Demand for the company’s technology has surged amid rising global geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

ICEYE, a global leader in space-based intelligence, is set to establish its first Indian production facility within the next year to manufacture small satellites for defence, surveillance and environmental monitoring.

Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of ICEYE, said that the facility will serve as the company’s primary manufacturing hub for the Asia-Pacific region, complementing its existing operations in Europe and the US.

The company’s satellite constellations currently serve sectors ranging from defence and intelligence to insurance and emergency management. Demand for ICEYE’s technology has surged amid rising global geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“There is a strong alignment between what India needs and what we offer. Globally, we are seeing two key trends: increasing defence spending and rapid adoption of space-based capabilities,” Modrzewski told PTI in an interview.

“India reflects both these trends. Countries are learning from recent conflicts that space is the next frontier for intelligence and defence. We specialise in defence and intelligence, so naturally, we see India as an important market for our solutions,” he said.

Modrzewski said ICEYE specialises in defence intelligence capabilities, particularly national intelligence systems based on space-based data.

Traditionally, intelligence systems relied on multiple data sources, with space-based data being just one layer.

Today, that is changing as space-based assets are increasingly becoming the primary source of intelligence. We manufacture small satellites at scale, which allows us to deploy large constellations quickly,” he said.

“We provide not just satellites, but also ground segment infrastructure and training to governments globally. Our customers span Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Brazil, Canada and the United States,” he added.

Declining to share the quantum of investment that ICEYE is looking to make in India, Modrzewski said the company aims to manufacture around 10 satellites in the first year and will scale it up to 20 to 40 satellites annually in the successive years.

“Investment will be significant, likely in the range of tens of millions of dollars, though exact numbers are still being finalised,” he said.

ICEYE owns the world’s most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation and provides intelligence and surveillance services to its customers.

“Yes, it is fair to say that India could become our Asia-Pacific hub, alongside Europe and the United States,” Modrzewski said.

He said the plan is to put a supply chain and manufacturing facility in place in India within the next six to 12 months.

Modrzewski said ICEYE is keen to have a foothold in India as it represents a strong growth opportunity due to a large and highly skilled talent pool, a rapidly growing economy and increasing complexity of challenges requiring advanced intelligence solutions.

At present, ICEYE produces around 50 satellites annually and it plans to take the number beyond 100 annually by 2028.

“We are planning to deploy hundreds more satellites in the coming years

“Satellites manufactured in India will serve global markets, while also supporting local demand. We are not making our India presence dependent solely on government orders. We are committed to building here regardless of the order book,” Modrzewski said.

“We already have customers in India through our existing operations. We are in active discussions with both existing and potential customers, including government stakeholders, but cannot disclose details at this stage,” he said.

Modrzewski indicated that ICEYE is holding talks with the relevant government departments on its ambitious plan.

“We are an established company and can operate independently. However, we value open dialogue and collaboration with the government, especially where there is alignment in capabilities and priorities. So far, we have not encountered any major challenges,” he said.

The ICEYE CEO also said that the company is looking at a potential collaboration in India including with satellite launch providers such as ISRO and private players, manufacturers of electronics and other components, technology partners and players in the defence ecosystem such as drones and integrated systems.

Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1,000 employees across Poland, Spain, the UK, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Greece and the US.

It has crossed approximately USD 280 million in revenue this year and is aiming to double it. “India is a priority market for us this year, and we are committed to building a strong presence here,” Modrzewski said.

ICEYE, a global leader in space-based intelligence, is set to establish its first Indian production facility within the next year to manufacture small satellites for defence, surveillance and environmental monitoring.

Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of ICEYE, said that the facility will serve as the company’s primary manufacturing hub for the Asia-Pacific region, complementing its existing operations in Europe and the US.

The company’s satellite constellations currently serve sectors ranging from defence and intelligence to insurance and emergency management. Demand for ICEYE’s technology has surged amid rising global geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“There is a strong alignment between what India needs and what we offer. Globally, we are seeing two key trends: increasing defence spending and rapid adoption of space-based capabilities,” Modrzewski told PTI in an interview.

“India reflects both these trends. Countries are learning from recent conflicts that space is the next frontier for intelligence and defence. We specialise in defence and intelligence, so naturally, we see India as an important market for our solutions,” he said.

Modrzewski said ICEYE specialises in defence intelligence capabilities, particularly national intelligence systems based on space-based data.

Traditionally, intelligence systems relied on multiple data sources, with space-based data being just one layer.

