Military Nursing Service, MNS celebrated its 98th Raising Day today. It is one of the oldest and most distinguished all-women services in the Armed Forces. The Service holds more than five thousand officers posted at various hospitals of the Armed Forces. To commemorate the 98th anniversary, the serving and retired officers paid homage at the National War Memorial yesterday.
 
The origin of MNS dates back to the pre-independence colonial era when British and Indian soldiers served in the British Army. The British Indian government established the Indian Army Nursing Services in 1888. This marked the formal beginning of Military Nursing in India. The officers of IANS played a crucial role in providing medical care to wounded soldiers during the First and Second World Wars. On 1st October 1926, the Permanent Nursing Service was raised in the Indian Army and designated as the Indian Military Nursing Service.

In Hyderabad, the country’s first solar roof cycling track was inaugurated by state Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K Tarakarama Rao yesterday. This innovative track named Healthway is the second of its kind globally. Located on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between the main carriageway and service road, the track will be open 24×7, giving a major push to the dedicated bicycling community in the city. It is also a vital step in the direction of making Hyderabad, the active mobility capital of the country. Speaking after inaugurating the track, the Minister revealed plans to set up a similar track in other areas including around the Gandipet Lake and in the Financial District.

The 23-km path has two stretches - a pink line of 8.5 km from Nanakramguda to Telangana State Police Academy and a blue line of 14.5 km from Kollur to Narsingi with five different access points. It is a three-lane track that is 4.5 meters wide, with one meter of green space on either side. The track is expected to become a prime hangout with facilities like ample parking space, surveillance cameras, food courts, drinking water, first aid, and restrooms. In a bid to make it easier for visitors; bicycle repair shops, along with cycle docking and rental stations and other services will also be made available. A total of 16,000 solar panels were installed to generate 16 megawatts (MW) of power which will be utilized to light up the track at night and provide protection to cyclists from the sun, rain, and other weather conditions.

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Hungarian-American biochemist Katalin Kariko and American physician-scientist Drew Weissman, for work on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology that paved the way for groundbreaking COVID-19 vaccines.
 
The Nobel Prize Committee in its statement said, the groundbreaking findings of Prof Karikó and Prof Weissman, have fundamentally changed the understanding of how mRNA interacts with a human being's immune system. It said, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.
 
The mRNA vaccines were approved for use in December 2020, and together with other Covid vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease. During the Covid-19 outbreak that began in early 2020, time was of the essence in finding a weapon against the deadly and fast-spreading virus. This is where mRNA technology proved crucial.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Asian Games medallists, praising the performance of "phenomenal" Tajinderpal Singh Toor and "unstoppable" Avinash Sable in shot put and steeplechase events respectively.

While Toor defended his title with an amazing final throw to beat back the challenge from his Saudi Arabian rival, Sable became the first Indian man to win the gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase at the Asian Games.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that India’s stature in space research is growing day-by-day and is now competing with the space elites. Felicitating ISRO scientists at an event in New Delhi yesterday, Dr. Singh said, ISRO is now considered a leading space agency in the world despite the time advantage NASA and other Space agencies once enjoyed. He added that countries like the US and Russia who once looked down on India now want to partner up.
The Minister said that India enjoyed the additional benefit of the country’s rich traditional knowledge. He highlighted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work in promoting space research has increased transparency and boosted its popularity amongst citizens.

Addressing the gathering, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that India needs co-operation from dedicated individuals and organizations to lead in the science and technology sector.

The “largest” statue of B R Ambedkar outside India is all set to be unveiled in Maryland on October 14, the organisers have said.

The 19-foot statue, named “Statue of Equality”, has been made by renowned artist and sculptor Ram Sutar, who also built the statue of Sardar Patel installed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The statue of Ambedkar, the key architect of India's Constitution, is part of the Ambedkar International Center (AIC) being built on 13 acres of land in Accokeek city of Maryland.

The International Day of Non-Violence, observed on October 2 every year, is dedicated to honouring Gandhian principles. The day is observed on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and reflects upon his philosophy and commitment to non-violence as a means of social and political change.

Gandhi’s birth anniversary holds immense importance due to his central role in India’s fight for Independence from British rule. Guided by non-violence and peaceful resistance, he inspired millions of Indians to achieve Independence through peaceful protests, boycotts, and hunger strikes.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi and the Father of the Nation, was born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, leaders across party lines paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat in Delhi. (Photo by Nandagopal Rajan)

President Droupadi Murmu paid tributes to Gandhi and said that his thoughts were not 'merely idle musings, but an outcome of his sustained practice'. (PTI)

My literary hero, the Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, once said that for most writers (and publishers), heaven is divided into French, German, Spanish and English. Since 2014, when he delivered that speech, a powerful stream has opened another gate into paradise. This force, which has always operated in the building blocks of knowledge, but not properly recognised for what it is, he described as the language of languages: translation.

Heaven now has more than four lanes. Through this medium flows the novelty of experiences from translated languages. A bit of a shock to the literary system which still has some difficulty accepting even the possibility that there might be riches stored in languages other than what a European heaven has to offer.

During a meeting of the Ayush department on Friday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath provided directions for the formation of an integrated Ayush Board in the state for the management of institutions related to Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy, Siddha, Naturopathy, and Yoga practices, as well as the registration of doctors associated with these methods.

Chief Minister Yogi said, “At present three separate boards are operating regarding Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathy medical practices. It is now necessary to integrate all these under one board, giving them a unified look. This will not only streamline the establishment and development of new institutions but will also simplify the registration process for qualified doctors.”