The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the passing of Padma Shri awardee Ms. KV Rabiya.
He wrote in separate posts on X:
“Pained by the passing away of Padma Shri awardee, KV Rabiya Ji. Her pioneering work in improving literacy will always be remembered. Her courage and determination, particularly the manner in which she battled polio, was also very inspiring. My thoughts are with her family and admirers in this hour of grief.”
Pained by the passing away of Padma Shri awardee, KV Rabiya Ji. Her pioneering work in improving literacy will always be remembered. Her courage and determination, particularly the manner in which she battled polio, was also very inspiring. My thoughts are with her family and…
Raksha Mantri holds bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart in New Delhi Calls for a unified stand against terrorism & state-sponsored actions that perpetuate it
Japan offers full support to India in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack
RM outlines Indian defence industry’s potential to collaborate with Japan on new areas including Tank engines & Aero Engines
Posted On: 05 MAY 2025 5:47PM by PIB Delhi
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Minister of Defense of Japan Mr Gen Nakatani at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi on May 05, 2025. During the meeting, both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and emphasised the need for global cooperation in this regard.
Raksha Mantri condemned Pakistan’s state policy of cross-border terrorism against India, perpetrated through state and non-state actors. He stated that such attacks destabilise regional peace and security. Shri Rajnath Singh called for a unified stand against terrorism and the state-sponsored actions that perpetuate it.
The Japanese Defense Minister expressed his condolences for the tragic terrorist attack which took place in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir on April 22, 2025 and offered full support to India.
Both the Ministers reviewed the defence and security pillars of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. They reaffirmed their commitment towards strengthening the bilateral relations and contributing towards regional peace. The Ministers welcomed the growing diversity and frequency of defence exercises & exchanges between the two countries, and concurred to enhance the scope & complexity of these engagements. Both leaders agreed to add new dimensions to the robust maritime cooperation between India and Japan.
Shri Rajnath Singh outlined the capability of Indian defence industry particularly its potential to collaborate with the Japanese side on new areas including Tank engines and Aero Engines. He highlighted the capabilities in the areas of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul operations. Both sides agreed to enhance industry cooperation, including exploring collaboration in niche domains such as automation and Artificial Intelligence. The two Ministers also decided to take forward the cooperation in emerging areas like Cyber and Space.
India and Japan share a long-term friendship, which has further gained qualitative momentum after the elevation of this collaboration to Special Strategic & Global Partnership in 2014. The Dialogue ended with strong commitment by both sides to enhance the bilateral defence cooperation.
Earlier, the Japanese Defense Minister laid a wreath at National War Memorial and paid homage to the fallen heroes. He was accorded a ceremonial welcome with a Tri-Services Guard of Honour prior to the dialogue at Manekshaw Centre.
Shri Prakash Magdum has assumed charge as the Managing Director of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) today.
Shri Magdum is a 1999-batch Indian Information Officer Service officer. Prior to this, Shri Magdum served as the Additional Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) in Ahmedabad.
During an illustrious career spanning two decades, Shri Magdum had served as the Director of the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) in Pune. In this role, he was instrumental in preserving India’s cinematic heritage through film archiving and restoration efforts.
He has also served as the Registrar of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and as a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence in Thiruvananthapuram.
Researchers have developed a novel, cost-effective, metal-free porous organic catalyst for efficient H2 production by harvesting mechanical energy.
In order to reduce the global warming and related impact of fossil fuels, transition towards sustainable alternatives based on renewable energy becomes increasingly critical. Green hydrogen (H₂) fuel has emerged as a game-changing renewable and clean-burning energy source, which generates no direct carbon emissions and only water as a by-product when used in fuel cells. Recognizing the critical role of green H2 in sustainable energy, the Government of India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission to drive large-scale production, promote research and innovation, and position the country as a global leader in H2 economy.
Among the environmentally benign methods of H2production, overall water splitting stands out as an effective and scalable technique that relies on a catalytic strategy since the reaction is energetically uphill. Piezocatalysis has emerged as a promising catalytic technology which harvests mechanical perturbations with a piezoelectric material to generate charge carriers that are utilized to catalyze water splitting.
In recent groundbreaking research work, Professor Tapas K. Maji from Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bengaluru (an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India) and his research team have developed a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent-organic framework (COF) for piezocatalytic water splitting. This study published inAdvanced Functional Materialsdemonstrates a Covalent organic framework (COF) built from imide linkages between organic donor molecule tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA) and acceptor molecule pyromellitic dianhydride (PDA) acceptor exhibiting unique ferrielectric (FiE) ordering, which showed efficient piezocatalytic activity for water splitting to produce H2.
