While the US remains the top destination for Indian students wanting to pursue Undergraduate-level courses abroad, there has been a 10 per cent decline in Indian student applications to the country between 2024-26, SAT entrance exam data shows. "Three years ago, about 80 to 85percent of Indian students' SAT scores were heading to the United States. Now in 2026, that 80 to 85percent is closer to 70 to 75 per cent. So within three years, a 10percent drop, which to us is significant," Mr Rushi Sheth, Vice President, College Board, highlighted in a conversation with this author. College Board has been conducting the SAT exam for 100years.When this author asked Rushi about the reasons he assigned for this US-specific decline, he cited "changing geopolitical conditions." Different countries create or remove policies, which send different signals. As a result of this, families take time to reflect and re-assess, adjust accordingly, he reasoned.Interestingly, the 2024-26 period broadly coincides with the ongoing Trump Presidency 2.0. Donald Trump and his officials and supporters have repeatedly made hostile speeches and blatantly racist public remarks against India and its people, while the policies of the Trump administration have further cemented this animosity towards India. It is widely acknowledged that hateful and racist content targeting Indians has been spreading rampantly on controversial US tech mogul Elon Musk's social media platform X(formerly Twitter). Several accounts linked with Elon Musk and Trump's MAGA political movement are known to be creating and spreading such content targeting Indians.Queried if such a decline in Indian student applications to the US was unprecedented, College Board's VP told this author that similar trends were seen during the 2008-10 economic slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, both of which were major global disruptions and crises.Asked if he saw this US-aversion among a section of Indian students as a temporary or a long-term trend, Sheth replied that he was not a politician and that he did not have a qualified opinion on future policies or geopolitical conditions. "About one generation ago, I imagine most Indian students thought of the SAT as a one-way ticket to the United States. And today, that is no longer true. The SAT is more of a global passport, and I don't think that will ever reverse," he added.<h2>Amid decline in US applications, where are Indian students heading?</h2>Referring to the 2024-26 period, Rushi mentioned that the number of Indian students taking the SAT had risen during the period. While there has been a drop in applications going to the US, Indian students are applying in larger numbers to Universities in the UK, European Union, Canada, Singapore, among other destinations, he added."The one country that's really surprising us with how fast it's growing is Australia... For Indian student applications, Australia has now replaced Canada as the number two destination after the United States. Within the Group of Eight, which are some of the most selective and highly prestigious universities in Australia, six of eight universities give unconditional offers to students based on their SAT scores. That's among the reasons driving this spike in applications heading for Australia," shared Rushi.Further, he expressed surprise to see Japan as a trending destination among Indian students. He explained that the Japanese government is welcoming talented young men and young women from India to attend university, to learn, to help build jobs that are in high demand and to enter the workforce in Japan. We are seeing more SAT scores heading to Japan than we'd ever seen historically, he said.When asked about the growth of the SAT exam globally, he said that they are seeing huge uptake in China, India, Vietnam, Egypt, and Uzbekistan.<h2>SAT scores are accepted in a few Indian Universities</h2>According to data from College Board, there has been a rise in the number of Indian students taking the SAT, and a small number of those students are sending their applications to Indian universities that are accepting SAT score-based admission. "There are now 70 universities in India which are accepting the SAT score. Flame and Ashoka are among the Indian universities accepting SAT scores", Rushi added.Asked specifically if the $111 fee for taking the SAT, plus the associated coaching charges, is affordable for a vast majority of Indian students who wish to apply to Indian universities that accept SAT, Rushi said that SAT has created some partnerships in India to give fee waivers for the SAT registration for students who can demonstrate financial need. "Generally, students who can demonstrate family income of less than 8 lakh rupees are eligible for a reduced fee waiver or a full fee waiver. Students can also access free SAT practice tests online, based on the results of which they can decide their approach towards taking the SAT," he said.Further, he mentioned that SAT has more than 200 Test centres in India presently, compared to barely 50 metrocity-centric centres about two decades ago.&nbsp;<h2>In the era of all-pervasive AI, is SAT using AI to assess students?</h2>According to Vice President Rushi Sheth, College Board, like any company, is experimenting with AI, but SAT still very much has human design at the centre. "Being a multiple-choice test, machines can score a multiple-choice test, not only for our SAT, but just about any assessment company. With AI, we are still looking into what it can do in terms of evaluation or insights. And these are very exciting technologies. There's nothing that we have even come close to perfecting. And so we will not deploy anything to a student unless it has evidence-based research that supports the value. But we do think, hopefully, AI will allow us to deliver more value to students in terms of insights, career readiness mechanisms, or just new and novel ways of testing. So it's early for us, as I imagine it is for most people, but we're excited to experiment," he elaborated.&nbsp;

According to data from College Board, there has been a rise in the number of Indian students taking the SAT, and a small number of those students are sending their applications to Indian universities that are accepting SAT score-based admission.

While the US remains the top destination for Indian students wanting to pursue Undergraduate-level courses abroad, there has been a 10 per cent decline in Indian student applications to the country between 2024-26, SAT entrance exam data shows. "Three years ago, about 80 to 85percent of Indian students' SAT scores were heading to the United States. Now in 2026, that 80 to 85percent is closer to 70 to 75 per cent. So within three years, a 10percent drop, which to us is significant," Mr Rushi Sheth, Vice President, College Board, highlighted in a conversation with this author. College Board has been conducting the SAT exam for 100years. When this author asked Rushi about the reasons he assigned for this US-specific decline, he cited "changing geopolitical conditions." Different countries create or remove policies, which send different signals. As a result of this, families take time to reflect and re-assess, adjust accordingly, he reasoned. Interestingly, the 2024-26 period broadly coincides with the ongoing Trump Presidency 2.0. Donald Trump and his officials and supporters have repeatedly made hostile speeches and blatantly racist public remarks against India and its people, while the policies of the Trump administration have further cemented this animosity towards India. It is widely acknowledged that hateful and racist content targeting Indians has been spreading rampantly on controversial US tech mogul Elon Musk's social media platform X(formerly Twitter). Several accounts linked with Elon Musk and Trump's MAGA political movement are known to be creating and spreading such content targeting Indians. Queried if such a decline in Indian student applications to the US was unprecedented, College Board's VP told this author that similar trends were seen during the 2008-10 economic slowdown and the COVID-19 pandemic, both of which were major global disruptions and crises. Asked if he saw this US-aversion among a section of Indian students as a temporary or a long-term trend, Sheth replied that he was not a politician and that he did not have a qualified opinion on future policies or geopolitical conditions. "About one generation ago, I imagine most Indian students thought of the SAT as a one-way ticket to the United States. And today, that is no longer true. The SAT is more of a global passport, and I don't think that will ever reverse," he added. Amid decline in US applications, where are Indian students heading? Referring to the 2024-26 period, Rushi mentioned that the number of Indian students taking the SAT had risen during the period. While there has been a drop in applications going to the US, Indian students are applying in larger numbers to Universities in the UK, European Union, Canada, Singapore, among other destinations, he added. "The one country that's really surprising us with how fast it's growing is Australia... For Indian student applications, Australia has now replaced Canada as the number two destination after the United States. Within the Group of Eight, which are some of the most selective and highly prestigious universities in Australia, six of eight universities give unconditional offers to students based on their SAT scores. That's among the reasons driving this spike in applications heading for Australia," shared Rushi. Further, he expressed surprise to see Japan as a trending destination among Indian students. He explained that the Japanese government is welcoming talented young men and young women from India to attend university, to learn, to help build jobs that are in high demand and to enter the workforce in Japan. We are seeing more SAT scores heading to Japan than we'd ever seen historically, he said. When asked about the growth of the SAT exam globally, he said that they are seeing huge uptake in China, India, Vietnam, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. SAT scores are accepted in a few Indian Universities According to data from College Board, there has been a rise in the number of Indian students taking the SAT, and a small number of those students are sending their applications to Indian universities that are accepting SAT score-based admission. "There are now 70 universities in India which are accepting the SAT score. Flame and Ashoka are among the Indian universities accepting SAT scores", Rushi added. Asked specifically if the $111 fee for taking the SAT, plus the associated coaching charges, is affordable for a vast majority of Indian students who wish to apply to Indian universities that accept SAT, Rushi said that SAT has created some partnerships in India to give fee waivers for the SAT registration for students who can demonstrate financial need. "Generally, students who can demonstrate family income of less than 8 lakh rupees are eligible for a reduced fee waiver or a full fee waiver. Students can also access free SAT practice tests online, based on the results of which they can decide their approach towards taking the SAT," he said. Further, he mentioned that SAT has more than 200 Test centres in India presently, compared to barely 50 metrocity-centric centres about two decades ago. In the era of all-pervasive AI, is SAT using AI to assess students? According to Vice President Rushi Sheth, College Board, like any company, is experimenting with AI, but SAT still very much has human design at the centre. "Being a multiple-choice test, machines can score a multiple-choice test, not only for our SAT, but just about any assessment company. With AI, we are still looking into what it can do in terms of evaluation or insights. And these are very exciting technologies. There's nothing that we have even come close to perfecting. And so we will not deploy anything to a student unless it has evidence-based research that supports the value. But we do think, hopefully, AI will allow us to deliver more value to students in terms of insights, career readiness mechanisms, or just new and novel ways of testing. So it's early for us, as I imagine it is for most people, but we're excited to experiment," he elaborated.

According to data from College Board, there has been a rise in the number of Indian students taking the SAT, and a small number of those students are sending their applications to Indian universities that are accepting SAT score-based admission.

