man Behind India’s Space Dream, Satish Dhawan
Overview
Dr. Satish Dhawan:
Dr. Satish Dhawan (25 September 1920 – 3 January 2002) was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the “father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India”. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India and further on in United States. Dhawan was one of the most eminent researchers in the field of turbulence and boundary layers, leading the successful and indigenous development of the Indian space programme. He succeeded M. G. K. Menon, as the third chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1972.
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Education
Graduated from the University of the Punjab in Lahore, British India (now in Pakistan), where he completed a Bachelor of Science in physics and mathematics, a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Arts in English literature.
In 1947, he completed a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and an aeronautical engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology followed by a double PhD in mathematics and aerospace engineering under the supervision of his advisor Hans W. Liepmann in 1951.
Leadership Qualities of Dr. Satish Dhawan
APJ Abdul Kalam explained that in 1979 when he was the director of a Satellite Launch Vehicle, the mission failed to launch the satellite in the orbit. Instead, it was put into Bay of Bengal. Abdul Kalam’s team knew that there was a leakage in the fuel of the system, but they hoped that the leakage was negligible, and thus they thought there was enough fuel in the system. This miscalculation lead to the failure. Satish Dhawan, being the chairman at the time, called Abdul Kalam and conveyed to the press; “We failed! But I have very strong trust in my team and I believe that next time we will definitely succeed”. This surprised Abdul Kalam, as the blame of the failure was taken by the chairman of ISRO. The next mission was prepared and launched successfully in 1980. When this succeeded, Satish Dhawan told Abdul Kalam to attend the press meet without his presence. It was observed that when the team failed, he took the blame. But when the team succeeded, he attributed the success to his team, thus portraying the picture of an ideal leader.
Dr. Satish Dhawan carried out pioneering experiments in rural education, remote sensing and satellite communications. His efforts led to operational systems like INSAT, a telecommunications satellite; IRS, the Indian Remote Sensing satellite; and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), that placed India in the league of space faring nations.
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Honours
Dhawan died on 3 January 2002 in Bangalore. Following his death, the satellite launch center at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, located about 100 km north of Chennai in South India, was renamed to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Satish Chander Dhawan Government College For Boys in Ludhiana is named after him. Department of Mechanical Engineering Building at Indian Institute of Technology Ropar is also named after him as Satish Dhawan Block, IIT Ropar. The Computer Centre of Uttar Pradesh Textile Technology Institute Kanpur is also named as Prof Satish Dhawan Computer Centre in year 2019.
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Career
- Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
- Senior Scientific Officer, 1951
- Professor and Head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, 1955
- Director, 1962–1981[3]
- California Institute of Technology, US
- Visiting Professor, 1971–72
- National Aerospace Laboratories, Bangalore
- Chairman, Research council, 1984–93
- Indian Academy of Sciences
- President, 1977–1979
- Indian Space Research Organisation
- Chairman, 1972–1984
- Indian Space Commission
- Chairman, 1972–2002
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Awards
- Padma Vibhushan (India’s second highest civilian honour), 1981
- Padma Bhushan (India’s third highest civilian honour), 1971
- Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration, 1999
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Science
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, California Institute of Technology, 1969
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Personal life
Satish Dhawan was born on 25 September 1920 in Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, in a Saraiki Hindu family. His father came from Dera Ismail Khan, and Satish Dhawan grew up in Lahore and Kashmir. He was married to Nalini Dhawan, a cytogeneticist, and his daughter Jyotsna Dhawan is serving as Senior Principal Scientist in the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Satish Dhawan: Works
- 1953: “Direct measurements of skin friction”, Technical Report 1121, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Washington DC.
- 1958; “Some properties of boundary layer flow during the transition from laminar to turbulent motion”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 3(4): 418 – 36 doi:10.1017/S0022112058000094
- 1967: “Aeronautical Research in India”, (22nd British Commonwealth Lecture), Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society 71: 149-184.
- 1982: “A glimpse of fluid mechanics research in Bangalore 25 years ago”, in India: Surveys in fluid mechanics, Indian Academy of Sciences (Eds. R Narasimha, S M Deshpande) 1-15.
- 1988: Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology, (Eds. R Narasimha, APJ Abdul Kalam) Indian Academy of Sciences.
- 1991: “Bird flight”, Sadhana Proceedings in Engineering Sciences, Indian Academy of Sciences.
- 2000: Special Section on Instabilities, transitions and turbulence, (Ed. R Narasimha) Current Science 79: 725-883.
Zeliangrong Community Celebrated Gaan Ngai Festival in Manipur
Overview
In Manipur, the Gaan Ngai festival of the Zeliangrong community will be celebrated tomorrow. The Gaan Ngai festival is one of the major festivals of Manipur which is celebrated every year after harvesting.
The festival also marks the end of the year when the farmers have stored their foodgrain in their ganeries. During the festival, the Zeliarong community shows their gratitude by offering to the almighty a good harvest and praying for a better and prosperous life in the coming year. It is a custom to produce new fire by rubbing dry wood and split bamboo pieces and distributing them to every household on the day of the festival to mark the beginning of the new year.
The Zeliarong community in Manipur comprises Rongmei, Liangmei, and Zeme tribes.