The Government on Wednesday signed a loan package of USD 500 million with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to improve access to quality and affordable tertiary health care and medical education in Maharashtra.

The loan will establish four medical colleges attached with tertiary care teaching hospitals incorporating climate and disaster-resilient, gender-responsive, and socially inclusive features in under-served districts, ADB said in a statement.

The project will increase bed capacity in government tertiary care hospitals and envisages hiring of at least 500 new doctors for four new governmental medical colleges, the ADB said.

ADB is helping the state to create an enabling environment through policy actions for recruiting and retaining quality doctors and staff through performance-based incentives, formulate a new talent management policy, and establish India’s first state-led health care and medical education centers of excellence.

The project also aims to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of people by making available better quality of drugs.

According to a new study, there could be oceans’ worth of liquid water deep in the rocky outer crust of Mars. While scientists have known about water ice at the Martian poles for a long time, this is the first time they have discovered liquid water on the planet.

The study, ‘Liquid water in the Martian mid-crust’, was published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). It was carried out by Vashan Wright, Matthias Morzfeld, and Michael Manga of the University of California San Diego.

The findings could help researchers better understand the water cycle of Mars, which in turn could unlock questions related to the evolution of the planet’s climate, surface, and interior. The discovery could also provide impetus to the ongoing search for evidence of life on Mars.

Karnataka is at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution in India. According to a recent report by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power, the state has the highest number of public electric vehicle charging stations (PEVCS) in the country, most of them in Bengaluru.

As per the report, there are 5,765 PEVCS in the state, of which 4,462 are in Bengaluru Urban alone. Similar reports released by Vahaan and Yatra portals in 2023 and 2024, respectively, also showed Karnataka taking the lead in EV charging stations.

Energy department officials said this achievement underscores the state’s commitment to sustainability and clean energy. “According to recent data, Karnataka has set a remarkable benchmark with its electric vehicle infrastructure, and Bengaluru city is leading the charge. Bangalore Urban District alone boasts 4,462 EV charging stations, representing over 85% of the state’s total. This highlights Bengaluru’s pivotal role in Karnataka’s impressive achievement, underscoring the city’s commitment to advancing sustainable transportation,” a release from the department said. Karnataka was also the first state to introduce an EV policy in 2017. This initiative was further bolstered in 2021 with incentives for all stakeholders.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde today inaugurated the first ‘Solar Village’ in the state. The Manyachiwadi village in the Patan Taluka of Satara district has become the first ‘Solar Village’ in Maharashtra.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted that the state government is committed to promoting the use of renewable energy and reducing the dependency on traditional power sources.

He further said that the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lessened the burden of electricity bills in the state. He also mentioned that the state government provides a 90 to 95% subsidy to farmers for setting up solar pump sets under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Pump Yojana.

Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that 12 thousand megawatts of electricity will be generated in the state through solar energy in the next one and a half years. He added that this will ensure that farmers can get free electricity during the day, when most of the agricultural activities are done.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah is all set to replace the incumbent Greg Barclay as the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), sources have confirmed to NDTV. Barclay told ICC directors, including Cricket Australia's chair Mike Baird, that he has no intention of running for the post, for the third term during a video conference. His decision comes after being informed of Jay Shah's intentions to replace him in November. Shah has the backing of cricket boards from England and Australia, and hence, has the numbers to be crowned as the chief of the ICC.

Jagmohan Dalmiya (1997 to 2000), Sharad Pawar (2010-2012) -- as presidents -- and N Srinivasan (2014 to 2015) and Shashank Manohar (2015 to 2020) -- as chairmen -- are the only four Indians who have headed ICC in the past. Shah, who is also the son of India's home minister Amit Shah, will become the third to do so when he officially replaces Barclay in November.

When billionaire Jared Isaacman self-funded a mission to orbit Earth in 2021, the project was billed as a childhood cancer fundraiser — and made for an eye-popping entrance into the private space tourism world. The four-person crew of people from various backgrounds with no prior spaceflight experience spent three days orbiting Earth together in a 13-foot-wide SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Upon his return, Isaacman imagined he likely would not go to space again.

“We kind of checked every one of the boxes we set out to achieve,” Isaacman told CNN, saying that Inspiration4 showed how people from various walks of life can train for and execute a mission to orbit. ”(I thought) that maybe I wouldn’t go back, that maybe the bar was set sufficiently high that this was a good time to stop.”

India's second home-built 700 MW nuclear power reactor at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat on Wednesday started operating at its full capacity, the plant operator said. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said Unit 4 at KAPS had been operating at 90 per cent capacity before raising it to full power of 700 MWe.

"The full power operation of KAPS-4 after the smooth operation of its twin unit KAPS-3 at full power demonstrates the strength of the first of a kind indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) design," the NPCIL said.

The KAPS-4 unit achieved first criticality on December 17 last year and commenced commercial operations on March 31.

ICC has officially confirmed the change of venue for the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates. The event will commence as scheduled on October 3 and will be played at two venues in Dubai and Sharjah until 20 October. ICC took the decision after a virtual board meeting where the Bangladesh Cricket Board also agreed to move the marquee tournament to the UAE.

Notably, Bangladesh has been in turmoil ever since Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 after weeks of deadly unrest. Soon afterwards, a number of the country's top officials were forced to resign by the protesters, and an interim government was formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The new government did make a last-minute bid through the United Nations to keep the Women's T20 World Cup in the country, but with the likes of India, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom already issuing travel advisories against travelling to the Asian nation, their efforts were in vain.

India and Japan on Tuesday signed their first project offtake agreement for the export of green ammonia to the latter in the presence of Minister of New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi.

The project offtake agreement marks a significant step forward in India’s journey to becoming a global leader in green hydrogen and ammonia production, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) said.

The Heads of Terms (HoT) agreement was signed between Sembcorp Industries, Sojitz Corporation, Kyushu Electric Power and NYK Line, solidifying a cross-border green ammonia supply partnership from India to Japan, it added.

The Union Minister of Power and Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, today launched Portal for Online monitoring of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT) in New Delhi.

Speaking at the launch, Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal remarked that the electricity is the key driver for the ongoing economic activities in the country. Accordingly, the demand for power is also increasing therefore completion of ongoing schemes and thermal projects in timebound manner is extremely critical. "The launch of the portal PROMPT will enable transparent, coordinated, and effective working of the power sector in the country.

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has been actively monitoring the progress of under-construction power projects through regular site visits, interactions with developers, and periodic review meetings with stakeholders. These efforts are aimed at identifying and resolving critical issues to ensure timely commissioning of power projects. Taking a step further in monitoring of these thermal power projects and to facilitate the power project developers towards a digital process of monitoring, this online thermal project monitoring portal is developed. NTPC has helped in developing this portal.

The newly launched PROMPT portal is designed to facilitate real-time tracking and analysis of thermal power projects. This online platform enables project managers and stakeholders to make informed decisions swiftly, ensuring that potential delays and issues are identified early and addressed promptly.