The Ministry of Coal, in collaboration with the Ministry of Power& Natural Gas, has facilitated a landmark joint venture agreement between two leading Maharatna CPSEs, Coal India Limited (CIL) and GAIL (India) Limited (GAIL). This agreement marks a major step towards setting up a Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) plant using surface coal gasification (SCG) technology.
The plant to come up in Raniganjarea of Eastern Coalfields Limited, West Bengalis planned to produce 80000 Nm3 per hour of Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG). The annual production is slated at 633.6 Million Nm3 per hour which will require 1.9 million tonnes (Mts) of coal. The coal will be supplied by CIL.
The synergy and partnership of the two corporate giants is a big step towards the National Coal Gasification Mission which facilitates utilization of the chemical properties of coal. Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG)is a fuel gas predominantly consisting of methane, CH4 which is a feedstock for the production of various chemicals and fertilizers.
Shri. Harish Dudani has been administered Oath of Office and Secrecy by the Hon’ble Minister for Power on 06.08.2024, as Member, CERC. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, of 1998. CERC is the Central Commission for the Electricity Act, 2003,
which has repealed the ERC Act, of 1998. Shri. Harish Dudani held the post of Principal Judge, Family Court, in the High Court of Delhi. Before this, he held the charge of District Judge (Commercial Court), Additional Session Judge, and Special Judge (PC Act) CBI in the High Court of Delhi.
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) announced the launch of the initiative "Million Designers, Billion Dreams." This innovative program aims to empower individuals across India with systems design know-how to tackle complex societal challenges. Spearheaded by LEAP in collaboration with the DAY-NRLM.
LEAP is a catalyst organization that emerged from the multidisciplinary work developed in India by the Design Laboratory at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (D-Lab) and the Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF), with seed investment provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
"Million Designers, Billion Dreams" is a unique initiative designed to enhance the capacity of individuals through systems design know-how. It targets rural leaders, frontline change agents, and village entrepreneurs, equipping them with the skills to create impactful, scalable solutions.
"Million Designers, Billion Dreams" is aimed to revolutionize the way we approach societal challenges, empowering a new generation of rural leaders to drive sustainable development across India in our communities and beyond. The program's primary objectives are to enhance participants' proficiency in design frameworks to drive systems change etc.
The 10th National Handloom Day will be celebrated on, 7th August 2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. During the function, the Sant Kabir Awards and National Handloom Awards will be conferred to handloom weavers for their outstanding contribution to the handloom sector.
Award Catalogue and Coffee Table Book- “Parampara- Sustainability in Handloom Traditions of India” will be released by the Hon’ble Vice President of India. Guided by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Government started celebrating National Handloom Day with the first such celebration being held on 7th August 2015.
The date was specifically chosen to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on 7th August 1905 and encouraged indigenous industries, particularly handloom weavers. As part of the 10th National Handloom Day celebrations, various activities are being organized across the country in all States/UTs.
The board of India's largest public sector lender State Bank of India, approved a proposal for raising funds of up to Rs 25,000 crore via the issue of Tier 1 and Tier 2 bonds. The bonds will be Basel-lll compliant and SBI plans to raise the amount in INR/USD.
The fundraising plan was announced by SBI along with its April-June quarter earnings where the lender reported a standalone net profit of Rs 17,035 crore, up by 0.9% over Rs 16,884.29 crore reported in the year-ago period. It was higher than the Street's estimates of Rs 16,786 crore.
The interest earned during the reported quarter stood at Rs 1,11,526 crore, which was higher by 16% versus Rs 95,975 crore reported in the corresponding quarter of the last financial year.
Interest expended by the bank in the April-June quarter stood at Rs 70,401 crore versus 57,041 crore a year ago. This translates into a 23% YoY uptick.
South Africa's SA20 has announced former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik as the ambassador of the league. Karthik's vast cricketing expertise as a World Cup Winner and former Indian national player is an exciting development for the League, which continues to gather momentum as one of the world's top-tier franchise leagues.
Karthik will be working very closely with fellow SA20 ambassador AB de Villiers and the management team to help strengthen the League's global fan base and reinforce brand awareness across key strategic markets in India and the United Kingdom. SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith said they are thrilled to welcome Karthik as an ambassador for Betway SA20 season 3.
