1.
India’s first FSRU Hoegh Giant Arrives at Jaigarh Terminal 2022: H-Jaigarh Energy’s
Terminal in Maharashtra has received India’s first floating storage and
regasification unit (FSRU). On April 12, 2021, the FSRU Höegh Giant arrived at
Jaigarh Terminal in Maharashtra after sailing from Keppel Shipyard in
Singapore. This will be India’s first FSRU-based LNG receiving terminal, as
well as Maharashtra’s first year-around LNG facility.
Key Points:
a)
The
Höegh Giant, which was erected in 2017, has a storage capacity of 1,70,000
cubic metres and a regasification capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day
(equivalent to about six million tpa). FSRU has been chartered for a 10-year
period by H-Energy.
b)
The
Höegh Giant LNG terminal will be connected to the national gas grid via the
56-kilometer Jaigarh-Dabhol natural gas pipeline.
c)
The
facility will also deliver LNG to onshore distribution via truck loading
facilities. Reloading LNG into small-scale LNG vessels for bunkering services
is also possible at the plant
d)
H-Energy
also plans to boost the region’s small-scale LNG market, utilising FSRU for LNG
storage and reloading into smaller boats.
LNG Terminal: The LNG terminal
was built by H-Energy to world-class technical and safety standards. The LNG
terminal is located in JSW Jaigarh Port in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.
The port is Maharashtra’s first deep-water private port that is open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week.
2.
IIT Madras and NIOT conduct OCEANS 2022 for the first time: Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT) Madras and National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT),
Chennai, are jointly conducted OCEANS 2022 Conference and Exposition, the
bi-annual event for global marine researchers, technologists and engineers,
students, and policymakers. It is being in India for the first time and
coordinated by the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, on behalf of
the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Ocean Engineering
Society (IEEE OES) and Marine Technology Society (MTS). The conference is being
held in a hybrid model.
‘Inspire-Innovate-Sustain’ is the main theme
of the conference. The delegates will be sharing their experiences on topics
related to climate change, global warming, vagaries of weather, combating
coastal erosion, marine pollution and microplastics through nearly 400
presentations.
3.
India’s largest EV charging station for 4 wheelers opens in Sector 86 of
Gurugram: India’s
largest electric vehicle (EV) charging station for 4 wheelers has been launched
in Sector 86 of Gurugram, in Haryana. The new EV charging stations comes with a
capacity of 121 charging points for 4 wheelers and can charge 1,000 cars in a
single day. Gurugram now has two of largest electric vehicle charging stations
across the country. The first EV station was opened in in Sector 52 in January
2022, which has a capacity of 100 charging points for 4 wheelers.
4.
Jan Aushadhi Diwas: 7th March: The Jan Aushadhi Diwas is celebrated on 7
March 2022 by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
The day is observed to spread awareness about the usages of generic medicines
and the benefits of Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana. The theme of the 4 Janaushadhi
Diwas is “Jan Aushadhi-Jan Upyogi”.
On this occasion, Doctors, Health Workers,
Nurses, Pharmacists, and Jan Aushadhi Mitra will discuss the Jan Aushadhi
Pariyojana. The government has set a target to increase the number of Pradhan
Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) to 10,500 by March 2025.
5.
Jet Airways named Sanjiv Kapoor as CEO 2022: Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as
the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jet Airways. Prior to this, Kapoor was
the president of Oberoi Hotels and has also worked as a chief operating officer
at SpiceJet and chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara. He has worked
as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines for three
years, and Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet for two years. The Jalan Kalrock
Consortium is the new promoter of Jet Airways.
