The Keystone Pipeline System is a pipeline system to transportsynthetic crude oil from the Athabasca Oil Sands in northeasternAlberta, Canada to refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma, and further to the U.S. Gulf Coast. It consists of the operational "Keystone Pipeline" and proposed Keystone XL (Keystone Expansion) pipeline. Keystone XL has faced lawsuits from oil refineries, criticism from environmentalistsand some members of the United States Congress.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
What is NTRO?
-the NTRO is an orphan in the ministerial system of administration — an intelligence agency that reports directly to the National Security Adviser, not to the Home Minister,
-It is a premier apex scientific organization under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, India.
-Set up in 2004 with a mandate to bring state-of-the-art intelligence gathering and surveillance equipment to India, the NTRO was originally envisaged to be a ‘facilitator' rather than a producer, processor or consumer of intelligence.
-to deploy its capabilities as part of the operations that other agencies like the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing were running.
-It also includes National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD), which is first of its kind in Asia.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Disposal of E-Waste in the Country
 (i) Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008 have been notified for proper management and handling of hazardous wastes including e-waste. (ii) As per these Rules, e-waste recycling can be undertaken only in facilities authorized and registered with State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees. Waste generated is required to be sent or sold only to a registered or authorized recycler or re-processor having environmentally sound facilities. (iii) Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of e-waste published by Central Pollution Control Board provide the approach and methodology for environmentally sound management of e-waste. (iv) E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 have been notified on 12th May, 2011. These Rules come in to effect from 1st May 2012.  |
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Geiger-Müller counter
A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger-Müller counter, is a type of particle detector that measures ionizing radiation. They detect the emission of nuclear radiation: alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays. A Geiger counter detects radiation by ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a Geiger-Müller tube. Each particle detected produces a pulse of current, but the Geiger counter cannot distinguish the energy of the source particles. Geiger counters are popular instruments used for measurements in health physics, industry, geology and other fields, because they can be made with simple electronic circuits.
High Efficiency Solar Thermal Cooling System
In a tropical country like India, the importance of air conditioning can hardly be over-emphasized. In the current season, who would not want to be with air conditioning? In hot, humid climates it is more than a modern comfort - it is an essential element in getting through those sweltering, sticky days. But, like most modern conveniences, air conditioning has its down-sides. The impacts of growth in air conditioning include:
· Increasing electricity demand.
· A concomitant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
· Increasing peak electricity demand. It is estimated that 40-50% of the residential sector’s peak demand on hot summer days is attributable to air conditioners.
Solar Energy as a Solution
Therefore, while looking for making life more comfortable for ourselves we must not ignore these impacts and must also look for solutions to overcome the same. India being in the sunny regions of the world with most parts of the country receiving 4-7wh (kilowatt-hour) of solar radiation per square meter per day 250-300 sunny days in a year, Solar Energy indeed can be a solution! But is it possible to turn the hot sun into an air-conditioning system?
World’s Highest Efficiency Solar Thermal Cooling System
Recently world’s highest efficiency solar thermal cooling system was inaugurated at the Solar Energy Centre in Gurgaon in Haryana. The new 100 kW Solar Air-Conditioning System works at 30 % higher efficiency than the current available systems and has several unique features. It is based on the new triple effect absorption cooling technology. The system has indigenously built medium temperature high efficiency parabolic troughs for collection of solar energy and effective solar thermal energy storage in the form of Phase Change Materials.
The present system will cater to air-conditioning needs of 13 rooms of Solar Energy Centre. To achieve this, 288 sq meter of Solar Collector area has been installed which generates nearly 60 kW of 210 o C Pressurized hot water. This heat is used in Vapour Absorption Machine to generate 7 o C Chilled water which in turn circulates through the Fan coil unit installed in the thirteen rooms. The major attraction of this system is that the hottest days have the greatest need for cooling and simultaneously, offer the maximum possible solar energy gain.
The system has been developed in joint collaboration by Solar energy Centre with M/s Thermax Limited, Pune and is expected to meet the growing demand for air-conditioning in India in highly efficient and cost effective way through use of direct solar energy.
A Collaborative Project
High efficiency solar thermal air conditioning systems as a collaborative project of Thermax Limited and Solar Energy Centre started with the following objectives.
