Shri Mihir Kumar IDAS (1996), has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs , from the date of assumption of charge of the post, for a tenure of five years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, vice Shri C. G. Rajini Kaanthan IAS (HY:2004).
IndianBureaucracy.com wishes Shri Mihir Kumar the very best.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power, Government of India has come out with one more Standards and Labeling Program, which aims to help consumers make informed choices considering cost-effectiveness and energy performance of various energy-consuming appliances, thus enabling them to save energy, reduce electricity consumption and also contribute to a greener planet. The latest product to be added to BEE’s Standards and Labeling Programs is the Grid-Connected Solar Inverter, with the launch of the Standards and Labeling Program for the solar inverter under voluntary phase, by the Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister Shri R. K. Singh in New Delhi today, March 15, 2024. The Program will help consumers in getting better-quality inverters which can be used as part of the solar rooftop system.
Union Power Secretary Shri Pankaj Agarwal; Secretary, New & Renewable Energy, Shri Bhupinder Singh Bhalla; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shri Ajay Tewari; Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Shri Sudeep Jain; and Director General, BEE Shri Abhay Bakre were also present on the occasion.
“S&L Program is an important tool in reducing carbon dioxide emissions”
Speaking at the launch event, the Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister said that the S&L Programs of BEE have resulted in reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 60 million tonnes per annum. “The S&L Program is an important tool in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The other advantage is that we save money, given the quantum of energy saved. In this way, the Program benefits both the consumer as well as the system.” The Minister spoke also of the Perform Achieve Trade Scheme of BEE, which he said has resulted in reduction of about 110 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum.
“S&L Program a way to ensure product quality, necessary for global competitiveness”
The Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister told the gathering that the S&L Program is a way for ensuring product quality, which is necessary for global competitiveness. “We cannot make in India for the world unless we ensure quality. The days are gone when people will accept some product just because it is made in India.”
“People have been found to be willing to pay a premium if the quality is good”
The Minister informed that people will be willing to pay a premium if the quality is good. “This is seen in action in our S&L Program. This is one of our motivations behind expanding the S&L Program to more and more products. This is the secret of making Indian products competitive across the world.”
“S&L Program for grid-connected solar inverters will further contribute to Rooftop Solar”
The Minister informed that the rooftop solar programme has got a huge fillip with PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, announced by the Prime Minister on February 13, 2024. Transmission and distribution losses have come down to zero and reduction in carbon emissions are huge, since energy consumed is renewable energy, said the Minister. The Minister hoped that the S&L Program for grid-connected solar inverters will contribute to this mission.
About Standards and Labeling Program for Grid-Connected Solar Inverter
The Standards and Labeling Program for Grid Connected Solar Inverter has been launched under voluntary phase, valid from 15th March, 2024 till 31st December, 2025.
The program will function as a Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) for the product, covering only grid-connected solar inverter without storage, with rated capacity up to 100 kW (in alignment with recent Quality Control Order for solar photovoltaic inverters, issued by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy). Only BIS-certified solar inverters complying with safety standard IS 16221-2:2015 would be eligible to take part in the program. The endorsement Label adopted is based on minimum overall efficiency criteria in accordance with IS 17980:2022 / IEC 62891:2020 as amended from time to time.
The launch of the S&L Program follows BEE’s launch of Standards & Labeling (S&L) Program for solar panels, in October 2023. The Program for solar inverters aims to further optimize the efficiency of the solar PV system, so that consumers are able to assess the overall efficiency and performance of the inverter before deciding to purchase or use it.
The implementation of the Program is anticipated to yield significant energy savings of 21.1 billion kWh between FY 2024-25 and FY 2033-2034, accompanied by a potential reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of around 15.1 million tonnes during this period.
The market size of all types of solar inverters was close to 2,520 MW in the year 2022-23. The grid connected solar inverter was found to dominate the market with 80% share of the total solar inverter market. It is expected that the solar inverter market will be Rs. 9,352 crores by the year 2026, growing at a projected CAGR of 14.4% during the period from 2020 to 2026.
As per BEE’s market assessment, it is revealed that nearly 63% market share of grid connected solar inverter is of the models with rated output power capacity ranging from 1 kW to 10 kW, 13% share of models are those belonging to the range 11 kW to 20 kW and 24% share of models are above 20 kW rated output capacity.
Solar Inverters are categorized based on system type, technology, rated output power and application. In terms of system type, solar inverter is categorized into Grid Connected, Off-Grid and Hybrid solar inverters. A brief note on the S&L Program for Grid-Connected Solar Inverters can be found here and a more detailed brochure on the program can be found here.
