Category Archives: Leaders

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / TELECOMMUNICATION: Bharti Airtel India’s 2nd Largest Telco, Launches 5G in Eight Cities, to Cover Entire Country by March 2024 

Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal on Saturday said Airtel will launch its 5G services in eight cities from today. These cities include Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore and Mumbai. 

Sunil Bharti Mittal said, Airtel will cover most parts by March 2023 and the entire country by March 2024.

While speaking at the launch of 5G technology in the county at the India Mobile Congress, Mittal said that Airtel would roll out 5G services in most cities by March 2023 and the entire county by March 2023.

“Airtel will deploy 5G services across most cities by March 2023 and across the country by March 2024,” said Mittal.

Mittal further said Airtel started 4G in India, but Mukesh’s (Jio) gave tremendous speed to countrywide 4G proliferation and forced us to run fast to catch up.

Weeks back, in a letter to the customer, CEO of Airtel  Gopal Vittal said the telco is expected to cover all of urban India by 2023. “We expect to launch our 5G services within a month.

By December, we should have coverage in the key metros. After that, we will expand rapidly to cover the entire country. We expect to cover all of urban India by the end of 2023,” said Vittal in a letter.

India’s second-largest telco, Airtel spent Rs. 43,040 crores in a 5G spectrum auction to acquire a 19867.8 MHz spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz frequency bands.

Unlike its competitor Reliance Jio, Airtel gave a miss to the coveted 700 MHz airwaves, which can provide 6-10 kilometres of signal range with one tower, and forms a good base for 5G. 

The country’s largest telco, Reliance Jio will roll out its 5G services in India by Diwali. The company pledged to invest 2 Lakh crore for 5G services. The debt-laden Vodafone Idea Limited is yet to spell its 5G plans.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / AEROSPACE : Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL) integrated Cryogenic Rocket Engine Facility to be Inaugurated by President Murmu in Bengaluru

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL’s) state-of-the-art Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) in Bengaluru on Tuesday which will boost self-reliance in manufacturing of High-thrust Rocket engines.

As per the HAL the facility will cater to the entire Rocket Engine Manufacturing under one roof for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). HAL in its statement said, “The Aerospace Division entering into manufacture of Cryogenic Engines is a major step in technology up-gradation cum modernization. Indigenous cryogenic technology is important as it will assist India to further develop its rocket programme for launching heavy satellites.

The facility is set up over an area of 4500 sq mts housing over 70 hi-tech equipment and testing facilities for manufacturing Cryogenic (CE20) and Semi-cryogenic (SE2000) Engines of Indian Space Launch Vehicles. The commissioning of all the critical equipment for the manufacturing and assembly requirement is completed. The pre-production activities which involve preparation of the process plans, drawings, quality plan etc. has also commenced. HAL will start realising the modules by March 2023.

HAL said, “HAL Aerospace Division manufactures liquid propellant tanks and launch vehicle structures of PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MK-II, GSLV Mk-III and also stage integration for GSLV Mk-II.”

In 2013, an MOU was signed with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) for establishing the facility for manufacturing of Cryogenic Engine modules at HAL, Aerospace Division. The MOU for the Cryogenic Engine facility was subsequently amended in the year 2016 for setting up of Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) with an investment of R208 crores.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: TELANGANA HISTORY: Fearless Woman Warrior ‘Chakali Ilamma’ of Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle remembered

Rich tributes were paid to Chakali Ilamma, the brave warrior of the historic Telangana Peasants’ Armed Struggle (1946-51) on the occasion of her 127th birth anniversary at various places in the old undivided Karimnagar district on Monday.

Karimnagar Zilla Parishad chairperson K. Vijaya, Collector R. V. Karnan and a host of elected representatives of the local bodies and officials garlanded the statue of Ilamma on the Collectorate Road in Karimnagar.

People from various walks of life paid floral tributes to the fearless warrior, who spearheaded a valiant armed struggle against feudal oppression and exploitation in the erstwhile Hyderabad State during the autocratic Nizam rule.