· Development of cost effective high efficiency cooling engine with COP of 1.7. Development of indigenous components for Vapor Absorption Machine targeting substantial cost reduction.
· Development of suitable medium temperature solar concentrating collectors with improved efficiency and reliability.
· Development of indigenous components for solar collectors targeting substantial cost reduction.
· Integration of solar collectors, Vapour Absorption Machine and appropriate thermal storage to achieve consistent performance of the system.
Project Specifications
Following specifications have been followed in the making of the Solar Thermal cooling system.
· Heat source: Hot water from solar collectors (210oC)
· Cooling capacity : 100 kW
· Chilled water inlet Temperature : 32 o C
· COP of cooling system : 1.7
· Thermal storage : Chilled Water/Hot Water/PCM
Bio-Diesel – an ECO-Friendly Fuel
As our lifestyles become more 'developed' by the day, so does the damage we do to the environment. Our every move, from watching television, to working at a computer, to taking a flight to our favourite holiday destination harms the environment in one way or the other. Air and water pollution levels are increasing world over by the day. Never before has the need to use alternative resources, such as wind, solar and nuclear energy been so high.
India is one of the largest petroleum consuming and importing countries. India imports about 70 % of its petroleum demands. The current yearly consumption of diesel oil in India is approximately 40 million tones constituting about 40% of the total petro-product consumption. Bio-diesel can be the major replacement in terms of petro-product consumption by India which is eco-friendly too.
Bio-diesel is a clean burning, eco-friendly natural fuel obtained from tree born oil by a chemical transformation process called “Transesterification” carried out in a chemical processing plant. Transesterification is an age old chemical process and is a time tested method of transforming vegetable oils or fats into bio-diesel.
Bio-diesel is a bio-fuel produced from various feedstock’s’ including vegetable oils (such as oilseed, rapeseed and Soya bean), animal fats or algae. Bio-diesel can be blended with diesel for use in diesel engine vehicles. Bio-fuel – The term bio-fuel applies to any solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel produced from organic (once-living) matter. The word bio-fuel covers a wide range of products, some of which are commercially available today, and some of which are still in research and development. Bio-diesel is a fuel made from plant oils that can be used in a conventional diesel engine.
Bio-diesel, derived from the oils and fats of plants like sunflower, rape seeds, Canola or Jatropha (Bhagveranda) can be used as a substitute or an additive to diesel. As an alternative fuel bio-diesel can provide power similar to conventional diesel fuel and thus can be used in diesel engines. Bio-diesel is a renewable liquid fuel that can be produced locally thus helping reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude petroleum diesel.
Bio-diesel is a safe alternative fuel to replace traditional petroleum diesel. It has high-lubricity, is a clean-burning fuel and can be a fuel component for use in existing, unmodified diesel engines. This means that no retrofits are necessary when using bio-diesel fuel in any diesel powered combustion engine. It is the only alternative fuel that offers such convenience. Bio-diesel acts like petroleum diesel, but produces less air pollution, comes from renewable sources, is biodegradable and is safer for the environment. Producing bio-diesel fuels can help create local economic revitalization and local environmental benefits. Many groups interested in promoting the use of bio-diesel already exist at the local, state and national level.
Bio-diesel is not harmful to the environment. A vehicle tends to pollute the environment and emits harmful gasses, if injected with HSD whereas if the engine is using bio-diesel it emits no harmful gasses rather keeps the environment pollution free. Bio-diesel may not require an engine modification. Bio-diesel can be blended with diesel so as to improve the efficiency of the engine without any hassles. Bio-diesel is cheap. Any Vehicle using Bio-diesel has very low idle starting noise. It is noted that bio-diesel has a Cetane number of over 100. Cetane number is used to measure the quality of the fuel’s ignition. Bio-diesel is cost effective because it is produced locally.
As it is easy to use, bio-diesel can be used in existing engines, vehicles and infrastructure with practically no changes. Bio-diesel can be pumped, stored and burned just like petroleum diesel fuel, and can be used pure, or in blends with petroleum diesel fuel in any proportion. Power and fuel economy using bio-diesel is practically identical to petroleum diesel fuel, and year round operation can be achieved by blending with diesel fuel.
