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Apsara
- “Apsara”, the first research reactor in Asia became operational in Trombay campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in August 1956. After providing more than five decades of dedicated service to the researchers, the reactor was shut down in 2009.
About:
- Nearly sixty-two years after Apsara came into existence, a swimming pool type research reactor “Apsara-upgraded”, of higher capacity was born at Trombay on 10thSeptember 2018 at 18:41 hrs.
- The reactor, made indigenously, uses plate type dispersion fuel elements made of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU).
- This reactor will increase indigenous production or radio-isotopes for medical application by about fifty percent, by virtue of higher neutron flux and would also be extensively used for research in nuclear physics, material science and radiation shielding.
- Development of this has re-emphasised the capability of Indian scientists and Engineers to build, complex facilities for health care, science education and research.
Yudh Abhyas 2018
- A joint military training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 is scheduled to be conducted in the foothills of Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand, as part of the ongoing Indo-US defence cooperation.
Context:
- The joint exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain under United Nation charter.
About:
- The two week exercise will witness participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of the Indian Army.
- The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants are initially made to get familiar with each other’s organizational structure, weapons, equipment, confidence training and tactical drills.
- The training advances to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies are coherently unleashed.
- The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries will jointly carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic setting.
- The exercise is a great step for the armies of the two democratic countries to train together and gain together from each other’s rich operational experiences.
- The latest exercise will help further build interoperability between the forces of both the nations.
KAZIND 2018
- Exercise KAZIND-2018 is a joint military exercise between Indian and Kazakhstan Armies, commenced in Otar Military Area, Kazakhstan.
Aim:
- To build & promote army to army relations and exchange skills & experiences between Indian Army and the Kazakhstan Army.
- Increasing interoperability between forces from both countries which is crucial for success of any joint operation. Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.
Model International Center for Transformative AI (ICTAI)
- NITI Aayog, Intel, and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) announced that they are collaborating to set up a Model International Center for Transformative Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI) towards developing and deploying AI-led application-based research projects.
Aim:
- To conduct advanced research to incubate AI-led solutions in three important areas – healthcare, agriculture and smart mobility – by bringing together the expertise of Intel and TIFR.
- To experiment, discover and establish best practices in the domains of ICTAI governance, fundamental research, physical infrastructure, compute and service infrastructure needs, and talent acquisition.
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Also See:
| NITI Aayog | Department of Atomic Energy |
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