KERALA
Kerala needs special industrial regions
A former additional chief secretary [Industries and IT] to Kerala Goernment suggested some views:
To focus on a few areas, which could contribute to industrial development, the number one area is infrastructure. We should use road, rail, inland navigation, coastal shipping and airways, fully. K-Rail will take care of the goods and passenger transportation. Once inland navigation is completed within five years, the slow-moving, large-volume will move to that, decongesting roads. The movement of hazardous materials and bulk carriers could be shifted to coastal shipping.
Secondly, regarding the ease of doing business (EoDB), we have a long way to go. What has been done in the past is, rightly, that we are trying to give approvals faster. But fundamentally, I have a difference of opinion, because I feel that many of these licences are not necessary. We just need to do three things: A) Remove unwanted approvals, licences, NOCs and restrictions after a review of all requirements of licensing and approvals. B) Procedure for giving these could be simplified. C) The process should be automated, bringing human interaction to a minimum. Singapore Government gives time limits for licences in hours, not days – four hours is the time needed for starting a new company there.
One drawback I noticed in EoDB is that we are depending on in-house agencies to deliver these. We need the help of a professional external agency to maintain software and monitoring systems round the clock. So, EoDB should be done in PPP mode with one of the best professional consultants coming on board.
INTERNATIONAL
Stratolaunch Test Flies – World Largest Airplane
The world’s largest aircraft manufactured by Stratolaunch recently completed its second test flight from the Mojave Aerospace Port in California.
The flight reached an altitude of 4,267 meters during the test flight. It got a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour. This aircraft can carry a payload of more than 220 tons. The wingspan of the aircraft is 117 meters. This is bigger than an American football field. It was named “Roc”.
The roc bird is a big bird usually mentioned in the mythology of the Middle East. It is very popular in “Sinbad the Sailor”. It uses a dual body configuration. The fuselage is the main part of the aircraft. It accommodates cargo, crew and passengers. The dual body design has two bodies.
NATIONAL
DCGI Approved 2-deoxy-D-glucose
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has authorised the anti-COVID drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose for emergency use.
It was established in partnership with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage Production-Linked Incentive Scheme
The proposal of the Department of Heavy Industry to introduce the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’ has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
With an investment of Rs 18,100 crore, achieve a manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh of ACC and 5 GWh of Niche ACC.
ACCs are a new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy as electrochemical or chemical energy and then convert it back to electricity as required.
It will also boost electric mobility, which will support three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and heavy vehicles.
NITI Aayogs Project for Great Nicobar Island
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCCEnvironment )’s Appraisal Committee (EAC) – Infrastructure I has raised serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s ambitious project for Great Nicobar Island.
The committee, on the other hand, has overcome the project’s first hurdle.
It has “recommended” that it be granted “terms of reference (TOR)” for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, which will begin with three-month baseline studies.
RBI Grants PPI Authorisation to Eroute Technologies
Eroute Technologies has been given permission to operate as a prepaid payment instruments (PPI) company by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Eroute Technologies Pvt Ltd was granted a perpetual licence by the RBI to begin issuing and operating semi-closed pre-paid instruments in India.
Through developing user-friendly payment solutions that meet the unique needs of different customer segments in our society, the company aims to support the underserved segments, which number nearly 680 million people.
PPIs are financial instruments that allow the purchase of goods and services, such as financial services, remittances, and funds transfers, against the value stored in them.
Smokeless Cremation System Developed
The Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, has produced a prototype of a moveable electric cremation device that claims to be the world’s first smokeless cremation system despite the use of wood.
It uses half of the wood required for cremation.
Because of the use of combustion air system technology, it is very environmentally friendly.
It is based on the wick furnace technology, in which the wick will turn yellow when lighted.
With the aid of a combustion air system mounted over the wicks, this is transformed into a smokeless blue flame.
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