Note: Jet Airways CEO: Vinay Dube; Jet
Airways Founder: Naresh Goyal; Jet Airways Founded: 1 April 1992, Mumbai.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
SWISS to Become World’s First Airlines to Use Solar Aviation fuel: Swiss International
Air Lines AG (SWISS or Swiss Air Lines) and its parent company, Lufthansa Group
have partnered with Switzerland based solar fuels start-up, Synhelion SA
(Synhelion) to use its solar aviation fuel. Swiss International Airlines will
become the first airline to use solar aviation fuel (“sun-to-liquid” fuel) to
help power its flights. SWISS will become the first customer of solar kerosene
in 2023. For this, Synhelion has developed a technology for manufacturing
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable energy sources. When combusted
solar fuel will only produce as much CO2 as went into its manufacture, cutting
aviation emissions. Synhelion is set to build the world’s first facility to
industrially produce solar fuel in Jülich, Germany. The plant will become
operational from 2022 onwards.
Note: Swiss International Air Lines AG
Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland; Swiss International Air Lines AG Founded: 1
April 2002; Swiss International Air Lines AG Chairman: Reto Francioni; Swiss
International Air Lines AG CEO: Dieter Vranckx.
2.
MEA Unveils Special Logo for 75 Years of Indo-Dutch Diplomatic Relation: The 75th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and the
Netherlands is being commemorated this year. Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in
the Ministry of External Affairs, and Marten van den Berg, Ambassador of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, launched a joint logo on March 2, 2022, to
commemorate the occasion.
Key Points:
a)
The
logo features the national flowers of both the countries, the lotus and the
tulip. The chakra in the heart of the logo represents our friendship, and the
flag colours emphasise the ties that exist between Indians and Dutch people.
b)
Throughout
the year, a variety of events and activities in a variety of sectors of
cooperation, including water, agriculture, innovation, energy, climate, and
culture, are planned to commemorate the 75th anniversary.
c)
The
Netherlands gifted 3000 fresh tulips to India as a symbol of goodwill for Azadi
Ka Amrit Mahotsav, which were planted in the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan gardens.
Commercial and Trade Relations
a)
Trade
and commercial collaboration are at the heart of the two countries bilateral
ties. With USD 6.5 billion in FDI inflows in FY 2019-20, the Netherlands was
the third-largest investor in India, after Mauritius and Singapore. Dutch
investments in India totalled USD 36.28 billion between April 2000 and December
2020, putting them in fourth place.
b)
The
Netherlands received USD 1.23 billion in offshore direct investment (ODI) from
India in FY 2019-20, making it the fourth most popular destination for ODI from
India.
c)
Bilateral
trade was valued at US$6.55 billion in the fiscal year 2020-21
(April-December), with Indian exports to the Netherlands being US$4.33 billion
and Indian imports from the Netherlands totalling US$ 2.22 billion.
d)
In
India, there are about 200 Dutch enterprises. In addition, the Netherlands has
around 200 Indian companies, including all of the main IT firms.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
BCCI named RuPay as the official partner for Tata IPL 2022: Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s, Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council
has announced National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)‘s flagship product
RuPay as an official partner for the Tata IPL 2022. This will be a multi-year
partnership. RuPay offers tech-led, innovative, and customized offerings to
people across India, being accepted in India and internationally.
Tata IPL 2022 will be co-presented by
Dream11 and co-powered by Tata and CRED. Swiggy, Prystin Care, Zepto, Livspace,
L’Oreal, and Spinny have been signed-on as associate sponsors.
The 15th edition of Tata IPL 2022 will
start on 26th March 2022. A total of 70 league matches will be played across
four international venues in Mumbai and Pune. The venue for the playoff matches
will be decided later.
Note: BCCI Founded: 1928; BCCI
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India; BCCI President: Sourav Ganguly; BCCI
Vice president: Rajeev Shukla; BCCI Secretary: Jay Shah; BCCI Men’s coach:
Rahul Dravid; BCCI Women’s coach: Ramesh Powar.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
UPI transactions value dips 2022: According to the data from the National
Payments Corporation of India, India’s cashless retail transactions on the UPI
platform were Rs 8.27 lakh crore in February, a little decrease from the previous
month’s total (NPCI). In February 2022, there were 452 crores (4.52 billions)
in transactions.
