With conventional energy sources drying out rapidly, due to excess use, there has been a new-found interest in renewable energy in India. 
 
With the present government powering on, India is waiting to become one of the top solar energy producers by 2022. 
 
Three major airports in India, including Delhi, Kochi, and Hyderabad has already switched partly or fully to solar energy. 
 
With such examples in tow, many educational institutions are following suit to the trend of solar energy. After Puducherry this year, an international school in Bangalore set an example of being a ‘zero carbon footprint’ building. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/this-is-how-you-shopped-on-flipkart-amazon-and-snapdeal-during-christmas-sale/articleshow/56082541.cms">ALSO READ: This is how you shop on Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal during Christmas Sale</a> 
 
A zero-energy building, is a building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site through different sustainable measures. <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> got in touch with Shweta Sastri, Executive Director, Canadian International School- <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> (<keyword id="6391586" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CIS">CIS</keyword>) to find out how the school managed such a feat. 
 
‘’ The need of the hour was cultivating an early interest in renewable energy which led to CIS becoming the first school in Bangalore to have completely switched to solar energy. Currently, the school harvests more than 5,00,000 KW of energy, meeting all electricity requirements in the campus along with supplying power to 20 other households near the school.” 
 
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Other environmental friendly initiatives that were taken by the school are: 
 
1) There is a sewage treatment plant installed inside the campus whose water is used for maintenance of the flora and fauna inside the school. 
 
2) There are multiple projects by students for composting of biodegradable materials. 
 
3) The school has an organic garden that is maintained by the staff and the students also contribute towards it. 
 
4) The Layout of the school is horizontal instead of the vertical construction followed by most schools. That means that there is ample ventilation coupled with natural light in the school premises. 
 
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Exclusive: This Bangalore school is South Asia’s second fully-solar
powered school

In a significant diplomatic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu at <keyword id="20751669" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyderabad-House" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hyderabad House" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hyderabad House">Hyderabad House</keyword> in Delhi on Monday. This visit is widely seen as an effort to reset ties between the two nations after a year of tense relations. <keyword id="20101322" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="President-Muizzu" source="keywords">President Muizzu</keyword>, who arrived in India on Sunday for a five-day visit, received a red carpet welcome. During a joint press briefing, President Muizzu expressed heartfelt gratitude to India, thanking President Droupadi Murmu, <keyword id="19899320" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM-Modi" source="keywords">PM Modi</keyword> and the people of India for their warm reception. He emphasised the Maldives' deep-rooted ties with India, noting that tourism — especially Indian visitors—remains a crucial pillar of the Maldivian economy. “India is our largest source market for tourists, and we hope to welcome even more Indian visitors in the future,” Muizzu remarked. Key areas of cooperation discussed included economic ties and maritime security, critical given the Maldives' position in the Indian Ocean. Following their talks, India granted the financially struggling Maldives a rollover of USD 100 million in Treasury bills, in addition to formalising a <keyword id="23458604" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="currency-swap-agreement" source="keywords">currency swap agreement</keyword> and a ₹3,000 crore currency swap. Prime Minister Modi characterised the "development partnership" as a key component of India-Maldives relations, asserting that India has consistently prioritised the needs of the Maldivian people. "Our development partnership is vital to our relationship with the Maldives, and we have always placed importance on the priorities of its people. This year, SBI rolled over USD 100 million in Treasury Bills, and a USD 400 million currency swap agreement was signed based on the Maldives' requirements," he explained. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="106837748" title="Withdraw troops by mid-March, Maldives tells India" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>In September, India announced that the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="State-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="State Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="State Bank of India">State Bank of India</keyword> would purchase Maldivian government bonds worth USD 50 million, following a similar USD 50 million transaction in May 2024. Additionally, Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu witnessed the first <keyword id="20563654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RuPay-card" source="keywords">RuPay card</keyword> payment transaction launched in the Maldives and virtually inaugurated the runway at Hanimaadhoo International Airport. Modi stated that India and the Maldives would soon be connected through UPI. "Recently, we launched the RuPay card in the Maldives, and in the future, we will link both countries via UPI," he said during a joint press briefing. Muizzu also expressed his desire to conclude a <keyword id="19945642" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Free-Trade-Agreement" source="keywords">Free Trade Agreement</keyword> with India, a step he believes will open the door to greater Indian investment in the Maldives. Modi emphasised India's commitment to supporting the Maldives through various initiatives, including supplying essential commodities and Covid vaccines, inaugurating airports, and constructing social housing. He noted that a new drinking water project is now operational on 28 islands, providing clean water to over 30,000 residents. The leaders also discussed the opening of consulates in Addu and Bengaluru. Tensions between India and the Maldives escalated following Muizzu's election last year, which saw a shift towards a pro-China stance and the promise to withdraw Indian troops stationed in the archipelago. His visit to China before India in January had raised eyebrows in New Delhi, as it was perceived as a slight. However, since attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony for a third term in June, Muizzu has moderated his anti-Indian rhetoric, signalling a thaw in relations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has stated that the discussions provided "a new impetus" to the relationship. This meeting likely marks a positive turn in Indo-Maldivian relations, setting the stage for further cooperation between the two South Asian neighbours. (With inputs from agencies) <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112094153" title="Maldives President Muizzu thanks India for economic support, affirms hope of signing FTA" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Maldives President Muizzu met with PM Modi in Delhi today. Here’s how it went!

