Garuda Aerospace has become India’s first drone start-up to receive both Type Certification and RTPO approvals from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its indigenously designed Kisan Drones. DGCA Type certification is given after the quality check of the drones and issued after a rigorous testing process for the UAVs. The certification was introduced by the Government of India in August 2021 under drone rules and the historic dual DGCA approval validates Garuda’s tag of being India's most valuable drone startup. Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO, Garuda Aerospace, sa
A treasure trove of rare flora and fauna, the Himalayas hold some herbs that are costlier than gold in the international market. One of these herbs is the reason suggested to be behind the Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh, says a report by the Indo-Pacific Centre for Strategic Communications (IPCSC). In its latest report, the IPCSC suggested that several incursions by the Chinese PLA into the Indian territory in the northeast have been to collect a rare Himalayan caterpillar fungus called cordyceps. One such incursion was on December 9. Cordyceps sinensis or Ophiocordyceps Sinens
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) will soon begin acquiring land in Sector 7 to develop Japanese and Korean industrial cities, say reports. Both the cities are planned to be developed on about 500 acres each. The authority also plans to build a semiconductor and electronics manufacturing hub in Sector 10. The semiconductor cluster will be developed on 700 acres, while the electronics cluster will be set up on more than 300 acres of land. The land will be acquired for this project, where companies from India and outside can invest. YEIDA expects an investment to
Four entries from India - Gujarati film Chhello Show for best international film, popular Telugu song Naatu Naatu, from blockbuster film, RRR, for the music (original song) categories, All That Breathes for documentary feature shortlist, and The Elephant Whisperers in the documentary short category - made it to the Oscars shortlist announced on Thursday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists were announced in 10 categories: documentary feature film, documentary short film, international feature film, makeu
Ambassador of Japan to India, Hiroshi Suzuki on Wednesday said that the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project will revolutionise the direction of high-speed rail in India upon completion. The diplomat said this while visiting the construction site of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSAR) in Gujarat’s Navsari. The visit to the construction site was to review the progress of the project. National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) Managing Director Rajendra Prasad was also present during the inspection visit. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project has been funded by Jap
Ten captive-bred Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys) juveniles on Monday were released into a protected area of Nagaland to be rewilded. Asian Giant Tortoise is a “critically endangered” species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. The Nagaland Forest Department and two non-profit organisations, Turtle Survival Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Society India conducted a soft release of the juvenile tortoises for population recovery. The released animals were conserved and bred for five years at the Nagaland Zoological Park, Dimapur.
Sargam Koushal of India was crowned Mrs World at a Saturday evening ceremony held at Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. Koushal, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, beat contestants from 63 countries to bring the title back to India after 21 years. She was presented the title by Mrs World 2021 winner Shaylyn Ford of the US. Mrs Polynesia and Mrs Canada were named as first and second runner-up. Sargam Koushal, 32, is married to Aditya Manohar Sharma, a Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy. She did her post-graduation in English Literature from Jammu University and B.Ed from Govern
The United Nations has recognised Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate River Ganga as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world. The award was received by Namani Gange director general at a function in the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada on 14 December, said a Jal Shakti Ministry release. Namami Gange was selected from over 150 such initiatives from 70 countries across the globe. The Programme was started in 2014 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognised the need to rejuvenate the holy ri
South Africa is now the most food-secure country in Africa, says the 2022 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) report by British weekly The Economist. This is the first time a country in sub-Saharan Africa has topped the list across the continent. This is a record leap for South Africa from 70th position in 2021. The country overtook Tunisia in the continent, which is now in second place and 62nd globally among 113 countries eligible for the ranking. In addition to feeding its more than 60 million citizens, the farmers of South Africa provided food for millions of people from other countries
Recording a growth of 26% annually, auto sales in India in November 2022 clocked record high numbers, said the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) on Friday. All categories of automobiles, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles (PVs), tractors and commercial vehicles (CVs), registered a growth of 24%, 80%, 21%, 57% and 33%, respectively. Around 23.80 lakh units were sold last month, compared to 18.93 lakh units in November 2021 and 23.44 lakh units in November 2019, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic. “November 2022 has clocked the highest retails in the hi