They praised the inspiring leadership of Ilamma, who led the peasants’ armed struggle against the cruel feudal oppression with remarkable courage and grit.

In Hanamkonda, Panchayat Raj Minister E. Dayakar Rao, Government Chief Whip D. Vinay Bhaskar and others garlanded the statue of Ilamma at Hunter Road in the city.

Similar programmes were held in the old undivided Warangal, Khammam, Adilabad and other districts in honour of the legendary woman warrior.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ARTS & CULTURE: FILMS & MOVIES: Shibasish Sarkar elected President of Producers Guild of India

Delighted to pass the baton on to the able hands of Shibasish: Siddharth Roy Kapur, the incumbent president of the Guild.

Film industry professional Shibasish Sarkar was unanimously elected as the president of the Producers Guild of India.

Sarkar was elected at the first meeting of the Guild’s newly constituted Guild Council of Management.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, the incumbent president of the Guild, said he is delighted to pass the baton to Sarkar.

“It has been a pleasure and an honour serving the production fraternity and I am delighted to pass the baton on to the able hands of Shibasish. I am sure he will do a stellar job and add further lustre to the Guild’s reputation of spearheading the industry’s interests,” Roy Kapur said in a statement.

Sarkar, who has close to three decades of corporate experience in handling multiple verticals across films, television, animation, gaming content and operations of digital & new media platforms, said he looks forward to building on what his predecessor has accomplished.

In his six years as Guild president, Siddharth has been a tireless, passionate and committed champion for our industry at a time of unprecedented challenges. I look forward to building on what he has accomplished and working alongside my colleagues to help address the challenges and build on the opportunities we have before us as an industry,” he said.

Sarkar is the chairman and CEO of International Media Acquisition Corp. He has also served as the Group CEO at Reliance Entertainment, a part of the Reliance ADA group and held senior positions at Viacom18, UTV Disney and Godrej Sara Lee.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: ANIMAL DIVERSITY, WILDLIFE & CONSERVATION: PM Modi releases Eight Cheetahs flown in from Windhoek, Namibia at the Kuno National Park, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh aimed at Restoring the Species under ‘Project Cheetah’

When cheetahs run again in Kuno National Park, the grassland ecosystem will be restored, biodiversity will increase further, the Prime Minister said

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on September 17, released a coalition of cheetahs into the Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh.

Eight Cheetahs — five of which are female — were flown from Windhoek, Namibia to Gwalior, followed by a helicopter ride to the grasslands of Kuno Palpur.

The cheetahs were brought in wooden crates and will be released in a specially designed enclosure where they will live for a month and begin a lifetime of acclimatisation to Indian prey and forest conditions.

Mr. Modi, in a televised address, said it could be “months” before ordinary citizens could visit Kuno to spot the animals. “They have now come as guests and it will take some time before they can be used to living in India,” he said.

The cheetah are radio-collared and their movements will be tracked. Each animal has their dedicated tracking team. There is also a team of wildlife scientists, biologists and Laurie Marker, a renowned zoologist and founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund which has worked on restoring the species in Africa.

The introduction of the cheetah in India is being done under Project Cheetah which, according to the Environment Ministry, is the first time a large carnivorous species has been moved across continents for establishing a new population.

“Decades ago, the age-old link of biodiversity that was broken and became extinct, today we have a chance to restore it,” said Mr. Modi, adding “Today the cheetah has returned to the soil of India.”

He remarked that even though cheetahs had become extinct from India in 1952, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them for the past seven decades.

The process to bring cheetahs into India spans several decades including an ingenious proposal in 2005 by the CSIR — Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, to clone an Asiatic cheetah. This came to naught after Iran, where the species was extant but dwindling, refused to share an animal.

In 2010, the Environment Ministry put together a plan recommending locations in India suitable for the cheetah and for sourcing cheetahs from Africa. This however brought legal problems as conservationists challenged estimates by the Wildlife Institute of India, an autonomous government body, of the suitability of Indian sanctuaries for the animal. Kuno Palpur, one of the recommended sites, was originally intended as a second home for the Asiatic lions in Gir, but which the Gujarat government has opposed despite a Supreme Court order directing the transfer.

