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India’s First 5500 HP Locomotive Engine. September 2013 .

The engine production unit of the Indian Railways’–   ‘Diesel Locomotive Works’ (DLW), Varanasi, has developed the first prototype of a 5500 HP diesel locomotive (WDG 5). This makes it the country’s most powerful engine with a capacity to attain 100-km-per hour, making it the strongest diesel locomotive ever run on the Indian rail network.

WDG5 has brought to Indian Railways advanced technologies ie. electronic fuel engine which results in higher fuel efficiency and emission control. It simultaneously incorporates International Union of Railways (UIC) and Association of American Railroads (AAR) crash-worthiness criteria for safety.

The high horsepower locomotive design has been done by Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) of Indian Railways with support of US based Electro Motive Diesel (EMD).

First in the World: With the making of this prototype Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) earns the position of becoming the first ever 5500 HP diesel engine manufacturer worldwide. It is considered to be the largest locomotive to be used on a 22-axle load in the world. There are several countries with more powerful engines carrying a load on higher axle loads.

Presently Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) are able to manufacture locomotives with horsepower ranging from 1400 HP to 5500 HP to suit compatibility of multiple track guages. Till date DLW has manufactured over 6,700 locomotives and is currently one of the biggest locomotive manufacturers in the world.

India’s First Coffee Carbonated Drink . September 2013 .

Parle Agro has revealed that it is re-entering the fizzy drinks market with ‘ Cafe Cuba ‘ – India’s first fizzy coffee – the beverage is a combination of roasted coffee beans and carbonated fizz. The product was unveiled on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013.

Exactly 2 decades ago in 1993, Parle Agro sold its carbonated beverages businesses with iconic brands Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot and Citra to Coca-Cola Co.which included a non-compete agreement.

It currently sells Frooti and Appy soft drinks and is re-entering the market with a planned launch in early 2014 with India’s first fizzy coffee – Cafe Cuba which is not being branded as a soda. The company has 14 factories in India which will produce Cafe Cuba.

Parle Agro, the Mumbai headquartered company has a presence in about 44 countries worldwide. Apart from soft drinks the company also sells packaged drinking water ‘Bailey’, baked wheat snacks ‘Hippo’ brand and ‘Softease’ toffees.

First Indian Doctor Awarded ‘ Francis Fontan Prize ‘ by EACTS. September 2013 .

Dr. Sowmya Ramanan , a Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon of Frontier Lifeline Hospital , is the first Indian doctor to be awarded the ‘ Francis Fontan ‘ prize from the European Association for Cardio Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) for her research work on ‘ Pulmonary Valve Replacement ‘.

The Francis Fontan Prize is awarded to Adult Cardiac, Thoracic, Cardio-Vascular and Congenital Surgeons.

Previous award winners were from Canada, Italy, Hungary and Nepal.

 

The Award : The Fontan Prize was initiated in honour of Professor Francis Fontan, a founding father of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

The Award Winner will be sent to Europe and Britain for speciality training in Cardiac or Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. The Award covers the cost of one year’s stay at a major European Department or any other European Research facility.

India’s First Naval and Maritime Expo & Conference ( NAMEXPO 2013 ) . September 2013 .

NAMEXPO 2013 was India’s first Naval and Maritime Exposition & Conference, held at the Cochin Port (Kerala) between September 23rd to 27th, 2013. The Chief Guest of the occasion was Paul Anthony, Chairman & Managing Director of Cochin Port Trust.

NAMEXPO was well attended by Official Delegations of 15 Countries and participants were by 50 Domestic and International exhibitors. Participating countries included Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden, South Africa, Singapore, USA, UK, UAE and Vietnam.

There were demonstrations and visits to naval ships – INS Satpura, INS Kabra, INS Sudarshini. All these 3 ships are indigenously made by Indian shipyards.

This maiden Expo was well attended by visitors and delegates who wanted to interact and discuss business with Indian firms in defence and maritime sector.

The Expo was organised by CII and held in partnership with Government of Kerala and supported by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Ministries of MSME’s, Earth Sciences and Shipping of Government of India.