Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made mandatory biometric updates (MBU) free for children in the age group of 7 to 15 years for one year period.

Aadhaar custodian UIDAI has completed mandatory biometric updates (MBU) for one crore school children covering 83,000 schools across the country, an official statement said.

A child under the age of five can enrol for Aadhaar by providing the photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address and birth certificate but the fingerprints and iris biometrics of a child are not captured for Aadhaar enrolment below the age of five as these indicators are not mature by then.

Therefore, providing fingerprints and iris information in Aadhaar by following the process of MBU, upon crossing the ages of 5 and 15 years, is an essential requirement for children.

Lack of MBU in Aadhaar may lead to difficulties while carrying out authentication for receiving benefits under various government schemes, registering in competitive and university examinations like NEET, JEE, CUET etc.

“The UIDAI has crossed the milestone of completing over one crore Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBUs) for school-children studying in 83000 schools across the country,” the statement said.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has made MBU free for children in the age group of 7 to 15 years from October 1 for one year period.

“UIDAI had initiated this special MBU drive for school-children in September 2025 after a successful technological integration with the Unified District Information System for Education Plus application, that enabled visibility of MBUs status of children at schools. This breakthrough helped the UIDAI and schools to jointly identify children who were due for an MBU, and hold camps at schools to complete the MBU,” the statement said.

UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar has written to Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories about the initiative by the authority and requested their support in conducting focussed MBU camps at schools.

“The mission mode campaign continues to be operational till such time all schools in the country are covered. This initiative has already benefited 1 crore children in 83,000 schools and many more are set to gain from it,” the statement said.

In addition to camps held at schools, children can also complete their MBU at any of the Aadhaar enrolment centres and Aadhaar Seva Kendras running across the country.

“About 1.3 crore MBU transactions have also been completed in the same period, by children visiting these centres,” the statement said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Assistant Professor Ejaz Ahmed further informed that the carbon nanotubes produced during the separation of hydrogen from methane are a high-strength material.

Second-year students of the Chemical Engineering department at IIT-ISM Dhanbad have developed a technology to convert greenhouse gases like coal bed methane into environmentally friendly fuel, which can be used directly in CNG cars.

The eco-friendly fuel has been named as H-CBM (Hydrogen Enriched Coal Bed Methane). Chemical engineering students Kailash Krishna, Nitin Gaur, and Devashish Das, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Ejaz Ahmed, have also developed a hydrogen-enriched coal bed methane-powered car. Professor Alok Das of Mechanical Engineering Department also helped them in research work.

Coal-bed methane gas is released during coal mining. It is a dangerous greenhouse gas, considered to be approximately 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

Ahmed said they are using a waste product that previously polluted the environment and creating an environmentally friendly fuel that can be used in any CNG car without any modifications.

Coal bed methane contains sulphur and methane, he said. “It is purified to produce pure methane. Then, a portion of the methane is cracked, through which hydrogen and carbon nanotubes are obtained. The hydrogen-enriched coal bed methane, produced through this process, can be used directly in cars as a substitute for CNG,” said Ahmed.

He further informed that the carbon nanotubes produced during the separation of hydrogen from methane are a high-strength material. They are used in bulletproof jackets and the steel industry. Its market price is up Rs 500,000 per kilogram, he said. The associate professor said that since carbon nanotubes are produced alongside hydrogen, the cost of the hydrogen becomes virtually zero.

Ahmed informed that the release of coal bed methane significantly increases environmental pollution. However, capturing coalbed methane offers considerable benefits. “Capturing 1 kilogram of coalbed methane is equivalent to reducing pollution by the same amount as 25 kilograms of carbon dioxide, which is crucial for environmental protection,” said the professor. It will prove to be a game-changer in the field of green mining, he added.

Second-year student Devashish Das, who is also a part of the research team, explained that CNG cars emit less carbon dioxide than petrol and diesel vehicles, but the emissions are not completely eliminated.

“Coal bed methane gas, extracted from the coal mines of Dhanbad, is far more dangerous. Considering this, hydrogen fuel has been developed from CBM,” said Das. Because hydrogen has a higher calorific value than CNG, it also provides better fuel efficiency for vehicles, he added

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Triumphs and tragedies: The extraordinary journey of EIR, eastern India’s first railway.