This discovery breaks the traditional notion of solely employing heavy or transition metal-based ferroelectric (FE) materials as piezocatalysts for catalyzing water splitting reaction. Conventional FE materials have limited charges confined at the surface only which usually lead to quick saturation of their piezocatalytic activity. In contrast, FiE ordering in a COF provides a multifold enhanced number of charges at the pore surfaces owing to the large local electric fields. The sponge-like porous structure of a COF allows the diffusion of water molecules to efficiently access and utilize these charge carriers for catalysis, giving ultra-high H2production yields and outperforming all oxide-based inorganic piezocatalysts.
Figure: Schematic showing piezocatalytic water splitting by a metal-free donor-acceptor based covalent organic framework.
Using a simple donor molecule like TAPA and an acceptor molecule like PDA, Prof. Maji and his research team have built a COF system that has strong charge transfer properties, which creates dipoles (separation between positive and negative charges).
The TAPA units have a unique propeller-like shape, where their benzene rings twist and tilt to break the flat symmetry of the structure, helping it reach a more stable, lower-energy state. Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare and his team from JNCASR, who are collaborators of the study, showed using theoretical analyses that this COF has an unusual electronic structure with energy bands that couple and resonate with each other by dipolar ordering. This causes instability in the lattice structure, leading to FiE ordering. These FiE dipoles interact with flexible twisting molecular motion in the material, making them responsive to mechanical pressure. As a result, the material can generate electron-hole pairs when mechanically stimulated, making it a highly efficient piezocatalyst for water splitting for H2 production. The team comprises four other researchers from JNCASR: Ms. Adrija Ghosh, Ms. Surabhi Menon, Dr. Sandip Biswas and Dr. Anupam Dey.
Apart from JNCASR, Dr. Supriya Sahoo and Prof. Ramamoorthy Boomishankar from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and Prof. Jan K. Zaręba from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland made important contributions to the present interdisciplinary study.
The utilization of a cost-effective, metal-free system with a high production rate of H2 by harvesting mechanical energy opens up a new route to green H2 based on porous heterogeneous catalysts.
The Union Cabinet approved the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, & Employment) Policy, in August 2024, for ‘Fostering High-Performance Biomanufacturing’ across the country. Subsequently, The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved continuation of the two umbrella schemes of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), merged as one scheme-‘Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (Bio- RIDE)’ with a new component namely Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry. With in the ambit of “High -Performance Biomanufacturing”, establishment of Bio-AI hubs for building of data driven and cutting edge paradigms in the areas of Health, Agriculture and Environment.
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have issued a Joint Call for Proposals on Bio-AI for establishing मूलांकुर hubs under BioE3 Policy for Biomanufacturing. Bio-AI hubs are proposed to be established across academia and industry to provide critical and novel research leads impacting Health, Agriculture and Environment through conglomeration of AI and Biology.
The Letter of Intent (LoI) for Bio-AI is uniquely designed to utilize AI in Biology for solving key biological challenges in Biomolecular Design, Sustainable Agriculture, Synthetic Biology, Ayurveda and Genome Diagnostics. Therefore, the problem statements in these domains as well as possible research solutions are invited from multi-disciplinary teams with research expertise across fields of synthetic biology, AI/ML and Computation to address complex biological research challenges. The problem statements are to be addressed by data-driven, cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary programmatic research initiatives for projected outcomes.
Dr. Jitendra Singh Reviews DST Projects, Calls for AI led innovations, Support for Deep-Tech Startups Minister Champions India’s Own AI Open Stack to Propel Nation into Global Science Leadership
Dr. Jitendra Singh Urges ANRF to Help Medical Colleges Set Up Research Parks to Boost Clinical Innovation
Posted On: 05 MAY 2025 4:53PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh on Monday chaired a comprehensive review of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), calling for bold new directions in science-driven growth, including AI-led innovations, deep tech StartUps and enhanced infrastructure sharing.
The meeting saw the Minister focus particularly on the evolving role of the newly constituted Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), as well as ongoing national missions like the Geospatial initiative.
Dr. Jitendra Singh held detailed discussions with Prof. Abhay Karandikar, ANRF’s newly appointed CEO, Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman and other senior officials of the Ministry. During the meeting, Dr. Kalyanaraman presented an ambitious vision for the ANRF, promising catalytic funding mechanisms, deep integration with private industry, and strategic missions modeled on globally successful institutions such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DARPA.
In a significant step aimed at boosting indigenous innovation, ANRF is preparing to launch a “Small Business Deep Tech Innovation” programme, which will empower startups and MSMEs to scale breakthrough technologies for real-world applications.
