Month: December 2022

Made in India MALE UAV completes flight test of 18 hours

TAPAS 201 has been designed and developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE).

The TAPAS 201 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV has achieved a significant milestone after undertaking a flight test lasting 18 hours at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka.

TAPAS 201 has been designed and developed by the Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE). HAL and BEL will be the production partners for the MALE UAV.

Announcing the milestone, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) tweeted: India’s TAPAS UAV, #designed & #developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru for tri-services has successfully achieved #milestone flight test of 18 hours at Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga.

TAPAS 201 is a multi-mission UAV being developed to carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance roles for the three wings of the armed forces with endurance in the range of 24 to 30 hours.

Described as the Indian version of the US’s Predator drones, TAPAS 201 is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads, like Medium Range Electro Optic, Long Range Electro Optic, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Electronic Intelligence, Communication Intelligence and Situational Awareness Payloads, to perform missions during day and night.

The MALE UAV, which was earlier referred to as RUSTOM II, undertook its first flight in November 2016. Since then, it has undertaken many test flights.

In 2019, the TAPAS 201 programme suffered a setback when the UAV crashed during an experimental flight near the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga.

Apart from the Indian army, air force and navy, internal security agencies like State Police Forces, BSF, CRPF, and the Coast Guard are also prospective users of the MALE UAV.

thehindu.com

Kundapur: Commonwealth powerlifting gold medal winner Satish Kharvi felicitated

Satish Kharvi, who won gold medal in the commonwealth powerlifting championship that was held at Auckland, capital of New Zealand, was given rousing welcome as he returned back to native place on Wednesday.

Satish Kharvi, who went to Dharmasthala and took darshan of Lord Manjunatha and sought blessings of Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra D Heggade, was welcomed in a grand manner as he arrived to Kundapur Shastri Circle. Taluk administration, various organizations, members of Konkani-Kharvi community, public and fans were present in large numbers.

A grand procession was held from Shastri Circle in decorated vehicle through the main streets of the town. Chende drums and trumpets accompanied the procession.

Speaking on the occasion, prof Kothadi Umesh Shetty, Principal of Dr B B Hegde first grade college, said, “Congratulations to Satish Kharvi for winning gold medal at the international level and flying the flag of India high and making the people of Kundapur proud. Let many more achievements be done by you. We are all proud to felicitate the achiever who has increased the respect and pride of India.”

Entrepreneurs Ravi T Naik and Shreeshan also spoke during the programme. Members of town municipality Shekhara Poojary, V Prabhakara, Taluk Youth services and sports officers Kusumakar Shetty and retired bank employee Subhash Kharvi were present.

Former vice president of town municipality Rajesh Cauvery did the introductory speech. City JCI founder president Hussain Haikadi welcomed the gathering. The programme was compered by Harshavardhan Kharvi.

Receiving the felicitation, Satish Kharvi said, “I am grateful to the felicitation offered and the regards that the people of my native place have shown on me. I have created national record in deadlift category and was eager to achieve personal record in commonwealth. I had made all preparations in that respect. But I could not lift the proposed weight due to extreme cold conditions of Auckland. Even then I am happy for getting one gold each in Bench Press, silver and four gold medals in powerlifting.”

daijiworld.com

Mishal Queenie D’Costa, IRS bags bravery award for chasing, nabbing Nigerian drug peddlers

DRI Mishal Queenie D’Costa, IRS, deputy director of indirect taxes at Mumbai Customs was honoured with a bravery award by finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman for displaying extraordinary bravery without even fearing for her life while chasing Nigerian drug peddlers in Mumbai.

During the last financial year, Nigerian drug peddlers were caught in a daring operation with 1.9kg of drug tablets, when they jumped from a building roof. Mishal who hails from Neerude, Dakshina Kannada, chased the culprits and physically stopped the culprits from escaping until the full force arrived at the scene. The young officer received the bravery award on DRI Foundation Day for her extraordinary achievement.

Mishal, who secured the 387th rank in the UPSC civil service examination in 2015, is second among the three children of Lazarus and Nancy D’Costa of Neerude.

daijiworld.com

Mangaluru: Daijiworld’s Dayanand Kukkaje wins top title at Photography Contest 2022

Renowned photojournalist Dayanand Kukkaje won the Top Appreciable Photographer’s title at season 3 of Global Photography Contest 2022.

The contest was organised by Innovize Arts and Culture, a global talent search firm.

Dayanand Kukkaje bagged a medal of appreciation.

The Season 3 of The Global Photography Contest 2022 was held among the photographers from India and NRIs from several other countries.

Earlier, Dayanand Kukkaje had bagged the Best Action Photography Award and Best Candid Photography award. His photographs have been exhibited in 12 photo exhibitions organised by him. He has visited more than six countries to showcase his photography skills.

daijiworld.com

Bengaluru leads country in digital payment transactions

Between January and October this year, Bengaluru saw 14.82 million such transactions valued at ₹3,620 crore.