On August 15, 1854, a five-coach train pulled by a British-made locomotive left Howrah at 8:30 am for Hooghly without any fanfare signalling an engineering triumph and the beginning of eastern India’s first railway.

However, this historic milestone achieved by the then-East Indian Railway , whose massive network would eventually reach Delhi by the 1860s, was preceded by a series of unfortunate events that delayed its arrival on the country’s landscape and in people’s consciousness.

A new book on the birth and evolution of the EIR and the East India Railway Company that established it, based on multiple 19th-century-era accounts drawn from a range of archives, has endeavoured to offer an “unbiased narrative” of this railway and the men who built it, brick by brick and steel by steel.

“Before the inaugural run, the EIR had already stirred public curiosity in Bengal with its first locomotive-only trial on June 29, 1854, from Howrah to Pandooah, followed by an experimental run on July 6, which included an engine pulling a single coach on the same route,” P K Mishra, author of ‘Rails Through Raj: The East Indian Railway ‘, says.

Mishra, a senior officer in the Indian Railways and a staunch advocate for heritage preservation, in an interview with PTI, said the seeds of EIR were sown before the arrival of railways in India in 1853, with the establishment of the East Indian Railway Company on June 1, 1845, as a joint stock company based in London with an office in Calcutta .

However, “mountains of colonial bureaucracy” that had to be moved before the company was set up, and “delay” in the acquisition of lands and logistical issues, perhaps led to the Great Indian Peninsula Railway “stealing a march” on EIR, in being the first railways of India, the author writes in the book.

India’s first-ever rail passenger service began on April 16, 1853, when the train ran from Bombay to Thane.

The “sluggish progress” of EIR in the Bengal presidency drew hostile comments from local newspapers and public commentators, and the “Calcutta press blamed the EIR and its promoters for the delay, some even calling it a ‘chimerical project'”, Mishra writes, with references to archival documents.

He cites a critical report in ‘Delhi Gazette’ published on May 13, 1854, on the delay, which reads, “The opening of the said Railway was intended to come off on the Queen’s birthday, but this is now of course, put off”, and goes on to criticise Lord Dalhousie, the then-governor general of India.

In the chapter ‘EIR: The Inaugural Journey ‘, Mishra writes, “By early 1854, the tracks between Calcutta and Hoogly lay gleaming and silent – complete, yet idle,” adding, “The line, bridges were all ready but locomotives had yet to arrive.”

The first set of locomotives reached Calcutta onboard the ship ‘Kedgeree’, which had sailed from England via Australia, and unloading “such colossal iron beasts” at Howrah, which lacked proper facilities then, was a “triumph of improvisation”, he adds.

Adding a tragic turn to these dramatic events unfolding then for the EIR was a calamity that struck in the Bay of Bengal.

The EIR had commissioned the ship ‘Goodwin’ to transport “first-class carriages and rolling stock from London” for the inaugural run, but as she neared the Bengal coast, she ran aground on an infamous sandbank, and despite rescue attempts, the ship could not be saved, Mishra said.

“But the loss did not stop progress. John Hodgson, EIR’s locomotive engineer, resolved to rebuild. With blueprints gone to the sea floor, he designed new carriages from memory and sketches, commissioning the prominent coach builders Messrs. Stewart & Co. and Seton & Co. to construct what had been lost,” he writes.

And then the moment of reckoning came, when on the morning of August 15, 1854, the train left from what was a modest temporary shed at Howrah then , and reached Hooghly in 91 minutes, covering 24 miles.

For the maiden run, “about 3,000 applications came up, 10 times the capacity of the train”, Mishra said.

On February 3, 1855, the Howrah-Raneegunj section was opened with a grand ceremony, with Lord Dalhousie himself present at the Howrah station to witness the historic moment.

The success of EIR not only made the East India Company take notice, but triggered the imagination of ordinary people too, spawning a popular “steet ballad in Bangla” celebrating the arrival of the train.

The meticulously researched, nearly 340-page book with chronologically arranged chapters each name prefixed with ‘EIR’ – runs like a train journey, with every chapter akin to a halt along the tracks.

In the first chapter, ‘EIR: Birth Pangs ‘, Mishra, nearing 60, shines a spotlight on some of the men who were instrumental in translating the idea into an institution, especially railway pioneer Rowland Macdonald Stephenson, who arrived in Calcutta in 1840s, fired by a desire to bring the railway to India.

