HIMACHAL PRADESH
- Special grants sought for 10 Himalayan states from Centre
- The Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI), a civil society group, has sought “special grants” for 10 Himalayan states from the Centre.
- NITI Aayog constituted Himalayan State Regional Council (HSRC) in November 2018, but not a single meeting has been held so far
- On the recommendation of state CM Jai Ram Thakur, the Centre declared hydropower as the renewable source of energy (Himalayan states power potential is 1,15,000 MW ) and a common hydropower policy.
- IMI demands that the Centre should set up three separate funds-disaster rehabilitation fund for the rehabilitation of disaster affected villagers, a new recovery and reconstruction fund, and earthquake risk reduction fund as these states are in seismic zone IV and V.
INTERNATIONAL
- Global Tiger Day: 29 July
- Global Tiger Day is being celebrated across the world on 29 July.
- This day is observed every year to create awareness about tiger conservation and protection of the natural habitat of tigers.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the results of the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation in New Delhi.
- India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years.
NATIONAL
- Nepal invited to become partner country for Gita Jayanti Mahotsav 2019
- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Nepal to be the partner country for this year’s ‘Gita Jayanti Mahotsav’.
- The Mahotsav is scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra from December 3 to 8.
- Haryana has been celebrating Gita Jayanti Mahotsav for the last three years and every year a country is invited to become the partner country for the mega event.
- A seminar on the revered Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be organised as part of the celebration on December 6, and the devotees and scholars from Nepal can participate in it.
- National Data Quality Forum: launched by ICMR
- Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Institute for Medical Statistics (ICMR-NIMS) partnership with Population Council, launched the National Data Quality Forum (NDQF).
- They will integrate learnings from scientific and evidence-based initiatives and guide actions through periodic workshops and conferences.
- Its activities will help establish protocols and good practices of data collection, storage, use and dissemination that can be applied to health and demographic data.
- The launch was attended by representatives from the government, academic institutions, technology and developmental partners working towards strengthening the data ecosystem in the country.
- GST Council to decide on tax cut on electric vehicles this week
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chair the 36th meeting of the GST Council through videoconferencing in Delhi.
- It is the first GST Council meeting after the Union Budget placed before the parliament in July 5
- The GST Council is expected to announce its decision lowering tax rates for electric vehicles solar power projects and rationalisation of GST rates on lottery.
- The several sops for the electric vehicle (EV) sector includes income tax exemption and reduction in custom duties for certain components
- The government is expected to push for a GST rate cut on EVs from 12% to 5%.
The issue of GST rate cut on EVs earlier sent to a rate fitment committee to a rate fitment committee.
- The Modi government wants to encourage domestic manufacturing of e-vehicles.
The GST rate for petrol and diesel cars and hybrid vehicles is already at the highest bracket of 28% plus cess.
- Union cabinet approved to dissolve NIMH and merge it with ICMR National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH)
- The government has approved to dissolve National Institute of Miners’ Health (NIMH) and merge it withIndian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister.
- National Institute of Miners Health (NIMH) is an autonomous institute that functions underMinistry of Mines (MoM).
- The amalgamation will absorb all the employees of NIMH in NIOH in similar post/pay scale as the case may be so that their pay be protected.
- Govt inks MoU with industry body to streamline delivery of services under Ayushman Bharat
- The centre’s flagship healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat implementing agency inked an MoU with industry body NATHEALTH.
- The partnership between National Health Authority (NHA) and the Healthcare Federation of India (NATHEALTH)
- Themain aim is to streamline all innovations it increases the efficacy of service delivery of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
- The collaboration provides an industry interface for testing innovations, providing mentorship and creating channels for facilitating support required for scaling these innovations.
- The main purpose to increase the efficacy of the health service delivery.
The main objective of the joint initiative is to provide and enable a healthcare innovation ecosystem that supports healthcare innovators and provides them opportunities to partner and scale.
- The MoU aims at enabling an ecosystem for the industry partners within the NATHEALTH network to participate in piloting, testing, adopting, funding and scaling innovations.
- Around 26 Lakh peoplehave availed treatment so far in several hospitals across the country
- The insurance scheme aims to provide a health cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crore vulnerable families.
- The scheme provides cashless and paperless access to services
Over 15,000 hospitalsand health care providers have been impaneled across the country under the scheme.
- Kaiga Atomic Energy station performed continuing operation for 962 days
- Indiaenhanced with Atomic energy and replacing fossil fuel.
Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, gas, hydroelectricity and wind power. - India has 22 nuclear reactorsin operation in 7 nuclear power plants
They have a total installed capacity of 6,780 MW. - The nuclear power produced a total of 35 TWh supplied 3.22% of Indian electricity in 2017.7 more reactors are under construction. They got a combined generation capacity of 4,300 MW.
- The remarkable achievements in the nuclear power sector during the last three years included
- Setting of World Record in the continuous operation of 962 days by Unit-1 of Kaiga Generating Station among nuclear power plants of all technologies.
Completion of 50 years of safe operation of Units 1&2 of Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS-1&2) are currently the oldest reactors in operation in the world.
- The nuclear power capacity of 1000 MWby the completion of KKNPP- 2 at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
- The First Pour of Concrete (FPC) in KKNPP-3&4 (2X1000 MW) at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
- Ground break for KKNPP-5&6(2X1000 MW) at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
- The environmental clearance from MoEF&CC for setting up nuclear power plants at Chutka in Madhya Pradesh.
- The administrative approval and financial sanction of ten (10) indigenous 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) to be set up in fleet mode & two (02) units of Light Water Reactors (LWRs)
- The agreements with foreign countries for nuclear power corporation.
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