The UK and Tamil Nadu are working together on a smart technology project for sustainable water, waste, and resource management.

According to a release, the UK’s Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Anne-Marie Trevelyan inaugurated a pioneering smart technology initiative with Tamil Nadu’s Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Saturday.

Titled ‘Smart district administration using loT technologies for better quality of life,’ the project was selected under the Frontier Technology Livestreaming (FTL) programme, the release said. The UK-backed ‘Smart district’ project aims to address global sustainability challenges by deploying sensors across the district, gathering real-time data on water and waste management, and environmental quality. These sensors will analyse data patterns, aiding informed decision-making for efficient resource allocation. This marks India’s sole representation among the 58 pilots conducted across 32 countries since 2016, the release said.

Indian shuttlers Jagsher Singh Khangurra, Bornil Aakash Changmai and Tanvi Sharma advanced to the semifinals of the Badminton Asia U-17 and U-15 Junior Championships to assure themselves of a medal on day 4 of the tournament in Chengdu, China on Friday.

In the boys' U15 singles category, Jagsher defeated China's MA Chu Xuan 21-14, 21-13 in just 28 minutes, while Bornil emerged victorious in a closely-contested match against Korea's Park Jung Bin, securing a 21-19, 22-20 victory.

Tanvi Sharma overcame a first-game loss to register a 20-22, 21-15, 21-15 win over Liao Jui-Chi of Chinese Taipei in the girls' U17 singles quarter-final match.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday virtually inaugurated the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura and Kengeri-Challaghatta sections of Bengaluru metro’s purple line, where operations were thrown open to the public on October 9 without much fanfare.

“The full operation of the metro’s purple line has boosted the connectivity to the IT hub. In Bengaluru, nearly 8 lakh people travel by metro. I congratulate the people of Bengaluru for the new metro facilities,” the prime minister said.

Dhordo village in Kutch district of Gujarat has gained global recognition as one of the Best Tourism Villages awarded by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed the Dhordo village for its achievement. 

In a social media post, Mr Modi said, he is thrilled to see Dhordo in Kutch being celebrated for its rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. Prime Minister said, this honour not only showcases the potential of Indian tourism but also the dedication of the people of Kutch in particular. He hoped that Dhordo continue to shine and attract visitors from around the world. 

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) on Friday delivered to the Indian Navy INS Imphal, the third ship of the Project 15B Class of stealth guided missile destroyers, four months ahead of schedule.

Imphal was the first naval warship commissioned with accommodation for women officers and sailors. “It can accommodate a crew of 312 persons, has an endurance of 4,000 nautical miles, and can carry out a 42-day mission with extended mission time in an out-of-area operation,” the MDL said in a release said.

The ship is equipped with two helicopters onboard to further extend its reach.

The ‘Acceptance Document’ was signed by MDL Chairman-Managing Director Sanjeev Singhal and Rear Admiral Sanjay Sadhu.

Union Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has said that the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Limited (NCCF) should become self-reliant by achieving a turnover of 50 thousand crore rupees by 2027-28. Addressing the Board of Directors of NCCF in New Delhi, Mr Shah said, NCCF should prepare a roadmap for the next ten years to become a self-reliant cooperative institution. He said, the Cooperative Consumers Federation is playing an important role in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Sahakar se Samriddhi. 

Mr. Shah said, the Ministry has taken 52 initiatives in the last 26 months to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country and increase the share of cooperatives in the GDP. He urged NCCF to find export opportunities for pulses purchased from farmers and ensure that such purchases are made at a Minimum Support Price.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on October 19 successfully transported more than 100 units of essential medications for 20 kilometres in Lahaul and Spiti district using drone and reducing travel time from 120 minutes to 26 minutes.

The feasibility study in Himachal Pradesh is part of the national mission to advance India’s drone ecosystem to explore the transportation of vital medical resources, including medications, diagnostic blood samples, and sputum, via drones.

In this first high-altitude, low-temperature venture ICMR’s endeavour in the long-run is to streamline the distribution of essential medical provisions from regional hospitals in Keylong to more than eight Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in the region, encompassing locations such as Sissu, Gondhal, Thiort, Tholang, Jahalma, Gemur, Darcha, Shansha, among others.

Bhubaneswar, Oct 19 (PTI) The Odisha cabinet on Thursday decided to launch a programme under the crop diversification initiative to enhance the production and productivity of maize and improve the value chain of its marketing.

Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said the cabinet led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made a provision of Rs 481.94 crore for the crop diversification scheme for five years.

The scheme - Mukhyamantri Maka Mission (MMM) - will be implemented in a "more scientific and progressive way" which now envisages ease of doing for enhancement of area, production, and productivity of pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops (cotton and jute) and maize, he said.

The construction of the proposed Veterinary Science College in Gorakhpur is set to start with the chief minister Yogi Adityanath issuing instructions in this regard.

Reviewing a detailed project report on Wednesday, he specified that this college, set to be established in Gorakhpur, will be affiliated to Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Sciences University and Cow Research Institute in Mathura.

Adityanath further emphasised that this initiative will greatly benefit cattle herders from western Bihar and the neighboring Nepal.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship, electronics and information technology, on Thursday inaugurated Heartland Tripura, a project to impart skill development training to the youth, and said it would attract investments and create jobs.

The project is undertaken in partnership with Deloitte India and Agartala’s National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology.

“PM Modi’s vision is that the youths should pursue opportunities through skills from different investments coming in India, several jobs created in India. Tripura lagged behind the mainstream due to lack of physical and digital connectivity, but Modi-ji brought about a transformation in physical connectivity in the last 7-8 years,” he told reporters in Agartala.