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MSME Technology

Nitin Gadkari: India`s Transport Sector Will Transform With Bio-fuels & Low-Cost Battery Technology

India`s Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro Small & Medium Enterprises said that the transport sector in the country is transforming rapidly with the growing use of bio-fuels in all kinds of vehicles.

While delivering the plenary address at a three-day virtual Conference of BRICS Network Universities based on the theme of electric mobility, he also added that the country has also made a lot of progress about low-cost battery technology. It is not only good for sustainability and the environment but also the economy as it will open up new livelihoods in the country.

The conference was inaugurated at IIT Bombay on June 16, 2021, and was a part of the engagements that India is hosting under the education stream during its Chairship of the 13th BRICS Summit this year. IIT Bombay is the lead institution of India for the BRICS Network University.

Eighteen experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and S. Africa discussed the distinct aspects of electric mobility like traffic management, hydrogen technology, hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and linkage between e-mobility and livelihoods for three days.

Over 100 students, researchers, and faculty from the BRICS Network Universities of the five-member countries participated in the conference.

Shri Nitin Gadkari also urged the IITs in the country to dig deeper and further research innovative technology to bring a revolution in e-mobility. He also called for research cooperation among the BRICS countries in this sector.

Secretary, Higher Education, Amit Khare expressed hope that the interactions between the best minds from the BRICS countries will benefit each member country in their collective quest for sustainability and inclusive growth.

BRICS Network University is a union of higher education institutions of the five BRICS member countries, formed to enhance educational cooperation in general, and especially in the realm of research and innovation.

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Startup

Founded by IIT alumni, this Indian Startup bagged Rs 130-crore deal with the Indian Army!

The Indian army has signed a contract of $ 20 million with IdeaForge to procure high-altitude drones in undisclosed quantities. The SWITCH Unmanned Air Vehicles will be delivered over 12 months.

After IdeaForge emerged as the only vendor to successfully qualify the operational requirements for fast-track procurement, the Indian Army awarded the contract to this Indian startup for a high-altitude variant of its SWITCH Unmanned Air Vehicles- UAV.

The deal not only signifies the strategic shift in the acquirement process of the Indian Army, but has also cemented IdeaForge`s position as the largest manufacturer of Indian drones for defense and homeland security, and industrial applications.

What is SWITCH UAV?

A SWITCH UAV is a first-of-its-kind fixed-wing hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. It features higher safety, advanced flight time, and simple operation with additional fail-safe redundancies.

This innovative drone technology can be used for long-duration operations, security, long-endurance surveillance and security, photogrammetry, and inspection.

IdeaForge, the company that has bagged the Rs 130-crore deal has beaten the top Israeli and other Indian drone manufacturers.  It was founded by the four alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay)- Rahul Singh, Ankit Mehta, Vipul Joshi, and Ashish Bhat.

The Indian startup came into existence in 2007, at the Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE). Initially, they started with building hand-cranked chargers, the enterprise soon shifted their focus towards building a hovercraft. This was the beginning of their venture into the drone manufacturing market.

Mumbai-based IdeaForge is a licensed manufacturer of Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) approved by the Ministry of Defence. The company currently offers seven UAVs that are used in a range of applications including traffic management, mapping, surveillance, security, and crowd management. Some of the drones manufactured by them are already in use by the armed forces.

“SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge the company has gained over years of experience in helping the Indian forces operationalize UAVs in their ranks”, said Founder and CEO of IdeaForge Ankit Mehta on the development of UAV.

“Our products are designed like a bird and tested like a tank. It is the only product that surpassed the stringent standards and product trials and surpassed expectations of the Indian Army”, he further added.

Refrence https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/iitbombays-firm-bags-deal-to-supply-drones-for-indian-army-101610652453456-amp.html?__twitter_impression=true