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Operation of train using Hydrogen fuel set to start in India

Train which runs on Hydrogen fuel

New Delhi, May 27: A train, using Hydrogen as fuel, is all set to commence operations in India, marking a step towards green and sustainable transportation.

Indian Railways has approved the introduction of a 10-car Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based trainset on the dedicated Jind-Sonipat section of Northern Railway shortly.

The train is all set to start soon and will operate at a maximum speed of 75 kmph, powered by a 1200 KW hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology generates electricity through a chemical reaction using hydrogen, with water vapour as the only emission, making it a clean alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based traction systems.

Hydrogen-based rail systems are increasingly being recognised globally as a promising solution for sustainable mobility. With this initiative, India joins a select group of countries such as Germany, Japan, China and the United States that are exploring the use of hydrogen for cleaner rail transportation.

Hydrogen Fuel Technology:

As the technology is still at a nascent stage, only a limited number of countries are currently operating or testing such systems.

The Jind-Sonipat section in Haryana has been identified as the pilot route for these operations. An indigenous hydrogen storage and refuelling facility has been set up at Jind for the train-set. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) has granted the required licence for storage and dispensing of compressed hydrogen gas at the site.

A hydrogen compression system has been provided for refuelling operations, along with necessary technical support and critical spares to ensure reliable and fail-safe functioning. Provision of a standby compressor unit is also being ensured.

Various safety sensors, including hydrogen leak detectors and flame detectors installed at the hydrogen production, storage and dispensing facility, will be regularly inspected and cleaned to prevent dust accumulation and ensure safe operation.

Operation and Maintenance:

Operation and maintenance manuals for the hydrogen train-set and hydrogen plant, duly approved by RDSO, are also being made available. Necessary safety provisions, regular audits and standard operating procedures are being ensured for the proposed maintenance facility at Shakurbasti.

The approval also mandates comprehensive safety and operational protocols, including 24×7 monitoring of the hydrogen refuelling system, deployment of trained and certified personnel for critical operations, and regular inspection and maintenance schedules. During the initial phase of operations, trained technical staff will accompany the train to ensure smooth functioning.

The project reflects Indian Railways’ broader commitment to innovation, energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable transportation and supports India’s national clean energy and net-zero carbon emission goals.

HCLTech launches platform for core finance using Google Gemini

Noida, India, May 27: — Leading global technology company HCLTech today announced the launch of an autonomous finance platform that transforms core finance and accounting operations using Gemini Enterprise.

The new platform is designed to enable finance processes to operate with a high degree of autonomy and intelligence, while integrating seamlessly with existing technology systems, the company said.

Unlike traditional automation and isolated AI use cases, the platform orchestrates end-to-end finance processes autonomously — executing, learning and continuously optimizing workflows across Invoice-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and Record-to-Report.

This approach enables faster execution, improved control and measurable business outcomes for enterprise finance organizations.

This enterprise-grade platform brings together Google’s Gemini Enterprise AI stack and secure cloud infrastructure with HCLTech’s deep finance domain expertise, engineering capabilities and operations experience.

The Autonomous Finance platform leverages HCLTech’s Industry AI Solutions, which brings domain-trained AI solutions tailored to specific industry and enterprise functions.

The new platform is scalable, secure and designed for real-world finance operations, while accelerating time-to-value for global enterprises.

“ERP and SaaS platforms digitized finance, but they did not fundamentally change how work gets done,” said Upjit Ghuman, Executive Vice President and Global Head of BPO, HCLTech.

“Our platform introduces an Agentic AI fabric that operates on top of customers’ existing IT systems, enabling finance processes to run largely autonomously. By significantly reducing manual intervention, CFOs and finance teams can focus on judgment-driven, strategic and value-creating work,” he said.

“HCLTech’s AI strategy is about taking AI from experimentation to enterprise scale,” said Vijay Guntur, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Ecosystems at HCLTech.

“This collaboration with Agent Platform is a strong step forward in that direction — bringing together advanced AI capabilities and real-world enterprise depth to create solutions that can be deployed with confidence across core business functions.”

“Gemini Enterprise and Google’s AI stack are built to handle the complex orchestration required by the world’s largest enterprises,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem at Google Cloud.

“Built on this foundation, HCLTech’s finance platform combines deep domain understanding with proven engineering excellence to transform core business functions into autonomous, agent-led operations.”

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products.

Ends

India, Cyprus elevate defence ties; signal to Turkey

PM Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi.

New Delhi, May 27: Turkey, which helped Pakistan militarily during last year’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, must be perturbed as its arch-rival Cyprus has just elevated its strategic relations with India and would be receiving defence equipment.

President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides was in New Delhi on a visit during which he held extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the two countries elevated their bilateral relations to Strategic Partnership.

