Pashmina Certification Centre
19-May-2023: Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurates Pashmina Certification Centre set up in Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehradun
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurated Pashmina Certification Centre(PCC) set up in Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand with tagging the first unique ID barcode and issuing the PCC certificate. Shri Yadav said in a boost for Atmanirbhar Bharat the PCC will provide certification for purity of Pashmina products and absence of prohibited fibre for hassle-free movement of the products from India.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun had signed an ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), New Delhi, for setting up a ‘Pashmina Testing Facility’ in WII on 05th January 2023. Through this MoU, the EPCH collaborated with WII to establish a Pashmina Certification Center (PCC) for its associated members involved in Pashmina Trade.
The purpose of setting up this PCC is to streamline the Pashmina Trade and to provide a one-stop testing facility to certify genuine Pashmina Product free from any prohibited fibers to the associated manufacturers, exporters, and traders. All the tested products will be labeled with a traceable unique id tag with individual e-certificates, enabling a seamless trade of such products in national and international markets. In the absence of such a facility in the country, commercial woolen products get under scrutiny to rule out the presence of prohibited fibers at the country's exit points, which causes delays in clearance and associated demurrage charges and financial/business loss to the exporters and traders. The PCC at WII, Dehradun, will assist honest exporters and traders involved in the trade of genuine Pashmina products. Setting up such a facility in India will be a game changer for the seamless trade of genuine Pashmina products with authentic certification.
In concurrence with the Central Government’s policy, it is a kind of facility based on the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model for assisting the Pashmina traders in obtaining authenticity certificates for selling certified and genuine Pashmina products. Under this MoU, the advanced technologies have been housed in a single facility supporting Pashmina test procedures. It is an example of a self-sustaining and revenue-generating facility in a government organization supporting associated exporters and traders on a payment basis. This facility has also generated employment opportunities for budding professionals on the PPP model. This certification will help buyer to procure authenticated and certified Pashmina products. The PCC certification will have national and international importance with the availability of authenticated certification.
PCC in WII will be one focal center to obtain a certificate for seamless trade of Pashmina products, thereby will assist in revenue generation for the country through artisans and traders. Pashmina is a major source of livelihood for the artisan and weaver community of Jammu & Kashmir; hence, this center will also help them to speed up their industry, which was under scrutiny due to the unavailability of such facility and frequent confiscation at the exit point of the country by the Customs due to suspect of potential mixing of prohibited fiber and export a mixed lot of banned wool along with the Pashmina under misleading name and labels. Further, this will discourage the use of prohibited fiber, resulting in Chiru conservation in their habitat.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
19-May-2023: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) using indigenous feedstock, Make in India technology is a major step towards self-reliance and de-carbonization of the aviation sector
Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri emphasised on the need of India becoming energy Atmanirbhar by 2047, in line with the clear mandate being set by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. “It goes without saying that the petroleum sector will have to contribute immensely to realize this vision”, added Shri Puri. He was addressing the august gathering comprising the Captains from the industry and media fraternity, in New Delhi today. Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas was also present on the occasion.
In a significant development towards decarbonizing of the aviation sector, India’s first commercial passenger flight using indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend was successfully flown earlier today. Air Asia flight (I5 767) flew from Pune to Delhi powered by SAF blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) produced by Praj Industries Ltd by using indigenous feedstock, supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. and used by Air Asia. The Hon’ble Minister received this special flight at the airport.
Describing the occasion as a significant milestone in the country's efforts towards Net Zero emissions by 2070, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “I am glad to witness this historic occasion and receive the first commercial flight fuelled by SAF blended ATF. This would be the First domestic commercial passenger flight with SAF blending up to 1% as demonstration mode”. “By 2025, if we target to blend 1% SAF blending in Jet fuel, India would require around 14 crore litre of SAF/annum. More ambitiously, if we target for 5% SAF blend, India required around 70 crore litre of SAF/ annum”, the Minister informed.
Congratulating the home grown giants in their respective sectors, IndianOil, Air Asia, and Praj Industries, Shri Puri reiterated the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for an Atmanirbhar Bharat by developing indigenous solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation and pave the way for the widespread adoption of SAF in India. Shri S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil; Mr. Shishir Joshipura, CEO and MD, Praj Industries and Shri Aloke Singh, Managing Director, AirAsia were also present on the occasion.
Highlighting the need of alternative and sustainable fuel sources, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said, “In the recent years SAF production technology has progressed significantly. Unlike traditional jet fuels, SAF is produced from renewable sources such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and forestry residues. This means that SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel”.
With a focussed vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Petroleum Minister said, “Production of SAF using sugarcane molasses as indigenous feedstock and technology in India is a major step towards self-reliance and de-carbonization of the aviation sector in line with our commitment for achieving Net Zero by 2070. To achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs, i.e., commitment to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level) today, India is one of the strongest voices in the world for energy transition, and alternative energy, such as Biofuels”, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri added.
Throwing light on the Civil Aviation sector in India Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri said that it consumes around 8 million tons of ATF and emitted around 20 million tons of GHGs in 2019 (pre-COVID). “India has feedstock for potential production of 19 to 24 million tons of SAF per year, whereas the estimated maximum requirement of SAF in India, considering 50% blend, is around 8 to 10 million tons per year by 2030”.
Talking on the historical day the Petroleum Minister spoke with a sense of pride, “Using Indigenous biological feedstock (Sugarcane molasses) will not only boost rural economy but also help farmers to get additional income. By 1% SAF blending, more than 5 lakhs farmers get benefitted by supplying sugarcane as feedstock. Additionally, more than 1 lakh green jobs will be generated”. This Atmanirbhar step can bring a remarkable change by turning India into an International SAF hub, he added.
BL Lacertae
17-May-2023: Observations from 11 global telescopes lead to detection of the brightest flare of a century-old blazar
The brightness of BL Lacertae (BL Lac), a blazar located about 950 million light years from the Earth and discovered almost a century ago has been found to have reached its maxima.
Results published in the latest study, led by post-doctoral fellow Aditi Agarwal from the Raman Research Institute, an autonomous institute funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), stated that the flare emanated from BL Lac had reached the maxima on August 21, 2020, which is a novel finding about this source.