He will be India’s first civilian astronaut to go to space and will wear a badge bearing the Indian flag.

 Captain Gopichand Thotakura , the second Indian who will travel to space after then Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma in April 1984, is set to make history on Sunday with Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission.

He will be India’s first civilian astronaut to go to space, and will be wearing a badge bearing the Indian flag as he takes flight on Sunday.

Along with six other crew members, the seventh human flight of the New Shepard, Thotakura will go beyond the Karman Line — the boundary that separates Earth’s atmosphere and outer space and return to Earth. This mission not only signifies an Indian’s re-entry into the space race, but also makes history with its crew of distinguished astronauts.

Thotakura’s flight will be the first Indian astronaut’s foray into space exploration in four decades, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s iconic journey aboard Soyuz T-11 in April 1984.

‘Honoured to represent India

The mission will be telecast live from 7 pm on Blue Origin’s website. One of the expedition’s highlights will be the astronauts sending postcards to space on behalf of the Club for the Future, a programme designed to encourage and support the next generation of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) professionals.

The astronaut from Vijayawada in AP, who is proud to represent India on this space journey, said, “As the first civilian Indian astronaut embarking on this historic journey with Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission, I am honoured to represent India on this voyage. India is making a mark in space exploration worldwide.

This voyage symbolises the spirit of human endeavour and ingenuity on a global scale. I hope this exploration inspires future generations of STEAM professionals as we push the boundaries of space exploration together.” Founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2000, this will be Blue Origin’s 25th flight.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

• IPRs filed include 108 patents, 4 design registrations, 3 copyrights, and 1 trademark application, along with 4 US and 2 China patents
• IIT Kanpur has achieved a total of 1039 Intellectual Property Rights to date
• IIT Kanpur’s success extends beyond intellectual property, securing top position in NIRF 2023 in Innovation category and the Best Assisted Technology Initiatives by Educational Institutes’ at ATF Awards 2023 for outstanding contributions to assistive technology

In a remarkable display of innovation, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has achieved a remarkable milestone by filing a total of 122 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and achieving an exceptional licensing rate of around 14% to industry partners in 2023. This accomplishment highlights IIT Kanpur’s strength in cutting-edge research and innovation and marks its third straight year of securing the most IPRs in its history, taking the overall achievement to 1039 IPRs to date.

The 122 IPRs filed include 108 patents, 4 design registrations, 3 copyrights, and 1 trademark application, along with 4 US and 2 China patents. The year also saw 167 IPRs being granted with 15 technologies licensed.

The patents for inventions from varied domains such as MedTech and Nano Technology include innovative healthcare solutions like a portable medical suction device and a continuous lung health monitoring system. Other notable patents include solid-state sodium-ion batteries and an affordable Braille learning device for the blind and visually impaired.

Prof. S Ganesh, Director, IIT Kanpur, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are proud to maintain the momentum by filing 122 IPRs, achieving a record of over 100 filings in our institute for the third year in a row. The institute’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of research and technology has resulted in this record-breaking number of IPRs and positioned the institute as a leader in driving positive change through intellectual contributions. The collaborative spirit among our researchers and the support from various stakeholders have played a pivotal role in reaching this milestone.”

The Institute also saw a substantial increase in the number of IPRs granted in the calendar year. The 167 patents include innovations such as a gas sensor for detecting ammonia at room temperature, a method and apparatus for treating industrial wastewater, a tactile watch for the visually impaired, and a lateral flow immunoassay strip for detecting mastitis in bovines.

Prof. Tarun Gupta, Dean, Research & Development, IIT Kanpur, said, “Inventors are thinking beyond publications; patent filing and technology transfer have become the real accomplishments, proving reproducibility. The increase in the number of IPRs is attributed to a simple process of patent filing, an enabling policy framework by the government, and support from the IPR management committee members.”

Prof. Ankush Sharma, Professor In-charge of Start-up Incubation and Innovation Centre, IIT Kanpur, said, “I am overwhelmed that IIT Kanpur has set a new record by filing 122 IPRs with an exceptional licensing rate in 2023. This accomplishment is a result of the strong research foundation that IIT Kanpur is built on and the ongoing efforts in shaping an R&D ecosystem geared towards a sustainable future.”

IIT Kanpur’s success extends beyond intellectual property, securing the top position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2023 in the ‘Innovation’ category’. Additionally, the institute has been honoured with the Best Assisted Technology Initiatives by Educational Institutes’ Award at the ATF (Assistive Technology Foundation) Awards 2023 for its outstanding contributions to assistive technology activities.

