The government also has revamped the existing fleet of buses, equipping them with power steering and adjustable seats.

Delhi has made history with the inauguration of its first all-women bus depot, with Sarojini Nagar being renamed the ‘Sakhi Depot’. The renaming of the oldest depot in the city is a tribute to women and a symbol of the changing time in a mainly male-dominated field.

Unveiled by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, the depot aims to “break barriers for women”. “The all-women initiative is not just about operating buses, but also about empowering women to take charge in a space where they have traditionally been underrepresented. The depot is just the beginning; we will establish many such depots under the ‘Sakhi’ initiative,” he said.

The ‘Sakhi Depot’ has a total workforce of 223 women, comprising 89 drivers and 134 conductors. It operates a fleet of 70 buses, including 40 air-conditioned and 30 non-AC buses, serving 17 routes across Delhi.

The shift didn’t come without challenges, though. The government has tweaked steps such as revision in the height requirement for drivers. “The original minimum height requirement of 159 cm excluded many aspiring women drivers. In February 2022, the height requirement was reduced to 153 cm,” an official said.

The government also has revamped the existing fleet of buses, equipping them with power steering and adjustable seats. Another hurdle was obtaining Heavy Motor Vehicle licences.

The first batch of 11 women drivers successfully graduated from the programme in August 2022. Currently, 89 women drivers are operating DTC buses.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

The precision strike variant for Pinaka MLRS is an indigenous weapon system designed, and is expected to become the mainstay of the long range rocket artillery.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Thursday (November 14, 2024) announced the successful completion of flight tests of guided Pinaka multi-barrel rocket (MBRL) system as part of Provisional Staff Qualitative Requirements (PSQR) validation trials paving the way for its induction. This enhances the range of the Pinaka to over 75km.

The flight tests have been conducted in three phases at different field firing ranges.

“During these tests, the PSQR parameters viz., ranging, accuracy, consistency and rate of fire for multiple target engagement in a salvo mode have been assessed by extensive testing of rockets. Twelve rockets from each production agency from two in-service Pinaka launchers upgraded by the launcher production agencies have been tested,” DRDO said in a statement.

The Indian Army has four Pinaka regiments in service and six more are on order. The Pinaka Mk1 has a range of 38 km and several extended ranges are under development. It can fire a variety of ammunition. Eventually, the plan is to take up the range to 120 km and then to 300 km.

In addition to the Pinaka, the Army has five Grad rocket regiments and three Smerch regiments. Eventually, the indigenous Pinaka will become the mainstay of the long range rocket artillery.

The precision strike variant for Pinaka MLRS is a totally indigenous weapon system designed and developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment in association with Research Centre Imarat, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory and Proof & Experimental Establishment. Munitions India Limited and Economic Explosives Limited are the production agencies for ammunition while Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Larsen & Toubro are for Pinaka launcher and battery command post.

Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO, said that the rocket system has completed all “pre-requisite” flight trials before induction into the Indian Army.

As reported by The Hindu earlier, France is considering India’s Pinaka for its requirements along with other systems and a team is expected to visit Indian soon to carry out detailed evaluation of the system. Armenia became the first export customer for the Pinaka with interest expressed by several countries in the system.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu U.S. Congresswoman, challenges identity labels by being a Hindu-American with no Indian heritage, redefining what it means to embrace faith and culture.

In the kaleidoscope of American politics, few figures are as fascinating and unexpected as Tulsi Gabbard. The former Democratic Congresswoman turned Republican icon, appointed by President-elect Donald Trump as the new Director of National Intelligence, is not just making headlines for her shift in party allegiance or her military service.

Yes, you read that right.

Tulsi Gabbard, born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, is often mistaken for an Indian-American due to her Hindu faith and first name. But here’s the twist—while she practices Hinduism and carries the name “Tulsi” (a common name in Indian families), her roots aren’t Indian at all.

Gabbard’s mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, converted to Hinduism in the 1970s and raised her children as devotees of the Gaudiya Vaishnav school, which originates in Bengal. It was this spiritual practice—not any ancestral connection to India—that shaped Tulsi’s identity.

So why does this matter? In a country where identity is often tied to ethnic background, Gabbard’s case is a reminder that religion, culture, and heritage can be inherited in ways that defy conventional expectations.

