Category Archives: Science & Technology

GLOBAL & NATIONAL: INFORMATION TECHNOLGY: Infosys Only Indian Firm in TIME Magazine’s World’s Best 100 Companies list

The list, curated by TIME and Statista, is dominated by global Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet and Meta Platforms which were the top four companies on the list.

IT major Infosys is the only Indian company featured in TIME Magazine’s top 100 ‘World’s Best Companies 2023’ list, dominated by Big Tech.

The Bengaluru-based professional services firm has been ranked 64th spot in the top 100 list.

“Infosys has been featured in TIME World’s Best Companies 2023 list. We are among the top 3 global professional services firms and the only brand from India in the Top 100 global rankings,” the company said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The list, curated by TIME and Statista, is dominated by global Big Tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) and Meta Platforms which were the top four companies on the list.

Other top companies in the coveted list are Accenture, Pfizer, American Express, BMW Group, Dell Technologies, Louis Vuitton, Delta Air Lines, Starbucks, Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Ford and others.

The list is based on a formula of revenue growth, employee-satisfaction surveys, and rigorous environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG, or sustainability) data. Big Tech had a tough year, laying off tens of thousands of workers since January.

But the world’s biggest tech companies are also the ones doing best for investors, employees, and the planet.

“Microsoft, for example, the top company in the global rankings, made $72 billion in its most recent fiscal year, a 63 per cent increase from 2020, while also reducing overall emissions by 0.5 per cent,” said TIME.

Accenture, based in Dublin, had the highest ESG ranking of any company on the list.

“The rankings show just who dominates the world economic order, with fast-moving tech and business-services companies unseating the manufacturers and consumer-goods companies that once drove the global economy,” the magazine said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: 15 September – National Engineers Day: The Story of M Visvesvaraya, India’s Pioneering Civil Engineer

Having played a role in major public works projects across the nation, he later served as the 19th Dewan of Mysore and wrote two books on the Indian economy. Here is a look at his life and his legacy.

September 15 is marked as the birthday of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861-1962), credited for his role as a civil engineer and administrator in colonial India.

Born on September 15, 1861, in the Muddenahalli village of Karnataka, ​​Visvesvaraya completed his school education in his hometown and later on went to study Bachelor of Arts at the University of Madras. He then pursued a diploma in civil engineering at the College of Science in Pune. Having played a role in major public works projects across the nation, he later served as the 19th Dewan of Mysore and wrote two books on the Indian economy. Here is a look at his life and his legacy.

After completing his engineering from the Poona College of Science, Visvesvaraya accepted an offer to work as an Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Government of Bombay. He was 22 at the time and one of his first projects was to construct a pipe syphon across one of Panjra river’s channels. On November 15, 1909, he joined the Mysore service as Chief Engineer, ultimately assuming the position of the 19th Dewan of Mysore.

However, he took voluntary retirement in 1918 because he did not agree with the proposal to set aside state jobs for the “non-brahmin” community. After his retirement, he presided as chairman or became a member of various committees including the Bombay Technical and Industrial Education Committee, Bombay University Committee for Promoting Chemical Industries and the Cauvery Canal Committee.

M Visvesvaraya’s significant works

Some of his significant works include the introduction of the block system of irrigation in the Deccan canals in 1899, solving the problem of the “muddy and discoloured” water in the city of Sukkur located on the banks of the Indus river and inventing automatic gates meant to regulate the flow of water in reservoirs, which is patented.

According to Vigyan Prasar, “The objective of the Block System of Irrigation was ‘to distribute the benefits of an irrigation work over a large number of villages and to concentrate the irrigation in each village within blocks of specified limits and in selected soils and situations’”. The Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Karnataka was the first to install these gates in the 1920s.

He also travelled abroad a few times and sought to understand aspects of other countries’ systems. In Italy, he studied for two months the soil erosion problem and their irrigation and drainage works. While there, he also took a trip to the sewers of Milan, accompanied by the Chief Engineer responsible for the Milan Drainage Works and asked him some particularly “large questions” which the officer was confused about, since he thought that British officers would be responsible for all such “higher work”. To this, Visvesvaraya responded that Indians’ services were appreciated and utilised if they had the necessary qualifications and worked hard.

