US Vice-President Kamala Harris Names Indian-American to National Space Council Advisory Group
Vice President Kamala Harris named Indian American Rajeev Badyal to a key national space advisory group, which is tasked to maintain a robust and responsible US space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations.
Badyal, vice-president of Project Kuiper of Amazon, is among the 30 space experts named by Harris to the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group (UAG).
Harris named US Air Force Rtd General Lester Lyles as chair of the UAG.
Previously he was the vice president of satellites at SpaceX.
Government Owned WAPCOS Ranked as Top Consulting Firm by the Asian Development Bank
In a major breakthrough for WAPCOS, a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its report released on Annual Procurement, ranked WAPCOS as top amongst Consulting Services Firm in Water and other Infrastructure Sectors, with highest sanctioned financed amount.
In another report on its Members' Fact Sheet - 2022 released by the ADB, WAPCOS figured amongst the top 3 Consultants from India involved in Consulting Services Contracts under ADB Loan, Grant and Technical Assistance Projects in Energy, Transport and Water & other Urban Infrastructure Sectors. WAPCOS is the only Indian Public Sector featuring in the above categories.
WAPCOS is a leading technology driven Consultancy and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) organization in the fields of Water Resources, Power and Infrastructure Development.
Apart from India, the company has successfully completed/on-going consultancy assignments in more than 51 countries covering Asia, Africa, CIS, Pacific Islands and South America.
It was established by the government of India in 1969 under the aegis of the Ministry of Water Resources to utilize India's knowledge and expertise in the field of water resources by sharing and exporting technology to friendly developing nations.
MOIL Appoints Ajit Kumar Saxena as Chairman, MD
Ajit Kumar Saxena was appointed as the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of MOIL. Saxena will hold charge of the post till the date of his superannuation, i.e. 31 December 2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Saxena has 36 years' experience in steel sector with wide experience in technical, operational and project management areas. Prior to this assignment, Saxena held the position of director (Operations) at RINL-Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant. He started his career as a management trainee (Technical) in Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) in 1986 and thereafter, held various positions during his long tenure in SAIL such as chief general manager, Mills, IISCO, Burnpur and general manager, Bhilai Steel Plant, etc.
MOIL is one of the largest manganese ore producers of the country.
Eicher Motors to Pick 10.35% Stake in Spain-based Stark Future
Indian automotive major Eicher Motors, the parent company of Royal Enfield announced a strategic collaboration in the space of electric motorcycles with Spain-based Stark Future SL.
The board of directors of Eicher Motors cleared an investment of €50 million for close to 10.35 per cent equity stake in Stark Future.
With this investment, Eicher will have a seat on Stark Future's board and will explore further opportunities to collaborate in the space of electric mobility.
Musk's SpaceX to Launch Israeli Spy Satellite in Final Mission for 2022
After successfully conducting the targetted 60 launches in a year, Elon Musk's SpaceX added one more mission to that illustrious list. SpaceX conducted the final launch of the year as it blasted off the ISI EROS C-3 mission to a low-earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
EROS-C is part of the EROS satellite group, which was first deployed by Israel in 2000. According to reports, the spy satellite, by the end of the decade, will form part of a quartet of EROS satellites that will work alongside two synthetic aperture radar satellites.
EROS-C is a state-of-the-art earth observation satellite, with superb image quality providing ultra-high-resolution imagery. It is designed to support the most demanding operational challenges defense & intelligence organizations are presently facing," Israel-based company ImageSat International, said on its website.
L. Dhanush Bags Gold in Youth Men's 49 kg Section of National Weightlifting Championships
Son of a carpenter in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu's 16-year-old L. Dhanush bagged a gold medal in the youth men's 49 kg section of the National (junior, youth & senior) weightlifting championships at the Ponjesly College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu.
Dhanush did an average 81 kg in snatch and went on to create a National record in clean & jerk (110 kg) with a total of 191Kg, pushing his state-mate V. Kishore (188) to the second position. Dhanush rewrote the record set by Bhaktaram Desti (108 kg).
India and Cyprus have signed a number of agreements in various areas including on Defence and Military Cooperation between the two countries.
A Letter of Intent on Migration and Mobility Partnership was also signed to provide a common framework of arrangement and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, academics, business people and professionals. It will also help in combating irregular migration.
The agreements were signed following talks between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Cyprus.
President Murmu Laid Foundation Stone for PRASHAD Project for Two Temples in Telangana
Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stone of the project 'Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples' at Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamivari Devasthanam, Bhadrachalam in Telangana.
