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21 October 2022
By GyanOk

Daily Current Affairs Notes for 21 October 2022

Hardeep Puri inaugurated Asia’s largest Compressed Bio Gas plant

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri has inaugurated Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga, in Sangrur, Punjab.

Overview

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri has inaugurated Asia’s largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga, in Sangrur, Punjab. The plant in Sangrur is just the beginning of India’s master plan for a CBG-based rural economy and the government is taking all steps to promote the ecosystem around it.

The plant has been commissioned with a foreign direct investment of approximately Rs. 220 crores by Verbio AG, one of Germany’s leading bio-energy companies. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and senior management from Verbio India Private Limited were also present at the inaugural ceremony.

Talking about the benefits of the CBG plant:

The CBG plant at Sangrur is spread across an area of 20 acres. The plant’s present production is about six tonnes per day but soon it will process 300 tonnes of paddy straw per day to produce 33 TPD of compressed biogas using eight digesters of 10,000 cubic meters.
The CBG plant, are a huge leap in arriving at a win-win situation for farmers and the environment.
The plant will consume 100,000 tonnes of paddy straw, which will be procured from six to eight satellite locations within a 10km radius of the plant.
There shall be daily production of about 600-650 Tons of FOM (fermented organic manure), which can be used for organic farming. The CBG plant will also help provide direct employment to 390 and indirect employment to 585 people.

Google partners with Assam Government to power digitalled learning

Google partners with Assam Government: In order to help and expedite the Assam government's objective to foster digital growth and development in the State, Google inked an MoU.

Overview

Google partners with Assam Government: In order to help and expedite the Assam government’s objective to foster digital growth and development in the State, Google inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). As part of this new initiative, Google will work with the Assam Government’s Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship Department (SEED) to strengthen school digitization efforts with digital tools and solutions to support teaching and learning, as well as to promote the fundamentals of online safety and digital citizenship to schoolchildren through the “Be Internet Awesome” programme.

Along with providing scholarships, Google will work with the Assam Skill Development Mission to offer Google Career Certificates to young people in Assam (ASDM).

Google partners with Assam Government: Empowerment of public schools through digital education

Using the collaborative technologies of Google for Education, provide digital education to public schools. With teacher preparation and certification, Google for Education will support digital learning in schools all over Assam and work with the State to digitise education. All teachers and students in the State will have access to Google Workspace for Education – Fundamentals, the company’s digital learning platform. Primary school kids can safely and independently acquire and develop their reading abilities with the help of Google’s “Read Along” programme.

Google partners with Assam Government: Google Career Certificates scholarships

Scholarships for Google Career Certificates for youth. Google will work with ASDM to offer scholarships and all-encompassing training to help youngsters meet the demand for digital talent. In high demand industries including IT Support, IT Automation, Project Management, Data Analytics, UX Design, and Digital Marketing & Ecommerce, the programme will assist qualified candidates in pursuing Google Career Certificates. Through a recruiting pool that accepts the certifications, these learners will also have access to firms who have a continuous need for these abilities.

Google partners with Assam Government: Promotion of Digital Citizenship

Through the “Be Internet Awesome” campaign, encourage digital citizenship and online safety across all schools. With the use of an interactive curriculum, Google will provide teachers with the training they need to teach children the skills they need to be safe and smart online.

$500 Million Accelerator Program to Strengthen Agri Startups to be launched by Centre

$500 Million Accelerator Program to Strengthen Agri Startups:Narendra Singh Tomar announced that the central government will launch a Rs 500 crore accelerator programme.

Overview

$500 Million Accelerator Program to Strengthen Agri Startups: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced that the central government will launch a Rs 500 crore accelerator programme to support the productive ideas of agro businesses. On the second day of the PM Kisan Samman Sammelan, Tomar made numerous significant announcements regarding big policy efforts for agriculture entrepreneurs.