Trump's racism? 10% drop in Indian applications to US Universities in 3 yrs

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in what was CM Vijay's first visit to the neighbouring state. According to the Tamil Nadu Government, the two Chief Ministers discussed crucial issues pertaining to water resources: linking of the Godavari and Cauvery rivers, the release of Krishna River water from Andhra to cater for Chennai's drinking water requirements.&nbsp;Speaking to his Andhra counterpart, Chief Minister Vijay highlighted that Tamil Nadu is a state which is naturally deficient in surface water resources and that it is dependent on neighbouring states for 30 per cent of its water requirements. Citing this, he added that the Godavari-Cauvery river linking project offers a significant opportunity for both states to increase water availability for their people.&nbsp;Further, Vijay went on to highlight that this river linking project would go on to benefit all southern Indian states, support agriculture and strengthen drinking water security. Mentioning that he had already requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare this as a project of national importance, Chief Minister Vijay requested his Andhra counterpart to take forward the proposal.&nbsp;With regard to the water needs of Chennai city, Chief Minister Vijay also held discussions with Chief Minister Naidu over the additional release of Krishna River water. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister emphasised that Krishna River water from Andhra Pradesh is crucial for the drinking water needs of Chennai city and that the city's five reservoirs are at barely 35 per cent capacity at present. Citing this, Vijay requested Naidu to ensure additional release of water.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/don-t-blame-sir-congress-will-lose-2029-too-amit-shah-tells-rahul-gandhi-after-gujarat-local-poll-results-1791908192200">‘Don’t blame SIR, Congress will lose 2029 too’: Amit Shah tells Rahul Gandhi after Gujarat local poll results</a>&nbsp;To this, Chief Minister Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh has already released 4.08 TMC of water to Chennai this year. "Despite our own water constraints, we remain committed to supporting our neighbouring state, while balancing the needs of our people. I firmly believe that water should be a source of cooperation, not conflict. With close coordination among states and the support of the Union Government, the Godavari–Cauvery river interlinking project can provide a lasting solution to water scarcity, transform agriculture and bring prosperity to lakhs of farmers across South India," he added.&nbsp;Tamil Nadu's Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna, Water Resources Minister N. Anand, Andhra's Human Resources Development &amp; IT Minister Nara Lokesh, and Water Resources Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu were among those present during the meeting between the two Chief Ministers.&nbsp;Vijay began his Vijayawada visit by offering prayers at the Sri Kanakadurga temple, following which he met Chief Minister Naidu, and later the two leaders participated in the 'Vijayawada Utsav' event held in the Punnami Ghat area. This is Vijay's first visit to a neighbouring state to discuss water sharing and related issues. In August, Vijay was to travel to neighbouring Karnataka to discuss the Cauvery River water-sharing issue and the Mekedatu dam dispute with CM DK Shivakumar, but that visit did not materialise owing to the tense situation that prevailed at the time.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay met his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada to discuss the Godavari-Cauvery river linking project and additional Krishna River water releases to meet Chennai's drinking water needs.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in what was CM Vijay's first visit to the neighbouring state. According to the Tamil Nadu Government, the two Chief Ministers discussed crucial issues pertaining to water resources: linking of the Godavari and Cauvery rivers, the release of Krishna River water from Andhra to cater for Chennai's drinking water requirements. Speaking to his Andhra counterpart, Chief Minister Vijay highlighted that Tamil Nadu is a state which is naturally deficient in surface water resources and that it is dependent on neighbouring states for 30 per cent of its water requirements. Citing this, he added that the Godavari-Cauvery river linking project offers a significant opportunity for both states to increase water availability for their people. Further, Vijay went on to highlight that this river linking project would go on to benefit all southern Indian states, support agriculture and strengthen drinking water security. Mentioning that he had already requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare this as a project of national importance, Chief Minister Vijay requested his Andhra counterpart to take forward the proposal. With regard to the water needs of Chennai city, Chief Minister Vijay also held discussions with Chief Minister Naidu over the additional release of Krishna River water. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister emphasised that Krishna River water from Andhra Pradesh is crucial for the drinking water needs of Chennai city and that the city's five reservoirs are at barely 35 per cent capacity at present. Citing this, Vijay requested Naidu to ensure additional release of water. Also Read: ‘Don’t blame SIR, Congress will lose 2029 too’: Amit Shah tells Rahul Gandhi after Gujarat local poll results To this, Chief Minister Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh has already released 4.08 TMC of water to Chennai this year. "Despite our own water constraints, we remain committed to supporting our neighbouring state, while balancing the needs of our people. I firmly believe that water should be a source of cooperation, not conflict. With close coordination among states and the support of the Union Government, the Godavari–Cauvery river interlinking project can provide a lasting solution to water scarcity, transform agriculture and bring prosperity to lakhs of farmers across South India," he added. Tamil Nadu's Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna, Water Resources Minister N. Anand, Andhra's Human Resources Development & IT Minister Nara Lokesh, and Water Resources Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu were among those present during the meeting between the two Chief Ministers. Vijay began his Vijayawada visit by offering prayers at the Sri Kanakadurga temple, following which he met Chief Minister Naidu, and later the two leaders participated in the 'Vijayawada Utsav' event held in the Punnami Ghat area. This is Vijay's first visit to a neighbouring state to discuss water sharing and related issues. In August, Vijay was to travel to neighbouring Karnataka to discuss the Cauvery River water-sharing issue and the Mekedatu dam dispute with CM DK Shivakumar, but that visit did not materialise owing to the tense situation that prevailed at the time.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay met his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada to discuss the Godavari-Cauvery river linking project and additional Krishna River water releases to meet Chennai's drinking water needs.

CMs Vijay-Naidu meet in Vijayawada, discuss water sharing, river-linking

India's wind energy sector delivered its best-yet performance in 2025 with annual installation exceeding 6.05GW in 2025-26, while it is expected to surpass 8GW in 2026-27, said India's Minister for New &amp; Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi. Citing the growing year-on-year wind energy capacity building, he expressed optimism that the country is likely to have over 100GW of wind power generation capacity by 2030. Joshi spoke at Windergy India 2026, the flagship event of the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (ITWMA), which brings together government officials, industry leaders, manufacturers, investors, technology providers to discuss the scale-up the growth of wind energy generation in the country.&nbsp;At present, India has an installed wind energy generation capacity of 59.2GW, while projects with a total generation capacity of 43GW remain under construction, which will help reach the 2030 target of exceeding 100GW of power from wind energy alone. For achieving this, the industry is working to scale up annual capacity addition by 9GW in 2027, 10GW in 2028, 12GW in 2029, and 13.2GW in 2032.&nbsp;"In 2023, India had barely 12GW of annual wind energy hardware manufacturing capacity, while the latest capacity puts us at 24GW. With exports reaching Rs.12,800cr in 2025-26, nearly 50% up from the previous year, India can significantly expand its global footprint," said Girish Tanti, Chairman, Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (ITWMA).&nbsp;However, he also highlighted that India's share of global wind turbine exports stood at barely 2%, and that the goal is for India to capture 10% of the global market, by making wind turbines, components, related technology and engineering.&nbsp;&nbsp;Government data from mid-2026 shows that India's total installed power generation capacity reached 555GW, of which 46% comes from fossil fuels, 30% comes from solar, 10% from wind, 10% from hydro, and 1.6% from nuclear, among others.&nbsp;Sharing Global Wind report data on how the installed capacity for wind energy generation has grown globally over the last decade, ITWMA pointed out that it went from 433GW in 2015 to 745GW in 2020, and then 1,299GW in 2025. If this trend of growing wind power capacity addition continues, the installed capacity could reach 2,268GW globally, they added.&nbsp;As an indication of how wind power is being widely adopted across geographies, ITWMA cited that 57 nations installed over 28,300 wind turbines in 2025 alone. As for wind energy's share in the world's total energy supply, it was around 2.5% in the year 2015 and has now risen to 8.5%, it was added.&nbsp;This has also been made possible due to the increasing size and power generation capacity of turbines: up from 2MW turbines a decade ago to now 4.7MW turbines with rotor diameters of 160 metres.

As an indication of how wind power is being widely adopted across geographies, ITWMA cited that 57 nations installed over 28,300 wind turbines in 2025 alone. As for wind energy's share in the world's total energy supply, it was around 2.5% in the year 2015 and has now risen to 8.5%. 

India's wind energy sector delivered its best-yet performance in 2025 with annual installation exceeding 6.05GW in 2025-26, while it is expected to surpass 8GW in 2026-27, said India's Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi. Citing the growing year-on-year wind energy capacity building, he expressed optimism that the country is likely to have over 100GW of wind power generation capacity by 2030. Joshi spoke at Windergy India 2026, the flagship event of the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (ITWMA), which brings together government officials, industry leaders, manufacturers, investors, technology providers to discuss the scale-up the growth of wind energy generation in the country. At present, India has an installed wind energy generation capacity of 59.2GW, while projects with a total generation capacity of 43GW remain under construction, which will help reach the 2030 target of exceeding 100GW of power from wind energy alone. For achieving this, the industry is working to scale up annual capacity addition by 9GW in 2027, 10GW in 2028, 12GW in 2029, and 13.2GW in 2032. "In 2023, India had barely 12GW of annual wind energy hardware manufacturing capacity, while the latest capacity puts us at 24GW. With exports reaching Rs.12,800cr in 2025-26, nearly 50% up from the previous year, India can significantly expand its global footprint," said Girish Tanti, Chairman, Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (ITWMA). However, he also highlighted that India's share of global wind turbine exports stood at barely 2%, and that the goal is for India to capture 10% of the global market, by making wind turbines, components, related technology and engineering. Government data from mid-2026 shows that India's total installed power generation capacity reached 555GW, of which 46% comes from fossil fuels, 30% comes from solar, 10% from wind, 10% from hydro, and 1.6% from nuclear, among others. Sharing Global Wind report data on how the installed capacity for wind energy generation has grown globally over the last decade, ITWMA pointed out that it went from 433GW in 2015 to 745GW in 2020, and then 1,299GW in 2025. If this trend of growing wind power capacity addition continues, the installed capacity could reach 2,268GW globally, they added. As an indication of how wind power is being widely adopted across geographies, ITWMA cited that 57 nations installed over 28,300 wind turbines in 2025 alone. As for wind energy's share in the world's total energy supply, it was around 2.5% in the year 2015 and has now risen to 8.5%, it was added. This has also been made possible due to the increasing size and power generation capacity of turbines: up from 2MW turbines a decade ago to now 4.7MW turbines with rotor diameters of 160 metres.

As an indication of how wind power is being widely adopted across geographies, ITWMA cited that 57 nations installed over 28,300 wind turbines in 2025 alone. As for wind energy's share in the world's total energy supply, it was around 2.5% in the year 2015 and has now risen to 8.5%.&nbsp;

‘India on track to have 100GW wind power capacity by 2030; 8GW to be added in 2026’

As Prime Minister Modi Visited Chennai on Sunday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a host of infrastructure projects, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay used the opportunity to request Modi for further Central Government support and approvals for projects spanning metro rail, six-laning of highways, and unconditional release of funds. This is PM Modi's first visit to Tamil Nadu after Vijay's TVK-led Coalition government assumed office in May.After receiving PM Modi at the Chennai airport, Vijay accompanied him to the Porur metro station that awaited inauguration. After flagging off the train, Modi and Vijay travelled on the metro along the newly opened route, following which they attended a Government event at the IIT Madras campus.Speaking at the Government function, Vijay said, “Our Govt has transformed the political landscape and ushered in a new political chapter in Tamil Nadu. Having successfully completed 100+ days, we are striving to establish a corruption-free and transparent admin rooted in social justice. Our focus is on delivering inclusive growth that offers Education, Healthcare, farmer and fishermen welfare, overall economic growth.”Highlighting the message of cooperative federalism, CM Vijay said: Strong states make a strong India. Tamil Nadu has always been a foundation for economic, social and cultural progress of India. When the Union and State governments work together, it should reflect in people's lives, he added.During his speech, CM Vijay stated that the Godavari-Cauvery river linkage project is an important opportunity that helps augment water resources in Southern states. He urged the Union Government to take it up as a national project on priority. Further, he also touched upon the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Resolution that sought permission to use Tamil language for official purposes in Madras High Court proceedings. He added that a similar proposal had been sent to the President of India.CM Vijay requested PM Modi to release Rs.5,110cr of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan(SSA) Central funds for school education, without any conditions. The Union Ministry of Education had linked the release of these funds to Tamil Nadu implementing provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including the three-language formula and signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for PM-SHRI schools. Tamil Nadu has consistently refused to adopt the three-language formula or the NEP, arguing that states should not be compelled or penalised with withheld educational funding over policy disagreementsFurther, Vijay requested approval for three new routes under Phase 3 of the Chennai Metro rail project, adding that it would improve connectivity, strengthen public transport and ensure comprehensive coverage of the Chennai metropolitan area. He also requested the Union Government to reconsider metro rail projects for Madurai and Coimbatore cities, and approve an inter-state metro between Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bommasandra in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Further, he requested approval for high-speed railway corridors connecting Chennai-Kanyakumari and Chennai-Coimbatore, and six-laning of highways within Tamil Nadu.

