Current Affairs search results for tag: science-and-technology

1. Jio signs deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer Starlink internet services in India

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• Jio Platforms  said it has signed a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring Starlink’s internet services to India.

Important points:

• Jio and SpaceX, so far, had been on the opposite side of the debate on how spectrum for satellite communication should be assigned to companies – with Jio calling for an auction, but SpaceX insisting on the administrative route. 
• Through this agreement, theparties will leverage Jio’s position as the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of data traffic and Starlink’s position as the world’s leading low Earth orbit satellite constellation operator to deliver reliable broadband services across the country, including the most rural and remote regions of India.
• Apart from offering Starlink equipment in its retail outlets, Jio will also establish a mechanism to support customer service installation and activation. 
• Starlink complements JioAirFiber and JioFiber by extending high speed internet to the most challenging of locations in a quick and affordable manner.
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2. SCCL signs pact with BHEL for setting up 800 MW thermal power plant

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• SCCL signs pact with BHEL for setting up800 MW thermal power plant near Jaipur in Mancherial in 40 months.

Important points:

• On completion, the new plant is expected to contribute Rs.300 cr. p.a. profit to SCCL in addition to Rs. 450 cr p.a. being contributed by an existing 1,200 MW project.
• The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) on March 11, 2025, signed an agreement with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) for executing the work of its new 800 megawatt ultra super critical thermal power plant planned on the premises of the existing 2×600 MW project at Pegadapalli near Jaipur in Mancherial district in 40 months.

3. Assam Government to Launch Its Own Satellite ‘ASSAMSAT’.

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• Assam state government has announced plans to launch its own satellite, ASSAMSAT, to bolster data access for crucial socio-economic initiatives and enhance border security.

Important points: 

• This announcement was made by Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog while presenting the state budget for the financial year 2025-26.
• The satellite is envisioned to provide dedicated services for agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, and security operations.
• This initiative marks ahistoric milestone, as Assam becomes the first Indian state to launch its own satellite.
• The ASSAMSAT satellite will be developed in collaboration with IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). 

Objectives of ASSAMSAT:

• Strengthening Border Security: The satellite will provide real-time surveillance over the state’s borders, assisting in tracking any illegal movements, including infiltration.
• Disaster Management: By offering early warning systems for floods and landslides, it will play a crucial role in mitigating natural calamities, especially along the Brahmaputra River.
• Agricultural Advancements: The satellite will help farmers by providing weather forecasts, soil health analysis, and crop monitoring data, enhancing overall productivity.
• Infrastructure Development: It will aid in urban planning, monitoring developmental projects, and identifying infrastructure gaps for better implementation.
• Law Enforcement & Police Operations:The satellite’s surveillance capabilities will assist police and security agencies in tracking criminal activities and improving law enforcement efficiency.

Budget Allocation and Cost Estimation:

• The Assam government has earmarkeda total budget of Rs 2.6 lakh crore for the financial year 2025-26. 

4. GRIDCON 2025

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Sh. Manohar Lal inaugurated GRIDCON 2025 – The International Conference cum Exhibition on 9th March 2025 at IICC, Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, New Delhi.

Important points:

• The event organized by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) from 9th–11th March 2025 is being held under the patronage of Ministry of Power and in association with CIGRE, India.
• GRIDCON 2025 inaugural event witnessed a galaxy of professionals from the field of power sector from  across the globe.

About GRIDCON 2025 :

• GRIDCON 2025 is a premier event in the power sector, for industry, utilities, professionals, researchers, and academicians across the global to shape the future of renewable integration, grid resilience, asset management, and digital transformation. 
• It will witness more than 2000 conference delegates, 150 technical papers, 150 exhibition companies, 30 country representatives. 
• With the theme “Innovations in Grid Resilience” the conference will focus on new technologies, infrastructure, and smart solutions that can revolutionize the way we generate, transmit, distribute, and consume energy.
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5. Electronic Toy Hackathon (e-Toycathon 2025)

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• To boost the electronic toy sector, for the first time in India “e-Toycathon 2025” was organized byC-DAC under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY’s) research initiatives, at CDAC-Noida.

About e-Toycathon 2025:

• e-Toycathon 2025 was officially announced by Secretary, MeitY on 23rd November, 2024, under the MeitY-funded project "Development of Electronics and IT-based Control and Automation Solutions for Consumer Electronic - Toys Industry”.
• Registration for the event was open to engineering institutes, universities, and colleges; each institute was allowed to nominate two teams for Stage 1: The Innovative Design Competition. 
• This online competition was conducted from January 14 - 17, 2025, attracting 112 teams and engaging 400+ engineering students from across India.
• In Stage 1, a jury panel comprising Indian Toy Industry experts shortlisted 20 teams to advance to Stage 2 in e-Toycathon.
• In Stage 2, all 20 shortlisted teams showcased their skills in electronic toy prototype development in C-DAC Noida.

The competition offered the following cash prizes:

• First Prize:  Rs. 2,00,000
• Second Prize: Rs. 1,00,000
• Third Prize: Rs. 50,000
• Two Consolation Prizes: Rs. 25,000 each
• The first prize was awarded to Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore for Play Mat Toy, a fun and attractive play mat that has piano functional keys, animal pictures and sounds/drums/music/rhymes etc. 
• The mat is made up of soft material so that it can be folded. Children can engage in both playing the piano and dancing; this allows them to enjoy the music for entertainment, while improving their music intelligence and visual training.
• The second prize was awarded to Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, for Robo-Mentor AI which is an innovative educational toy designed to empower children by combining the excitement of robotics with the supportive capabilities of generative AI. 
• National Institute of Technology, Durgapur secured the 3rd place for Interactive Educational Chart. This chart is made to engage children in learning about India through activities. 
• It is in English language with feature of choosing any regional language as well.
• National Institute of Technology, Srinagar and Indian Institute of Information Technology, Senapati, Manipur were given consolation prizes for Compact Mini Drone Toy and Electronic Cashier Machine Toy respectively.

