‘Antariksha Abhyas – 2024’, a three-day Exercise to war-game the growing threats from and to Space-Based Assets and Services, is being conducted by the Defence Space Agency of Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff from 11 - 13 Nov 24.
Exercise Antariksha Abhyas is the first of its kind. It is expected to help secure national strategic objectives in space and integrate India’s space capability in military operations.
The Space Exercise aims to provide enhanced understanding of space based assets and services and to gain understanding of operational dependency on space segment between stakeholders.
It will have participants from the Defence Space Agency and its allied units along with personnel from the Army, Navy and the Air Force. Specialist branches under Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff viz Defence Cyber Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency and Strategic Forces Command would also be active participants in conduct of the exercise.
Tata Power has entered into a 25-year-long strategic partnership with Noida International Airport (NIA) for renewable energy integration, the company announced. The partnership will see a total investment of Rs 550 crore in solar and wind power supply, as well as the development of essential dry utilities and smart energy infrastructure.
Under the deal, Tata Power Trading Company Ltd. will supply 10.8 MW of wind power to NIA, with secured assets from Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. (TPREL). In addition, TPREL will develop, operate, and maintain a 13 MW onsite solar power capacity.
Noida's new international airport is preparing to launch its commercial operations on April 17, 2024, with about 30 flights expected to take off for both domestic and international destinations. The first phase of operations will see 25 flights connecting major domestic cities and three flights serving international destinations.
A High-Level Committee, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah approves three projects of Rs. 725.62 crore under “Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the states” for Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.
The Committee has approved Rs. 147.76 crore for Chhattisgarh, Rs. 201.10 crore for Odisha and Rs. 376.76 crore for West Bengal. The HLC is comprised of Finance Minister, Agriculture Minister and Vice Chairman NITI Aayog as members.
Shri Amit Shah has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country.
The Central Government has allocated a total of Rs. 5000 crore under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for “Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the states”, proposals of 15 states at a total outlay of Rs. 2542.12 crore had already been approved.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has joined hands with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to establish a Centre of Excellence for research in ‘Fluid and Thermal Sciences.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ISRO and IIT Madras as part of which the former will provide seed funding of Rs. 1.84 Crore to establish this centre.
The Centre will act as a nodal centre for spacecraft and launch vehicle-related thermal management research activities of ISRO.
Additionally, thermal problems related to the design, analysis, and testing of various components can be solved by leveraging the expertise of IIT Madras faculty.
The key objectives of this collaboration includes:
Thermal Management Research Hub: The Centre will serve as a key research hub for ISRO, focusing on spacecraft and launch vehicle thermal management challenges.
Funding: ISRO will provide an initial seed funding Rs. 1.84 crore to establish the Centre and for essential infrastructure and equipment.
Advanced Research Projects: Projects will cover critical areas, including spacecraft thermal management, combustion instability in hybrid rockets, and cryo-tank thermodynamics.
Industry-Academia Collaboration: The Centre will enhance collaboration between ISRO scientists and IIT Madras faculty, fostering innovation in fluid and thermal sciences.
Amazon India launched a facility in Bengaluru that will provide “underserved” school students free, hands-on learning in robotics, computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing.
For beginners, there are three- to four-hour programmes to learn basic robotics and coding.
Six-hour programmes will over two days “dive deeper” into advanced robotics, programming, prototyping and design. For the most advanced students, there are multi-month programmes. Makerspace has areas where students can build and test their robot.
Students can book online sessions that will have groups of up to 40 participants.
Makerspace has 3D printers, lathes, power tools, electronics equipment and kits for international competitions. Mentors and Amazon volunteers will help students develop skills in coding, problem-solving and design.
Amazon Future Engineer is a philanthropic programme of the company to provide opportunities in computer science education to underprivileged students.
In India, Amazon has partnered with 11 non-profit organisations to introduce computer science education in more than 17,000 schools. Amazon said Future Engineer in the past three years has helped more than 2.9 million students and trained 16,000 teachers across the country.
Veteran Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce, known for his work on Clear and Present Danger, Salt, and Rabbit-Proof Fence, will receive the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The festival will take place from November 20-28 in Goa, with Australia as this year’s Country of Focus.
The festival will open with the Asian premiere of Better Man, a biographical film about British pop star Robbie Williams, directed by Michael Gracey.
IFFI will also feature six new theatres and introduce “IFFiesta,” an entertainment zone along Goa’s riverfront.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has published the World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) 2024, underscoring global trends in intellectual property (IP) filings. The report reveals significant growth in patent, trademark, and industrial design applications across top economies.
India has secured a spot in the global top 10 for all three major intellectual property (IP) rights—patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. India continues to solidify its place as a global leader in the intellectual property (IP) landscape by showing substantial progress and marking new milestones in IP activity.
India recorded the fastest growth in patent (+15.7%) applications in 2023 among the top 20 origins, marking the fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth. India ranks sixth globally for patents with 64,480 applications, with resident filings accounting for over half of all submissions (55.2%)—a first for the country.
The patent office also granted 149.4% more patents in 2023 compared to the previous year, underlining the country’s fast-evolving IP ecosystem.
The report indicates a steady rise (36.4%) in India’s industrial design applications, which aligns with increasing emphasis on product design, manufacturing, and creative industries within India.
