The country’s biggest cyclotron facility that will produce radioisotopes vital for diagnosis and treatment of cancer has become operational in Kolkata. The machine Cyclone-30 is housed at the Kolkata-based Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The cyclotron machine will produce radioisotopes for nuclear imaging specifically for cancer detection.

In a first, bus services between Bihar and Nepal were flagged off on September 11, 2018 by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The bus services have been commissioned following the agreement between India and Nepal.Following this, four buses will ply from Bodhgaya to Kathmandu and four buses will ply from Patna to Janakpur.

ISRO chairman Dr. K Sivan has launched an S–band Polarimetry Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota spaceport, Andhra Pradesh on September 16, 2018. This Radar was indigenously developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore under Technology Transfer from ISRO. This is the 7th Radar manufactured in the country under “Make in India” Concept. The Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) is used for the observation of the weather system up to a range of 500 km and helps in early warning of severe weather events. The DWR provides detailed information on a storm’s internal wind flow and structure, while conventional radars are able to track and predict cyclones. The polarimetric capability of the DWR will significantly improve the accuracy of rainfall estimation leading to accurate and timely flash flood warnings.

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru is set to become the first airport in Asia to use face recognition as the boarding procedure for passengers to board flights and move across different sections of the airport.

Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas, the renowned nuclear scientist, has been appointed as the new Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) till May 3, 2021. He succeeded Shekhar Basu. At present, Vyas is the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.

The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) led a 75-member Indian delegation for the ongoing 87th Izmir International Trade Show in Turkey. The delegation had several B2B meetings and business tie-ups with members of the Turkish business community. India is the Focus Country in the trade show with a standalone pavilion named ‘Source India’.

The Union cabinet approved a proposal for the complete electrification of Indian Railways by 2021-22, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel and saving revenue for the national carrier.

India’s first tribal circuit tourism project under Swadesh Darshan scheme inaugurated at Chhattisgarh. The central government had allocated about 100 crore rupees to develop this project to highlight tribal culture to the domestic and foreign tourists.

The Department of Posts has clarified that Aadhaar is not a mandatory document to be produced at the time of booking of an international parcel.  It stated that it is mandatory to produce a copy of an identity proof acceptable for important transactions but that need not mandatorily be Aadhaar.

The 12th edition of Aero India 2019 will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 20 to 24, 2019. This 5-day event will combine a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with public air shows.

Japanese researchers have developed a “space elevator”. Its first trial will be conducted on 11th September 2018, by launching a miniature version on satellites. The test equipment has been developed by researchers at Shizuoka University. It will be launched on an H-2B rocket by Japan’s space agency from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center. The miniature elevator is 6 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 3 cm high. It will move along a 10-metre cable suspended in space between two mini satellites.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced a novel scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants that flower only once in 12 years. This came after the complaints of packaging and selling of these rare and ecologically unique flowers on commercial basis. The state department has warned that strict fines will be imposed in offenders. The Neela Kurinju is a shrub that is found in the shola forests of the Western Ghats. It is a major attraction to foreign & native tourists and one of the prime foreign exchange earners from tourism. The Kurinji plant belongs to the genus Strobilanthes, which was first scientifically described by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in the 19th century. The Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.

The United Nations (UN) every year observes International Peace Day on September 21. The theme for the year 2018 is “The Right to Peace: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70.” Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” calls for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 7, 2018 unveiled a mobility road map that seeks investments in manufacturing electric vehicles and increased use of public transport for travel. PM Modi also announced that the government will soon come out with a policy on electric vehicles (e-vehicles) and Alternative Fuel Technology to give a boost to e-mobility in India.

The Government of Nepal has appointed former Member of Parliament and renowned Indian actress Jaya Prada as Goodwill Ambassador for tourism and culture for four years. Tourism is one of the important sources of employment and income generation in Nepal and India is the biggest source market for Nepal. As per officials, the appointment of Jaya Prada will strengthen age old cultural ties between the two countries and help in promoting Nepal’s tourism in India. The Govt. of Nepal has decided to observe the year 2020 as the ‘Visit Nepal Year’ with a target of at least two million international arrivals every year.

On 5th September 2018, National Mission on Government e Marketplace (GeM) was launched to enhance the adoption and use of GeM by major central Ministries, State Governments and their agencies. The National Mission aims to promote inclusiveness, transparency and efficiency in public procurement and bring cashless, contactless and paperless transaction. It will increase overall efficiency and cost saving on government expenditure in procurement. A 6-week special drive is conducted from 6th September to 15th October 2018, where the mission will be launched at state headquarters by Chief Ministers.

A Five Judge Constitution Bench of the Indian Supreme Court on September 6, 2018 pronounced its historic judgement, decriminalising Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), this legalising homosexuality. However, there are still 73 countries that have not legalised homosexuality.

Assamese film Village Rockstars is India’s official entry for Oscars 2019 in the Best Foreign Language film category. The announcement was made by the Film Federation of India (FFI) on 22 Sept.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY) from Ranchi in Jharkhand on 23 Sept. Under this scheme, 10 crore families will be provided health assurance worth over Rs. 5 lakh.