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News

14th Mmmm Expo, India’s Largest Trade Show For Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials, To Be Held At Delhi, India From September 27 – 29, 2024

Aug 21, 2024 by Mansi Praharaj 0 Comments #14th edition of the International Exhibition and Conference on Minerals, #Advanced Cutting and Welding Equipment & Technology, #Advanced Hand Tools, #alliances, #and machine tools, #and more), #bulk deals, #China, #coal, #Commerce & Industry, #Compressors, #Director, #Electronic & Information Technology, #Engineering, #Engineering and Manufacturing (Pumps, #European Countries, #Gagan Sahni, #Government of India, #Hon'ble Minister of Steel, #Hyve India P Ltd, #India International Convention & Expo Centre - IICC, #Indian & international manufacturing and technology sector, #Indian Institute of Metals – Delhi Chapter, #International Conference, #International Open Seminar on “Green Steel Production: Sustainable Practices and Carbon Reduction”, #investments and technology transfer, #joint ventures, #Laser, #Laser Technology; IMEX, #Latest Machine Tools (CNC, #Latest Technology for Manufacturing & Maintenance Industries, #leaders from the steel and allied industries., #Manufacturing, #Materials sectors, #Measuring & Testing Equipment, #metal, #Metal Manufacturers Networking Pavilion, #Metallurgy, #Metallurgy & Materials, #Metallurgy & Materials (MMMM), #Metalogic, #Metals, #Minerals, #Ministries of Steel, #MMMM, #MMMM 2024, #New Delhi, #Power Tools, #premier international business platform in India, #Process & Product Innovations in Metal Production, #Russia, #secondary Steel Industry Meet, #Secretary of the Ministry of Steel, #Shot Blasting, #south Asian region, #TECHINDIA, #trade fair, #Valves, #WMF, #World Metal Forum, #World Metal Forum (WMF), #Yashobhoomi

Supplementing India’s fast-growing manufacturing sector across industries, the 14th edition of the International Exhibition and Conference on Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials (MMMM) will be held at India International Convention & Expo Centre – IICC, Yashobhoomi, New Delhi from 27 – 29 Sep 2024. This trade fair will provide an excellent opportunity for interacting with luminaries from practically all corners of the globe, promoting business and giving a fillip to the growth & development of Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy, and Materials sectors in the country through joint ventures, bulk deals, alliances, investments and technology transfer. MMMM 2024 will feature dedicated country pavilions from China, European Countries, and Russia.

The event will feature six major components: HTF for Advanced Hand Tools, Power Tools, and Fasteners; CWE for Advanced Cutting and Welding Equipment & Technology, including Laser Technology; IMEX for the Latest Machine Tools (CNC, Laser, Shot Blasting, Measuring & Testing Equipment, and more); UMEX for Economical Pre-owned Machinery in the Industry; TECHINDIA for Engineering and Manufacturing (Pumps, Valves, Compressors, and more) alongwith MMMM, the largest and most prestigious event on Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy & Materials. The amalgam of these expos makes it an extended platform for metal, engineering, manufacturing, and machine tools segments and showcases the strength and innovations of the Indian & international manufacturing and technology sector.

The combined events have consistently received global recognition and have been acknowledged as the premier international business platform in India featuring more than 300 exhibitors from over 10 countries and attracting 12000+ buyers from the south Asian region. The event is organized in association with the Indian Institute of Metals – Delhi Chapter and with the active support from World Metal Forum (WMF).

MMMM 2024 is supported by the Ministries of Steel, Coal, Electronic & Information Technology, Commerce & Industry, Government of India and honored to have the Hon’ble Minister of Steel, Government of India, invited to formally inaugurate the event, alongside the Secretary of the Ministry of Steel and leaders from the steel and allied industries.

Says Gagan Sahni, Director, Hyve India P Ltd, “MMMM 2024 showcases latest advancements and technological developments in the field of Minerals, Metals, Metallurgy and Materials Industry and also offers unparalleled business networking opportunities to trade visitors to explore availability of raw materials, alternate suppliers of machinery, equipment and spares. Each edition has been adding value to its profile and has been creating new standards in terms of visitor turnout and the volume of business transactions.”