During his speech, CM Vijay stated that the Godavari-Cauvery river linkage project is and important opportunity that helps augment water resources in Southern states. He urged the Union Government to take it up as a national project on priority.

As Prime Minister Modi Visited Chennai on Sunday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for a host of infrastructure projects, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay used the opportunity to request Modi for further Central Government support and approvals for projects spanning metro rail, six-laning of highways, and unconditional release of funds. This is PM Modi's first visit to Tamil Nadu after Vijay's TVK-led Coalition government assumed office in May. After receiving PM Modi at the Chennai airport, Vijay accompanied him to the Porur metro station that awaited inauguration. After flagging off the train, Modi and Vijay travelled on the metro along the newly opened route, following which they attended a Government event at the IIT Madras campus. Speaking at the Government function, Vijay said, “Our Govt has transformed the political landscape and ushered in a new political chapter in Tamil Nadu. Having successfully completed 100+ days, we are striving to establish a corruption-free and transparent admin rooted in social justice. Our focus is on delivering inclusive growth that offers Education, Healthcare, farmer and fishermen welfare, overall economic growth.” Highlighting the message of cooperative federalism, CM Vijay said: Strong states make a strong India. Tamil Nadu has always been a foundation for economic, social and cultural progress of India. When the Union and State governments work together, it should reflect in people's lives, he added. During his speech, CM Vijay stated that the Godavari-Cauvery river linkage project is an important opportunity that helps augment water resources in Southern states. He urged the Union Government to take it up as a national project on priority. Further, he also touched upon the Tamil Nadu State Assembly Resolution that sought permission to use Tamil language for official purposes in Madras High Court proceedings. He added that a similar proposal had been sent to the President of India. CM Vijay requested PM Modi to release Rs.5,110cr of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan(SSA) Central funds for school education, without any conditions. The Union Ministry of Education had linked the release of these funds to Tamil Nadu implementing provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including the three-language formula and signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for PM-SHRI schools. Tamil Nadu has consistently refused to adopt the three-language formula or the NEP, arguing that states should not be compelled or penalised with withheld educational funding over policy disagreements Further, Vijay requested approval for three new routes under Phase 3 of the Chennai Metro rail project, adding that it would improve connectivity, strengthen public transport and ensure comprehensive coverage of the Chennai metropolitan area. He also requested the Union Government to reconsider metro rail projects for Madurai and Coimbatore cities, and approve an inter-state metro between Hosur in Tamil Nadu and Bommasandra in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Further, he requested approval for high-speed railway corridors connecting Chennai-Kanyakumari and Chennai-Coimbatore, and six-laning of highways within Tamil Nadu.

During his speech, CM Vijay stated that the Godavari-Cauvery river linkage project is an important opportunity that helps augment water resources in Southern states. He urged the Union Government to take it up as a national project on priority.

CM Vijay to PM Modi: Release pending Central funds, provide infra approvals

India-Taiwan trade in the January-August period of 2026 has grown 61% from the trade data recorded in Jan-Aug 2025. Sharing the trade data, Stephen Hsu, Director General of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Centre(TECC) in Chennai, highlighted that the Jan-Aug trade in 2025 was $8bn and that the first eight months of 2026 have already seen $12.9bn worth of trade. Hsu was speaking at the 115th ROC (Taiwan) National Day Reception in Chennai, attended by representatives from all the Southern Indian states. Over 350 Taiwanese companies have invested in India, creating more than 200,000 jobs. Approximately two-thirds of these Taiwanese companies are located in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The event was attended by Members of Parliament, government officials, MLAs, academics, and business leaders from the region.&nbsp;Comparing the growing trade, Hsu pointed out that the total value was $12.5bn in all of 2025, while the first eight months of 2026 had already witnessed $12.9bn worth of trade. Based on this trend, he suggested that the total trade value in 2026 is likely to go beyond $15bn. He emphasised that Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, and green-energy technologies complement India’s strengths in talent, market size, and manufacturing capabilities. By working together, Taiwan and India can build stronger and more resilient supply chains.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/france-protests-how-a-gen-z-school-movement-turned-into-a-political-war-the-verdict-1791395057754">France protests: How a Gen Z school movement turned into a political war | The Verdict</a>&nbsp;Touching upon the importance of educational exchanges between Taiwan and India, Hsu said there are 45 Taiwan Education Centres (TECs) across India, including 18 in South India, of which 12 are in Tamil Nadu. Since June 2026, TECC in Chennai has, for the first time, partnered with local universities to provide internship opportunities for Indian students. The program enables students to gain a better understanding of diplomatic work, participate in TECC activities, gain first-hand exposure to diplomatic practice, acquire practical experience, and broaden their international perspectives.&nbsp;"TECC in Chennai has so far recruited 20 interns, two of whom have expressed their aspiration to become Indian diplomats in the future", he added. Director-General Hsu said he was honoured to contribute to the development of young Indian talent, emphasising that “diplomacy is not only about governments; it is also about people.” Looking ahead, TECC Chennai’s core mission is to continue strengthening the IT (India &amp; Taiwan) partnership.&nbsp;In his address, Chief Guest S. Vijayakumar, the head of the Indian Foreign Ministry's Branch Secretariat in Chennai, noted that bilateral relations between Taiwan and India have grown steadily in recent years, with economic and trade exchanges showing particularly significant progress. He emphasised that India's Act East Policy seeks to create greater synergies in areas including economy, technology, green energy, supply chains, and talent exchanges.&nbsp;&nbsp;He noted that Tamil Nadu enjoys highly favourable conditions for development and said that he had personally witnessed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chennai's active efforts to promote exchanges in talent and other fields with stakeholders across the state. He therefore welcomed Director-General Hsu's vision of "Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu" and expressed his strong support for its realisation in the region.

India-Taiwan trade reached $12.9 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up from $8 billion in the same period of 2025, as Taiwanese investment and cooperation in areas including semiconductors, ICT, AI and advanced manufacturing continue to expand.

India-Taiwan trade in the January-August period of 2026 has grown 61% from the trade data recorded in Jan-Aug 2025. Sharing the trade data, Stephen Hsu, Director General of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Centre(TECC) in Chennai, highlighted that the Jan-Aug trade in 2025 was $8bn and that the first eight months of 2026 have already seen $12.9bn worth of trade. Hsu was speaking at the 115th ROC (Taiwan) National Day Reception in Chennai, attended by representatives from all the Southern Indian states. Over 350 Taiwanese companies have invested in India, creating more than 200,000 jobs. Approximately two-thirds of these Taiwanese companies are located in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The event was attended by Members of Parliament, government officials, MLAs, academics, and business leaders from the region. Comparing the growing trade, Hsu pointed out that the total value was $12.5bn in all of 2025, while the first eight months of 2026 had already witnessed $12.9bn worth of trade. Based on this trend, he suggested that the total trade value in 2026 is likely to go beyond $15bn. He emphasised that Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, and green-energy technologies complement India’s strengths in talent, market size, and manufacturing capabilities. By working together, Taiwan and India can build stronger and more resilient supply chains. Also Read: France protests: How a Gen Z school movement turned into a political war | The Verdict Touching upon the importance of educational exchanges between Taiwan and India, Hsu said there are 45 Taiwan Education Centres (TECs) across India, including 18 in South India, of which 12 are in Tamil Nadu. Since June 2026, TECC in Chennai has, for the first time, partnered with local universities to provide internship opportunities for Indian students. The program enables students to gain a better understanding of diplomatic work, participate in TECC activities, gain first-hand exposure to diplomatic practice, acquire practical experience, and broaden their international perspectives. "TECC in Chennai has so far recruited 20 interns, two of whom have expressed their aspiration to become Indian diplomats in the future", he added. Director-General Hsu said he was honoured to contribute to the development of young Indian talent, emphasising that “diplomacy is not only about governments; it is also about people.” Looking ahead, TECC Chennai’s core mission is to continue strengthening the IT (India & Taiwan) partnership. In his address, Chief Guest S. Vijayakumar, the head of the Indian Foreign Ministry's Branch Secretariat in Chennai, noted that bilateral relations between Taiwan and India have grown steadily in recent years, with economic and trade exchanges showing particularly significant progress. He emphasised that India's Act East Policy seeks to create greater synergies in areas including economy, technology, green energy, supply chains, and talent exchanges. He noted that Tamil Nadu enjoys highly favourable conditions for development and said that he had personally witnessed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chennai's active efforts to promote exchanges in talent and other fields with stakeholders across the state. He therefore welcomed Director-General Hsu's vision of "Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu" and expressed his strong support for its realisation in the region.

India-Taiwan trade reached $12.9 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up from $8 billion in the same period of 2025, as Taiwanese investment and cooperation in areas including semiconductors, ICT, AI and advanced manufacturing continue to expand.