Veteran Gandhian and social worker Shobhana Ranade passed away in Pune at the age of 100. She was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, for her social work in 2001. Smt. Ranade’s work for destitute women and children is remarkable. She helped set up the Gandhi National Memorial Society at Aga Khan Palace, Pune, and a training institute women
She established a children’s village called ‘Baal Gram’ and gave a home to hundreds of orphan children. She was an active member of the Save Ganga Movement, a movement established to prevent pollution of the Ganga River through the Gandhi National Memorial Society.
Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in collaboration with Airbus has started its first executive training program for the aviation sector in New Delhi.
This three-day program, will be focused on Safety Management Systems for working professionals. The program attracts participants from leading airlines as well as representatives from Airbus and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
This course is also being attended by international professionals, including four participants from Nepal and four from Bhutan. The instructors for the program are leading experts from the industry.
Capital Small Finance Bank Limited, India’s first small finance bank, and Edelweiss Life Insurance established a strategic alliance in Mumbai to provide Capital Small Finance Bank’s diversified customer base with access to Edelweiss Life Insurance‘s extensive range of life insurance products, addressing their demand for financial security.
Sumit Rai, MD & CEO, Edelweiss Life Insurance and Sarvjit Singh Samra, MD & CEO, Capital Small Finance Bank signed the agreement and declared their collaboration at a ceremony in Mumbai. This arrangement intends to improve the Bank’s life insurance solutions by giving consumers access to Edelweiss Life’s digital platform and service touchpoints.
Lt Gen Vikas Lakhera assumed charge as the new director general of the Assam Rifles, which is known as the "Sentinels" of the northeastern region.He succeeds Lt Gen PC Nair who retired after four decades of service. Lt Gen Lakhera has varied professional experience in serving in the northeastern region.He was commissioned into the 4 SIKH LI of the Indian Army on Jun 9, 1990
Lt Gen Lakhera was serving as the additional director general of military operations handling information warfare before taking over as director general of Assam Rifles. He is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card, and two Army Commander Commendation Cards.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a proposal to appoint Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as Chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest commercial bank, for a three-year term. The three-year period will be valid from the date of his assumption of charge of the office, on or after August 28, or until further orders,
whichever is earlier, the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). Before this elevation as Chairman, Setty was the SBI Managing Director heading Global Markets & Technology.
In June this year, the Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) recommended the name Challa Sreenivasulu Setty for being appointed SBI Chairman.
He has extensive experience in corporate credit, retail banking, digital banking, international banking, and banking in developed markets.
Incumbent SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara will be superannuating on August 28, when he turns 63, the upper age limit for the position of SBI chairman.
Meanwhile, another DoPT order said the ACC approved Rana Ashutosh Kumar Singh’s appointment as Managing Director of the State Bank of India. Singh, currently Deputy Managing Director, will become MD with effect from the day he assumes office and up to the date of attaining the superannuation age (June 30, 2027) or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Tech giant Microsoft regained the top spot in the list of best employers to work for in India in 2024, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Amazon, according to a Randstad Employer Brand Research report released. Microsoft had topped the list in 2022 but slipped to fifth in 2023.
The respondents evaluated the employers on ten parameters, including work-life balance, career progression, reputation, financial health, and job security. Microsoft scored the highest in financial health, good reputation, and career progression opportunities, the top 3 Employee Value Proposition (EVP) drivers that helped it win the first spot.
TCS also improved its performance from fourth in 2023 to second this year. Amazon has slipped one rank this year. Tata Power Company, which was the top brand last year, slipped to fourth rank this year. Another Tata brand, Tata Motors stood fifth. All the top five most attractive companies to work for received high ratings for their financial health and good reputation.
The Haryana Cabinet approved the proposal of buying 10 more crops at the minimum support price. This came a day after Chief Minister Nayab
Singh Saini announced at the 'Vijay Shankhnad' rally in Kurukshetra that the state government would buy all crops at MSP. Besides this, he had also announced waiving outstanding canal water irrigation charges.
The state government is already buying 14 crops at the MSP. Saini said 10 more crops, including 'ragi', soybean, 'jowar', and 'moong', will be bought by the Haryana government at the MSP. This move will boost crop diversification.
With this, the state government will buy a total of 24 crops in Haryana at the MSP.
Haryana will become the first state in the country to buy all crops at the MSP. the Cabinet also approved the proposal of abolishing 'abiana' (canal water irrigation charges). With effect from April 1, 2024, 'abiana' will not be charged to farmers, this move will benefit farmers to the tune of Rs 54 crore per year.
