Category: Business & Economy

Historic day for India as Cochin Shipyard delivers first Indigenous aircraft carrier to Navy

Scripting history, the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) handed over India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) to the Indian Navy on Thursday. The aircraft carrier, which was designed by the Navy’s in-house Directorate of Naval Design and built by the CSL, will be christened after INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier, which played a crucial role in 1971 war against Pakistan. With the delivery of Vikrant, India has joined a select group of nations having the niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier.

Sources said the vessel will be commissioned and formally inducted into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Independence day. The Navy is planning to make the induction ceremony a mega event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.

The 262 m long aircraft carrier has a full displacement of close to 45,000 tonnes which is much larger and more advanced than her predecessor. The ship is powered by four gas turbines totalling 88 MW power and has a maximum speed of 28 Knots. Built at an overall cost of Rs. 20,000 crores, the IAC has been built in three phases of a contract between the Ministry of Defence and the CSL, concluded in May 2007, December 2014 and October 2019 respectively.

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Jaipur pottery, Kashmir papier mache set to adorn walls of US’ Ivy Lodge 

Meet Shaunali Nanda, who is all set to take off to the US as the only Indian among 20 international interior designers picked to decorate a historic home for the Hampton Designer Showhouse next month.

The project is part of this year’s Hampton Designer Showhouse that’s been raising funds to support Stony Brook Hospital in the area for the last 20 years. As part of this endeavour, designers from across the world are invited to reimagine and transform the spaces within an iconic property. Nanda will be recreating one of the bedrooms on the second floor of the cottage.

“I’ve decided that the room is going to be all about everything made in India. We are doing customised wallpaper and matching blinds. We will be using blue and white pottery elements for the wall plates and a lot of papier mache as accessories and, of course, a very nice handwoven rug and lots of pillows,” says Delhi-based Nanda, adding, “The room will come together as a true representation of what we do best.”

Taking inspiration from books and references from the forts and palaces of India, the designer has chosen a dainty dandelion motif in blue, block printed by hand on white linen, for the blinds that she believes will grab attention as soon as one enters the room. The same design will continue on the canvas wallpaper to coordinate. Versions of the print have also been done for cushions, quilts and a throw.

The passage to the bedroom will also be linked with the dandelion wallpaper, which will be further embellished by motifs of the unique blue pottery plates from Jaipur in the form of wall sconces.
Explaining her choice of colour, the 48-year-old designer says, “Blue and white is so eternal
for Americans and since the cottage is by the seashore, for me it seemed a natural choice.”  
It’s not all blue, though. Nanda has picked a refreshing mint green for the bathroom in the same dandelion motif. The flowers in the bathroom will be red. Again, sticking to another classic combo—red and green.

While Nanda is best known for her brand, Sloane Luxury Interiors, which boasts classic designs for contemporary tastes, her latest undertaking is ‘Sloane by Hand’, a project she started during the pandemic-induced lockdown in 2020. The entire mood board for her showcase for the Ivy Lodge has been sourced and created by Sloane by Hand, which she is looking to now put on the global map.

If anyone can do that, it’s her. Having studied, trained and worked at institutions like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, she went on to work with luxury houses such as Hermès, Tiffany, Chanel and Bulgari, gathering the best knowledge in terms of high design. Nanda’s diverse experience over the years across different parts of the world and her research led her to the conclusion that the “biggest commodity abroad is hand-done”.

“I know I’m not the first one to do this––lots of people are already doing it––but I keep it by hand,” the designer says, adding, “Also, I went right down to the root level. I went to the blue potter in Rajasthan and saw how he lives and works. I saw his humility, patience and understanding of the clay he works with.

I went to Kashmir and saw papier mache artisans at work. I’ve seen how they don’t even have enough light for such detailed work and have to sit by a window when they paint.”Nanda says she is also hoping to touch the hearts of many Indians who live in America and are the richest minority there. “They have a life there now that they’re American, but they have a heritage that they sometimes want to call out to. I’m hoping to touch many of those lives, and at the same time, but all this on an international design map,” she says. Nanda’s team begins installation on August 1, and the showhouse, which will see the who’s who of South Hampton and New York, will open on August 13 with a gala evening.

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CoWIN platform ‘know-how’ now available free of cost to any country

The National Health Authority’s offer comes after India crossed a milestone of administering 2 billion vaccine doses a week ago.