Netizens in the tech capital of India have made 14.82 million digital payment transactions in the January to October 2022 period, the highest in the country, amounting to ₹3,620 crore, according to a study put out by Worldline India, a payment technology player.

Hyderabad accounted for 10.36 million digital payment transactions amounting to over ₹3,050 crore and Chennai 9.76 million at ₹2,250 crore. The country’s financial capital, Mumbai saw 9.4 million people carrying out digital payment transactions amounting to ₹2,740 crore and Pune with 7.88 million transactions clocked ₹1,730 crore.

The 10-month period under consideration, saw frequently visited physical merchant categories like grocery stores, restaurants, clothing and apparel, pharmacy, hotels, jewellery retail, speciality retail, household appliances, and departmental stores while in the online-space category wise, e-commerce (shopping for goods and services), gaming, utility and financial services together accounted for over 86% in terms of volume, according to the survey.

Festive season sales, and a rise in consumption after the pandemic have helped the city to take the top spot in digital payments transactions, stated the study.

Ramesh Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer – India, Worldline, said: “Today, both customers and sellers are more receptive towards digital payments. Digital payments are gradually becoming like a commodity, and forming a subtle yet an integral part of our lives. The swift adoption of digital payments can be witnessed with each passing quarter.’‘

Payment instruments like UPI, cards, PPIs were already clocking over 23 billion transactions in the country in a quarter, he added.

thehindu.com

Two cafes run by persons with disabilities opened in KIA

The eateries are operated by the non-profit Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation, which runs 25 cafes across India by employing differently abled people.

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has launched two cafes run by persons with disabilities to mark the International Day of Disabled Persons.

The eateries are operated by the non-profit Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation which runs 25 cafes across India by employing differently abled people.

Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), who inaugurated the cafes, said, “We are delighted to have Mitti Cafe open two outlets at KIA, and to have the opportunity to leverage the power of a platform like that of an international airport to provide employment opportunities to those who are disadvantaged, and spread a message of hope and positivity.”

Alina Alam, CEO and Founder, Mitti Café, said, “To be able to run not one but two cafes by adults with disabilities at the Kempegowda International Airport is a dream come true for us.”

Located within the airport premises, the cafes are open 24/7 and have Braille instructions, sign language interpreters, placards, and ramps.

thehindu.com

Military display teams put up scintillating performance

This was a part of the 11th ASC Reunion and the 262nd Corps Day which is being celebrated at the ASC Centre and College, Bengaluru, on December 8 and 9.

A military display of Army equestrian sports, paramotor flying, free fall from paratroopers, and flying demonstration by the Indian Air Force’s Sarang team was organised here on Wednesday.

It was done as a part of the 11th ASC Reunion and the 262nd Corps Day which is being celebrated at the ASC Centre and College, Bengaluru, on December 8 and 9.

“To showcase the capability of our armed forces and to offer a glimpse into the military might of the nation to the young aspiring minds and to motivate them to join the defence forces, a military display was organised,” said the Ministry of Defence.

The display was attended by personnel and families of armed forces, paramilitary forces, police, other defence establishments and schoolchildren.

During the display a paratrooper fell on a treetop, however, no injuries were reported.

Microlight flying expedition

As part of the 11th Army Service Corps Reunion and to commemorate the 75th year of independence, the Army Adventure Nodal Centre (Microlight) Gaya has undertaken a Microlight Flying Expedition from Gaya to Bengaluru under the aegis of Army Service Corps and Army Adventure Wing, Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army).

The Indian Army Microlight Expedition was flagged off from Gaya (Bihar) on November 30.

The expedition involved a cross-country flight by a fleet of four microlight aircraft over an aerial distance of more than 5,000 km in about 17 days including airshow/ maintenance halt. The expedition route was over plains of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, hilly terrain and plains of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The inclement weather and gusty winds make this an extremely challenging expedition, the ministry said.

The microlight aircraft will perform an airshow at the 11th Army Service Corps Reunion and 262nd Corps Day.

thehindu.com

IISc student wins prize at Berlin summit for TB diagnostics tool

An IISc student won third prize at an international summit held in Berlin, Germany, for a device that could make tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis cheaper and more accessible.

Ayushi Chauhan, a PhD scholar at IISc’s chemical engineering department, was awarded third prize under the ‘Breakthrough of the Year Emerging Talents’ category at the Falling Walls Lab and Science Summit 2022 in Germany. She was earlier the winner of Falling Walls Lab India 2022, leading her to represent the country during the global summit.

She and her adviser, Dr Bhushan Toley, developed a pocket-sized device for the detection of both regular and drug-resistant tuberculosis, that makes the diagnostic portion near equipment-free. “The device reduces instrumentation cost by 99.6% and testing cost by 87%, which can be reduced even further. Only around one-third of tuberculosis cases are actually reported.

This is due in large part to equipment needs,” she said, during her pitch at the summit. She said the diagnosis method was visually similar to that of a home pregnancy test and Covid tests. “I believe this invention can bring an end to tuberculosis by 2035,” she said.

newindianexpress.com