ANNOUNCEMENTS
CUET PG 2023: Candidates will be able to check the changes, addition of courses, universities at the official website — cuet.nta.nic.in.
CUET PG 2023: The National Testing Agency (NTA) Thursday released a corrigendum for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-PG) 2023 examination. Candidates will be able to check the changes at the official website — cuet.nta.nic.in.
According to this corrigendum, the English and Foreign Languages University will accept CUET PG score as an eligibility criteria for its postgraduate programmes. “The English and Foreign Languages University had earlier withdrawn from CUET (PG)-2023 at the last moment due to which the name of the University is not reflected in the list of participating Universities. However, the courses offered by the University are visible in the bunching list. Now the University has again joined CUET (PG)-2023 and the candidates can apply for the same,” the official notice stated.
In addition to this, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Parul University (Vadodra), Netaji Subhas University of Technology (Dwarka, New Delhi), SRM University Delhi, Gyani Inder Singh Institute of Professional Studies affiliated with Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University (Dehradun), University of Science & Technology (Meghalaya), TERI School of Advanced Studies, Quantum University, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (Noida), Sharda University, among others will also take CUET PG score now.
The University of Jammu, Pondicherry University, Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya Sagar, Tripura University, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Dr B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi, and many others have added a few courses to their list of CUET PG courses.
There are also a few corrections made in the list, which were caused due to typographical error.
Meanwhile, the UGC Chief, M Jagadesh Kumar, has assured students that the exam schedule will soon be released as it is still a work in progress. “In a few days, we will announce the date sheet of CUET-PG. NTA is working on it.
[https://cuet.samarth.ac.in,”]https://cuet.samarth.ac.in,” he tweeted.
Read MoreNEW DELHI: Pitching for collective efforts to deal with critical issues of climate change and pollution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the environment is not just a global cause, but also personal as well as collective responsibility for every individual, and environment conservation is a commitment and not compulsion for India.
"Human empowerment is impossible without a better environment and the way forward is through collectiveness rather than selectiveness," said Modi in his written message to the TERI's annual World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) which was jointly inaugurated here by Guyana vice president Bharrat Jagdeo, COP28 president designate Sultan Al Jaber of UAE, and India's environment minister Bhupender Yadav.
Underlining India's efforts to deal with the global challenges through long-term roadmap for sustainable and environment friendly lifestyle, the Prime Minister said, "Our initiatives to adopt a healthier, cleaner lifestyle include upgrading infrastructure to encourage electric mobility, increased use of biofuel for transportation, leverage hydrogen as a fuel, convert waste to wealth and water treatment plants to ensure clean rivers.
"We are striving to meet an increased portion of our demand for electricity from renewable and alternative sources of energy. Through latest technology and innovation, we are devising solutions to diverse urban challenges, particularly pollution and cleanliness."
The inaugural day of the three-day Summit saw the participants make a clarion call to keep the 1.5 degree Celsius goal alive without compromising on the principles of equity and justice at forums such as the G20 and the UN climate conferences (COPs). They also emphasized on the need to provide financial support to developing countries for facing those challenges, and looked to India for taking up leadership roles in resolving various issues during its G20 presidency.
Pointing out that it is impossible for many developing countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without financing, the vice president of Guyana said, "The small countries not only need climate finance, they need a reform of the global financial system to achieve sustainable development."
Underlining the criticality of balance in the discourse on sustainable development in order to find lasting solutions, he said, "We need to reduce the production of fossil fuels, we need carbon capture, utilization and storage, and we need a mass transit into renewable energy. It is the combined action on all three fronts that will deliver lasting solutions. But often the debate is between the extremes, and sometimes it clouds the search for solutions. Balance is crucial."
In his opening address, India's environment minister noted that combating climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation transcend political considerations and is a shared global challenge. “India is contributing significantly to be a part of the solution,” he said while noting how living in harmony with nature has been traditionally in Indian ethos and the same has been reflected by the mantra LiFE or 'Lifestyle for Environment' coined by Prime Minister Modi.