The shadowy new way employees are cheating their way to the top

<ul><li>Monsoon is a key influencer in the <keyword id="6356076" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-economy" source="Orion">Indian economy</keyword>.</li><li>It is before this season, around May end to early June, that <keyword id="50318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kharif" source="Orion">Kharif</keyword> crops are sown and are harvested post the monsoon rains, beginning October.</li><li>With the changing climate, sowing windows have been altered and in some cases, farmers are replacing traditional yields with cash crops.</li></ul>From floods in Assam to heatwaves in Punjab, India has experienced extreme weather conditions in the last few months. Many places in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, suffered large-scale destruction caused by heavy pre-monsoon showers in May. On the other hand, in Maharashtra, people have faced a severe heatwave, <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/droughts-floods-leave-maharashtra-farmers-in-the-lurch-759540.html">droughts </a>in the Marathwada and Vidarbha region, three cyclones on the Konkan coasts in the last two years, unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms. “The kharif sowing has been affected because of a dry spell and the extreme rainfall in the Northeast areas. In the rest of the country, the sowing is in the process. I think it may be too early to work out what kind of loss we might witness but there is a cause for worry,” said Devinder Sharma, agriculture trade policy analyst in a press conference. Following the extreme heatwaves, monsoon has been delayed in <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/jun/19/kharif-crop-cultivation-in-odisha-delayed-due-deficit-and-delayed-monsoon-2467336.html">Odisha</a>, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/delayed-monsoon-leaves-kalaburagi-farmers-worried/article65542972.ece">Karnataka </a>and <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/weak-start-to-monsoon-delays-kharif-sowing-in-maharashtra/article65545678.ece">Maharashtra</a>. Due to this, sowing windows have been altered and it has been a weak start to Kharif sowing. Assam farmers’ summer paddy season is affected It is before the beginning of the monsoon season, around May end to early June, that kharif crops are sown. They are harvested after the monsoon ends in October. Rice, maize, pulses such as urad, moong dal and millets are among the key kharif crops. The sudden pre-monsoon floods affected farmers in Assam who were waiting for summer <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/summer-paddy-damaged-state-govts-procurement-target-likely-to-be-affected/articleshow/91716774.cms">paddy </a>or Boro rice crop to ripen. Since floods are common in the state, farmers tend to harvest their crops before June. The untimely floods this year have wreaked havoc on agriculture. The floods have coincided with the sowing period of <keyword id="6617893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kharif-crop" source="Orion">Kharif crop</keyword> and harvesting of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/life-in-rural-india-hit-by-a-wilted-rabi-crop/articleshow/92333426.cms">Rabi crop</a>. “In Maharashtra, there has been a drop of 41% as far as the rain is concerned, and in the eastern areas, there has been a huge flooding and 4.7 million people have been affected by the floods. This variability in rainfall dispersal has an impact on food production. Sowing intensity gets affected, while increased humidity levels lead to several diseases,” said Sharma. Adding to this, Sharma said that it is too soon to assess the crop loss in Assam but he is optimistic that India’s supply chain will remain mostly unaffected. “Whether the basis will zoom up or not, I think I'm not hoping that the prices will go up much because we have comfortable food stocks with us,” said Sharma. As per Assam State Disaster Management Authority, nearly three <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/flood-situation-in-assam-remains-critical-as-silchar-remains-under-water-122062400478_1.html">lakh people </a>have been affected by an acute shortage of food, clean drinking water and medicines as almost the entire Silchar town is submerged in flood waters. Over 99,026 hectares of crops have been damaged so far. During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Assam had lost <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/crops-worth-rs-1000-crore-damaged-in-assam-flood-minister-881256.html">₹1,000 crore</a> just to crop damage, which had affected 2.8 lakh hectares of farmland across the state, as per an IANS report. The average <a href="https://track.sendpal.in/link/track/629037e720bb0f5d8bcc7505/mail/629035818b0f055c694b37df/feature?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwaterresources.assam.gov.in%2Fportlets%2Fflood-erosion-problems%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DThe%2520flood%2520prone%2520area%2520of%2520the%2520country%2520as%2520a%2520whole%2Cprone%2520area%2520of%2520the%2520country.%3Futm_source%3Dbi%26utm_medium%3Demail_newsletter%26utm_campaign%3DBusiness_Insider_Newsletter">annual loss</a> due to floods in Assam is to the tune of ₹200 crore and particularly in 1998, the loss suffered was about ₹500 crore and during the year 2004 it was about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/why-assam-gets-flooded-every-year/articleshow/91828506.cms">₹771.00 crore.</a>