“Today, that is changing as space-based assets are increasingly becoming the primary source of intelligence. We manufacture small satellites at scale, which allows us to deploy large constellations quickly,” he said.

“We provide not just satellites, but also ground segment infrastructure and training to governments globally. Our customers span Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Brazil, Canada and the United States,” he added.

Declining to share the quantum of investment that ICEYE is looking to make in India, Modrzewski said the company aims to manufacture around 10 satellites in the first year and will scale it up to 20 to 40 satellites annually in the successive years.

“Investment will be significant, likely in the range of tens of millions of dollars, though exact numbers are still being finalised,” he said.

ICEYE owns the world’s most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation and provides intelligence and surveillance services to its customers.

“Yes, it is fair to say that India could become our Asia-Pacific hub, alongside Europe and the United States,” Modrzewski said.

He said the plan is to put a supply chain and manufacturing facility in place in India within the next six to 12 months.

Modrzewski said ICEYE is keen to have a foothold in India as it represents a strong growth opportunity due to a large and highly skilled talent pool, a rapidly growing economy and increasing complexity of challenges requiring advanced intelligence solutions.

At present, ICEYE produces around 50 satellites annually and it plans to take the number beyond 100 annually by 2028.

“We are planning to deploy hundreds more satellites in the coming years

“Satellites manufactured in India will serve global markets, while also supporting local demand. We are not making our India presence dependent solely on government orders. We are committed to building here regardless of the order book,” Modrzewski said.

“We already have customers in India through our existing operations. We are in active discussions with both existing and potential customers, including government stakeholders, but cannot disclose details at this stage,” he said.

Modrzewski indicated that ICEYE is holding talks with the relevant government departments on its ambitious plan.

“We are an established company and can operate independently. However, we value open dialogue and collaboration with the government, especially where there is alignment in capabilities and priorities. So far, we have not encountered any major challenges,” he said.

The ICEYE CEO also said that the company is looking at a potential collaboration in India including with satellite launch providers such as ISRO and private players, manufacturers of electronics and other components, technology partners and players in the defence ecosystem such as drones and integrated systems.

Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1,000 employees across Poland, Spain, the UK, Australia, Japan, the UAE, Greece and the US.

It has crossed approximately USD 280 million in revenue this year and is aiming to double it. “India is a priority market for us this year, and we are committed to building a strong presence here,” Modrzewski said.

Last week, ICEYE handed over MikroSAR, Poland’s sovereign radar satellite reconnaissance system, less than 12 months after contract signing.

According to publicly available data, this marks the fastest deployment of an operational satellite programme in the world.

The sovereign satellite system gives the Polish Armed Forces complete independence in satellite reconnaissance, allowing them to acquire imagery from anywhere in the world, day or night and in any weather.

Each satellite in the constellation carries a SAR radar that emits microwave pulses and turns their reflections into detailed images with a resolution as fine as 25cm.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

‘I have made a new decision. We will provide Rs 30,000 immediately after the birth of a third child and Rs 40,000 for a fourth child. Isn’t this the right decision?’ Chandrababu Naidu said on Saturday.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced incentives of Rs 30,000 for the birth of a third child and Rs 40,000 for a fourth, as part of efforts to reverse the state’s declining population trend.

Addressing a public meeting at Narsannapeta in Srikakulam district, Naidu said the government had taken the decision and would announce further details within a month.

I have made a new decision. We will provide Rs 30,000 immediately after the birth of a third child and Rs 40,000 for a fourth child. Isn’t this the right decision?” Naidu said on the sidelines of the SwarnaAndhra–SwachAndhra cleanliness programme.

Although he had once advocated population control measures, the CM said the time had now come for society to work together to increase the birth rate.

Naidu’s latest announcement follows an earlier proposal to provide a Rs 25,000 incentive for the birth of a second child.

On March 5, the CM informed the Assembly that the state government was considering an incentive of Rs 25,000 for couples having a second child.

However, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav later told PTI that the government had decided to extend the incentives to families having a third child and beyond.

According to Naidu, some couples are opting to have only one child as their incomes rise, while others choose to have a second child only if their firstborn is not a boy.

As a result, he warned that the state’s population growth rate is declining and stressed the importance of maintaining the replacement-level Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1.

Naidu noted that a population remains stable only when the average fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman. He claimed that declining populations and ageing societies in several countries have negatively affected their economies.

