Key Highlights
- ‘Make in India’ celebrates its 11th year of industrial resurgence.
- India launches its first electric heavy‑truck fleet with swappable batteries at JNPA.
- Tirumala inaugurates the nation’s inaugural AI‑powered pilgrimage command centre.
- IIT‑Madras is nominated as a UN Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence.
- The RBI injects ₹1.50 lakh crore to ease banking liquidity deficit.
Detailed Insights
Economic Transformation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 11th anniversary of the Make in India initiative, underscoring its role in boosting growth, entrepreneurship, innovation, job creation and paving the way for self‑reliance.
Electric Truck Fleet: The first swappable‑battery electric heavy‑truck fleet was flagged off at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which plans to convert 90% of its 600‑truck roster to EVs by 2026 and has commissioned a battery‑swapping station to accelerate turnover.
AI Command Centre: Tirumala’s new AI‑based Integrated Command & Control Centre provides real‑time queue analytics, 3‑D congestion maps, facial recognition, drone‑assisted emergency response and cyber‑threat monitoring, enhancing pilgrim safety and operational efficiency.
UN AI Centre of Excellence: IIT‑Madras was selected by the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies to become a Centre of Excellence for AI capacity building, aligning with India’s goal of training 10 million people annually under the India AI Mission.
Banking Liquidity: The RBI conducted a ₹1.50 lakh crore overnight variable‑rate repo auction to counter the ₹87,183 crore liquidity shortfall, with plans for an additional ₹1.25 lakh crore auction.
Key Concepts
- Make in India: A government initiative launched in 2014 to promote manufacturing and attract investment.
- Electric Heavy Trucks: Large commercial vehicles powered by battery electric propulsion, often featuring swappable battery technology.
- AI‑Powered Command Centre: A digital hub that uses artificial intelligence for real‑time analytics, resource management and safety oversight.
- UN Centre of Excellence (AI): An UN-recognised hub that develops and shares expertise in artificial intelligence.
- Variable‑Rate Repo (VRR): A short‑term monetary operation where the RBI sells securities to banks at variable rates to manage liquidity.