Kharif sowing is off to a weak start with extended dry spells and floods

<ul><li>There is an ongoing <keyword id="2865476" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="heatwave-in-india" source="Orion">heatwave in India</keyword>, forcing millions of Indians indoors amidst the worst March in 122 years.</li><li><keyword id="487736" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coal-shortage" source="Orion">Coal shortage</keyword> and <keyword id="6361137" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="power-cuts" source="Orion">power cuts</keyword> across the country have also worsened things for millions across the country.</li><li>This is where <keyword id="9451062" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="wet-bulb-temperature" source="Orion">wet bulb temperature</keyword> comes in and here’s why it is important.</li></ul>There is an ongoing <keyword id="6371478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heatwave" source="Orion">heatwave</keyword> in India that has forced millions of people indoors, with air conditioner sales nearly doubling when compared to the previous year. This heatwave has also brought the wet bulb temperature concept into mainstream conversation. There are multiple reasons behind this – while the current heatwave is not India’s worst, yet, we endured the hottest March in 122 years. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/why-are-there-power-cuts-and-heatwave-in-india/articleshow/91177785.cms">Coal shortages</a> and a drastic <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-peak-power-demand-touches-all-time-high-of-207111-mw-amid-alarming-heatwave/articleshow/91198935.cms">surge in power demand</a> have led to power cuts in several parts of the country – some as long as eight hours. In fact, there is a power cut right now as I write this story. Global warming is expected to worsen this situation with each passing year. And while the temperature and humidity levels give us a fair amount of idea about the weather outside, they do not tell us exactly how bad it can be for our bodies. This is where the wet bulb temperature is useful. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is wet bulb temperature?" comment="subhead" text="What is wet bulb temperature?">What is wet bulb temperature?</cmsannotation> In simpler terms, wet bulb temperature tells us at what level our bodies will be unable to cool themselves down by sweating. In this case, the threat of a heat stroke rises dramatically. Wet bulb temperature combines heat and humidity to indicate how much evaporation can be absorbed into the air. It measures the lowest temperatures that our bodies can reach when we are in hotter environments, by sweating. <div type="image" title="wet-bulb" msid="91307695" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;An illustrative comparison of dry and wet bulb temperatures&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Our bodies cool themselves down in hot temperatures by sweating – when the sweat evaporates from the surface of the skin, the temperature of our bodies comes down. This evaporation is easier when you are in a drier zone with lower humidity levels. For instance, 35-degree Celsius in a coastal Indian city like Chennai is a lot more unbearable than in places like Hyderabad, Indore or any other non-coastal city in the country. This is because the humidity levels are much higher in coastal areas than those far away from the seas. When the air around you is already humid, it becomes difficult for the sweat on your skin to evaporate. When the sweat does not evaporate quickly enough, your body does not cool down and you start feeling uneasy. This is exactly what wet bulb temperature measures. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Why is wet bulb temperature important?" comment="subhead" text="Why is wet bulb temperature important?">Why is wet bulb temperature important?</cmsannotation> Dry temperature – or the temperature that we see in daily weather forecasts – does not tell you the full story. Wet bulb temperature, especially in times of a heatwave, tells us how habitable a place is for the human body. A wet bulb temperature of 32-degree Celsius is usually the maximum that a human body can endure and carry out normal outdoor activities in. This is equivalent to a dry temperature of 55-degree Celsius. The theoretical maximum wet bulb temperature is 35-degree Celsius – most humans, even with unlimited water supply, are likely to suffer heat strokes at this level, likely leading to death. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How to calculate wet bulb temperature?" comment="subhead" text="How to calculate wet bulb temperature?">How to calculate wet bulb temperature?</cmsannotation> Now that you know what wet bulb temperature is, and the maximum limit that you can survive in, you might want to know how to calculate it. This <a href="https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/wet-bulb">handy calculator</a> helps you calculate the current wet bulb temperature. For this, you will need two details – the current dry temperature and relative humidity in the air, which will be available in weather forecasts. For instance, the dry temperature in Hyderabad at 10:30 a.m. today is 31-degree Celsius with 55% humidity. The current wet bulb temperature is 24-degree Celsius. In Chennai, the current temperature is 34-degree Celsius with 73% humidity, resulting in a wet bulb temperature of 29.8-degree Celsius. Notice the massive difference in the temperatures due to marginally high dry temperature, but a much higher level of humidity. Here’s a quick comparison for some other Indian cities: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">City </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dry temperature </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Humidity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wet bulb temperature </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Hyderabad </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">31C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">55% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">24C </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Chennai </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">34C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">73% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">29.8C </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Delhi </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">34C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">40% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">23.7C </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Mumbai </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">32C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">58% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">25.5C </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">34C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">21.4C </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Bengaluru </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">29C </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">54% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">22.1C </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/why-are-there-power-cuts-and-heatwave-in-india/articleshow/91177785.cms">EXPLAINED: Why is there a looming power shortage in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-peak-power-demand-touches-all-time-high-of-207111-mw-amid-alarming-heatwave/articleshow/91198935.cms">India's peak power demand touches all-time high of 207,111 MW amid alarming heatwave</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/delhi-warns-centre-of-power-shortage-in-metro-and-hospitals-due-to-a-looming-coal-crisis/articleshow/91169332.cms">Delhi warns centre a power shortage may hit metro trains and hospitals due to a looming coal crisis</a>

Heatwave in India: What is wet bulb temperature, why is it important and how to measure it

Police in Nagaland have set up the north-eastern state's biggest quarantine facility managed by police personnel, a senior official said on Sunday. The 1027-bed centre at Ganeshpur was set up to augment the state government's efforts to check <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, Nagaland DGP T John Longkumer said. A police team reached the Ganeshnagar Special Economic Zone under the Dhansiripar sub division in Dimapur on May 20 to assess, plan, organise and work out modalities to set up the facility, which was set up in a fortnight, he said. Work began to institutionally quarantine stranded returnees from other states, <keyword id="150191" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nagaland-Police">Nagaland Police</keyword> ADGP (Admin) Sandeep Tamgadge told PTI. DIG (Training) Aotemsu headed the team of officers handling accommodation, power supply, sanitation, water supply, office and control room, security, logistics, catering and transport there, Tamgadge said. "Personal comfort and the risk of inevitable exposure to coronavirus took a back seat and all police personnel got the quarantine centre ready in record time," the IPS officer said. Altogether 640 police personnel, including officers, were on the ground when the process to build the centre began, Tamgadge said. The first batch of 509 returnees from Bengaluru, including 383 men and 126 women, arrived at the quarantine centre on June 5, followed by returnees from Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Ganeshnagar centre is the biggest one in Nagaland to be built and managed by police for people of the state through the Community Oriented Police Service (COPS) initiative, he said. A police medical team comprising doctors, nurses and other health Workers is stationed in the facility and attends to routine quarantine duties and other medical emergencies. The team has also been tasked with sample collection and swab testings and operates the TrueNat system, approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research to conduct coronavirus tests. "Nagaland police have always overcome challenges and during the unprecedented coronavirus situation also, we have performed our duties going beyond the task of normal policing and have not only enforced the lockdown but also secured the various quarantine centres in the state," John Longkumer said. "We resurrected an old disused industrial complex by clearing thick jungle, installing water lines, bathrooms, providing electricity and even digging a 1.25 lakh litre pond to replenish water supply," the Nagaland police chief said. Nagaland police are managing the quarantined persons, their testing, food, accommodation and medical facilities. "We thank the state government and civil society for helping us in this endeavour and imposing trust in our abilities," he said.