In 2012, the Supreme Court stayed the Environment Ministry project to bring African cheetahs to Kuno.

In 2017, the National Tiger Conservation Authority revived the proposal and appealed to the Supreme Court to “clarify its order”. The Supreme Court in 2020 removed its bar on importing the cheetah and allowed it in on an experimental basis and this paved the way for the first batch of cheetahs.

About 10-12 cheetahs are expected to be brought into India every year and around 35 are believed to be necessary to create a sustainable population.

The success of this batch of animals will be the touchstone of India’s initiative to be home to four wildcats — the tiger, lion, leopard and cheetah.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: Professor Sanoli Gun from Chennai elected as the Head , ‘First President of Asia-Oceania Women in Mathematics’ (AOWM), Germany

Sanoli Gun from city’s The Institute of Mathematical Sciences will be the first president of Asia-Oceania Women in Mathematics.

The Committee for Women in Mathematics, which is a part of The International Mathematical Union, announced on its website that the Asia-Oceania Women in Mathematics (AOWM), the continental organisation for women mathematicians, has been established by an online meeting on August 1, this year.

With over 200 founding members from the continents, the organisation will have as its first president Sanoli Gun, a professor of mathematics at The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, who specialises in Number Theory. There are two vice-presidents – Melissa Tacy from University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Polly Sy from University of Philippines Diliman, Philippines – and executive committee members including women mathematicians from Korea, Indonesia, Japan, China, Kazhakstan and Iran.

Among its myriad activities, the International Mathematical Union is the body that awards the Fields Medals, the highest honour in mathematics. It is the largest organised body of mathematicians across the world.

“We have to set the tone, and generate funds to actually make all the programmes happen. We have to create a logo and a website to start with. We also have to integrate… Asia is a very diverse continent, and there is Oceania. So there’s a lot of work ahead,” Said Prof. Gun.

The goal of this committee is threefold – facilitate exchange of knowledge between all the member countries, and improve the number of women mathematicians working on their Ph.Ds in mathematics and the mathematical sciences. The second goal is to help women who have Ph.Ds, but somehow get lost in the system. “Maybe we can create some fellowships,” says Prof Gun. The third goal is to make conditions more favourable for those women in faculty positions in various institutes. This will help check the so-called ‘leaky pipeline’. “About steps specific to Asia and Oceania, we will have a better idea after our first EC meeting in September,” she said.

She also pointed out that when a young person takes up research in mathematics, the names she or he encounters are usually Ramanujan and Harishchandra, and very few are inspired. The importance of having the work of great women mathematicians thrown into prominence is therefore obvious. Prof. Gun also mentioned that her colleagues from Europe had spoken of having an exhibition that describes the phenomenal work done by women in mathematics.

Unlike in literature, there are no prizes specifically for women in mathematics. “This is one of the things we will try to get for young people,” she said.

Women in research and even in faculty positions face a lot of discrimination. “One way to tackle this is by creating more women mathematicians,” Prof. Gun said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: INDIA RECORDS: PM Modi Inaugurates ‘Kartavya Path’, Unveils 28-ft-tall Netaji Bose Statue at India Gate

PM takes a walk around Kartavya Path.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday Inaugurated the newly-christened Kartavya Path — a stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, and unveiled a 28-ft-tall statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate. The PM also took a walk around the Kartavya Path.

According to the government, it symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power to Kartavya Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment.

These steps are in line with the prime minister’s second ‘Panch Pran’ for New India in Amrit Kaal: ‘remove any trace of colonial mindset’, it said

The statue is part of the Centre’s ₹13,450-crore Central Vista project, which will have a new Parliament building, new office and residences for the Prime Minister and Vice-President and new ministry buildings. The North and South Blocks, the secretariat buildings flanking Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be converted into museums.

The black granite statue has been carved from a monolithic block of granite weighing 280 metric tonne. The block of granite picked for the statue was transported to Delhi from Telangana and the statue was carved out of it in over two months.

