Universe IAS

Atal Innovation Mission WHY IN NEWS? NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has announced the signing of a Statement of Intent (SOI) with SAP Global to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Significance of the SOI: As part of the SOI, SAP in 2018 will adopt 100 Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) for five years to nurture the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning among secondary school children across India. This aims to enable students to learn advanced technology topics relevant to digital transformation and the Internet of Things, e.g. Design Thinking methodology, introduction to programming languages and experiential science learning. What are tinkering labs? ATLs are innovation play workspaces for students between Class 6 to 12 , stimulating innovations combining science and technology. These open-ended innovation workspaces are equipped with state-of-the art technologies like 3D printers, robotics, senso...

International Solar Alliance:Delhi Summit was co-hosted by India and France

International Solar Alliance: Delhi Summit Why in news: India, along with France, hosted the members of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), marking an important milestone in its efforts to take the alliance, which was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brainchild, and supported ably by France, forward. The Alliance, which was inaugurated a few days after the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, became a treaty-based inter-governmental international organisation on 6 December 2017, with 61 countries signing the ISA agreement (and 32 of them ratified it so far). The Delhi Summit was co-hosted by India and France and was attended by 23 heads of states and governments from other ISA signatory countries. The key idea of the ISA: Is to “harmonize and aggregate demand for solar finance, solar technologies, innovation, research and development, and capacity building”. The ISA aims to mobilise $1 trillion low-cost financing for massive deployment of solar energ...

National E-Mobility programme launched by government of India

National E-Mobility programme The government has launched the National E-Mobility Programme. About the National E- Mobility Programme: The Programme aims to provide an impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem including vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, service providers, etc. The Programme will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) which will aggregate demand by procuring electric vehicles in bulk to get economies of scale. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) will issue a fresh tender for additional 10,000 e-vehicles. These electric vehicles will replace the existing fleet of petrol and diesel vehicles. Significance of this move: India has embarked on an ambitious e-mobility plan and the government has taken the leadership in enabling e-mobility in India. The National E-Mobility Programme is a step towards ushering in an era of clean, green and future-oriented technologies in the country. ...

Energy Security: Challenges and Way forward,ऊर्जा सुरक्षा चुनौती और आगे का रास्ता

Energy Security: Challenges and Way forward Introduction: India is on its way to becoming a global economic powerhouse, and energy will lie at the heart of this transformation. The stakes could not be higher to bolster economic growth and enhance living conditions for this nation of 1.3 billion people, which uses just 6% of the world’s energy. Unreliable electrical supplies hinder India’s development. Further, India is home to eleven of the world’s twenty most-polluted cities, according to the World Health Organization. What is energy security? Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Challenges: The energy conundrum is how to provide universal access to affordable and reliable energy on one hand, and the imperative to weaken the linkage between economic growth, energy demand and environmental degradation on the other. The imbalances in the energy value chain. There is currently, for ex...

Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project:60 MW ON TONS RIVER UTTARKASH IN UK

Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project: Construction works on 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project have begun. About the project: The Naitwar Mori Project with a generation potential of 60 MW is located on River Tons, a major tributary of River Yamuna on the Ganga basin, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state in North India. This run-of-the river project was allocated to SJVN Ltd by the Government of Uttarakhand. SJVN Ltd is a Mini Ratna PSU under administrative control of the Ministry of Power , Govt. of India.

Samridhi – the virtual assistant’ and SIDBI

Samridhi – the virtual assistant’ Why in news: SIDBI celebrated it’s Foundation day on April 2 nd with launch of ‘ Samridhi – the virtual assistant’. It will answer standard queries of aspirants 24*7. About SIDBI: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) was set up on 2nd April 1990 under an Act of Parliament. It acts as the Principal Financial Institution for Promotion, Financing and Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector as well as for co-ordination of functions of institutions engaged in similar activities. Sources: pib.

World Hindi Secretariat : MAURITIUS

World Hindi Secretariat Why in news: World Hindi Secretariat building has been inaugurated in Mauritius. About WHS: It is an international organisation representing countries and regions where Hindi is the first or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population consists of Hindi speakers or where there is a notable affiliation with North Indian culture. The organisation was set up by the governments of India and Mauritius to promote Hindi across the world. The main objective of the WHS is to promote Hindi as an international language and further its cause for recognition at the United Nations as an Official Language.

N Gopalaswami committee

N Gopalaswami committee N Gopalaswami committee has been constituted to select 20 institutes of higher education in India that will be developed into “world-class” institutes. In a few months, 10 each (from public and private category) institutions will be accorded the eminence status with a mandate, and supported, to achieve the world-class status over a period of 10 years. Facilities provided to these institutes: These institutes will be provided with greater autonomy to admit up to 30% foreign students, to recruit up to 25% foreign faculty, to offer online courses up to 20% of its programmes and to enter into academic collaboration with top 500 in the world ranking institutions without UGC permission. Background: Last year, the Union ministry of Human resources Development, through the University Grants Commission, had invited institutes from across the country to be upgraded into “world-class universities.” Following this...

1st Malaria World Congress :1st july-5th july 2018 in Melbourne, victoria, Austrailia

1st Malaria World Congress 01 July 2018 - 05 July 2018 First Malaria World Congress 2018 1st - 5th July 2018 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Victoria About Malaria report: Malaria is without doubt one of the world’s leading health problems causing death and severe illness to millions each year at a scale that entrenches poverty and disadvantage in major swathes of the world. Despite impressive advances over the last decade, malaria remains a huge global and regional threat. The recently released World Health Organisation 2017 World Malaria Report is a salutary reminder that we are indeed at a tipping point which could go either way. OBJECTIVES: Facilitation of collaboration between practitioners of scientific innovation, health systems delivery, community, government and non-governmental organisations Position malaria elimination within the Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals Strengthen po...

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Why in news? The government has expanded the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme from 161 districts to all the 640 districts in India. Background: Initial focus of BBBP had been on the districts which were either below national average or were the worse in their own states in terms of absolute values of CSR. However, looking at the magnitude and criticality of the problem and its spread across the country, it was felt that no district can be left out of BBBP ambit to make a real dent on overall child sex ratio. About BBBP: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme was launched in January, 2015. The scheme is aimed at promoting gender equality and the significance of educating girls. The Scheme is targeted at improving the Child Sex Ratio through multi sectoral interventions including prevention of gender biased sex selection and promoting girls’ education and her holistic empowerment. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries of Women an...