Axiom-4 Mission
As a part of the Axiom-4 mission, ISRO shortlisted two of its four trained Gaganyaan astronauts to travel to the International Space Station.
- A private spaceflight to the International Space Station.
- Operated by – Axiom Space
- In collaboration with NASA
- Uses a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Zorawar
Recently, defence officials said that the prototype of the country’s indigenous light tank Zorawar is ready and will soon be subjected to extensive trials.
- An indigenously designed and developed Light Tank.
- Jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as the lead integrator.
- Named after a military general, Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who had served under Jammu’s Raja Gulab Singh in the 19th Century.
Zombie startups
Recently shutting down of Koo (India’s Twitter-like app) has raised debate around Zombie startups.
- Startups that have raised enough funds (during the boom cycle) to operate but are currently not generating significant revenue.
- Can be considered to be stuck in a situation of consuming resources without growing into a successful enterprise.
- Reasons – Lack of market-suitable products, high cost of acquiring customers, funding winter, etc.
Regenerative Braking
Regenerative braking, a feature of EVs, is being widely used among those developing next-gen cars.
- Braking slows down a vehicle by removing kinetic energy.
- Regenerative braking works on the principle of conversion of combined kinetic energy and potential energy of the braking system directly into electrical energy using a generator.
- This electric energy is used for recharging the battery (hence, braking in EVs increases the mileage slightly)
- Benefits – Better efficiency and less maintenance (wear and tear on brake systems is reduced)
PLIWG (Production Linked Incentive PLI Scheme for White Goods)
Government has invited applications for PLIWG Scheme for White Goods.
- Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Commerce & Industry
- Type – Central Sector Scheme
- Launched in – 2021, in pursuance of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.
- Financial incentives to applicants – An incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (net of taxes) over the base year 2019-20.
- White Goods – Large electrical goods and home appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and ACs.