The IP and Technology Transfer Office at IIT Kanpur plays a pivotal role in disseminating technologies from academia and research to the commercial sector. The Office, in addition to filing the highest number of IPRs also facilitates increased technology transfer transactions. The institute’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the nation’s research and development landscape and a focus on delivering impactful inventions at the grassroots level have been key contributors to the overall increase in IPR filings for IIT Kanpur.

source/content: iitk.ac.n (headline edited)

Film Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, returned to the red carpet at Cannes for a third year in a row last night for the world premiere of their restoration of Shyam Benegal’s landmark film ‘Manthan’ (1976) under the Cannes Classic Selection.

Indian audiences can catch the premiere of the restored film in theaters nationwide on World Milk Day falling on June 1st, 2024.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur lead the ‘Manthan’ entourage on the red carpet along with actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, Prateik Babbar(actor and son of the late actress Smita Patil), Nirmala Kurien (daughter of Dr. Verghese Kurien), Dr. Anita Patil Deshmukh and Manya Patil Seth (sisters of late actress Smita Patil) and the producers of the film Dr. Jayen Mehta (Managing Director, Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.).

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Director, Film Heritage Foundation states, “It was amazing walking the red carpet third time in a row and presenting another restored classic here in Cannes the head of Cannes Classic kept talking about the level of restoration various people came to me to talk about the restoration and said they cannot believe the level of restoration we missed Shyam Benegal as there was standing ovation which lasted for almost 5minutes after the film.”

‘Manthan’ is a fictionalized version of the beginnings of the extraordinary dairy cooperative movement that transformed India from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer inspired by Dr. Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution. Remarkably, the national award-winning film which enlists late Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah and late Smita Patil as its starcast is also India’s first crowdfunded film produced by 500,000 dairy farmers who contributed Rs. 2/- each towards the production of the film.

The film was restored by Film Heritage Foundation at Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post – Studios, Chennai and L’Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory, in association with Gujarat Co-Operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Amul), the cinematographer Govind Nihalani and the director Shyam Benegal.

Restoration Process Manthan was restored using the best surviving elements: the 35 mm original camera negative preserved at the NFDC-National Film Archive of India and the 35 mm release print preserved at Film Heritage Foundation. Portions of the original camera negative had colour fading and variations, green mould and flicker, while many parts of the 35 mm print had scratches and vertical green lines. The sound negative had completely deteriorated and could not be used. The sound was digitised from the 35 mm release print. The film elements were repaired by the Film Heritage Foundation conservators and the scanning was done in Prasad Lab in Chennai. While the scanning and digital clean-up was done at Prasad under the supervision of L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, the grading, sound restoration and mastering was done at the lab in Bologna. Both Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani, the cinematographer of the film, have been involved in the restoration of the film.

source/content: deccanchronicle.com (headline edited)

India’s ace women’s table tennis player Manika Batra became the first Indian woman paddler to break into the top 25 of the world Women’s singles rankings. She rose to her career-best ranking of 24, following her success in the Saudi Smash, last week. She also equalled G. Sathyan’s five year old record for the highest rank achieved by an Indian in singles table tennis.

Manika, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in individual and team categories, jumped 15 spots following her run in Jeddah, where she reached the quarterfinals.

source/content: newsonair.gov.in (headline edited)

Sarbananda Sonowal’s visit amid India’s general elections emphasises the importance attached by New Delhi to the Chabahar port.

India and Iran on Monday signed a long-term agreement covering Indian operations at the Chabahar port, with New Delhi offering a credit window worth $250 million for the development of infrastructure around the strategic facility in the Gulf of Oman.

The agreement was signed in Tehran in the presence of ports and shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal and his Iranian counterpart Mehrdad Bazrpash.

Sonowal’s visit amid India’s general elections emphasises the importance attached by New Delhi to the Chabahar port and its place in ambitious plans to forge greater connectivity with Iran, Afghanistan and the landlocked central Asian states.

Sonowal said with the signing of the agreement, the two countries have laid the foundations for India’s long-term involvement in Chabahar.

“The signature of this contract will have a multiplier effect on the viability and visibility of Chabahar port,” Sonowal said. “Chabahar is not only the closest Iranian port to India, but it is also an excellent port from [a] nautical point of view.”

The long-term agreement, to be valid for 10 years and extended subsequently, was being negotiated by the two sides over the past three years and had been held up over differences on a clause related to arbitration. It replaces an initial pact inked in 2016 that covered India’s operations at the Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar port and has been renewed annually.

