India’s indigenous LCA Tejas lands in UAE to take part in its first-ever foreign air exercise
India's Tejas aircraft landed in the United Arab Emirates, for its first ever combat exercise in a foreign country.
For the first time, India’s indigenously-made light combat aircraft Tejas will be participating in an international multilateral air exercise — Exercise Desert Flag VIll — in the UAE, reflecting India’s increasing efforts at showcasing the jet at the world stage.
More About The LCA Tejas on Al Dahfra airbase:
An Indian Air Force contingent comprising of 110 Air Warriors arrived at the Al Dahfra airbase of the United Arab Emirates to participate in the exercise, in which five LCA Tejas and two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft would take part, the IAF said. “This is the first occasion when the LCA Tejas shall participate in an international flying exercise outside India,” the IAF said in a statement. The exercise is scheduled from 27 February to 17 March.
Exercise Desert Flag:
As per the IAF, Exercise Desert Flag is a multilateral air exercise which will see participation from the air forces of the UAE, France, Kuwait, Australia, the UK, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, Republic of Korea, and the US.
“The aim of the exercise is to participate in diverse fighter engagements and learn from the best practices of various air forces,” the IAF said.
LCA Tejas and its advancements in the World:
India has been in talks with several countries to export LCA Tejas, including Argentina and Egypt. India was also hopeful of selling the platform to Malaysia, but the country has signed a deal with Korean Aerospace Industries for supply of 18 FA-50 light combat aircraft. HAL chairman CB Ananthakrishnan recently said that Egypt required 20 aircraft while Argentina had sought 15 fighter jets. HAL is also in talks with the Philippines to sell its light-combat helicopters.
The aircraft had earlier participated in air shows at Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain and Dubai. The LCA Mk 2, which got a cabinet approval last year, has evinced interest from nearly 16 countries and efforts are on to identify private agencies to speed up the production of the jet.
About The LCA Tejas:
Manufactured by HAL, Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. In February 2021 the defence ministry had sealed a ₹48,000-crore deal with the company for the procurement of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
Union Government Approved Renaming of Aurangabad & Osmanabad in Maharashtra
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde confirmed that Aurangabad city will be renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad city will be called Dharashiv.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde confirmed that Aurangabad city will be renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad city will be called Dharashiv. After a year the proposal to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad has been approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Union Government Approved Renaming of Aurangabad & Osmanabad in Maharashtra- Key Points
The Ministry stated that it has no objection to renaming cities. The initial proposal was made in a cabinet meeting during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022 before Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the then-chief minister.
After claiming that the decision by the Uddhav government was illegal, On July 16, 2022, a Government Resolution was passed by the two-member cabinet, comprising Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, for changing the names, and a proposal was then forwarded to the Centre.
The Bombay High Court sought to know from the Maharashtra government if it had called for objections and suggestions before deciding to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in the state.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne also directed the Union government to show if any proposal was submitted by the state government to it over the change of names.
PM Modi to disburse 13th instalment of Rs 16,800cr under PM-KISAN
PM Modi to disburse 13th instalment of Rs 16,800cr under PM-KISAN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will disburse the 13th installment of the income support programme PM-Kisan.
PM Modi to disburse 13th instalment of Rs 16,800cr under PM-KISAN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will disburse the 13th installment of the income support programme PM-Kisan, totaling more than Rs 16,800 crore to more than eight crore beneficiary farmers in Belagavi, Karnataka,
PM Modi to disburse 13th instalment of Rs 16,800cr under PM-KISAN: Key Points
The programme distributes Rs 6,000 annually in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 into each eligible landholder farmer’s bank account.
When PM-Kisan was introduced in February 2019, more than Rs 2.2 lakh crore had been distributed to over 11 crore landholder farmer families across the nation.
In May and October of last year, the 11th and 12th installments of the current financial year’s funding were made available.
“Farmers all around the country have already benefited significantly from the PM-Kisan plan, and this next instalment will further increase their incomes and contribute to the expansion of the agriculture industry.”
All landholding farmer families in the nation are eligible under the programme, with some restrictions.
More than three million women beneficiaries of the scheme have received more than Rs 53,600 crore in funding during the last four years.
Progression of PM-KISAN
According to the ministry, the PM-Kisan funds have increased agricultural investments, loosened credit restrictions for farmers, and stimulated rural economic growth.
The ability of farmers to take risks has also increased, resulting in investments that are more fruitful. According to IFPRI, PM-Kisan payments assist users in paying for other expenses including education, marriage and healthcare as well as their agricultural needs.
China Resumes Orbital Launches With Zhongxing-26 Satellite Mission
China sent the Zhongxing-26 communications satellite into orbit Feb. 23, marking the resumption orbital launches following a pause for Chinese New Year.
China sent the Zhongxing-26 communications satellite into orbit Feb. 23, marking the resumption orbital launches following a pause for Chinese New Year. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 6:49 a.m. Eastern (1149 UTC) from Xichang, southwest China, successfully sending Zhongxing-26 (ChinaSat-26) into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed launch success within the hour.
More About This Lauch:
The launch was China’s first since Jan. 15, following which activities paused for Chinese New Year. It is the fifth Long March launch this calendar year, with CASC planning more than 60 launches in 2023. Various Chinese commercial companies plan to add 20 or more launches to the overall figure.
