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.