“Empowers consumers to invest wisely in reliable, efficient and durable solar solutions”
Speaking about the Program, Power Secretary, Shri Pankaj Agarwal said that the Program empowers consumers to invest wisely in reliable, efficient and durable solar solutions, by offering them clear insights about products. “The S&L Program for grid-connected solar inverters is set to revolutionize India’s renewable energy sector. This initiative serves as a catalyst for India’s transition towards sustainable energy, underscoring our dedication to a cleaner, greener future.”
“A pivotal moment in the quest for transparency, quality and sustainability in the solar sector”
Director General, BEE, Shri Abhay Bakre said: “Introducing the S&L Program for grid-connected solar inverters marks a pivotal moment in our quest for transparency, quality, and sustainability in the solar sector. It signifies a bold stride forward in our dedication to a greener and more energy-efficient world. Through this initiative, we empower consumers while fast-tracking our journey towards a brighter and more sustainable future.” He said that the S&L Program is a win-win by also encouraging manufacturers to come up with better quality products.
Recently, on March 1, 2024, on the 22nd Foundation Day of BEE, the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy launched two other Standards and Labeling Programs of BEE, one for Packaged Boilers and the other for Commercial Beverage Coolers, also known as Visi Coolers. More details below.
The Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) unveiled the authority’s action plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) during the 43rd CAC meeting in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu .
During the meeting, deliberations were held on creating awareness amongst farmers regarding the judicious use of antibiotics in livestock, aquaculture, poultry etc. as part of FSSAI’s responsibilities under the AMR National Action Plan-II. Plans to carry out surveillance on anti-microbial susceptibility in food matrix to ensure consumers’ safety were also discussed.
The Commissioners of Food Safety of States and UTs were directed to work diligently towards achieving the target of 100 food streets to be developed as ‘Healthy and Hygienic Food Streets’.
The importance of surveillance sampling was also emphasized during the discussion. The states were directed to prepare their surveillance plans and conduct regular meetings with state labs and their officials. The requirement of clean market places and establishing health clubs in both State and Central Government schools along with the development of app-based models and literature in regional languages to encourage the younger generation was discussed.
States/UTs were encouraged to make efforts to create awareness about the importance and benefits of fortified rice. Regular sampling of Fortified Rice Kernel (FRK) and its strict compliance as per the FSS (Fortification of Foods) Regulation, 2018 was also stressed upon.
A Guidance Document for Training of Food Handlers in the Canteens of Universities, Colleges and Hostels was also unveiled during the meeting to strengthen the food safety infrastructure. This initiative aims to train about 11 lakh food handlers working in the Canteens of Universities, Colleges and Hostels in the next two years.
Shri Uma Shankar Dhyani, Executive Director (HR & Finance), FSSAI and Ms. Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director (Compliance Strategy), FSSAI were present during the meeting, which also saw participation of more than 50 officials, including Commissioners of Food Safety (CFS), representatives from States and UTs, other officials from FSSAI and nodal ministries and members representing the Food Industry, Consumers, Agriculture, laboratories and research bodies.
Shri Parthasarathi Gurrala CSS, has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, from the date of assumption of charge of the post, for a tenure upto his superannuation on 31/12/2028 vice Shri Sanjeev Sehgal, IRSEE (1997).
IndianBureaucracy.com wishes Shri Parthasarathi Gurrala the very best.
Shri Jagannath Srinivasan IPoS (2002), has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Justice, from the date of assumption of charge of the post, for a tenure of five years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, vice Shri Rajinder Kumar Kashyap, IPoS (1989).
IndianBureaucracy.com wishes Shri Jagannath Srinivasan the very best.
The Department of Fisheries successfully inaugurated the integration of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Fisheries scheme onto the JanSamarth Portal, revolutionizing access to credit facilities for fishers, fish farmers etc across the nation. The virtual ceremony, attended by esteemed dignitaries including Shri Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI, Shri Pankaj Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance and Shri Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, Chief General Manager, (Digital Transformation & E-commerce), State Bank of India marked a significant milestone in digitalization of KCC Fisheries application processing system.
Speaking at the event, Shri Sagar Mehra highlighted the government’s relentless efforts to support for digitalization of credit system in the fisheries sector. He emphasized the transformative impact of integrating the scheme onto the JanSamarth Portal, which will facilitate seamless access to institutional credit facilities and promote inclusive growth of fisheries. The integration of the KCC Fisheries scheme onto the JanSamarth Portal signifies a monumental leap towards providing a digital platform for fish farmers and stakeholders in the fisheries sector. This initiative aims to streamline processes, digitize workflows, and provide efficient loan management services, ensuring enhanced accessibility and transparency for beneficiaries.
