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Surat, April 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Nuclear energy expert Dr Neelam Goyal on Tuesday called the attainment of criticality at the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) in Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam, as a "big win for India" and an "important step towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'." The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) successfully attained its first criticality on April 6, marking the initiation of a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Speaking to IANS, Goyal mentioned that agriculture, industry and services are the three pillars of India's economy. She said, "The backbone of all three of them is electricity. Right now, 70 per cent of our electricity is generated from coal, a majority of which we buy from Indonesia. Also, we buy gas from Qatar." "This (reactor) will prove crucial in the field of nuclear energy. India possesses 85 per cent of the world's nuclear fuel. Till now, 24 reactors are working in our country for which we use uranium, which is imported from countries like Australia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia," she said. Significantly, India holds limited uranium reserves but one of the largest Thorium reserves in the world. To make the most of these resources, the Department of Atomic Energy designed a three-stage nuclear power programme built on a closed nuclear fuel cycle. The goal is to progressively multiply domestic fissile resources and secure long-term energy independence. Goyal explained that Thorium is a fertile element and in order to convert fertile into fissile, "We need a small amount of uranium." "Uranium is the fuel required in the first phase (of the nuclear power programme). The fuel that is left from this is Plutonium, which is being used as a fuel in the second stage of nuclear electricity at Kalpakkam," she added. She explained how India can become self-reliant and stop depending on coal and gas imports. "If water, electricity and food processing facilities are made in villages themselves, then the income of farmers can increase by around 10 per cent," she said. Goyal asserted that when demand increases, so will the industries, which in turn will require electricity. "For that, nuclear energy is the best source. The money used by the country to import gas and electricity could be saved," she said. According to the nuclear energy expert, if bio-gas plants could be set up in hundreds of villages, India could complete 70 per cent demand for gas in the villages themselves. She added, "For demands in cities, if food is cooked using electric stoves, we can reduce dependency on (import) of gas." She observed that amid the West Asia conflict, "we are facing a gas crisis in our country and high costs of coal." Moreover, Goyal believes that India can reduce its dependency on other countries for coal "by putting up nuclear energy (plants) across 650 districts and SMRs of 300MW each." "With this, people will get cheap electricity," she said. Further, she mentioned that people have issues with nuclear energy as opposed to solar energy. However, she emphasised that nuclear electricity plants in India have been operating for years, but no major incident has been reported so far.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday unveiled an ambitious vision to transform Visakhapatnam into a new Mumbai over the next seven years. He directed officials to develop the 'Visakha Economic Region' as AP's primary growth engine, aiming for a staggering $120 billion economy from this region by 2032. The proposed economic region encompasses eight districts, including Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR), and Manyam. The Chief Minister has instructed the officials to launch projects that will significantl ...Read More >
Patna: Four private power companies -- Adani Power, JSW Energy, Torrent Power and Bajaj Group's Lalitpur Power -- have shown interest in setting up a 2,400-MW thermal power plant at Pirpainti in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, an energy department official said here on Friday. It will be first private sector investment -- a whopping Rs 21,400 crore -- in power sector in Bihar. Under the project, three plants -- each of 800-MW capacity -- will be set up at Pirpainti as part of Tariff-based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) process, for which Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited (BSPGCL), Patna, wi ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Mysuru Dasara is set to run for 11 days this year -- a rare extension driven by celestial alignment and cultural planning -- with the inaugural ceremony on Sept 22 and the grand Jamboo Savari taking place on Oct 2, coinciding with Vijayadashami and Gandhi Jayanti.Chairing a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha Friday, chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "Mysuru Dasara in 2025 will be celebrated for 11 days, due to a unique astronomical occurrence -- the Panchami tithi (fifth lunar day) will appear on two consecutive days, Sept 26 and 27, a rare alignment that hasn't occurred in nearly ...Read More >
