National
PM inaugurates Integrated Sea Survival Training Centre
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the integrated Sea Survival Training Centre, ONGC Institute in Goa on 06 February 2024.
- Shri Modi also witnessed a briefing on underwater escape exercises and a demonstration of the training center.
ONGC Sea Survival Centre:
- ONGC Sea Survival Centre has been developed as a one-of-a-kind Integrated Sea Survival Training Centre to advance the Indian sea survival training ecosystem to global standards.
- It is expected to train 10,000-15,000 personnel annually.
- Exercises in simulated and controlled harsh weather conditions enhance the Sea Survival skills of trainees and thus potentially increase the chances of safe escape from real-life disasters.
Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Inaugurates Digital India FutureLABS
⇒ Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched the “Digital India FutureLABS” at IIIT in New Delhi in February 2024.
Union Minister delivered the keynote address at the ‘Digital India FutureLABS Summit 2024,’ focused on ‘Catalyzing the Next-generation Electronics System Design through Digital India FutureLABS.’
- The Summit also witnessed an announcement of 22 MoUs of C-DAC with Industry for implementation of the futureLABS.
- Companies like NXP Semiconductors, Tenstorrent and Qualcomm India have signed MoUs in areas like High Performance Computing space, Design & Innovation in Compute space and Indian Telecom Stack.
About Digital India FutureLABS:
» The Digital India FutureLABS, coordinated by C-DAC, aims to tap into the trillion-dollar opportunity presented by the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector.
- The initiative seeks to move up the value chain, fortify domestic R&D, and create a collaborative ecosystem for the development of IPs, standards, and the next-generation Electronics System Design in the country.
- Focusing on key growth areas such as Compute, Communication, Automotive & Mobility, Strategic Electronics, and Industrial IoT, the FutureLABS initiative is strategically positioned to leverage futuristic technologies, including AI, Big Data, and Quantum Computing, marking a transformative phase in Indian research.
PM inaugurates and lays foundation stone for development projects in Guwahati
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 11,000 crores in Guwahati, Assam on 04 February 2024.
- The key focus areas in Guwahati include projects to boost sports & medical infrastructure and connectivity.
Development projects:
» Providing world-class amenities to people visiting pilgrimage sites has been a key focus area of the Prime Minister. In yet another step in this endeavour, one of the key projects for which the foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister includes Maa Kamakhya Divya Pariyojana (Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor), which has been sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme.
- It will provide world-class amenities to pilgrims visiting the Kamakhya temple.
» The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of multiple road upgradation projects worth over Rs 3400 crore, under which 43 roads including 38 bridges will be upgraded as part of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Corridor Connectivity.
» The Prime Minister inaugurated two 4-laning projects, namely Dolabari to Jamuguri and Biswanath Chariali to Gohpur.
- These projects will help improve the connectivity to Itanagar and boost the overall economic development of the region.
» To harness the tremendous sports potential of the region, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of projects to boost the sports infrastructure in the state.
- The projects include an international standards sports stadium in Chandrapur and the upgradation of Nehru stadium as a FIFA standard football stadium.
» The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the development of infrastructure of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
» Further, the foundation stone for the development of a medical college at Karimganj was also laid by him.
Woman Robot Astronaut "Vyommitra" will fly into Space ahead of “Gaganyaan" mission
⇒ Woman Robot Astronaut “Vyommitra” will fly into Space ahead of ISRO’s ambitious “Gaganyaan” mission, which will be India’s first human manned Space Flight carrying Indian Astronauts into Space.
- “Vyommitra” is a name derived from two Sanskrit words namely, “Vyoma” (meaning Space) and “Mitra” (meaning Friend).
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said this while interacting with the media in New Delhi.
- Dr Jitendra Singh further elaborated that “Vyommitra” Astronaut is designed in such a manner so as to simulate human functions in the Space environment and interact with the Life Support System.
» Pertinent to mention that as a run up to the launch of India’s first-ever manned Space flight named “Gaganyaan”, the first Test Vehicle Flight TV D1 was accomplished on 21st October last year.
- This was meant to qualify the crew escape system and parachute system.
» The uncrewed “Vyommitra” Mission is scheduled for the third quarter of this year while a manned mission “Gaganyaan” is scheduled to be launched next year, that is 2025.
- The Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human space capabilities by launching a crew of astronauts into an orbit of 400 Kilometres and then bringing back these human astronauts safely to earth by landing them in India’s sea waters.