The Government of India has extended Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), a scheme to provide free liquid petroleum gas (LPG) connections, to all impoverished households that presently lack these connections. This initiative, which commenced in 2016, was primarily focused on rural women from households below the poverty line (BPL), but has since been expanded to incorporate SC/ST households and forest dwellers, among others.
Overview of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
The PMUY was unveiled by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas with the objective of protecting the health of women and children by supplying them with clean cooking fuel, thereby eliminating the need for them to risk their health in smoky kitchens or expose themselves to danger while collecting firewood. As part of this scheme, a subsidy of Rs 1,600 is provided by the government to state-owned fuel retailers for each free LPG gas connection given to poor households. This subsidy aims to cover the security fee for the cylinder and the fitting charges. The World Health Organisation has lauded PMUY as a decisive intervention by the government that encourages the transition to clean household energy use and addresses indoor household air pollution issues.
‘Under the Sal Tree’ Theatre Festival
Every December, the ‘Under the Sal Tree’ theatre festival is conducted inside the sal forest of the Rampur village in the Goalpara district of Assam. This three-day event, set in the middle of a jungle, is organized to reconnect human beings with nature. The festival was initiated by well-known Assamese theatre personality Sukracharya Rabha.
Quasar P352-15: The Brightest Object in the Universe
Astronomers utilizing the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) system of 10 radio telescopes have discovered the brightest object in the Universe, known as Quasar P352-15. Quasars are the most luminous objects in the Universe, located at the center of galaxies and deriving energy from supermassive black holes. Quasar P352-15 is approximately 13 billion light years away, indicating that the Quasar observed dates back to a time when the universe was less than a billion years old, or around 7% of its current age. This discovery could assist scientists studying the early stages of the universe in understanding events after the Big Bang.
| Quasar P352-15 Facts | |
|---|---|
| Discovered Using | Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) system |
| Distance from Earth | 13 billion light years |
| Age of the Universe at the Time | Less than a billion years old |
Kanchenjunga Landscape
The governments of India, Nepal, and Bhutan are contemplating establishing a joint task force to facilitate the free movement of wildlife across political boundaries and monitor smuggling of wildlife within the Kanchenjunga Landscape. This region stretches along the southern side of Mount Kanchenjunga, covering an area of 25,080 sq km spread across parts of eastern Nepal (21%), Sikkim and West Bengal (56%) and western and southwestern parts of Bhutan (23%). Between 2000 and 2010, 1,118 sq km of riverine grassland and tree cover were lost to agriculture and rangeland in the landscape according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Apart from seven million people, the Kanchenjunga Landscape is home to 169 species of mammals and 713 species of birds.
Cyclone Phethai
The cyclonic storm Phethai has made landfall in Andhra Pradesh. The name of the cyclone, suggested by Thailand, is pronounced as `Pay-ti’, which means a vegetarian bean in Thai. This development comes just months after Cyclone Gaja caused extensive damage in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, and Pudukottai districts of Tamil Nadu.
India’s First Military Flight using Blended Bio-Jet Fuel
For the first time, an An-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) flew with 10% bio-jet blended ATF (aviation turbine fuel) made from Jatropha oil. This serves the dual purpose of minimizing the carbon footprint and reducing the usage of fossil fuels. By doing this, India joins a select group of nations that have developed, tested and certified the single step Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet (HRJ) process to convert non-edible oil into biofuel for use on military aircraft. This project is a collective effort of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Directorate General Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum). Gradually, the IAF plans to start using this fuel blend even for fighter jets like Su-30MKIs and MiG-29s.