Navi Mumbai: The father of a three-day-old girl who was found abandoned in a blue basket outside Navi Mumbai's Panvel wad traced and detained on Sunday, the police said. According to them, the infant's parents were not financially stable enough to raise her. Due to this, the couple decided to give up the baby to an orphanage that could look after her, reported PTI. However, the Navi Mumbai police's crime branch traced the infant's father, Aman Iqbal Kondkar, a resident of Thane's Bhiwandi, within 24 hours, an official said. ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Centre is exploring the option of converting retired coal-based power plants to nuclear plants, said two people in the know of the developments. The need for conversion arises due to the requirement of large land parcels for nuclear plants even as the government aims to install over 22 GW of nuclear capacity by 2032 and 100 GW by 2047 from the current 8.7 GW. The government has already asked states to come up with plans to set up at least one nuclear plant each. "The possibility of converting retired thermal plants is being looked at and talks are underway within the governme ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Reaffirming the Adani Power Ltd assets as a reliable and cost-competitive power source for meeting the country's growing energy needs, Bangladesh has made its single largest payment of $437 million last month, clearing all pending dues to the company. The neighbouring country has now requested Adani Power, part of the diversified Adani Group, to supply power from both units as per BPDB (Bangladesh Power Development Board) schedule, since the dues are now settled, according to sources on Tuesday. The payment includes carrying costs, and issues related to the ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (VOICE) The output of India's eight core sector industries rose 4 per cent year-on-year in December, driven by an increase in the production of coal, steel, and electricity during the month, according to government data released on Friday.The eight core industries include coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products, fertilisers, cement, steel and electricity which comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The growth rate of the core industries, therefore, is an indicator of the overall industrial growth rate. Apa ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in the presence of leaders of Central Asian countries, touched upon various business opportunities and complementarities between these respective economies on Thursday. Jaishankar suggested a few areas where India and Central Asian countries should collaborate to improve their economies. Jaishankar noted that India's trade and economic ties with Central Asia have actually shown a very strong positive trend over the last decade. However, he has also said that the trade figures do not reflect the full potential. Given th ...Read More >
Hyderabad: In a significant boost for 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbharta' in the aerospace and defence sector, and Hyderabad's growing stature as a global aerospace hub, the complete fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet will now be made in India at Hyderabad. This move marks the first time that these Rafale components will be manufactured outside France for the Indian as well as global markets.French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has signed four production transfer agreements with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for manufacturing key sections of the Rafale fighter jet, including the lateral ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has urged the India-Central Asia Business Council to recommend a roadmap for further deepening of India-Central Asia ties in trade, economic and investment. Addressing the Business Council meeting in the national capital, EAM Jaishankar highlighted three broad objectives for strengthening the economic partnership -- deepen existing cooperation, diversify the trade basket and introduce sustainability and predictability in economic interactions. "One, is to deepen the existing cooperation both in terms of volume a ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar inaugurated Andhra Pradesh's first Super ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) compliant building at Sagar Nagar in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Terming it a landmark in sustainable infrastructure, he emphasised the government's commitment to energy efficiency and green design in public facilities. The facility will serve as a national-level training hub for power sector staff. He urged power utilities to expedite 20 lakh rooftop solar connections, targeting 10,000 in each Assembly segment. He reaffirmed nine-hour uninterrupted power for agri ...Read More >
Union Minister Piyush Goyal pledged to recommend a GST reduction on handicrafts and handlooms in Jammu and Kashmir. He addressed the FTII Traders Conclave 2025 in Srinagar. Goyal also announced a Centre of Excellence for Packaging and Design. Discussions included setting up a Centre of Excellence for storage technology. He assured support for startups and new talent. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday promised to recommend a reduction in the Goods and Services Tax impose ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