This unique platform also includes an International Open Seminar on “Green Steel Production: Sustainable Practices and Carbon Reduction” by Metalogic and WMF, an International Conference on “Process & Product Innovations in Metal Production” by Indian Institute of Metals – Delhi Chapter, Business Meets on “Latest Technology for Manufacturing & Maintenance Industries” by WMF, a Secondary Steel Industry Meet under the World Metal Forum, an Exclusive Metal Manufacturers Networking Pavilion, and over 10 Dealers & Distributor meets.

Education

VISION IAS Conducts Seminar on UPSC Preparation in Bengaluru

Bengaluru May 8, 2024: The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a competitive nationwide examination held in India by the Union Public Service Commission. The exam is conducted to recruit candidates for higher Civil Services of the Government of India, such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS).

Vision IAS

Vision IAS organized a seminar on UPSC preparation strategy. The event was led by one of our students, Mr. Kush Motwani, who secured All India Rank 11. The seminar was attended by numerous aspirants.

With mathematics as his optional subject, Kush paved his way to success with relentless dedication and unwavering focus. Despite numerous obstacles on his UPSC journey, he persevered with resilience and grit.

Completing his schooling at Delhi Public School, Nerul, followed by a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering and an M.Tech in Communication and Signal Processing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Kush’s professional path reflects his versatile interests and capabilities, transitioning from a research engineer to the Indian Corporate Law Services, and later as a Data Scientist.

In this session, Mr. Kush Motwani shared his inspiring journey with the aspirants and offered them strategies for managing time effectively, developing practical study plans, and maintaining motivation throughout their preparation journey. The session was appraised by all the aspirants who reached the VisionAS Bengaluru centre in Vijaynagar to attend the open session, leaving a mark on the future nation leaders.

Business

SJVN Bagged 1000 MW Solar Power Project – A Big Leap

Sep 25, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Chairman & Managing Director, #Government of India, #Sh. Nand Lal Sharma, #SJVN

SHIMLA: SJVN bagged 1000 MW Grid connected Solar PV Power Project through Request for Proposal (RFP) floated by Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA). Sh. Nand Lal Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, SJVN informed that the Company bagged the Project through Open Competitive Bidding Process for quoted capacity of 1000 MW at the maximum tariff of INR 2.45 per unit.

Sh. Sharma told that SJVN bagged the full quoted capacity of 1000 MW at a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support of INR 44.72 Lakh per MW by the Government of India. The Power generated from the above Projects shall be solely for self-use or use by Government/Government entities, either directly or through DISCOMS.

Sh. Sharma further said that SJVN participated in a VGF based competitive Bidding Process for Solar Project of capacity 5000 MW floated by IREDA.

He further informed that the tentative cost of the Construction and Development of this Project is INR 5500 Crores. The project is expected to generate 2365 MU in the first year and the project cumulative energy generation over a period of 25 years would be about 55062 MU.

Sh Sharma said that presently, SJVN has a total Installed Capacity of 2016.5 MW which includes 2 Hydro Power Plants of 1912 MW and 4 Renewable Power Plants of 104.5 MW (Two Solar Plant of 6.9 MW and 2 Wind Plants of 97.6 MW). Earlier, SJVN has bagged three Solar Projects totalling 345 MW in the State of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. All these Solar Projects have also been bagged through Open Competitive Bidding.

Sh. Nand Lal Sharma further said that, with this allotment, SJVN now has 1345 MW of Solar Projects under execution. He stated that all these Solar Projects are scheduled to be commissioned by March 2023-24, which shall be a gigantic leap for SJVN’s Renewable Capacity.

Government of India has envisaged the vision of Power to All 24X7 and has set a target of 175 GW of Renewables, out of which 100 GW is to be met through Solar by 2022. In September last year at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi had announced increasing the renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030 from 175 GW by 2022. He informed that Union Minister of Power & NRE, Sh. R.K. Singh is extending great guidance & support to all power sector PSUs to go aggressively in harnessing of Solar Power potential to achieve goal of 24X7 affordable and green power. In line with the target set by the Government of India, SJVN has set its Shared Vision of capacity addition of 5000 MW by 2023, 12000 MW by 2030 & 25000 MW by 2040.

