11.11.21 Daily [Assam] APSC Current Affairs

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation(NHPC) has announced that the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border will start operation next year by August. It is the largest hydropower project under construction in the country with an annual power generation capacity of 7421.59 Million Units (MU).

Defying the protests relaunched by various organizations, including the AllAssamStudents’ Union, to halt the construction of the mega dam along the seismically active interstate-border zone, NHPC officials said that the all eight units of the dam would be operational by August 2023.

The project triggered a political storm and has been an issue in every election in the state since 2011. The opposition parties have cornered the ruling government, citing threat to life and property in the downstream areas of Assam from the dam. Construction had come to a halt in 2011 following massive protests. As per NHPC sources, due to the prolonged delay, the cost of the project escalated to around Rs 20,000 crore from the earlier estimate of Rs 6,900 crore.

The project is the first cascaded dam on the Subansiri. As per NHPC, it is primarily for with flood cushion and designed to moderate floods with integrated operation of proposed middle and upper projects.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has released a list of 119 people who would get the <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/padma-Awards“>Padma Awards this year from President Ram Nath Kovind.

Highlights

Art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and Industry, medicine, literature and Education, Sports, and civil service are all covered by these prizes.

While the ‘Padma Shri’ is given for distinguished service in any field, the ‘Padma Bhushan’ is given for exceptional service.

The ‘Padma Vibhushan’, on the other hand, is given for remarkable and distinguished service.

There are 29 Women among the 2021 winners, one transgender person, ten foreigners/NRIs/OCIs, and 16 people who have died. In 2021, no one will be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

The top five aspirational districts in the <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Education-sector”>Education sector have been announced by NITI Aayog.

Highlights:

It has selected the school sector’s most improved aspirational districts for the month of September.

Bhoopalpalli in Telangana has topped the NITI Aayog’s delta rankings in the education sector.

Following Bhoopalpalli area are, Jharkhand’s Chatra and Sahibganj, Odisha’s Nuapada, and Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer.

In a notable development, the Baramulla district in north Kashmir has risen to third place among aspirational districts in the Delta ranking 2021 for September month.

Jharkhand’s Ranchi and Chatra districts were placed first and second, respectively.
Wayanad in Kerala came in fourth, and Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh came in fifth.

NITI Aayog publishes the Delta ranking.

It depicts Growth in India’s aspirational districts in categories such as Health and Nutrition, education, Financial Inclusion, agricultural and <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/water-Resources“>Water Resources, Skill development, and basic Infrastructure.

These rankings serve as a barometer of incremental progress in areas like Health and Nutrition, agricultural and financial inclusion, and Water Resource Management.

The Ministry of Commerce and recently released the Logistics Ease Across Different States 2021 Index.

Highlights:

Index is now in its third version. Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab were ranked first, second, and third in the ranking, respectively, for goods mobility and logistics chain efficiency.

This index assigns states a ranking based on their logistics Infrastructure.

Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab are the states with the best results (Top 3 slot respectively)
Tamil Nadu is ranked fourth, and Maharashtra is ranked fifth.

In comparison to the 2019 LEADS rating, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand have seen considerable improvements.

In 2018, the LEADS (Logistic Ease Across Different States) index was introduced. It was created by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The ranking assigns points to governments based on their logistical support for promoting goods commerce.

The rating is based on factors such as pricing competitiveness, infrastructure availability, and service availability.

Every year from November 9 to 14, the International Week of Science and Peace (IWOSP) is observed around the world.

Highlights

The occasion is commemorated in order to urge people to improve technology and promote peace in their respective countries.

The annual commemoration of this event contributes to the advancement of science, technology, and peace, as well as raising public awareness.

Participation and knowledge of the activities help to ensure that science is used appropriately to promote peace throughout the year.

United States of America (USA) became the 101st member country to join (ISA).

USA joined ISA as member country to accelerate the global adoption of Solar Energy.

This announcement was made at UNFCCC COP26 on November 10, 2021.

Now, USA will catalyse global energy transition through solar-led approach.

The ISA framework was first circulated in 2016 for the support of countries. It emphasises on delivering global relevance and local benefit through collaborations for all countries. Key interventions of ISA will focus on readiness and enabling activities, innovative financing instrument and risk mitigation in order to facilitate promotion and deployment of solar technologies.