Bio-diesel provides significantly reduced emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons, and sulfates compared to petroleum diesel fuel. Additionally, bio-diesel reduces emissions of carcinogenic compounds by as much as 85% compared with petro-diesel. When blended with petroleum diesel fuel, these emissions reductions are generally directly proportional to the amount of bio-diesel in the blend.
The existence of low volatility nature of bio-diesel, makes it easier and safe to handle than petroleum. The danger of accidental ignition increases when the fuel is being stored, transported, or transferred because of high energy content in all liquid fuels. The possibility of having an accidental ignition is related to the temperature at which the fuel will create enough vapors to ignite, known as the flash point temperature. The lower the flash point of a fuel is, the lower the temperature at which the fuel can form a combustible mixture. Bio-diesel has a flash point of over 26600F, meaning it cannot form a combustible mixture until it is heated well above the boiling point of water.
The resources that are used to produce Bio-diesel are locally available. The in-house production of Bio-diesel provides host of economic benefits for the local communities. Therefore, bio-diesel is a safe alternative fuel to replace traditional petroleum diesel.
Rajiv Awas Yojana
Rajiv Awas Yojana
The urban population of India has grown rapidly over the past few decades. In 2001, 27.8 per cent of Indian citizens (286 million) lived in urban areas[1], which has increased to 31.2 per cent (377 million) in 2011[2]. In addition, India is expected to represent 26 per cent of Asia’s proportion (54 per cent) of the world’s urban population by 2050[3]. However, this large growth in urban population has posed a serious challenge with regard to the provision of civic amenities, shelter and livelihood for the vast sections of population especially those that belong to the Lower Income Groups (LIG) as well as the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). A majority of these reside in slum- 93 million in 2011[4]. The housing shortage, estimated at 24.71 million in 2007, is expected to grow to 26.53 by the end of the current plan period[5].
In a bid to address the issue of slums and urban poverty, the Government of India has undertaken several measures through the five-year plans as well as other policy initiatives and schemes such as:
Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY): launched in December 2001, VAMBAY was a centrally sponsored scheme with an in-built subsidy for undertaking construction of dwelling units for slum dwellers. The scheme was successful in providing affordable houses to the urban poor and with the launch of JNNURM, elements of this scheme were dovetailed into JNNURM.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM): Launched in 2005 with a 7 year mission period, JNNURM was developed to facilitate fast-track, planned development and renewal of urban areas in the country, and in particular in 65 mission cities. The sub-mission for Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) focused on granting a 7-point charter of entitlements to the urban poor, namely, affordable housing, water supply, sanitation, security of tenure, health, education and social security.
Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY): aims at addressing urban poverty through the promotion of gainful livelihood opportunities for the urban poor through both wage employment and entrepreneurship development focusing on community-based delivery mechanisms and particularly targeting women.
Integrated Low Cost Sanitation (ILCS): This scheme envisages the conversion of dry latrines into water seal twin-pit sanitary latrines on a whole town basis.
Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP): This aims at operationalizing the strategy envisaged in the National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy (NUHHP) of 2007 and was launched in April 2009. It seeks to promote various kinds of public-private partnerships -government with the private sector, the cooperative sector, the financial services sector, the state parastatals, urban local bodies, etc-to create affordable housing stock. Under the scheme, the Government provides subsidy at the rate of Rs.50,000 per affordable unit or 25% of the cost of infrastructure(internal and external),whichever is lower.
Scheme for Interest Subsidy for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP): This scheme, introduced in Feb 2009,aims to lighten the repayment burden of home loans with Central Government subsidies for those EWS and LIG households who have no pucca dwelling but own land in an urban area and want to construct or buy a house. The subsidy has been so designed as to provide the banks the comfort of risk abatement.
Announcement of Rajiv Awas Yojana - June 2009
In June 2009, President of India announced “Rajiv Awas Yojana” with a vision of a slum-free India. In pursuance of this vision, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation launched the preparatory phase of RAY-i.e. the Slum-free City Planning Scheme (SFCP), which mandates the development of Plans of Action to make cities and states in India slum-free. These Plans focus, not only on curative aspects of existing issues of urban poverty alleviation, but also perspective plans to ensure that every citizen of India, whatever their socio-economic status, is not forced into slum-like conditions in the future. To date about Rs.100 crores has been released to 157 cities across 34 States/Union Territories for the preparation of the city and state-level plans of action. At the same time, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has been steadily working towards the development of the main scheme of Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) and has held a series of consultations since 2009 to engage a variety of stakeholders like planning experts, NGOs, State Governments, Urban Local Bodies, bankers, representatives of the real estate industry, Central Government Departments including Planning Commission etc in the design of RAY.
