Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ICGS Varaha made a significant port call at Maputo Port, Mozambique, on February 14 as a part of the ongoing strategic overseas deployment to East Africa, marking a pivotal milestone in the ongoing diplomatic maritime engagements.

During its three-day visit, the crew of ICGS Varaha will participate in a series of professional interactions in the field of Marine Pollution Response (MPR), Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR) and Maritime Law Enforcement, including cross-deck training, call-ons to various Mozambique Naval and maritime agencies officials, sports fixtures, joint yoga sessions, tabletop exercises and Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the Mozambique Naval Forces.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has said that the India is going to be the hub of broadcasting sector. He stressed that broadcasting industry must explore next generation broadcasting by adopting cutting edge and sustainable technologies and focussing on localized contents to cater every strata of society and enrich the user experience.

Mr. Thakur today inaugurated the BSE EXPO-2024 at 28th International Conference and Exhibition on Broadcast and Media Technology, organised by Broadcast Engineering Society (India) in New Delhi today. Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Thakur said, it is imperative to strengthen our public sector broadcasting that cater to diverse need of the country. He said, Prasar Bharati has played pivotal role in shaping the narrative of the country. He said, DD and Akashwani is playing instrumental role in informing, educating and entertaining millions of people across the country. He said, media landscape is witnessing transformative change and consumption patters of viewers and audience are changing rapidly. He asked broadcasting industry to adapt the changes by adopting technological innovations and good content.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday (February 15) launched the ‘Van Mitra’ scheme and its portal to encourage community participation in tree planting activities in non-forest areas. The members of families with an annual income of less than Rs 1.80 lakh can register to become ‘Van Mitras’. CM Khattar said that the objective of this scheme is to directly involve the local public in increasing forest areas across the state, ensuring an increase in the survival rate of afforestation, and promoting tree planting in non-forest areas.

Each van mitra will receive an incentive based on the maintenance of the plant and they can plant a maximum of 1,000 saplings. Any individual aged between 18 and 60 can become a van mitra, according to an official statement.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has joined the Board of Directors of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), an official announcement said on Thursday. Krishna, the 62-year-old Indian-American CEO among other things, is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and serves on the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman.

"His knowledge about technology is unmatched, and his track record for leading market transitions in areas like hybrid cloud business, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence is remarkable," said USISPF chairman Jon Chambers.

He said that Krisha is a true visionary and a leader who is always focused on what's good for society at large.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually lay the foundation stone for the 300 MW solar power plant in Rajasthan today, an official statement from the Ministry of Coal said.

The project is being set up with an investment of over Rs 1,756 crore to ensure affordable power supply to government entities.

NLC India Limited, a leading Navratna CPSE under the Ministry of Coal, is establishing the power project in Barsingsar, in Rajasthan's Bikaner district, as part of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy's CPSE Scheme.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 28 national highway (NH) projects worth Rs 6,600 crore in Odisha. Though his visit to Odisha was cancelled at the last minute, Gadkari launched these projects virtually.

Among the inaugurated projects were a 79km four-lane road between Baharagora and Singhara on NH-49, valued at Rs 1,203 crore, and a 78km six-lane road from Chandikhol to Bhadrak on NH-16, costing Rs 2,035 crore.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the inland waterways system has big potential to become a growth engine of the country. Addressing a function at Kalugaht near Parmanandpur in Saran district in Bihar Mr. Sonowal said waterways are a very important resource and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed to harness this. He said it will boost the trade and commerce in the country. He also added that inland waterways can also propagate tourism which was successfully exhibited during the journey of MV-Ganga Vilas River cruise last year.

Inaugurating the newly constructed Kalughat Inland Waterways Transport (IWT) terminal on National Waterways -1 (NW-1) the Union Minister said cargo transport is cheaper and more economical with comparison to rail and road transport. Mr. Sonowal said with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Inland Vessel Act was amended which revolutionised transport and navigation through inland waterways. He said that it also removed the hurdles of different permit systems varying from one State to another for vessels. He said, with new initiatives and the construction of multimodal and intermodal terminals, India is going to be a big power in the area of riverways and maritime cargo handling. Mr. Sonowal mentioned that 10 years ago there were only 5 NWs in the country, which has now reached 111 with the efforts of Modi Government. The Minister said for seamless navigation of vessels dredging and silt removal work will be undertaken to ensure the depth of the river.

India is set to witness its first Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) which will operate from All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh.

Through HEMS, the government intends to expand medical outreach and access to trauma care services to a wider population across the country using helicopters.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia assured Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami of the new integrated airport building of Uttarakhand airport.

Mr Scindia affirmed, "The request for the HEMS from AIIMS Rishikesh is underway, with helicopter assembly and certification progressing, under my oversight."

In Jammu and Kashmir, a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department of IIT Jammu, Dr. Karan Nathwani has developed an anti-drone system that works mainly on sound technology. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that the drone system is not only cost effective but also user-friendly, making it accessible to the general public. The system is easy to operate, and there are no issues with cameras or radar and was designed considering various challenges, making it versatile. The drone system is the first of its kind which is developed based on an entirely new technology called 'sound-based detection'. This system detects the sound emitted by drones, producing a unique signature that helps in their identification. Professor Nathwani said, this signature is compared with the system’s database, and if a match is found, the drone is detected. The cost of this system is about 4 lakh rupees. The Sound-based drone detection systems will detect even drones and birds coming from Pakistan. Worth to mention, along with dealing with terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the biggest challenge for the security forces at present is drones. Arms, ammunition, cash and drugs are being sent from Pakistan through drones. In such a situation, different technologies are being developed for the security forces to deal with the increasing trend of drones. In this series, IIT Jammu has prepared this sound-based drone detection system. With the help of this system, this device will be able to easily detect drones, aircraft, multiple drones or birds flying up to 300 meters by their sound.

President Droupadi Murmu has awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal to Havildar Varinder Singh of the Sikh Regiment in the Indian Army for his development of a 'Multipurpose Octocopter', an official said.

The 'Multipurpose Octocopter' developed by Singh is a versatile drone capable of not only conducting surveillance operations but also performing tasks such as grenade dropping, aerial target engagement with weapons like the AK-47, and logistics operations.

Meanwhile, Singh added that the 'Multipurpose Octocopter' will prove to be a boon for the Indian Army.