Padma Awards nominations invited

The story: India's PM invited people to send nominations for Padma Awards 2022. Padma Awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.

Padma Awards nominations invited

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• The story: India's PM invited people to send nominations for Padma Awards 2022. Padma Awards are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.
• Padma Awards: These are the highest civilian honors in India. As of 2020, 3123 people have received them. The words Padma (meaning lotus in Sanskrit) and Vibhushan, Bhushan & Shri find mention in Devanagari above and below a lotus flower on the medal. Geometrical pattern on either side is in burnished bronze while embossing is in gold. These awards are conferred in three categories

Padma Vibhushan- This award is given for exceptional and distinguished service,
Padma Bhushan- It is given for distinguished service of higher order and
Padma Shri- It is given to honor distinguished service.

• History: The awards were instituted in 1954, and are given to citizens of India to recognise their distinguished contribution across various spheres of activity such as education, arts, literature, industry, sports, science, medicine, social service and public affairs. It has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who contributed to India in various ways but were not citizens of India.
• Criteria: Selection criteria have been criticized in India with the claim that many highly deserving artists have been left out while certain individuals have been favored. So, India has now created an online nomination platform for common citizens to recommend nomination for awards. Nominations are scrutinized by Padma Awards Committee, constituted by Prime Minister every year. Later, awards are presented on the recommendations of this Committee.

National Dolphin Research Centre Patna

• The story: A much-awaited National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will come up in Patna.
• Details: The opening of the research centre will be a big step towards conservation of endangered Gangetic River dolphin. To set up the research centre, NDRC is coming up on 4,400 square metre plots of land in premises of Patna University, near banks of River Ganga. Bihar urban development department has already cleared construction of NDRC’s building at a distance of 200 metres from the Ganga. The Bihar forest, environment and climate change department had sought approval for this because construction within 200 metres of Ganga is restricted.
• Project Dolphin: It was started on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped in increasing tiger population. This initiative got in-principle approval in December 2019 at first meeting of National Ganga Council (NGC), headed by the Prime Minister. This is a “Special Conservation program” taken up to save the Gangetic Dolphin. This project will be implemented by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Concerns: Dolphins' habitat has been threatened and disturbed in River Ganga. Thus, NDRC is now conservation efforts of dolphins. NDRC will provide an opportunity for in-depth research on dolphins including on changing behavior, food habits, survival skills, cause of death and other such aspects. The dolphin is found in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Bihar is home to half of estimated 3,000 Gangetic dolphins in India.
• Gangetic River dolphin: It is India’s national aquatic animal, listed as Schedule I animal under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It has been declared “endangered” by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Gangetic Dolphin is one among four freshwater dolphin species across world. Other three freshwater dolphins are found in Yangtze River in China (they have extinct now), Indus River in Pakistan and Amazon River in South America. It is blind and finds its way & prey in river waters through echolocation. They prefer water at least five to eight feet deep and are usually found in turbulent waters, where they can find enough fish for them.

India’s first private LNG facility Nagpur

• The story: The Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, inaugurated India’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility plant at Nagpur.
• Details: While inaugurating the plant, Minister emphasized on importance of alternate biofuels and diversification of agriculture towards energy & power sector. There is now a policy that encourages development of imports substitute, cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous ethanol, LNG, bio CNG and hydrogen fuels. The surplus in rice, corn and sugar can be used as alternative fuel in order to prevent it from going to waste. A decision will be taken in three months to make flex engines mandatory for automobile manufacturers especially in four-wheelers and two-wheelers. He said several countries like USA, Canada and Brazil already have them.
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG): It is natural gas, mainly methane (CH4) with some mixture of ethane (C2H6), that has been cooled down to liquid form for easier non-pressurized storage & transport. It takes up around 1/600th of volume of natural gas in gaseous state. It is odorless, colorless, non-toxic and non-corrosive gas. It is produced from hydrocarbon deposits containing a wide range of hydrocarbon products like methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10). These products have wide boiling points and different heating values which allow for different routes of commercialization. Acidic elements like hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) along with oil, mud, water, and mercury, are removed from LNG to deliver clean sweetened stream of gas.

Wimbledon Tennis Championship Title 2021

• The story: Remarkably consistent player Novak Djokovic won his 6th Grand Slam Wimbledon Tennis Championship Title 2021.
• Details: The Wimbledon Championship 2021 was in its 134th edition, 53rd Open Era, and the third Grand Slam Tournament of 2021. The Championship tournament in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic for the first time since World War II. This tournament started on June 28, 2021 for which finals were played in London, England on July 11, 2021. Novak Djokovic turned out to be men’s singles defending champion. Roger Federer, with 8 titles, won maximum number of titles in 2021 tournament.
• Wimbledon Championship: It is the oldest tennis tournament worldwide and widely regarded as most prestigious championship. It has been held since 1877 at All England Club in Wimbledon, London. It is played on outdoor grass courts, and traditionally taken place over two weeks in late June & early July. In 2015 time of the event moved back by a week to begin in early July.
• Grand Slam: Wimbledon is one among four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Other tournaments are Australian Open, French Open and US Open. Wimbledon is the only major tournament which is still played on traditional tennis playing surface, Grass.
• Novak Djokovic: He is a Serbian professional tennis player, ranked as world No. 1 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been No. 1 for record of 329 weeks. He has also finished as year-end No. 1 on Open Era joint record six occasions. As of now, he has won 20 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and 85 ATP singles titles.

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