In a speech delivered on March 16, 1912, at Central College Bangalore , Visvesvaraya said: “As compared with Europe, our climate and traditions all pre-dispose us to a life of inaction and ease. We are influenced either by religious sentiment, class patriotism or belief in kismet, whereas the activities of Western nations rest on an economic basis. While they think and act in conformity with economic necessities, we expect to prosper without acquiring the scientific precision, the inventive faculty, the thoroughness, the discipline and restraints of modern civilisation.”

On another occasion, he said: “Progress on modern lines is a necessity. We cannot afford to ignore scientific discoveries which have almost vivified material nature. Past ideals were for past times. We must adopt ourselves to the everlasting conditions of existence or be content to be left behind in the race for material prosperity.”

Visvesvaraya pleaded for a “self-examination not moral or spiritual, but secular – that is, a survey and analysis of local conditions in India and a comparative study of the same” with those in other parts of the globe.

His books, “Reconstructing India” and “Planned Economy of India” were published in 1920 and 1934, respectively.

On Education

During his three-month visit to Japan in 1898, Visvesvaraya realised that education largely determines the health of an economy. In his, “Memoirs of Working Life”, which was published in 1951, he noted that while in Japan there were some 1.5 million girls in school, there were only over 400,000 of them in Indian schools, “notwithstanding the vastly greater population in our country”.

Visvesvaraya was instrumental in the setting up of the University of Mysore in July 1916, as he was the Dewan of Mysore at the time. He believed that the aim of an educational institution should be in line with the “state of the country’s civilisation and of its material prosperity”, and that the conditions inside a university should not be very different from the ones a student has to encounter in real life.

After taking a voluntary retirement from state service in 1918, he continued work including on the Mysore Iron and Steel Works and established the Sir Jayachamarajendra Occupational Institute in Bangalore in 1943, which was later renamed Sir Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic. This institute was meant to impart special training to technicians keeping in mind the impending industrial development of India.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: DEFENCE & MANUFACTURING: New Delhi, Paris join hands to Manufacture Advanced Defence Tech

The decisions were arrived during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.

India and France on Sunday decided to strengthen defence cooperation through partnerships in the design, development, testing and manufacture of advanced defence technologies and platforms, and expanding production in India.

The decisions were arrived during bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. 

“We discussed a series of topics and look forward to ensuring India-France relations scale new heights of progress,’’ said Modi, who had nine bilateral meetings on Sunday. The other bilateral meetings Modi had were with Canada, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, Comoros and South Korea. India and Saudi Arabia will have a bilateral meeting on Monday.

During his talks with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Modi raised concerns about the anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. The extremists are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada. Trudeau said Canada believes in freedom of expression and peaceful protests but doesn’t condone violence.

During his talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Modi spoke about enhancing trade, and continuous collaboration on clean energy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed India’s G20 Presidency and complimented PM Modi on the Delhi Declaration.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: AGRICULTURE: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for Scientist P V Satyanarayana for his Outstanding Contributions to Agriculture in 2021-22

P V Satyanarayana, principal scientist at the Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Ragolu, has been awarded the prestigious M.S Swaminathan Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of agriculture during the period 2021-2022.

Satyanarayana’s pioneering work involves the development of high-yielding rice varieties that exhibit resilience against various pests and environmental challenges, including BPH, BLB, Blast, Submergence, and salinity. Additionally, he has made substantial contributions to fine-grain varieties and hybrid rice that have revolutionised agriculture across India.

P V Satyanarayana, currently serving as the Principal Scientist at the Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Ragolu, boasts an impressive list of awards including the National Award as Team Leader for the Best Golden Jubilee AICIP Centre Award in 2015 and the Best Scientist Award by the Seedman Association in 2021.

