Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted three flight tests of the 4th Generation Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) at the Pokhran Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan. The tests, conducted in the last two days were carried out against a high-speed target, demonstrating very critical parameters of maximum range and maximum altitude interception. Ministry of Defence said that these development trials showcased the repeatability of the hit-to-kill capability of the weapon system in various target engagement scenarios covering approaching, receding and crossing modes. VSHORADS is a Man Portable Air Defence System designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and Development cum Production Partners. The three Services have been associated with the project right from the beginning and participated during the developmental trials.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Armed Forces and the Industry involved in the successful development trials. He said this new missile equipped with modern technologies will give further technological boost to the Armed Forces against aerial threats.

Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the DRDO team, industry partners and users for the successful flight tests.

Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel's leading aerospace and defence company, have announced the establishment of a joint venture company (JVC), which has been incorporated in the name of BEL IAI AeroSystems Private Ltd.

The JVC with its registered office in Delhi shall be the single point of contact (SPOC) for extending long-term product support to the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) systems of India's defence forces, Bengaluru-headquartered BEL said in a statement on Thursday.

"The partnership marks another significant step in cementing the relationship between the two companies that have a long history of association for strategic programmes. BEL and IAI are collaborating on several joint programmes for the Tri-services," it said.

The ICMR has signed a memorandum of understanding with the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) to promote sustainable energy in healthcare research, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', an official statement said on Friday. The partnership aims to equip Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) institutes across the country with solar power, supporting India's push towards renewable energy and sustainability, the statement issued by the Union health ministry said.

Under the agreement, the NVVN will supply, install, test, commission and maintain rooftop solar panels at 15 ICMR institutes with a combined capacity of 4,559 KW.

The project also includes a power purchase agreement (PPA) for grid-connected solar projects, offering a fixed solar tariff for the next 25 years to ensure long-term cost efficiency and sustainability for the ICMR's operations, the statement said.

The Department of Posts (DoP) under the Ministry of Communications and Amazon Transportation Services Private Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their ongoing collaboration.

According to the Ministry of Communications, the MoU, signed in New Delhi, aims to leverage the vast postal network and Amazon's technological prowess to enhance parcel transmission and delivery across the country.

This partnership, which dates back to 2013, has been instrumental in utilising the DoP's deep reach, particularly in rural and remote regions.

The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu graced a Global Summit on ‘Spirituality for Clean and Healthy Society’, being organised by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, today (October 4, 2024).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that spirituality does not mean being religious or renouncing worldly activities. Spirituality means recognising the power within and bringing purity in conduct and thoughts. Purity in thoughts and actions is the way of bringing balance and peace in every sphere of life. It is also necessary for building a healthy and clean society.

The President said physical, mental and spiritual cleanliness is the key to a healthy life. We should not focus only on external cleanliness but should also be mentally and spiritually clean. Holistic health is based on a clean mindset. Emotional and mental health depends on right thinking because thoughts only that take the form of words and behaviour. Before forming an opinion about others, we should look within ourselves. By putting ourselves in someone else's situation, we will be able to form the right opinion.

M V Shreyams Kumar of Mathrubhumi was elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society (INS), an apex body of publishers of newspapers, magazines and periodicals in the country. He will succeed Rakesh Sharma of Aaj Samaj.

Vivek Gupta of Sanmarg was elected the Deputy President and Karan Rajendra Darda of Lokmat the Vice President.

In his address, Rakesh Sharma said, “Today, we stand at the intersection of tradition and transformation. The rapid growth of technology, social media, and digital platforms have drastically changed how news is delivered and consumed.”

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, a vital arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will spearhead the World Space Week 2024 celebrations, with outreach programmes planned across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, according to SDSC Director A Rajarajan. The festivities, scheduled from October 4 to 10, will align with this year’s theme: “Space and Climate Change.”

Rajarajan highlighted that this year’s theme underscores the crucial role space technology plays in addressing climate change. The inaugural ceremony will take place on October 4 at the MRK Auditorium in Sriharikota, followed by exhibitions, quizzes, drawing and speech competitions, and interactive sessions with senior ISRO scientists. A standout feature will be the “Walk for Space Week,” designed to engage students and the public. Events will be held from October 4th-9th across Sriharikota, Nellore, Tirupati, Bhimavaram, Narasaraopeta, Kadapa, Dindigul, Dharmapuri, and Bargarh.

A slew of activities have been planned as part of the 70th Wildlife Week celebrations by the century-old Mysuru zoo from Wednesday.

The activities are aimed at educating the masses and creating awareness on the importance of wildlife and its conservation. A cyclothon, photography exhibition, waste to wealth event, and a quiz competition are among the activities planned from October 2 to 8.

The cyclothon and wildlife week photography exhibition were inaugurated at the zoo and Swachh Abhiyan at the Lalithadripura lake on Wednesday.

Under the waste to wealth competition, there are two categories – biodegradable and non-biodegradable - from 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the zoo premises on Thursday.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Researchers have demonstrated how drugs injected in the human eye can be better delivered to the target region through ‘convection caused by mild laser heating’. They used simulation and modelling studies to analyse the efficacy of various types of treatments on the human eye, focusing on heat and mass transfer.

With nearly 11 million individuals afflicted by retinal disorders in India, indigenous original research of this nature holds promise for the development and advancement of laser-based treatments for various eye diseases.

Laser-based retinal treatments are increasingly being used to treat diseases like retinal tears, diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema and retinal vein occlusion. Since the retina is the region of the eye that contains blood vessels and nerves, such treatments must be performed carefully and with precision.

As a part of 100 Days Achievements of Department of Food and Public Distribution under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation initiative to modernize its existing supply chain management system, known as the 'Depot Online System'. This ambitious project involves the implementation of a new, microservices-based integrated supply chain management system named ANNA DARPAN. The system is being designed to streamline and enhance the entire supply chain operations and services at various levels including Mandis, Mills, Depots (both owned and hired), as well as divisional, regional, zonal, and headquarters operations. This transformation is supported by advanced technology, a state-of-the-art IT environment, and an optimized architectural framework.

To bring this vision to life, FCI has engaged M/s Coforge Limited as the system integrator (SI). This selection was finalized with the signing of the contract on 14th June 2024. M/s Coforge Limited shall be responsible for the end-to-end design, development, implementation, and maintenance of the ANNA DARPAN system.

The project is conceptualized as a comprehensive, turnkey solution that includes provisioning of a cloud environment for hosting the system. The application will be constructed using a service mesh architecture, facilitating seamless communication among microservices, along with API-based integration with external applications associated with FCI. Beyond the core applications and microservices, the project will also focus on developing a centralized analytics platform, empowering FCI to make more informed, data-driven decisions.