Viability Gap Funding (VGF) means a one-time grant or deferred grant, provided to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but fall short of financial viability.

Business, News

Pandemic creates opportunities to enhance Indo-US tech ties…

Aug 2, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Director General, #Director of North India, #Dr. Omkar Rai, #Government of India, #Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-NIC, #Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, #Mr. Michael Rosenthal, #STPI, #US Embassy

New Delhi: As the online and technology space witnessed great strides amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the India-US relations in terms of information & technology have scope to growth further in much greater pace.

Speaking at the 2nd Indo-US Services Summit organised by Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-NIC on Information & Technology (IT) and digital transformation, Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, noted that technology is a major binding force in the Indo-US relations.

“India and US relationship is so complementary. Their interest is also technology-based, our cultivation, collaboration lies in technology,” Rai said.

Saying that amid the lockdown India witnessed transformation and disruption, he added that the digital readiness of the nation was tested during the time.

The leap in terms of digital economy and online processes which India has achieved in the past one month is because of the robust IT services sector in India, he added.

“As we saw the pandemic’s impact in hospitality, tourism, we also saw great progress in other sectors such as education as we started online classes immediately,” he said, adding that going ahead much more immersive and animated content will need to be created.

Such efforts are going to create a lot of opportunity in the technology to digitise the entire ecosystem.

Mr. Michael Rosenthal, Director of North India, US Embassy, noted that IT is a vital sector as digitalization has become important for inclusive and sustainable development of both Indian and US economies.

Noting that India’s digital economy annually generates $20 billion dollar, he said: “In the US Embassy, it is considered that in terms of businesses, US is the largest partner of Indian IT players.”

Stressing on India’s standing in the global front in terms of IT, Rosenthal added that India offers major scope for global players.

Highlighting India’s booming digital technology space, Arun Karna, Regional Vice President of IACC, observed that since the pandemic has seen the adoption of digital technology has increased rapidly.

Other speaker in the session was Mr. Anup Purohit, Executive Council Member & Global Chief Information Officer, Wipro Ltd, Ms. Mamatha Madireddy, Centre Director GSC Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Vizag, HSBC and Mr. Rajesh Thakur, CEO, MothersonSumi INfotech & Designs Ltd (MIND).

The virtual summit 2nd Indo-US Services Summit on Leveraging Services Sector to Trigger Post –COVID 19 Economic Recovery”, which involves stakeholders from India and the US is a step towards creating newer ideas to ensure recovery of the sector. It is also an attempt to discern the present state, compile challenges and to evolve a consensual roadmap for inducting dynamism in those segments in a time bound manner.

Select segments that were focused during discussions were travel, tourism & hospitality, healthcare, energy, media & entertainment.

Business World

NIXI announces Gaon Gaon Scheme…

Apr 30, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Government of India, #National Internet Exchange of India

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) today announced the “Gaon Gaon Scheme”, a one-of-a-kind scheme aimed at the adoption of Digital India by India’s rural areas. This scheme provides a 50% discount on .IN/.भारत domains. This offer is available till 14th May 2021.

The scheme is open to all Indians residing in villages which are defined by the Government of India from time to time. This scheme is open to all accredited Registrars (Dealers).

The discount as mentioned is applicable for one year from the new creates of.IN/.भारत. Book today your unique .in domain.

About NIXI

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not-for-profit organization working since 2003 for spreading internet technology to the citizens of India through the following activities:

i) Internet Exchanges through which the internet data is exchanged amongst ISPs and CDNs.

ii) .IN Registry, managing and operation of .IN country-code domain and . भारत IDN domain for India.

iii) IRINN, managing and operating Internet protocol (IPv4/IPv6).

