News Summary · 3 minutes read
Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025. Image: X/@PrinSciAdvOff
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Centre announces Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025
- Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 has been announced for 23 individuals and one team:
- Vigyan Ratna (1): Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (Posthumously)
- Vigyan Shri (8): Gyanendra Pratap Singh, Yusuf Mohammed Shaikh, K. Thangaraj, Pradeep Thapalil, Aniruddha Balchandra Pandit, Venkata Mohan, Mahan Mj and Jayan N.
- Vigyan Yuva (14): Jagadis Gupta Kapuganti, Satendra Kumar Mangrauthia, Debarka Sengupta, Deepa Agashe, Dibyendu Das, Waliur Rahman, Arkaprava Basu, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shweta Prem Agrawal, Suresh Kumar, Amit Kumar Agrawal, Surhud Shrikant More, Ankur Garg and Mohansankar Sivaprakasam.
- Vigyan Team (1): CSIR Aroma Mission.
Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP)
- RVP is given in 4 categories:
- Vigyan Ratna (Max 3): for lifetime achievements (No age limit)
- Vigyan Shri (Max 25): for distinguished contributions (No age limit)
- Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (Max 25): for young scientists (up to 45 years)
- Vigyan Team (Max 3): to a team of 3 or more scientists/researchers/innovators (No age limit)
- Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science & Technology are NOT eligible for Vigyan Yuva – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.
- Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) decides on award recipients and recommends the names to the Minister of Science and Technology (MoST). It is unclear if the Minister has a veto on the recommendation.
- RVPC is constituted annually by MoST and is headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA).
Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (SLHEP) begins test run
- A 2000 MW run-of-the-river project by NHPC Limited → began a test run, signalling its imminent commissioning.
- Built on the Subansiri River (largest tributary of Brahmaputra) in its lower basin (hence the name “Subansiri Lower”) and located at Gerukamukh on the Arunachal Pradesh-Assam border.
- SLHEP will be India’s largest standalone conventional hydroelectric project upon commissioning → Currently, India’s largest operational standalone conventional hydroelectric project is the Koyna Hydroelectric Project, Maharashtra (1960 MW) and the largest overall hydropower complex (includes pumped storage) is Tehri Hydroelectric Complex, Uttarakhand (2,400 MW).
Green Crackers
- Eco-friendly alternatives to conventional firecrackers, designed to significantly cut air pollution and toxic emissions.
- Typically achieve 30%–80% lower particulate emissions (PM10, PM2.5) than traditional crackers.
- Developed by CSIR–National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur → launched in 2019.
- Key Components of green crackers:
- Zeolite additives: trap and neutralise gaseous pollutants; help absorb toxic residues.
- Boron-based water-releasing compounds: release moisture upon ignition; act as dust suppressants.
- Metallic composites: replace harmful metals, such as barium nitrate and antimony (linked to respiratory ailments and cancer), with safer alternatives, such as potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, and aluminium chips.
- Water and lime mixtures: release moisture that binds with dust and smoke, reducing their dispersion.
Quick Picks
- C2S-Scale 27B: a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model made by Google DeepMind and Yale University → reads biological data like a language to find hidden patterns → helps scientists study how human cells work, especially to understand and fight cancer.
- 47th ASEAN Summit (2025): being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 26-28 October 2025 → East Timor (Timor‑Leste) to be formally admitted as ASEAN’s 11th member.
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