GUJARAT
Gujarat faces Draft Ports Bill challenge
The Gujarat government recently announced plans to invite global bids to develop a non-major port at Nargol with an initial investment of Rs 3,800 crore. Less than 50km away at Vadhavan in Maharashtra, the central government is working on a plan to develop a major port for an estimated investment of Rs 65,000 crore.
Nargol is likely to encounter tough competition from Vadhavan in drawing traffic. Moreover, the plans to develop new ports and to boost port-led development activities could face challenges if the Draft Ports Bill 2021 of the Union ministry of ports, shipping and waterways is implemented in its present form.
The draft bill aims to modify the current management model of non-major ports or ports that are run by state maritime regulators. The major ports are run by the central government.
The majority of the 27 functions defined for MSDC override the independence of state maritime boards.
Gujarat Maritime Board regulated ports handled 338 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo for the year 2020-21 as compared to the total national cargo of 1,247MMT. The state houses the country’s largest commercial port, the largest captive jetty, and is the only state to have three LNG terminals.
INTERNATIONAL
Second Biggest Dam of the World – China
The Government of China formally became the first two producing units of the Baihetan Dam, the world’s second-biggest hydroelectric dam, to begin generating energy. The Baihetan Dam is set up in southwestern China on the Jinsha River.
About the dam:
♦ The dam is a 289-meter-tall (954-foot-tall) double-curvature arch dam, having sixteen generating units.
♦ Each unit will generate a potential of 1 million kilowatts, making it the second-largest in dimension after the “Three Gorges Dam” opened in 2003 on the Yangtze, with 22.5 million kilowatts of generating capacity.
♦ Through the Baihetan Dam, the Chinese authorities aim to curb surging fossil gasoline demand through constructing extra hydropower capacity.
♦ Both the dams have been built with the aid of the state-owned Three Gorges Group Corp., the world’s largest hydro, solar, and wind generation investor.
NATIONAL
National Doctors Day – 1st July
National Doctors’ Day is designated on 01 July yearly in India with the aid of the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The day is celebrated to honour the exceptional physicians and assist us to apprehend the significance of doctors in our lives and price them, to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their biggest representatives.
History of the day:
The day commemorates the beginning anniversary of the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy who was born on 1st July, 1882, and died on the same date in 1962.
Not-for-Profit Hospital Model in India
A report on India’s non-profit hospital model was published by the NITI Aayog.
Highlights:
♦ The NITI Aayog released a report on the not-for-profit hospital model in an effort to close the information gap on such institutions and facilitate robust policymaking in this area.
♦ The study provides insights into the operating model of non-profit hospitals. It presents research-based findings on such hospitals—categorized by ownership and service premise—and then compares them to private hospitals and Union government health schemes.
♦ The not-for-profit hospital sector provides both curative and preventive care.
♦ It connects healthcare, social reform, community engagement, and education.
♦ It uses government resources and grants to provide low-cost healthcare to people without regard for profit.
♦ The study discussed in detail the cost control strategies implemented by non-profit hospitals.
Enforcing Contracts Portal – Justice Department
Enforcement Contract Portal” was unveild by the Department of Justice.
About the portal:
♦ The website (https://doj.gov.in/eodb/) is intended to be a comprehensive source of information about the legislative and policy reforms being undertaken on the “Enforcing Contracts” parameters.
♦ It contains the most recent information on the operation and disposition of commercial cases in the Dedicated Commercial Courts of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata
♦ The portal also hosts online reports from all high courts on the commercial court-affiliated mediation and arbitration center to supervise and promote institutional mediation and arbitration through the pre-institutional mediation and settlement (PIMS) of commercial cases.
The Ganga River Basin Glacial Lake Atlas has been Published
Due to growing concerns about the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has released an updated Atlas of Glacier Lakes, which are part of the Ganges River Basin.
Highlights:
♦ In the Ganga basin, approximately 4,707 glacial lakes have been mapped.
♦ A similar exercise was carried out for the Indus River basin in December 2020.
♦ The current study used Resourcesat-2 (RS-2) Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor-IV (LISS-IV) satellite data to map glacial lakes with a water spread area greater than 0.25 ha.
♦ Glacial lakes are classified into nine types, which are further divided into four categories based on the process of lake formation, location, and type of damming material.
Area covered in the map:
♦ The mapped area extends from the Ganga River’s orgin to the Himalayan foothills, covering a catchment area of 2,47,109 square kilometres.
♦ The study of the Ganges River Basin partially covers India and a part of the transboundary area.
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