INS Tihayu

The sixth WJFAC Car Nicobar Class vessel ''INS Tahiyu'' to be commissioned and allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy. It was commissioned by the Flag-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral H.C.S. Bisht in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Built by Kolkata-based shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), INS Tihayu is the 20th vessel in this class to be built by the shipyard.

India's first indigenously made electric bus

Country’s first 100 per cent indigenously made electric bus,was launched by Hinduja Group's flagship company Ashok Leyland.It comes with several benefits such as zero emission, longer life cycle, lower maintenance costs and higher residual value when compared with conventional diesel buses, the high initial cost is one of the major barriers. These buses can cost anywhere between Rs.1.5 crore and Rs.3.5 crore depending on the number of seats and battery sizes,” 

These buses were unveiled in lines with National Electric Mobility Plan which aims at a 20% penetration of electric/hybrid (eco-friendly) vehicles by 2020. They enjoy a subsidy under the Central government’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. 

UN Conference on Disarmament ambassador

Senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch Shri Amandeep Singh Gill has been appointed as the next Ambassador/PR of India to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. He had represented India on the UN Secretary General’s Panel on Missiles from 2007 to 2008.  Besides, he was also member of the Indian delegation to the Conference on Disarmament during the negotiations on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Electricity from water without using any power or chemicals

Team of scientists led by Dr. R.K. Kotnala from Delhi’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) developed a novel way using of producing electricity from water hydroelectric cell at room temperature without using any power or chemicals.Dr. R.K. Kotnala and team used nanoporous magnesium ferrite to split water into hydronium (H3O) and hydroxide (OH) ions and used silver and zinc as electrodes to make a cell that produces electricity.To further enhance the activity of magnesium ferrite, about 20% of magnesium is replaced with lithium. The substitution of lithium at magnesium site increases the sensitivity of magnesium ferrite. This is helpful in dissociating water at room temperature as the electrons get trapped in the oxygen deficient sites.

Saina Nehwal gets another recognition

A rare honour for an Indian sportsperson: Saina Nehwal has been appointed as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. She is the first Indian to win Olympics medal in Badminton and had achieved this feat by winning the Bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. She is the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships and was also the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by winning Indonesia Open in 2009.

INS Arihant

India has completed its nuclear triad ''INS Arihant''which was formally commissioned by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba. INS Arihant is nuclear submarine capable of carrying nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. Thus it belongs to class referred to as Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN). INS which stands for ‘Indian Naval Ship’ is affixed to a ship only after it is inducted into service.

India becomes sixth country to have a nuclear triad. Other countries having nuclear triad are Russia, United States, United Kingdom, France and China.

First International Conference on Voter Education

The first ever International Conference on Voter Education was hosted by Election Commission of India in New Delhi inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr Nasim Zaidi. The topic of the Conference is Voter Education for Inclusive, Informed and Ethical Participation. The Conference is being organized with an aim to share best practices, policies and initiatives of voter education by election management bodies. 27 countries and 5 international organizations are participating in the three day event. It will deliberate upon five topics ranging from Role of Information Communication Technology in Voter Education, Electoral Literacy to Enhanced participation by special categories of voters and Strategies for Informed and Ethical Voting. The Conference will see the launch of the ambitious VoICE.NET project, a Global Knowledge Network on voter education.