Rejecting the notion that children are a burden, Naidu argued that they are an asset and said he would prove it.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Lung cancer is among the most common cancers in India, with about 80,000 people detected with it annually.

Cancer patients and their caretakers in India often spend long, arduous hours in hospitals for conventional treatment.

But now with the launch of the world’s first subcutaneous or under-the-skin immunotherapy for lung cancer on Thursday, treatment is available in approximately seven minutes.

Launched by Swiss pharma giant Roche on Thursday, Tecentriq SC (atezolizumab), a breakthrough innovation, promises to dramatically improve the cancer treatment experience of patients, reduce treatment time by 80 per cent, lower indirect treatment costs, minimise the need to travel long distances, and enable caregivers to spend less time in hospitals.

Approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) three months ago for treating patients with adjuvant and metastatic Lung Cancer (NSCLC), it costs Rs. 3.7 lakh per dose, given once in a 21-day cycle. The drug is also available to CGHS cardholders.

Lung cancer is among the most common cancers in India, with about 80,000 people detected annually.

Driven heavily by smoking, especially beedis and air pollution, it is the most common cancer among Indian males and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with 80-90 per cent of patients diagnosed with it at advanced stages.

Roche Pharma India Chief Medical Officer Dr Sivabalan Sivanesan said, “Cancer care is evolving beyond survival outcomes alone towards approaches that also prioritise patient experience, convenience and quality of life.”

“With Tecentriq SC, we are bringing an innovation that meaningfully reduces treatment time while maintaining the established efficacy and safety profile of Tecentriq. We believe such advances can play an important role in enabling more patient-centric and future-ready cancer care delivery in India.”

Dr Sajjan Rajpurohit, Director and Head of Medical Oncology at Medanta, said, “Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment landscape for people living with cancer, but conventional IV administration can be long and arduous for patients while also placing significant pressure on tertiary care hospitals. Repeated hospital visits and long treatment hours add to the emotional and physical burden of cancer care. Subcutaneous administration can allow patients to be treated much more quickly and easily, improving their overall treatment experience while reducing waiting times and treatment delays.”

Approved in 85 countries, Tecentriq SC has benefited 10,000 patients globally. It has the potential to treat up to five patients in the time required to treat one patient via intravenous infusion, helping optimise healthcare resources.

Dr Rajpurohit said the drug can be used as a monotherapy (chemotherapy-free) in eligible adults with adjuvant and metastatic NSCLC.

“We have been using the drug in our hospital since February. It has reduced both mental and physical pain for our patients. Subcutaneous delivery reduces pain, is effective, and has fewer side effects. We are moving away from more and more invasive ways to use more comfortable, more accurate ways to either diagnose or treat our patients,” he added.

Dr Amit Rauthan, Consultant and HOD of Medical Oncology at Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, said, “India’s growing cancer burden requires us to rethink how cancer care is delivered. Innovations such as subcutaneous immunotherapy have the potential to simplify treatment administration, reduce pressure on hospital beds and support more decentralised models of care beyond large metro hospitals. Shorter administration formats can help improve accessibility and make cancer care more practical for patients and healthcare systems alike.”

He further said that the entire process of receiving immunotherapy was very cumbersome for patients. “But now with this innovation, things have changed. From the patient’s point of view, they now have to go to an infusion chair, take their dose, and then they are fit to go back home. Not like earlier times when they had to spend hours getting their treatment.”

“From an oncologist’s perspective, it’s again very useful. In our setups, we have limited daycare beds. Sometimes we have to rush through multiple shifts: patients come in the morning, go through treatment, and when they finish, the next patient is taken in. We run through beds because many of these drips and infusions of immunotherapy take a long time. So having a subcutaneous injection for us is a boon because patients can take it up very quickly and finish their treatment fast, and we save the chair time or bed time,” he added.

“This drug is a win-win for the patient, doctor, hospitals, and various therapy centres. It will have a major impact on most patients’ lives,” he added. 

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Mr. Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi attached high importance to creating a database of the Girmitya community and conducting research on its legacy.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said an archival cooperation agreement between India and Trinidad and Tobago would help members of the Indian diaspora trace their ancestral roots and reconnect with families, as he underlined New Delhi’s efforts to preserve the legacy of the Girmitya community.

Girmitya refers to Indian indentured labourers transported by the British to colonies in Fiji, South Africa, Mauritius, and the Caribbean between the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Addressing a gathering at the historic Nelson Island on Saturday (May 9, 2026), Mr. Jaishankar recalled the arrival of the first Indian indentured labourers in Trinidad and Tobago 180 years ago. He paid tribute to their “fortitude, determination and resolve” in building new lives under difficult circumstances.

