The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers today kicked off the MEDITECH STACKATHON 2024 in New Delhi alongside Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) . This event aims to revolutionize India’s growing MedTech sector by thoroughly analyzing the value chain of selected medical devices. The goal is to tackle major challenges, promote local manufacturing, and lessen reliance on imports, ultimately establishing India as a global leader in medical technology.

The event highlighted India’s immense potential in the MedTech industry, projecting a 28% annual growth rate, with estimates suggesting it could reach a whopping USD 50 billion by 2030. Currently, India ranks as the 4th largest market for medical devices in Asia and among the top 20 globally. However, hefty imports, mainly from countries like the US, China, and Germany, are driving the surge.

Researchers from the Department of Marine Biology, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) have discovered a new species of marine tardigrade, colloquially known as water bears -- a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals.

This microscopic creature has been named as Batillipes chandrayaani, a homage to the Chandrayaan-3, the first-ever successful lunar south pole landing mission hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2023.

This newly described species was found in the intertidal beach sediments of Mandapam coast, Tamil Nadu.

The European Union (EU) and India have found common ground in the Indo-Pacific, solidifying their commitment to security and defence cooperation. Recent initiatives and dialogues underscore the growing importance of this partnership in addressing shared security challenges, particularly in the maritime domain.

The “Road to Schuman” event, organized by the Delegation of the European Union to India on May 6, 2024, served as a pivotal moment for stakeholders to converge and discuss the security environment in the Indo-Pacific. The event was titled “The security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and the EU’s role as a security actor in partnership/cooperation with India”.

Renowned Urdu litterateur and academician, Shaikh Abdussalam Abdurrazzaq, famous by his pseudonym Salam Bin Razzaq, passed away at his residence in Navi Mumbai after a prolonged illness, a family friend said here on Tuesday.

Razzaq was 83 and is survived by his wife, daughter, son, plus several grandchildren and great-grandkids.

The last rites were performed at the Marine Lines cemetery in Mumbai in the presence of a large number of family members, friends, and literary figures.

India clinched three gold and two bronze medals at the Asian Open Pickleball Championships in Vietnam yesterday. Sachin Pahwa and Priyanka Chabbra led India to its first gold medal, defeating Ruben Hellberg and Chitlada Hemasee 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, in the mixed doubles intermediate 35+ category final. While in the women’s doubles open category, the pair of Isha Lakhani and Pei Chuan Kao bagged the gold medal with a dominating 15-7, 15-3 win against Dang Kim Ngan and Tyak K.

In the men’s doubles, India’s Aniket Patel and Rohit Patil claimed the yellow metal despite losing the opening game. The duo defeated Nik Alessandro Isagan and Lester Ga 5-11, 11-6, and 11-8 in the final. In the men’s singles advance 35+ category, Vijay Menon defeated Yu Hsuan Cher to secure the bronze, while in the women’s singles intermediate 35+ event, Priyanka Chhabra defeated Marissa Phongsirikul, earning India another bronze medal.

Sri Lanka Cricket has announced that Indian milk producer Amul has been appointed as the ‘Official Sponsor’ of the Sri Lanka Men’s Team for the duration of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket Ashley De Silva said that Amul’s partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket is an excellent move, as associating with an international sports brand is going to help the firm gain market growth and further enhance its brand visibility among the international audience.

The managing director of Amul, Jayen Mehta, said Amul is a proven model for dairy development and is proud to associate with Sri Lanka for the benefit of their small and marginal farmers. He added that Amul has been associated with the Sri Lankan team most recently in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, and that the company is proud to further strengthen the association with the Sri Lanka Cricket Team. Sri Lanka will kick off the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on June 3, 2024, facing South Africa in New York. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be held in the West Indies and the USA from June 1 to 29.

Indian Army's Kharga Corps, under the aegis of Army's Western Command, successfully conducted a three-day joint exercise with the IAF at multiple locations in Punjab. The exercise was conducted to refine processes and validate employment of attack helicopters in support of mechanised operations in developed terrain, an official statement issued on Tuesday said.

The Gagan Strike-II exercise, which incorporated Apache and ALH-WSI helicopters, Unarmed Aerial Vehicles and special forces of Indian Army, was aimed at validating various force multipliers in support of ground offensive by strike corps along with live firing by helicopters as demanded by mechanised forces during offensive maneuvers, the statement said.

Maharana Pratap is one of the greatest kings to have ruled the country. A symbol of valour, bravery and dedication, Maharana Pratap fought many battles for his kingdom and to save his people. Celebrated in the homes of Rajasthan, Maharana Pratap was a Hindu Rajput King of Mewar, Rajasthan. He belonged to the Sisodiya clan of Rajputs and is known as one of the revered kings to have ruled this country. Every year, Maharana Pratap's birth anniversary is celebrated with a lot of pomp and grandeur all over Rajasthan. As we gear up to celebrate the special day for this year, here are a few things that we should be aware of.

India’s state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is preparing to launch its highly anticipated 4G services across India starting in August, leveraging entirely indigenous technology as part of the government's "Atmanirbhar" (self-reliant) initiative, PTI reported citing sources.

The telecom company during the pilot phase, recorded peak speeds of 40-45 megabits per second on the 4G network, deployed in the premium spectrum bands of 700 megahertz (MHz) and 2,100 MHz.

BSNL successfully rolled out 4G services in Punjab using indigenously developed technology by a consortium led by IT company TCS and telecom research organisation C-DoT.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is celebrating its 65th Raising Day on May 07, 2024. To mark the day, an event was organised in New Delhi, which was presided over by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane. In his address, the Defence Secretary lauded the BRO for fulfilling its responsibilities successfully in inhospitable terrain and tough weather conditions. He termed the BRO an extremely crucial organisation which, through its infrastructure projects in border areas, is playing a major role in the security of the country, besides ensuring the socio-economic progress of far-flung areas.

Shri Giridhar Aramane commended the BRO for completing the projects in a time-bound manner, exuding confidence that the Karmayogis will continue to ensure border infrastructure development in a record time. He urged the BRO to infuse latest technology and techniques for faster completion of projects, through which human efforts will be reduced & utilised more efficiently. Automation and mechanisation will be key for the BRO in the future, he said.