The Ministry of Railways looks to upgrade to 4G/5G (LTE-based) its indigenous anti-collision system Kavach and expedite its implementation, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday, amid criticism over rising cases of accidents and collisions.

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. The state-of-the-art electronic system activates the train’s braking system automatically if the driver fails to do so, and prevents the collision between two locomotives equipped with functional Kavach systems.

The tenders for the next-gen Kavach will be rolled out in May to June next year, while the tender to upgrade the existing Kavach technology to LTE will be floated by next month, Vaishnaw told reporters in New Delhi.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has called upon the Indian Coast Guard to continue working with dedication and professionalism toward bolstering the coastal defences and maritime capabilities of the country. Inaugurating the 40th Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi today, Mr Singh complimented the Indian Coast Guard for ensuring maritime security by being leader in the field of search and rescue and pollution response. He said, that since its inception, Indian Coast Guard has rendered a yeoman service to the seafarers by ensuring their safety and security in all circumstances. The Minister stressed the need to continue the drive against contraband and drug trafficking.
 
During the conference, the Raksha Mantri was given an overview of the ongoing development projects, operational readiness, and future expansion plans of the Coast Guard by Director General Rakesh Pal. The three-day conference aims at addressing contemporary maritime challenges and fortifying the country’s coastal surveillance mechanisms. 

World Bank funded National Agricultural Higher Education Project and Indian Agricultural Research Project New Delhi, Modern Agricultural Science Technology Center for Climate Adapted Agriculture and Water Management has been launched at Mahatma Phule Agricultural University, Rahuri in Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra.

Under this project, the faculty working in Mahatma Phule Agricultural University will be trained in the use of drones, robots, IOT, artificial intelligence, geographic systems, remote sensing, earth engines, etc. A foreign tour in Thailand has been organized  under the guidance of  Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Phule Agricultural University Dr. P.G.Patil for training in modern agricultural technology.

Tata Power arm Tata Power EV Charging Solutions and Kanpur Municipal Corporation have collaborated to install 12 electric vehicle charging stations across six strategic locations in Kanpur. "Tata Power EV Charging Solutions Ltd (TPEVCSL), a Tata Power Group Company, signed a Memorandum of Association with the Kanpur Municipal Corporation to install 12 EV charging stations across six strategic locations in Kanpur," a company statement said.

According to the statement, this collaboration signifies the beginning of a trailblazing initiative to revolutionize the EV infrastructure landscape in Kanpur. These charging stations will be located strategically at key points across the city, including the zonal offices in Zone-2 and Zone-5 of Krishna Nagar, Sen Para Police Chauki between Apna Ghar Ashram and Road, Moti Jheel Parking /Kargil Park, the vicinity of Medical College at Gol Chouraha, and the Children’s Park near OEF at Vijay Nagar Chauraha. Each of these locations will be equipped with two charging guns, totalling 12 charging points across the city.

The first three ships in the series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts under construction in Cochin Shipyard Limited for Indian Navy were launched at CSL’s Kochi Yard.

The launching of the three vessels was carried out in the presence of Chief Guest from Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, Vice Chief of Naval Staff. Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, Commander-in-Chief and Vice Admiral Puneet Bahl, Commandant INA.

One of Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787s on Tuesday took off for the world's first 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight from London's Heathrow to New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, according to the official website of the UK government.

UK's Transport Secretary travelled on the flight alongside Virgin Atlantic's Chief Executive Shai Weiss and Virgin's founder, Sir Richard Branson, making the carrier the first commercial airline to fly across the pond without the use of any fossil-based jet fuel.

Further, according to the UK government, the flight marks a major milestone towards making air travel more environment-friendly as the world moves towards its goal of net zero by 2050.

Keeping up the pace for opening new technology related opportunities in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced to build India’s first Telecom Centre of Excellence in IIT Roorkee.

According to the state government, the new centre will not just widen UP’s participation in technology and innovation but will also propel the telecommunications sector. The state government has announced to shell out as much as Rs 30 crore in establishing a research center at IIT Roorkee in Saharanpur. The center will focus on the intersection of 5G technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and will lay the groundwork for the launch of 6G technology.

The state government maintained that the new centre aims to boost research and development in the field of telecommunications and provide new employment opportunities for the youth of the state. The proposed center will function as a hub for cutting-edge research, offering assistance to experts in various fields and contributing to problem-solving through modern technology.

The country's largest airport operator and sole Air Navigation Service Provider, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is observing Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2023. The week-long celebration, that started Tuesday, is being observed at all airports and ANS locations managed by AAI across India.

In an event organised at Corporate Headquarters, Rajeev Mehta, Executive Director (AVS), briefed about various initiatives and actions taken by Aviation Safety Directorate to enhance safety in AAI's operations, such as conduct of safety Audits of 57 Airports and ANS Centres, Surprise check of Wildlife Hazard Management at 14 Airports, seven training programs across India training about 175 officials, introduction of On-line Voluntary Reporting module and launch of Quarterly Safety Magazine "SAHAAS".

1988-batch IAS officer to take charge on December 1 following the superannuation of incumbent chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta

The central government on Wednesday appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Atal Dulloo as the new chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir with effect from December 1.

Dulloo, a 1988-batch Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre IAS officer, will take charge following the superannuation of incumbent chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta. Mehta, also a 1988-batch AGMUT cadre officer, is retiring on Thursday.

At present, Dulloo is posted as secretary, department of border management, under the Union home ministry.

Union cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved that the central government will provide free grains to eligible citizens under the public distribution scheme for another five years.

The centre's intention to extend the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana was mentioned by Prime Minister Modi himself during his election rallies earlier this month.

During an election rally in Durg on November 4, Chhattisgarh the Prime Minister had made the announcement of the decision to extend the free ration scheme.