The “Indian-American” misconception

The world may see Tulsi and assume she’s of Indian origin. After all, her first name is an homage to a sacred plant revered in Hinduism, and her role as the first Hindu member of Congress was widely celebrated in Indian-American communities. But Gabbard’s connection to Hinduism comes from her upbringing, not a familial legacy in India. It’s a story that challenges the typical narrative of what it means to be “Indian-American.”

Hailing from Hawaii, Tulsi had little in the way of Indian subcontinent exposure, but her faith and dedication to her religion of Hinduism were authentic. She would go on to explain how her mother’s conversion to the Hindu faith, along with their family’s practices on reincarnation, dramatically affected the family. It was the mother’s faith that induced them to turn in their Samoan roots, and this faith was preserved in their family.

Breaking stereotypes in American politics

Although Gabbard’s Hindu identity allowed her to stand out from the rest, it is worth mentioning that she wasn’t embraced by everyone in the political arena. Geographically, Gabbard held a foreign policy that irked some leftists, and sometimes she was challenged by members of the Hindu American communities because she did not fit the definition of ‘Indian’. However, the most diverse of all nations was intriguingly surprised by the revelation that, for Gabbard, political behaviour was not just about being an American politician of Indian descent but also about being an American politician of Hindu origin.

Gabbard’s story is a study in contrasts. She’s a progressive former Democrat who has now allied herself with the Republican Party, breaking ranks with the establishment for reasons that have raised eyebrows. Her military service, her commitment to Hinduism, and her candid criticism of both the Democratic and Republican establishments have made her a magnet for both admiration and controversy.

The faith that defines her

Tulsi’s Hindu identity is central to her narrative, yet it is not confined to the “Indian-American” label. The distinction is crucial because it highlights the multifaceted nature of religious and cultural identity in the U.S. Many Americans associate Hinduism with Indian heritage, but Gabbard’s story shows that Hinduism can be a path of personal discovery and commitment, even without a direct cultural link to the subcontinent.

Her embrace of the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition—a branch of Hinduism rooted in devotion to Lord Krishna—reflects a deeply spiritual journey rather than a national or ethnic one. It’s this personal connection to faith that set her apart, not the geography of her ancestry. When she took her congressional oath on the Bhagavad Gita, it wasn’t just a religious symbol—it was a statement of her spiritual identity, forged in the U.S., by a family that embraced Hinduism long before it became widely recognized in American political circles.

The “Hindu-American” who challenges labels

Tulsi Gabbard’s rise to prominence has forced the world to rethink the labels we often assign to people based on religion or ethnicity. She represents a new kind of American identity—one that defies traditional boundaries. While her story doesn’t fit neatly into the “Indian-American” box, her story is just as powerful, showcasing the beautiful complexity of religious and cultural expression in the modern world.

So next time you hear Tulsi Gabbard’s name, remember this: She’s not just an Indian-American politician with a Hindu identity. She’s a Hindu-American who is not Indian-American—an identity that proves labels are often just a small part of who we truly are.

source/content: indiatvnews.com (headline edited)

Scientists have described the SKAO’s two arrays of telescopes — one in Australia and the other in South Africa — as “game-changers” for radio astronomy that will open new opportunities to explore the universe and the fundamental laws of physics.

India has joined as a full member of an international research consortium building the world’s largest radio telescope split across two continents and designed to probe the skies in unprecedented detail 10,000 times faster than possible now.

India’s department of atomic energy and department of science and technology are set to contribute ₹1,250 crore (140 million euros), about 10 per cent of the estimated 1.3 billion euros, for the construction of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).

Scientists have described the SKAO’s two arrays of telescopes — one in Australia and the other in South Africa — as “game-changers” for radio astronomy that will open new opportunities to explore the universe and the fundamental laws of physics.

Indian scientists have participated in discussions on the design, construction and science goals for the SKAO since 2012 but India joined the SKAO Council this July. “India’s contributions to the SKAO have been substantial, spanning science, engineering and governance,” SKAO director-general PhilDiamond said.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Women personnel constitute over seven per cent of the force whose present strength is about 1.80 lakh.

A first-ever all-women CISF battalion comprising more than 1,000 personnel has been sanctioned by the Union government keeping in mind the burgeoning duties of the force in VIP security, airports and other vital installations.

Officials told PTI that the unit will be raised from within the sanctioned manpower of the force of about two lakh personnel.

The Union home ministry issued a sanction order on Monday approving an exclusive women unit called “reserve battalion” in the force with a total strength of 1,025 personnel led by a senior commandant-rank officer, they said.

