Month: November 2025

India has been re-elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for the 2026–27 biennium, securing the highest number of votes among all contesting nations. The re-election reinforces India’s growing global maritime influence and its active role in shaping international shipping regulations and maritime governance.   Elected under Category B—which represents states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade—India’s strong vote tally reflects widespread confidence in its contributions to maritime safety, security, and environmental sustainability.   Officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways stated that India’s re-election…

VOC Port, Tuticorin, has welcomed its first clinker vessel as part of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ambuja Cement Limited, marking a significant step in strengthening industrial cargo movement through the port.   The vessel’s arrival signifies the beginning of a long-term logistics partnership aimed at supporting Ambuja Cement’s production and distribution plans in the southern region. Handling of clinker—a key raw material in cement manufacturing—will boost the port’s cargo throughput and diversify its commodity profile.   Port officials highlighted that dedicated infrastructure, streamlined berthing arrangements, and…

Paradip Port Authority has set a new operational benchmark by crossing the 100 million metric tonnes (MMT) cargo-handling milestone in the fastest time ever within a fiscal year. This achievement highlights PPA’s growing efficiency, improved cargo-handling capacity, and its emergence as one of India’s leading major ports.   According to port officials, the milestone was reached significantly earlier than previous years, reflecting strong performance across key cargo categories such as thermal coal, iron ore, crude oil, POL (petroleum, oil & lubricants), and containerized cargo. Enhanced mechanization, streamlined logistics, and coordinated…

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, has launched the second cohort of 32 clean-tech startups under the Swachh Bharat Mission. The initiative aims to accelerate innovation in waste management, circular economy, sanitation, and sustainable urban solutions.   The selected startups will receive technical mentorship, laboratory access, funding support, and pilot opportunities across urban local bodies. The cohort is part of the Centre for Garbage Free Cities, established to empower early-stage entrepreneurs working on high-impact clean-tech solutions. With this…

Among the silt-rich deposits of the Chirang River in Manipur’s Imphal Valley researchers examining fossil plant remains have found an astonishingly intact bamboo stem, carrying the ghostly marks of long-vanished thorns. This earliest thorny bamboo fossil from Asia could rewrite a chapter of the continent’s botanical history. Bamboo fossils are extremely rare because their hollow stems and fibrous tissues decay rapidly, leaving little trace in the geological record. Scientists usually understood bamboo defences mainly by comparing modern species with their habitats.   Scientists from Birbal Sahni institution of Palaeosciences (BSIP),…