This upgrade involves five-year defence roadmap and several pacts covering security, trade and connectivity.

The Roadmap for Bilateral Defence Cooperation (2026–2031) between the two countries provides an institutional framework for promoting defence industrial cooperation and technology partnership, while facilitating exchanges, training and capacity building.

Cyprus has expressed keen interest in India’s defence systems like BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and kamikaze drones like Nagastra-1 and Skystriker.

These systems demonstrated their prowess during the brief 5-day military conflict between India and Pakistan in May last year after Pakistani terrorists carried out ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir in April.

If these systems are supplied to Cyprus, it would mark the first deployment of Indian-made weapons systems in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

THE TURKEY ANGLE

These initiatives may seem to be normal but there is a clear geopolitical signal to Turkey, which helped Pakistan militarily by providing drones during the conflict with India last year.

Turkey, otherwise also, has been maintained anti-India posturing and actions for long, mainly at the behest of Pakistan.

Similar to India-Pakistan relations, Turkey and Cyprus have deep animosity towards each other.

Turkey has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974 and maintains ongoing disputes with it over maritime boundaries and energy resources.

India and Cyprus’s strategic relationship, therefore, serves as a counterweight to the developments in the Middle East.

By strengthening ties with Cyprus, a democratic EU member in the Eastern Mediterranean, New Delhi has diversified its partnerships and reinforced a network of countries wary of radical extremism and the growing influence of the Sunni Pak-Saudi-Turkey axis.

Cyprus’s alignment with Greece further integrates this new relationship into broader Mediterranean dynamics.

Greece and Cyprus already coordinate closely on defence, maritime security and energy issues.

Jammu and Kashmir: Search for terrorists in Rajouri forests continues on 5th day

security forces
Representative pic

Jammu, May 27: For the 5th straight day today, security forces continued to hunt for a group of terrorists who have been hiding in dense forests of Rajouri in Jammu region, after briefly exchanging fire on May 23.

The forces have laid an intense cordon around the suspected areas to prevent the terrorists from fleeing.

Alongside, soldiers on the ground, with the assistance of sniffer dogs, and drones in the sky have been scanning the densely-forested area.

The terrorists were intercepted briefly on Saturday last in Dorimal-Gambhir Moghla area when the security forces initiated the ‘Operation Sheruwali’ following intelligence inputs.

There was a brief exchange of fire after which the terrorists disappeared in the dense woods, according to officials.

However, the exact number of terrorists is not known.

Indian Defence Ministry issues Request for Proposal for 5th Generation fight planes

Rafale fighter plane
Fighter Plane (representative pic)

New Delhi, May 27: In a major Defence-related development, the Government of India today took a crucial step towards acquisition of indigenous 5th Generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Air Force.

The Defence Ministry issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquiring the fighter planes to three shortlisted bidders — Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics Limited, Tata Advanced Systems, and Bharat Forge-BEML.

The move is aimed at strengthening indigenous defence capabilities.

The AMCA Programme Execution Model was approved last year by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Under the plan, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will manage the programme through partnerships with the industry.

The execution model offers competitive opportunities to both private and public sector entities.

The AMCA programme has a total estimated cost of around Rs 15,000 crore, with the Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre, a division of the ADA affiliated with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), costing approximately Rs 2,000 crore.

A few days back, on May 15, Rajnath Singh along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stones for the Core Integration & Flight Testing Centre at Puttaparthi to accelerate development of the fifth-generation AMCA and other future indigenous platforms.

“Puttaparthi is set to join the exclusive league of global destinations from which a fifth-generation aircraft will take to the skies. It will become the birthplace of an aircraft capable of annihilating the enemy in the blink of an eye,” Singh said.

Additionally, a full-scale model of India’s first 5.5-generation stealth aircraft, the AMCA, was displayed with advanced features at the India Pavilion during Aero India 2025 in February 2025.

Designed by ADA for the Indian Air Force, the AMCA incorporates artificial intelligence, which ADA says will enhance development progress and operational capabilities, establishing the aircraft among the most advanced fifth-generation fighters in service today.

J-K administration begins preparations for Kheer Bhawani Mela

Review meeting on Kheer Bhawani mela
J&K Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) J-K, Dr Arvind Karwani with officials to review arrangements for upcoming annual Kheer Bhawani Yatra

Jammu, May 26 (NVI) : Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) J-K, Dr Arvind Karwani, on Tuesday reviewed arrangements for the annual Kheer Bhawani Yatra scheduled to be held on June 22 on the occasion of Jyeshta Ashtami.