India-Taiwan trade up 61%: Jan-Aug total was $8bn in 2025; $12.9bn in 2026

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay launched the "Vettri Payanam"(Victory Journey) scheme, expanding the state government initiative to provide free bus transport for all women in Government buses. Taking part in the launch event in Chennai's Koyambedu Bus Terminal, Vijay boarded buses to hand over free-of-cost tickets to women passengers. According to the Government, nearly 85 lakh women would benefit from this welfare measure on a daily basis.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking at the event, Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said that a woman's journey is not just about her progress, and that it would help her family and the progress of society as a whole. He highlighted that bus transport cost should not be a barrier for women to avail education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and for progressing in life. According to the government, there is no income barrier for a woman willing to avail this benefit, as it applies to all women. Further, there will be no cap on the number of bus journeys that they can avail in a day.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-assigns-standard-names-to-28-ladakh-places-move-counters-chinese-claims-in-the-region-1790926955375">India assigns standard names to 28 Ladakh places, move counters Chinese claims in the region</a>&nbsp;In August, during the budget session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Chief Minister Vijay had announced the decision to expand the women's fare-free travel scheme in a manner that would benefit more individuals. This is being done in line with the idea of ​​social justice, and that no woman living in any part of Tamil Nadu should lose her opportunities due to transport fares, Vijay had said. He had then announced that the scheme would be rolled out from October 2nd, the birth anniversary of India's Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.&nbsp;According to the Government, women were earlier allowed to travel free of charge only up to 40 km in metropolitan, urban ordinary buses and hilly areas. Presently, the scheme has been expanded to include Express, LSS, Deluxe government buses, suburban ordinary buses (Mofussil Ordinary) and hilly area ordinary buses (Ghat Ordinary) of more than 40 km operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations in metropolitan and urban areas, making it possible for around 85 lakh women to travel at no cost in a total of 12,695 buses daily. &nbsp;

Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said that a woman's journey is not just about her progress, but that it would help her family and the progress of society as a whole. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay launched the "Vettri Payanam"(Victory Journey) scheme, expanding the state government initiative to provide free bus transport for all women in Government buses. Taking part in the launch event in Chennai's Koyambedu Bus Terminal, Vijay boarded buses to hand over free-of-cost tickets to women passengers. According to the Government, nearly 85 lakh women would benefit from this welfare measure on a daily basis. Speaking at the event, Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said that a woman's journey is not just about her progress, and that it would help her family and the progress of society as a whole. He highlighted that bus transport cost should not be a barrier for women to avail education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and for progressing in life. According to the government, there is no income barrier for a woman willing to avail this benefit, as it applies to all women. Further, there will be no cap on the number of bus journeys that they can avail in a day. Also read: India assigns standard names to 28 Ladakh places, move counters Chinese claims in the region In August, during the budget session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Chief Minister Vijay had announced the decision to expand the women's fare-free travel scheme in a manner that would benefit more individuals. This is being done in line with the idea of social justice, and that no woman living in any part of Tamil Nadu should lose her opportunities due to transport fares, Vijay had said. He had then announced that the scheme would be rolled out from October 2nd, the birth anniversary of India's Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. According to the Government, women were earlier allowed to travel free of charge only up to 40 km in metropolitan, urban ordinary buses and hilly areas. Presently, the scheme has been expanded to include Express, LSS, Deluxe government buses, suburban ordinary buses (Mofussil Ordinary) and hilly area ordinary buses (Ghat Ordinary) of more than 40 km operated by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations in metropolitan and urban areas, making it possible for around 85 lakh women to travel at no cost in a total of 12,695 buses daily.

Transport Minister Vijay Tamilan Parthiban said that a woman's journey is not just about her progress, but that it would help her family and the progress of society as a whole.&nbsp;

CM Vijay expands free bus travel scheme; 85 lakh women to benefit daily: Govt

As Indian spacefaring rocketry is going through its most concerning and complicated slowdown in recent years (three launches in 2026: two government launches and one private launch), payloads from four Indian startups will by flying to space on Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket. The four payloads from the Indian startups (TakeMe2Space, EON Space Labs, SatLeo Labs, DhruvaSpace), will be among 130 that are scheduled to reach Low Earth orbit (about 500kms above Earth) in the wee hours Indian time, Friday, (2nd October). The mission titled 'Transporter 18' is reportedly the 110th flight of the Falcon 9 rocket in this year. For context, India's highest number of launches (space launches and tests) were witnessed in the years 2018 and 2023, when government-run ISRO executed eight and seven launches, respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;The three rockets that launched from Indian soil this year are: ISRO PSLV-C62 that launched in January; private firm Skyroot Aerospace Vikram-1 that launched in July; ISRO GSLV-F17 that launched in September. The PSLV-C62 mission was a mid-flight failure, which led to the loss of all 15 satellites from India and abroad. This failure was also similar to the PSLV-C61 failure that took place in May 2025. The repeat failure of ISRO's workhorse PSLV rockets and the related probe are some among the many reasons that have slowed down the launch pace.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Indian payloads riding on SpaceX Transporter-18 mission</h2>&nbsp;<h3>MIRA Earth-imager by EON Space Labs</h3>&nbsp;EON Space Labs which has been developing electro-optical imaging systems for Earth-observation and surveillance is flying its miniaturised space telescope 'MIRA' to space. It is integrated with Indian startup TakeMe2Space’s MOI-1A satellite that will capture and process images in space. Weighing merely 502 grams, 'MIRA' enables imaging that supports diverse applications such as agriculture, marine, mining, supply-chain management and insurance.&nbsp;Punit Badeka, Co-founder, EON Space Labs told this author that the firm is building the entire optics in-house, with the goal of reducing import dependence on optical imaging technologies. He added that they are leveraging their patented technology to build ultra-long-range electro-optical imaging systems for the Indian Army and Indian Navy.&nbsp;MIRA flew on the ISRO PSLV-C62 mission which failed in January 2026. Punit recalled that it took over three years to develop the technology, while it took six months to build 'MIRA' for the first time. If we import an imaging system, it takes at least six months to get it. Queried about how they bounced back from the failure and re-built the hardware, he said that it now takes about four or six weeks to build the imaging hardware at their facility and that they are able to do it at scale. Given the very nature of space tech, we had contingency plans in place.&nbsp;<h3>'MOI-1A' in-orbit data processing satellite by TakeMe2Space</h3>&nbsp;Earth-imaging satellites capture vast amounts of data when passing over their areas of interest. However, that massive quantity of data has to be sent back to Earth and then it has to be filtered and analyzed to derive meaningful insights, a time consuming process. While this may seem practical for some purposes, it does not support the needs of defence and certain time-bound commercial applications. "What if the data captured and stored in the satellite, can be processed by an AI model running on the satellite? Then, we can access only the relevant information and send that specific, small quantity data to the user on Earth. This significantly saves time and also reduces the amount of data that needs to be sent down," Ronak Kumar Samantray, Founder and CEO, TakeMe2Space explained to this author.&nbsp;According to the firm, their 14-kg satellite carries 117 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of onboard computing capacity, 2 TB of storage and a nine-band multispectral imager supplied by EON Space Labs. These capabilities are designed support applications such as agricultural monitoring, mining and supply-chain intelligence.&nbsp;&nbsp;The company said it has signed up 23 customers for its in-orbit inference services. The upcoming mission marks a step towards commercial delivery of these services and the company’s longer-term development of orbital computing infrastructure.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>'TAPAS-1' by SatLeo Labs: Thermal Infrared imaging from space</h3>&nbsp;'TAPAS-1' (Thermal Access Platform for Analytics &amp; Solutions), developed by SatLeo Labs, is a commercial CubeSat-category thermal payload. It uses Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensing, to capture temperature information invisible to conventional optical imagery, enabling in-orbit demonstration and validation of SatLeo's technology.According to the firm, this mission lays the foundation for their next-generation thermal intelligence platforms, with applications spanning climate monitoring, agriculture, urban heat mapping, disaster management, and infrastructure monitoring, and represents a key step toward PYRO, SatLeo's flagship thermal constellation."Our payload weighs about 1.5kg and it is flying on Indian firm DhruvaSpace Leap 2 satellite platform. Thermal data of Earth's surface that we capture from space can be used for monitoring agriculture, forest fires, urban landscapes, heat index, and even defence applications. It can also be used to identify some issues in the power transmission infrastructure," explained Ranendu Ghosh, a former ISRO Scientist, who is the co-founder and CTO of Satleo Labs.&nbsp;<h3>LEAP-2 by Dhruva Space</h3>&nbsp;According to the firm, 'Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads - 2' (LEAP-2) is Dhruva Space’s second commercial endeavour on the P-30 satellite platform, hosting multiple In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) missions for global customers: a star tracker by France-based Sodern ArianeGroup; and TAPAS-1 by India-based Satleo Labs.Dhruva Space has also undertaken the end-to-end launch integration of the LEAP-2 satellite with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle, building on its experience with LEAP-1, where Dhruva Space became the first private Indian company to undertake the launch vehicle integration of its satellite in-house, it was added.LEAP-2 will also be supported by Dhruva Space’s growing global ground infrastructure, including its owned and operated ground station in Luleå, Sweden; the first NGE-owned and operated ground station outside India, authorised by the Government of India to provide Ground-Station-as-a-Service, the firm said.&nbsp;<h2>Why Indian startups chose to fly on a SpaceX rocket?</h2>&nbsp;Queried about their Satleo Labs' choice of a foreign launch vehicle, Ranendu pointed out that they did not find any option in India in accordance with their requirements. However, he added that they were in talks with ISRO's commercial arm NSIL for launching their TAPAS-2 satellite. "The choice of rocket should be available (in India) and it should be cost-effective," he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;Samantaray from TakeMe2Space highlighted that they chose SpaceX Falcon 9 based on the availability of the rocket and also the urgency to reach space, demonstrate their technology and immediately deliver the services for their customers, especially after the failed launch on PSLV-C62 in January this year. Asked about whether he had insured his satellite for the SpaceX flight, Samantaray revealed that he had not insured the satellite that flew on PSLV-C62. However, he had learnt his lesson and accordingly taken pre-launch, launch and third-party insurance for this satellite flying on SpaceX. On whether SpaceX offered a cheaper ride to space than ISRO,&nbsp;Samantaray mentioned that the SpaceX flight cost three times as much as the ISRO flight. However, he explained that slots on SpaceX rockets are among the cheapest when booking three years in advance, while booking months before a launch can prove very expensive.&nbsp;&nbsp;For EON Space Labs, the decision to fly SpaceX was based on urgency to reach space and prove their technology. Punit admitted that they did not find a launch from India within their desired timeframe. Further, he added that they were planning a few future launches on ISRO rockets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>India's space launches: The gap between rhetoric and reality</h2>&nbsp;In February 2024, for the first time ever, Indian Government agency IN-SPACE (established by the Modi Government to support Indian space startups) had publicly released an "Integrated Launch Manifesto 2024-25". In the document, IN-SPACE mentioned that ISRO (Indian Space agency), ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and startups would perform up to 30 rocket launch missions in the 15-month period between January 2024 and March 2025.&nbsp;Rhetoric aside, India executed only 7 of these 30 rocket launch missions in the said period. This amounts to meeting 23% of the target stated in the Government agency IN-SPACE's launch manifesto. Of the seven launch missions in the 15-month period, ISRO executed five, NSIL executed one mission for a foreign customer, and a private firm carried out a test launch. Space industry insiders told this author that Government agency IN-SPACE had decided to stop releasing launch manifestos after the debacle with their first.&nbsp;Let alone 30 launches in 15 months, there have only been 14 launches from Indian soil (12 ISRO and 2 private) in the 33 months between January 2024 and September 2026!&nbsp;&nbsp;For example, SpaceX which does the most number of space launches globally, had targeted 148 launches of their Falcon series of rockets in the year 2024, of which they accomplished 134 launches. SpaceX met 90% of its annual target, and has been drastically increasing its launch targets with every passing year. Every year, SpaceX gets within touching distance of its publicly stated target.&nbsp;Likewise, Rocket Lab, an American private firm that launches small spacefaring rockets had projected 22 launches in 2024, and ended up accomplishing 16 launches. Rocket Lab met 72% of its annual target. Though a small firm when compared to giants like SpaceX, Rocket Lab has been consistently increasing its number of launches with every passing year.&nbsp;Apart from the Government-run ISRO, only the private firm Skyroot Aerospace has launched to space from India. In July this year, private firm Skyroot Aerospace achieved what very few agencies or private firms have done: achieve orbit on their first launch. Skyroot's Vikram-1 is India's first privately designed and developed rocket, and its first flight was meant to test and validate all its systems and sub-systems. Skyroot's Founder and CEO Pawan told this author that the firm is targeting its second launch by the end of the year. While there are several other Indian startups racing to build their spacefaring rockets, they haven't reached orbit yet.&nbsp;Even the efforts by the L&amp;T-HAL consortium to build and launch their first "industry-built" ISRO PSLV rocket (in a mission dubbed PSLV-N1) is a work in progress. The launch that was initially planned around mid-2024 has seen multiple postponements, with no clear new launch date in sight. With more ISRO rockets such as SSLV and LVM3 being sold to Indian industry by IN-SPACE, and unrest brewing within ISRO ranks regarding the overreach of IN-SPACE, questions remain about regular rocket launches from home soil.

