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he maiden flight of India’s first private launch vehicle, Vikram-S, has successfully lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 km from Chennai, on Friday. 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Hyderabad-based space tech company Skyroot Aerospace proudly announced that “Mission Pararambh” was accomplished. Skyroot Aerospace become the first privately held company in India after the space sector was opened for the private players by the Centre in 2020.

Vikram-S was named in a tribute to the father of the country’s space programme Vikram Sarabhai.

The rocket outperformed its exceptions and achieved an apogee of 89.5 km at a hypersonic speed of Mach 5. The vehicle reached space in 155 seconds. 

Pawan K Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, Department of Space, said: “All the systems worked as planned. I congratulate Skyroot and all the centres of ISRO. This is a new beginning of Indian space sector.”

Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, who witnessed the launch, thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing in the reforms and opening the space sector for private players. 

Skyroot co-founder Pawan Chandana said the Prarambh mission symbolizes a new India. “This is a small step by our startup, but a giant leap for the Indian space sector.” He thanks ISRO and IN-SPACe for hand-holding Team Skyroot all through. 

The 6-metre tall launch vehicle is one of the world’s first few all-composite rockets that has 3-D printed solid thrusters for spin stability of the launch vehicle.

The three payloads riding piggyback on the rocket are from Chennai-based start-up SpaceKidz, Andhra Pradesh-based N-SpaceTech and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab. ‘Fun-Sat’, a 2.5 kgs payload belonging to Chennai-based aerospace startup Spacekidz, has been developed by students from India, the United States, Singapore and Indonesia.

According to Skyroot, Friday’s launch has successfully tested and validated most of the technologies in the Vikram series of orbital class space launch vehicles, including many sub-systems and technologies. It said rockets can be assembled and launched within 24 hours from any launch site.

Skyroot Aerospace become the first privately held company in India after the space sector was opened for private players by the Centre in 2020.

(With PTI inputs)

newindianexpress.com

Six Marwari horses have been exported from Jodhpur to Bangladesh where they will be used for carrying the cart of Bangladesh’s President, an official of the All India Marwari Horse Society said.

This is for the first time that this indigenous breed of horse from the desert has been exported.

Jangjeet Singh Nathawat, Secretary of the All India Marwari Horse Society and Marwari Horse Stud Book Registration Society (MHSRS) of India said that all these six horses reached Bangladesh on September 29.

“These horses have been ordered by Bangladesh police for the horse carriage of the President of Bangladesh,” Nathawat said.

All six horses belong to Marwar Stud of Bal Samand Lake Palace, governed by the Umaid Bhawan Palace of Jodhpur, and have been registered as a ‘Marwari horse’ with the MHSRS.

“We kept striving to export Marwari Horses and succeeded in getting permission.

The export would be on a case-to-case basis,” said Nathawat, terming the development an outcome of constant efforts of the erstwhile ruler of Jodhpur and the patron of the society, Gaj Singh.

As a result of these endeavours, the animal husbandry department of the central government gave a no-objection certificate for the export of these horses, with an export licence provided by the Director General of Foreign Trade.

Marwari horses are one of the finest breeds of horses and are considered the most elegant and enduring breed of all.

“It is a matter of great pride for us that the Bangladesh government has imported our horse for the state carriage of the President,” Nathawat said, adding that similar demands of Marwari horses have been pouring in from the US, European, and Arabian countries.

Over the past decade, the society in Jodhpur has been trying not only the promotion and conservation this breed of horse but has also been striving for their exports considering their love among foreign horse lovers and equestrians.

Gajendra Pal Singh Posana, the joint secretary of the society said that there have been five meetings in the past 12-13 years to convince the ministry to allow the export of this breed.

“There had been a demand of 40-50 such horses from Bangladesh but due to delay in sanction we could send only six horses after the last meeting with the minister Purushottam Rupala,” Posana said.

He said that the Bangladesh Army was also in discussion with the society for the purchase of 20 Marwari horses, but due to a delay in permission, obtained 17 Arabian horses from the Qatar government.

Marwari horses are known for their elegance, beauty, gait and other features, which many have said to be incomparable with any other horse breed on the earth.

In 2009, Spanish businessman Mario Calcagno fell in love with the breed and tried hard to take them to Spain but failed.

Undeterred by his failure to export, he bought two colts and four mares of this breed to be kept in the custody of the society at Balsamand Lake Palace in Jodhpur.

Nathawat said that earlier there was no pedigree mapping for the Marwari horse breed, a lack which was filled by the opening of a stud book in 2006, under the helm of MSRS for mapping the breed’s pedigree.

The move not only helped people have a list of purebred Marwari horses but also spread the word among foreign horse lovers who contributed to their conservation, Nathawat said.

Mapping the breed history will pave way for more export for the Marwari breed as the inquiries have been pouring in from Germany, the US, UAE and other countries, he claimed.

“European countries have some protocols regarding some equine diseases.

But we are studying those protocols and are trying to resolve them so that those who want to import the horses of this breed could have them”, Nathawat said.

The society, which has the authority to provide passports for export, has till now registered over 3,000 pure-breed Marwari horses since the process of registration began.

Posana said that these collective efforts have paid off both in terms of a spurt in the number of the horse and their price in the market.

The efforts are now being made by the society to urge the government to speed up the process of their export, he added.

newindianexpress.com

Along with rendering both freight and passenger services, the Indian Railways (IR) has started fostering innovations within its realm of services with an objective to leverage innovative technologies developed by Indian  Start-Ups, MSMEs, innovators or entrepreneurs towards making the country self-reliant in sector of rail transportation.

The Railways has embarked upon innovation journey through a well-thought initiative called ‘Start-ups for Railway’ (SFR). Gone with such first of its kind initiative with effect from June 13 this year, the railway has registered more than 768 entities on Indian Railway Innovation portal to participate in innovation challenges floated by railways.

Recently, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had told this newspaper that supporting and going with innovative start up, has been taken by railways seriously in order to become not only self-reliant but also creating job opportunities to the nation. As part of this initiative, the fund-sharing scheme has been made on a cost-sharing in equal proportion–50:50 between Indian Railways and the Start-ups or innovators.

According to official data of the Ministry of Railway, so far, 311 offers for Startups have been received against 13 problem statements uploaded by railways on its innovation portal.

“This shows how the innovators are flocking towards railways from across various sectors for their Startups”, remarked a senior railway official, adding that all offers are being evaluated through a 2-stage process.

Notably, the railway working earnestly on a wider promotion of start-ups, has already one innovation challenge has been finalised.

Giving break up of offers of Startups, the Ministry of Railway said that more than 60 offers from individual innovators, 81 from MSMEs and 18 from  R&D (Research and Design) organization are among a total of 311 offers received by railway.

To promote this initiative, the railways claims to have organized more than 131 workshops meeting on Indian Railway innovation policy across the railways at all levels in which more than 1,560 start-ups, innovators participated so far.

Appreciating this initiative of Indian Railways recently, Vinod Dham- who is also known as ‘Father of the Pentium Chip” for his contribution to the development of Pentium microprocessor, at a lecture program said that such initiative by railway will go a long way helping India to become more technology-driven in every part of life. He said that India is among top 3 Start Up countries and has the potential to lead the world.

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Around 810 km of metro line are operational in 20 cities in the country while more than 980 km of metro network and RRTS is currently under construction in 27 cities, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri said on Friday, adding India currently has the fifth-largest metro network in the world.

“India will soon overtake advanced economies such as Japan and South Korea to become the third-largest network. These developments will lead to a significant reduction of traffic congestion and the associated air quality and emissions concerns,” the Minister said.

Puri, and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday jointly inaugurated the 15th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2022 in Kochi.

Acknowledging the incorporation of best practices/ learnings from other countries into Indian Urban Mobility Systems, Hardeep Puri said that we have been able to learn from the experience of other countries.

The metro lines that we are introducing today are the kind of systems which are incorporating the best practices from others.

Our process of indigenisation is going to contribute to also an experience wherein we will be able to share with other countries placed in the similar level of the developmental ladder, he added further.

The Minister expressed satisfaction for his association with transport and the evolution of metro systems and other transport systems over the period of five years.

The Minister congratulated the Kochi Metro for the innovative Kochi Water Metro project, which will connect 10 islands through 15 routes and will cater to more than 100,000 people daily across 78 km of network.

The Water Metro will also provide a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to daily commuters.

Inland water transport is inherently more energy efficient than road or rail transport, he said.

siasat.com

Prince William and The Earthshot Prize on Friday revealed the 2022 Earthshot Prize Finalists — an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators, comprising two from India, spearheading 15 groundbreaking solutions to the biggest environmental challenges the planet faces.

The 15 finalists will be in the running to receive a 1 million pound award at the second-annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

The prize takes inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot,’ which united millions of people around an organising goal to put man on the moon and catalysed the development of new technology in the 1960s.

Prince William said: “The innovators, leaders, and visionaries that make up our 2022 Earthshot Finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet. They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come.

“I am so excited to celebrate these 15 finalists and see the five Winners of The Earthshot Prize announced in Boston — the hometown of President John F. Kennedy, who shared The Earthshot Prize’s belief that seemingly impossible goals are within reach if we only harness the limitless power of innovation, human ingenuity, and urgent optimism.”

The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’ — simple, ambitious, and aspirational goals defining the world we wish to build for future generations.

Under the Earthshot Prize to Protect and Restore Nature category, Kheyti, a pioneering solution of India for local smallholder farmers to reduce costs, increase yields and protect livelihoods in a country on the frontlines of climate change.

Fleather, a Kanpur-backed biomaterial startup, is an innovative and regenerative approach to creating leather out of floral waste in the Earthshot Prize to Build A Waste-Free World category.

In addition to their eligibility for the 1 million pound prize, all finalists will receive tailored support and resources from The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance Members, an unprecedented network of private sector businesses around the world committed to helping scale innovative climate and environmental solutions and multiplying their impact.

The five winners will be selected by The Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse team of influential individuals committed to using their platforms to champion inspiring leadership and elevate urgent efforts to repair and regenerate the planet.

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Former Indian diplomat Amit Dasgupta has been appointed Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for tirelessly promoting India-Australia bilateral relationship.

“Congratulations Mr Amit Dasgupta AM for your appointment as an Honorary Member, General Division, Order of Australia (AM). Honoured to confer this award, on behalf of Australia’s Governor-General, to @amit_adg for his longstanding contribution to the Australia-India bilateral relationship,” Sarah Storey, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to India, tweeted.

Congratulations @amit_adg! Your tireless support to the Australia-India bilateral relationship over the years is so worthy of this national recognition, Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrel, tweeted.

As Consul-General of India to Sydney from 2009 to 2012, he was awarded a gold medal by the Multicultural Commission of the New South Wales government for promoting multiculturalism and harmony.

During this period, attacks against Indian students threatened Australia’s international reputation. Dasgupta’s personal efforts diffused the tensions and reassured the Indian diaspora.

Dasgupta played a pivotal role in establishing the Australia India Youth Dialogue. Now in its second decade, the Dialogue is a permanent fixture of the bilateral relationship, and fosters connections between Australian and Indian young people.

He continues to advance relations between the two countries as a Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Society for Policy Studies, and as the Inaugural Country Director of the University of New South Wales since 2016.

Dasgupta’s deep and longstanding service to the Australia-India bilateral relationship is commendable and worthy of formal national recognition through his appointment as an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM).

A published author and educator, Dasgupta has served in various capacities in India and abroad in the course of his diplomatic career, including Cairo, Brussels, Kathmandu, Berlin and Sydney.

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Using locally available materials like cement, fly-ash, river sand, ground granulated blast furnace slag, micro-silica, water, steel fiber, polypropylene fibers and high range water reducing agent (HRWRA), a team of researchers at IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) has successfully developed an affordable special ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC).

The cost of UHPFRC developed at IIT-H is about two times cheaper than commercially available proprietary products, a release said on Friday.

Prof. S. Suriya Prakash, CASTCON Lab, Department of Civil Engineering and his research group at IIT-H, brought down costs by reducing the quantity of cement, fibers and replacing costly fine aggregates with cheaper locally available ones through proper gradation.

The composition combines the best features of self-consolidating concrete (SCC), fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) and high-performance concrete (HPC).

UHPFRC, developed at IITH for pre-stressing applications, yields a cube compressive strength of 150 MPa and a direct tensile strength of 8.0 MPa.

Several full-scale post-tensioned UHPFRC concrete bridge girders were tested to understand the shear behaviour.

Test results show that providing a minimum web shear reinforcement ratio and adequate steel fiber dosage leads to better serviceability, ultimate strength, and stiffness of bridge girders.

The overall cost of UHPFRC girders in bridge applications can be further reduced by providing the minimum web-shear reinforcement of 0.6 per cent and a hybrid fiber volume dosage of about 1 per cent.

Prof S. Suriya Prakash, CASTCON Lab, IIT-H, said: “Several full-scale bridge girders made of UHPFRC were tested. Our test results have given deeper insights into the shear behaviour of pre-stressed bridge girders, which will be used to develop design guidelines for practising engineers. Our research is expected to increase the confidence in using UHPFRC in India for various infrastructure applications.”

Prof B.S. Murty, Director, IITH, said: “Strong and durable infrastructure is a must for holistic development of any nation. Developing construction materials with improved strength using locally available raw materials is a creditable stride towards realising our dream of AatmaNirbhar Bharat. I am sure such innovation will not only benefit local development in terms of economic & efficient infrastructure but extend its advantage to the infrastructure sector globally.”

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed it as a unique interceptor available with only very few nations.

India conducted the first successful flight test of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor missile capable of neutralising long-range missiles and aircraft, from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast on Wednesday.

“The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful maiden flight-test of phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) interceptor AD-1 missile with a large kill altitude bracket from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on November 2.

The flight-test was carried out with participation of all BMD weapon system elements located at different geographical locations,” said the Ministry of Defence in a press statement

The system, which is capable of striking down incoming adversary missiles and aircraft, has been developed under the Ballistic Missile Defence programme.

The AD-1 (Air Defence) is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft. The missile is propelled by a two-stage solid motor and equipped with an indigenously developed advanced control system and a navigation and guidance algorithm to precisely guide the vehicle to the targets that move at very high speeds.

During the flight-test, all the subsystems performed as per expectations and were validated by the data captured by a number of range sensors including radar, telemetry and electro-optical tracking stations deployed to capture the flight data. DRDO scientists said the fully functional ballistic missile defence system contained high-power radars and could potentially protect large areas from the adversary missile or other air attacks.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and other teams associated with the trial of the AD-1. He termed it as a unique type of interceptor with advanced technologies available with only very few nations in the world. He exuded confidence that it will further strengthen the country’s BMD capability to the next level.

DRDO chairman Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated his team on the successful trial, stating that the interceptor would provide great operational flexibility and have the capability to engage many different types of targets.

The development of anti-ballistic missiles is said to have started by the DRDO around the 2000s in view of the development of ballistic assets by Pakistan and China. The phase-1 of the programme is said to have been completed towards the end of 2010s and consisted of the advanced air defence systems and air defence systems based on the Prithvi missile.

The second phase, according to sources, focuses on the development of anti-ballistic defence systems like the US’s Theatre High-Altitude Area Defence system, which can neutralise intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

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The lead internal Security Force Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has for the first time not only promoted its two lady cadre officers to the rank of Inspector General but have also put them to command two sensitive sectors of the force.

Seema Dhundia and Ms Annie Abraham with their accompanying 35 years of experience will be heading the Bihar Sector and as the head of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) respectively. Both Seema Dhundia and Ms Annie Abraham were amongst the first batch of lady officers ever inducted into the Force as they joined as the Directly Appointed Gazetted Officers (DAGos) of 1987 batch of CRPF Cadre officers in 1987.

The CRPF in a statement said, “Both had illustrious careers marked with challenging roles, achievements, and laurels. Seema Dhundia, IG rendered her valuable services to the nation in highly sensitive areas across the country and was actively involved in raising the 2nd Mahila Battalion of the Force. She was also the contingent commander of the first ever all female Formed Police Unit (FPU) in the United Nation’s Mission in Liberia and had been serving as DIG in RAF.”

India sent an all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) to be deployed in Liberia in 2007 after a civil war ravaged the African nation. The RAF is a specialized wing of the CRPF for riot and crowd control is getting IG Annie Abraham as its first female head since its raising in 1992. Ms. Annie Abraham, IG in addition to commanding the all female FPU in UN Mission in Liberia, had served as DIG Intelligence in Force Headquarters, as DIG Ops in Kashmir Operations Sector and as DIG CR and Vigilance.

Both the officers have been awarded President’s Police Medal for distinguished Service, Police Medal for Meritorious service and Ati Utkrisht Sewa Padak besides numerous other national and International recognitions.

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In a push to gradually equip the Indian Army with indigenously developed niche technologies, the force has approved Project Sanction Orders (PSOs) of five Make II projects. 

The projects include the High-Frequency Man Packed Software Defined Radio (HFSDR), Drone Kill System, Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (ITWS), 155mm Terminally Guided Munitions (TGM) and Medium Range Precision Kill System (MRPKS). 

For the indigenous anti-drone ecosystem, the Indian Army has approved Project Sanction Order (PSO) to 18 Developing Agencies (DAs) for procurement of 35 sets of Drone Kill Systems under the Make II scheme, post the successful development of the Prototype. 

The project is reserved for MSMEs/Start-ups. It is being developed to function in all types of terrains, both during the day and night. Hundred and twenty-five Infantry Training Weapon Simulator (IWTS), will be a tri-service project, for which the sanction has been issued to four Developing Agencies (DAs) to develop the prototype. 

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