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7,000 visitors watched PSLVC48 launch live

Sriharikota: (NVI): For over 7,000 visitors who witnessed the launch of PSLVC48 live from the viewers gallery in Sriharikota it was a ‘dream come true’ experience.

Today, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its latest spy satellite RISAT-2BR1 along with nine foreign satellites.

ISRO tweeted the photos of the visitors who had gathered at the viewers galley in Sriharikota to witness the launch.

“It was a dream come true for over 7,000 visitors who witnessed the launch of #PSLVC48 live from the Viewers gallery in Sriharikota,” ISRO tweeted along with the photos of the visitors.


The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on its 50th mission placed all 10 satellites on board in their designated orbits.

CAB 2019 introduced in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah introduces the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 in the Rajya Sabha here today. The Bill seeks to grant Indian Citizenship to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities on ground of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Introducing the Bill in the Rajya Sabha the Home Minister said that it is aimed at giving a dignified life to these people who had suffered for decades as the Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to them provided hey fulfil conditions for the grant of citizenship.

He said, “CAB was in our manifesto and the people gave us a resounding mandate in 2019, thus it is the solemn resolve of this Government to fulfil its commitment.”

The Home Minister said that grant of citizenship will be from the date and year of the entry into India and all the cases and legal proceedings against them would be closed.

Allaying the apprehensions of the people of North-Eastern regions, Home Minister said that the linguistic, cultural and social identity of the people of the region would be preserved and this Bill contains the solution to the problems of the people of these States.

Shah said that the provisions of the amendments to the Act would not apply to the tribal area of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the area covered under ‘The Inner Line’ notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

While tabling the Bill in the Upper House Home Minister assured the people of Assam that their linguistic, cultural and social identity would be preserved. The Home Minister lamented that a Committee under Clause 6 of the Assam Accord (1985) was not constituted for over three decades, till Narendra Modi Government came at the centre.

ISRO successfully launch RISAT-2BR1 on PSLV’s historic 50th mission

Sriharikota (NVI): Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully launched its latest spy satellite RISAT-2BR1 along with nine foreign satellites. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on its 50th mission placed all 10 satellites on board in their designated orbits.

PSLVC48, the launch vehicle, lifted-off at 3:25 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch pad in Sriharikota.

According to ISRO statement RISAT-2BR1 was placed in its orbit about 16 minutes after the liftoff. The remaining nine customer satellites were released into their respective orbits around five minutes later.

ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Sivan said today we achieved an important milestone in the history of PSLV by successfully launching its 50th mission.

“This versatile launcher has lifted off 52.7 tonne into space, of which 17% belongs to customer satellites,” he added.

A book titled ‘PSLV@ 50’ was released by Dr. Sivan on this occasion.

RISAT-2BR1 is a 628 kg radar imaging earth observation satellite developed by ISRO. The satellite has a life of five years.

The first satellite in the RISAT-2B series was launched earlier this year to replace the now decommissioned RISAT-2. RISAT-2BR1 will be followed by another satellite of the RISAT-2B series later this month.

A fourth RISAT-2B type satellite will be launched later to complete a quartet of ‘spy’ satellites with advance earth imaging abilities.

Today’s launch is not only PSVL’s 50th mission but is also the 75th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

177 companies announce plans to align with a 1.5°C future

Madrid (NVI): In all 177 companies have pledged to set highly ambitious emissions reduction targets to help limit the worst effects of climate change — more than doubling in size since the first group of early movers was announced at the UN Climate Action Summit in September.

As part of the ‘Business Ambition for 1.5 °C-Our Only Future’ campaign, new signatories have pledged to set climate targets that aims at limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial levels and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

The announcement was made at the 25th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) and represents the major business contribution to the Climate Ambition Alliance, a growing multi-stakeholder group convened by the COP 25 Chilean Presidency, that brings together countries, businesses, investors, cities and regions working towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The signatory companies have a combined market capitalization of over US$2.8 trillion. They represent annual direct emissions equivalent to the annual total CO2 emissions of France.

The companies collectively represent over 5.8 million employees, spanning 36 sectors and with headquarters in 36 countries.

