Good morning, Bengaluru!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 34 ℃ | Low: 20 ℃ | Clear sky
🧐 Did you know? Bengaluru receives around 36 inches of annual rainfall.
🧑🚀 Gaganyaan astronauts undergo training
Four Indian Air Force officers are undergoing intensive training for Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission, at ISRO’s new astronaut training facility in Bengaluru.
What’s it about? The astronauts, Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, are preparing for the mission with a focus on spaceflight engineering, propulsion, aerodynamics, and mission-specific training. They are familiarizing themselves with the spacecraft and its operations, including navigation systems and bio-toilets. The training includes theoretical courses, practical training on Gaganyaan systems, physical and psychological training, and yoga classes.
- The astronauts have previously trained at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia, focusing on generic spaceflight training and acclimatizing to conditions like weightlessness.
- In India, the training involves getting used to the crew module of the spacecraft and undergoing aero-medical training.
Mission details: The Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for next year, with the astronauts set to fly in the low-Earth orbit using the human-rated LVM3 rocket. The mission aims to enhance India’s capabilities in space exploration and contribute to global space research.
🚧 Commercial hoardings may return
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has proposed a new advertisement byelaw that could see commercial hoardings making a comeback in the city, potentially in larger numbers and sizes.
What’s it about? The new byelaw, awaiting final consent from the state government, suggests auctioning licenses for erecting paid advertisements on private properties along many roads, excluding those less than 60 feet wide. The size of hoardings will depend on the road’s width, with a maximum area of 3,000 square feet and a height of 75 feet. Rates for advertisements will vary based on the guidance value of the road.
- The BBMP Advertisement Byelaws 2023 aims to replace the 2018 byelaw that had banned commercial advertising in Bengaluru, with some exceptions.
- The proposal allows for larger hoardings than before, with a minimum area of 800 square feet.
Increasing revenue: The new byelaw also permits paid advertisements on metro pillars, outside metro stations, in BMTC terminals, bus stops, and public toilets, which could increase non-fare revenue for public transport utilities. The policy could generate additional revenue of ₹500 crore to ₹1000 crore a year for BBMP.
🪴 Horticulture fair draws large crowds
The National Horticulture Fair 2024, inaugurated on March 5 at the ICAR-IIHR in Bengaluru, attracted around 18,000-20,000 visitors, showcasing a wide range of innovations and technologies in the horticulture sector.
What’s it about? The three-day fair features over 250 stalls and 238 live demos of IIHR technologies, with participants from 20 states, 50 ICAR institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, government organizations, NGOs, Farmer Producer Organisations, and startups. Exhibits include seeds, fertilizers, agricultural equipment, and horticultural products like millet breakfast bars and jackfruit cookies.
- Visitors praised the fair’s diversity and informativeness, highlighting the representation of various states and regions.
- The fair serves as a platform for farmers and entrepreneurs to learn about advanced technologies and innovations in horticulture.
People honoured: During the inaugural ceremony, 12 progressive farmers, four entrepreneurs, five FPOs, and five KVK officials were honoured for their contributions to the horticulture sector. The fair aims to promote knowledge exchange and the adoption of new technologies in the field.
🔬 GITAM launches MURTI Research Centre
GITAM Bengaluru has inaugurated the Multidisciplinary Unit of Research on Translational Initiatives (MURTI) Research Centre, aimed at fostering collaboration across various disciplines in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020.
What’s it about? The MURTI Research Centre, focusing on areas like Basic Sciences, Mobility Technologies, and Sensor Technologies, was inaugurated by notable figures including Dr Kota Harinarayana, chief designer of the LCA Tejas program, and Christopher W Hodges, consul general of the US Consulate in Chennai. The centre boasts 13 modern labs equipped with advanced facilities to drive impactful research.
- The centre aims to address challenges that transcend individual disciplines through multidisciplinary collaboration.
- It houses state-of-the-art labs dedicated to various research domains.
Worldwide collab: GITAM Bengaluru’s initiative invites researchers and collaborators worldwide to join in advancing multidisciplinary research for positive change. The launch event highlighted the centre’s research initiatives and its commitment to driving real-world impact.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you like dancing in the rain?
- I like dancing in the rain.
- I don’t like dancing in the rain.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which is the best hospital in Bengaluru for pregnancies?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Karnataka has announced that electricity bill services will be disrupted for 10 days due to a software upgrade.
- The Karnataka government received a bomb threat email warning of an explosion on Saturday.
- There is still no official order confirming the extension of the Bengaluru-Kannur overnight express to Kozhikode.
- CorporatEdge, a premium workspace provider, has launched its new Marquee category in Bengaluru.
- Hilton has announced the opening of its latest hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Bengaluru Whitefield.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I feed stray animals: 20.0%
- I don’t feed stray animals: 80.0% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great day!