This award was presented at an event at Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), Hyderabad on Sunday. This biennial national award, jointly constituted by the Retired ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Employees Association (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL), includes a cash prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs and a gold medal.

Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) was the chief guest at the event. Dr. R.S. Paroda, former DG, ICAR and others were present.

The award selection committee headed by Dr. A Padma Raju, Vice Chancellor of ANGRAU, recognised Dr. PV Satyanarayana for his invaluable contributions.

  1. Prabhakar Rao, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuziveedu Seeds Limited, noted that this prestigious award has been conferred upon eight individuals to date, with four of them hailing from the Telugu-speaking states.

Referring to the ban on rice exports, he stated that if the government maintains sufficient stocks and promotes exports, it could prove advantageous for farmers. Prabhakar Rao said Nuziveedu Seeds are actively engaged in research related to high-density farming in cotton, which promises a 30-40 per cent increase in yield. With appropriate management practices, this could escalate to 50-60 per cent higher yields compared to conventional varieties.

The Retired Indian Council of Agricultural Research Employees’ Association (RICAREA) was established in 1997 with the primary mission to promote the cause of agriculture based on the ideals and objectives of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL), operating for nearly 50 years, stands as one of India’s largest seed companies. NSL is engaged in crop improvement projects spanning over 30 crops, with breeding stations located across the country, covering a wide range of agro-climatic conditions.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL & NATIONAL / RECORDS : INDIA IN SPACE: Moon done for India, over to the Sun as ISRO’s Aditya-L1 lifts off successfully

The first space-based observatory to study the Sun, the spacecraft, after traveling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

ISRO on Saturday launched the country’s ambitious Solar mission, Aditya L1 eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition, Chandrayan 3 a few days ago.

As the 23.40-hour countdown concluded, the 44.4 meter tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) soared majestically at the prefixed time of 11.50 am from this spaceport, located on the Eastern coast about 135 km from Chennai.

It will be PSLV’s “longest flight” for about 63 minutes.

According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 is the first space-based observatory to study the Sun. The spacecraft, after traveling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

Among others, it will send pictures of the sun for scientific experiments.

According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper — “Essai sur le Probl me des Trois Corps, 1772.”

These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption.

At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.

After the lift-off at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, the scientists would be involved in placing the spacecraft at Low Earth Orbit initially, and later it will be more elliptical.

The spacecraft would be launched towards the Lagrange L1 point using on-board propulsion so that it exits the earth’s gravitational Sphere of Influence and cruises towards the L1. Later, it would be injected into a large Halo Orbit around L1 point near the Sun.

The total time from launch to reaching the L1 point would be about four months for the Aditya-L1 Mission, ISRO said.

Explaining the reasons to study the Sun, ISRO said it emits radiation in nearly all wavelengths along with various energetic particles and magnetic fields.

The atmosphere of the Earth as well as its magnetic field acts as a protective shield and blocks harmful wavelength radiations. In order to detect such radiation, solar studies are carried out from space.

The major objectives of the mission include understanding the Coronal Heating and Solar Wind Acceleration, the initiation of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), near-earth space weather and the solar wind distribution.

The Aditya-L1 mission carries seven scientific payloads to carry out the study.

The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will study the solar corona and dynamics of CME.

VELC, the primary payload will be sending 1,440 images per day to the ground station for analysis on reaching the intended orbit.

It is “the largest and technically most challenging” payload on Aditya-L1.

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope would do imaging of the Solar photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultraviolet and measure the solar irradiance variations.

The Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payloads will study the solar wind and energetic ions as well as the energy distribution.

The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer and the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) will study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.

The Magnetometer payload is capable of measuring interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point.

The payloads of Aditya-L1 are indigenously developed with the close collaboration of various centers of ISRO.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Indian-American scientist hopes to be first woman to make stratospheric jump in 2025

Swati Varshney and two other finalists will undergo rigorous training for 18 months and only one of them will make the historic jump while the other two explorers will remain on the team for support.

An Indian-American scientist, Swati Varshney, is one of the three skydivers who is set to prepare for the first-ever jump from the stratosphere by a woman hoping to break the world record.