6. Tata Motors begins trials of hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks .

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• Tata Motors launched the first-ever trials of hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks in order to assess their viability for long haul transportation solutions.

Important points:

• Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari with Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi and Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh flags off India’s First Hydrogen Truck Trials, at Taj Palace in New Delhi .
• The trial phase will span up to24 months and involves deployment of 16 advanced hydrogen-powered vehicleswith varying configurations and payload capacities.
• The trucks, equipped with Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines and Fuel Cell technologies, will be tested on India's most prominent freight routes, including those around Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar
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7. HIMASHIELD 2024 Grand Challenge

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• The HIMASHIELD 2024 Grand Challenge, organized by (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) C-DAC Thiruvananthapuramunder Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology research initiatives, successfully concluded on National Science Day in Thiruvananthapuram.       

The details of the winners are given below:

• Winner (Rs 5 lakhs, Trophy & Certificates): GlofsenseTeam consist of Venkatesh R, Naveen Krishnaa S and Nithish T from Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu.
•  First Runners up (Rs 3 lakhs, Trophy & Certificates): CryoWizardsTeam consist of Sourabh Anand(Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology,Dehradun) and Sunil Mahato, Sudip Banerjee, Nikita Roy Mukherjee(Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra)
• Second Runners up (Rs 2 lakhs, Trophy & Certificates): CryoSenseTeam consist of Dr.Ashim Sattar, Dr.Sudipta Saha, Dr.Debajyoti Biswas, Abhinav A, Kattamuri Mohan Krishna, Kartick Cherukuri (IIT Bhubaneswar) 

Objectives:

• Aimed at fostering innovation in Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) mitigation, the challenge provided a platform for young researchers and innovators to develop indigenous, sustainable solutions to tackle this critical environmental challenge.

About HIMASHIELD 2024 grand challenge :

• HIMASHIELD 2024 is a grand challenge dedicated to tackling the growing threat of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) caused by climate change-induced glacier melting.
• Organized to foster innovation, the challenge provides a platform for researchers, engineers, and innovators to develop cutting-edge solutions for monitoring and managing glacier lakes, designing early warning systems, and implementing effective engineering measures to mitigate flood risks. 
• The goal is to create practical, scalable, and indigenous solutions that can safeguard vulnerable communities, protect critical infrastructure, and enhance disaster resilience. 
• Through this challenge participants are invited to register their teams through the official HIMASHIELD website and submit proposals detailing their innovative systems, capabilities, and societal impact.

8. Government approves National Critical Minerals Mission with outlay of Rs.34,300 crore in 7 years

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• The government approved aRs.16,300-crore National Critical Mineral Mission, envisaging a total outlay of Rs.34,300 crore spread over seven years.

Important points:

• with an aim to achieve self-reliance and accelerate India’s journey towards green energy transition.
• National Critical Mineral Mission aims to promote exploration of essential minerals, reduce import dependence, and ensure self-reliance in India.

What are Critical minerals ?

• Critical minerals are non-fuel minerals, elements, or substances that are essential to the economy and national security of many countries.
•  They are used in a wide range of technologies, including energy technologies, electric vehicles, and defense applications. 

Examples of critical minerals

• Copper:A key component of electricity networks and other electricity-related technologies .
• Lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese:Crucial to the performance of batteries .
• Rare earth elements: Essential for permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors .
• Titanium minerals:Used in nuclear and defense applications .
• Zircon: Used in nuclear and defense applications .
• Monazite:A source of rare earth elements .

Why are critical minerals important?

• They are vital to the economy and national security.
• They are essential components of many of today's rapidly growing energy technologies.
• Demand for these materials is growing quickly.

9. ISRO successfully launches NVS-02 satellite

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)  launched its historic 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Important points:

• The GSLV-F15 with the NVS-02 satellite lifted off from the spaceport’s second launch pad at 6.23 a.m. and 19 minutes later the GSLV-F15 with indigenous cryogenic stage placed the NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit as intended.
• The NVS-02 satellite is the second satellite in India's next-generation NavIC system, a regional satellite navigation system designed to provide precise positioning, velocity, and timing data for users across India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders.

About ISRO:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation is India's national space agency.
•  It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister of India, with the Chairman of ISRO also serving as the chief executive of the DoS. 
• It is primarily responsible for space-based operations, space exploration, international space cooperation and the development of related technologies. 
• The agency maintains a constellation of imaging, communication and remote sensing satellites. 
• It operates the GAGAN and IRNSS satellite navigation systems.
• The Secretariat of DOS and ISRO Headquarters are located at Antariksh Bhavan in Bangalore. 

10. India's first private satellite constellation by PixxelSpace

Tags: Science and Technology

Why in the news?

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi remarked that India's first private satellite constellation by PixxelSpace showcases the exceptional talent of India's youth. 

Important points:

• India's first private satellite constellation iscalled "Firefly" and was launched by the Bengaluru-based space startup PixxelSpace.

• It is considered the world's highest resolution commercial-grade hyperspectral satellite constellation. 

Key points about Pixxel's constellation:

• Name: Firefly.

• Company: PixxelSpace.

• Technology: Hyperspectral imaging, allowing for detailed data capture across numerous light bands.

• Applications: Agriculture, environmental monitoring, defense, resource tracking .

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