In a significant move towards enhancing India's capabilities in renewable energy research, Union minister for power and new & renewable energy, R.K. Singh laid the foundation stone for the new Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

ICER, envisioned as a leading research hub, will delve into a wide array of renewable energy domains, including the development of Net Zero Technology for Green Hydrogen, sCo2, Power and Turbine, and pioneering research in Clean Coal technology.

Additionally, the center will focus on groundbreaking research and development in the field of green energy technologies. This includes the generation of hydrogen and biofuels from biomass, advancements in battery technology, energy storage systems, and other sustainable technologies.

An IPS officer currently posted as the SP of Assam’s Lakhimpur district, who is also a part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the Manipur ethnic clash, has tendered his resignation from the service to pursue a life of “freedom and independence” through social services.

Dubbed as “Assam’s Singham” on the social media, the officer, Anand Mishra, submitted the resignation letter to Assam chief secretary through the DGP on December 18.

However, the matter has come to light now.

“This is to submit my unconditional resignation from the IPS to pursue a life of freedom and independence that I want to realise through various social services and other means that are beyond the mandate of the IPS,” he wrote in the letter.

The 2011-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre was recently posted in Manipur to be a part of the SIT probing the violence in the state.

NASA has recently launched a mission to intercept a near-Earth asteroid nicknamed “God of Chaos.” For this mission, the US space agency deployed OSIRIS-APEX, after the spacecraft's return from deep space. The asteroid Apophis, or God of Chaos, will brush past Earth’s orbit, only 20,000 miles away from the surface in 2029. Its close proximity could even result in Apophis’ visibility in the Northern Hemisphere

Apophis, ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid

Named after an ancient Egyptian deity, Apophis is a 1,000-foot-wide asteroid. It was first discovered in 2004 and is expected to fly by Earth on April 13, 2029. During that time, OSIRIS will intercept the asteroid to study any changes made by its earthly encounter. According to scientists, such an asteroid passes by Earth every 7,500 years.

In a move to advance better standards of education and improve the socio-economic progress of members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has approved a new scheme named SHRESHTA (Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas).

The scheme aims to provide access to the best private residential schools for meritorious students from SC communities. The scheme is expected to provide admissions to around 3,000 students in Classes 9 and 11 each year. The core objectives of the scheme are to enhance the reach of the development initiatives of the government and fill in the gap in service-deprived SC dominant areas in the education sector.

The scheme will collaborate with voluntary organisations to provide an environment that can help create conditions for socio-economic upliftment and the overall development of the SC communities. This scheme will enable students from the SC community to explore future opportunities by providing access to high-quality education.

Para-Military forces will completely switch to 'Sandes App' for all official communication and sharing of documents from the first week of January.

A senior official, who is aware of the development informed that all paramilitary forces have been suggested to switch to 'Sandes App' for all kinds of official communication and sharing of documents.

"For quick and fast communication, WhatsApp was very popular among security forces for internal communication, but in the present scenario where the safety of data is paramount and document sharing on messaging apps is a regular affair. To overcome security issues, it has been decided to switch to the 'Sandes app' that has been designed and developed in India," said the officer.

POWERGRID Vishram Sadan was inaugurated by Sh. R.K. Singh, Hon'ble Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India in virtual presence of Dr. Mansukh L Mandaviya, Hon'ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Chemical and Fertilizer presence of Sh. K J George, Hon'ble Minister of Energy, Sh. Tejasvi Soorya, Hon'ble MP, Bengaluru South, Dr. Yatindra Dwivedi, Director (Personnel) POWERGRID, Dr. Partima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, Bengaluru and senior officials from POWERGRID.

Addressing the public, Shri R. K. Singh appreciated the noble efforts of POWERGRID and said, "Poor people from far flung areas will be benefited from this POWERGRID Vishram Sadan." He also talked about the strong power scenario in the country and the commendable efforts made by Government of India to provide affordable power to the common man.

Built at a cost of about Rs 23 crore, this 2-storey Vishram Sadan has 270 beds. The 55 rooms of this Sadan are equipped with all necessary facilities and are capable of providing the maximum possible comfort to the attendants of the patients.

President Droupadi Murmu will attend the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Karbi Youth Festival 2024 on January 17, to be held at Taralangso, Diphu, in 's Karbi Anglong district.

Tuliram Ronghang, Chief Executive Member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), said, "President Droupadi Murmu has consented to attend as Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Karbi Youth Festival 2024 on January 17, 2024, at noon."

"Governor of Assam Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Meghalaya Phagu Chauhan, La Ganesan, Governor of Nagaland, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will also attend the programme," Tuliram Ronghang said.

Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta on Wednesday said Meenakshi Energy Ltd has become its wholly-owned subsidiary. The National Company Law Tribunal had earlier approved Vedanta's acquisition of Meenakshi Energy for Rs 1,440 crore.

"Meenakshi has allotted 10,00,000 fully paid-up equity shares of Rs 10 each amounting to equity capital of Rs 1 crore to the company, consequent to which, Meenakshi has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company with effect from December 27," Vedanta said in a regulatory filing.

Vedanta had earlier said that it will acquire bankrupt thermal power company Meenakshi Energy for Rs 1,440 crore through an insolvency process.

National Award winner Suriya on Wednesday said he has joined the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) as the owner of team Chennai.

The ISPL is India’s first tennis ball T10 cricket tournament that will be played inside a stadium, according to a press release. The tournament will feature 19 high-intensity matches, boasting a line-up of six teams – Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Srinagar.

Suriya said he is looking forward to being part of the league.

The government has launched six SAMARTH-curated training programs on iGOT Karmayogi Platform for State Government officials The Government has launched six SAMARTH-curated training programs on iGOT Karmayogi Platform for State Government officials today. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions in a statement said that these programs aim to elevate the skills and competencies of government officials. The programme will ensure that the officials are well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of governance.

iGOT Karmayogi is a comprehensive online learning platform to guide government officials in their capacity-building journey. More than 28 lakh learners from across the government spectrum are currently registered on this platform. The portal combines six functional hubs for online learning, competency management, career management, discussions, events, and networking.