Earth-imaging satellites capture vast amounts of data when passing over their areas of interest. However, that massive quantity of data has to be sent back to Earth and then it has to be filtered and analyzed to derive meaningful insights, a time consuming process.

As Indian spacefaring rocketry is going through its most concerning and complicated slowdown in recent years (three launches in 2026: two government launches and one private launch), payloads from four Indian startups will by flying to space on Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket. The four payloads from the Indian startups (TakeMe2Space, EON Space Labs, SatLeo Labs, DhruvaSpace), will be among 130 that are scheduled to reach Low Earth orbit (about 500kms above Earth) in the wee hours Indian time, Friday, (2nd October). The mission titled 'Transporter 18' is reportedly the 110th flight of the Falcon 9 rocket in this year. For context, India's highest number of launches (space launches and tests) were witnessed in the years 2018 and 2023, when government-run ISRO executed eight and seven launches, respectively. The three rockets that launched from Indian soil this year are: ISRO PSLV-C62 that launched in January; private firm Skyroot Aerospace Vikram-1 that launched in July; ISRO GSLV-F17 that launched in September. The PSLV-C62 mission was a mid-flight failure, which led to the loss of all 15 satellites from India and abroad. This failure was also similar to the PSLV-C61 failure that took place in May 2025. The repeat failure of ISRO's workhorse PSLV rockets and the related probe are some among the many reasons that have slowed down the launch pace. Indian payloads riding on SpaceX Transporter-18 mission MIRA Earth-imager by EON Space Labs EON Space Labs which has been developing electro-optical imaging systems for Earth-observation and surveillance is flying its miniaturised space telescope 'MIRA' to space. It is integrated with Indian startup TakeMe2Space’s MOI-1A satellite that will capture and process images in space. Weighing merely 502 grams, 'MIRA' enables imaging that supports diverse applications such as agriculture, marine, mining, supply-chain management and insurance. Punit Badeka, Co-founder, EON Space Labs told this author that the firm is building the entire optics in-house, with the goal of reducing import dependence on optical imaging technologies. He added that they are leveraging their patented technology to build ultra-long-range electro-optical imaging systems for the Indian Army and Indian Navy. MIRA flew on the ISRO PSLV-C62 mission which failed in January 2026. Punit recalled that it took over three years to develop the technology, while it took six months to build 'MIRA' for the first time. If we import an imaging system, it takes at least six months to get it. Queried about how they bounced back from the failure and re-built the hardware, he said that it now takes about four or six weeks to build the imaging hardware at their facility and that they are able to do it at scale. Given the very nature of space tech, we had contingency plans in place. 'MOI-1A' in-orbit data processing satellite by TakeMe2Space Earth-imaging satellites capture vast amounts of data when passing over their areas of interest. However, that massive quantity of data has to be sent back to Earth and then it has to be filtered and analyzed to derive meaningful insights, a time consuming process. While this may seem practical for some purposes, it does not support the needs of defence and certain time-bound commercial applications. "What if the data captured and stored in the satellite, can be processed by an AI model running on the satellite? Then, we can access only the relevant information and send that specific, small quantity data to the user on Earth. This significantly saves time and also reduces the amount of data that needs to be sent down," Ronak Kumar Samantray, Founder and CEO, TakeMe2Space explained to this author. According to the firm, their 14-kg satellite carries 117 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of onboard computing capacity, 2 TB of storage and a nine-band multispectral imager supplied by EON Space Labs. These capabilities are designed support applications such as agricultural monitoring, mining and supply-chain intelligence. The company said it has signed up 23 customers for its in-orbit inference services. The upcoming mission marks a step towards commercial delivery of these services and the company’s longer-term development of orbital computing infrastructure. 'TAPAS-1' by SatLeo Labs: Thermal Infrared imaging from space 'TAPAS-1' (Thermal Access Platform for Analytics & Solutions), developed by SatLeo Labs, is a commercial CubeSat-category thermal payload. It uses Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensing, to capture temperature information invisible to conventional optical imagery, enabling in-orbit demonstration and validation of SatLeo's technology. According to the firm, this mission lays the foundation for their next-generation thermal intelligence platforms, with applications spanning climate monitoring, agriculture, urban heat mapping, disaster management, and infrastructure monitoring, and represents a key step toward PYRO, SatLeo's flagship thermal constellation. "Our payload weighs about 1.5kg and it is flying on Indian firm DhruvaSpace Leap 2 satellite platform. Thermal data of Earth's surface that we capture from space can be used for monitoring agriculture, forest fires, urban landscapes, heat index, and even defence applications. It can also be used to identify some issues in the power transmission infrastructure," explained Ranendu Ghosh, a former ISRO Scientist, who is the co-founder and CTO of Satleo Labs. LEAP-2 by Dhruva Space According to the firm, 'Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads - 2' (LEAP-2) is Dhruva Space’s second commercial endeavour on the P-30 satellite platform, hosting multiple In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) missions for global customers: a star tracker by France-based Sodern ArianeGroup; and TAPAS-1 by India-based Satleo Labs. Dhruva Space has also undertaken the end-to-end launch integration of the LEAP-2 satellite with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle, building on its experience with LEAP-1, where Dhruva Space became the first private Indian company to undertake the launch vehicle integration of its satellite in-house, it was added. LEAP-2 will also be supported by Dhruva Space’s growing global ground infrastructure, including its owned and operated ground station in Luleå, Sweden; the first NGE-owned and operated ground station outside India, authorised by the Government of India to provide Ground-Station-as-a-Service, the firm said. Why Indian startups chose to fly on a SpaceX rocket? Queried about their Satleo Labs' choice of a foreign launch vehicle, Ranendu pointed out that they did not find any option in India in accordance with their requirements. However, he added that they were in talks with ISRO's commercial arm NSIL for launching their TAPAS-2 satellite. "The choice of rocket should be available (in India) and it should be cost-effective," he added. Samantaray from TakeMe2Space highlighted that they chose SpaceX Falcon 9 based on the availability of the rocket and also the urgency to reach space, demonstrate their technology and immediately deliver the services for their customers, especially after the failed launch on PSLV-C62 in January this year. Asked about whether he had insured his satellite for the SpaceX flight, Samantaray revealed that he had not insured the satellite that flew on PSLV-C62. However, he had learnt his lesson and accordingly taken pre-launch, launch and third-party insurance for this satellite flying on SpaceX. On whether SpaceX offered a cheaper ride to space than ISRO, Samantaray mentioned that the SpaceX flight cost three times as much as the ISRO flight. However, he explained that slots on SpaceX rockets are among the cheapest when booking three years in advance, while booking months before a launch can prove very expensive. For EON Space Labs, the decision to fly SpaceX was based on urgency to reach space and prove their technology. Punit admitted that they did not find a launch from India within their desired timeframe. Further, he added that they were planning a few future launches on ISRO rockets. India's space launches: The gap between rhetoric and reality In February 2024, for the first time ever, Indian Government agency IN-SPACE (established by the Modi Government to support Indian space startups) had publicly released an "Integrated Launch Manifesto 2024-25". In the document, IN-SPACE mentioned that ISRO (Indian Space agency), ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and startups would perform up to 30 rocket launch missions in the 15-month period between January 2024 and March 2025. Rhetoric aside, India executed only 7 of these 30 rocket launch missions in the said period. This amounts to meeting 23% of the target stated in the Government agency IN-SPACE's launch manifesto. Of the seven launch missions in the 15-month period, ISRO executed five, NSIL executed one mission for a foreign customer, and a private firm carried out a test launch. Space industry insiders told this author that Government agency IN-SPACE had decided to stop releasing launch manifestos after the debacle with their first. Let alone 30 launches in 15 months, there have only been 14 launches from Indian soil (12 ISRO and 2 private) in the 33 months between January 2024 and September 2026! For example, SpaceX which does the most number of space launches globally, had targeted 148 launches of their Falcon series of rockets in the year 2024, of which they accomplished 134 launches. SpaceX met 90% of its annual target, and has been drastically increasing its launch targets with every passing year. Every year, SpaceX gets within touching distance of its publicly stated target. Likewise, Rocket Lab, an American private firm that launches small spacefaring rockets had projected 22 launches in 2024, and ended up accomplishing 16 launches. Rocket Lab met 72% of its annual target. Though a small firm when compared to giants like SpaceX, Rocket Lab has been consistently increasing its number of launches with every passing year. Apart from the Government-run ISRO, only the private firm Skyroot Aerospace has launched to space from India. In July this year, private firm Skyroot Aerospace achieved what very few agencies or private firms have done: achieve orbit on their first launch. Skyroot's Vikram-1 is India's first privately designed and developed rocket, and its first flight was meant to test and validate all its systems and sub-systems. Skyroot's Founder and CEO Pawan told this author that the firm is targeting its second launch by the end of the year. While there are several other Indian startups racing to build their spacefaring rockets, they haven't reached orbit yet. Even the efforts by the L&T-HAL consortium to build and launch their first "industry-built" ISRO PSLV rocket (in a mission dubbed PSLV-N1) is a work in progress. The launch that was initially planned around mid-2024 has seen multiple postponements, with no clear new launch date in sight. With more ISRO rockets such as SSLV and LVM3 being sold to Indian industry by IN-SPACE, and unrest brewing within ISRO ranks regarding the overreach of IN-SPACE, questions remain about regular rocket launches from home soil.