He said the immigrants had carried with them their traditions, faith and way of life, adding that it was fitting for such history to be preserved as a heritage site.

Mr. Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi attached high importance to creating a database of the Girmitya community and conducting research on its legacy.

He said India was working towards establishing a dedicated Girmitya Studies Centre on Modi’s directions.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The changes are likely to be included in final rules that are due to be published in the next couple of months after the country opened its nuclear generation sector to private and foreign players last year; India aims to expand nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047 from about 8 gigawatts at present as part of its clean energy strategy.

India plans to reduce the size of exclusion zones around nuclear plants to free up significant amounts of land for reactor expansions, three officials familiar with the matter said, in a move to attract private investment that is likely to face backlash from opposition parties and the public.

At present, all nuclear reactors in India have a minimum buffer of about 1 km (0.62 miles) around reactors where no habitation or economic activity is allowed, a provision meant to keep radiation risks at a distance.

India’s atomic energy regulator and the Department of Atomic Energy have approved an “in principle” plan to reduce these buffers, the three officials said. They requested anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.

The changes are likely to be included in final rules that are due to be published in the next couple of months after the country opened its nuclear generation sector to private and foreign players last year. India aims to expand nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047 from about 8 gigawatts at present as part of its clean energy strategy.

The in-principle agreement between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the Department of Atomic Energy to reduce the exclusion zones around nuclear plants to free up land for expansion as well as the size of the cuts have not been previously reported. The proposal was not part of a bill that was approved by parliament and it is expected to be set out in detailed rules that have yet to be released.

India’s Department of Atomic Energy, its Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to queries from Reuters.

The revisions to the buffer zones would cut the land needs by half for large reactors and by nearly two-thirds for small units, potentially allowing two to three times more capacity on the sites, according to an internal presentation reviewed by Reuters.

With smaller exclusion zones, a 10-reactor nuclear complex with 700 megawatts of capacity each could be set up within less than 700 hectares, the presentation showed. India’s existing nuclear plants typically use around 1,000 hectares of land.

Small modular reactors could also be placed in industrial zones for captive use, two of the officials said. And cutting exclusion zones would also allow existing plants to add new reactors more easily using shared infrastructure, the presentation said.

The change is aimed at easing land constraints, a key hurdle, as the private sector – including Tata Power, Adani Power and Reliance Industries – looks to invest in the sector.

The three officials said the exclusion zones are being reduced because of safer reactor technologies, in line with global norms followed by countries like the US and France that do not fix exclusion distances.

Strict siting rules – including distance from human settlements and safety risks – along with lengthy land acquisition processes, often exceeding four to five years, make identifying new sites difficult.

The decision on exclusion zones, however, risks a backlash in a country where nuclear power has faced public opposition despite no major accident record.

For much of the public, nuclear power in India is closely associated with radiation risks and the exclusion zones serve as a measurable assurance that risk is kept at a distance.

Some Indian lawmakers, while debating the opening of the nuclear sector in parliament in December, said the reforms prioritised private investment over safety and flagged risks including radiation and nuclear waste. Opposition leaders said the legal amendments risked weakening nuclear safety safeguards by diluting liability protections, easing reactor siting rules and expanding private participation without stronger independent oversight.

The bill was cleared by parliament despite the safety concerns raised by opposition lawmakers during the debate.

“The reduction is a meaningful shift that has been under discussion for nearly 18 months,” said R. Srikanth, the engineering dean at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, a research institute. “Data from existing plants show that radiation levels around them are significantly lower than natural background levels in parts of coastal Kerala and Tamil Nadu.”

“Unfortunately, good news of the Indian nuclear power has been kept hidden from the public,” he said. “We need to overcome this all-pervasive sense of secrecy around civilian nuclear power plants.”

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

What is an orbital data centre? Why are global firms interested? What does the Pixxel-Sarvam partnership involve?

On May 4, Pixxel, a Bengaluru-based imaging satellite company, said that it would partner with the AI firm Sarvam to launch what is being described as India’s first ‘orbital data centre’ satellite, named Pathfinder. This is expected to be a 200 kg class satellite scheduled for orbit by the fourth quarter of 2026. It will carry datacentre-class GPUs (graphics processing units) alongside Pixxel’s hyperspectral imaging camera, the company’s bread-and-butter business.

