Category: Science & Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy has removed the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle from its radiation safety directives, marking a major policy shift. ALARA, based on the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model, required radiation exposure to be kept as low as practically and economically possible, even below legal limits, due to assumed risk at … Continue reading ALARA Principle Removed from U.S. Radiation Policy

The Mizoram government will collaborate with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention efforts along the Mizoram–Myanmar border, particularly among refugees residing in border areas. The partnership aims to enhance medical outreach, awareness, testing, and treatment services in vulnerable regions facing cross-border health challenges. MSF, an international humanitarian medical organisation, was awarded the Nobel … Continue reading Mizoram–MSF Collaboration for HIV/AIDS Prevention

SAHI is a national governance framework that provides a roadmap for the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, guiding states such as Assam in integrating AI into public health systems. It functions as a policy framework ensuring ethical, transparent, and people-centric deployment of AI technologies. The initiative aims to promote accountable use of AI … Continue reading SAHI: Responsible AI Framework for Healthcare

BODH is a national benchmarking platform developed by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority to evaluate and validate AI solutions in healthcare before large-scale deployment. The platform aims to ensure safe and reliable use of health AI by testing tools for accuracy, safety, and clinical robustness. It also promotes … Continue reading BODH: AI Benchmarking Platform for Healthcare

AI-Preneurs of India is a flagship coffee table publication documenting the journeys of 45 pioneering AI startups addressing real-world challenges. It is the 7th edition of the AIM (Atal Innovation Mission) Innovations For You series and highlights the expansion of India’s deep-tech and artificial intelligence startup ecosystem. The initiative aims to showcase purpose-driven AI innovations … Continue reading AI-Preneurs of India Initiative

Renowned computer scientist David J. Farber, often described as a “grandfather of the internet,” passed away on February 7 in Tokyo. A distinguished professor and networking pioneer, he played a significant role in shaping early computer communication systems and mentoring researchers who later developed the core architecture of the modern internet. His contributions influenced the … Continue reading Passing of Internet Pioneer David J. Farber

Seventeen-year-old Aditya Pandya has become India’s youngest analogue astronaut after completing an eight-day simulated lunar habitat mission at Dholavira, Gujarat. The mission placed four crew members in an isolated container-based habitat designed to replicate living conditions of a Moon outpost. An analogue astronaut is a researcher who participates in simulated space missions on Earth in … Continue reading India’s Youngest Analogue Astronaut

The Economic Survey 2025–26 has revived discussion on creating an Indian Scientific Service (ISS), a proposed all-India cadre of scientists and technocrats aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking. Unlike the generalist IAS framework, the ISS would integrate domain experts directly into government decision-making structures. The service is envisioned to function under specialised rules emphasising scientific autonomy, … Continue reading Proposal for Indian Scientific Service (ISS)

India has reaffirmed continuation of the nationwide ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, rejecting proposals to allow devices such as IQOS into the market. The decision reinforces the government’s precautionary public health approach despite lobbying by global tobacco firms including Philip Morris International. “Heated tobacco” or “heat-not-burn” products are electronic devices that contain processed … Continue reading India Retains Ban on E-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products

Moltbook is an experimental social media platform designed exclusively for interaction between verified AI agents, while humans remain observers. Structurally similar to Reddit, it organises discussions into topic-based communities known as “submolts,” but does not allow human participation in conversations. AI agents powered by large language models (such as GPT, Claude, and Gemini families) communicate … Continue reading Moltbook: AI-Only Social Media Platform

“SaaSpocalypse” refers to a potential crisis for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) firms, as advanced AI agents may directly perform tasks that currently require multiple software platforms. The shift could lead to disintermediation, reducing reliance on enterprise software subscriptions. It also poses risks to IT services outsourcing, affecting countries like India where sectors such as data processing, customer … Continue reading SaaSpocalypse and AI Impact on SaaS

India has issued its first-ever national guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs for Disaster Victim Identification) to close long-standing gaps in identifying victims during mass fatality events. Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) is a scientific and systematic process used to identify deceased persons in incidents such as air crashes, earthquakes, floods, fires, industrial accidents, and terror … Continue reading India’s First DVI Guidelines and SOPs

Researchers at IIT Bombay’s Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, with CSR support from Coal India, have developed a silk production method that does not kill silkworms. The three-year pilot project, named Jeevodaya, trains silkworms fed on mulberry leaves to deposit silk threads on flat surfaces instead of spinning cocoons, allowing them to complete … Continue reading Jeevodaya Silk: Ethical Innovation

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has operationalised Pragya-AIX, an Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Exchange, marking a major step in its digital transformation. The platform is designed to integrate AI into routine decision-making and workflows across ONGC’s upstream operations, moving beyond limited pilot projects. The initiative signals a shift towards a fully functional AI ecosystem aimed … Continue reading ONGC’s AI Push with Pragya-AIX

Digital Food Currency is a programmable form of the e-Rupee used to deliver food subsidies through digital coupons instead of cash or physical rations. The tokens are redeemable only at authorised ration shops, ensuring targeted and leak-proof use. Implemented as a Proof of Concept, it tests the integration of CBDC with welfare delivery. The initiative … Continue reading Digital Food Currency

PANCHAM (Panchayat Assistance and Messaging Chatbot) is a WhatsApp-based AI tool developed as a digital companion for Panchayati Raj Institutions. It enables Sarpanches and ward members to access government information directly through WhatsApp, eliminating dependence on complex applications or intermediaries. By leveraging a familiar platform, PANCHAM aims to strengthen transparency, efficiency, and ease of decision-making … Continue reading PANCHAM: AI Support for Grassroots Governance