Earth-imaging satellites capture vast amounts of data when passing over their areas of interest. However, that massive quantity of data has to be sent back to Earth and then it has to be filtered and analyzed to derive meaningful insights, a time consuming process.

Amid domestic launch slowdown, four Indian startups' payloads fly on SpaceX rocket

Campaigning in the bypoll-bound Dharapuram assembly constituency in Western Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister and TVK supremo Vijay said that his party's candidate Sathyabama had quit her office as an AIADMK MLA and joined TVK, "owing to a betrayal by the AIADMK and not due to horse-trading". Sathyabama is one among six MLAs who got elected as MLAs by contesting on AIADMK tickets but resigned their elected office and jumped ship to the ruling TVK, necessitating vacancies and bypolls. In the summer 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, Vijay's debutant TVK party fell short of an individual majority and later formed a coalition government, while the established giants DMK and AIADMK were pushed to the second and third places.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-setup-a-karnataka-public-school-in-every-gram-panchayat-edu-minister-madhu-bangarappa-1790237362453">Will setup a Karnataka Public School in every Gram Panchayat: Edu Minister Madhu Bangarappa</a>"Sathyabama is a true follower of AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran(MGR) and party supremo J. Jayalalithaa (both former multiple-term Chief Ministers)... When she learnt that AIADMK is planning to ally with archrival DMK, she felt that the party was betraying MGR and Jayalalithaa, who staunchly opposed the DMK. She could not tolerate this betrayal. That is why she formally resigned as an MLA and joined us (TKV). There was no horse-trading or whatever...," said Chief Minister Vijay. This is seen as Vijay's response to DMK and AIADMK, who have been alleging that the TVK is buying opposition MLAs through unfair means.Regarding his four-month tenure at the helm of the state, Vijay said that the TVK Government has been fulfilling their pre-poll promises: we are ensuring corruption-free governance, we shut down government liquor outlets near temples and schools, we are providing 200 units of free electricity, we launched the Singappen Special task force to tackle crimes against women and kids, we will offer free bus travel for women from October 2nd, we will offer free LPG cylinders from the Pongal festival in January 2027.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/cm-vijay-turns-maternal-uncle-gifts-tn-government-s-gold-ring-scheme-for-newborns-1790584941409">CM Vijay turns 'maternal uncle'; gifts TN government's gold ring scheme for newborns</a>Attacking the principal opposition party DMK, Vijay said, "Former Chief Minister MK Stalin's party still believes they are in power; people are their slaves. We (TKV) do not have that dynastic mentality. We follow the true ideals of DMK founder and former Chief Minister Annadurai, who said: go to the people and be amidst them."Taking a dig at DMK's brand of secularism (of not conveying wishes on Hindu festivals), Vijay said, "All religions are ours... We had said that we are believers and that we don't oppose anyone's belief. We will wish people for Krishna Jayanthi, for Christmas, and for Bakrid... All religious festivals are one and the same for us. We are not DMK to put a scene," he said. Further, Vijay accused the DMK of trying to carry out sabotage against his government, adding confidently that people and God are on his side. Claiming to be like AIADMK leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa, Vijay said that he was taking on the "evil force" DMK, just like they had done.<h2>Why do the bypolls matter to Vijay's TVK?</h2>Dharapuram and Madurantakam go to the polls on October 6th, while bypolls are due in five other seats. Vijay's TVK has 107 MLAs in the house, but his government remains in power due to the support of coalition partners: Congress (five seats), VCK (two seats), IUML (two seats), and the external support of Left parties (four seats). The halfway mark in the Tamil Nadu assembly is 118, and Vijay's coalition has the backing of 120 MLAs. However, differences have started to emerge in the barely five-month-old coalition. Leaders from Congress and left parties have even publicly threatened to quit the coalition. With a total of seven seats up for grabs in the bypolls (two on October 6th and five to be announced), Vijay's TVK has a chance to tighten its grip on power while reducing dependence on allies that are playing hardball. Winning the bypolls would also signal that Vijay's personality cult-centric politics is sustaining itself well among the masses, despite heavy opposition criticism of it being a "reel-based governance focused on optics and not real issues".&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has rejected allegations of horse-trading over Sathyabama’s move from AIADMK to TVK, saying she quit because of what he called a “betrayal” by her former party. His remarks come ahead of the Dharapuram bypoll.

Campaigning in the bypoll-bound Dharapuram assembly constituency in Western Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister and TVK supremo Vijay said that his party's candidate Sathyabama had quit her office as an AIADMK MLA and joined TVK, "owing to a betrayal by the AIADMK and not due to horse-trading". Sathyabama is one among six MLAs who got elected as MLAs by contesting on AIADMK tickets but resigned their elected office and jumped ship to the ruling TVK, necessitating vacancies and bypolls. In the summer 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly polls, Vijay's debutant TVK party fell short of an individual majority and later formed a coalition government, while the established giants DMK and AIADMK were pushed to the second and third places. Also read | Will setup a Karnataka Public School in every Gram Panchayat: Edu Minister Madhu Bangarappa "Sathyabama is a true follower of AIADMK founder M. G. Ramachandran(MGR) and party supremo J. Jayalalithaa (both former multiple-term Chief Ministers)... When she learnt that AIADMK is planning to ally with archrival DMK, she felt that the party was betraying MGR and Jayalalithaa, who staunchly opposed the DMK. She could not tolerate this betrayal. That is why she formally resigned as an MLA and joined us (TKV). There was no horse-trading or whatever...," said Chief Minister Vijay. This is seen as Vijay's response to DMK and AIADMK, who have been alleging that the TVK is buying opposition MLAs through unfair means. Regarding his four-month tenure at the helm of the state, Vijay said that the TVK Government has been fulfilling their pre-poll promises: we are ensuring corruption-free governance, we shut down government liquor outlets near temples and schools, we are providing 200 units of free electricity, we launched the Singappen Special task force to tackle crimes against women and kids, we will offer free bus travel for women from October 2nd, we will offer free LPG cylinders from the Pongal festival in January 2027. Also read | CM Vijay turns 'maternal uncle'; gifts TN government's gold ring scheme for newborns Attacking the principal opposition party DMK, Vijay said, "Former Chief Minister MK Stalin's party still believes they are in power; people are their slaves. We (TKV) do not have that dynastic mentality. We follow the true ideals of DMK founder and former Chief Minister Annadurai, who said: go to the people and be amidst them." Taking a dig at DMK's brand of secularism (of not conveying wishes on Hindu festivals), Vijay said, "All religions are ours... We had said that we are believers and that we don't oppose anyone's belief. We will wish people for Krishna Jayanthi, for Christmas, and for Bakrid... All religious festivals are one and the same for us. We are not DMK to put a scene," he said. Further, Vijay accused the DMK of trying to carry out sabotage against his government, adding confidently that people and God are on his side. Claiming to be like AIADMK leaders MGR and Jayalalithaa, Vijay said that he was taking on the "evil force" DMK, just like they had done. Why do the bypolls matter to Vijay's TVK? Dharapuram and Madurantakam go to the polls on October 6th, while bypolls are due in five other seats. Vijay's TVK has 107 MLAs in the house, but his government remains in power due to the support of coalition partners: Congress (five seats), VCK (two seats), IUML (two seats), and the external support of Left parties (four seats). The halfway mark in the Tamil Nadu assembly is 118, and Vijay's coalition has the backing of 120 MLAs. However, differences have started to emerge in the barely five-month-old coalition. Leaders from Congress and left parties have even publicly threatened to quit the coalition. With a total of seven seats up for grabs in the bypolls (two on October 6th and five to be announced), Vijay's TVK has a chance to tighten its grip on power while reducing dependence on allies that are playing hardball. Winning the bypolls would also signal that Vijay's personality cult-centric politics is sustaining itself well among the masses, despite heavy opposition criticism of it being a "reel-based governance focused on optics and not real issues".

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has rejected allegations of horse-trading over Sathyabama’s move from AIADMK to TVK, saying she quit because of what he called a “betrayal” by her former party. His remarks come ahead of the Dharapuram bypoll.

Dharapuram AIADMK MLA joined TVK after betrayal; No horse-trading: CM Vijay

Turning 'maternal uncle' for newborn kids across Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Vijay formally launched what his government calls the ‘Thaai Maaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam’ or ‘Maternal Uncle Gold ring scheme’ at the Rajaji government hospital in Madurai district. As part of the scheme, children born in Tamil Nadu government hospitals from June 22,&nbsp;2026 will be gifted 1 gram, 22-carat purity gold rings by the Tamil Nadu government. For availing this scheme, the mother of the baby would have to be a long-term resident of Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking at the event in Madurai, Tamil Nadu's Health Minister Dr Arun Raj hailed Chief Minister Vijay as the ‘maternal uncle of every child born in Tamil Nadu’ and that 'this scheme is an expression of the chief minister's love for his sisters across Tamil Nadu'. The relationship between the maternal uncle and the baby is one that begins from the birth of the baby and continues to grow stronger as the child grows up. The maternal uncle will share his sister's joy during childbirth and thereafter protect the mother and baby with his love and care, the minister said.&nbsp;Our CM's vision was to launch this scheme in Madurai, which is the cradle of Tamil and a city known for bravery and love. “On my 10th, our government assumed office. This gold ring scheme was announced on June 22, and a government order was put out the very next day and Rs 755 crore was allotted for it. In three months after its announcement, the scheme has been rolled out. Kids born from June 22&nbsp;this year will benefit from this scheme. Those born today onwards will get it while returning home from the government hospital,” minister Arun Raj added.&nbsp;Offering assurance about the quality and authenticity of the gold rings being distributed, the health minister said that the 1 gram, 22-carat gold rings would come with the BIS certification and each ring would have a serial number. Further, he said that the 1.28 lakh rings of the ordered total order of 4.41 lakh rings are ready. Tamil Nadu's Health Secretary Darez Ahamed added of nearly 7.8 lakh childbirths that take place annually in Tamil Nadu, 4.2 lakh take place in government hospitals.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Please treat this as an invitation for the expecting mothers of Tamil Nadu to come and give birth in government hospitals. When the baby grows up, tell them that the Tamil Nadu government gave you a gold ring. This ring will be a lifelong bond between the child and the government," he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;Explaining the rationale behind this scheme, the health minister outlined that the intention was to: celebrate motherhood, instil confidence in got medical facilities, make govt hospitals as the preferred destination for childbirth and maternal care. Further, he explained that over the last decade, percentage of childbirths in Tamil Nadu government hospitals had gone from 62% to presently 53%. Comparing the childbirth and related costs in government and private hospitals, he said that it was around Rs. 1,400 in government and over Rs.69,000 in private hospitals. He added that such a scheme which encourages more childbirths in government hospitals would save poor families from a huge financial burden.