What is an orbital data centre?

It is a constellation of satellites carrying the same kind of GPUs found in terrestrial data centres. It can train and run AI models in orbit rather than only relaying data to ground stations. Such a centre can do more demanding work than the low-power “edge” processors that conventional satellites use for tasks like signal compression. Edge computing on earth refers to the practice of running computation close to where data is generated rather than in a centralised cloud, and the same logic, applied in orbit, is what space-based compute promises to extend.

Pixxel’s Pathfinder is being built as a single-satellite demonstrator, designed to test whether ground-grade hardware can be made to function reliably in the harsh, hot environment of low Earth orbit. “It will start off as being one satellite, obviously, that we will try to launch before the end of this year,” Awais Ahmed, the company’s chief executive, told The Hindu.

Why are global firms suddenly interested?

Three factors have converged in the past two years, prompting large tech companies to strive towards making such centres real. Data centres are being constrained by limits on energy availability, land, water, and local regulation, all of which have been amplified by the demands of AI. In the right orbit, solar power is effectively continuous and offers free electricity, which proponents regard as the strongest argument for moving computation to space.

Earth observation satellites also generate detailed, heavy image files that are expensive to downlink; processing the data in orbit and beaming down only the conclusions has long been seen as a way to ease that bottleneck.

The third factor is competitive positioning. SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk said on X in 2025 that “simply scaling up Starlink V3 satellites, which have high-speed laser links, would work. SpaceX will be doing this.” He also argued that “Starship (the company’s most powerful rocket) could deliver 100GW/year to high Earth orbit within four to five years if we can solve the other parts of the equation.” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Microsoft’s Azure Space, and Lonestar Data Holdings have already begun pilot deployments. None of these efforts has yet produced a commercial-scale orbital data centre.

What are the challenges?

The GPU chips powered by electricity from solar panels become hot. Now space may be cold, and common sense may suggest it is a natural sink for the heat. However, space is also empty and its vacuum eliminates convection. This is the mechanism by which warm air on earth is normally carried away from terrestrial servers; in orbit, a hot GPU chip is effectively an oven unable to fan away its own waste energy, with no air to carry it off. The only solution to this is radiation, which requires that heat be pumped through ammonia-filled loops to deployable panels, where it can be radiated as infrared light into space. The history of crewed spaceflight is studded with reminders of how unforgiving this regime can be.

Radiation damage is the second problem and one that has shaped the design of every long-duration mission flown to date. ‘Bit flips’ — where bits and bytes of computers randomly change — and long-term semiconductor degradation are caused by cosmic rays, and radiation-hardened chips, which govern most space hardware, typically lag commercial GPUs by years. Power requires storage for eclipse periods, and maintenance is effectively impossible without robotic servicing, so redundancy must be designed in from the start.

What does the Pixxel–Sarvam partnership actually involve?

The Pathfinder satellite will be designed, built, launched, and operated by Pixxel. Sarvam, an Indian AI firm, will provide what it describes as the AI backbone, with full-stack language models being run on the satellite’s GPU layer for both training and inference. Pixxel’s hyperspectral camera will be carried on the same platform, giving the mission an immediate use case: imagery captured in orbit can be analysed in orbit, with only the conclusions transmitted to Earth. Mr. Ahmed declined to disclose costs, the number of GPUs, or the launch provider, saying the choice between ISRO and SpaceX would be determined by slot availability. However, the Pixxel team has several experts who have worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation and have experience in thermal management in space.

Can data crunching in space ever be cheaper than on ground?

Not yet, and not for some time, on the available evidence. Mr. Ahmed said that a single satellite carrying a given number of GPUs is more expensive than the same hardware on Earth. The argument for eventual parity is built on three assumptions: that constellations will be scaled to tens of thousands of satellites; that launch costs will be reduced sharply once SpaceX’s Starship is operational; and that the absence of cooling and grid-power expenses in orbit will eventually offset the higher capital outlay. Mr. Ahmed set the horizon at 5-10 years. “It would take about 100-500 satellites to replace a data centre in India and if someone were to pay for it, we could launch them even in 24 months,” he said. Independent assessments have been markedly more cautious than the timelines offered by Pixxel and its peers. Edge processing on satellites is judged viable in the near term by academic and agency reviews, but a wholesale replacement of terrestrial cloud is treated as a 10-to-30-year proposition.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

In a first for an Indian city, Pune will institutionalise a low-emission zone (LEZ) in its most polluted area, Shivajinagar in the central business district, potentially creating a template for other Indian cities.