For the East India Company, “Stephenson’s proposal to lauch railways across the Indian plains sounded fanciful, even delusional,” Mishra writes.

“Journalism played a seminal role in bringing railways to India, I would say. Stephenson, under the pseudonym ‘Ferrum’ , penned editorials to ‘The Englishman’, extolling not just the commercial, but the military and administrative virtues of the railway,” he said.

For his research for the book, he primarily referred to the repositories at the Calcutta University Library, West Bengal State Archives, Asiatic Society and the British Library in Kolkata, besides archives of the Indian Railways in Delhi and elsewhere, and various online resources, Misra said.

“For me, accessing even a scanned copy of George Turnbull’s diary, from a resource abroad, was a prized moment. He was the chief engineer who made the EIR a force to be reckoned with.

“When the Calcutta-Benares line was completed in 1862 with the Soane Bridge being a crowning engineering triumph, a grand durbar was held at Benares on February 7, 1863, to celebrate EIR’s success,” he said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

‘Powerful women like you don’t just inspire, you make all of us believe a little more. Keep flying and keep inspiring,’ Sindhu wrote for her.

Eight months pregnant and still stepping onto the range. Meghana Sajjanar clinched a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the ongoing Asian Championship for rifle and pistol events in New Delhi on Saturday.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, regarded as one of the country’s most successful athletes, led the tributes for Sajjanar, saluting the shooter’s grit in a post on X(twitter).

“Eight months pregnant and still stepping onto the range to win a bronze medal.

“Meghna, my friend, watching you do this fills me with so much respect and admiration. You remind us that strength comes in many forms and that courage and heart always find a way.

Powerful women like you don’t just inspire, you make all of us believe a little more. Keep flying and keep inspiring,” Sindhu wrote.

While Japan’s Misaki Nobata and India’s Elavenil Valarivan pushed the pace at the top, Sajjanar held her nerve to finish on the podium, adding another international medal to her record.

Elavenil Valarivan topped the women’s 10m air rifle final with a score of 252.0 to secure her third Asian Championship gold medal.

Japan’s Nobata followed closely with 251.5, and Sajjanar finished third with 229.5.

But, India’s dominance extended beyond the individual podium. Elavenil (633.7), Arya (630.3) and Sajjanar (628.6) combined to win the team gold in the qualification round, posting a total score of 1892.6.

The Asian Championship is regarded as a top-tier international competition, bringing together shooters from across the continent and it is also a key benchmark ahead of World Cups and Olympic qualification cycles.

For Sajjanar, the bronze adds to a steady record of consistency on the global stage.

Last year, she clinched her first-ever ISSF World Cup medal, a bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle, as India finished fifth overall at the season-ending Rifle/Pistol World Cup.

In 2022, she was also part of the Indian team that won bronze in the air rifle team event at the Cairo World Championship.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

The army announced the review in 2022 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a call for severing colonial customs in the armed forces in March 2021.

The Indian Army has renamed several roads, residential colonies and military facilities as part of its ongoing review of British influence on its culture and traditions, a move aimed at reinforcing an identity anchored in India’s rich military heritage, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

“The revised nomenclature of 246 roads, buildings and facilities recognises the contributions of India’s gallantry awardees, battle heroes and distinguished military leaders, reflecting values of courage, sacrifice and leadership,” said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.

The army announced the review in 2022 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a call for severing colonial customs in the armed forces in March 2021 during the Combined Commanders’ Conference at Kevadia in Gujarat. He asked the three services to rid themselves of legacy practices that are no longer relevant.

The PM’s remarks at the top conference were the first indication that many of the remaining colonial practices in the armed forces were on their way out. He underlined the importance of enhancing indigenisation in the national security system, not just in sourcing equipment and weapons but also in doctrines, procedures and customs.

The scope of the review implemented so far includes 124 roads, 77 residential colonies, 27 buildings and military facilities and 18 other places including parks, training areas, sports grounds, gates and helipads, said a second official, listing out some of the changes.

The Mall Road in Delhi Cantonment will now be called Arun Khetarpal Marg in honour of the young 1971 war hero who was posthumously awarded Param Vir Chakra for his heroism. Kirby Place in Delhi Cantt has been renamed after Captain Neikezhakuo Kenguruse, a Kargil war hero who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.