As part of the scheme, children born in Tamil Nadu government hospitals from June 22, 2026 will be gifted 1 gram, 22-carat purity gold rings by the Tamil Nadu government

Turning 'maternal uncle' for newborn kids across Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Vijay formally launched what his government calls the ‘Thaai Maaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam’ or ‘Maternal Uncle Gold ring scheme’ at the Rajaji government hospital in Madurai district. As part of the scheme, children born in Tamil Nadu government hospitals from June 22, 2026 will be gifted 1 gram, 22-carat purity gold rings by the Tamil Nadu government. For availing this scheme, the mother of the baby would have to be a long-term resident of Tamil Nadu. Speaking at the event in Madurai, Tamil Nadu's Health Minister Dr Arun Raj hailed Chief Minister Vijay as the ‘maternal uncle of every child born in Tamil Nadu’ and that 'this scheme is an expression of the chief minister's love for his sisters across Tamil Nadu'. The relationship between the maternal uncle and the baby is one that begins from the birth of the baby and continues to grow stronger as the child grows up. The maternal uncle will share his sister's joy during childbirth and thereafter protect the mother and baby with his love and care, the minister said. Our CM's vision was to launch this scheme in Madurai, which is the cradle of Tamil and a city known for bravery and love. “On my 10th, our government assumed office. This gold ring scheme was announced on June 22, and a government order was put out the very next day and Rs 755 crore was allotted for it. In three months after its announcement, the scheme has been rolled out. Kids born from June 22 this year will benefit from this scheme. Those born today onwards will get it while returning home from the government hospital,” minister Arun Raj added. Offering assurance about the quality and authenticity of the gold rings being distributed, the health minister said that the 1 gram, 22-carat gold rings would come with the BIS certification and each ring would have a serial number. Further, he said that the 1.28 lakh rings of the ordered total order of 4.41 lakh rings are ready. Tamil Nadu's Health Secretary Darez Ahamed added of nearly 7.8 lakh childbirths that take place annually in Tamil Nadu, 4.2 lakh take place in government hospitals. "Please treat this as an invitation for the expecting mothers of Tamil Nadu to come and give birth in government hospitals. When the baby grows up, tell them that the Tamil Nadu government gave you a gold ring. This ring will be a lifelong bond between the child and the government," he added. Explaining the rationale behind this scheme, the health minister outlined that the intention was to: celebrate motherhood, instil confidence in got medical facilities, make govt hospitals as the preferred destination for childbirth and maternal care. Further, he explained that over the last decade, percentage of childbirths in Tamil Nadu government hospitals had gone from 62% to presently 53%. Comparing the childbirth and related costs in government and private hospitals, he said that it was around Rs. 1,400 in government and over Rs.69,000 in private hospitals. He added that such a scheme which encourages more childbirths in government hospitals would save poor families from a huge financial burden.

As part of the scheme, children born in Tamil Nadu government hospitals after June 22,&nbsp;2026 will be gifted 1-gram , 22-carat purity gold rings by the Tamil Nadu government

CM Vijay turns 'maternal uncle'; gifts TN government's gold ring scheme for newborns

Karnataka's Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Madhu Bangarappa, outlined his vision of setting up a Government-run Karnataka Public School in every gram Panchayat across the state, amounting to a total of nearly 6,000 such schools. Speaking at the 'WION AI Edu Summit 2026' in the state capital Bengaluru, Minister Bangarappa elaborated that there were 309 Karnataka Public Schools when he took over the portfolio, and that another 1,000 schools would be added in the coming years, with the eventual goal being a Karnataka Government-run public school in every Gram Panchayat.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Karnataka Government began the Public School project from the year 2018-19, with a vision of providing quality education from pre-primary to class 12 with the administrative, academic and functional integration of existing schools. This is in line with the Government policy of “Every child should be in school and learn well”. Kannada and English medium of instruction have been adopted in these schools, where quality Education for children would be provied from LKG to PUC.&nbsp;"At these Government-run Public schools, students can study from LKG to 12th&nbsp;grade(for 14 years) in one premises and even go back home to their parents, as opposed to staying in Government hostels and being away from their families," Bangarappa said. He added that such Public schools made access to education easier for students in rural regions, where primary and secondary schools would be several kilometers apart, which makes it logistically challenging and time-consuming for the parents and students.&nbsp;On the Congress Government's vision for adapting to AI, Bangarappa stated that Congress MP and India's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had written to then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about introducing AI in all schools. He outlined that the goal is to make AI available for the last child in a Government school. As part of this, he said that Karnataka had made computer education compulsory from Grade 1 and that this would students gear up for AI. Further, he also spoke about the efforts to install Smart Boards and Smart TVs in all schools, how 50pc of the schools in the state have moved to to Bi-lingual medium of instruction: Kannada and English. He also said that free tectbooks were being provided in both languages.&nbsp;"The SSLC pass percentage in Karnataka was about 80% when I took over, back then webcasting of exams was not there... The sanctity of exams were compromised. To completely eradicate copying and malpractices, we were the first to introduce webcasting of exams and now the pass percentage has risen to 98% in the latest academic year," Bangarappa said.&nbsp;However, he also acknowledged that his Ministry does face challenges ranging from lack of adequate teachers, lack of computers and other issues. To tackle this, he said that his Ministry is working on recruiting over 70,000 teaching faculty, while also taking efforts to provide access to computers for all Karantaka Public Schools. He also said that AI would be made accessible to all students across the Government-run schools and that these efforts would take time and adequate funding.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The Karnataka Government began the Public School project from the year 2018-19, with a vision of providing quality education from pre-primary to class 12 with the administrative, academic and functional integration of existing schools.

Karnataka's Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Madhu Bangarappa, outlined his vision of setting up a Government-run Karnataka Public School in every gram Panchayat across the state, amounting to a total of nearly 6,000 such schools. Speaking at the 'WION AI Edu Summit 2026' in the state capital Bengaluru, Minister Bangarappa elaborated that there were 309 Karnataka Public Schools when he took over the portfolio, and that another 1,000 schools would be added in the coming years, with the eventual goal being a Karnataka Government-run public school in every Gram Panchayat. The Karnataka Government began the Public School project from the year 2018-19, with a vision of providing quality education from pre-primary to class 12 with the administrative, academic and functional integration of existing schools. This is in line with the Government policy of “Every child should be in school and learn well”. Kannada and English medium of instruction have been adopted in these schools, where quality Education for children would be provied from LKG to PUC. "At these Government-run Public schools, students can study from LKG to 12th grade(for 14 years) in one premises and even go back home to their parents, as opposed to staying in Government hostels and being away from their families," Bangarappa said. He added that such Public schools made access to education easier for students in rural regions, where primary and secondary schools would be several kilometers apart, which makes it logistically challenging and time-consuming for the parents and students. On the Congress Government's vision for adapting to AI, Bangarappa stated that Congress MP and India's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had written to then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about introducing AI in all schools. He outlined that the goal is to make AI available for the last child in a Government school. As part of this, he said that Karnataka had made computer education compulsory from Grade 1 and that this would students gear up for AI. Further, he also spoke about the efforts to install Smart Boards and Smart TVs in all schools, how 50pc of the schools in the state have moved to to Bi-lingual medium of instruction: Kannada and English. He also said that free tectbooks were being provided in both languages. "The SSLC pass percentage in Karnataka was about 80% when I took over, back then webcasting of exams was not there... The sanctity of exams were compromised. To completely eradicate copying and malpractices, we were the first to introduce webcasting of exams and now the pass percentage has risen to 98% in the latest academic year," Bangarappa said. However, he also acknowledged that his Ministry does face challenges ranging from lack of adequate teachers, lack of computers and other issues. To tackle this, he said that his Ministry is working on recruiting over 70,000 teaching faculty, while also taking efforts to provide access to computers for all Karantaka Public Schools. He also said that AI would be made accessible to all students across the Government-run schools and that these efforts would take time and adequate funding.

The Karnataka Government began the Public School project from the year 2018-19, with a vision of providing quality education from pre-primary to class 12 with the administrative, academic and functional integration of existing schools.&nbsp;

Will setup a Karnataka Public School in every Gram Panchayat: Edu Minister Madhu Bangarappa

Reaffirming Europe's and India's commitment to expanding cooperation in space, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an exchange of letters extending their long-standing Cooperative Agreement for five more years, until January 2032. The exchange between ISRO Chief Dr V Narayanan and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher took place in Paris on the margins of the International Space Summit earlier this month.&nbsp;The renewed agreement reflects the evolving priorities of both sides in the space sector: space weather, human and robotic exploration of space, while also recognising the growing importance of sustainable outer space activities. Last year, the two sides also expressed their intention to deepen cooperation through a Joint Statement of Intent on human exploration. This comes as India is working on sending its astronauts to space and returning them safely on homegrown rocket and spacecraft technology as part of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-russia-has-lost-control-of-its-diesel-industry-calls-for-end-to-ridiculous-never-ending-war-1789999050401">Trump says Russia has ‘lost control’ of its diesel industry, calls for end to ‘ridiculous, never-ending’ war</a>&nbsp;"The partnership between ISRO and ESA has delivered tangible benefits for India and Europe and has demonstrated the value of international cooperation in advancing space activities. The renewal of this agreement reflects the shared ambition of ISRO and ESA to pursue innovation and scientific progress for the benefit of our societies," said ISRO Chief Dr. V. Narayanan, who also serves as Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Cooperative Agreement, which entered into force in January 2002, provides the framework for cooperation between ESA and ISRO across a broad range of space activities. Over the years, ESA and ISRO have worked together on a range of programmes and initiatives spanning Earth observation, satellite navigation, space science and mission operations support.&nbsp;&nbsp;"As space activities expand beyond Earth orbit and new opportunities emerge in exploration, sustainability and advanced technologies, international cooperation remains essential. ESA and ISRO have built a trusted partnership spanning more than two decades, and this renewed agreement positions us to pursue even greater ambitions together while delivering tangible benefits for our citizens and economies. We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration in the years ahead,” stated ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.&nbsp;This extension of collaborative efforts reaffirms the commitment of both agencies to continue building on their established partnership and to explore new opportunities for cooperation in support of scientific discovery, technological innovation and the sustainable use of space.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-document-details-broad-iran-cooperation-plan-across-finance-nuclear-and-aviation-sectors-report-1789995702968">Russian document details broad Iran cooperation plan across finance, nuclear and aviation sectors: Report</a>&nbsp;When Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla trained at ESA facilities&nbsp;&nbsp;In late-2024, Indian astronaut candidate Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 mission crewmates had trained at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, in preparation for their 2025 spaceflight mission to the International Space Station. EAC is the main training hub for all European-built Space Station hardware and serves as a centre of excellence for astronaut selection, training, medical support, and surveillance, while also providing essential preparation for astronauts and their families throughout their missions.&nbsp;&nbsp;At EAC, the crew had familiarised themselves with ESA systems, including the Columbus module, Europe’s science laboratory on the Space Station. The Columbus laboratory is ESA’s largest contribution to the International Space Station and the first permanent European research facility in space. This lab, spanning 75 cubic metre, is fully equipped with research tools and autonomous facilities that support diverse scientific experiments in biology, physiology, fluid science, and more.&nbsp;Group Captain Shukla and his Axiom-4 crewmates undertook a commercial space mission from American soil, lasting nearly three weeks across June-July 2025. Shukla was the second Indian to travel to space, and his mission on the American Axiom-4 flight was meant to serve as a precursor and a hands-on spaceflight training ahead of India's own Gaganyaan crewed missions and related in-space experiments.