Recognizing the need to better utilize existing national research infrastructure, the Minister reviewed ANRF’s plan to create a “Cloud of Research and Innovation Infrastructure,” a digital platform that would offer deep-tech startups and academic institutions access to underused scientific equipment and facilities across the country. This move is expected to democratize research capabilities, especially for smaller players who often lack access to high-end lab tools.
Among the major scientific thrusts discussed, the ANRF’s “AI-for-Science” initiative took centre stage. The programme aims to leverage artificial intelligence to accelerate discoveries in physics, chemistry, and biology by using machine learning to model complex scientific equations.
The Minister directed the ANRF leadership to kickstart a few select projects under this initiative and demonstrate tangible outcomes in the near term. He also encouraged the CEO to engage with university Vice Chancellors to raise awareness about the ANRF mission and opportunities for collaboration.
In another key direction, Dr. Jitendra Singh asked the ANRF to explore the possibility of helping medical colleges establish their own medical research parks — a move that could boost clinical innovation and local biotech entrepreneurship. The Minister further underscored the importance of building an indigenous “India AI Open Stack” — a foundational AI architecture embedded with science and engineering models tailored for Indian researchers. This, he noted, could position India as a global frontrunner in AI-driven scientific applications.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also revisited the concept of “deep science-to-deep tech acceleration,” urging the ANRF to focus on converting academic research — such as publications and patents — into commercial technologies. He emphasized the need for partnerships with top-tier industry players and the creation of venture-builder models to ensure that discoveries don’t remain confined to laboratories.
The Minister concluded by asking the ANRF to prioritize key areas of national relevance, including climate forecasting, material science, aerospace, biochemistry, and drug development. He stressed that the time has come for India to move from isolated innovation to a more integrated, impact-driven ecosystem that links research, startups, and industry.
The Result of the Combined Geo-Scientist Examination, 2024 was declared vide Press Note dated 23.12.2024 recommending 69 candidates in the order of merit for appointment.
2. The Commission, in accordance with Rule 16 (iv) & (v) of the Combined Geo-Scientist Examination, 2024, had also maintained a consolidated Reserve List in order of merit below the last recommended candidate.
3. Now as per the requisition placed by the Ministry of Mines, the Commission hereby recommends 03 candidates which comprises 01 candidate (01 OBC) of Geophysicist, Group ‘A’/Scientist ‘B’ (Geophysics), Group ‘A’, and 02 candidates (OBC-01, EWS -01) of Chemist, Group ‘A’/ Scientist ‘B’ (Chemical), Group ‘A’, for the Combined Geo-Scientist Examination, 2024 from the candidates of Reserve List. A list of these candidates is enclosed. The Ministry of Mines will communicate directly with these recommended candidates.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
A woman who went missing in Western District has been located.
Li Tsoi-kam, aged 74, went missing after she left her residence on Ko Shing Street on May 3 afternoon. Her family then made a report to Police.
The woman was located in Nam Shan Estate, Sham Shui Po this afternoon (May 5). She sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) successfully conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) on the use of face authentication during the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) 2025 in New Delhi.
This initiative was carried out in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the National Testing Agency (NTA), marking a significant step towards enhancing exam security and candidate verification processes using advanced biometric technology.
The PoC was aimed at evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of Aadhaar-based face authentication as a means of verifying the identity of candidates appearing for one of India’s largest entrance examinations.
During the PoC, Aadhaar Face Authentication technology was deployed at select NEET centres in Delhi, and was integrated seamlessly with NIC’s digital infrastructure, and NTA’s examination protocols.
The face authentication was performed in real-time, using Aadhaar’s biometric database, making the process contactless and more streamlined. The results of the PoC showed a very high level of accuracy and efficiency in candidate verification.
This initiative also showcased the potential of Aadhaar face authentication as a secure, scalable, and student-friendly solution for identity verification in large-scale examinations. It also indicated the potential of its future use cases, and how it can play a role in significantly curbing attempts of impersonation during entrance exams.
The collaborative effort reflects government’s commitment to leveraging digital innovation for improving transparency and security in public services.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Bun Scrambling Competition concludes successfully The event attracted around 1 650 spectators, who experienced the thrilling atmosphere of the competition. They witnessed 12 finalists scrambling up the bun tower to gather as many buns as they could within a three-minute time limit to vie for the championships.
Apart from the individual race, there was also an invitation relay in which three teams from Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macao competed against seven local teams from Cheung Chau.
The results are as follows:
Individual contest
WomenWinner of “Queen of Queens”: Kung Tsz-shan (three-time champion in the women’s division since 2016)
Winner of “Full Pockets of Lucky Buns”: Yip Kin-man (Number of buns gathered: 170)
Invitation relayShenzhen Mountaineering and Outdoor Sports AssociationZhuhai Climbing Association TeamThe Petrel Athletic Association Limited Team AIssued at HKT 2:08