The Government has issued operational guidelines for the implementation of Model Solar Village under PM-Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana today. The New and Renewable Energy Ministry in a statement said that under the scheme emphasis has been placed on creating one Model Solar Village per district across the country. The Ministry said that a total financial outlay of 800 crore rupees has been allocated for this component, providing 1 crore rupees per selected Model Solar Village. It said that to be considered under this scheme, a village must be a revenue village with a population size above 5,000 or 2,000 for special category states.

The Ministry said that the villages will be assessed on their overall distributed renewable energy capacity installed in six months after the declaration of the potential candidate by the District Level Committee. The winning village in each district, with the highest renewable energy capacity will receive a central financial assistance grant of one crore rupees.

In February this year, the government approved this scheme intending to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their electricity.

The JUICE mission of the European Space Agency is set to complete a new manoeuvre and break two records.

This is the first time the spacecraft will use two objects to carry out a gravity assist maneuver, and for the first time, it will also attempt Lunar-Earth flyby.

The Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist (LEGA) is likely to save JUICE many propellants, which the mission will use at a later stage.

This is a tough manoeuvre which was first planned 15 years ago and for this, the spacecraft should be launched at a precise second so that it is able to find the Earth and the Moon in the correct position.

In a significant technological breakthrough, the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, (IIT Indore) has delivered ten pairs of Tribo-Electric Nanogenerator (TENG) based shoe sole energy harvesting units to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). These shoes, are designed to harness energy from human motion, providing a sustainable power source for electronic devices.

These shoes utilize advanced tribo-pairs, specifically Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) and Aluminium, to generate power with each step. This energy is then stored in a central device within the shoe sole, ensuring a reliable power source for small-scale electronic circuits. Additionally, the shoes are equipped with sophisticated tracking technology, including RFID and a satellite-based GPS module for live location tracking.

Professor Suhas Joshi, Director of IIT Indore, emphasising the military applications of this technology, said, "The real-time location tracking capabilities enhance the safety and coordination of military personnel, boosting operational efficiency and security. The TENG-powered shoes can support essential GPS and RFID systems, providing a self-sustaining and dependable solution for various military needs. As the demand for efficient and portable power sources continues to rise, IIT Indore's innovations, including the TENG-based shoe sole technology and other advanced DRDO projects, are set to revolutionize energy harvesting, real-time tracking, and various defence and industrial applications. These advancements offer sustainable and practical solutions for a wide range of needs, highlighting IIT Indore's pivotal role in pioneering the future of defence technology."

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was sworn in for his fourth term after securing over 99 per cent of the vote. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Faustin Ntezilyayo, during which Kagame pledged to uphold peace, national sovereignty, and national unity. In a post on X, the President expressed his gratitude to the citizens for their support. However, Rights activists have criticized the election outcome, arguing that it highlights the lack of democratic processes in the country. Only two out of eight candidates were allowed to run in the presidential race,  and those who criticised Kagame were barred from participating.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, released the 25th issue of its publication titled “Women and Men in India 2023”.

The publication is a comprehensive and insightful document that attempts to bring a holistic view of the situation of women and men in India and provides data on a wide range of topics such as Population, Education, Health, Participation in Economy, Participation in Decision making etc. among others. It presents data disaggregated by gender, urban-rural divide, and geographical region, which helps to understand the disparities that exist between different groups of women and men. The publication includes important indicators as derived from published official data of different Ministries/Departments/Organizations.

“Women and Men in India 2023” not only highlights the progress made towards gender equality but also identifies the areas where significant gaps remain. By examining various socio-economic indicators, the publication offers some analysis of trends over time, thereby enabling policymakers, researchers, and the general public to make informed decisions and contribute to the development of gender-sensitive policies.

The report is a crucial resource for understanding the demographic changes and their implications for both women and men in India. It serves as a vital tool for advocacy and action to promote gender equity and ensure that development efforts are inclusive and sustainable.

IIT Madras has been ranked top in the NationalInstitutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 for Higher Education Institutes in the overall category. Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru has been placed second and IIT, Bombay at third position in the Overall category in IndiaRankings 2024 which was released today by Union Minister for EducationDharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. In the University category, the top three positions are held by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru, Jawahar Lal University (JNU), New Delhi and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. IIT, Madras got the first position in the Engineering category followed by IIT, Delhi and IIT, Bombay. Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad ranked top among all institutes in the Management category followed by IM, Bangalore and IIM, Kozhikode. Proving its supremacy in the Medical category AIIMS, Delhi has clinched first position followed by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh and Christian Medical College(CMC), Vellore.  This year the awards were given in 16 categories and three new sections namely State public universities, OpenUniversities and Skill Universities. Among State Public Universities in India Rankings 2024Anna University, Chennai was placed first followed by Jadavpur University, Kolkata and Savitri Bai Phule University, Pune. In the top 100 College list three colleges of Delhi secured place from first to third rank. Hindu College, Delhi leap frogged to the first position in the College category followed by Miranda College and St. Stephen’s College. In the Open University category IGNOU got first position among all contenders. More than 6500 higher educational institutions with more than 10 thousand applications in different categories had applied for NIRF rankings in 2024.

A joint exercise between the militaries of India and Sri Lanka got underway in the island nation on Monday to facilitate interoperability and sharing of best practices, the defence ministry said.

The 10th edition of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Military Exercise ‘Mitra Shakti’ at the Army Training School, Maduru Oya, will be conducted from August 12-25. It will enhance the joint military capability so as to undertake counter-insurgency operations in a sub-conventional scenario under the UN mandate, the ministry said.

Joint exercise ‘Mitra Shakti’ is an annual training event conducted alternatively in India and Sri Lanka. Its last edition was conducted in Pune in November 2023.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday imposed penalties on five entities, including CSB Bank, Union Bank of India and Muthoot Housing Finance for contravention of various regulatory norms.

A penalty of Rs 1.86 crore has been imposed on CSB Bank for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the RBI on 'Guidelines on Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by banks' and 'Master Circular on Branch Authorisation'.

In another statement, the RBI said a penalty of Rs 1.06 crore has been imposed on Union Bank of India for non-compliance with certain norms on 'Creation of a Central Repository of Large Common Exposures-Across Banks' and 'Know Your Customer (KYC)'.

Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre beat Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy 5-3 in the penalty shootout to clinch the women's title in the Hockey India Junior Men and Women Academy Championship Zone A & B, here on Monday. (More Sports News)

The two teams were earlier tied 2-2 as Prabhjot Kaur (34’) and Surekha Bahala (54’) found the back of the net for Odisha Naval Tata, whereas Rubby (14’) and Ribka (45’) scored one each for Roundglass Punjab.

Ghumanhera Riser’s Academy trumped Salute Hockey Academy 5-1 with Priya producing a hat-trick in the third-place contest.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on August 9 gave its approval for 8 railway projects worth Rs 24,657 crore, bolstering development process in aspirational and tribal-dominated districts, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a press briefing.

Out of these 8 projects, three will be developed in Odisha's southern and western regions, the minister said.

Moreover, the these projects will cover 14 districts across seven states- Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal- and increase the existing network of Railways by around 900 km, the minister said.