The COP28 president designate, Al Jaber, who received the distinguished alumni award from TERI School of Advanced Studies on the occasion, noted that the goal of keeping 1.5 degree Celsius alive is just non-negotiable. "It is also clear we cannot continue business-as-usual. We need a true, comprehensive paradigm shift in our approach to mitigation, adaptation, finance, and loss and damage,”he said.
Recognizing the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for guiding India on its path to a sustainable future, Al Jaber said, "This great country is well on its way to becoming the third largest economy in the world. And this makes it one of the largest consumers of energy.
As such, India’s sustainable development is critical, not just for India, but for the whole world."
The first day of the Summit saw different proceedings on its theme - ‘Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action’. India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant also participated in one of the key sessions where he highlighted different points around Mission LiFE, climate finance, circular economy and the need to decarbonise hard to abate sectors through green hydrogen.
Read MoreBisleri International Pvt. Ltd., India's leading mineral water company, has strengthened its sustainability strategy by launching 'Bisleri Greener Promise.' The sustainability philosophy focuses on creating a greener future by reinforcing and implementing programs in recycling, water conservation and sustainability.
Under the aegis of this philosophy, the company has become one of the first consumer goods companies to be plastic-neutral and water positive. It further emphasizes its promise to the sustainable development of the country by announcing bold initiatives under plastic recycling and water conservation.
The company has outlined its vision to connect with 20 major cities to collect and recycle 12,500 tonnes of plastic by 2025, through its Bottles for Change initiative. Additionally, it has also announced restoration or building of 350 dams in Maharashtra and Gujarat to provide water security and enhance crop production. Under the initiative, Project Nayi Umeed, more than 35,000 million litres of water will be harvested, and it will help irrigate more than 23,000 acres of land. The company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% and lower the use of virgin plastic by over 7%.
Furthermore, the company released its sustainability report defining its progress in environment, social, and governance (ESG) practices. The report has been developed by TERI School of Advanced Studies. It highlights the company's efforts in building a circular economy, utilising resources efficiently, reducing GHG emissions, replenishing water, and recollecting packaging material.
Angelo George, CEO, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd., said, "At Bisleri International, we develop solutions that fuel business growth and, at the same time, address environmental challenges. We are in constant pursuit of creating a positive impact, and continue to integrate our business strategy with sustainability goals. Thus, ensuring that we operate purposefully and responsibly. Innovations in packaging will continue to be our focus for the next three years and we aim to be ready for the guidelines on reuse targets stipulated by Government."
As part of its commitment to protect the environment and mitigate the effects of irresponsible disposal of used plastic, Bisleri International's Bottle For Change initiative works towards bringing behavioural change and raising awareness about the importance of post-consumer plastic. Through the programme, Bisleri International has brought a behavioural change amongst 600,000 citizens by organising sensitisation workshops and collection drives. These workshops and drives were conducted at over 3500 housing societies, 680 educational institutions, 790 corporates, and 600 hotels & restaurants across seven cities. The efforts have resulted in collecting and recycling over 4000MT of used plastic.
For Project Nayi Umeed, the company focuses on building or restoring Check Dams, rainwater harvesting and empowering communities. It provides access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, benefiting farmers and their families. Through the programme, it has built or restored over 200 Check Dams in Gujarat and Maharashtra. These Check Dams have helped harvest approximately 22 billion litres of water, covering more than 124 villages and benefiting almost 40,000 family members of farmers. Over 13,000 acres of land have been irrigated through the project, turning barren lands into fertile farms. Also, for every litre of water drawn, eight litres of water is replenished from the ground.
Dr Shruti Sharma, assistant professor, TERI, SAS, said, “We at TERI School of Advanced Studies believe that resource efficiency and waste management are the keys to smart, sustainable and inclusive development. We work together internally and externally to maximize shared knowledge and impact. Bisleri International Private Limited has been practicing triple bottom line as an approach. We are happy to partner with them to develop their first Sustainability report. Hope this aligns all their stakeholders to their work towards sustainable development.”