Nagaland police sets up 1027-bed quarantine centre for COVID-19 patients

<keyword id="12864" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword>, Nov 25 Gusty winds and rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday leaving several areas inundated and authorities have housed over one lakh people in shelters as severe cyclone '<keyword id="10317634" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="nivar">Nivar</keyword>' hurtled towards the coast. 'Nivar would intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and it is likely to cross the coast between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry before dawn on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said. With rains drenching parts of the state, authorities have evacuated over one lakh people and housed them in shelters besides disconnecting power supply in vulnerable areas as a precautionary measure. While <keyword id="4430550" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chief-Minister-K-Palaniswami">Chief Minister K Palaniswami</keyword> declared Thursday a public holiday for 13 districts, a <keyword id="6473907" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-order">government order</keyword> included three more districts considering the safety of people in view of the cyclone. Revenue Minister <keyword id="6435760" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="r-b-udhayakumar">R B Udhayakumar</keyword> said 1,03,291 people including children have been housed in 1,000 relief centres. Food, water and all other essentials including masks to help prevent coronavirus have been made available to them in the relief centres, he said. A senior official said subsequently, the number has increased to 1,21,152. According to the government, these people have been housed in shelters at Ariyalur, Chengelpet, Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Ranipet, Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, and Villupuram districts. As a precautionary measure, electricity distribution was stopped to consumers in several regions falling under such districts and especially areas that have overhead power transmission lines witnessed power cut since noon. Civic authorities meanwhile removed banners and hoardings in several districts including Chennai and Vellore expecting squally winds. Police personnel placed barricades in arterial roads and important intersections in coastal districts to bar movement of vehicles and the government appealed to the people to stay indoors. Chennai airport authorities said Aircraft operations at the airport will remain suspended from 7pm of November 25 till 7am of November 26. The decision was taken considering the safety aspect of passengers and the severity of the approaching cyclone, they said. Southern Railway said eight trains including the Danapur - KSR Bengaluru Special were diverted skipping Chennai and 10 trains including the Chennai Central-Coimbatore Special were cancelled. The Chennai Metro Rail, which operated minimum services, said operations would end by 8 pm and services would resume tomorrow depending on the weather. In its latest bulletin, the IMD said Nivar would cross over betwen Karaikal and Mamallapuram "during the midnight of November 25 and early hours of 26 November." The storm, 250 km off Chennai and 190 km and 180 km from Puducherry and Cuddalore respectively, is very likely to move northwestwards and cross coasts as a "very severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph." Under the influence of the cyclone, coastal and north interior Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kariakal regions are likely to receive rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy showers at a few places and extremely heavy rains at isolated places. South coastal Andhra Pradesh is also likely to witness showers at most places today. Rainfall is expected to continue in many places in these regions on Thursday too with heavy rainfall at some places. Surplus water was released from Chembarambakkam lake, one of the key drinking water sources to the city, since it almost neared its full level, the government said. PWD officials said 1000 cusecs was released from the lake as the level stood at 22 feet of the total 24 feet. Chennai and its suburbs, which received heavy overnight rains, continued to witness intermittent showers coupled with strong winds with low-lying areas getting inundated and water entering houses in such localities. The government said it has nominated IAS official V Arun Roy to oversee relief activities in Chengelpet district. Civic body officials said stagnant water was pumped out by deploying heavy duty motors and fallen trees were being removed immediately. Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Chengelpet, Tiruvallur, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Tirupattur, Vellore, Ranipet, Nagapattinam are the districts where the holiday is applicable tomorrow and Wednesday has already been declared a holiday.

Cyclone Nivar likely to cross coast tonight, TN CM declares one more day holiday

Microsoft CEO Satya <keyword id="2045946" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nadella">Nadella</keyword> is on a three-day visit to India to share his vision of the <keyword id="2059551" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-technology">future of technology</keyword>. Indian CEOs are Nadella’s primary audience and he has fireside chats lined up to deliberate on how technology will shape the world in the years to come. Nadella could also meet PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>, and interestingly, his visit coincides with that of Trump, who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/day-one-of-donald-trumps-india-visit-these-are-all-the-highlights/articleshow/74277019.cms">arrived in India</a> just a few hours ago. During the opening keynote at the Future Decoded CEO Summit, 2020, Nadella listed out how Indian companies are using Microsoft products to streamline their businesses. Here’s a quick snapshot of what he said: Piramal Glass implements RTMI 
 <div type="image" title="Parimal Glass" msid="74282946" hostid="261"></div>



 Piramal Glass, one of the leading manufacturers of glass packaging for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and the beverage industry started implementing Real Time Manufacturing Insights (RTMI). The company has used IoT sensors in its production line to get a feedback loop for quality control. IoT sensors are connected to the cloud; and alerts are sent via SMS, email, and push notifications when an anomaly is detected, or the production efficiency drops. Reliance Industries uses Microsoft products across industries 
 <div type="image" title="Reliance Industries" msid="74282940" hostid="261"></div>



 Reliance Industries is using Microsoft’s products to develop its platforms from diverse industries like network to retail. The company is using Azure Cloud in their own data centres for developing stack, LinkedIn for improving learning, hiring practices and more. Apollo Hospitals is using AI and ML develop a localised cardiac risk score 
 <div type="image" title="Apollo Hospitals" msid="74282933" hostid="261"></div>