Shimla: Heavy rains lashed Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, triggering landslides and flash floods and blocking more than 100 roads, even as the weather department issued a red alert.A landslide at Chakki Mod near Parwanoo blocked the Chandigarh-Shimla highway for hours, resulting in a massive traffic jam Sunday morning. The local administration had to divert traffic through the Jangeshu link road until the landslide debris was cleared at Chakki Mod.The traffic was first restored one-way and later two-way, but the traffic jam continued on both sides of the highway throughout the day due to slow veh ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao has formally accepted Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's challenge to a public debate on what the governments of the pink party and the Congress did for the welfare of farmers in Telangana. Addressing a press conference at the BRS party office on Saturday, the former IT minister accepted the challenge, saying that he is ready for the debate 'anywhere, anytime' be it the Assembly, Ambedkar statue, Kondareddypalle, Chintamadaka or Kodangal, and asked Revanth to fix the date, time, and place for the same. "If none of these suits you, I'll be at the Som ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 7 (PTI) In a move to reduce electricity bills and promote usage of clean energy, the Delhi government has initiated widespread implementation of rooftop solar panel installations across the city under the RESCO model, an official statement said on Monday. Under the RESCO (Renewable Energy Service Company) model, a third-party firm installs, owns and manages solar energy system on a customer's property. The customer makes zero capital investment, and buys power from the firm at lower rates under a power purchase agreement. The initiative is expected to bring down the overall c ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) It was a belligerent, brilliant, and breathtaking performance from the Chennai Bulls, who were crowned the first ever champions of the Rugby Premier League, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex. The Chennai Bulls thrashed the Delhi Redz by a scoreline of 41-0 in the final, to clinch the title. In fact, the margin of victory is the biggest across Season 1 of the GMR RPL. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, came away with a third-place finish, after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bra ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's manufacturing sector activity rose to a 14-month high in June on the back of expansions in output, new orders, and job creation, a private survey showed on Monday. The HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, rose to 58.4 in June, up from 57.6 in May from 58.2 in April and 58.1 in March. India's manufacturing PMI was 56.3 in February and 57.7 in January. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. To be sure, the headline figure was above its long-run average of 54.1, which suggests a substantial improvement in the sector's health. " ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): Coal production from captive and commercial mines in June 2025 reached 15.57 million tonnes (MT), while coal dispatches were recorded at 17.31 MT, according to the Ministry of Coal. These figures indicate a solid performance by the coal sector, which plays a crucial role in meeting the energy and raw material needs of key industries across the country. Also Read | Hemant Khandelwal Takes Charge As Madhya Pradesh BJP President, Replaces VD Sharma. The first quarter of the financial year 2025-26 has shown significant year-on-year growth. Coal production during ...Read More >
Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], June 5 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg will play an essential role in the development of the state. This highway will be a corridor of prosperity for the state. This highway will be connected to Vadhan Port shortly, and CM Fadnavis added it. Chief Minister Fadnavis said that land has been acquired for the Samruddhi Highway in record time. Due to this route, 24 districts of the state, including Vidarbha, Marathwada, and North Maharashtra, have been ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday announced the provisional attachment of assets worth approximately ₹131.45 crore in Spain, including a luxury yacht and immovable properties, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These assets belong to Pavel Prozorov, a Spanish national and the alleged mastermind behind the unauthorised forex trading platform OctaFX. The attached assets comprise a commercial Italian-model luxury yacht cruising in the Western Mediterranean, a minijet boat, a luxury car, and two residential properties in Spain. The ED's probe was launched ...Read More >
MUMBAI: Tata Power, the utility arm of the Tata Group, plans to contest the $490 million (Rs 4,200 crore) verdict handed down by the Singapore arbitral tribunal. The ruling stems from alleged breaches of confidentiality agreements with investment firm Kleros Capital Partners concerning a potential coal mining project in Russia. At Tata Power's annual shareholder meeting on Friday, chairman N Chandrasekaran said: "The company is reviewing the contents of the July 1 arbitration award and is discussing with lawyers. It will look at all options, including challenging the decision." He emphasised, ...Read More >
Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], December 12 (ANI): Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi on Thursday presided over a state-level coordination committee meeting to review the 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.' According to an official release, it was informed during the meeting that 9,609 rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of 45.90 MW have been installed across the state so far. The government has disbursed Rs 52.54 crore in subsidies to beneficiaries to further encourage solar adoption. Moving forward, the state plans to equip government buildings with solar power plants, with the Pu ...Read More >
BHOPAL, 27 Jun: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was inked between the MP Power Management Company and the NHPC on Friday in Bhopal for the purchase of 252 MW power allotted by the union Ministry of Power, an official said. On the basis of the contract, Madhya Pradesh will get 252 MW power from the NHPC's multipurpose hydropower project located in Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, an official said. The power purchase agreement (PPA) was signed by Chief General Manager of MP Power Management Company Rakesh Thukral and NHPC General Manager Omkar Yadav in the presence of Mad ...Read More >
Kolkata: Luxmi Group, owner of the iconic Makaibari Tea Estate, has acquired a majority stake in UK-based Brew Tea Co. Brew Tea deals exclusively with orthodox tea and has both an online and offline presence in the UK.Luxmi Group acquired an 80% stake in the company, while the remaining 20% remains with the existing promoters. After Tetley and Typhoo, this acquisition marks another British tea company being acquired by an Indian corporate, though it may not be of the same magnitude.Brew Tea Co was founded in Manchester by Phil and Aideen Kirby and has grown into a specialty tea brand, having a ...Read More >
Nagpur: Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar questioned the govt's priorities on Tuesday, highlighting the increasing number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra. He accused the govt of neglecting agrarian crisis while approving Rs20,000 crore for Shaktipeeth highway project."Money is available for massive infrastructure projects, but where is the budget for farm loan waivers as promised by the BJP before last year's assembly polls to the farmers?" Wadettiwar asked while moving an adjournment motion in the Legislative Assembly. He cited official data showing that between January and ...Read More >
ITANAGAR, 2 Jul: Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday claimed that the frontier state holds the distinction of being India's largest carbon sink, an ecological powerhouse playing a pivotal role in combating climate change and aiding the country's march toward net-zero emissions. In a social media post as part of his administration's 'Pema 3.0 - Year of Ref-orms and Growth' campaign, Khandu highlighted that Arunachal Pradesh contributes a remarkable 14.38 percent to India's total carbon sequestration. With an impressive 79 percent forest cover, the state currently boasts a carbon stock of ...Read More >
Dibrugarh: In one of the largest anti-encroachment drives in recent years, the Lakhimpur district administration on Thursday demolished 218 illegal homes and cleared 288 bighas of encroached land across three Village Grazing Reserves (VGRs).The eviction drive, which was conducted under the supervision of district commissioner (DC) Pronab Jit Kakoty and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gunendra Deka, saw a massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces, along with 12 excavators, at Phukanarhat, Debera Doloni and Christian VGR areas."The drive was conducted peacefully and no untoward ...Read More >
Kota, Jun 6 (PTI) A relationship manager in an ICICI bank branch in Kota allegedly swindled around Rs 4.58 crore from customers' accounts only to lose the lot of it in the stock market, police on Friday said. She was arrested last week and is currently under judicial custody, they said. Also Read | Bengaluru Stampede: Police Complaint Lodged Against Virat Kohli Over Stampede Tragedy Near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The accused, Sakshi Gupta, was posted as a relationship manager at ICICI Bank's DCM branch. Police said she had been pilfering from more than 110 accounts belonging to 41 customers for ...Read More >
Sangareddy (Telangana) [India], July 1 (ANI): Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma has expressed grief over the tragic fire accident that occurred at the Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district that killed 12 people. The Governor paid condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the incident and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Also Read | Rules Changing From July 1, 2025: From LPG Cylinder Prices and Railway Fares to Aadhaar-PAN Link, Check Key Rule Changes Taking Place Next Month. The Governor spoke to the Labour, Employment Training and Factories (LETF) ...Read More >