Any country interested can avail CoWIN platform, the platform will be provided free of cost, said Dr. R.S.Sharma, CEO of the National Health Authority, said on Saturday, July 23, 2022.

“Selected vendors by the country will be trained on CoWIN technology to customise it for their requirement. Usually, since the vaccination cycle is almost the same in all countries, the customisation will be limited to changes in field and master data configuration. Complete revamp of the application by any country is not expected,’’ he elaborated while speaking about (CoWIN) which provided the digital support for the COVID vaccination drive in the country.

Dr. Sharma further said that India has already signed an MoU with the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana for sharing CoWIN; “We are in advanced talks with a couple of other nations to share CoWIN with them,’’ he confirmed.

India’s COVID vaccine milestone

India crossed a milestone of administering 2 billion vaccine doses a week ago and talking about its continued importance Dr. Sharma said that as CoWIN is repurposed, it could also help achieve the vision of Universal Vaccination against COVID-19 and further be repurposed for use in the healthcare sector. 

On July 5, 2021, the Central Government organised the Co-WIN Global Conclave with the endeavour to share experiences and expertise on the CoWIN platform with the global community. Over 140 countries participated in the event and nearly a dozen expressed an interest in learning from the platform and evaluating adopting it.

Stating that CoWIN has also become the world’s biggest digitally verifiable vaccination certificate generating platform, Dr. Sharma said that today Co-WIN is highly configurable and adaptable. “It has evolved based on the changing policy landscape and the requirements of the beneficiaries. The platform was developed at record speed with ample consideration to its scalability, modularity and interoperability,’’ hde said.

The CEO also spoke about the security measures that have been put in place to ensure data safety and the prevention of leaks. “CoWIN platform does not store or share any personal data. It’s for vaccination purposes and is the single source of truth to determine whether the person has been vaccinated or not,’’ said Dr. Sharma. He added the platform has deployed state-of-the-art data security systems to safeguard users’ data against any possible intrusion.

“Despite all these security features, CoWIN’s architecture still allows it to be open and interoperable. The capability to digitally authenticate these details with Aadhaar has also been provided to vaccinators. Otherwise, during vaccination a vaccinator could validate these details through a physical ID,’’ he explained, adding that besides the OTP feature the government has also limited the number of slot searches per user (restricted to 15-20) on the portal which prevents bots, browser extensions or hack attempts. Also even the API’s shared to third parties by CoWIN is through a thorough scrutiny process, ensuring proper security and audit.

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Droupadi Murmu elected 15th President of India

Amid heavy cross-voting, she received 64.03% of total valid votes polled

Former Jharkhand Governor and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu was elected the 15 th President of India, the first tribal woman to be elected to the position and the youngest as well. She was declared elected on Thursday after four rounds of counting, although she had crossed the halfway mark after the third round of counting itself, posting an unassailable lead over her rival and the Opposition’s candidate Yashwant Sinha, who conceded the election thereafter.

After four rounds of polling, Ms. Murmu received 2,824 votes of 6,76,803 value while Mr. Sinha received 1,877 votes or 3,80,177 value. She received 64.03% of total valid votes polled, much more than what was openly declared in her support and pointing to the fact there had been a lot of cross-voting in Ms. Murmu’s favour from the Opposition ranks.

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68th National Film Awards updates: Suriya, Ajay Devgn share Best Actor award

Tamil film ‘Soorarai Pottru’ wins Best Film, while directors Sachidanandan KR and Sudha Kongara, and actors Ajay Devgn and Aparna Balamurali also win honours

The 68th National Film Awards were announced on Friday afternoon at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, with the honours for films from the year of 2020. The event is organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, which comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

This year, Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) won the best feature film award as actors Suriya and Ajay Devgn shared the best actor award. Actress Aparna Balamurali bagged the best actress award.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Feature Film: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Producer: 2D Entertainment Pvt.Ltd; Director: Sudha Kongara

Best Actor: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actor: Suriya & Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (Hindi); Actor: Ajay Devgn 

Best Actress: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil); Actress: Aparrna Balamurali

Best Direction: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Director: Sachidanandan KR

Best Supporting Actor: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Supporting Actor: Biju Menon

Best Supporting Actress: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil); Supporting Actress: Lakshmi Priya Chandramouli

Best Children’s Film: Sumi (Marathi); Producer: Harshall Kamat Entertainment; Director: Amol Vasant Gole

Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Taledanda (Beheading a Life )(Kannada) Producer: Krupanidhi Kreations; Director: Praveen Krupakar

Best Film on Social Issues (Themes such as prohibition,women and child empowerment,social evils like dowry, drug abuse, empowerment of differently-abled people, tribal and indigeneous people etc.): Funeral (Marathi); Producer: Before After Entertainment; Director: Vivek Dubey

Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Tanhaji :The Unsung Warrior  (Hindi); Producer: Ajay Devgn FFilms; Director:  Om Raut

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Mandela (Tamil) ; Producer: YNOT Studios; Director:  Madonne Ashwin

Best Screenplay: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) Screenplay writer (original): Shalini Usha Nair & Sudha Kongara

Mandela (Tamil); Dialogue Writer: Madonne Ashwin 

Best Cinematography:  Avijatrik (The Wanderlust of Apu) (Bengali); Cameraman: Supratim Bhol

Best Female Playback Singer: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam); Singer: Nanchamma

Best Male Playback Singer: Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao) (Marathi); Singer: Rahul Deshpande

Best Child Artist: Tak-Tak (Marathi); Child Artist: Anish Mangesh Gosavi; Sumi (Marathi); Child Artist : Akanksha Pingle & Divyesh Indulkar

4.35 PM

Feature Film Awards

Best Telugu Film: Colour Photo

Best Tamil Film: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum

Best Malayalam Film: Thinkalazcha Nishchayam

Best Marathi Film: Gostha Eka Paithanichi

Best Kannada Film: Dollu

Best Hindi Film: Toolsidas Junior

Best Bengali Film: Avijatrik

Best Assamese Film: Bridge

Best Tulu Film: Jeetige

Best Dimasa Film: Semkhor

Best Haryanvi Film: Dada Lakhmi

Best Action Direction Award: AK Ayyappanum Koshiyum

Best Choreography: Natyam (Telugu)

Best Lyrics: Saina (Hindi)

Best Music Direction: Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu) – (Songs): Thaman S

Best Background Score: Soorarai Pottru (Tamil) – GV Prakash Kumar

Best Make-up Artist: Natyam (Dance)(Telugu); Make-up Artist: TV Rambabu

Best Costume Designer: Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior(Hindi); Costume Designer: Nachiket Barve & Mahesh Sherla

Best Production Design: Kappela (Chapel) (Malayalam); Production Designer: Anees Nadodi

Best Editing: Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengallum (Tamil); Editor: Sreekar Prasad

Best Audiography:   Dollu (Kannada); Location Sound Recordist (for sync sound films only): Jobin Jayan

Mi Vasantrao (I Am Vasantrao)  (Marathi); Sound Designer: Anmol Bhave

Malik (Malayalam); Re- recordist of the final mixed track: Vishnu Govind & Sree Sankar

Special mentions: Semkhor (Dimasa), Vaanku (Malayalam), June (Marathi), Avwanchhit (Marathi) and Godakaath (Marathi), and Toolsidas Junior (Hindi)

4.23 PM

Non-feature Film Awards

Best Voice-over/ Narration: Shobha Tharoor Sreenivasan, Rhapsody of Rains – Monsoons of Kerala (English)

Best Music Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj for 1232 Kms: Marenge Toh Wahin Jaakar

Best Editing: Anadi Athaley for Borderlands

Best On-Location Sound Recordist: Sandip Bhati & Pradeep Lekhwar, Jadui Jangal for Magical Forest

Best Audiography: Ajit Singh Rathore, Pearl of the Desert (Rajasthani)

Best Cinematography: Nikhil S Praveen for Shabdikkunna Kalappa

Best Direction: Oh That’s Bhanu (English, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi)

Best Film on Family Values: Kumkumarchan (Worship of the Goddess) (Marathi)

Best Short Fiction Film: Kachichinithu

Special Jury Award: Admitted (Hindi and English) Director: Ojaswee Sharma

Best Investigative Film: The Saviour: Brig. Pritam Singh (Punjabi)

Best Exploration/Adventure Film: Wheeling the Ball (English and Hindi)

Best Educational Film: Dreaming of Words (Malayalam)

Best Film on Social Issues: Justice Delayed but Delivered

Best Film on Social Issues:  Three Sisters (Bengali)

Best Environment Film: Manah Aru Manuh (Manas and People) (Assamese)

Best Promotional Film: Surmounting Challenges (English)

Best Science and Technology Films: On the brink season 2- Bats (English)

Best Arts and Culture Film: Naadada Navaneeta DR PT Venkateshkumar

Best Biographical Film: Pabung Syam (Manipuri)

Best Ethnographic Film: Mandal ke Bol (Hindi)

Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director: Pariah (Marathi and Hindi)

Best Non-Feature Film: Testimony of Ana

4.22 PM

Best book on cinema: The longest kiss, by Kishwar Desai

Best book on cinema (Special Mention): MIT Anubhavangalude Pusthakam, Kali Paine Kalira Cinema

4.14 PM

Most film friendly state: Madhya Pradesh.