Rising United, a non-profit organisation, that aims to inspire young women’s participation in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) has chosen three young women explorers as part of their “Hera rising initiative” who will embark on the journey to jump from the stratosphere at an altitude of 42.5 km above the Earth.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the organisation said, “We’re thrilled to introduce Hera Rising — a pioneering campaign for Female Equality and STEAM Education, featuring the FIRST EVER stratospheric jump by a woman!”

The other two finalists preparing to achieve this historic feat are Eliana Rodriquez of Columbian origin and Diana Valerín Jiménez of Costa Rican descent.

The three finalists will go under rigorous training for 18 months and only one of them will make the historic jump while the other two explorers will remain on the team for ground support and educational outreach, Space.com reported.

The stratosphere is Earth’s second layer of atmosphere which reaches a height of around 12 to 50 kilometers (7 to 31 miles) above the Earth’s surface.

The temperature in the stratosphere reaches a minimum of roughly -80°C (-112°F) at the stratopause.

Swati, who has done a PhD in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in an interview with Space.com said that her career trajectory has been close to skydiving.

“I just did a tandem skydive as a thing, I had an absolute blast. I felt really comfortable in freefall. It became this never-ending journey of another pursuit of knowledge that went alongside my academic career,” she was quoted as saying.

Swati has made over 1,200 jumps with a speciality in vertical freefall.

When it comes to training, we’ll need to do a series of high-altitude jumps, going higher and higher and higher, she said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL: Prof Pankaj Khanna, Indian Institute of Technology (IITGN) Gandhinagar Joins ‘IODP Expedition 389′ Team as Sedimentologist for Offshore Study of Hawaiian Reefs’ role in Climate Change

Prof Pankaj Khanna, a faculty member in Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), has been handpicked as the sedimentologist from India to join an offshore research expedition.

This endeavor, titled ‘IODP Expedition 389,” is a part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and aims to investigate climate change patterns through the study of drowned reefs off the coast of Hawaii.

Prof Khanna’s role scheduled to unfold from August 29 to November 1, places him amidst a cohort of 31 leading researchers hailing from various parts of the world. Their collaborative mission will centre on the meticulous drilling and analysis of fossilised coral reefs encircling the Hawaiian islands. This undertaking promises to unearth invaluable insights into the intricate interplay between global sea-level variations and the broader spectrum of climate change on a planetary scale.

Prof Pankaj Khanna, said, “The research cruise will provide critical datasets to dive deep into past sea levels and climate for the last five lakh years for which there are very limited records. The rocks collected through scientific drilling will give critical information on mechanisms that control abrupt climate change. I will be analysing the core samples that will be collected on the research expedition. I am looking forward to what the drowned reefs offshore Hawaii holds for us to expand our understanding.”

At the heart of this enterprise lies the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), a far-reaching collaborative effort encompassing contributions from 21 countries, including India. Its goal is to delve into the annals of Earth’s history, structure, and dynamics through the meticulous collection and examination of seafloor sediments, rocks, and sub-seafloor environments.

Within this framework, the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), a key component of IODP, oversees specialised missions such as the ongoing ‘Expedition 389,’ designed to probe submerged reefs off Hawaii’s coastline.

Steered by Co-chief Scientists Prof Jody Webster from the University of Sydney, Australia, and Prof Christina Ravelo from the University of California, Santa Cruz, the expedition will unfold aboard the MMA Valour vessel.

Distinguished by its Benthic Portable Remotely Operated Drill (PROD5) system, the vessel will be home to scientific endeavors that span up to 11 distinct sites. These locales encompass fossil coral reefs encircling Hawaii and hold a treasure trove of climate data spanning significant epochs in Earth’s history.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL : IT, SOFTWARE & APPs: App to Turn Phones into Wireless Sets for UP Cops

To improve the channel of communication between police personnel in Lucknow, the Commissioner of Police has introduced a new mobile-based application which will enable the cops on field to communicate with one another and there will be no need to have age old wireless sets.