Women personnel constitute over seven per cent of the force whose present strength is about 1.80 lakh.

A force spokesperson said preparations for the early recruitment, training and selection of location for stationing the new reserve battalion has been initiated.

“The training is being specially designed to create an elite battalion capable of performing a multifarious role as commandos in VIP security and also security of airports, Delhi Metro, etc.,” he said.

Once raised, it will be the first all-women reserve battalion of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The CISF has 12 reserve battalions under its establishment at present and they have a mix of both men and women personnel.

As the name suggests, reserve units are kept in readiness and this pool is used as reinforcement when the force gets a new job like temporary duties of conducting elections and permanent tasks of guarding an installation like the Parliament House complex that came under CISF cover this year, an official said.

The force has a huge interface with women commuters and visitors at facilities like the 68 civil airports it guards, the Delhi Metro and historical monuments like the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. It already has female personnel deployed at these duty locations.

Apart from these installations, the 1969-raised CISF provides a counter-terrorist security cover to a number of facilities in the nuclear and aerospace domain apart from those in the private sector like the Infosys offices in Bengaluru and Pune, Reliance refinery in Jamnagar (Gujarat), among others.

The CISF projected a requirement of having an all-women reserve battalion early this year following the directions of Union home minister Amit Shah during the 53rd Raising Day of the force that was held in March 2023, a home ministry official said.

“The addition of a ‘mahila’ (women) battalion would encourage more aspiring young women across the country to join CISF and serve the nation. It will give a new identity to women in CISF,” the spokesperson said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

During the test, all sub-systems performed as per expectation and met the primary mission objectives.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday conducted the maiden flight test of Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, from a mobile articulated launcher.

The missile performance was monitored by several range sensors like Radar, Electro-Optical Tracking System and telemetry deployed by ITR at different locations to ensure complete coverage of the flight path.

During the test, all sub-systems performed as per expectation and met the primary mission objectives.

The Ministry of Defence said, “The missile followed the desired path using waypoint navigation and demonstrated its capability to perform various manoeuvres while flying at various altitudes and speeds.”

The missile is also equipped with advanced avionics and software to ensure better and more reliable performance, MoD added.

LRLACM is a Defence Acquisition Council-approved, Acceptance of Necessity-sanctioned, Mission Mode Project. It is configured to launch from the ground using mobile articulated launchers and also from frontline ships using a universal vertical launch module system, MoD said.

LRLACM has been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru along with contributions from other DRDO laboratories and Indian industries. Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru are the two Development-Cum-Production-Partners for LRLACM and they are engaged in missile development and integration.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO, the Armed Forces, and the Industry on the successful Maiden Flight Test. It paves the way for future indigenous cruise missile development programmes, he said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

The other countries who participated were Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, the Maldives and Nepal.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India hosted South Asian nations for a multilateral event in New Delhi. Notably, the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council, the three-day event organised by the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT), includes a delegation from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a significant inclusion. 

The Afghan officials present at the annual council declined to answer questions, but provided their names: Saed Baraat Shah Agha Nadeem, the chairman of the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA), Sebghatullah Andar, the Telecommunication Monitoring and Control Director, and Rohullah Raihan, a protocol director. There was also a Pakistani delegation; the country’s delegation was led by Khawar Siddique Khokhar, Member (Compliance & Enforcement) at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). 

At the plenary session, TRAI chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti was voted the chair of SATRC for the coming year, a customary appointment as India hosted this year’s session. “It is important that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) policies are increasingly related to development objectives,” Mr. Lahoti said in remarks after being voted chair. He brought up spam as an issue on which countries would have to collaborate to address. “This is not a political forum, this is a sectoral gathering,” he told The Hindu when asked about the significance of the countries in attendance. “We are fortunate that all the eight member countries of the SATRC are present here.“

“We need to work harder and more patiently than ever to build our region,” Mr. Nadeem of ATRA said at his remarks in the plenary session, in which he also highlighted the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation in telecommunications, and thanked India for its hospitality. Iran also participated with a representative present; however, the gathering was addressed by the country virtually by Alireza Darvishi, an official at the country’s Communications Regulatory Authority.

Last week, J.P. Singh, joint secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs’ Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division met with Afghan officials and discussed issues like Afghan businesses accessing the Chabahar Port, and humanitarian assistance. Afghan state-associated media reported this week that the country’s consulate would begin issuing passports to citizens in India.