With this announcement, these companies are leading the way in creating a positive feedback loop known as an “ambition loop” — with government policies and private sector leadership reinforcing each other, and together taking climate action to the next level.

Ambitious corporate action helps to send strong market signals, and should give governments confidence to urgently ramp up their national climate plans, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term strategies, in line with the latest climate science.

By setting policies and targets in line with a 1.5°C trajectory, governments give business the clarity and confidence to invest decisively in the zero-carbon economies of the future.

The news comes on the occasion of the annual High-level Meeting of Caring for Climate, convened by the UN Global Compact, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and UN Environment.

CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Lise Kingo said that we are quickly nearing our last opportunity to be on the right side of history.

“The climate emergency is already disrupting people, business operations, economies and ecosystems around the world,” she said.

“As countries prepare to enhance their national climate action plans next year, business leaders have a critical role to play in challenging Governments to urgently match their climate ambitions. We need all businesses to be activists for our only future,”she added.

These companies are joined by a group of investors managing close to US$4 trillion in assets who have committed to converting their investment portfolios to net-zero emissions by 2050 through the UN-convened Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, in addition to over 50 companies in the fashion industry that have committed to align with a 1.5ºC future through the Fashion Pact.

A quarter of the world’s children remain ‘invisible’, says UNICEF report

child deaths
Representational/file photo

New York (NVI): The number of children whose births are officially registered has increased significantly worldwide, yet 166 million children under-five, or 1 in 4, remain unregistered, according to a new report released by UNICEF here today.

The report – Birth Registration for Every Child by 2030: Are we on track? –  analyses data from 174 countries shows that the proportion of children under-five registered globally is up around 20 per cent from 10 years ago – increasing from 63 per cent to 75 per cent.

“We have come a long way but too many children are still slipping through the cracks, uncounted and unaccounted for,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

Expressing concern Fore added “A child not registered at birth is invisible – nonexistent in the eyes of the government or the law. Without proof of identity, children are often excluded from education, health care and other vital services, and are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.”

According to the UNICEF which it released on its 73rd birthday, global progress is driven largely by South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

In India, the proportion of registered children rose from 41 per cent in 2005-2006 to 80 per cent in 2015-2016.

In recent years, UNICEF has worked with the Government of India to prioritize birth registration across states by increasing and improving access to registration centres, training officials and community workers and rolling out public awareness programmes, particularly amongst the most vulnerable communities.

However, the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa lag behind the rest of the world with Ethiopia (3 per cent), Zambia (11 per cent*) and Chad (12 per cent) recording the lowest levels of registered births globally.

The report notes that nearly 1 in 3 countries – accounting for around a third of the global population of children under the age of five – will need to urgently speed up progress in order to meet the target of providing legal identity for all, including birth registration, as set out in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The UNICEF report points that the barriers to registration globally include lack of knowledge on how to register a child’s birth, unaffordable fees for registering a birth or obtaining a birth certificate, fees for late registration and long distances to the nearest registration facility.

Even when children are registered, possession of a birth certificate is less common, with 237 million children under-five globally – or slightly more than 1 in 3 – lacking this official proof of registration.

 

Fog disrupts life in Kashmir, shuts Airport for fifth consecutive day

By Sameer Ahmad

Srinagar (NVI): Even as the region braces for a fresh spell of snow and rainfall in the next couple of days, the mercury climbed several notches today across Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh due to overcast conditions said a Metrological Department official.

However, severe cold wave continues in the two union territories with the minimum temperature continuing to hover several degrees below the season’s average.

Flights operation at the Srinagar Airport remained affected for the fifth consecutive day due to poor visibility caused by heavy fog.

All flights to and from the Srinagar Airport were canceled and no flights operation took place for the fifth straight day an official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said.

“Visibility at the airport is very poor due to heavy fog and conditions were not suitable for flights operation,” an AAI official added.

An active western disturbance is most likely to affect the Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh from Tuesday night to December 14 afternoon. Under the influence of this western disturbance, widespread moderate rain or snow is expected in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh regions, official said.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in North Kashmir was minus 4.2 degree Celsius while 3.7 degree Celsius were recorded in Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir.

India, Japan to enhance engagement in energy and steel sectors: Pradhan

New Delhi (NVI): India and Japan have agreed to enhance engagement in energy and steel sectors. The agreement was reached at the meeting between Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan and Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Investments Hiroshi Kajiyama here today.