The meeting discussed arrangements for the smooth conduct of the mela at various shrines, including Mata Kheer Bhawani at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district, Tikker in Kupwara, Khanabari Devsar and Manzgam in Kulgam district, and Logripora in Pahalgam, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner Relief, Assistant Commissioners Relief, Chief Accounts Officer, zonal officers, camp commandants, camp incharges from the Kashmir Valley, and representatives of social and religious organisations associated with the yatra attended the meeting.

Representatives raised issues related to transportation, boarding and lodging facilities, water and electricity supply, sanitation, installation of tents, availability of essential commodities and blankets, medical facilities, deployment of fire tenders, repair of roads and lanes, cultural programmes and security arrangements, they said.

Karwani stressed the importance of the Kheer Bhawani festival, especially for the Kashmiri Pandit community, and said all necessary arrangements would be ensured in coordination with the district and divisional administrations.

He directed senior officers of the Relief Organisation to visit the yatra sites in Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam and Kupwara districts to assess the ground requirements and coordinate with the concerned departments and organisations for timely arrangements, officials added.(NVI)

Woman Labourer Killed, 10 Injured After Under-Construction Culvert Collapses in Doda

REpresentational Image

Jammu, May 26 (NVI): A woman labourer was killed and 10 others were critically injured after an under-construction culvert collapsed in the Ghill Nala area of Bhalessa in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident occurred during construction work at the site, trapping several labourers under the debris, they said.

Soon after the collapse, rescue teams and local residents launched an operation and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital. Due to the severity of their injuries, all 10 injured labourers were later referred to Government Medical College (GMC) Doda for specialised treatment, officials said.

The deceased woman and all the injured labourers are residents of Bihar, they added.

Police have taken cognisance of the incident and further investigation is underway.(NVI)

CM Omar Abdullah Meets Delegations at Raabita, Discusses Banking, Youth Development and Heritage Conservation

Srinagar, May 26 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on Tuesday met several delegations at his Public Services and Outreach Office, Raabita, in Srinagar and discussed issues related to banking, youth development, heritage conservation and promotion of art and culture in the Union Territory.

Managing Director and CEO of , Amitava Chatterjee, called on the chief minister during a courtesy meeting and discussed matters concerning the banking sector, financial outreach and customer services.

Chatterjee briefed Abdullah on measures being taken to strengthen the bank’s operations across Jammu and Kashmir to improve customer experience and service delivery, an official spokesperson said.

Director General of the , Lt Gen Virendra Vats, accompanied by Additional Director General, NCC Directorate J&K and Ladakh, Maj Gen Anupinder Bevli, also met the chief minister.

The delegation discussed NCC activities, youth engagement and expansion of cadet initiatives across Jammu and Kashmir, the spokesperson said.

A delegation from the led by its Convener and Head Saleem Beg and Principal Architect Sameer Hamdani gave a presentation to the chief minister on preservation and restoration of heritage assets in Kashmir.

The delegation also raised concerns regarding water management in the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir in view of climate change and stressed the need for sustainable conservation measures.

The chief minister assured the delegation that the government remains committed to preservation, protection and promotion of the rich artistic, cultural and architectural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.(NVI)

No Heatwave Likely in Kashmir Over Next 10 Days; Pleasant Weather to Continue: Forecast

Srinagar, May 26 (NVI): Kashmir is unlikely to witness any heatwave conditions over the next 10 days, with intermittent weather activity expected to keep temperatures near normal and maintain generally pleasant conditions across the Valley, according to weather forecasts.

Officials said daytime temperatures in most parts of Kashmir are expected to remain close to seasonal averages, although a few days may record temperatures slightly above normal by a few degrees.

However, the intermittent spells of weather activity are likely to prevent any major spike in temperatures, ruling out the possibility of a significant heatwave during the period, they said.

Meanwhile, the Jammu plains are expected to witness a further rise in temperatures on Wednesday before a gradual decline sets in from Thursday onwards.

A sharper fall in temperatures is likely on Friday and Saturday, while the mercury may start rising again from May 31, officials added.(NVI)

Suspicious Explosive Material Recovered During Search Operation in Samba

Jammu, May 26 (NVI): Security forces on Tuesday recovered suspicious explosive material, including a misfired grenade and mortar components, during a search operation in the Devika Nalla area of Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Official sources that the recovery was made around this morning after Territorial Army personnel noticed suspicious items lying in the area and alerted the police.

The recovered material included a misfired 40 mm multi-grenade launcher (MGL) grenade, a grenade cap, fins of 51 mm and 81 mm mortars, a firing mechanism of an 81 mm mortar illumination round, and five parachute-like umbrella attachments, officials said.

Soon after receiving the information, a police team from Border Police Post (BPP) Koulpur rushed to the spot. SHO Ramgarh, DySP Operations, Police Control Room (PCR), and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) Samba were informed for necessary action and safe disposal of the explosive material, they added.(NVI)

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