India’s ambition to send humans into the deep sea and explore resources in the depths is gathering momentum.
Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has embarked on this project and expects to have an operational vehicle ready in 2-3 years.
ESSO-National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai has made the design for making the submersible from titanium material
It will have two hemispheres welded together in the form of a space ship.
At present, a few countries like US, Russia, China and Japan are said to possess the technology and submersible.
The project is part of the overall, long-term “Deep Sea Mission” and efforts to tap into the blue ocean economics.
The targeted depth to be reached is 5-6 km into the sea, where the resource availability, living organisms, environmental conditions, etc, are to be studied and understood.
Wild Ass Sanctuary
The sanctuary is in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
It spans the districts of Surendranagar, Rajkot, Patan, Banaskantha and Kutch.
The sanctuary hosts more than 30 species of rare and endangered animals, including black buck and desert fox due to its proximity to the Rann of Kutch and the variety in the region’s vegetation.
The sanctuary is home to the ‘near threatened’ wild ass species.
Asiatic wild asses are native to India, China, Iran, Mongolia and Turkmenistan.
The Asiatic wild ass is the only one of its species and no sub-species exist.
National Institute of Oceanography
National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is one of the 37 constituent laboratories of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi.
It is headquartered at Dona Paula, Goa with regional centres at Kochi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.
The principal focus of research has been on observing and understanding special oceanographic characteristics of the Indian Ocean.
It also operates two research vessels RV Sindhu Sankalp (56 m) and RV Sindhu Sadhana (80 m) that are equipped for multidisciplinary oceanographic observations.
The institute also provides consultancy on a number of issues including marine environmental protection and coastal zone regulations.
National Technology Day
A new exhibition “Machined to think” showcasing the future technologies that are to usher in "fourth industrial revolution", was inaugurated at the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai.
National Technology Day is being celebrated on May 11.
On 11th May, 1998 India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out nuclear tests at Pokhran.
The first indigenous aircraft "Hansa-3" was test flown at Bangalore also on the same day.
India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul missile on May 11.
The day glorifies the importance of science in day to day life and motivates students to adopt science as the career option.
Channapatna toys
Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys and dolls.
The toys are manufactured in the small town of Channapatna in the Ramnagar district of Karnataka.
In Kannada, the place is known as Gombegala nagara which means “town of toys”.
The work involved lacquering the wood of the Wrightia tinctoria tree or Aale mara (ivory-wood).
It was given Geographical Indication Tag.
World University Cities
QS Higher education group publishes the annual World University Rankings.
The ranking of 30 cities across the globe were released.
London has been ranked as the best city in the world for university students.
London ranked poorly on one factor — affordability.
The ratings are based on factors such as the number of top universities in a city, the local jobs market, the diversity of the culture and the quality of life.
There are no US cities in the top 10 student cities, compared with two in Germany, Berlin and Munich.