About The Zhongxing-26:
Zhongxing-26 is based on the DFH-4E satellite bus and uses chemical and electric propulsion. It is China’s first satellite providing more than 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) and was developed by CASC’s China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
CAST states the satellite is equipped with 94 Ka-band user beams. This is 3.5 times more than the 26-beam, 20 Gbps, Dongfanghong-3B-based Zhongxing-16 launched in 2017. That satellite has been supplying connectivity to aviation passengers such as Sichuan Airlines’ Airbus A320 flights using Viasat in-flight connectivity equipment.
Significance of This Satellite:
Operator China Satcom describes the satellite as an important piece of national space infrastructure and helping to meet national requirements for connectivity.
Zhongxing-26 will mainly provide broadband access for fixed terminals and aviation in shipbourne users in China and surrounding areas from 125 degrees East in the geostationary belt. The overall cost was 2.3 billion yuan ($333 million) according to a feasibility study.
About The Satellite Launcher Long March 3B:
The mission is the first launch of the 56-meter-high Long March 3B in 2023. The three-stage rocket has four boosters and uses a hypergolic mix of hydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide with a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen third stage.
The launcher is the workhorse for Chinese launches to GTO. Launching from inland at Xichang, the rocket has been the cause of numerous debris incidents downrange.
The Long March 7A, touted as a greener, new-generation launcher using kerosene-liquid oxygen and launching from the coast at Wenchang, is yet to ramp up its launch rate to replace the aging Long March 3B. It most recently launched a pair of classified satellites Jan. 9.
Youth 20 India Summit Hosted by Maharaja Sayajirao University, Gujarat
The Youth 20 India Summit will be held at the Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara in Gujarat which was attended by more than 600 delegates from 62 countries.
The Youth 20 India Summit will be held at the Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara in Gujarat which was attended by more than 600 delegates from 62 countries. The international conference of The Youth 20 India Summit was inaugurated by Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat.
The Youth 20 India Summit is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to mark the celebration of India’s G20 Presidency, the focus would be on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making sustainability a Way of Life’.
Youth 20 India Summit Hosted by Maharaja Sayajirao University, Gujarat- Key Points
In the Youth 20 India Summit conference, there were 167 delegates from G20 nations, 8 international scholars, 12 national scholars, 25 international delegates, 25 national delegates, 25 representatives of Youth Ministry, 50 start-ups working on the environment, 15 Shodh scholars, 10 NSS members and 250 students of different Universities studying subjects on urban planning, climate change, and environment studies participated.
Different plenary sessions were organized at this international conference. The first plenary session was on ‘Role of Youth and Opportunities in the field of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’ in which Dr.Tuomo Kauranne, President of Arbonaut OY Ltd., Finland; Ana Loboguerrero, Director, Alliance BI, and ITA, Columbia, and several dignitaries were present.
The second plenary session was on ‘Research, Innovation, and Start-up related to Climate Change’ in which Bruce Campbell, Director, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, Rome, and many more.
The third plenary session was on ‘Experience Sharing, Best Practices related to Climate Change and Disaster-Risk Reduction’ in which Mr. Amgad Elmahdi, International Water and Natural Resources Management Specialist; Arun Govind, Consultant Red Deer, Canada Chairman, and many more.
In the fourth plenary session, was a panel discussion on ‘Making Sustainability A way of Life’ in which Mr. Philippe Ciais, LSCE, The Climate Change Research Unit, IPSL, Paris; Prof. Charlotte Clarke, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Science & Health, Durham University; Ms. Aarya Chavda, Young Environment Crusader; Hardeep Desai, Head of Farm Operations at Cotton Connect South Asia Pvt. Ltd and many more participated.
Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan wins 2023 Marconi Prize
Marconi Prize 2023: Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan has been awarded the 2023 Marconi Prize.
Marconi Prize 2023
Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan has been awarded the 2023 Marconi Prize. Dr. Balakrishnan has been cited “for fundamental contributions to wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing, and distributed systems”. The Marconi Prize is a top honour for computer scientists and is awarded by the U.S.-based Marconi Foundation. It is given to those “who have made a significant contribution to increasing digital inclusivity through advanced information and communications technology.”
About Hari Balakrishnan
Hari Balakrishnan is the Fujitsu Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He is also the Founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Chairman of Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT).
He graduated with a computer science BTech from IIT Madras in 1993 and received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1998.
Dr. Balakrishnan has previously won the Infosys Prize (2020) and the IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award (2021). Previous winners of the Marconi Prize include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke.
Kerala signs pact with UN Women to empower women in tourism
Kerala signs pact with UN Women: The Kerala government and UN Women entered into an agreement, in order to promote activities that are welcoming to women in the State's tourist industry.
Kerala signs pact with UN Women
The Kerala government and UN Women entered into an agreement, in order to promote activities that are welcoming to women in the State’s tourist industry. Kerala Tourism and UN Women India committed to promoting gender-inclusive tourist destinations throughout the State through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Kerala signs pact with UN Women: Key Points
The Responsible Tourism Mission will carry out the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed by Susan Ferguson, a representative of UN Women India, and P B Nooh, director of Kerala tourism.
In addition to offering advice for baseline research, implementing women-friendly tourist destinations, and supporting interventions to change pervasive discriminatory social norms, this will be accomplished by creating modules and building the capacity of relevant stakeholders, according to the press release.
The four-day summit was officially opened by Kerala’s Minister of Tourism, P A Mohamed Riyas, who stated that the MoU was a continuation of the State government’s increased efforts towards women-friendly tourism since October last year.
There are 280 delegates and 70 speakers in the conclave.
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