Read MoreDate | News Title | Source |
31-March-2023 | More universities to consider ... | The Indian Express (Online) |
22-February-2023 | WSDS: PM Modi pitches for coll... | The Times of India |
20-February-2023 | Bisleri International unveils ... | FnBNews. Com (Online) |
15-February-2023 | Cabral urges Goa students to m... | The Times of India (Online) |
05-February-2023 | Two MoUs inked to boost green ... | The Times of India (Online) |
21-December-2022 | IPCA Center for Waste Managem... | Etvbharat |
17-November-2022 | Making oceans critical to clim... | Investing.com (Online-IANS World News) |
16-November-2022 | TERI Policy Brief launched at ... | ANI News (Online) |
15-November-2022 | TERI SAS partners with Cisco N... | Financial Express (Online) |
16-October-2022 | Right Time to Start up on ESG... | The Economic Times; Page No. 04 |
There is a need for a wider research and debate to arrive at the energy specific subsidies, which may be offered to to the socially unprivileged.
New Delhi: There have been recent discussions focusing on energy related support measures, both at the international level as well as within India. Availability of energy, and its affordability, has got severely impacted due to an unexpected military conflict in Europe. This has also halted global energy transition, which was moving at a smooth pace under the net-zero commitments, amidst large-scale adoption of renewables. And, within our own country, a debate has got spurred on energy related support measures for the lesser affluent sections of the society.
As part of our research work, we estimated the consumption of energy, encompassing both electric and non-electric formats, along with the related costs, to arrive at the percentage energy expenditure of an individual as part of her annual income. We undertook this study for the six states of India - Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
Our analysis showed that annual per capita consumption of energy was in the range of 300 kgoe, equally split between electrical and non-electrical formats (refer figure 1). Within the fossil group, diesel was having a high share, indicating its widespread use as a commercial fuel. In terms of energy related expenses, our study depicted a range from INR 15,000 - 20,000, with a slightly higher share attributed to non-electric energy (refer figure 2). In terms of energy expenses as a share of annual per capita earnings, this research indicated a range of 12-15%, similar to global average values (refer figure 3).
Per capita income and per capita electricity consumption for these states was obtained from the RBI datasets. State-wise consumption of non-electric fuels (LPG, diesel and gasoline), as taken from PPAC report, was divided by the states’ population to arrive at the per capita energy consumption. Energy consumption in all forms was converted into oil equivalent terms, using standard calorific values. Tariff for electricity was computed by dividing the revenue generated with the sale of power, for domestic category of consumers (PFC dataset). For non-electric fuels, prices as prevalent during March 2019 were taken taken from the portal petroldieselprice.com.
Evolving technologies, innovative business models and opening up of energy markets, accentuated by decarbonization and electrification of the economy, had made it a challenge for the stakeholders in terms of choosing the most optimum format, among all possible permutations. Policy makers may need to choose from the various forms of energy which are required to be subsidized and the possible alternatives.
End-consumers may seek clarity in terms of fuel availability at stable price-points, with minimal change(s) in regulations. For example, subsidized tariff for consumers, amidst increasing prices of LPG and gasoline, may nudge households to adopt induction cookstoves and EVs. Similarly, rationalizing power tariffs and the proposed carbon taxation, under the Energy Conservation Act, may accelerate deployment of solar rooftop systems. Any increase in price of CNG may encourage Bio-CNG based flexi- fuel vehicles. Options shall increase the elasticity of energy consumption, typically considered inelastic.
This calls for a wider research and debate to arrive at the energy specific subsidies, which may be offered to the socially unprivileged. As a first step, minimum lifeline energy requirements can be estimated for different states, considering the existing level of expenses, climatic conditions, besides their social and demographic parameters. Other factors can include locally available fuel esources, conversion technology and the associated energy output (kgoe), market price, carbon intensity along with alternatives.
Subsidies can be extended in terms of total calorific value in place of monetary terms, possibly pegged to their carbon intensity.
This strategy shall enable a consumer opting for the most economical form of energy, which is technologically sound besides being environmentally benign, leading to sustainable and inclusive development of the Indian economy.
[This piece was written exclusively for ETEnergyworld by Dr Sapan Thapar, Head, Department of Sustainable Engineering, TERI School of Advanced Studies].
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