India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), a subsidiary of state-run India Global Ports Limited (IGPL), currently operates the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port.

Under the new contract between IPGL and the Ports and Maritime Organisation of Iran (PMO), the Indian state-run firm will invest about $120 million to further equip the Shahid Beheshti terminal, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

India has also offered a credit window equivalent to $250 million for mutually identified projects aimed at improving Chabahar-related infrastructure, the people said.

The Indian side handed over a letter from external affairs minister S Jaishankar to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian regarding the credit window and reiterated India’s commitment to cooperate in developing the port, the Indian embassy in Tehran said in a post on X.

Sonowal and Bazrpash discussed “furthering the shared vision of making Chabahar port a regional connectivity hub connecting India to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Eurasia”, the embassy said in another post.

Sonowal travelled from New Delhi to Tehran on a special Indian Air Force (IAF) and his delegation included JP Singh, the joint secretary who heads the Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran desk in the external affairs ministry.

The move comes at a time when China has been showing greater interest in investments in ports and other coastal infrastructure in Iran, with Tehran pressing Beijing to take up the development of other terminals at Chabahar port.

Both India and Iran see the deep-water port in the Sistan-Baluchistan province as a hub for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which will allow shipping companies to use an alternative route that bypasses the sensitive and busy Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

Chabahar’s location in the open sea provides easy and secure access for large cargo ships and the port has benefited from a carve-out from the US sanctions on Iran.

HT first reported in September 2022 that India and Iran were working on a long-term agreement for IGPL’s operations at Chabahar port. The only issue holding up the agreement at that time was related to the jurisdiction for arbitration of differences on any matter. Under Iran’s Constitution, such arbitration cannot be referred to foreign courts, and a proposal under the agreement required a constitutional amendment.

It was not immediately clear how the two sides worked out these differences, though Iranian officials told HT some time ago that this issue had been resolved. Iranian ambassador Iraj Elahi told HT last month the long-term agreement was ready and India’s ports and shipping minister was invited to Tehran for its signing.

Since IPGL began operations at Shahid Beheshti terminal in December 2018, it has handled more than 8.4 million tonnes of bulk and general cargo, including trans-shipments from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Chabahar has also facilitated the supply of humanitarian aid, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and 2,000 tonnes of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar. In 2021, India supplied 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion to Iran through the port to fight a locust menace.

India took up the development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal under a tripartite agreement on Chahbahar signed with Iran and Afghanistan in May 2016. Afghanistan is effectively no longer part of the arrangements since the takeover of the country by the Taliban in 2021.

India had earlier pledged to invest $85 million in the terminal and has so far supplied six mobile harbour cranes (two of 140 tonnes and four of 100 tonnes capacity) and other equipment worth $25 million.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

A joint initiative between India and Oman to boost research and conservation of sharks and rays in the Arabian Sea will be launched at an upcoming workshop at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), it was announced on Friday.

Experts from both countries will take part in the workshop which is expected to take place shortly, here, which will take up the collaborative research works and capacity building in elasmobranch research.

CMFRI Director, Dr A. Gopalakrishnan said the upcoming workshop is a joint venture between the CMFRI and the Marine Science and Fisheries Centre of Oman’s Directorate General of Fisheries Research as part of a research linkage between the two countries.

“The workshop will lay the foundation for a collaborative future in marine research between the two countries and open avenues for regional management and conservation of iconic resources such as sharks and rays in the Arabian Sea,” he said.

“We hope that the collaboration will extend further to other important resources such as tunas, as well as other areas in marine fisheries research, including mariculture and biotechnology,” he added.

The CMFRI is the national marine scientific authority for CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

The institute has been running a dedicated research programme on sharks and rays in Indian waters for over a decade, leading to the development of policy advisories, conservation plans and species-specific databases on several shark and ray species of the Indian EEZ.

During the workshop, participants from both countries will share their knowledge and experience of working with sharks and rays in their respective regions.

The research team from Oman will be headed by Dr Khalfan Al Rashdi, Director of the Aquaculture Centre, Directorate General of Fisheries Research, and also the leader of the Rays Project of Oman.

The Indian research team will be headed by Dr Shoba Joe Kizhakudan, Head of the Finfish Fisheries Division and Principal Investigator of CMFRI’s national project on elasmobranch.

The workshop is coordinated by the India-Shark & Ray Lab of the Finfish Fisheries Division of the CMFRI.

–IANS

source/content: bhaskarlive.in (headline edited)