Under the dynamic leadership of the Department of Fisheries, extensive efforts have been undertaken to bring awareness about the KCC Fisheries scheme, resulting in the issuance of over 3,01,309 KCC cards to beneficiaries engaged in fisheries and aquaculture activities nationwide. This concerted effort underscores the government’s commitment to empowering the credit facilities to fishers and fish farmers and promoting the growth of the fisheries industry.
The integration of the KCC Fisheries scheme onto the JanSamarth Portal heralds a new era of efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity in the fisheries sector. Fishers and Fish farmers across the country can now easily apply for their KCC loans and manage their loan accounts online.
Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) has released the eleventh edition of monthly report of National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) Way Forward for States/UTs, January and February 2024 which provides a detailed overview of status of e-service delivery across States/UTs.
The Report for January and February, 2024 has been released and is available at https://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/NeSDA_Jan_Feb_2024.pdf
The key highlights entailed in the report are as follows:
Aligning with the contemporary digital government trends across the world and citizens’ need, three new additional assessment parameters have been included in NeSDA framework, namely, Open Government Data, e-Participation and Leveraging Emerging Technologies
To transform the Fair Price Shops (FPSs) in India and align them with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Kushal Bharat, Viksit Bharat and Digital India, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has entered into two MoUs with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The Department of Food & Public Distribution (DoF&PD) signed an MoU with the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, NIESBUD under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), to tackle skill development challenges faced by FPS dealers, particularly in areas of digital literacy, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills needed to adapt to the market changes and explore new business opportunities. The MoU was signed on 14th March 2024 at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi by Shri Ravi Shankar, Director, DoFPD and Dr. Poonam Sinha, Director, NIESBUD in the presence of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Shri Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, DoF&PD and Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, highlighted, “By improving entrepreneurial capabilities, FPS owners can expand their services, enhance customer satisfaction, and pursue additional sources of income. Moreover, enhancing digital and entrepreneurial skills among FPS owners enables effective use of technology, streamlining operations, and reinforcing customer orientation practices.”
Another MoU between DoF&PD and SIDBI was entered into on 15th March, 2024 at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. The MoU was signed by Shri Rajendra Kumar, Joint Secretary, DFPD and Shri. Ravi Tyagi, Chief General Manager, SIDBI in the presence of Shri Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Does FPD and Shri Prakash Kumar, Deputy Managing Director, SIDBI. Through this partnership, SIDBI will offer a simple-to-use digital solution for providing working capital assistance to the FPSs through its GST Sahay application. This initiative will enable FPS to operate on a credit model for selling non-PDS commodities.
“The government plans to introduce pilot programs aimed at transforming FPSs into nutrition hubs and smart FPSs. The goal is to turn FPSs into nutrition hubs that leverage technology in their operations and also offer a diverse range of nutrient-rich non-PDS commodities to the public, going beyond the distribution of food grains. SIDBI’s invoice financing will play a pivotal role in addressing the challenge of lack of credit for working capital, hindering FPS dealers’ ability to stock and sell non-PDS commodities” emphasized Shri Chopra on the occasion.
Shri Prakash Kumar, DMD, SIDBI said, “In line with its mandate to promote entrepreneurship by supporting micro and small businesses, it is a proud moment for SIDBI to be associated with this important program which is for the benefit of all the citizens of the country, besides promoting entrepreneurship. SIDBI has completely digitized its credit operations and for the proposed program it shall use the latest digital technology and best-in-class Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) of the country to create a customized credit program using GST Sahay Platform for FPSs”.
The two MoUs are a breakthrough in the area of capacity building and opening investment & financing opportunities for FPSs in the country. The two agreements will significantly elevate employability and enhance the livelihood of FPS dealers.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution has consistently and comprehensively deliberated on strengthening food security in the country. The department has taken various initiatives in this direction. Recently, it launched a pilot project to onboard FPSs on the Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC). It provides numerous benefits for FPS dealers including visibility in the digital marketplace, access to a larger customer base beyond NFSA beneficiaries, and the ability to compete on an equal footing with large retailers and e-commerce platforms. Additionally, beneficiaries who face difficulties in making online purchases can approach the FPS dealer to make online orders on their behalf. The All-India Dealers Federation, represented by Shri. Saurabh Gupta participated in today’s MoU signing event with SIDBI and welcomed the initiative.
The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) has launched the monthly National e-Governance Webinar Series (NeGW 2023-24) from September 22, 2023 to disseminate / replicate award winning e-governance initiatives of India. NeGW 2023-24 is a monthly event, tentatively held on the third Friday of every month.