The traffic police made arrangements to ensure smooth vehicular movement in central Delhi where restrictions were imposed for the event. General traffic movement has been diverted from specific roads from 6 pm to 9 pm, officials said.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has replaced the erstwhile Rajpath signages with new signboards of ‘Kartavya Path’. On Wednesday, the NDMC had approved a proposal to rename Rajpath as ‘Kartavya Path’.

Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited has executed the redevelopment of the entire stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate. The project was tendered at ₹477 crore.

The CPWD has set up five vending zones where 40 vendors each will be allowed and two blocks near the India Gate with eight shops each. Some states have shown their interest to set up their food stalls.

The entire stretch has been revamped under the Modi government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment project.

In a statement, the prime minister’s office said over the years, Rajpath and adjoining areas of the Central Vista Avenue had been witnessing pressure of increasing traffic of visitors, putting stress on its infrastructure.

It lacked basic amenities like public toilets, drinking water, street furniture and adequate parking space. Further, there was inadequate signage, poor maintenance of water features and haphazard parking.

Also, a need was felt to organise the Republic Day parade and other national events in a less disruptive manner with minimal restrictions on public movement.

“The redevelopment has been done bearing these concerns in mind while also ensuring the integrity and continuity of architectural character,” the statement said.

(With inputs from PTI)

source/contents: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: INDIA’s GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES: Starbucks Taps Indian-born Laxman Narasimhan as its next CEO, Twitter erupts with memes

Starbucks on Thursday (September 1) named Indian-born Laxman Narasimhan its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Narasimhan currently heads the health and hygiene company Reckitt, from where he announced his departure earlier in the day. 

“Starbuck’s commitment to uplift humanity through connection and compassion has long distinguished the company, building an unrivalled, globally admired brand that has transformed the way we connect over coffee,” Narasimhan said after the announcement. 

Narasimhan is now joining the growing ranks of Indian-descent CEOs heading leading US corporate giants. The list goes…Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Punit Renjen of Deloitte and Raj Subramaniam of FedEx. 

With the announcement, a meme fest also erupted with people on social media platforms posting how Starbuck could become a little desi now. 

Laxman Narasimhan studied mechanical engineering at the University of Pune and then he headed west, picking up the Masters in German and International Studies from The Lauder Institute at The University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. 

Reports have mentioned that Narasimhan will join Starbucks in October. Although, he will take the helm in April 2023, after spending a few months learning about the company and its “Reinvention” plan. 

It is learned that the new plans include paying better wages for baristas, improving employee welfare and customer experience and re-imagining stores. 

source/content: wionews.com (headline edited)

INDIA RECORDS: SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY: DEFENCE: ‘INS Vikrant’ India’s First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, a complex Warship is a Unique Reflection of India becoming self-reliant, says PM Modi

“INS Vikrant is not a mere war machine but proof of India’s skill and talent. It is special, different” , said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean had long been ignored, but today this area is a major defence priority of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2, 2022 as he commissioned INS Vikrant, the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier and the most complex warship ever built.

“Vikrant is a unique reflection of India becoming self-reliant,” he said, adding that his government is working in every direction, from increasing the budget for the Indian Navy to increasing its capability.

The ship is christened after India’s first aircraft carrier Vikrant, which played a vital role in the 1971 war.

From 2013 to 2017, the Navy had fielded two aircraft carriers – the erstwhile Viraat acquired from U.K. and the INS Vikramaditya from Russia which is currently in service. Once Vikrant becomes fully operational, Indian Navy will once again be able to deploy two full-fledged carrier groups significantly expanding its footprint across the Indo-Pacific.

“So far, such aircraft carriers were only made by developed countries. India has taken a step towards being a developed country by being part of the league,” said Mr. Modi speaking at the formal commissioning ceremony which saw the presence of several naval veterans who commanded and served on the erstwhile Vikrant. Envoys and Defence Attaches of few countries were also present at the ceremony including Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell, British High Commissioner Alex Ellis and Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov.