 Apollo Hospitals has teamed up with Microsoft to use machine learning for developing artificial intelligence powered cardiovascular disease risk score. This has helped Apollo Hospitals develop a non-biased cardiac risk score for Indian population. Apollo Hospital’s senior consultant for interventional cardiology, Dr Shiv Kumar has said that this score is twice as accurate as the existing models. State Bank of India builds a frontline sales app 
 <div type="image" title="SBI" msid="74282932" hostid="261"></div>



 After two employees of SBI’s Trivandrum branch took the initiative to build a Power app to help their frontline salespeople, State Bank of India has rolled out this application to more than 200 branches. Myntra uses Azure for supply chain management 
 <div type="image" title="Myntra" msid="74282930" hostid="261"></div>



 Fashion and lifestyle portal Myntra has migrated to Azure for all its functions – from supply chain management to site capabilities. By centralizing its data platform, Myntra is applying advanced analytics and machine learning to understand customer preferences and provide personalized products and marketing. Myntra is also using Microsoft Power BI to allow its employees to act on real time feedback to provide a better customer experience. InMobi uses Azure to get a 360-degree view of customers 
 <div type="image" title="InMobi" msid="74282922" hostid="261"></div>



 Bengaluru based enterprise platform provider InMobi partnered with Microsoft to use Azure as the company’s preferred cloud provider. The company via its InMobi Marketing Cloud enables marketers get a 360-degree view of customers. The insights will help design customer journey; analyses and acts on customer feedback across channels. Udaan uses Azure for a lean engineering setup 
 <div type="image" title="Udaan" msid="74282915" hostid="261"></div>



 Udaan, which is one of India’s largest online B2B marketplace, has been running on the Azure platform since the beginning. The company’s co-founder, Amod Malviya, credits Azure for allowing the company to have an extremely lean engineering setup. Project HAMS uses camera sensors to ensure driver safety 
 <div type="image" title="Project HAMS" msid="74282905" hostid="261"></div>



 Indian cab aggregator is currently looking to implement Microsoft’s Project HAMS (Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety). Project HAMS uses a smartphone’s rear camera, selfie camera and accelerometer to ensure that the driver is driving safely. The company may also use this to decide whether to lease a car to someone or not. Eros Now uses AI to learn how its users interact 
 <div type="image" title="Eros Now" msid="74282900" hostid="261"></div>



 Eros Now has built its media production facility on Azure. The company is also using AI to change how users interact and improve voice search for video content. Eros has also created an engine to offer personalized recommendations to users. Narayana Health uses Power BI to optimize its costs 
 <div type="image" title="Narayna Health" msid="74282884" hostid="261"></div>



 The Narayana Health group is using analytics tools like Power BI dashboards to get real-time financial information from its hospitals. It also uses these tools to monitor and analyse nurse hours, daily. Power BI tools have also helped in optimizing costs for reducing turn-around time for labs, monitoring costs of consumables, predicting blood requirement and overall reduction in costs to patients. Royal Enfield uses Dynamics 365 to maintain service histories and job cards 
 <div type="image" title="Royal Enfield" msid="74282876" hostid="261"></div>



 Royal Enfield has used Microsoft Dynamics 365 to implement a Dealer Management System that allows the salesmen to maintain a customer’s profile. A similar system is used at service centres to view service histories and create new job cards for vehicles. Eureka Forbes uses Dynamics 365 for marketing 
 <div type="image" title="Eureka Forbes" msid="74282870" hostid="261"></div>



 Water purifier Eureka Forbes implemented Dynamics 365 in the back end to provide digital leads and customer insights to salespeople. The company uses a cloud-based SaaS model for front-end apps that allow the salespeople to access the water quality of a particular area and select the right product to sell. Novartis India, Sterlite Power and Genpact have been using LinkedIn to improve learning, recruiting and marketing practices in the companies. Mindtree and Mahindra Group are using Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration within the organisations. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-top-boss-satya-nadellas-conversation-with-mukesh-ambani-asias-richest-man/articleshow/74278962.cms">Microsoft top boss Satya Nadella's conversation with Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/as-microsoft-makes-one-its-fastest-growing-cloud-software-businesses-available-for-government-it-will-ramp-up-pressure-on-rivals-like-salesforce-analysts-say/articleshow/74259902.cms">As Microsoft makes one its fastest-growing cloud software businesses available for government, it will ramp up pressure on rivals like Salesforce, analysts say</a>

From Royal Enfield to Reliance Industries – Nadella lists out how Indian companies are using Microsoft products