In a first for an Indian city, Pune will institutionalise a low-emission zone (LEZ) in its most polluted area, Shivajinagar in the central business district, potentially creating a template for other Indian cities.

Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishor Ram said the city plans to ban or sharply restrict the entry of old and highly polluting vehicles in an area covering 7-10% of the city around Shivajinagar. “We will launch it within two months. We are already working with departments such as the police and the RTO, as their role will be critical,” he said, adding that the finer details are still being worked out.

The LEZ initiative follows three years of work by the Pune Municipal Corporation, supported by the ITDP India (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy), under Maharashtra’s 2021 Electric Vehicle Policy. The policy mandates LEZs in six cities to reduce emissions in line with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Preparatory work included examining the legal framework for LEZs and improving public transport and pedestrian infrastructure.

A low-emission zone (LEZ) is a designated urban area where the most polluting vehicles are restricted, charged, or barred from entering to cut harmful emissions such as particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The first LEZs emerged in Scandinavia in the 1990s. Stockholm introduced one of the earliest city-level restrictions on heavy diesel vehicles in 1996. The idea then spread across Europe, particularly in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.

The most influential and widely cited LEZ programme, however, was launched in London in 2008 under then mayor Ken Livingstone. London later expanded the model through the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2019 under mayor Sadiq Khan, making it one of the world’s best-known traffic restriction programmes to promote clean air.

While Ram did not specify the final scope of the LEZ in Pune, another person involved in the project said preliminary studies showed that a strict restriction on BS-III and older vehicles across a 14.5 sq km zone covering Shivajinagar and the Peth areas could reduce PM2.5 levels by 80%. The area identified under the programme stretches from Shivajinagar in the north to Swargate in the south, and from SB Road in the west to East Street in the east. The municipal corporation has already granted in-principle approvals for work in this zone.

Pranjal Kulkarni, project manager at ITDP India, said a private vehicle information platform has been engaged to further assess the vehicle profile of the proposed zone. During the preliminary assessment, vehicle categories were mapped through surveys conducted at fuel stations, he said.

A study and a survey by ITDP released in October 2025 said about 71% of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles running in PMC are BS-4 and below. The same found 96% of 2000 ICE vehicle owners surveyed indicating their unwillingness to pay a pollution charge. This shows that pricing could be a deterrent for people using polluting vehicles. The resulting charge can be used to upgrade public transport, and improve walking and cycling infrastructure.

Another person aware of the developments said the restrictions are likely to apply to BS-III and older two-wheelers, passenger cars, and heavy and light commercial vehicles. Autorickshaws, public buses and emergency vehicles are expected to be exempt. Instead of an outright ban, owners of polluting vehicles may be allowed to pay a daily pollution charge. Vehicles found operating without paying the charge could face steeper penalties.

While Pune is set to become the first Indian city to implement an LEZ, its industrial satellite city of Pimpri-Chinchwad is planning a city-wide initiative under its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), said Parin Visariya, programme manager at ITDP India. He added that revenue collected through pollution charges and fines would either be used to expand the programme or strengthen public and non-motorised transport systems.

Even as Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad move towards implementation, similar initiatives are emerging across the country, from congested temple towns to industrial coastal cities.

Jag Parvesh, municipal commissioner at Mathura-Vrindavan said they aim to restrict an 11-km stretch of Parikrama Marg to only electric vehicles and pedestrians by Diwali. He said the move is part of a phased plan to arrange an adequate number of electric buses and e-rickshaws in the temple town, which receives nearly 90 million visitors annually. “We want to make the city as environment-friendly as possible,” he said.

He added that authorities are currently operating 50 electric buses, all of which are running at full capacity. “We have registered more than 7,500 e-rickshaws operating on 17 designated routes and stops to ease congestion and pollution. Soon, we will add more e-buses and expand charging infrastructure,” he said.

Similarly, Varanasi municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said only e-golf carts and pedestrians will be allowed on the 4-km temple corridor stretch between Maidagin and the main temple in Varanasi. “The stretch attracts a million tourists daily. We have procured the golf carts and operations can begin within a month. Parking spaces will also be created for visitors arriving in private vehicles,” he said.

Sarika Panda, who is working with the municipal corporations of Varanasi and Mathura on these plans, said the long-term goal is to phase out all polluting commercial vehicles by 2030 in a phased manner.