Terming INS Vikrant as huge,the ceremony massive , vast, distinguished and also very special, Mr. Modi said itis not just a warship but a testament to the hard work, talent, influence and commitment of India in the 21st century. “If the goals are distant, the journeys are long, the ocean and the challenges are endless – then India’s answer is Vikrant.”

The Commanding Officer, Capt Vidhyadhar Harke, read the commissioning warrant and the  nishaan (ensign) was hoisted as the national anthem was played followed by the breaking of the commissioning pendent. INS Vikrant adorned the new ensign with effect from its commissioning.

The ship with a displacement of 42,800 tonnes was designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterway.

In line with the prevailing practice globally among carrier-operating nations,the aviation trials are expected to commence by November and expected to continue till mid-2023. Officials had stated that the carrieris expected to be fully operational by end of next year.

The ship would be capable of operating an air wing of 30 aircraft comprising MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31 early warning helicopters, and MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Navy).

Fighter aircraft are launched using the Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) method and INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

The Navy is expected to soon finalise procurement of another carrier-based fighter, between the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation Rafale, to operate off its carriers till the indigenous under-development Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is available.

The 26,000 tonnes of steel that INS Vikrant is made of is warship-grade, produced for the first time in the country by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and the Navy. The steel is now being used in the construction of all warships in the country.

Steel cutting began in April 2005, ship’s keel was laid in February 2009 and it was launched into water in August 2013. The 262m long and 62m wide INS Vikrant is powered by four General Electric LM 2500 engines which give it a maximum speed of 28 Knots and endurance of 7500 NM, which means she can make a voyage from Kochi to Brazil without refuelling.

The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.

Vikrant is the first ship in the Navy and the country which has a 64 slice CT scan machine onboard, in addition to ultrasound and digital X-ray machines and two purpose-built operation theatres.The ship’s reverse osmosis plants produce over four lakh litres of water every day.

The carrier has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery and the indigenisation efforts have also led to development of ancillary industries, besides generation of employment opportunities for 2,000 CSL staff and about 13,000 employees in ancillary industries.

Globally, there is renewed push by major powers to deploy aircraft carriers despite the growing threats to big surface platforms from missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). While the U.S. is fielding new generation of super carriers, U.K. has fielded new carriers while Japan is converting its helicopter carriers to operate F-35 fighter jets. China which is on a massive maritime modernisation spree, presently operates two carriers, and has launched a third carrier, Fujian, into water in June this year.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: PERSONALITY: Gautam Adani now World’s 3rd Richest Person, Overtakes France’s Louis Vuitton Chief. Simultaneous Record ‘First Time an Asian Person has Broken into the Top 3.

This is the first time an Asian person has broken into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Business conglomerate Adani Group’s chairman Gautam Adani is now the world’s third-richest person after overtaking France’s Bernard Arnault according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

With a total net worth of USD 137.4 billion, 60-year-old Adani has surpassed the wealth of Louis Vuitton chairman Arnault and is now just behind business magnate Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the ranking.

In the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Reliance chief Mukesh Ambani is at number 11 with a total USD 91.9 billion worth.

This is the first time an Asian person has broken into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The index is a daily ranking of the world’s richest people. Details about the calculations are provided in the net worth analysis on each billionaire’s profile page. The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York.

The net worth of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are currently at USD 251 billion and USD 153 billion, respectively.

Adani is a first-generation entrepreneur and the Adani Group comprises of 7 publicly listed entities with businesses spanning energy, ports and logistics, mining and resources, gas, defence and aerospace and airports. In each of its business areas, the Group has established a leadership position in India.

The Adani Group is the third largest conglomerate (after Reliance Industries and the Tata Group) in India.

Listed Adani group companies are Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, Adani Total Gas, and Adani Transmission.

Over the past 5 years, flagship company Adani Enterprises has invested heavily in new growth sectors that include airports, cement, copper refining, data centres, green hydrogen, petrochemical refining, roads and solar cell manufacturing.

Looking ahead, it plans to foray into the telecom space and has massive plans to grow its green hydrogen and airports businesses.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)