At the meeting, the discussions centered around the initiatives to elevate the multidimensional bilateral ties between India and Japan.

Minister said that our steel demand is expected to grow exponentially as we embark on becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024.

Speaking about extensive co-operation in the steel sector Pradhan expressed happiness at major Japanese steel companies investing in India through joint ventures with Indian companies and invited more Japanese investments in steel sector in India.

Pradhan also talked about India’s Steel Cluster Policy that will encourage setting up small high grade steel manufacturing plants.

On their part the Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Investments Hiroshi Kajiyama expressed his keenness to upgrade the bilateral engagement in steel sector. The Japanese minister appreciated the ongoing efforts to set up structured and regular dialogue between the Ministry of Steel of India and METI of Japan.

On the energy ties between India and Japan, Pradhan said that the Government of India firmly believe that both India and Japan have lot of complementarities in the hydrocarbons sector as well.

“India will see a massive investment of US$ 160 billion by 2024 in oil and gas exploration, refineries and in setting up of natural gas infrastructure. I see a huge potential for us to enhance engagements in energy sector, especially in LNG business, Gas Hydrates as well as our ambitious Strategic Petroleum Reserves Program.This will be a win-win proposition for both our countries.” Pradhan said.

“We must have a sustainable energy consumption. India has its own aspiration and strategy to move ahead. Our Prime Minister is a great votary of sustainable energy consumption. We are moving towards a gas based economy. We must work on scientific advancement to make new sources of energy more affordable,” he added.

The Japanese Minister Kajiyama stated Japan’s intention to continue providing support for capacity building for India in LNG sector.

He mentioned that Japanese companies would be keen to enhance their participation in India’s oil & gas sector

Sensex gains 129 points in early trade

BSE

Mumbai (NVI): Sensex climbed 129 points and Nifty traded slightly below the 11,900 mark during the early trade today.

The 30-share BSE Sensex rose 0.32 per cent at 40,369.86 in morning trade.

The 50-scrip NSE Nifty gained 35.05 points at 11,891.85.

ICICI Bank emerged as the top gainer with 0.88 per cent rise, followed by M&M, ITC, Bajaj Finance, TCS, Tata Steel, NTPC, L&T, and HDFC in the Sensex pack.

On the other hand, Yes Bank continued to bleed with a steep 4.45 per cent fall among the losers.

Meanwhile, the Indian rupee appreciated by 12 paise to 70.80 against the US dollar in early trade.

On Tuesday, the Sensex gauge closed 247.55 points or 0.61 per cent lower at 40,239.88. Similarly, Nifty fell 80.70 points or 0.68 per cent to finish at 11,856.80.

Delhi overall air quality ‘very poor’

New Delhi (NVI): The overall air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category and in some parts of the national capital it dipped further to the ‘severe’ category.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR),the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 395 which falls in the ‘very poor’ category as cold weather and calm winds allowed accumulation of pollutants.

The air quality in some areas of the national capital dipped further from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category today, SAFAR said in a statement.

It has also predicted that the overall air quality in the national capital is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ till December 12.

The AQI in Chandini Chowk was in the ‘severe’ category with PM2.5 of 438, followed by Dhirpur, PUSA, Lodhi Road and Mathura Road recorded PM 2.5 count of 361, 342, 351 and 375 respectively, all in the ‘very poor’ category.

While the neighbouring Noida recorded a PM2.5 of 415 which also falls in the ‘severe’ category.

Two AIIMS like institutions and eight medical colleges approved for J&K, Ladakh

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister of State (MOS) for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy informed the Parliament here today that the government has approved the creation of two AIIMS like institutions and eight medical colleges in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Replying to a question regarding the development of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Minister said that the Union Government is fully committed to the overall development of the newly formed union territories.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha the MOS informed the Parliament that under the centrally sponsored scheme the Central Government has also approved the establishment of eight medical colleges in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions.

“These medical colleges, which are under various stages of implementation, will come up in the districts of Doda, Kathua, Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri, Udhampur, Handwara (Kupwara) in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the district of Leh in the union territory of Ladakh,” said Reddy.

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