“The app titled ‘P.O.C’ (PUSH TO TALK OVER CELLULAR) will help all the police personnel to connect directly making mobile phones useful as wireless sets through an app. A line testing/live trial was done in the Reserve Police Lines on Monday at a seminar organised where the cops were explained about the working of the app,” said the Lucknow Police Commissionerate spokesman.

“Through the PUSH-TO-TALK feature, the discussions can be held one-to-one.

As a result of the GPS system in the app, the live location of all the users will be displayed. Police can upload any video of any incident which can also been seen by higher authorities,” said director general, telecom, Uttar Pradesh, Sanjay Tarde while explaining about the app.

“Interestingly, each police personnel will have a unique QR code through which this app will be installed in the mobile phone through which only they can download and use it and it will not be available to the general public,” he added.

The set-up will help communicate with cops in VVIP movement and the secure communication link between officers/persons on duty will have no possibility of leaking of information.

The DG also said the communication link had been successfully established in Meerut zone/Saharanpur region and Bareilly zone during Kanwar Yatra in Shravan.

Apart from this, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi and the yellow/red zone in Ayodhya will also test the above-mentioned communication links.

In this way, this communication system will be very useful and will be a revolutionary step in modern communication.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing: August 23 to be Celebrated as ‘National Space Day’, says PM Modi

Summary

-Terming the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission as an ‘extraordinary moment’ in the history of India’s space programme, he said the place where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon’s surface in 2019 would be known as

-August 23, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew down to Bengaluru on Saturday directly from the Greek capital of Athens to interact with ISRO scientists on the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission and announced the decision to name the place where lander ‘Vikram’ touched down on the lunar surface as “Shiva Shakti Point”.

Terming the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission as an ‘extraordinary moment’ in the history of India’s space programme, he said the place where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon’s surface in 2019 would be known as “Tiranga Point”.

23 August, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as “National Space Day”, said the Prime Minister, who turned emotional while addressing the team ISRO at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) here, as he lavishly praised them for their dedication and passion.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath briefed him about the Chandrayaan-3 mission. A large number of people, many of them holding aloft national flags, gathered outside the HAL Airport and Jalahalli Cross, which is close to ISTRAC, to greet the Prime Minister.

On Wednesday evening as the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Modi joined the ISRO team at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISTRAC virtually from Johannesburg, where he was attending the 15th BRICS summit.

Modi had also flown down to Bengaluru on the night of 6 September 2019 to watch the planned touchdown of Chandrayaan-2 mission’s ‘Vikram’ lander. But in the early hours of September seven, barely minutes before it was slated to land, ISRO lost contact with the craft, just 2.1 km above the lunar surface.

source/content: telegraphindia.com/edugraph (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Infosys Signs Rafael Nadal as Ambassador for 03 years

Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys, said, “It is an honour to welcome Rafa – one of the world’s most respected champion athletes and humanitarians – as an ambassador for Infosys.

 Infosys on Thursday announced a three-year partnership with tennis star Rafael Nadal. 
His collaboration with Infosys will be in the development of an AI-powered match analysis tool.

“This tool will be available in real-time to Nadal’s coaching team to simultaneously track insights from his live matches, when he is back on tour, along with historical data from his earlier matches,” Infosys said.

Nadal said, “I love the way Infosys has brought its digital expertise across industries to the global tennis ecosystem. It has transformed the tennis experience for a billion global fans and truly empowered all players on the tour with analytics that they could have only dreamt of a few years ago.”

Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys, said, “It is an honour to welcome Rafa – one of the world’s most respected champion athletes and humanitarians – as an ambassador for Infosys. He is someone who personifies the spirit of always evolving, never giving up, utmost dedication and determination to give the very best in every situation.”

As the digital innovation partner for the ATP Tour, Roland-Garros, Australian Open, and The International Tennis Hall of Fame, Infosys has helped reimagine the tennis ecosystem for a billion fans globally leveraging AI, cloud, data analytics and digital experiences.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)