$500 Million Accelerator Program to Strengthen Agri Startups: Key Points

Narendra Singh Tomar stated that an executive committee made up of relevant organisations.
This will include the Department of Agriculture Research and Education (DARE), DPIIT, agricultural incubators and knowledge partners, agricultural universities, research institutes, top investors, and other stakeholders would be established under the chairmanship of the agriculture secretary.
Additionally, a webpage will be established to compile a database of all farm startups and track their progress.

Narendra Singh Tomar on the $500 Million Accelerator Program:

To support startups in the agriculture sector, efforts would be made to organise agri startup conclaves at the national and regional levels.
the administration is dedicated to technological advancement. The government wants our startups to help the nation and the rest of the globe by resolving current problems.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the DARE, and other organisations, including the Ministry of Agriculture, are all working extremely hard in this area.
According to Narendra Singh Tomar, technology must be made more accessible to the general public in order for it to have a genuine impact on society.
Startups should prioritise their sector and focus so that farmers can profit fully from their output.

PM Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana-One Nation One Fertiliser. The event was also joined by more than one crore farmers who joined virtually.

Overview

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana-One Nation One Fertiliser. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana, companies must market all subsidized fertilizers under a single brand, ‘Bharat’.

Key Points related to Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the single brand under the scheme during the two-day event PM Kisan Samman Sammelan 2022.
The launch event was felicitated by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The event was also joined by more than one crore farmers who joined virtually.

About One Nation One Fertiliser

The One Nation One Fertiliser aims to give farmers quality crop nutrients at low costs under the ‘One Nation, One Fertiliser’. The farmers will be introduced to nano urea to ease the farming process. Only one nano urea bottle can replace a sackful of urea. The scheme is introduced to prevent the Criss-cross movement of Fertilisers brand reduce high freight subsidies. All subsidized soil nutrients including urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), Muriate of Postas (MoP), and NPK will be marketed under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana scheme and single brand ‘Bharat.

Mallikarjun Kharge Elected As The New Congress President

Veteran Karnataka leader Mallikarjun Kharge defeated his rival Shashi Tharoor to become the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24 years

Overview

Veteran Karnataka leader Mallikarjun Kharge defeated his rival Shashi Tharoor to become the first non-Gandhi Congress president in 24 years, and the first Scheduled Caste chief of the grand old organization in four decades. Kharge polled 7897 of the 9385 votes cast while Tharoor garnered a meagre 1072. Sources said 416 votes were invalid.

About The Election:

He is the first non-Gandhi to head the Congress in 24 years, after Sitaram Kesri was unceremoniously ousted in 1988 through a Congress Working Committee resolution that invited Sonia Gandhi to become the party chief. Sonia had become a primary member of the Congress only a year ago at the AICC Kolkata plenary in 1997.

Kharge’s Elevation:

Kharge’s elevation is strategic. He is a tall SC leader, a man who rose from humble beginnings and entered politics in 1972. Also, he is known in party circles to be a Gandhi yes man and is not expected to rock the boat for the first family, having already said that he would seek the counsel of Gandhis and “there was no shame in doing so.” Kharge is also the only Congress chief who has been leader of opposition in a state assembly (Karnataka); leader of the party in Lok Sabha and who is now the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.
The veteran, however, resigned as RS leader of opposition after filing his papers for the party president’s election, in deference to the Congress’ ‘one person, one post’ rule formalised at the Udaipur Chitan Shivir in May. This was the first election for the post of Congress president in 22 years and only the fifth major contest in the party’s 137 year history. In 2000 Sonia Gandhi had trounced Jitendra Prasad garnering 7448 votes against Prasad’s 96.

What Has Been Said:

Tharoor congratulated Kharge and said that being Congress president was a “great honour amd a huge responsibility”, wishing Kharge “all success in the task”. “Our president is a party colleague and senior who brings ample leadership and experience to the table,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Under his guidance, I am confident that we can all collectively take the party to new heights.”
Neelanjan Sircar, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research think-tank, said the change at the top was a significant step for the party. “This symbolic change of the president is a very powerful moment for the Congress,” Sircar told Reuters news agency. “Its desire to change will have to reflect in organisational change on the ground.”