08.10.22 Daily [Andhra Pradesh] APPSC Current Affairs

The power utilities ofAndhra Pradeshare gearing up to roll out a smart electricity meter project. The Union Government has decided to replace around 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters across the country under theSmart Meter National Programme(SMNP).

proposals for smart metering and loss reduction works in all the five circles of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (EPDCL) have been recently submitted to the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission for approval. While the smart metering may cost about 950 crore in the EPDCL limits, the distribution loss reduction works were estimated at 2,578 crore.

The smart meters will help address several issues of the consumers ranging from wrong billing and reconnections to online monitoring of meter reading. It also helps power utilities in reducing aggregate, technical and commercial (ATC) losses, power theft, and distribution losses. Smart meters are also used for recording the consumption of electricity and measuring voltage levels. While traditional meters measure the power consumption of a Home or business, smart meters live up to their name, and transmit the same information in every 15 minutes or hourly to utility providers.

A smart meter can help in improving the Average revenue from meters alongside a host of other advantages like better demand side management, better demand forecasting, and value-added Services like analytics and easier implementation of time-of-day tariffs.

Over half the homes sanctioned under the BJP-led Centres flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) housing scheme have been delivered and the rest are under various stages of completion, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said.

Mr. Puris comments came on the sidelines of the PMAY-U Awards 2021 scheduled annually to recognise the contribution of States, Union Territories and with regard to the implementation of the scheme in Rajkot.

In the awards, Uttar Pradesh bagged the first position followed by Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu at second and third place, respectively.

Amid the continued debates over the imposition of Hindi across the country, the Union Government on Thursday announced a month-long programme to strengthen and rekindle the cultural and civilisational bond between Nadu and Varanasi. Named the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, the programme would be held from November 16 to December 16 this year.

The period will cover the Tamil month of Karthikeya during which all Tamil households go pray to Lord Shiva. This programme, which would be a part of the Ek Bharat Sreshtha Bharat initiative, is aimed at rekindling the civilisational link between the new Kashi and Tamil Nadu both deep centres of knowledge, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. He added that building a heritage bridge for the new generation was a key feature of the National Education Policy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 7, 2022 said India has the potential to lead the fourth Industrial revolution and the government has worked on reforms to make the country a manufacturing hub of the world.

He said that the fourth industrial revolution is as much about new technology, as it is about innovative thinking.

Due to various factors, India may have missed being a part of earlier industrial revolutions. But India has the potential to lead 4.0, because, for the first time in recent HISTORY, we have many different factors like demography, demand and decisive Governance coming together.

The production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery storage will help India in cutting down its imports and become an exporter in the coming years.

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 <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change.

The action plan – a list of ideas on lifestyle changes that can be taken up as climate-friendly behaviour – along with the logo and tagline for Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) were jointly launched by PM Modi and Mr. Guterres.

This includes nudging individuals to practice simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand), enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the changing demand (supply), and to influence government and Industrial Policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy).