RECORDS, INDIA (National) – Page 39

** Skyroot successfully test fires space launch vehicle ‘Vikram-1’ rocket stage

Named ‘Kalam-100’ after the renowned Indian rocket scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Skyroot Aerospace, the national-award winning startup building India’s first privately built space launch vehicles has announced the successful completion of a full duration test-firing of its ‘Vikram-1’ rocket stage, representing a major milestone for the company on Thursday.

Named ‘Kalam-100’ after former President and the renowned Indian rocket scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the third stage of ‘Vikram-1’ produces a peak vacuum thrust of 100 kN (or ~10Tons) and has a burn time of 108 sec, said the city based firm’s founders, in an official release.

The rocket stage has been built with high-strength carbon fiber structure, solid fuel, novel thermal protection system, and carbon ablative nozzle. “It’s a highly reliable stage with no moving parts and high level of automation in manufacturing. This testing will help us in development of orbital vehicle Vikram-1 and gives great confidence for our other rocket stages planned to be tested soon,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana.

** Archery World Cup 2022 stage 2 – Indian Women’s Compound and Recurve Team won Bronze

The Indian men’s compound team of Abhishek Verma, Aman Saini and Rajat Chauhan stunned a formidable South Korean team to reach the final at the archery World Cup 2022 stage 2 in Gwangju on Thursday.

The women’s compound team comprising Avneet Kaur, Muskan Kirar and Priya Gurjar, meanwhile, secured a bronze.

The men’s team, who had won gold at the Archery World Cup 2022 Stage 1 event held in Turkey last month, began the day by beating Italy 235-229 in the first round before ousting a strong USA team 234-228 in the quarter-finals.

India will face France in Saturday’s final in what will be a replay of the gold medal match from the Stage 1 World Cup from last month. India won the contest 232-230 at the Turkey meet.

The women’s team, meanwhile, received a first round bye and then beat fourth-seeded Chinese Taipei 228-226 in the quarters to set up a semis clash against the top seeded hosts.

Up against the other losing semi-finalists Turkey in the bronze medal playoff, the Indian trio overturned a late deficit to win a thriller 232-231 to claim a podium spot.

Meanwhile, Recurve Women’s Team of Ridhi, Komalika Bari & Ankita Bhakat defeated Team Chinese Taipei (6-2) to win Bronze Medal.

Recurve Qualification Round:

Men’s Singles:

Tarundeep Rai – 662/15

Neeraj Chauhan – 651/31

Jayanta Talukdar – 647/39

Sachin Gupta – 647/40

Women’s Singles:

Ridhi – 629/14

Komalika Bari – 621/24

Ankita Bhakat- 606/43

Simranjeet Kaur – 588/53

Recurve Team:

Men – 1960/7

Women – 1856/5

Mixed – 1291/7

source: sportsteamofindia.com

** Book on recovered temple assets released

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launches the book

Immovable properties, including waterbodies, belonging to 167 temples across Tamil Nadu under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department, valued at ₹2,566.94 crore, have been recovered between May 2021 and March 2022, according to a book released by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai on Tuesday.

A total of 1,375 encroachers have encroached these immovable properties. About 1,184 acre of land and plots, measuring about 467 grounds, buildings in about 47 grounds and waterbodies in about 36 grounds have been cleared of encroachments between May 7, 2021 and March 31 this year.

HR and CE Minister P.K. Sekarbabu received the first copy of the book Properties of Temples recovered from Encroachments during 2021-22 released by Mr. Stalin. Senior officials of the HR&CE Department were also present.

** Indian Navy successfully test-fires naval anti-ship missile

The Indian Navy on Wednesday successfully carried out the maiden test firing of the first indigenously developed naval anti-ship missile from a Seaking helicopter, officials said.

The test was conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha’s Balasore.

“This firing is a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy’s commitment to indigenisation,” said a senior Navy official.

nie

** Insurtech firm Sureify Labs opens new office in Hyderabad

Plans to raise headcount in Hyderabad to 1,000 in three years

California-based insurtech firm Sureify Labs formally opened on Monday its new office in Hyderabad and announced plans to increase the headcount at the facility from 220 now to 1,000 by 2025.

