World Space Week 2022
World Space Week (WSW) is observed every year from October 4 to 10, to celebrate science and technology, and their contribution towards the betterment of the human condition. World Space Week aims to help people gain a wider knowledge about space outreach and education.
Telangana government launched ‘Aasara’ pension for poor
The Telangana government has introduced ‘Aasara’ pensions as a part of the state’s welfare measures and social safety net strategy. The ‘Aasara’ pensions aim to secure life for all the poor. It is a welfare scheme for the older section of the state, widows, physically disabled, and beedi workers to avail pension facilities. Under the Asif Nagar Mandal jurisdiction 10,000 new Aasara pensions have been sanctioned.
- The Aasara pension scheme was launched on 8th November 2014 by the Government of Telangana.
- The scheme provides pensions to old people, windows, patients suffering from elephantiasis or AIDS, physically disabled persons, beedi workers, and single women.
- On 7th March 2022, the Finance Minister of Telangana allocated Rs. 11,728 crores to the Aasara Pension scheme.
- The Pension has been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 2,016 per month by the state government given to the elderly, widows, AIDS patients, handloom workers, and toddy tappers.
- The pension for the differently-abled has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 3,016 per month.
- The pension for single women, beedi workers, and filarial patients would be Rs 2,016 per month.
YUVA 2.0 programme to encourage aspiring writers introduced by PM
The Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors, known as YUVA 2.0 (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors), was launched by the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education on October 2. In order to promote India and Indian literature abroad, it is an author mentoring programme for young and aspiring writers (under 30 years old).
National Mission for Clean Ganga approved 14 projects worth Rs 1145 crore
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved 14 projects worth Rs 1,145 crore. The projects include the following aspects sewerage management, curbing industrial pollution, and biodiversity conservation among others. The project was approved at the 45th meeting of the executive committee under the championship of G Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG.
100 laboratories for 5G technology to be set up across India by Govt
The government now intends to establish 5G laboratories around the nation, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the start of 5G services in India at the Indian Mobile Congress.
The Indian government intends to establish 100 5G laboratories around the nation, according to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology.
Kerala’s Pullampara named first fully digital literate panchayat
The Pullumpara village panchayat in the Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala achieved the distinction of becoming the first totally digitally literate panchayat in the country.
- Around 250 engineering college students and members of Kudumbashree trained the residents while the process was monitored by the Kerala Technological University (KTU).
- A total of 3,174 in the age group of 14-65 cleared the evaluation test held after the training, enabling the local body to become totally digitally literate.
- The left democratic front (LDF) government in Kerala had announced to extend digital literacy to all the residents. The government has also created Kerala – Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) to provide an internet connection to all and to ensure its promise of making access to the internet a basic right.
Nobel Prize In Physics 2022
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced, the Nobel Prize in Physics 2022 was awarded to Alain Aspect (France), John F. Clauser (USA) and Anton Zeilinger (Austria) for their work on quantum mechanics.
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities, and pioneering quantum information science,”.
John Clauser Contribution
This year’s Nobel Prize laureate John Clauser built an apparatus that emitted two entangled photons at a time, each towards a filter that tested their polarization. The result was a clear violation of a Bell inequality and agreed with the predictions of quantum mechanics.
Alain Aspect Contribution:
Alain Aspect, developed a setup to close an important loophole. He was able to switch the measurement settings after an entangled pair had left its source, so the setting that existed when they were emitted could not affect the result.
Anton Zeilinger Contribution:
Anton Zeilinger, 2022 Nobel Prize laureate in physics, researched entangled quantum states. His research group has demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to move a quantum state from one particle to one at a distance.
SC-ST hub conclave hosted by Ministry of MSME in Gujarat
The Ministry of MSME hosted the National SC-ST Hub Conclave in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to raise awareness of the National SC-ST Hub Scheme and other Ministry programmes.
- More than 300 SC-ST business owners attended the event. The keynote talk was given by Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME, after all the dignitaries and attendees were greeted by Shri Gaurang Dixit, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation Limited.
- The colloquium offered aspiring and established SC-ST business owners a forum for interaction with CPSEs, financing organisations, GeM, RSETI, TRIFED, etc.
- Speaking at the event, Dr. Solanki recommended that more SC-ST business owners in Gujarat State take use of the NSSH Scheme’s benefits.
- Additionally, he advised the bankers in the audience to give SC-ST businesses priority when providing loan support so that they wouldn’t encounter any problems expanding their commercial capacity.
- He underscored the Prime Minister’s goal of making people employment producers rather than job seekers and the role SC-ST businesses play in boosting the Indian economy.
WhatsApp banking services launched by PNB
The government-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) announced that it has made banking services available to both clients and non-customers via WhatsApp. Customers must save the official PNB WhatsApp number (919264092640) and start a conversation by texting a hello or hi to this number in order to enable the banking feature on WhatsApp.
Adani Green commissioned world’s largest wind-solar power plant
Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) has commissioned the world’s largest wind-solar power plant of 600 MV capacity in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The plant has a power purchase agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at Rs 2.69/kWh for 25 years.
- The project consists of 600 MW solar and 150 MV wind plants.
- In May 2022, AGEL operationalized India’s first hybrid power plant with a capacity of 390 MW in Jaisalmer.
- The commencement of the 600 MW plant AGEL has a total operational generation capacity of 6.7 GW.
- This includes an operational hydropower generation capacity of 1 GW, the largest in the world.
- AGEL’s total renewable portfolio goes up to 20.4 GW to reach its vision of 45 GW capacity by 2030.
Indian American Dr Vivek Lall receives Lifetime Achievement award in US
Vivek Lall, an Indian-origin General Atomic Global Corporation Chief Executive is honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by US President Joe Biden with the citation of ‘With Grateful Recognition’. This citation was given to Vivek Lall, who has done a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University in Kansas, by the AmeriCorps and the office of the President.
India signed an agreement with Armenia to export missiles, rockets & ammunition
India will export missiles, rockets, and ammunition to Armenia after the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The missiles will also include Indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher. India has signed this deal with Armenia to help them to depend on the country against their neighboring country Azerbaijan.