In Andhra Pradesh, cities are working on developing Clean Air Zones (CAZs) around hospitals, educational institutions and marketplaces to tackle transport emissions.

Vivek Vaidyanathan, principal at Artha Global, working with the urban local bodies at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, said the plans focus on expanding public transport through EV buses, including dedicated services for educational institutions to reduce dependence on private vehicles and polluting three-wheelers. Measures such as paid off-street parking, improved walkability and cycling infrastructure are also being worked on to reduce congestion and vehicular emissions.

He added that the allocation of ₹50 crore to five Andhra Pradesh cities under the state’s new EV policy has set ambitious targets to tackle urban air pollution by establishing zero-emission zones, installing EV charging infrastructure in parking lots, transitioning city bus fleets entirely to electric vehicles, and deploying EV bus services along key corridors.

Vaibhav Kush, lead researcher on LEZs at ICCT India said while there is not much real-world data in India, their research has shown LEZs have the potential to reduce emission loads by 85% for NOx and 50% for carbon monoxide, studying preliminary plans in the Maharashtra cities. “However, it will be dependent on multiple factors like the area of LEZ notified, the duration of enforcement, the vehicle segments regulated among other factors.”

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headlines edited)

From underwater robots to scooters, Banergy makes all things marine.

Humans first set sail to traverse the oceans to inhabit Australia. The continents were much closer then, still seas and rivers have always been the backbone of a civilisation. Today, one does not need to build a raft to cross the Hooghly river, but surely does need modern marine equipment to pinpoint an underwater object on an open body of water.

Realising this need, two brothers, Swarnab Banerjee and Rishav Banerjee founded Banergy, a marine robotics manufacturing company.

Commenting on the name of the company, Swarnab said, “My grandfather used to say ‘Swarnav Banerjee — full of energy’, so my younger brother Rishav created the name from an amalgamation of two (Banerjee and energy).”

Banergy is the only one of its kind from Bengal, claim the brothers, manufacturing marine robotics in their factories in Bankura and Balasore.

“We encourage other marine enthusiasts to use our blueprints. Even if they build an exact replica we have no problem, because we want to build an ecosystem of marine robotics in Bengal,” said Swarnab.

Banergy manufactures remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs). These are marine robots which have an array of uses in rivers and oceans.

Both the brothers have lived in the US to study and work as engineers; the elder one in electrical, the younger one in mechanical. But they never wanted to settle there.

“We always had a plan to come back to our home country. I was 10 years older than him. When I studied electrical engineering, I understood that an electro-mechanical team work is needed. So, I pushed him to study mechanical engineering,” said Swarnab.

Along with Rahul Pareek, the marketing head for Banergy, all three are serious divers. They are not just manufacturers, but understand the real-life problems people face underwater.

“We are very intimate with the product and the environment. We have a lot of personal experience. The problem that people are facing can’t be understood in a closed room, it needs divers,” said Banerjee.

The National Institute of Oceanography, Indian Railways, the National Disaster Response Forces and the Kolkata Police have all been impressed by Banergy and their sub-marine robotics. BROV X (Banergy Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle), BUSV X (Banergy Unmanned Surface Vessel) help in rescue operations, river-bed mapping, and locating damages in the bridges over rivers, among various other uses.

Talking about one such operation, the brothers informed how they found the location of equipment worth Rs 40 lakh that an ecological company lost in the Hooghly. The company head told the brothers they had planned a 72-hour operation.

“We found the equipment within five hours, by locating it with sonar from our robots,” said Banerjee.

The boat and the marine drone use one-dimensional sonar to essentially capture ultrasonography images, the team then looks for anomalies in the river-bed to pinpoint the object.

Divers can then accurately dive in that location to retrieve the object. The marine robots from Banergy also have mechanical arms which can pull objects of various weight brackets.

When asked about what else they have found at sea, Swarnab said, “When diving with our robots, I never know what I am going to find underwater. When I dived in Hawaii, the fish, turtles, coral reefs were my treasure. When my robots dive in the Ganga, I find all sorts of sunken objects — from boats to statues. If I am given the opportunity, I want to scan the entire Gangetic route from Krishnanagar to Diamond Harbour, to see what all secrets the river holds,” said Swarnab.

Rishav had a very intriguing answer to this. “When I was in Los Angeles, we used to see the Space X missions. The company has a policy that they would buy all their rocket parts that landed in the ocean for $8,000. So me and two of my friends used to try and guess where the rocket parts landed. A boat trip with friends thus would mean a cash prize. This was my treasure hunt,” said Rishav.