“We build technology and offer software-as-a-service for life insurance companies and annuity industry,” founder CEO Dustin Yoder said of the firm that is focussed on the North America market.

Sureify has done some work in Japan and is keen on exploring opportunities to work with large life insurers in India as well within the next couple of years. “We are starting to engage with them,” he said after Industries and IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao inaugurated the office.

On the new office in Hyderabad, Mr. Yoder and head of Product Engineering T. Vijay Kumar said the 12,000 sq.ft. tech development centre will be crucial to the company’s growth and was decided to be established in Hyderabad in view of infrastructure and talent availability. Most of the product development and delivery will happen at the facility. Sureify Labs has 100 employees in the U.S.

** PM Modi inaugurates India’s first 5G testbed

The 5G testbed has been developed as a multi-institute collaborative project by eight institutes led by IIT Madras

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 17 inaugurated the country’s first 5G testbed to enable startups and industry players to test and validate their products locally and reduce dependence on foreign facilities.

The testbed has been set up at a cost of around ₹220 crore.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Prime Minister said the 5G testbed is an important step for self-reliance in the direction of critical and modern technologies.

** Devasahayam Pillai: An anti-caste crusader who was canonised

Devasahayam Pillai was recently canonised by Pope Francis

For Devasahayam Pillai, recently canonised by Pope Francis , the enemy was caste.

And finally, with the canonisation, he will be known as Martyr Saint Devasahayam and not by his caste honorific Pillai. For a man who served food for all communities together in a common dining room, this is conceivably a dream realised.

Born Neelakanta Pillai to Vasudevan Namboodhiri and a Nair mother Devaki Ammal, he became Devasahayam, the Tamil rendering of Lazuras as “God’s help.”

He was referred to as Devasahayam Pillai when Pope Benedict XVI first made the announcement of his beatification on December 2, 2012. But the official press release on May 3, 2021, announcing Pope Francis’s decision to confer sainthood on him referred to him as Devasahayam.

** India rejoices historic triumph in Thomas Cup badminton

India erupted in celebration after its maiden title triumph in the prestigious Thomas Cup badminton tournament, with people from all walks of life joyfully exhausting their stock of superlatives to adorn Sunday’s heroes.

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, the historic feat drew the attention of the country’s political class, sporting fraternity, entertainment industry, and the corporate sector, among others.

They lavished rich praise on the men who made it possible — Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, the doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy — and also the ones who were not required in the team’s 3-0 demolition of 14-time winners Indonesia but played stirring roles en route to the victory in Bangkok.

** India hosts SCO-RATS meeting; focus on situation in Afghanistan

Counter-terrorism experts from India, Pakistan and other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on May 16 deliberated on boosting cooperation in combating various regional security challenges at a meeting hosted by New Delhi.

The meeting is taking place under the framework of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.

A major focus of the discussions was to be on the situation in Afghanistan, especially in dealing with the threat from terrorist groups active in the Taliban-ruled country, people familiar with the meeting said.

Pakistan has sent a three-member team for the meeting.

India assumed the chairmanship of the Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of SCO (RATS SCO) on October 28 for a period of one year.

India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

** Andhra Pradesh: 250 years of institution of collector celebrated in Palnadu

Palnadu Collector holds photo exhibition to mark the occasion

The national emblem, a sculpture of four lions standing on a base which has other animals, called as Lion Capital of Ashoka, is the symbol of authority, power and responsibility. The emblem stands on the wall at the Office of the Collector and District Magistrate, which is the authority in which the will of the State and authority meet.

One of the lasting relics of colonial legacy, the institution of collector was established 250 years back on this day — May 14 , 1772 — by the East India Company. Along with the changing times, the institution of collector and district magistrate too has evolved combining multi-dimensional aspects of administration, such as revenue, magisterial, judicial and administrative.

The collector was informally known as ‘Huzur’, a person vested with supreme authority whose aura enveloped the region. He is the central authority around which the massive revenue and administrative foundation was built and later Lord Thomas Munro initiated reforms separating the revenue, magisterial and judicial powers.

In the colonial era, the collectors were vested with the power to determine the demand from land revenue, survey and assessment of all kinds of land, sea and land customs, liquor and drug excise taxes, personal and professional taxes and managing all state property.