“This initiative complements wider national endeavours to honour bravery and supreme sacrifice of soldiers, including sustained recognition of Param Vir Chakra awardees, ensuring that the legacy of India’s heroes remains embedded in institutional spaces,” said the first official.

In Ambala Cantonment, Patterson Road Quarters will be called Dhan Singh Thapa Enclave; in Mathura, New Horn Line has been renamed after Abdul Hamid; in Jaipur, Queens Line Road has been renamed Sundar Singh Marg; in Bareilly, New Birdwood Line is now Thimayya Colony; and in Mhow Cantonment, Malcolm Lines will be called Piru Singh Lines.

Also, the Collins Block at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is now Nubra Block, and the Kingsley Block has been renamed Kargil Block.

“Through this measure, the Indian Army continues to align its living, training and working spaces with India’s own military traditions, reinforcing commitment to the nation’s sovereignty, integrity and enduring values,” said the second official.

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort to mark 75 years of Independence in 2022, Modi spoke of the “panch pran” or five pledges for India to become a developed country by its 100th year of independence in 2047. One of those resolutions was to uproot all signs of colonial slavery from mindset and habits.

On September 2, 2022, Modi unveiled a naval ensign at the commissioning ceremony of aircraft carrier Vikrant, with the new flag drawing inspiration from the seal of Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj and the Cross of St George being dropped, a move that the PM described as getting rid of the burden of a colonial past.

Abide With Me, a decades-old staple tune at Beating Retreat, was in 2022 dropped from the annual January 29 musical extravaganza that marks the end of the Republic Day celebrations. The Christian hymn was composed by Henry Francis Lyte in 1847. Until four years ago, Beating Retreat traditionally ended with the hymn. Beating Retreat features bands from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Central Armed Police Forces, apart from buglers and pipes and drums bands.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headlines edited)

The initiative was launched through the first Open Call of the Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

To support the commercialisation of indigenous technologies in sectors earlier dominated by the public domain, including space and nuclear, the Ministry of Science and Technology has announced long-term financing for private enterprises at concessional interest rates of 2–4 per cent, with tenures of up to 15 years.

The initiative was launched through the first Open Call of the Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh described it as a “rare and significant departure” from conventional government funding models.

The RDI Fund, with a total corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore, is aimed at providing long-term financing to private enterprises. The minister said the structure has been designed to ease access to capital for technology developers while maintaining financial discipline.

He noted that while governments have traditionally promoted philanthropy or CSR-led investments, direct government-backed financial support for private-sector innovation has remained limited. The RDI Fund, he said, seeks to bridge this gap by enabling private enterprises to scale technologies in sectors that were earlier largely confined to the public domain.

Dr Singh observed that the opening up of strategic areas such as space and nuclear sectors to private participation has altered long-standing conventions. The RDI Fund has been designed to support this transition by reducing financial risk while ensuring accountability. It offers long-term, affordable financing and includes equity-linked options to share risk, thereby facilitating responsible commercialisation.

Referring to the response to the first call, the minister said nearly 191 proposals have been received, with a significant majority coming from the private sector. This, he said, reflects growing confidence among private enterprises in the government’s commitment to innovation-led growth. He added that it was important to ensure applications align with the spirit of the scheme and that funding is used for genuine technology development and scale-up.

The funding framework provides for collateral-free financing, with no requirement for personal or corporate guarantees. Proposals will be evaluated on scientific, technological, financial and commercial merit, with defined timelines for appraisal and disbursement. The initiative does not offer grant funding and is focused on enabling sustainable commercial deployment of technologies.

The RDI Fund was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2025 and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2025 as part of the government’s long-term vision to build indigenous technological capabilities and strengthen India’s innovation-led economy.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Born and brought up in Bengal, to Bengali and French parents, Beteille taught at Delhi School of Economics, was Professor Emeritus of Sociology in the University of Delhi and also the first chancellor of Ashoka University.

India’s foremost sociologist, André Beteille, passed away on Tuesday night in Delhi. He was 91.

“Devastated to hear that the great sociologist Andre Beteille is no more. He was the Indian scholar I most admired, for me (and many others) a moral and intellectual anchor,” historian Ramachandra Guha wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Economist Kaushik Basu said, “Such sad news. Truly towering figure, intellectually and morally, and with a fantastic sense of humour.”

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said: “A truly outstanding scholar, a wonderful writer and always a delight to talk to. I have learned so much from him over the years. They don’t make people like him anymore.”

