New Delhi, Nov 3,2021: In a major relief to the common man ahead of Diwali, the Centre on Wednesday announced to cut excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively.
Prices of petrol and diesel will thus come down accordingly from tomorrow.
“Government of India has taken a significant decision of reducing Central Excise Duty on Petrol and Diesel by Rs 5 and Rs 10 respectively from tomorrow. Prices of petrol and diesel will thus come down accordingly,” Finance Ministry said.
Fuel prices have been on a high and breaching all previous records with opposition political parties mounting pressure on the government to cut taxes on the two motor fuels.
Petrol in Delhi is currently being sold at Rs 110.04 per litre, while diesel at Rs 98.42 per litre.
While announcing the duty cut on petrol and diesel, the government said that reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel will also boost consumption and keep inflation low, thus helping the poor and middle classes.
New Delhi, Nov 3,2021: The Indian Air Force and the DRDO conducted two flight tests of indigenously-developed smart anti-airfield weapon, which were first electro optical seeker based flight test of this class of bomb, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
An official statement said here that two different configurations based on satellite navigation and electro optical sensors have been successfully tested.
“Electro optical seeker based flight test of this class of bomb has been conducted for the first time in the country. The electro optic sensor has been developed indigenously,” the Defence Ministry said.
The weapon was launched by an Indian Air Force aircraft from Chandan ranges at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on October 28 and November 3.
Electro optical configuration of the system is equipped with Imaging Infra-Red (IIR) Seeker technology, enhancing the precision strike capability of the weapon.
In both the tests, the intended target was hit with high accuracy. The system is designed for a maximum range of 100 km. The newly-adapted launcher ensured smooth release and ejection of the weapon.
“Advanced guidance and navigation algorithms, software performed as per the mission requirements. The telemetry and tracking systems captured all mission events throughout the flight. All the mission objectives were achieved,” the statement said.
Smart anti airfield weapon has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), in coordination with other DRDO Laboratories and extensive support from IAF, it added.
Quality and design certification agencies have contributed significantly in its development and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru has carried out weapon integration with the aircraft.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the synergistic efforts of DRDO, IAF and the teams associated with the mission.
Congratulating the teams, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO G Satheesh Reddy said the performance and reliability of the weapon has been proved.
SAAW is a 125-kg class smart weapon, capable of engaging ground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runaways, up to a range of 100 km. The high precision-guided bomb is lightweight, compared to a weapon system of the same class.
LONDON, Nov 3,2021: Indonesia could phase out coal-fired power plants by 2040 if it gets sufficient financial help from the international community, the finance minister told Reuters.
The Southeast Asian archipelago is the world’s fourth-most populous country and eighth biggest emitter of greenhouse gas, with coal making up about 65% of its energy mix. It is also the world’s biggest coal exporter.
Visiting the Scottish city of Glasgow for the COP26 conference, Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Indonesia wouldannounce on Wednesday detailed plans to move to cleaner energy, with the phase-out of coal being the key issue.
Previously, Indonesia said it planned to phase out coal for electricity by 2056, as part of a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060 or earlier.
“If we are going to put forward until 2040, then we need to have funding to retire coal earlier and to build the new capacity of renewable energy,” Sri Mulyani said.
“That is exactly what has now become the core issue and I’m now as the finance minister calculating what does it mean to retire coal earlier. How much does it cost us?” she said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week told the UK parliament that President Joko Widodo had said Indonesia was going to bring forward the abolition of coal use to 2040.
Indonesia had not previously confirmed such a plan.
Sri Mulyani told Reuters that meeting such a target was conditional on getting financial help from multilateral institutions, the private sector and developed countries.
She said the plans to be announced on Wednesday moved Indonesia’s climate targets beyond “rhetoric” into the technical details and that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other financial institutions were “very excited” with their ideas.
The ADB is leading a group of financial institutions to devise plans to speed up the closings of coal-fired power plants in Asia, including in Indonesia, by buying the assets and winding them down.
Jakarta has identified 5.5 gigawatts of coal power plants that could be retired early in the next 8 years, estimating this would cost $25 billion to $30 billion.
Sri Mulyani said the country would also need international support to ensure electricity remains affordable when it switches to renewable sources, citing a temporary calculation of a need for $10 billion to $23 billion in “implicit subsidies” for renewable power projects until 2030.
New Delhi, Nov 1: The results of NEET examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses were announced tonight with three candidates scoring full marks.
The National Testing Agency, which conducted the exam, released the final answer key on the official website (neet.nta.nic.in and ntaresults.nic.in.) even as the results were mailed directly to aspirants’ email IDs.
According to the answer key, three students scored full marks in the entrance test. Mrinal Kutteri, Tanmay Gupta and Karthika G Nair secured 720/720 marks each. Their ranks will be announced by the NTA later.
Candidates who have qualified NEET 2021 exam would be able to apply for admission to various government and private colleges across the country.
The exam was conducted in pen and paper mode on September 12, 2021 at various exam centres across India.
A total of 13.66 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam this year. The qualified candidates can now apply for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS and other undergraduate medical courses in participating institutes.
Islamabad, Oct 31: Pakistan government on Sunday said an agreement has been reached with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) after the latest round of dialogue between the two parties.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Federal Minister Ali Mohammad Khan, professor Mufti Muneeb made this announcement at a press conference held in Islamabad.
According to Mufti Muneeb, TLP chief Saad Rizvi has also endorsed the agreement and said this agreement was not a “victory or defeat” of any group, reports The Express Tribune.
“The agreement was reached after sense prevailed over aggression.”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Khan will head the steering committee that will work to implement the clause of the agreement.
Both parties held a 12-hour-long meeting to come to a conclusion. Muneeb said it was fortunate that the agreement was reached before the situation got out of hands.
Mufti did not give specific details of the agreement and said details will but will be made public soon.
Muneeb said the “positive impact” of the agreement would be visible in the coming week and called this settlement “in the best interest of Pakistan and its citizens”.
“This is the news for the entire nation, and the national media should portray it in a positive manner, ” he said, thanking all groups involved in the negotiations.
“I am thankful to the prime minister for empowering the committee and trusting it, and also to the committee for working dedicatedly to resolve this matter,” he said, adding that the TLP exhibited the same attitude.