Category: Life & Style

The Centre on Monday cancelled the mandatory rule of submitting the declaration form, Air Suvidha, for international arriving passengers, beginning the midnight of 22 November.

A self-declaration form, Air Suvidha, was introduced as a COVID-19 prevention measure for contact tracing. The contactless solution by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Health Family Welfare was facilitated by Delhi Airport for all international passengers coming to India.

Following the announcement, people flying into India from abroad will no longer be required to fill out the form and take an RT-PCR COVID-19 test. Passengers, including children of five years and above, had to get RT-PCR tests before boarding a flight back to India since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, it is preferable and no longer mandatory for international arrivals to be vaccinated. The relaxation comes after the government’s decision to make it optional — though, again preferable — for air travellers to remain masked on aircraft and at airports. Passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be at once isolated, and taken to a chosen medical facility as per health protocol.

The Civil Aviation Ministry in its note said that the decision has been taken in the light of sustained declining COVID-19 trajectory and significant advances being made in COVID-19 vaccination coverage globally and nationally.

India plans to showcase Nagaland’s famous Hornbill Festival when it assumes the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022. The start date of the festival – scheduled from December 1 to 10 – also coincides with the day India officially begins the presidency.

The thought of showcasing the famous cultural festival on a global scale came up for discussion during a meeting of G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio. Shringla discussed opportunities to showcase the festival through the lens of G20 and bring India’s most prestigious multilateral event to the northeastern state. Shringla along with a team from the G20 Secretariat undertook a two-day visit to Nagaland to explore opportunities to showcase India’s cultural diversity through G20 programmes.

Not limiting G20 to major urban cities in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to use the opportunity to showcase India’s rich and diverse cultural landscape. In this spirit, senior government officials are reaching out to various states to identify opportunities to showcase the country’s cultural heritage through G20 events.

The annual Hornbill Festival represents all ethnic groups of Nagaland, and is called the Festival of Festivals. The iconic festival is celebrated to encourage inter-tribal interaction and to preserve, protect and revive the uniqueness and richness of the Naga heritage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Donyi Polo Airport at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

The greenfield airport has been developed on 694 acres of land at Hollongi, 25 km from Arunachal’s capital Itanagar. It has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs. 645 crore, and is equipped to handle 300 passengers during peak hours. With a 2300 m runway, the airport is suitable for the operation of the A- 320 type of aircraft.

The terminal of the airport will be an energy-efficient building, providing balanced glazing and wall panelling along with insulated roof, glazing and wall panels. The airport is equipped with LED lights in all areas and energy-efficient motors or drives. Its sewage treatment plant will allow the use of treated water for horticulture. Installation of a solar power plant of 150 KWp to use renewable energy in future is also in progress.

Located in the South-Western region of Arunachal Pradesh next to the state of Assam, the Donyi Polo Airport will serve the population of both the states.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Rtd.), Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and MP Nabam Rebia were present on the inauguration of the airport.

The United States, Indonesia and other allies signed a $20 billion deal on Tuesday at the G20 summit to help Indonesia reduce its reliance on coal.

The agreement, Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), has the United States, Japan, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom as partners. The $20 billion JETP deal will include $10 billion in public sector pledges from participating governments, while the other $10 billion will come through private investments.

Indonesia is the world’s third-largest producer of coal. Its coal power plants, with an average age of 12 or 13 years, can remain operational for up to 45 years. With the JETP deal, the country will develop an investment plan to achieve new targets, such as establishing a goal to reach net zero emissions in the power sector by 2050. That goal would reduce its net zero power sector emissions target by 10 years.

South Africa was the first country to sign a JETP deal, during last year’s climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow. The deal calls for major G7 countries to provide $8.5 billion in concessional loans and grants to help coal-rich countries scale back their use of fossil fuels.

Saudi Arabia, the largest economy of the Arab world, has come to the UN climate summit being held in Egypt with a green vision. Part of this vision are hydrogen cars and vehicles that capture their tailpipe pollutants, computer mice made from recycled ocean waste plastic, hundreds of millions of trees planted in the desert, and other initiatives.

The biggest Gulf economy has put on display its vision of an environment-friendly future just a short drive from the climate summit venue, Sharm El Sheikh. Saudi Arabia is presenting itself as a leader in green energies and eco-friendly practices, with extravagant pavilions, shiny presentations and optimistic assessments of technologies such as carbon capture, which can remove carbon dioxide from the air.

Speaking at the two-day Saudi Green Initiative Forum on COP27’s sidelines, Saudi Climate Envoy Adel al-Jubeir said that the country wants to be an example to the world in terms of what can be done for climate change. The effort is part of a large push by Saudi Arabia – the top global crude oil exporter – to make the case that the nation should be part of the transition to renewable energies.

India saved $4.2 billion in fuel costs through solar power generation in the first half of the calendar year 2022, and 19.4 million tonnes of coal, said a report released on Thursday.

The report was released by the global energy think tank Ember, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The researchers analysed the rise of solar power over the last decade and found that five of the top 10 economies with solar capacity are now in Asia. China, Japan, India, South Korea and Vietnam are steadily generating power with the widely available renewable energy source.

Seven key Asian countries, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand, prevented potential fossil fuel costs of about $34 billion from January to June 2022. This is about 9% of total fossil fuel costs incurred during this period.

China saved the majority of the estimated $34 billion savings, with 5% of its total electricity demand served by solar energy. The country also avoided around $21 billion in additional coal and gas imports during the period. Japan witnessed the second-highest impact with $5.6 billion in avoided fuel costs due to solar power generation alone.

India’s first fully solar village at Modhera is changing the lives of thousands of its poor residents such as potters, tailors, farmers and shoemakers to produce more products at zero energy cost. The ample renewable energy available around the clock has also been helping their children study inside the house.  

Located in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, Modhera is a village of around 6,500 residents. The solar power project commissioned in 2021 has around 12 hectares of land covered with solar and rooftop panels on roughly 1,300 homes generating 1kW of energy. This is more than the residents use on a daily basis. The government buys excess energy produced here, helping the villagers buy other meaningful products and services such as stoves and gas connections.

On his visit to Modhera on October 21, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the village is setting an example of “reconciliation between humankind and planet.” Calling the village the new “Temple of the Sun” of Modhera, he said that the project was making the village “more healthy, giving them more prosperity, but at the same time contributing to rescue our planet from a climate change that is still rising without control.”  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Modhera as the country’s first fully solar-powered village on October 9. The project is a joint effort of the union and state governments and built at a cost of Rs. 80.66 crore.

The legislators and member countries of the European Union fixed an agreement to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans by 2035.

The pact EU negotiators sealed Thursday night is the first deal of the bloc’s “Fit for 55″ package, which the alliance’s executive committee set up to achieve the goal of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 55% over this decade.

Under the deal, car manufacturers will be required to reduce the emissions of new cars sold by 55% in 2030, compared to 2021, before reaching a 100% cut five years later. The European Parliament and member states must formally approve the agreement before it comes into effect.

The European Parliament said the deal is an indicator before the U.N’s annual climate change conference “that the EU is serious about adopting concrete laws to reach the more ambitious targets set out in the EU Climate Law.”

EU data goes to show that transportation is the only sector in which greenhouse gas emissions have increased in the last three decades, rising 33.5% between 1990 and 2019. Passenger cars are a big-time polluter, accounting for 61% of total CO2 emissions from road transport.

The EU wants to radically reduce emissions from transportation by 2050 and promote electric vehicles, but a report from the bloc’s external auditor showed last year that the region does not have the appropriate charging stations.

Increasing numbers of jobless Kenyans are migrating to Saudi Arabia in search of work, which has overtaken the United Kingdom as the second largest source of diaspora remittances.

In September, Kenyans sent nearly $27.12 million (Sh3.28 billion) to the Arab world’s largest economy, a 63 per cent increase from last September’s $16.61 million (Sh2.01 billion).

After flying past the UK’s $25.58 million (Sh3.1 billion) inflows, inflows came in second to the dominant US at $186.43 million (Sh22.55 billion) – or 58.62 per cent of the total $317.98 million (Sh38.48 billion) for last month.

As a result of the Covid pandemic shocks on household and business earnings which left thousands jobless, Saudi remittances from the diaspora are growing at the fastest rate among the major source countries this year. Kenyan firms are cautious about growing their workforce as a result.

A central bank of Kenya report shows inflows from Saudi Arabia have nearly tripled in the first nine months of this year compared to a similar period in 2021, based on cash flows through formal channels. However, the Gulf region’s economic powerhouse is increasingly known for the treatment of migrant workers by employers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched Mission LiFE, a global plan of action aimed at saving the planet from the disastrous consequences of climate change, at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat.

On the occasion of the launch of the Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment), France, the UK, Argentina, Georgia, Guyana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Estonia, Nepal, and the Maldives sent congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Mission LiFe will be an India-led global movement to protect and preserve the environment. The launch comes ahead of next month’s UN climate meet in Egypt.

Leaders across the world bestowed a positive approach to Mr Modi and the project. France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, said, “Dear Prime Minister, dear Narendra, Namaste.” He added, “I wish I could be with you in Kevadia but had to choose cooperation over division. France looks forward to working with India to make this initiative a success, including the perspective of the Indian Presidency of the G20 next year”.

Furthermore, Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, said, “70% of the world’s forests have suffered substantial degradation. We must all cooperate if we want to safeguard the earth. In order to inspire 1 billion Indians to become pro-planet citizens by 2027, I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the release of the Mission LiFE logo and mission statement.”

The LiFe initiative will serve as India’s signature initiative at the United Nations and other international platforms to showcase climate action and early achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.