Banergy also makes a diver propulsion vehicle called SHARK DPV which is essentially a scooter underwater. It can be used by everyone from professionals to casual swimmers.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Till date, JANANI has achieved 1.34 crore beneficiary registrations, over 30 lakh pregnant women registrations, more than 30 lakh MCH cards generated, and over 1 lakh biometric verifications.

In a major step towards strengthening maternal and child healthcare services in the country, the centre has launched JANANI, a service-oriented digital platform designed to comprehensively monitor and maintain digital health records of women during their reproductive age.

The platform, JANANI or Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care, aims to ensure seamless tracking of maternal and child health services, covering antenatal care, delivery preparedness, delivery, postnatal care, newborn care, home-based newborn and young child care, and family planning.

By enabling continuous monitoring and timely interventions, JANANI strengthens service delivery and ensures continuity of care at every stage.

Till date, JANANI has achieved 1.34 crore beneficiary registrations, over 30 lakh pregnant women registrations, more than 30 lakh Mother and Child Protection (MCH) cards generated, and over 1 lakh biometric verifications.

Developed as an upgraded version of the existing RCH portal, the platform creates a longitudinal health record by capturing key service delivery events across the continuum of care, Union Health Ministry officials said.

A key feature of JANANI is the introduction of QR-enabled digital Mother and Child Health (MCH) Cards, enabling portability and easy access to health records.

The platform also incorporates automated alerts for high-risk pregnancies, real-time dashboards for supervisory review, and due-list generation, enabling timely tracking, monitoring, and targeted interventions.

JANANI, which was launched at the recently concluded national summit on innovation and inclusivity  – best practices shaping India’s health future, is designed with strong interoperability features, enabling integration with national platforms such as U-WIN and POSHAN.

This, thus, facilitates seamless data exchange, improved coordination across programmes, and comprehensive monitoring of beneficiaries across sectors.

The platform enables registration of beneficiaries using unique identifiers such as ABHA, Aadhaar (OTP and biometric), and mobile number, along with pan-India search functionality.

This ensures continuity of care for migratory populations and prevents duplication of records.

It also provides self-registration facilities through web and mobile platforms, empowering beneficiaries to actively engage with their healthcare journey.

JANANI supports citizens by enabling timely scheduling and monitoring of antenatal care visits and immunizations, along with alerts and reminders to ensure that no critical health milestone is missed, officials added.

It provides access to digital MCH cards, information on nearby healthcare facilities, expected place of delivery, and supports informed decision-making through health education and nutritional guidance.

“Overall, JANANI marks a structural reform in maternal and child health administration by integrating digital authentication, real-time monitoring and inter-sectoral convergence – thereby contributing to improved service coverage, accountability and long-term reductions in maternal and child mortality indicators,” officials added.

“The launch of JANANI reflects the government’s continued commitment to ensuring accessible, equitable, and quality healthcare services, with a focus on digital enablement, continuity of care, and improved maternal and child health outcomes,” a statement from the ministry said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

TARA is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons.

India on Thursday successfully carried out the maiden flight-trial of the indigenously developed Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system off the coast of Odisha, marking a significant boost to the country’s indigenous defence capabilities.

The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) system, developed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons, was tested jointly by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

India on Thursday successfully carried out the maiden flight-trial of the indigenously developed Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system off the coast of Odisha, marking a significant boost to the country’s indigenous defence capabilities.

The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) system, developed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons, was tested jointly by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial of TARA weapon off the coast of Odisha,” the defence ministry said.

The ministry said TARA is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system designed to convert unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons.

DRDO also announced the successful trial in a post on X.

“Maiden flight-trial of Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon was successfully conducted off the coast of Odisha on May 07, 2026. TARA, the modular range extension kit, is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided weapons.”

Maiden flight-trial of Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon was successfully conducted off the coast of Odisha on May 07, 2026.

TARA, the modular range extension kit, is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided… pic.twitter.com/Ofx8mrGGgY

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) May 8, 2026

According to the ministry, the weapon system has been designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories to improve the lethality and accuracy of low-cost weapons for neutralising ground-based targets.

It added that TARA is the first glide weapon to utilise state-of-the-art low-cost systems.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the Indian Air Force and industry partners associated with the project for the successful maiden flight-trial.

He described the achievement as a significant step forward in strengthening India’s indigenous defence technology and military capabilities.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)