The 6th National e-Governance Webinar under the theme “Excellence in adopting Emerging Technologies” was held .
The following awarded initiatives were presented in the sixth webinar:
The webinar was chaired by Shri V Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG. He complemented the award-winning initiatives – Trinetra and NeSDR for harnessing the power of emerging technologies to enhance service delivery and bringing innovation in governance practices and recommended replication. The webinar was attended by 505 officials across the Nation including Principal Secretaries, AR Secretaries, IT Secretaries, of States/UTs, District Collectors, Police Departments, State Information Officers, academia from IITs/IIITs/NITs and other institutions.
REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited, has signed an MoU with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL), for joint development of utility scale Renewable Energy Projects across the country. The MoU thus aims to contribute to the clean energy targets of the nation, through a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
The SPV will be benefitted by the core engineering expertise of BHEL and infrastructure investment expertise of REC Limited. The SPV will focus on catering to the energy requirement of preferably the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, with an initial capacity of 1 GW which would be scaled up further.
The MoU was signed in New Delhi on 15th March, 2024, in the presence of CMD, REC, Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan; CMD, BHEL, Shri Koppu Sadashiv Murthy; Director (Projects), REC, Shri V K Singh; CEO, RECPDCL, Shri Rajesh Kumar and Director, IS&P, BHEL, Ms. Bani Varma.
CMD, REC congratulated both the organizations for the collaboration and guided the way forward for building renewable energy assets including solar, wind, and green hydrogen. “We are pleased to announce the signing of an MoU with BHEL for the formation of a joint venture focused on developing utility-scale renewable energy projects. This collaboration brings together our extensive experience in the renewable energy sector with BHEL’s proven expertise in manufacturing and engineering. This SPV will play a crucial role in achieving India’s ambitious renewable energy targets and contributing to a cleaner and greener future.”
On this occasion, BHEL CMD said that there are ample opportunities available in the RE segment for leveraging joint strengths of both the organizations in order to achieve the ambitious targets set by the Government of India.
About RECPDCL REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited, has been playing a key role in the power sector value chain by providing knowledge-based consultancy and expert project implementation services to more than 50 State power distribution companies and Power Departments of States for various distribution reform projects of over Rs. 1 lakh crores. RECPDCL has been acting as Bid Process Coordinator (BPC) for Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) in Transmission Line Projects and RE-Bundling projects. Under PMDP and RDSS projects, RECPDCL has been executing critical infrastructure upgradation projects of smart metering, distribution and transmission sectors in Gujarat, J&K and Ladakh. Beyond its core capabilities, RECPDCL is now gearing to venture into the Renewable Energy Sector through diverse business models to generate a stream of stable revenue by investment of significant surplus cash assets.
NHPC Limited, India’s premier hydropower company and a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Power, has won the bid to develop a 200 MW capacity Solar Power Project to be set up in the 1,125 MW RE Park of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd. (GSECL) at Khavda in Kachchh district of Gujarat.
The project will generate about 473 million units of electricity in the first year of commissioning and the cumulative energy generation from the project over a period of 25 years would be about 10,850 million units. NHPC will develop the project on a build-own-and-operate basis at a tentative development cost of Rs. 847 crores. The e-reverse auction for the project was conducted by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited on 2nd March, 2024 and the Letter of Intent has been issued by it on 14th March, 2024. The project has been secured at a tariff of Rs. 2.66 per unit and will be completed in a period of 18 months.
Indian Railways is on its track to record the best ever performance in its recorded history in terms of the output from the Freight Business, Total revenue, track laying in the Financial year 2023-24.
As per the preliminary data, IR has crossed an originating Freight loading of 1500 MT today on 15th March, 2024. Previously, IR had achieved the best ever Freight loading of 1512 MT during FY 2022-23. During this FY 2023-24, Total revenue of Indian Railways stands at Rs 2.40 Lakh Crores as on date. Last year on 15th March, total Revenue was Rs 2.23 Lakh Crores, an increment of 17000 Crores. Total Expenditure of Indian Railways stands at Rs 2.26 Lakh Crores in this FY 2023-24.
Total passengers travelled during FY 2023-24 stands at 648 Crores, an increment of 52 Crores when compared to the figures of the same period of last year. Last year, total number of passengers travelled was 596 Crores. In this Financial Year as on date, Indian Railways has laid 5100 Kms of new tracks. In this FY, average daily track comes out to be more than 14 Kms per day.
IndianBureaucracy.com is a Registered Trademark & Premium SSL secured web site owned by CentruMedia.
© 2025 Indian Bureaucracy. All Rights Reserved.
