Cabinet clears purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets for Indian Air Force

Government has approved procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircraft, LCA, Tejas worth about 48 thousand crore rupees from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for Indian Air Force. The Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday met in New Delhi.

In a series of tweets, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing. He said the LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the Indian Air Forces fighter fleet in the years to come. He added that LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were hitherto unattempted in India. The Defence Minister said the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL has already set-up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions.

The Defence Minister said the LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atma Nirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem. Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, India is continuously growing its power to indigenously design, develop and manufacture advanced cutting edge technologies and systems in the Defence Sector. About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procurement. 

Preparations for world’s largest Corona vaccination drive gain momentum; vaccines being transported across the country

Preparations for the world’s largest Corona vaccination drive have gained momentum with planes carrying vaccines flying into airports across the country. From various airports, the vaccines are being dispatched to small cities and towns in readiness for the inoculation exercise beginning Saturday. From Assam to Goa and from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the vaccines were carefully and swiftly transported to far corners of the country.
 
According to sources, 95 per cent of the 1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine purchased by the government have been delivered and shipped to nearly 60 consignee points across India in the past two days. Of the 55 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech ordered by the Centre, the first tranche of 2.4 lakh doses have been dispatched to 12 states. Health Ministry said, vaccines have been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database.
 
In accordance with the national priority list, the vaccine will be first given to healthcare and frontline workers. Each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries per day.

Call for Papers IJR – International Journal of Research

 International Journal of Research (IJR) [ISSN -2348-4868] is an international journal dedicated to publishing exceptionally important and high quality, agenda-setting research tackling the key global and societal challenges of ensuring the provision of energy and protecting our environment for the future.

The scope is intentionally broad and the journal recognizes the complexity of issues and challenges relating to energy conversion and storage, alternative fuel technologies and environmental science. For work to be published it must be linked to the energy-environment nexus and be of significant general interest to our community-spanning readership. All scales of studies and analysis, from impactful fundamental advances to interdisciplinary research across the (bio)chemical, (bio/geo)physical sciences and chemical engineering disciplines are welcomed.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Solar energy conversion and photovoltaics
  • Solar fuels and artificial photosynthesis
  • Fuel cells
  • Hydrogen storage and (bio) hydrogen production
  • Materials for energy systems
  • Capture, storage and fate of CO2, including chemicals and fuels from CO2
  • Catalysis for a variety of feedstocks (for example, oil, gas, coal, biomass and synthesis gas)
  • Biofuels and biorefineries
  • Materials in extreme environments
  • Environmental impacts of energy technologies
  • Global atmospheric chemistry and climate change as related to energy systems
  • Water-energy nexus
  • Energy systems and networks
  • Globally applicable principles of energy policy and techno-economics
For publication in IJR, send papers to ijr@ijrjournal.com or ijr@pen2print.org

KOCHI TO GET AN INFRASTRUCTURAL FACELIFT IN 2021

The year 2021 will be witnessing a grandiose infrastructural facelift of Kochi, the stupendous port city of Kerala. Kochi has undergone a massive transformation during the past decade, with the launch of Cochin International Airport, Cochin Shipyard, Infopark, Kochi Metro etc which has uplifted it from a tiny port city to a metropolitan urban city we see today. Enormous investment in the construction and expansion of roads and bridges has increased the pace of life in the city. 

With the inauguration of the Vytilla and Kundannor flyovers, the two major projects which Kochi has been anticipating for a long time; the city has kickstarted its infrastructural facelift of 2021. The Vytilla Kundanoor flyovers built under the supervision of  Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK) are expected to reduce the traffic congestion at the busiest junctions of the city. With the completion of the Palarivattom flyover by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in the coming months, commutation through and within the city will become facile.

The first phase of Kochi Water Metro, a project introduced as an alternative public transport system to reduce traffic congestion within the city with minimal pollution is expected to be completed by mid-2021 under the supervision of Kochi Metro Rail Limited. Kochi will become the first city in the country to have an integrated road, metro rail and water transport system under one roof with the launch of this project. The Phase I extension of the Kochi Metro to Tripunithura is expected to be completed this year. 

Efforts to resolve the waterlogging and flooding in Kochi during monsoon season as a follow up to Operation Breakthrough is said to begin in March 2021. Several innovative projects such as rooftop solar panel projects and Intelligent Traffic Management System have been rolled out by Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CMRL). A walkway development project, an open-air theatre and renovation of Dutch Palace premises in the Fort Kochi area will also be carried out this year.

The Ernakulam Medical College Hospital was transformed earlier this year into a state-of-the-art healthcare hub that the state can be proud of. The commissioning of the GAIL pipeline in January by the Prime Minister marked a historical achievement as the city and the government had to tackle numerous hard knocks to make the project a reality. With the launch of numerous infrastructural and economically uplifting projects, Kochi is expected to become one of the leading metropolitan cities in the coming decade.

Atal Innovation Mission launches new edition of Atal Tinkering Lab handbook

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog launched its new edition of Atal Tinkering Lab, ATL handbook yesterday. It reinforces detailed establishment and operational processes of the Atal Tinkering Labs and its journey towards an innovative ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
 
The handbook named ‘The Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook 2.0’ outlines a practical guidance on structural, selection, establishment and celebration aspects of the Atal Innovation Mission-  AIM’s flagship ATL programme. The handbook, which is available online on AIM’s official website, also provides a detailed guidance for schools across the country on building a technically robust mechanism of grass root innovations through ATLs.
 
Gracing the occasion through a special video message, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar said, the second version of the ATL Handbook encompasses 3 years of on-the-ground work done by the AIM team in a framework using four key pillars of the ATL initiative – Selection, Establishment, Enablement, and Celebration.
 
An Atal Tinkering Lab provides a maker space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode and learn innovation skills. To foster entrepreneurship and innovation, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has established over 7000 ATLs across the country.

India proposes 8 point agenda to UN Security Council to combat terrorism

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has said that COVID-19 has further aggravated the terrorism concerns for the world.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council open debate on the topic of Threats to International Peace and security caused by terrorist acts, Dr Jaishankar said the economic uncertainty caused due to the pandemic has made the radical extremist ideologies more susceptible towards terrorist activities.

External Affairs Minister proposed an eight point action plan in order to combat the menace of terrorism. He said, the council should not countenance double standards in their battle against terrorism.

Dr. Jaishankar added that there are no good and bad terrorists. He asserted, those who propagate such distinctions have an agenda and those who cover up for terrorists are equally culpable. He urged the council members to stand united in the fight against terrorism. Dr. Jaishankar exhorted that linkages between terrorism and transnational organized crime must be fully recognized and addressed vigorously. He said, India has seen crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given State protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality in that country.

External Affairs Minister gave a call to all the member nations to fulfill the obligations enshrined in the international counter-terrorism instruments. He said, enlisting and delisting individuals and entities under the UN sanctions regimes must be done objectively and not for political or religious considerations.

Dr. Jaishankar also pointed out that some nations lack legal and operational frameworks and technical expertise to detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist financing cases. He said, on the other hand, there are nations that are guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism and provide financial assistance, safe havens to them.

Dr. Jaishankar said, in recent years, the terrorist groups and lone-wolf attackers have enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to emerging technologies, including drones, virtual currencies and encrypted communications. He said, social media networks have contributed to radicalization and recruitment of youth.

The External Affairs Minister called for enhanced United Nations coordination with FATF for checking the financial aid to terrorist organisations. He called for a relook at the functioning of the various committees in this regard and asked for greater transparency, accountability and effectiveness.