This year, 305 feature films were received as entries in 30 languages; and 148 non-feature films in 20 languages were received from all over the country.

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Pratt and Whitney to set up engineering centre in Bengaluru

To be operational in 2023, facility will be fifth globally

Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney (PW) on Monday said it will set up an engineering centre in Bengaluru, that is slated to commence operations in January 2023.

The centre, which will be its first facility in Asia Pacific and fifth globally, will enable the firm to offer engineering services on contract to its domestic and international customers, a spokesperson said.

PW’s integrated global engineering operations currently has centres in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Poland.

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India’s missile woman Tessy Thomas to receive APJ Award 2022

The selection committee, headed by AP Majeed Khan, Chancellor of Noorul Islam University in association with NINS Medicity, announced the award recently.

Dr Tessy Thomas, Scientist and Director General (Aero Systems) at Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), also known as India’s missile woman, will be awarded APJ Award 2022. 

A release said that Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education at Kumarakovil in Kanniyakumari district and NIMS Medicity have been jointly organising the award since 2019 to recognise government officials who have achieved excellence and achievements in their respective field of work. 

Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan will present the award at a ceremony which will be held at NIMS Medicity, Neyyartinkarai on Tuesday (July 19) at 11 am.

The awardee will be receiving a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a certificate of appreciation and a commemorative trophy, the release added. It is to be noted that Tessy Thomas is the first woman scientist to head India’s missile programme.

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France has delivered all 36 Rafale jets to India: French envoy

35 jets have arrived in India, while one remains in France

France has delivered all 36 Rafale fighter jets to India, said the French Envoy in India, Emmanuel Lenain, speaking on the sidelines of the French National Day celebrations on Thursday.

However, while 35 jets have arrived in India, one jet still remains in France, official sources said.

One Rafale jet, which is the instrumented aircraft on which the 13 India specific enhancements (ISE) are being tested, is still in France, an official source said on Friday.

This is also the Rafale built for India and designated RB008. RB stands for former Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria who, as then Deputy Chief of IAF, led the Indian negotiation team and had a major role in the contract negotiations.

The last batch of three Rafale jets had arrived in India in February, taking the total Rafales in inventory of the Indian Air Force to 35. As reported by The Hindu earlier, work on upgrading all the Rafale jets in service to the Indian standard configuration with the 13 ISE is currently underway in India. All ISE have already been qualified and certified.

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Varanasi to be first ‘Cultural and Tourism Capital’ of SCO: Secretary General Zhang Ming

Under this initiative, each year, a city of the cultural heritage of a member country that will take over the rotating Presidency of the organisation will get the title to highlight its prominence.

The holy city of Varanasi, showcasing India’s culture and traditions over the ages, will be declared the first “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Secretary-General of the bloc Zhang Ming said here on Friday.

The Beijing-headquartered Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an eight-member economic and security alliance comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Mr. Ming said Varanasi will become the “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the SCO for 2022-23 under a new rotating initiative by the eight-member organisation to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.

“We are about to implement a rotating mechanism. We will rotate the title of ‘Cultural and Tourism Capital’ among the member states,” he said, adding that Varanasi, India’s ancient city, will be the first to be granted the title.

Under this initiative, each year, a city of the cultural heritage of a member country that will take over the rotating Presidency of the organisation will get the title to highlight its prominence, Mr. Ming told presspersons.

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PM Modi inaugurates Bundelkhand Expressway in U.P.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, July 16, 2022 inaugurated the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway, which passes through seven districts of Uttar Pradesh and has been constructed at a cost of around ₹14,850 crore.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed Mr. Modi by offering him a local ‘Bundeli’ stole at the inauguration ceremony at Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district.

t extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

Boost to development in 7 districts

The four-lane expressway, which can be later expanded into six lanes, passes through seven districts —Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.

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