Members of the Pawar family, including NCP leader Sharad Pawar, gathered for a Diwali lunch at his brother’s residence in Pune. Ajit Pawar, who was recently diagnosed with dengue, also attended the celebration. Sharad Pawar expressed happiness over Ajit’s improving health. After the gathering, Ajit Pawar left for Delhi to meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. NCP leader Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar’s daughter, stated that there were no personal differences within the family and that Ajit Pawar required post-dengue care. Despite their political differences, the family maintains strong ties.

The modern education in India has a strong focus on Science and Technology. The country’s premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have not only carved out their place at the national level but have also earned recognition at the global level. As mentioned by Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, the six original IITs have together contributed 300 to 400 billion dollars to the world economy. The IITs have been featured consistently among the top-ranking educational institutions in the country and abroad. 

On the occasion of National  Education Day, here is a list of some of the advancements that country has made in the filed of Science and Technology. 

As per data shared by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) which is a trust established by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions in the world. The country is consistently witnessing an increasing number of multinational companies setting up their Research and Development centres. The government has lately introduced multiple policies to project India as a science and technology powerhouse at the global level. Several fellowship schemes to nurture the human capacity for advanced research in the country have also been implemented.

IBEF further mentioned that in FY21, there were 5,018 R&D projects, 2,528 fellowships, 3,702 publications, 30,532 ongoing projects and 797 innovations in India. The year also added 1,497,501 employees in the science and technology sector which emerged as the country’s top employment generator.

Under the Union Budget 2022-23, the government announced an allocation of Rs 14,217 crore to the Ministry of Science and Technology. In the Union Budget 2023-24, the allocation of Rs 16,361 crore was made to the Department of Science and Technology.

India has initiated plans to move forward with developing its science and technology sector by collaborating with other countries. The country has active bilateral science and technology programmes of cooperation with more than 45 countries, including dedicated programmes for Africa, ASEAN, BRICS, EU and neighbouring countries.
The date from the IBEF also mentioned that the top IT firms in the country such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and Tech Mahindra have added more than 122,000 employees in the first six months of FY22, nearly matching the 138,000 employees hired in the entirety of FY21. From 2014 to 2021, the country recorded a 572% growth in patent approvals.

TechnoPro, a Japanese tech firm, decided to hire 10,000 engineers and researchers in India by 2022-23.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned a convicted murderer after his decided to enlist for the war in Ukraine. Vladislav Kanyus served less than a year of his 17-year sentence for brutally killing his ex-girlfriend, Vera Pekhteleva, reports suggest.

Kanyus had stabbed his ex-girlfriend 111 times, raped and tortured her for three-and-a-half hours, for breaking up with him. He then strangled her with a cable iron, ultimately killing her, according to The Sun. Hearing her scream, neighbours called the police seven times, but their calls went unanswered.

This revelation came after Vera Pekhteleva’s mother, Oksana, discovered photographs of Kanyus in a military uniform holding a weapon. The mourning mother lamented, “This was a blow at me. My child will rot in her grave and I’ve been deprived of everything – my life, any hope.”

“I don’t live, I exist. This simply finished me off, it just totally finished me off. I am a very strong person. But this lawlessness of our state just pushes me into a dead end. I don’t know what to do next,” she cried.

Women’s rights activist Alyona Popova on Wednesday said that prison authorities confirmed Kanyus’ transfer to Rostov in southern Russia, bordering Ukraine. She shared a letter from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office dated November 3, stating that Kanyus had been pardoned, and his conviction was expunged by a presidential decree on April 27. 

Oksana is heartbroken and blames Putin for pardoning her daughter’s killer. She is confused by the decision to let him join the war after murdering her daughter and is now worried for her own safety. “How could a cruel murderer be given a weapon? Why is he sent to the front – to defend Russia? He is scum. He is not a human being,” she said.

“[The killer] can at any moment kill any of us, the victims, out of revenge.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the policy, saying that Russian prisoners sent to fight in Ukraine are atoning for their crimes “with blood,” AFP reported. “Those convicted, including for serious crimes, are atoning with blood for their crime on the battlefield,” Peskov told reporters.