UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

  The Rajya Sabha has passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 for making amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) today. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 28.07.2023 and with the passage of the Bill in Rajya Sabha, the Bill will be sent to the President of India for assent. The MMDR Act, 1957 was comprehensively amended in 2015 to bring several reforms in the mineral sector, notably, mandating method of auction for grant of mineral concessions to bring transparency in allocation of mineral resources, for establishing District Mineral Foundation (DMF) for the welfare of the people and areas affected by mining and for establishing National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to give thrust to exploration and for ensuring stringent penalty for illegal mining. The Act was further amended in 2016 and 2020 to address specific emergent issues and was last amended in 2021 to bri

The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy has informed that the  Ministry of Power  vide notification dated 14.06.2023  has issued the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2023 wherein the rule for Time of Day (ToD) Tariff has also been specified. The Minister informed that  the main features of these Rules  are as under: i.  ToD tariff for Commercial and Industrial consumers having maximum demand more than 10 kW shall be made effective from a date not later than 1st April, 2024 and for other consumers except agricultural consumers, the ToD tariff shall be made effective not later than 1 st  April, 2025. ii.  ToD tariff shall be made effective immediately after installation of smart meters for the consumers. iii.  ToD tariff, during the peak period of the day, for Commercial and Industrial consumers shall not be less than 1.20 times the normal tariff and for other consumers it shall not be less than 1.10 times the normal tariff. iv.  Tariff for solar hou

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It is the  An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed to detect mines. It is the first of its kind in the country. It is jointly developed by   collaboration of Kolkata-based warshipmaker Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd and MSME entity AEPL. This cehicle can be used for activities like  mine detection, mine disposal and underwater survey. It is cylindrical in shape with length of  2.1-metre and diameter of one foot with weight of nearly equal to 45 kg. It has an operate continuously for four hours and can reach a depth of 300 meters. It is expected to undergo trials by Indian Defense Forces. Hindustan Times

  Highlights of the Bill The Bill amends the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 to make it applicable to certain types of land.   These include land notified as a forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or in government records after the 1980 Act came into effect.  The Act will not be applicable for land converted to non-forest use before December 12, 1996. It also exempts certain types of land from the purview of the Act. These include land within 100 km of India’s border needed for national security projects, small roadside amenities, and public roads leading to a habitation. The state government requires prior approval of the central government to assign any forest land to a private entity.  The Bill extends this to all entities, and allows the assignment to be made on terms and conditions specified by the central government. The Act specifies some activities that can be carried out in forests, such as establishing check posts, fencing, and bridges.  The Bill also allows running zoos,