Prof C Durga Rao receive a grant to enhance vaccine efficacy at a reduced cost

Health

Prof C Durga Rao receives a grant to enhance vaccine efficacy at a reduced cost…

Mar 31, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #and Associate Dean, #Andhra Pradesh, #Department of Biology, #Department of Biotechnology, #Government of India, #Prof C Durga Rao (Principal Investigator), #Professor, #Sciences, #SRM University-AP

Prof C Durga Rao (Principal Investigator), Professor, Department of Biology, and Associate Dean, Sciences,Department of Biology, SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh has received a total outlay of Rs. 1,10,52,941/- from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, to work on the project titled “Understanding the molecular basis for the extreme differential level of expression of genes from human and animal rotaviruses in gene-transfected cells: Implications for improving the growth of human vaccine strains”. Using the grant, the professor will be spawning the appropriate facilities to perform cell culture and virus-related research at SRM University-AP.

Understanding how a virus overpowers the host resistance mechanisms and seizes the host cellular processes for its own growth is very challenging and is essential for the development of not only efficient viral vaccines but also for antiviral therapeutic strategies. Prof Durga Rao informs, “Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe and acute dehydrating diarrhoea in infants and children below 5 years of age. Efforts by us and Dr Bhan, former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, led to the discovery and development of the first made in India rotavirus vaccine, produced by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad.”

In the earlier project, Professor Rao observed that while some human rotaviral proteins could be expressed at high levels when the cloned genes were introduced into mammalian cells, other proteins could not be expressed at detectable levels. However, the virus expresses copious amounts of all its proteins when it infects the cells. Prof

Durga Rao further shares, “Within a few hours of infection, each virus employs several ploys in the infected cell to subvert the cellular defence and regulatory mechanisms and captures the host for its own progeny production.”
Based on the earlier observations, this project will advance to unravel the tricks employed by the virus, and viral transactions in the infected cells. The outcome of the project will have implications for genetically engineering the poorly growing human vaccine strains for their efficient growth in cell culture, leading to reduced cost of not only rotavirus vaccines, but also other viral vaccines.

Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Session Chair at Women for Technology at FICCI

Business World

Women in STEM to increase to 30% by 2030

Mar 9, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Defence Secretary, #Dr. Ajay Kumar, #FICCI, #Government of India

New Delhi: A Women’s Day panel discussion, comprising of industry leaders, innovators and policy makers was organized by FICCI on March 8th. The inaugural address was given by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary, Government of India, who acknowledged the role of women in the development of the country.

Appreciating the diverse roles women have played in the development of the technology sector in India, Dr. Ajay Kumar said, “Whether it is in Defence or in IT sector, women’s impact has been very significant. I remember the growth of IT in the country. India becoming world’s largest IT outsourcing destination would not have been possible without our women. More than one-third of the workforce in IT has been women. Even in Electronic Manufacturing, something in which I have been closely associated with, the role of women has been even more significant”.
Handing over to the session chair, Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer, Zupee, Dr. Kumar thanked her for organizing this relevant and enriching discussion, “Subi Chaturvedi is a great (role) model for what women can achieve”.

Dr. Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary, Govt of India addressing FICCI session on Women for Technology

Setting the agenda for an increased role of women in technology sector, Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Session Chair – Women for Technology at FICCI said, “Women in the leadership role in technology bring about an inherent user-centric approach that brings about solutions for the on-ground issues. Studies by Peterson Institute have concluded that wherever companies cross the 30% threshold of female workforce, these companies demonstrated 15% increase in profitability”.

Emphasizing the role of technology in empowering women, Mr. R Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission shared, “We are finding women shining is spheres of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Management), and therefore it is not surprising that the Government of India through its various initiatives has been able to kick-start and make sure that women are finding an equal place and an opportunity in India to benefit not only India, but the rest of the world”.

The panelists included exceptional women leaders and experts in their respective fields such as Ms Deepali Upadhyay, Program Director- Atal Tinkering Labs, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog; Ms. Gowree Gokhle, Head Media & Entertainment Practice, Nishith Desai Associates; Ms. Swati Rangachari, Vice President and Country Leader, Public Affairs and Strategic Engagements, United Health Group; Ms. N.S. Nappinai, Eminent Lawyer, Founder Cyber Saathi.

