31.12.21 Daily [Uttarakhand] UKPSC Current Affairs

Releasing its report on Dehraduns poor performance inClimate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF), the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundationhasappealed to all to include the issue of sustainable Urbanisation in their manifestos ahead of the 2022 assembly Elections fora Climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development in thestate.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) developed CSCAF in association with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) to provide a roadmap for cities towards mainstreaming climate actions within existing and future projects and policies. A total of 126 cities including 100 Smart Cities, capital cities and other cities were part of the assessment and Dehradun was the only city from Uttarakhand. The cities were given star ratings on the basis of the evaluation based on five parameters including 28 indicators- Urban Planning, Green Cover and Biodiversity, Mobility and Air Quality, Water Management, Energy and Green Buildings and Waste Management. Dehradun received one star in the first three parameters, two stars in the fourth one and three stars in the waste management category.

According to the SDCs report, not a single city out of 126 cities got an overall five-star ranking inthis assessment. Only nine cities includingAhmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Visakhapatnam and Indore got the four-star ranking while 22 cities got a three-star ranking. Dehradun and the other 63 cities got only a two-star ranking while the remaining 31 cities attained only a one-star ranking.

The Bina (MP)-Panki (UP) Multiproduct Pipeline Project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi.

Highlights:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 356-kilometer Bina Refinery (Madhya Pradesh)-POL Terminal at Panki (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh) Multiproduct pipeline project.

It has a capacity of 45 million metric tonnes per annum, which cost Rs 1524 crore Rs. 1227 crores in UP and Rs. 297 crores in MP.

The project was completed and commissioned one month ahead of schedule, in December 2021 (3 years after PNGRB approval), and on budget.

It will allow for the safe and efficient evacuation of products from the Bina Refinery, as well as increased product availability in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Central Uttar Pradesh, Northern Bihar, and Southern Uttarakhand.

The announced its prestigious “Sahitya Akademi Awards, Yuva Puraskar, and Bal Sahitya Puraskar” for 2021 in various languages on 30 December.

The award is given to authors of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 24 major Indian languages and 22 languages listed in the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule.

In 1954, the award was established. In 20 Indian languages, the Sahitya Akademy Award 2021 was presented.

In English, it went to Namita Gokhale for her novel ‘Things to Leave Behind.’

On December 29, 2021, Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the India Semiconductor Mission.

Highlights:

Interested companies will be able to apply for the scheme beginning January 1, 2022, if they want to take advantage of the Rs 76,000-crore incentives set aside by the central government for developing semiconductors and demonstrating India’s manufacturing ecosystem.

In order to receive applications for the scheme, a portal has been created.

The India Semiconductor Mission is a government-led initiative to develop semiconductors in India (ISM)

Digital India Corporation’s ISM is a specialized and self-contained business division.

In China’s Shanghai Province, the world’s longest metro line was inaugurated on 31 December.

Highlights:

Shanghai maintains its position as the world’s largest metro Network with this inauguration. Line 14 and Phase One of Line 18 are the two new metro lines that the city has opened.

The total length of Shanghai’s metro network has now reached 831 kilometers. It maintains its position as the world’s longest network.

With the addition of two new lines, Shanghai now has a total of five fully automatic metro lines with a total operating length of 167 kilometers.

On December 30, 2021, Iran launched a rocket into space with a satellite carrier carrying three devices.

Highlights:

It’s unclear when this launch took place or what devices the carrier launched into space.

However, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry identified the rocket as “Simorgh, or Phoenix,” which launched the three devices into space at a distance of 470 kilometers.

The status of the objects is unknown, implying that the rocket failed to place its payload into the proper orbit.

The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) is the country’s space agency. In 2009, the country achieved orbital launch capability.