“South Asia faces unique challenges regarding access and inclusion, cybersecurity, spectrum management, smart cities and societies, e-waste and the regulation of social media and OTT platforms, etc,” Mr. Khokhar of Pakistan said in his remarks. 

The other countries who participated were Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives and Nepal. “Post-pandemic, online platforms have taken the forefront of teaching and learning,” Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority Director Jigme Wangdi said. “Therefore, demand for fixed broadband, ADSL, leased line, has increased, and our telecom companies are struggling to meet the demand. The universal service funds are depleting, and we still have villages to cover with usable internet connectivity. With 5G we’re in a better position to deal with the increased demand of leased lines and home broadband…” 

Ilyas Ahmed, chief executive of the Communication Authority of Maldives, said that the archipelago nation had made progress in its broadband rollout, adding that it had become “the first country in the region” to roll out SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet services. Mr. Ahmed also brought up the issue of spam, saying it was important to “educate our citizens on spam techniques” and “make sure scammers cannot easily operate across borders.” 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The other sectors where the share of India’s exports has increased during 2018 and 2023 are electrical goods, pneumatic tyres, taps and valves, and semiconductor devices.

India’s export competitiveness has witnessed healthy gains in multiple sectors — particularly petroleum, gemstones, agrochemicals and sugar — during the last five years, as these segments have increased their share in global trade, according to the commerce ministry data.

The other sectors where the share of India’s exports has increased during 2018 and 2023 are electrical goods, pneumatic tyres, taps and valves, and semiconductor devices.

The ministry data analysis showed that petroleum exports rose to USD 84.96 billion in 2023, with India’s market share surging to 12.59 per cent last year from 6.45 per cent in 2018, positioning it as the second-largest global exporter. It was ranked fifth in 2018.

In the precious and semi-precious stones segment, the country’s share in global shipments has soared to 36.53 per cent last year from 16.27 per cent in 2018. It has propelled the country to the top position in the category, with exports reaching USD 1.52 billion in 2023 from USD 0.26 billion in 2018. It was at the second spot in 2018.

Similarly, in cane or beet sugar, the country’s outbound shipments have more than quadrupled to USD 3.72 billion from USD 0.93 billion in 2018.

India has achieved tremendous growth in the export of cane or beet sugar, with its global market share increasing from 4.17 per cent in 2018 to 12.21 per cent in 2023.

“As the world’s second-largest exporter of sugar, India’s success can be attributed to both favourable agricultural policies and its strong production base. The country has capitalised on the growing global demand for sugar, especially in regions like Southeast Asia and Africa,” an official said.

India’s share of the global market for insecticides and fungicides has also shown healthy improvement.

The country increased its global share from 8.52 per cent in 2018 to 10.85 per cent in 2023, with exports reaching USD 4.32 billion.

India’s ability to meet international agricultural and environmental standards and its emphasis on innovation in agrochemicals have led to this improvement, the official said.

India is now the third-largest exporter globally against the 5th position in 2018, the data showed.

Further, the country’s position in the global market for rubber pneumatic tyres has also strengthened, with exports growing to USD 2.66 billion in 2023 from USD 1.82 billion in 2018.

India now holds a 3.31 per cent share of the global market, up from 2.34 per cent in 2018, and the country has moved up to the eighth position globally from 13th in 2018, indicating the rising demand for Indian-manufactured tyres, particularly in emerging markets.

The data also showed that exports of semiconductors and photosensitive devices have increased from a mere USD 0.16 billion in 2018 to USD 1.91 billion in 2023, with the country’s share in the world market rising to 1.4 per cent, and the country now ranks ninth globally compared to 25th in 2018.

This underscores India’s potential to become a key player in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

They propose a model to teach responsibility to autonomous AI agents, such as systems or entities like drones, robots, vehicles etc. which can perform tasks and operate independently without any human intervention.

Imagine if adaptive traffic lights on the road start communicating with each other and regulate the traffic better, or if an autonomous agent (advanced form of Artificial Intelligence) tells a supply chain manager when is the best time to ship an order. In a new study by the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore’s (IIITB), researchers have come up with a model called Computational Transcendence which can help autonomous agents do these tasks responsibly. 