Maharashtra has launched the country’s first dedicated menopause clinics within the public healthcare system, marking a significant shift in women-centric health policy. The clinics recognise menopause as a natural but health-sensitive life stage and provide integrated medical and psychological care, rather than treating symptoms in isolation. The initiative aims to ensure holistic, dignified, and accessible … Continue reading India’s First Public Menopause Clinics

Science and Technology / Materials Science Researchers from Nagaland University and the University of Science and Technology Beijing have developed carbon quantum dots from discarded apple leaves to address metal corrosion, a major industrial challenge. The apple-leaf carbon quantum dots demonstrated high efficiency in suppressing copper corrosion in acidic environments, achieving about 94% inhibition at … Continue reading Apple-Leaf Carbon Quantum Dots for Corrosion Control

Science and Technology / Artificial Intelligence Project Suncatcher is a concept and research initiative by Google Research to deploy AI data centres in low-Earth orbit, powered continuously by solar energy. The idea is to run energy-intensive AI workloads using uninterrupted space-based solar power. The project aims to reduce AI’s carbon and energy footprint while decoupling … Continue reading Project Suncatcher

Science & Technology / Nuclear Energy The Greenwald limit refers to the theoretical upper bound on plasma density in a tokamak-based fusion reactor. If plasma density exceeds this limit, the confined plasma becomes unstable, leading to turbulence and eventual collapse of the fusion reaction. The limit establishes a direct relationship between the maximum stable plasma … Continue reading Greenwald Limit in Fusion Reactors

International Relations / Science & Technology The United States has announced that India will be invited to join the US-led Pax Silica initiative, signalling a major step in strengthening strategic, technological, and trade ties between the two countries. The move comes amid intensifying global competition over semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and critical technology supply chains. Pax … Continue reading India to Join US-Led Pax Silica Initiative

Polity & Governance All candidates appearing in UPSC-conducted recruitment examinations will now undergo facial authentication at exam centres. The move follows a successful pilot of AI-enabled face recognition technology during the NDA & NA (II) and CDS (II) Examinations, 2025, conducted across select centres in Gurugram. Under the system, candidates’ live facial images are digitally … Continue reading AI-Based Face Authentication in UPSC Exams

Science & Technology Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication is a wireless system that enables vehicles to exchange real-time data directly without relying on mobile networks. By sharing information on speed, braking and position, vehicles can warn each other of potential dangers. The technology aims to reduce collisions and pile-ups, especially in blind spots, fog, curves and other … Continue reading Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communication

Environment & Infrastructure India has become the first country to commercially produce bio-bitumen, marking a major step toward sustainable infrastructure. Bio-bitumen is a bio-based binder used in road construction that partially replaces conventional petroleum bitumen. It is produced from agricultural residues, especially rice straw, converting farm waste into a value-added resource. The innovation reduces dependence … Continue reading Bio-Bitumen Breakthrough — India Leads Green Road Construction

Science & Technology Indian researchers have created the first supercomputer-based simulation that successfully reproduces the Mpemba effect, offering clarity on a puzzle that has intrigued scientists for centuries — situations in which hot water freezes sooner than cold water. The Mpemba effect describes this counter-intuitive outcome under particular conditions of cooling and evaporation. It is … Continue reading Indian Simulation Explains the Mpemba Effect — Why Hot Water Can Freeze Faster

Energy / Climate Action ONGC is implementing its first full-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pilot at the Gandhar oilfield in Gujarat, marking a significant step in decarbonising India’s hydrocarbon sector. Gandhar is among the country’s largest onshore brownfields — mature oilfields that have been producing for decades. The pilot aims to capture carbon dioxide … Continue reading ONGC’s First Carbon Capture and Storage Pilot at Gandhar

Science & Technology / Mobility The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed an Aadhaar-like unique ID system for electric vehicle batteries to improve traceability, safety, and recycling. The proposed Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) is a 21-character digital identity assigned to every battery pack placed on the Indian market. With this, a battery … Continue reading Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) — What the Proposal Means

Defense / Military Technology The Indian Army is set to become the first armed force globally to field ramjet-powered artillery shells for its 155 mm guns. These are advanced projectiles equipped with an air-breathing ramjet propulsion unit, which allows the shell to keep generating thrust even after it leaves the barrel — unlike conventional rounds … Continue reading Ramjet-Powered Artillery Shells for 155 mm Guns — India to Lead the Way

Technology / Telecom Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) is a calling technology that lets users make and receive voice calls and SMS using a Wi-Fi network instead of relying on mobile towers. It is especially useful in areas with poor cellular coverage but strong broadband connectivity. VoWiFi runs on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture and … Continue reading BSNL — Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) Explained

Defense / Technology The Indian Army has announced 2026 as the “Year of Networking & Data Centricity.” The initiative focuses on expanding secure connectivity, improving real-time information sharing, and strengthening data-driven decision-making across formations. By integrating networks, sensors, communication systems, and battlefield management platforms, the Army aims to enhance combat effectiveness, resilience, and agility — … Continue reading Indian Army Declares 2026 as ‘Year of Networking & Data Centricity’

Economy / Technology Tesla has lost its position as the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, as falling sales and growing competition pushed it behind Chinese rival BYD. Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, a decline of about 9% from the previous year, amid customer backlash and intensifying overseas competition. BYD, meanwhile, sold about 2.26 … Continue reading Tesla Loses Top Spot as World’s Best-Selling EV Maker