Key Points:
a)
The
overall value of cashless retail transactions on the BHIM UPI network stood at
Rs 8.32 lakh crore in January, with 461 crore transactions (4.61 billion).
b)
According
to NPCI, the value of the automatic collection at toll plazas utilising the
NETC FASTag technology increased slightly in February, with over 24.36 crore
transactions (243.64 million) worth Rs 3,631.22 crore.
c)
NETC
FASTag toll collections were valued at Rs 3,603.71 crore by way of 23.10 crore
(231.01 million) transactions in the previous month.
d)
Instant
money can be transferred through 24×7 IMPS that is Immediate Payment Service
fell to Rs 3.84 lakh crore in February as against Rs 3.87 lakh crore in
January. During the same period, the number of such transactions is at 42
crores (420.93 million) as compared against 44 crores (440.17 million), as per
the data.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
HPCL signed MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India: A Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi between Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI)
to accomplish green energy targets and the Government of India’s efforts
towards a carbon-neutral economy.
Key Points:
a)
Shuvendu
Gupta who is the Chief General Manager of HPCL for Biofuels and Renewables, and
Sanjay Sharma who Executive Director of SECI, signed the MoU.
b)
The
Memorandum of Understanding envisions cooperation and collaboration in the
fields of renewable energy, electric mobility, and alternative fuels, as well
as the development of ESG Projects.
c)
HPCL
plans to diversify further in the RE and Electric Mobility sectors, as well as
pursue the development of ESG projects, in order to meet the Government of
India’s target to increase the RE capacity and accelerate the adoption of
electric mobility in India.
Solar Energy Corporation of India: SECI, the Solar
Energy Corporation of India Limited, has been in the forefront of RE capacity
development and is credited with bringing the country’s lowest RE tariffs. SECI
promotes and develops a variety of renewable energy resources, including
solar/wind energy, RE-based storage systems, waste to energy, power trading,
R&D projects, and RE base goods such as green hydrogen, green ammonia, and
RE-powered electric vehicles, among others.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
NMCG awarded ‘Special Jury Award’ for Ganga rejuvenation: National Mission
for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been awarded the ‘Special Jury Award’ at the 7th
India Industry Water Conclave and the 9th edition of the FICCI Water Awards.
NMCG has been awarded for its effort in reviving River Ganga and bringing about
a paradigm shift in water management. The 9th edition of the FICCI Water Awards
were organised at the FICCI’s 7th India Industry Water Conclave, held virtually
on March 02 and 03, 2022.
The Citation underlines the complexity of
the task of rejuvenation of the entire Ganga basin and the importance of
engaging with diverse stakeholders particularly the people-river connect which
forms the basis of NMCG’s approach to the challenging task. G Asok Kumar was
appointed as the new Director-General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga
(NMCG).
OBITUARIES
1.
Former Indian Army Chief General S F Rodrigues passes away: General S F
Rodrigues, who had served as Chief of the Indian Army from 1990 to 1993 passes
away at the age of 88 years. General Sunith Francis Rodrigues was also the Governor
of Punjab from 2004 to 2010. He had served two terms on the National Security
Advisory Board. Since his retirement, he has been engaged in social and
literary pursuits and has also delivered numerous talks on strategic issues.
The nation and the Indian Army will always be indebted to his invaluable
contribution and service to the nation.
2.
Australian cricketer Shane Warne passes away: Australian cricketer Shane Warne
has passed away at the age of 52 years due to a suspected heart attack in
Thailand. He was a leg spinner. In 2013, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of
Fame. He is regarded as the greatest spinner of cricket and has played 145
Tests for Australia and has 708 wickets.
3. Oscar-winning producer Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr passes away: The Oscar-winning producer, Former Executive at Twentieth Century Fox, who greenlit ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Braveheart’, Alan Ladd Junior has passed away at the age of 84 years. He was affectionately known as “Laddie”. He won the Academy Award (Oscar award) for Best Picture ‘Braveheart’ directed by Mel Gibson in 1995. He was one of the founders of the Ladd Company, established in 1979.
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