Autonomous agents are systems or entities like drones, robots, vehicles etc. which can perform tasks and operate independently without any human intervention. Their application lies in diverse domains like healthcare, agriculture, and mobility among others. Considering the vast applicability where the actions of such agents directly impact humans and other agents in the system, the researchers say that the agents must act responsibly understanding the implications of their actions on others.

‘Computational Transcendence: A Model for Emergent Responsible Agency in Multi-Agent Systems’ was conducted and authored by Srinath Srinivasa, professor and dean (R&D), IIITB, and Jayati Deshmukh, who was a research scholar at IIITB between 2020 and 2022, and was recently published in AI and Ethics this August.

“While the decision making of autonomous agents has matured, they still face problems when they have to interact with each other. There was an incident in San Fransisco in the U.S. where many autonomous cars were trying to park at the same time and that led to collision and traffic jams. It is difficult to hardcode responsible behaviour into agents as they are typically modelled as external reinforcements,” said Prof. Srinivasa.

He further explained: “The innate responsibility in human beings is a result of our elastic identity where we identify ourselves with things bigger than us. We experimented with many approaches with the agents and our unique transcendental approach worked the best. This model endows agents with an elastic sense of self enabling them to identify with other external entities of the system which could be other agents and abstract notions. The agent will then consider them as a part of their transcended sense of self and act responsibly.”

So, what happens when these agents act responsibly? “Consider the adaptive traffic lights which we see in many cities including Bengaluru,” says Prof. Srinivasa. “They have some sense of synchronisation and work effectively in the intersection where they are located. But they are not that effective on a larger scale, which would be the synchronisation of all such lights in the city. With a little sense of transcendence, the traffic lights will be able to communicate with their immediate neighbours and coordinate better,” he said. 

He narrated another example of a supply chain. “When orders are received, suppliers usually do it in bulk to reduce costs. They face the dilemma of either making the customer wait for their products until more orders pile up or ship immediately and compromise on profits. An autonomous agent with transcendence can help the supplier decide how to come up with a win-win situation for both the supplier and the customer.” 

The authors believe that this model offers a promising direction of research that can help design and build intrinsically responsible autonomous agents which act responsibly because of their larger-than-self-identity and not for constraint or obligation satisfaction. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Total vehicle retail sales in India in Oct sees 32% on-year rise to 28,32,944 units: Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association.

The total vehicle retail sales in India witnessed a 32 per cent on-year rise in October to 28,32,944 units with all segments including two-wheelers and passenger vehicles registering strong growth, Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association (FADA) said on Wednesday.

The total vehicle retail sales in October 2023 stood at 21,43,929 units, as per FADA.

The strong growth in October this year was largely driven by the rural market, especially boosting two-wheeler and passenger vehicles sales, supported by increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Rabi crops, FADA said.

The total vehicle retail sales in India witnessed a 32 per cent on-year rise in October to 28,32,944 units with all segments including two-wheelers and passenger vehicles registering strong growth, Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association (FADA) said on Wednesday.

The total vehicle retail sales in October 2023 stood at 21,43,929 units, as per FADA.

The strong growth in October this year was largely driven by the rural market, especially boosting two-wheeler and passenger vehicles sales, supported by increased Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Rabi crops, FADA said.

Passenger vehicle sales grew 32.38 per cent to 4,83,159 units, from 3,64,991 units retailed in October 2023, it stated.

Two-wheeler sales for the previous month were recorded at 20,65,095 units, as compared to 15,14,634 units in October 2023, registering a growth of 36.35 per cent, while three-wheeler sales were up 11.45 per cent year-on-year to 1,22,846 in in October 2024, it said.

Tractor sales, according to FADA, increased 3.08 per cent during October to 64,433 units, from 62,542 units a year ago.

The convergence of major festivals (Navratri and Diwali) in October significantly boosted consumer demand; attractive festive offers, new model launches, and improved stock availability led to a 36 per cent year-on-year and 71 per cent month-on-month growth in two-wheelers, according to FADA.

Besides, rural sentiments, favourable monsoon and good crop expectations, further contributed to the growth, it stated.

Moreover, the 32 per cent year-on-year and 75 per cent month-on-month rise in passenger vehicle sales was driven by festive demand, aggressive offers, and new model introductions, it said.

FADA remains optimistic about near-term growth of the overall automobile industry particularly with the wedding season ahead.

However, potential challenges such as inventory overstock and economic headwinds may affect sales momentum towards the end of the year, it said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)