Current Affairs · Subject

Science & Technology

5 items tagged Science & Technology.

• 2026-08-18

  NABARD's RSVC AMRIT platform launched for rural technology transfer

  Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, launched the RSVC AMRIT digital platform on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day. Developed by NABARD with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, the platform is meant to serve as the digital backbone of the RuTAG Smart Village Centre (RSVC) ecosystem, supporting technology discovery, validation, deployment tracking and knowledge sharing. NABARD currently supports eight RSVCs, which provide a structured, last mile route for validated technologies and startup solutions to reach rural communities across areas such as agriculture, renewable energy and water and sanitation.

• 2026-08-18

  NASA invites ISRO to join its Artemis Moon Base programme

  At the 9th India US Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on 5 and 6 August, NASA invited ISRO to participate in its Artemis Moon Base programme, a lunar South Pole base being developed under the Artemis Accords framework. India became the 27th signatory to the Artemis Accords on 21 June 2023. The invitation comes as India's own human spaceflight programme progresses, with the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission carrying the half humanoid Vyommitra targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026, ahead of two further uncrewed flights and India's maiden crewed orbital mission.

• 2026-08-17

  New deep sea shark species found off Kerala coast

  Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India described Apristurus drona, a new deepwater catshark found at the Kollam slope off Kerala's coast at depths of 400 to 650 metres, as part of the Deep Ocean Mission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It was distinguished by more than five per cent genetic divergence from its closest relative, well above the usual threshold used to classify a new species.

• 2026-08-17

  PM sets target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047

  In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August, the Prime Minister set a target of 100 GW of nuclear power generation capacity by 2047, with five new reactors to begin construction within this decade. He linked the target to the rising energy needs of semiconductor fabrication, artificial intelligence and data centres, and referred to progress in mastering fast breeder reactor technology as part of India's push for self-reliance in nuclear fuel.

• 2026-08-17

  PM highlights semiconductor self-reliance push

  In the same Independence Day address, the Prime Minister said three semiconductor fabrication plants in India had already been initiated, with another five to eight plants expected to come up over the next seven to eight years. He described this as a step towards reducing India's dependence on imported chips for electronics, telecommunications and defence applications, building on the incentives offered under the India Semiconductor Mission.