<ul><li>The government of India on Sunday decided to lockdown 75 districts across India after the seven deaths in the country.</li><li>Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government.</li><li>The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staffers after a <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> study showed that the virus could survive in the air. </li></ul>The number of Coronavirus infected people in India is heralding the onset of the third and critical phase of the pandemic. The <keyword id="405860" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-for-Medical-Research">Indian Council for Medical Research</keyword> <a href="https://icmr.nic.in/sites/default/files/whats_new/ICMR_website_update_22March_6PM_IST.pdf">data</a> showed that India now has 415 infected people; out of which 23 recovered and seven died. Karnataka bars non-essential services in 9 districts The Karnataka government on Monday barred non-essential services in nine districts with certain exceptions to ensure social distancing and isolation to contain the spread of coronavirus. The restrictions will apply to revenue districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Kalaburagi, Chikballapur, Mysuru, Madhugiri, Dharwad, Mangaluru and Belagavi from 12 am on Monday to 12 am on April 1. "To adopt strict social distancing and isolation measures to contain the spread of Covid-19, the government of Karnataka in exercise of the powers conferred under The Karnataka Epidemic Diseases COVID-19 Regulations 2020 has imposed the following restrictions," said an official statement. TN allocates ₹500 cr for prevention Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami on Monday said an additional sum of ₹500 crore will be allocated for preventive measures against the spread of Coronavirus in the state. Announcing this in the state Palaniswami said a sum of Rs.60 crore was earlier allocated for preventing the spread of Coronavirus in the state and now an additional sum of Rs.500 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose. Maha toll rises to 3 after a Filipino dies A 68-year old Filipino national succumbed to the coronavirus, taking the state total to three dead and 89 infected, officials said on Monday. The foreigner had initially tested positive and was admitted to the Kasturba Hospital. Later he recovered and tested negative after which he was shifted to a private hospital where he succumbed late on Sunday. The patient suffered from diabetes mellitus and asthma, and subsequently developed acute kidney failure and severe breathing problems to which he succumbed. Lockdown in 75 districts: Indian government The government of India on Sunday decided to lockdown 75 districts across India after the seven deaths were reported. The list of districts including Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata are going on lockdown starting Monday. All public transports including metros, trains and other facilities will be suspended till March 31 across several states while the lockdown will allow only essential services like food supply, dairy and pharma to function. Uber, Ola to suspend services in Delhi till March 31 Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government. The Delhi government on Sunday announced lockdown from March 23 to 31, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed. “Uber is complying with all Central and State Government directives related to its services for containing the spread of Coronavirus,” an Uber spokesperson said in response to a query. An Ola spokesperson said the company “will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19”. KLM flight with Indian nationals stranded in Amsterdam lands in Delhi A day after being denied permission to land in India, a KLM flight with 113 Indians who were stranded in Amsterdam landed in New Delhi on Sunday evening. Government sources had on Sunday indicated that a special KLM flight would be allowed to enter India on Sunday as a special case. The Indians, returning from the US, had been stranded in Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport for four days without food or water or place to sleep after their flight was turned back mid-air two hours away from Delhi airport. MP cases rise to 6, after two more tests positive With another man from Jabalpur testing positive on Sunday, the number of Coronavirus cases rose to six in Madhya Pradesh. Till Friday, there were only four positive cases— three who returned from Dubai and one from Germany— had tested positive in Jabalpur. A sixth victim is a man in his early 40s who works at a shop in Dubai. He was hospitalised for Covid-19 in Jabalpur, health officials said. Hours before him, a 26-year-old woman studying law, who returned from London tested positive for COVID-19, an official said. She is the first COVID-19 case in the state capital. Andhra reports the first case of local Covid-19 transmission Andhra Pradesh on Sunday reported the first case of local transmission of Covid-19 as a woman, close contact of a man tested positive earlier, was found infected. With this, the total number of Covid-19 cases rose to six in the state. The 49-year-old was a close contact of a 65-year-old male patient, who had returned from Saudi Arabia. The man had reached Hyderabad Airport from Saudi Arabia and then travelled to Visakhapatnam on March 12. He was admitted to Government Chest Hospital Visakhapatnam on March 17 and tested positive. Study shows Coronavirus can survive in the air The World Health Organization is considering “airborne precautions” for medical staffers after a Coronavirus study showed that the virus could survive in the air. Coronavirus was said to be transmitted through droplets of saliva, and mostly through sneezing or coughing. In a virtual news conference on Monday Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said, “When you do an aerosol-generating procedure like in a medical care facility, you have the possibility to what we call aerosolize these particles, which means they can stay in the air a little bit longer.” Vehicle production to be largely impacted Following the lockdown, Toyota’s India joint venture halted production of cars at its Bidadi plant. Followed by two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle India and Hyundai Motor India will also suspend vehicle production at its Chennai facility from Monday till further notice as a measure to stop the spread of Coronavirus, the company has said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a>

Indian Coronavirus cases rise to 468, after nine dead and 34 cured

As the second phase of the <keyword id="43573" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election">general election</keyword> takes off in India, voters in 11 states and 1 union territory— West Bengal, Odisha, <keyword id="20154" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Manipur and Puducherry — were up early queuing up at the election booths. Nearly 5 million people are eligible to vote in the state of West Bengal with a nearly equal distribution between men and women, albeit there are only 87 registered third-gender voters in the three constituencies going to vote in the state today today. And Puducherry, while being a union territory, is home to nearly one million voters who have been facing <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/puducherry-congress-tries-to-win-back-sole-mp-seat/articleshow/68899027.cms">increasing</a> debt and a fall in social initiatives due to lower devolution of taxes from the central government. A lot of voters and politicians are wondering if the second phase of polling will be marred with problems of EVM malfunctions and poll booth violence like evidenced during the first phase of the general election in India. Two incidents of poll booth violence have already been reported in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh, four of the contesting politicians — Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati — have been <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/top-story/up-election-2019-after-yogi-mayawati-ec-bans-azam-maneka-from-campaigning/story/337566.html">banned</a> from campaigning by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for issuing controversial comments. For Tamil Nadu, the days leading up to the election were a little chaotic after the Income Tax (IT) department seized over 1,350 kilograms of gold and nearly ₹14.8 million which was allegedly stashed to bribe voters. Elections in Vellore, one of Tamil Nadu’s most-watched constituencies, were cancelled altogether after ₹1.05 million was found at Durai Murugan’s house, the father of Kathir Anand — a DMK candidate in the district. Another ₹115.3 was also found at Poonjolai Srinivasan’s cement godown, a known associate of Murugan. Even Maharashtra hasn’t had an easy go of it with over 15,000 cases of alleged Model Code of Conduct violations <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019-over-15-000-code-of-conduct-cases-filed-in-maharashtra/story-luAZtetS7fq6EUDRsYztmI.html">registered</a> since March 10.The Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Dilip Shinde, has stated that over 700,000 officers and employees of the states are involved in keeping elections in Maharashtra peaceful and efficient for the 10 seats of the state going to the polls today. <div type="ExtQuote" text="The enforcing departments (Income Tax and Police) also lodged total 15,095 FIRs against the offenders for violating the model code of conduct, with most of the cases pertaining to storage and distribution of illicit liquor, followed by possession of firearms." auname="Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dilip Shinde"></div>