Approval by Cabinet - June 2011 On 2nd June 2011, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the launch of Phase I of RAY to provide financial assistance to States willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers, for the provision of shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment and for the creation of affordable housing stock. The scheme is expected to cover about 250 cities (with a population of 1 lakh and above) covering about 32.1 million slum dwellers by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017). The key features of the scheme include:
· A ‘whole city, all slums, whole slum’ approach;
· Pace of progress to be set by the states;
· Central Government to bear 50 per cent of slum re-development costs;
· The two schemes of AHP and ISHUP have been dovetailed into RAY;
· RAY encourages the use of Central Government assistance by the states and cities towards viability gap funding;
· Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund will be established to facilitate lending to the urban poor for housing with an initial corpus of Rs. 1,000 crores from the Centre;
· Reform-driven approach to urban poverty alleviation crucial to the process; no fresh sanctions after the 1st year of project sanction without reforms and
· Centrality of community participation across all activities of the scheme.
Reform-driven Initiatives
RAY, designed on the basis of the experience of implementing BSUP (JNNURM), focuses on the implementation of reforms as a larger policy overhaul to give the urban poor a voice in the governance of the city. Central assistance under RAY, therefore, is conditional to the implementation of reforms by the states. These include:
· Enactment of law regarding the assignment of property rights to the slum dwellers;
· Reservation of 20-25 per cent of developed land for EWS/LIG housing;
· Earmarking 25 per cent of the municipal budget for providing basic services to the urban poor;
· Implementation of the 7-point charter of entitlements (as under JNNURM) and
· Commitments with timelines for amending rent control acts, review of land policies and simplification of approval processes for housing projects.
The most crucial reform to be enacted is the property rights reform. To that end, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has drafted a Model Property Rights to Slum Dwellers Act 2011 focusing, inter alia, on the following:
· Each individual urban poor household living in slums is to be given the right to a dwelling space (either a unit/house, or a plot on which a dwelling unit/house may be built);
· The title is to be either exclusively in the name of the female head of household, or jointly in the name of the male head of household and his wife;
· Every slum dweller will be given a legal document of entitlement to the dwelling space, and by extension, the provision of basic civic services and amenities and
· The dwelling space is mortgagable, allowing slum dwellers to use it to raise finances.
Duration
The duration of Rajiv Awas Yojana will be in two phases: Phase-I for a period of two years from the date of approval of the scheme and Phase-II which will cover the remaining period of the Twelfth Five Year Plan 2013-17, RAY will be run in a Mission Mode.
Scope
RAY will provide the support to enable states to redevelop all existing slums in a holistic and integrated way and to create new affordable housing stock. The existing schemes of Affordable Housing in Partnership, and Interest Subsidy for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP), would be dovetailed into this scheme. No new projects under the BSUP and IHSDP scheme of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) will be sanctioned once implementation of RAY scheme is taken up except to consume existing 11th Plan allocations that may be left uncommitted. However, projects sanctioned under the two schemes will continue to receive Central assistance as per the sanctions and the existing provision of the schemes.
Coverage
The choice of cities would be made by the States, according to their aspirations and financial and resource arrangements in consultation with the Centre. About 250 cities, mainly Class I, are expected to be covered by the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan.
Among the cities selected, States would be required to include all the mission cities of JNNURM, so as to complete the process begun; preferably cities with more than 3 lakh population as per 2001 Census; and other smaller cities, with due consideration to the criterion of pace of growth of the city, of slums within the city of predominance of minority population, areas where property rights already stand assigned. In the case of North-Eastern States and special category States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), where town sizes are very small, criteria other than population may be adopted. However, priority should be accorded by all States to towns with larger number of people living in slums so that the goal of RAY to achieve the status of Slum-free State/Country is attained in the shortest time span.
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