The President of India laid the foundation stone for another project called 'Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara Temple in Telangana. These projects were approved under the PRASAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
President Droupadi Murmu informed that the famous temples of Telangana are visited by lakhs of pilgrims, and they form the major components of domestic and foreign tourists.
Tourism increases the livelihood opportunities and income of the people.
The President appreciated the Ministry of Tourism for boosting spiritual and cultural tourism by developing pilgrimage sites under the 'PRASHAD' scheme.
The PRASHAD scheme was launched in 2014-15 and aims to provide integrated infrastructure development to pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations in India.
Tata Sons Chairman to Head Maharashtra's New Economic Advisory Body
Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran will head the new Economic Advisory Council of Maharashtra.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement in the Legislative Council in Nagpur.
To make Maharashtra a trillion dollar economy, the state government is setting up an Economic Advisory Council, to be headed by Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran.
It will function as a private research organization with focus on issues related to agriculture, banking, engineering and education, among others.
IAF Successfully Test-fires Extended Range Version of BrahMos Air Launched Missile
The Indian Air Force successfully test-fired the extended range version of BrahMos air launched missile against a ship target from a SU-30MKI aircraft.
The missile achieved the desired mission objectives in the Bay of Bengal region.
With this, IAF achieved a significant capability boost to carry out precision strikes from SU-30MKI aircraft against land or sea targets over very long ranges.
Pele, the Brazil football legend and three-time World Cup winner, has died at the age of 82. He was widely considered to be football's first global superstar.
Pele had been treated for colon cancer, following surgery to remove a tumour in September 2021. He had been hospitalised since November with multiple ailments.
Pele made his international debut as a 17-year-old with a hat trick in the 1958 World Cup final. He later led the charge of arguably the greatest team the world has ever seen, Brazil's world-dominating side of 1970. Pele was a member of Brazil's golden generation. His teammates included Nilton Santos, Didi, Garrincha, and Jairzinho, all of whom were among the best players of the time.
Pele won three World Cups, in 1958, 1962, and 1970, though his participation in 1962 was limited due to an injury suffered in the first game that forced him to miss the rest of the tournament. The Brazil legend remains one of the team's all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Neymar tied Pele's record during the latest World Cup.
IACP 2022 Award: Chhattisgarh Police's 'Nijaat' Campaign Gets International Recognition
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the US-based international organisation selected the anti-drug & illicit liquor campaign 'Nijaat' of Chhattisgarh police for 'Leadership in Crime Prevention' in the institutional category.
Early this year, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), an organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs included the Nijaat (meaning Riddance or Liberation) campaign among the thirty best smart-policing campaigns in the country.
The campaign was launched by the Chhattisgarh police under the leadership of the IPS officer Santosh Kumar Singh who pioneered the drive with intensified efforts in districts of Korea, Rajnandgaon and presently continuing in Korba.
Indian Railways Launches 'Amrit Bharat' Scheme for Development of Stations
The Ministry of Railways launched a new scheme 'Amrit Bharat Station scheme' for the modernisation of the railway stations across the country. The scheme envisages infrastructural development of more than 1,000 stations on a continuous basis with a long-term vision.
The new scheme will be implemented as per needs and patronage of the railway stations. The scheme is based on the preparation of Master Plans and its implementation in phases to create Roof Plazas and city centres at the station in the long term.
Maharashtra Assembly Passes Lokayukta Bill, Brings CM under Anti-corruption Lens
Maharashtra assembly passed the Lokayukta Bill 2022, which brings the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers under the ambit of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
The bill was passed without discussion as the opposition had staged a walkout over the alleged scam in the Teachers Entrance Test.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the bill a historic legislation, adding Maharashtra is the first state to have such a law.
As per the bill, prior approval of the Assembly has to be obtained and the motion has to be placed before the immediate session of the House before initiating any inquiry against the Chief Minister.
IIT Guwahati, Bombay, European Partners Building Sensor to Check Indian Water Quality
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Bombay in collaboration with European universities are working towards building a low-cost technology to check the quality of potable and other water in India.
The LOTUS Indo-European project, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the European Commission, is aimed at providing solutions for issues related to the quality of water supplied across Indian households and elsewhere.
A core element of the LOTUS project is a novel water quality sensor that builds on previous work done at Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France.
The sensor was further developed during the project by researchers at Université Gustave Eiffel in collaboration with IIT Guwahati and the SME EGM, Sophia Antipolis, France.
"The LOTUS sensor developed at IIT Guwahati is being designed to address sensing needs and quality control aspects across different use case scenarios encompassing safe drinking water, agricultural water and wastewater.
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