The women’s day panel was organized with the view of highlighting the importance of increased participation of women in leadership roles. Addressing the apparent shortage of women in STEM, Dr. Chaturvedi highlighted the need to improve the percentage of women in STEM to 30% by 2030. She also called for the use of innovative technologies, such as, gamification for learning, skilling and empowerment.

For International Women’s Day 2021, the theme is #ChooseToChallenge and the panel amply highlighted the need to challenge gender inequality through education and empowerment. The panelists chose to challenge the inequality by celebrating women’s achievements, raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality. This was the first such panel discussion organized by FICCI.

Mr. Jual Oram, Hon’ble M.P. & Chairperson Standing Committee on Defence, Government of India

News

Hon’ble M.P. Shri Jual Oram Launches ‘Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy’

Feb 9, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Government of India, #Hon’ble M.P. & Chairperson Standing Committee on Defence, #Mr. Jual Oram, #R.P. Gupta, #Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy

New Delhi, 9th February 2021: ‘Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy’ – a book on creating economic awareness among masses authored by R.P. Gupta was launched today by Mr. Jual Oram, Hon’ble M.P. & Chairperson Standing Committee on Defence, Government of India.

The book provides a practical and viable option for reviving Indian economy for creating new jobs and enlarging public income and also, the structural reforms such as fiscal and monetary stimuli for overcoming economic crisis arising due to pandemic.

‘Turn Around India: 2020’ is an intimate narrative of Gupta’s experiences and how he attained success through sheer hard work and determination. Published by Himalaya Publishing House, the book highlights the required modes and strategies to transform India into a vibrant economy and among the most developed nations of the world.

The book talks about the economic history of India enabling to identify the strengths and weakness and take corrective actions.

It deals with socio-political aspects that ultimately affects the policy and regulations. It recommends for surmounting the past legacy of Colonial laws and the Socialistic model of the economy for turning around the Indian economy. It also focuses on achieving a high growth trajectory with global competitiveness so that India can boost export and reduce the trade deficit. It recommends for Rupee appreciation with a long-term plan for converting Rupee as a reserve currency.

In his book, Mr Gupta has touched upon practically every facet of the Indian economy. He believes with several innovative reforms such as Modified Gold monetization scheme, the Modified role of FCI, Rupee appreciation and bond market, country’s economy can soon be on the fast track.

Congratulating Mr. R.P.Gupta on the book launch, Mr. Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Government of India said, “I congratulate Mr Gupta on the launch of this wonderful book, which quintessentially sums up his more than four-decade-long experience as an entrepreneur. Replete with personal insights, it’s a fascinating narrative on the changing dynamics of the Indian economy.”

Revealing some highlights of his book, R.P. Gupta, said, “Writing a book on the economy which is close to my heart is an amazing feeling. “Turn Around India: 2020” will take you through a roller-coaster journey of the Indian economy. I have tried to pen down the intrinsic problems, but more importantly, presented simple and viable solutions for charting a growth map. I hope the readers will appreciate my efforts and will enjoy reading the book.”

He further added, “I would like to thank my family members, friends, colleagues and all the people around, as without them this book would not have been possible.”

The book is available on Amazon.

About the Author:

Mr R.P. Gupta is a graduate engineer having experience of 45 years in managing small corporate. His first book “Turn Around India” was released by Shri. Narendra Modi in April 2013. He also wrote “Jan Andolan” a compilation of articles on burning issues pertaining to the Indian economy

Business World, News

With Major Reforms, IPICOL successfully submits the State Reforms Action Plan – 2020

Feb 3, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Government of India, #Government of Odisha, #IPICOL

Bhubaneswar: IPICOL has successfully completed submission for the state of Odisha the evidence of reforms implemented under State Reform Action Plan (SRAP) – 2020 as stipulated by DPIIT, Government of India. SRAP is a list of 301 recommendations to be undertaken by states and union territories to improve the business environment for setting up and operating industries in the State.

