Category: Business & Economy

** IIT professor’s research shows ways of reducing waste in factories

Frugal manufacturing can cut cost

A faculty member at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has suggested ways of using minimal resources and reducing cost without compromising on functionality.

Balkrishna C. Rao, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Design, has developed the concept of ‘frugal manufacturing’ for sustainable development in factories. By adopting frugal manufacturing practises, Indian manufacturers can lead the race of next-generation manufacturing processes and machine tool systems, according to the researcher.

** CSK becomes country’s first Unicorn sports enterprise

Ahead of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of its most successful franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has become the country’s first sports Unicorn with its market cap having touched a high of Rs 7,600 crores and its share in the grey market trading in the Rs 210-225 price band.

** First goods train chugs into Manipur 75 years after independence

A freight train chugged into the Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station in Goinanglong of Tamenglong district, thereby putting Manipur on the country’s railway map.

“In yet another milestone, the first ever Goods Train reached Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station, Tamenglong. The improvement in railway connectivity, under the close supervision of Hon’ PM Sh @narendramodi Ji, will immensely improve the socio-economic condition of Manipur,” Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted.

Manipur

** Made in Odisha RAT kit gets ICMR nod   

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has approved ImCOV-Ag, a Covid-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kit developed in Odisha. The high sensitivity kit that can detect infection of all variants of the novel coronavirus will be available in the market in one to two months.

Developed by Imgenex India Pvt Ltd in collaboration with the ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, the kit is the first to be developed in the eastern zone of the country. Director RMRC Dr Sanghamitra Pati said based on the internal validation here, Imgenex submitted the report to ICMR central office in November, 2021. The ICMR validated the kit through a third party and gave approval for its use at laboratory testing facilities on January 27. 

Odisha

** ‘Crorepati fakir’ is a crusader for girls’ education

At 95, Mathematician Dr Ghasiram Verma is full of enthusiasm. The nonagenarian, originally hailing from Sidi village of Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, is called a ‘crorepati fakir’ because he spent almost everything on girl child education. 

Today, thousands of girls have access to good education with his help and many school buildings have come up with his donations. Dr Ghasiram Verma has settled in America, but visits India for three months every year and spends Rs 50 lakh — half of his pension funds—on educating girls. So far, he has spent over Rs 10 crore on educating girls in his area. 

Rajasthan / USA

** ‘AirVaidya’ dhoopa can be effective in preventing air-borne infections, including COVID, say researchers

Prepared by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals, ‘AirVaidya’ contains phytochemicals from 19 medicinal which are known for their potential therapeutic effects to combat the coronavirus.

Researchers at Banaras Hindu University have found that anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the fumes of ‘AirVaidya’ herbal incense sticks can be effective in preventing air-borne infections.

Prepared by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals, ‘AirVaidya’ contains phytochemicals from 19 medicinal which are known for their potential therapeutic effects to combat the coronavirus.

Benares, Uttar Pradesh

* Bengaluru-based biotech lab develops tabletop papaya variety ‘Dawn Delight’

Developed by Thomas Biotech Lab, the papaya variety, christened ‘Dawn Delight’, grows only up to three or four feet and is best for cultivation on the terrace, balconies, and kitchen gardens.

** Maharashtra has highest number of SC entrepreneurs

Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan occupy second and third slots
Maharashtra tops India’s list in the number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) owned by entrepreneurs from the Scheduled Castes with as many as 96,805 enterprises.

Tamil Nadu with 42,997 enterprises and Rajasthan with 38,517 units occupy the second and third slots, according to the data furnished by the Office of the Development Commissioner in the Union Ministry of MSME exclusively to The Hindu regarding the number of SC-owned enterprises covered under the Udyam system of registration.

The fourth, fifth and sixth slots belong to Uttar Pradesh (36,913 units), Karnataka (28,803 enterprises) and Punjab (24,503 units) respectively. As on January 23, 2022, the number of SC-owned enterprises at the all-India level was 4,53,972, of which micro enterprises accounted for 4,50,835, small – 3,004 and medium – 133.

** India’s largest electric vehicle charging station set up in Gurugram

It will be able to charge 100 EVs round the clock

India’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging station, with 100 charging points for four-wheelers, was commissioned in Sector 52 here on Friday. Before this, the country’s largest EV charging station was in Navi Mumbai, with 16 AC and 4 DC charging ports for such vehicles.

The EV charging station in Gurugram, with 72 AC slow-chargers and 24 DC fast-chargers, has been installed and is operated by a partner company of National Highways for Electric Vehicle (NHEV), as part of a pilot project to install charging stations on the Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra highways, and turn them into e-highways.