Born and brought up in Bengal, to Bengali and French parents, Beteille left for Delhi soon after completing his MA from Calcutta University. For decades he taught at the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He was Professor Emeritus of Sociology in the University of Delhi and also the first chancellor of Ashoka University.

“One of the perks of studying sociology at the Delhi School of Economics was the privilege of attending those rare special lectures, and Andre Beteille would be a prominent and permanent fixture of that academic life,” journalist-author Arnav Das Sharma, a former student of the departed scholar, recalled.

“What truly made Prof Beteille remarkable was the lucidity of his ideas, without ever eschewing nuance and profundity, two things we hugely lack in our present world.”

Beteille authored books on political sociology and sociology of religion, like Caste, Class and Power, Society and Politics in India and The Idea of Natural Inequality and Other Essays, two collections of articles he wrote for newspapers Chronicles of Our Time and ‘Ideology and Social Science, among many others.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2005.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Test of solid fuel ducted ramjet seen as boost for long-range air-to-air missiles.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully carried out the flight demonstration of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, on Tuesday (February 3, 2026).

The test was conducted at around 10.45 a.m.

According to the Ministry of Defence, with this achievement, India has entered an elite group of nations possessing SFDR technology, a critical capability for the development of long-range air-to-air missiles that significantly enhance combat effectiveness and provide a decisive tactical edge against adversaries.

During the demonstration, all major subsystems, including the nozzle-less booster, solid fuel ducted ramjet motor and fuel flow controller, performed as expected. After initial propulsion by a ground booster to achieve the required Mach number, the SFDR system functioned seamlessly throughout the flight.

The system’s performance was validated through comprehensive flight data captured by multiple tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur, along the Bay of Bengal coastline. The launch was closely monitored by senior scientists from key DRDO laboratories, including the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and ITR, the Ministry added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and the Indian industry partners on the successful demonstration, describing it as a major milestone in the country’s missile development programme and a boost to India’s defence preparedness.

Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman DRDO, Samir V. Kamat, also complimented the teams involved, lauding their dedication and technical excellence in achieving the complex SFDR flight test.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Chandigarh, Doctors at the PGIMER here have reported a major breakthrough in the treatment of poisoning due to aluminium phosphide, commonly known as Celphos, a lethal pesticide, officials said on Sunday.

The research, conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , is the first clinical study to demonstrate the effectiveness of intravenous lipid emulsion as a novel life-saving therapy in this otherwise highly fatal condition, a PGIMER statement said.

The important findings have been published in the internationally reputed journal European Review of Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, bringing global recognition to the research.

The study was carried out under the guidance of Dr Sanjay Jain, Dean , Professor and Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, PGIMER, whose clinical leadership in emergency care played a crucial role in the management of these critically ill patients, according to the statement.

The research was funded by the Medical Education and Research Cell, PGIMER, underlining the institute’s strong institutional support for clinically relevant and socially impactful research.

This randomised clinical study was led by Dr Mandip Singh Bhatia, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, PGIMER, who served as the primary investigator of the project.

Dr Saurabh Chandrabhan Sharda was the co-investigator, along with other authors from the Department of Internal Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

“The results of the study were highly encouraging. Patients who received intravenous lipid emulsion in addition to standard medical treatment showed a marked reduction in mortality, along with faster correction of severe metabolic acidosis, improved hemodynamic stability, and better outcomes in critically ill patients, including those presenting with shock and cardiac complications.

“The findings clearly demonstrate that early administration of this therapy can significantly alter the clinical course of aluminium phosphide poisoning,” the PGIMER statement said.

A major advantage of this novel treatment is its practicality, as intravenous lipid emulsion is inexpensive, widely available, and already stocked in most hospitals across India, including district hospitals and peripheral healthcare facilities.

Because of its low cost and easy availability, this therapy has the potential to save lives even in rural and far-flung areas, where the burden of Celphos poisoning is highest, and access to advanced critical care is often limited, the statement noted.

“Aluminium phosphide poisoning continues to be a serious public-health challenge, particularly in agricultural states such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which bear the maximum disease burden due to widespread use of this compound as a grain preservative. The availability of an effective, affordable and evidence-based treatment is therefore of immense importance for these regions,” it said.

The statement added that this important research once again highlights “PGIMER’s strong commitment to research focused on local diseases and local populations”.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)