As part of this exercise, IPICOL coordinated with 18 departments and organisations of the Government of Odisha to ensure successful implementation of the recommended reform action points. The key reform areas included: Investment enablers, labour reform enablers, sectoral reforms, public procurement, commercial dispute resolution enablers etc. These reforms will enhance the ease of doing business by ensuring online and timely services delivered by various departments and organisations of the state government.

The IPICOL has integrated additional 9 services covering 5 Departments with the State Single Window System GO SWIFT ensuring comprehensive facilitation support to industries.

One of the other key reform points implemented in SRAP has been the elimination of the requirements of renewals of certificates/ approvals/ licenses or establishment of an online auto-renewal system under 8 services.

IPICOL had earlier ensured successful implementations of district reform action plan thereby making Odisha eligible for additional borrowing permission of Rs. 1,429 crore from the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

These investment-friendly reforms will play a critical role in positioning Odisha as an attractive investment destination.

Education

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Signs MoU with Esri India to Set up Centre of Geospatial Excellence

Jan 5, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Agendra Kumar, #Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, #Dean of International Programs and UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Innovation, #Director, #Dr. M. Rajeevan, #Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, #Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, #Earth Commission, #Esri India, #ESSO-INCOIS; and Chairman, #Government of India, #Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), #Ministry of Earth Sciences, #Ministry of Earth Sciences; Chairman, #President, #secretary

Hyderabad: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, ranked the 4th Best Overall University in India in NIRF 2020, has inked an MoU with Esri India, the market leader in Geospatial Information Systems, to establish a Centre of Geospatial Excellence on Spatial Analysis and Modeling with dedicated facilities for research, development and testing.

The Centre would promote development of specific skills and technical knowhow among academicians, students and the industry around geospatial technologies and latest toolkits like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and geospatial Big Data Analytics. It would conduct certificate and diploma courses, training programs and workshops, particularly around geospatial technology application areas to strengthen multi-hazard risk reduction and community resilience.

Talking about the MoU, Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, Dean of International Programs and UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Innovation, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said: “This partnership aims to enhance research and capacity development in Geoinformatics, Spatial Analytics, and Modelling. The collaborative initiatives will work towards sustainable development to address quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), sustainable communities (SDG 11), and climate action (SDG 13) by engaging faculty, bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. students. They will help enhance the existing curriculum and educational material, as well as develop new educational approaches for effective teaching and learning of sustainability initiatives using spatial geoinformatics.”

Added Agendra Kumar, President, Esri India: “Empowering the academic community with necessary tools and technologies needed for future-ready students and capacity building is one of our key priorities. Geospatial infrastructure is the core foundation of disaster-risk reduction, sustainability and resilience initiatives. Our collaboration with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham will support various research initiatives and flagship programs such as Amrita Live-in-Labs for better sustainability and development.”

The MoU was inked during the International Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction & Community Resilience that was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (ESSO-INCOIS), Govt. of India, Esri India and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The event commemorated the 16th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The participants discussed the challenges faced and lessons learnt since that catastrophic event, and analysed India’s current preparedness in community resilience, governance and technological solutions to mitigate any future impact of tsunamis in India.

Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences; Chairman, ESSO-INCOIS; and Chairman, Earth Commission, Government of India, said: “Even though we have advanced tsunami-warning systems today, there are many grey areas where we need to improve. We have to engage scientists and technology experts to improve decision support systems and last-mile connection with people.”

Added Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India: “With the state-of-the-art Tsunami Early Warning Centre at MoES-INCOIS, India is today much safer against the threat of tsunamis compared to 2004. However, challenges remain with respect to early warning and community response, especially for tsunamis triggered by non-seismic and near-source events. Strengthening SOPs of all constituent agencies and end-to-end tsunami early warning chains is also an important task.”

Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, Dean of International Programs and UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Innovation, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said, “The symposium served as a platform to integrate the last 16 years of advancements in science and technology to improve the rehabilitation and resilience of coastal communities. It stressed on scientific social responsibility to reduce risk and vulnerability factors by understanding the impact of tsunamis on coastal communities, using latest advances in monitoring and modeling of tsunamis, and coming up with a strategic framework to further advance India’s disaster preparedness and build sustainable and resilient communities.”

Tag: Government of India