 If voters aren’t being bribed, then they’re being threatened. Kawasi Lakhma, a Congress minister from Chhattisgarh, has been <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/general-elections-2019-chhattisgarh-congress-mla-kawasi-lakhma-threatens-voters-with-electric-shocks-2024279">telling</a> voters that they vote against his party, the EVM machine will deliver an electric shock. While Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu struggle with voter bribery issues, Bihar and Karnataka are more concerned with voter turnout. The city of Bengaluru — the Silicon Valley of India — in particular, has issues of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/election-2019-gold-confiscated-in-tamil-nadu-ahead-of-second-phase/articleshow/68933494.cms">voter turnout</a> while Bihar’s <a href="https://www.livemint.com/elections/lok-sabha-elections/bihar-elections-2019-patna-is-missing-a-whole-generation-of-millennials-1555350536677.html">brain drain</a> means that a lot of its eligible millennial voters don’t actually live in the state anymore. As Manipur goes to polls again, the Returning Officer (RO)The Returning Officer (RO) of the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, Haobam Rosita, has <a href="https://www.newsclick.in/returning-officer-recommends-re-poll-19-polling-stations-manipur">recommended</a> that re-polling needs to take place at 19 of the polling stations from the first phase of the general elections in the state. Among the many reasons that Rosita cites for repolling, the most disturbing is probably one of the constituencies showed that voter turnout in excess of 100% and that the polling booth for the Najang Village was put up at a non-designated location. In order to keep disruptive elements from affecting the polls similarly, the west Indian states of West Bengal and Assam are <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/2nd-phase-tight-security-in-five-election-bound-districts/articleshow/68868180.cms">increasing</a> security in constituencies along the border — especially in districts classified as ‘vulnerable’ and ‘critical’. And unfortunately, for Jammu and Kashmir, none of the contesting political parties are talking about the environmental issues which have a heavy bearing on the state’s water supply as well as its tourism industry, which has been suffering as more and more of the state’s green capital is being destroyed. The third phase of the general election will kick off on April 23 covering 14 states — Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and West Bengal. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/election-2019-gold-confiscated-in-tamil-nadu-ahead-of-second-phase/articleshow/68933494.cms">Over a ton of gold seized a day ahead of polls shows the depth of the rot in Tamil Nadu</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/job-losses-will-haunt-bengaluru-indias-silicon-valley-as-it-goes-to-polls-today/articleshow/68930893.cms">Job losses will haunt Bengaluru, India’s Silicon Valley, as it goes to polls today</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019-second-phase-of-polling-in-tamil-nadu-voters-issues/articleshow/68930595.cms">Tamil Nadu’s angry voters have a small oil field, a big highway, a medical entrance test, and a police shootout in mind</a>

Here’s what the second phase of the Indian general election has in store for the 11 states polling today

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy Graviky LabsA mural painted with Air Ink in Hong Kong</div></div></div>For the past few years, teams of researchers have been figuring out how to transform carbon dioxide emissions into <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scientist-turned-co2-into-valuable-material-2015-8">diamonds</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-can-now-turn-co2-into-rock-iceland-2016-6">solid rocks</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/promising-new-material-can-convert-carbon-dioxide-into-clean-energy-2016-1">clean energy</a>.Turns out they can also create art from it. <a href="http://www.graviky.com">Graviky Labs</a>, a spinoff group from the MIT Media Lab, developed a way to capture air pollution and make art supplies - pens, oil-based paints and spray paints - from the carbon soot.Appropriately dubbed Air Ink, the materials are created by attaching cylindrical devices to the tailpipes of cars, trucks, and motorcycles and capturing the emissions. A device the company calls Kaalink then separates out the carbon as soot, leaving out other polluting agents like heavy metals and carcinogens. The carbon can then be retrieved from the Kaalink to be mixed with oils and water to make paints, inks, and so on. Just 30-50 minutes of car pollution can generate enough purified carbon to fill an Air Ink pen, <a href="http://www.graviky.com/air-ink.html">Graviky Labs claims</a>.The company, which is based Bengaluru, India, partnered with Tiger Beer to commission street artists to create murals using Air Ink in Hong Kong's Sheung Wan district. The collection of inky black-and-white art went up on buildings and malls June 17 - <a href="http://www.air-ink.com/gallery/#story">you can see more</a> images of them on Air Ink's website.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy Graviky Labs</div></div></div>Anirudh Sharma, one of Graviky Labs' founders, got the idea to create the ink when he noticed his clothes were getting stained from the heavy air pollution in India, according to the <a href="https://spectrum.mit.edu/continuum/an-artful-solution-for-capturing-pollution/">MIT Spectrum</a>. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy Graviky Labs</div></div></div>In February, research from Greenpeace, which used NASA satellite readings of air quality, revealed that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-pollution-levels-in-india-are-now-higher-than-in-china-2016-2?r=UK&amp;IR=T">India's pollution concentrations overtook Beijing's</a> in 2015. In May, the World Health Organization found that six of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cities-with-the-worlds-worst-air-pollution-who-2016-5/#15-kanpur-india-115-gm3-of-pm-25-1">top 15 most polluted cities</a> in the world were in India.So the country's pollution problem is, of course, too big and complicated to solve by sticking cylinders onto tailpipes and turning all C02 emissions into art materials.But highlighting the issue through artistic expression could at least become one of many ways to work towards a solution. Sharma <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/08/21/this-start-up-claims-to-be-recycling-polluted-air-to-make-ink-an/">tells Huffington Post India</a> that he's planning to bring the inks to market by the end of 2016, after receiving certification for the Kaalink device. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/time-lapse-los-angeles-without-light-pollution-2015-4">Stunning time-lapse shows what LA skies would look like without pollution</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="10YjVsdDpaf94gvfsX1gAY7aRgo4_zkV" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

This company is turning car exhaust into inks and paints

K Sivan, well-known rocket scientist and Director of the <keyword id="6382619" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikram-Sarabhai-Space-Centre">Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre</keyword> (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, says with a little tweaking, these materials and technologies developed for hi-tech space applications can easily be spun off for societal use. 
 
