In a major push to transform India's dairy cooperative sector, Union Minister Amit Shah on Thursday unveiled 'White Revolution 2.0', a comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering women farmers and creating job opportunities.

The programme focuses on four key areas - empowering women farmers, enhancing local milk production, strengthening dairy infrastructure, and boosting dairy exports. The programme is one of the three initiatives undertaken in the first 100 days of the Modi government's third term.

"Maximum women are engaged in the dairy sector, with some generating business worth Rs 60,000 crore in Gujarat alone. This new initiative will focus on empowering women and further strengthening the fight against malnutrition," Shah said while addressing the gathering.

In a bid to attract foreign investment, Rajasthan’s Industries Minister, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, led a high-level delegation to an investors’ meet in Dubai today. This event set the stage for the upcoming ‘Rising Rajasthan’ Global Investment Summit 2024, slated for December this year, underlining the state’s commitment to fostering international economic partnerships.

Minister Rathore extended a warm invitation to the UAE business community and investors, encouraging them to explore the myriad opportunities Rajasthan has to offer. His address emphasized the state government’s dual focus on enhancing the ease of doing business and reducing operational costs, positioning Rajasthan as an attractive destination for global investors.

The stability of Rajasthan’s political landscape emerged as a key talking point. Rathore assured potential investors of the government’s longevity and commitment, stating, “We are a stable government. We are a majority government in Rajasthan. We’ve just taken charge… As per the Constitution, we have four years to go without any hindrance.” This assurance was aimed at instilling confidence in the continuity and realization of investment agreements.

The Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) and Coal India Ltd have signed an agreement to open a Jan Aushadhi Kendra in the premises of every coal field, select hospitals or any suitable location as specified by the state-run miner.

A Jan Aushadhi Kendra is a dedicated outlet that sells generic medicines at affordable rates. PMBI, under the department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of chemicals and fertilizers, has been given the mandate to ensure the availability of quality medicines at affordable prices at Jan Aushadhi Kendra stores. Generic medicines are 50-90% cheaper than branded drugs.

“The objective of this MoU (memorandum of understanding) is to provide high-quality generic medicines to the workforce and communities associated with Coal India, through the establishment of Jan Aushadhi Kendras across Coal India premises. These medicines will help workers, residents, and families save out-of-pocket expenditure and give employment opportunities to entrepreneurs in the project areas,” the ministry of chemicals and fertilizers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the new moon mission Chandrayaan-4 and approved the development of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) as part of the government’s vision to explore and study the Earth’s closest planet.

The Chandrayaan-4 will develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the moon and also collect lunar samples for analysis on Earth. VOM, scheduled to launch in March 2028, will focus on putting a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of Venus for a better understanding of its surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes, and the influence of the sun on the Venusian atmosphere.

The Chandrayaan-4 mission will cost Rs 2104.06 crore. The budget includes spacecraft development and realisation, two LVM3 launches, external deep space network support, and conducting special tests for design validation, finally leading to the landing on the moon’s surface and safe return to Earth along with the collected lunar samples.

In a landmark move to enhance defence cooperation, the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) signed two Memorandums of Understanding on Defence Industry Cooperation with the Emirates Defence Companies Council (EDCC) and EDGE Group UAE. This significant development took place during the first-ever India-UAE Defence Industry Partnership Forum held in Abu Dhabi on September 18, 2024.

The historic forum, organised by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, in coordination with the UAE Ministry of Defence, brought together the defence industries of both nations. The event marked a new chapter in the growing strategic partnership between India and the United Arab Emirates.

Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE, delivered the opening address and emphasised the immense potential of India-UAE defence cooperation, noting that this seminar marks the beginning of a long journey ahead. He also spoke about the historical relationship between the two countries and how it has progressed to a comprehensive economic partnership.

Four day long mega event World Food India 2024 will begin today at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It will see participation from over 90 countries, 26 Indian States and Union Territories, and 18 Central Ministries and allied government bodies. The event promises to be a major convergence of innovation, technology, and sustainability in the food processing sector. Food and Public Distribution Minister Prahlad Joshi, Minister for Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan and Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu will attend the inaugural ceremony.

In this year’s World Food India, Japan is the partner country and Vietnam and Iran are the focus countries. On the first day today a high-level CEO roundtable will be held which will be co-chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan. The event will host over 40 knowledge sessions, including thematic discussions, state and country-specific conferences. Industry-led panel discussions with over 100 CXOs of the global agri-food companies will also be held at the mega event. The Reverse Buyer Seller Meet organized by APEDA, MPEDA, and the commodity boards, will see a robust presence of over one thousand buyers. The 2nd edition of the Global Food Regulators Summit hosted by FSSAI is being held in conjunction with World Food India. To broaden the appeal of the mega event, the organizers have launched the Swaad Sutra, a culinary contest showcasing regional dishes from across India.

CSIR in partnership with APCTT-UN ESCAP (Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology), and WAITRO (World Association of Industrial & Technological Research) organized a Conclave on Policy Deliberations for Strengthening South-South Cooperation on 11th September 2024 in online mode. The programme was designed and coordinated by CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR) with CSIR-International International S&T Affairs Directorate (CSIR-ISTAD) and hosted by NIScPR.

The Conclave brought together several global institutions and eminent scholars from South countries. Head/Senior experts of major global institutions focusing on South countries: APCTT, WAITRO, ISTIC-UNESCO International Science– Framework for Ethical and Responsible Governance, West Asia North Africa Institute Jorden, UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries gave presentation in this conclave. Experts from various research institutions included National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia, CSIR-NIScPR, CSIR-ISTAD, CSIR-IMD (Innovation Management Directorate), Wits Business School South Africa, National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia, Computer Science Department-Delhi University, Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, University of Nebraska –Lincoln USA, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, Indian Institute of Science, Department of Science and Technology, Tshwanae Univ of Technology South Africa.

The Indian Army signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tiranga Mountain Rescue (TMR) on Wednesday at Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), Delhi Cantt, in the presence of Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff.

Major General Manish Luthra, Additional Director General Military Operations (A), signed the MoU on behalf of the Indian Army, while Hemant Sachdev, a dedicated mountaineer and Mt Everest Summiteer, signed it on behalf of the TMR.

This understanding marks a pivotal step in advancing the Indian Army's rescue and survival operations in mountainous terrains. The MoU stipulates that TMR will collaborate with the Indian Army in conducting customised training programs for Army instructors, aimed at improving their ability to mentor troops in avalanche rescue and survival skills.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the green light for the development of India's Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), marking a significant milestone in the country's space exploration ambitions.

This advanced rocket system is designed to support India's vision of establishing and operating the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (Indian Space Station) and achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2040.

The NGLV represents a major leap in India's launch capabilities, boasting a payload capacity three times that of the current LVM3 rocket while only increasing costs by 50%.

Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath said on Wednesday that the ISRO is planning to launch the first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) by 2028.

Addressing reporters in the National Capital, S Somnath said, "Chandrayaaan 4 mission is primarily targeted to demonstrate the technology to go to the moon and then come back. The coming back is a highlight of it, landing there has already been demonstrated by Chandrayaan-3. If you have to send a man to space later in 2040, a vision by our PM, we need to have confidence in technology..."

He added, "For the Indian Space Station, yes, there is a timeline for that - the goal given by the Prime Minister is 2035. Our plan here is to launch the first module of Bharatiya Antariksh Station called BAS-1 by 2028..."