The renewed agreement reflects the evolving priorities of both sides in the space sector: space weather, human and robotic exploration of space, while also recognising the growing importance of sustainable outer space activities.

Reaffirming Europe's and India's commitment to expanding cooperation in space, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed an exchange of letters extending their long-standing Cooperative Agreement for five more years, until January 2032. The exchange between ISRO Chief Dr V Narayanan and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher took place in Paris on the margins of the International Space Summit earlier this month. The renewed agreement reflects the evolving priorities of both sides in the space sector: space weather, human and robotic exploration of space, while also recognising the growing importance of sustainable outer space activities. Last year, the two sides also expressed their intention to deepen cooperation through a Joint Statement of Intent on human exploration. This comes as India is working on sending its astronauts to space and returning them safely on homegrown rocket and spacecraft technology as part of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. Also Read: Trump says Russia has ‘lost control’ of its diesel industry, calls for end to ‘ridiculous, never-ending’ war "The partnership between ISRO and ESA has delivered tangible benefits for India and Europe and has demonstrated the value of international cooperation in advancing space activities. The renewal of this agreement reflects the shared ambition of ISRO and ESA to pursue innovation and scientific progress for the benefit of our societies," said ISRO Chief Dr. V. Narayanan, who also serves as Secretary, Department of Space, Government of India. The Cooperative Agreement, which entered into force in January 2002, provides the framework for cooperation between ESA and ISRO across a broad range of space activities. Over the years, ESA and ISRO have worked together on a range of programmes and initiatives spanning Earth observation, satellite navigation, space science and mission operations support. "As space activities expand beyond Earth orbit and new opportunities emerge in exploration, sustainability and advanced technologies, international cooperation remains essential. ESA and ISRO have built a trusted partnership spanning more than two decades, and this renewed agreement positions us to pursue even greater ambitions together while delivering tangible benefits for our citizens and economies. We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration in the years ahead,” stated ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. This extension of collaborative efforts reaffirms the commitment of both agencies to continue building on their established partnership and to explore new opportunities for cooperation in support of scientific discovery, technological innovation and the sustainable use of space. Also Read: Russian document details broad Iran cooperation plan across finance, nuclear and aviation sectors: Report When Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla trained at ESA facilities In late-2024, Indian astronaut candidate Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 mission crewmates had trained at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, in preparation for their 2025 spaceflight mission to the International Space Station. EAC is the main training hub for all European-built Space Station hardware and serves as a centre of excellence for astronaut selection, training, medical support, and surveillance, while also providing essential preparation for astronauts and their families throughout their missions. At EAC, the crew had familiarised themselves with ESA systems, including the Columbus module, Europe’s science laboratory on the Space Station. The Columbus laboratory is ESA’s largest contribution to the International Space Station and the first permanent European research facility in space. This lab, spanning 75 cubic metre, is fully equipped with research tools and autonomous facilities that support diverse scientific experiments in biology, physiology, fluid science, and more. Group Captain Shukla and his Axiom-4 crewmates undertook a commercial space mission from American soil, lasting nearly three weeks across June-July 2025. Shukla was the second Indian to travel to space, and his mission on the American Axiom-4 flight was meant to serve as a precursor and a hands-on spaceflight training ahead of India's own Gaganyaan crewed missions and related in-space experiments.

The renewed agreement reflects the evolving priorities of both sides in the space sector: space weather, human and robotic exploration of space, while also recognising the growing importance of sustainable outer space activities.

ISRO, European Space Agency to focus on space weather, human & robotic exploration

The government in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has approved its Sustainable Data Centre Policy 2026–2031, a five-year policy framework designed to establish the state as a globally competitive, sustainable and well-connected destination for Data Centre investments. According to the Government, the policy seeks to strengthen Karnataka’s digital infrastructure backbone at a time when the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT, 5G, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), FinTech and other emerging technologies is driving unprecedented demand for computing capacity.&nbsp;&nbsp;This Sustainable Data Centre policy is being unveiled at a time when there are growing debates over the water and power consumption, heat-generation, noise-generation pertaining to data centers and their larger environmental impact. Commenting on the need for a Sustainable Data Centre policy, Karnataka's IT and E-Governance Minister Priyank Kharge emphasized that Karnataka was among the early states to recognise the importance of data centres and create a policy framework to support their growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;"But the technology landscape has changed significantly, particularly with the rapid growth of AI, and we have also become more conscious of the environmental footprint of this infrastructure. The Sustainable Data Centre Policy is therefore an important course correction, one that allows us to continue attracting the data infrastructure that the digital economy needs, while making sustainability, energy efficiency and responsible use of water central to how we plan and develop this sector.”<h2>'Creating opportunities beyond Bengaluru'</h2>The state Government's policy brings together investment facilitation, digital infrastructure, sustainability and ecosystem development, with a focus on attracting domestic and international investments across the data centre value chain. Further, it seeks to expand data centre infrastructure beyond&nbsp; Bengaluru, strengthening emerging regional digital corridors and supporting Karnataka’s broader beyond Bengaluru vision.&nbsp;“Our objective is not simply to add more capacity, but to build the right capacity, in the right locations and with the right infrastructure. This means greater use of renewable energy, newer cooling technologies, better water management and stronger connectivity, while also creating opportunities beyond Bengaluru. Karnataka has the technology ecosystem and talent to lead India’s next phase of digital infrastructure, and this policy is designed to ensure that this growth is both globally competitive and sustainable,” minister Priyank Kharge added.&nbsp;<h2>Key features and policy implementation roadmap</h2>The Karnataka government has envisaged a ₹1,300.45 crore revised budget framework for implementation of the five-year policy and plans to have 1 GW cumulative Data Centre IT load by 2031, with an ambition to account for 10–12% of India’s AI-ready Data Centre capacity.&nbsp;While the state would take efforts to attract investment across the Data Centre ecosystem, including Data Centre Units, Data Centre Parks, Data Centre Operators, Edge Data Centres, cable landing stations and allied infrastructure, there would be an emphasis on renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, advanced cooling, water management, carbon emission mitigation, and monitoring of Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).&nbsp;The government would undertake Data Centre Resource Heat Mapping to enable evidence-based planning around water and energy availability and support sustainable site selection. Further, it would offer support for Data Centre development beyond Bengaluru, including emerging regional corridors, helping create a more distributed digital infrastructure ecosystem across the State. Performance-linked sustainability incentives would be provided to encourage efficient power and water usage and the adoption of sustainable operating practices.&nbsp;

This Sustainable Data Centre policy is being unveiled at a time when there are growing debates over the water and power consumption, heat-generation, noise-generation pertaining to data centers and their larger environmental impact

The government in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has approved its Sustainable Data Centre Policy 2026–2031, a five-year policy framework designed to establish the state as a globally competitive, sustainable and well-connected destination for Data Centre investments. According to the Government, the policy seeks to strengthen Karnataka’s digital infrastructure backbone at a time when the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT, 5G, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), FinTech and other emerging technologies is driving unprecedented demand for computing capacity. This Sustainable Data Centre policy is being unveiled at a time when there are growing debates over the water and power consumption, heat-generation, noise-generation pertaining to data centers and their larger environmental impact. Commenting on the need for a Sustainable Data Centre policy, Karnataka's IT and E-Governance Minister Priyank Kharge emphasized that Karnataka was among the early states to recognise the importance of data centres and create a policy framework to support their growth. "But the technology landscape has changed significantly, particularly with the rapid growth of AI, and we have also become more conscious of the environmental footprint of this infrastructure. The Sustainable Data Centre Policy is therefore an important course correction, one that allows us to continue attracting the data infrastructure that the digital economy needs, while making sustainability, energy efficiency and responsible use of water central to how we plan and develop this sector.” 'Creating opportunities beyond Bengaluru' The state Government's policy brings together investment facilitation, digital infrastructure, sustainability and ecosystem development, with a focus on attracting domestic and international investments across the data centre value chain. Further, it seeks to expand data centre infrastructure beyond Bengaluru, strengthening emerging regional digital corridors and supporting Karnataka’s broader beyond Bengaluru vision. “Our objective is not simply to add more capacity, but to build the right capacity, in the right locations and with the right infrastructure. This means greater use of renewable energy, newer cooling technologies, better water management and stronger connectivity, while also creating opportunities beyond Bengaluru. Karnataka has the technology ecosystem and talent to lead India’s next phase of digital infrastructure, and this policy is designed to ensure that this growth is both globally competitive and sustainable,” minister Priyank Kharge added. Key features and policy implementation roadmap The Karnataka government has envisaged a ₹1,300.45 crore revised budget framework for implementation of the five-year policy and plans to have 1 GW cumulative Data Centre IT load by 2031, with an ambition to account for 10–12% of India’s AI-ready Data Centre capacity. While the state would take efforts to attract investment across the Data Centre ecosystem, including Data Centre Units, Data Centre Parks, Data Centre Operators, Edge Data Centres, cable landing stations and allied infrastructure, there would be an emphasis on renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, advanced cooling, water management, carbon emission mitigation, and monitoring of Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE). The government would undertake Data Centre Resource Heat Mapping to enable evidence-based planning around water and energy availability and support sustainable site selection. Further, it would offer support for Data Centre development beyond Bengaluru, including emerging regional corridors, helping create a more distributed digital infrastructure ecosystem across the State. Performance-linked sustainability incentives would be provided to encourage efficient power and water usage and the adoption of sustainable operating practices.

This Sustainable Data Centre policy is being unveiled at a time when there are growing debates over the water and power consumption, heat-generation, noise-generation pertaining to data centers and their larger environmental impact

Karnataka unveils Sustainable Data Centre Policy for efficient water, power use

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