The top three sectors—Textiles and Accessories, Tools and Machines, and Health and Cosmetics—made up almost half of all design filings,
Between 2018 and 2023, patent and industrial design applications more than doubled, while trademark filings increased by 60%, reflecting the country’s growing emphasis on IP and innovation.
India ranked fourth globally in trademark filings, with a 6.1% increase in 2023. Nearly 90% of these filings were by residents, with key sectors including Health (21.9%), Agriculture (15.3%), and Clothing (12.8%) leading the way. India’s trademark office holds the second-largest number of active registrations worldwide, with over 3.2 million trademarks in force,
reflecting the country’s strong position in global brand protection.
The report highlights continued growth in global intellectual property filings, reflecting innovation resilience despite economic challenges. Key findings show a record of 3.55 million patent applications filed worldwide in 2023, up 2.7% from 2022 with notable contributions from leading economies in Asia.
This increase was largely driven by residents in China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and India. This growth trend, especially in resident filings, emphasises a shift towards local innovation, with many countries aiming to strengthen their domestic IP landscapes.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation reached a 14-month high of 6.21 percent in October, up from 5.49 percent in August, indicating persistent price pressures across sectors, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) said. The data shows higher inflation in rural areas at 6.68 percent compared to 5.62 percent in urban regions.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) aims to keep inflation within a range of 2-6 percent, with a medium-term target of 4 percent.
The Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) recorded a significant year-on-year (Y-o-Y) inflation rate of 10.87 percent, driven largely by rising prices of vegetables, fruits, oils and fats. In September, food inflation stood at 9.24 percent.
Rural areas experienced a CFPI inflation rate of 10.69 percent, while urban regions saw a slightly higher rate of 11.09 percent.
Housing inflation also rose, with October 2024 recording a rate of 2.81 percent, slightly up from September’s 2.72 percent. The housing index is calculated only for urban areas.
ICICI Prudential Multi-Asset Fund, one of India’s largest and most successful multi-asset allocation funds, has achieved a remarkable milestone—completing 22 years of robust performance. With a closing Asset Under Management (AUM) of Rs 50,495.58 crores as of September 30, 2024.
the fund now holds a dominant share of 48.29% in the multi-asset allocation category, solidifying its position as a preferred choice for investors seeking diversified, long-term growth.
An initial lump sum investment of Rs 10 lakh made at the fund's inception would have grown to approximately Rs 7.26 crore by September 30, 2024,
reflecting a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.58%. In comparison, a similar investment in the fund’s benchmark—composed of Nifty 200 TRI (65%), Nifty Composite Debt Index (25%), Domestic Price of Gold (6%), Domestic Price of Silver (1%), and iCOMDEX Composite Index (3%)—would have amounted to around Rs 3.36 crore, yielding a CAGR of 17.39%.
ICICI Prudential Multi-Asset Fund is an open-ended scheme that invests across equity, debt, and a range of other asset classes, including Exchange Traded Commodity Derivatives, Gold ETFs, Silver ETFs, and units of REITs and InvITs.
The fund adopts a balanced approach, ensuring that at least 10% of the portfolio is allocated across three or more asset classes, which enhances diversification and provides steady returns in both bullish and bearish market cycles.
Nimesh Shah- Managing Director & CEO of ICICI Prudential AMC.
The review meetings chaired by the Union Finance Minister facilitated deliberations on a range of current and emerging issues with the Chief Executives of PSBs. The reforms and regular monitoring have addressed many concerns and challenges, and resulted in setting-up enhanced systems and processes for credit discipline, recognition and resolution of stressed assets,
responsible lending, improved governance, financial inclusion initiatives, technology adoption etc. These measures have led to a sustained financial health and robustness of banking sector as a whole which is reflected in the current performance of the PSBs as following:
The aggregate business stood at Rs. 236.04 lakh crore (11% YoY growth).
Global credit and deposit portfolio grew by 12.9% and 9.5% YoY and stood at Rs. 102.29 lakh crore and Rs. 133.75 lakh crore respectively.
The Operating and Net Profit for H1FY25 was Rs. 1,50,023 crore (14.4% YoY growth) and Rs.85,520 crore (25.6% YoY growth).
The Gross and Net NPA stood at 3.12% and 0.63% as on Sep-24 (Gross and Net NPA declined by 108 bps and 34 bps respectively YoY).
The Capital to RWA assets ratio (CRAR) stood at 15.43% in Sep-24 against the regulatory requirement of 11.5%.
PSBs have also shown significant progress in adopting new age technologies like AI/ cloud/ Blockchain etc.,
upgradation of existing digital infrastructure, putting in place necessary systems/ controls to tackle cyber security risks and taking multiple steps to provide best-in-class customer services.
The 10th Mission Steering Group under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Textiles has approved 12 research projects of value INR 13.3 Cr. under the National Technical Textiles Mission. The research projects were approved across key strategic areas of geotextiles, sustainable and smart textiles, composites, etc.
The approved projects were proposed by eminent research bodies and institutions including IITs, NITs, CRRI, etc. The total number of approved research projects under the Mission now stands at 168 with a total value of approx. INR 509 Cr.
National Technical Textiles Mission is a flagship scheme of Ministry of Textiles focused on developing the research and development capabilities of the local industry, especially in the areas of high performance fibre development.