“ISRO uses tax payer money so it is answerable to the Indian public,” he says. 
 <keyword id="6358064" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO">ISRO</keyword>’s rockets and satellites certainly help people but there are many more developments hidden in the ‘temples of technology’ like the VSSC that can be used to save lives. 
 If some of these technologies were being used possibly Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad and the nine other soldiers who lost their lives earlier this year at the <keyword id="42770" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Siachen">Siachen</keyword> Glacier could well have been saved. If only these soldiers were using clothing made of the ‘silica aerogel’ they may possibly have been saved from freezing to death. Similarly, if the soldiers were equipped with suitable hand held ‘search and rescue’ devices, their location could have been easily pin-pointed using Indian satellites and rescue efforts could have been speeded up. 
 
Recently India’s main lab that specialises in making rockets for the country mastered the art of making the ‘world’s lightest artificial material’ called ‘silica aerogel’. This aerogel is actually a solid but within its complex matrix it encapsulates 99 per cent air. This gives it several unique properties– it is incredibly light, it is a great thermal insulator. 
 
Naga Priya, scientist in Advanced Materials &amp; Ceramics Division at VSSC who is part of the team that made this material, explains that the process to make the silica aerogel is highly guarded so standardising the procedure to make the aerogel took her team a lot of effort. 
 
The team hopes to use some of the ‘silica aerogel’ for insulating the tanks that hold the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in the cryogenic engines. Since it is lightweight, it could also be used in designing the space suits that future Indian astronauts may be wearing. The small buggy that will be part of the Chandrayaan-2 and will run around the lunar surface in 2018 could also see the use of the ‘silica aerogel’ as an insulator. 
 
Naga Priya explains her lab is already in discussion with the Indian Ordnance Factory that manufactures clothes for the soldiers to see how this new material can be sandwiched between layers of cloth for making light weight parkas, socks and gloves for the soldiers who are posted at Siachen. 
 
The Indian space scientists have already made small pieces of the silica aerogel that resemble a fabric but still it is very fragile and suitable fabric has to be developed that can effectively sandwich this great insulator. 
 
There are other societal benefits of using the ‘silica aerogel’, if window panes are given a coating of this new material, light would easily pass but heat would be contained, says Naga Priya. 
 
She says imagine a building, whose exterior is coated with this top class insulator, the building would be cool in summer and warm in winter. It would reduce the load on air conditioning and could lead to saving a lot of electricity and help combat climate change. 
 
It is not that the material is fully ready to be deployed for all these varied uses, it is still very expensive to make and some of it is very fragile. The team at VSSC uses evaporation at ambient temperature to make some of the aerogels. This is cheaper than the specialised super critical drying technique used to make aerogels for special applications. There are many industrial applications like in furnaces where these special materials can also be easily used. 
 
Scientists at ISRO have developed small portable devices that can help in search and rescue. There are handheld devices that can be carried by trekkers and soldiers when they traverse the desolate regions. These smart devices can be activated using a button and once initiated it emits a radio beacon that can be detected by satellites. 
 
Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) the exact location of the person who is in distress can be automatically pin pointed. The battery-powered device sends up a signal, which can then be automatically tracked at ground stations in Lucknow and Bengaluru. If only Lance Naik Hanumanthappa were carrying this device his rescue could have been greatly speeded up. 
 
A similar but slightly larger device has been made by VSSC for use by fishermen. This can be fitted on the fishing boats and can be triggered manually or when it encounters salt water it gets triggered. This device transmits a pulsed signal in the 406 MHz band and can help in locating ships lost at sea. 
 The batteries are robust enough to transmit a signal for at least 65 hours at a stretch. ISRO has helped save the lives of many trekkers in the <keyword id="52569" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="himalayas">Himalayas</keyword> and is eager to help the Indian Armed Forces in case they seek to use the device at the remote locations in times of emergency. 
 
Ensuring uninterrupted maintenance-free power supply at remote locations is a nightmare for technologists, now the scientists at VSSC have made a portable fuel cell system that can produce electricity directly from fuel through an electrochemical process where the only inputs needed are hydrogen gas and air. 
 
Based on the ‘proton exchange membrane’ technology the gadget made at VSSC can generate up to about 100 watts of power. This is like lighting a single bulb but then there are several small devices that need only a small amount of power for it to work round the clock. An all-weather automatic weather station powered using this indigenously made fuel cell is currently being tested at Dehradun. 
 
Another digital GPS device has been deployed at the Gangotri Glacier to see how this hydrogen powered device works at high altitudes. There are also plans to use the sophisticated G-SAT-6 satellite’s multimedia communication capability to deploy surveillance systems in remote locations from where Pakistani infiltrators creep into Indian territory and make devastating terrorist attacks on India. 
 
Such automatic remotely operated cameras could be powered using the maintenance free ‘fuel cells’ and then they could beam pictures up to the Indian satellites through which soldiers could maintain a 24×7 vigil from far away, this would be akin to having closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) but in places where there is neither power supply nor continuous human presence. 
 
Sivan says suitable industrial partners are being actively identified and the technologies will transferred so that so called ‘rocket science’ no longer remains rocket science. More importantly he says ‘desi technology’ can be used to power the ‘Make in India’ effort and help save lives.

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