Nitin Gadkari Launches Toyota Pilot Project on Flex-Fuel Strong Hybrid EV
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, unveiled Toyota Corolla Altis Flex-fuel car, which has been touted as first of its kind pilot project on Flexi-Fuel Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FFV-SHEV) in India. This project intends to examine whether ethanol-powered flex fuel vehicles can be viable in Indian conditions.
Further, as a part of this project, collected data will be shared with the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, for conducting a deeper study about the well-to-wheel carbon emissions of FFV / FFV-SHEV in the Indian context. In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
The launch event was also graced by Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Heavy Industries, Hon'ble Shri. Bhupinder Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and Hon'ble Shri. Rameswar Teli, Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Oct 12, 2022
EC Allots 'Two Swords and a Shield' Poll Symbol to Shinde Faction of Sena
The Election Commission allotted 'two swords and a shield' as the poll symbol to the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Shinde faction, which is now named as 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena', would be able to use the symbol for the Andheri East assembly bypoll, should it decide to contest the election scheduled for November 3.
Shinde welcomed the allocation of the poll symbol and asserted that his group was the true torchbearer for the staunch Hindutva ideology laid down by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Oct 11, 2022
India Gets 4th Set of Swiss a/c Details under Auto Info Exchange Framework
India received the fourth set of Swiss bank account details of its nationals and organisations as part of an annual automatic information exchange under which Switzerland has shared particulars of nearly 34 lakh financial accounts with 101 countries.
The new details shared with India pertain to "hundreds of financial accounts", including many cases of multiple accounts associated with some individuals, corporates and trusts.
They did not divulge specifics, citing the confidentiality clause of the information exchange and the adverse impact it may have on further investigations, but asserted that the data would be used extensively in probes of suspected tax evasion and other wrong doings including of money laundering and terror funding.
the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) on Monday said that the exchange of information this year saw five new additions to the list -- Albania, Brunei Darussalam, Nigeria, Peru and Turkey. The count of financial accounts increased by nearly one lakh.
EC Allots New Names for Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde Factions
The Election Commission allotted new party names to the rival Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, but rejected all proposed alternatives of the party symbol submitted by the Shinde camp while giving the mashaal (torch) symbol to the Thackeray group.
EC, which had frozen the party name as well as the Shiv Sena's bow and arrow symbol as an interim measure, has now decreed that the Uddhav Thackeray faction would be called the 'Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)' while the Shinde faction is to be known as 'Balasaheb's Shiv Sena.'
Oct 10, 2022
Shiv Sena Suggests New Names, Electoral Symbols to EC
A day after the Election Commission (EC) dealt it a severe jolt by freezing the party's name and symbol, the Shiv Sena submitted a list of names and symbols to the body, with Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray) and the trishul (trident) leading its choices. The Shinde faction is expected to submit its options to the EC.
The party is dealing with a peculiar situation—the election symbol it has had since 1989 has been frozen while it prepares for a prestige fight in the Andheri East assembly by-polls on November 3. Thackeray had thus urged the EC to allocate a name and symbol at the earliest.
PM Declares Modhera in Gujarat as India's First 24x7 Solar-powered Village
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Modhera, a village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, as India's first solar-powered village.
While addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone and dedicating development works at Modhera, the Prime Minister said, "Modhera, which is associated with the Sun Temple will also be known for its strides in solar energy. It's a big day for Modhera as it takes a giant leap towards harnessing solar power."
Dr. Akhilesh Gupta Assumes Additional Charge of Secretary SERB
Akhilesh Gupta, senior adviser at the Department of Science and Technology (DST), assumed additional charge of secretary of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).
He took charge after Sandeep Verma relinquished charges as Secretary SERB on completing his tenure.
Dr. Gupta currently heads the Policy Coordination and Programme Management Division (PCPM) division and is the overall in charge of 5 National Missions at DST ---National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical System, National Mission on Quantum Technology and Applications, National Super-computing Mission, National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change and National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem.
A distinguished atmospheric scientist, Gupta has to his credit over 200 research articles in national and international journals as well as proceedings.
Oct 09, 2022
Hardeep Puri to Co-chair US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership Dialogue
Union petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri co-chaired the ministerial dialogue of US-India strategic clean energy partnership (USISCEP) with US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm in Washington DC.
The revamped USISCEP was launched in 2021 in accordance with the US-India climate and clean energy agenda 2030 partnership announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at a summit in April 2021.