Category Archives: Science & Technology

India’s First 5500 HP Locomotive Engine. September 2013 .

The engine production unit of the Indian Railways’–   ‘Diesel Locomotive Works’ (DLW), Varanasi, has developed the first prototype of a 5500 HP diesel locomotive (WDG 5). This makes it the country’s most powerful engine with a capacity to attain 100-km-per hour, making it the strongest diesel locomotive ever run on the Indian rail network.

WDG5 has brought to Indian Railways advanced technologies ie. electronic fuel engine which results in higher fuel efficiency and emission control. It simultaneously incorporates International Union of Railways (UIC) and Association of American Railroads (AAR) crash-worthiness criteria for safety.

The high horsepower locomotive design has been done by Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) of Indian Railways with support of US based Electro Motive Diesel (EMD).

First in the World: With the making of this prototype Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) earns the position of becoming the first ever 5500 HP diesel engine manufacturer worldwide. It is considered to be the largest locomotive to be used on a 22-axle load in the world. There are several countries with more powerful engines carrying a load on higher axle loads.

Presently Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) are able to manufacture locomotives with horsepower ranging from 1400 HP to 5500 HP to suit compatibility of multiple track guages. Till date DLW has manufactured over 6,700 locomotives and is currently one of the biggest locomotive manufacturers in the world.

First Indian Doctor Awarded ‘ Francis Fontan Prize ‘ by EACTS. September 2013 .

Dr. Sowmya Ramanan , a Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon of Frontier Lifeline Hospital , is the first Indian doctor to be awarded the ‘ Francis Fontan ‘ prize from the European Association for Cardio Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) for her research work on ‘ Pulmonary Valve Replacement ‘.

The Francis Fontan Prize is awarded to Adult Cardiac, Thoracic, Cardio-Vascular and Congenital Surgeons.

Previous award winners were from Canada, Italy, Hungary and Nepal.

 

The Award : The Fontan Prize was initiated in honour of Professor Francis Fontan, a founding father of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

The Award Winner will be sent to Europe and Britain for speciality training in Cardiac or Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. The Award covers the cost of one year’s stay at a major European Department or any other European Research facility.

India’s First Naval and Maritime Expo & Conference ( NAMEXPO 2013 ) . September 2013 .

NAMEXPO 2013 was India’s first Naval and Maritime Exposition & Conference, held at the Cochin Port (Kerala) between September 23rd to 27th, 2013. The Chief Guest of the occasion was Paul Anthony, Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Port Trust.

NAMEXPO was well attended by Official Delegations of 15 Countries and participants were by 50 Domestic and International exhibitors. Participating countries included Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden, South Africa, Singapore, USA, UK, UAE and Vietnam.

There were demonstrations and visits to naval ships – INS Satpura, INS Kabra, INS Sudarshini. All these 3 ships are indigenously made by Indian shipyards.

This maiden Expo was well attended by visitors and delegates who wanted to interact and discuss business with Indian firms in defence and maritime sector.

The Expo was organised by CII and held in partnership with Government of Kerala and supported by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Ministries of MSME’s, Earth Sciences and Shipping of Government of India.

First Indian to Travel in Space . April 1984 .

Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel in space. April 02nd 1984.

Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma was with the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the time of flying into space in 1984. It was a joint-programme between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos Space Programme.

Rakesh Sharma spent 8 days in space on-board the Salyut 7 space station. He was accompanied by 2 other Soviet Cosmonauts aboard Soyuz T-11 spacecraft which blasted off on April 02nd, 1984.

Rakesh Sharma was born on January 13th, 1949 in Patiala, Punjab. He joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a Pilot Officer after joining the NDA as an IAF cadet in 1966.

Awards:

He was awarded the Ashok Chakra from the Government of India. He was also honoured with the ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.

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India’s First Digital Substation Automation Competence Centre Inaugrated. September 2013 .

Alstom, a world leader in power generation and transmission inaugrated India’s first digital substation automation competence centre. September 12th, 2013.

Alstom’s new facility is located in Pallavaram, Chennai. The new facility has ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. Alstom provides services for a wide variety of energy sources including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal with a focus on smart grids. This new facility is also a milestone for Alstom from a global perspective.

 

More Info….Follows Soon…

Nokia’s Launches First Device in India with Urdu Language Capability. September 2013 .

Nokia launched the Nokia 114 model, the first ever device with Urdu language capability / option in India.

It was launched at an event by Kapil Sibal, Hon’ble Minister of Communications & Information Technology in the presence of P.Balaji, MD Nokia India in New Delhi. The Hon’ble Minister handed over the first Nokia 114 to Muzaffer Ali, noted filmmaker, poet, a revivalist and a social worker.

The launch is a part of Nokia’s strategy for democratising the reach of mobile telephones. India has over 15 crore urdu speaking people  making it one of the largest urdu speaking populations in the world.

 

Making History – The Election Commission uses for First Time in India a Hi-Tech Voter Recording System ( VVPAT) . September 2013 .

Nagaland became the first state in the country to use a high tech voter record system. The system is aptly called ‘ Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

This was introduced and used successfully by the Election Commission of India for the first time, in the by-election to the Noksen Assembly constituency in Nagaland.  September 04th, 2013 .

More Info…..Coming Up…

Vodafone India launches its First All Women ‘ Vodafone Angel Store ‘ in Haryana . September 2013 .

Vodafone India, in a unique initiative for women empowerment, launched the First ‘ Vodafone Angel Store ‘ at Yamuna Nagar in Haryana on Wednesday -September 03rd, 2013.

Vodafone Angel Stores are Vodafone retail outlets managed and run entirely by women employees.

Vodafone also launched three Vodafone Mini Angel Stores in Ambala Cant, Jagadhvi, Ambala city, providing more employment opportunities for Women.

India’s First ‘ National Media Centre ‘ inaugrated in New Delhi . August 2013 .

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi jointly inaugrated the Information & Broadcasting Ministry’s new ‘ National Media Centre ‘ on Saturday – August 24th, 2013.

Set up at a cost of Rs. 60 crore, the National Media Centre is located on Raisina Road in New Delhi.

More Info……Coming Up…