After ECI's Directive, Maha Transfers 14 Deputy, Joint Secretaries Of Various Departments

The video gave glimpses of the team India's practice session in Bengaluru ahead of first Test against New Zealand, with a voice-over by Ashwin. The spinner said that in Test cricket, everyday players need to adapt to conditions and also come up with new strategies and approaches.

"See, Test cricket is always about adaptability, right? You can't start Day 5 like how you started Day 1. Every day you need to be able to adapt to the conditions. That's why they say Test cricket is the pinnacle of this particular sport," Ashwin said in the video.

After his Player of the Series performance in a 2-0 clean-sweep vs Bangladesh last month, Ashwin, who has 527 Test wickets to his name, will be back in action in the series against New Zealand, starting from Wednesday, with the opening match to take place in M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

New Zealand had last visited India in 2021-22 for a two-match series that the hosts won 1-0. In the second Test against Wankhede, New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel became only the third bowler after Jim Laker and India's Anil Kumble to take all 10 wickets in an innings.

India are currently on top of the World Test Championships (WTC) standings, while New Zealand, title-winners in 2021, are in sixth position. Rohit Sharma's side will be looking forward to consolidating its position in the WTC standings ahead of the all-important tour of Australia starting in November-January.

--IANS

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"...Today India is one of the most happening countries in the world in terms of telecom and related technology. India, where there are 120 crore mobile phone users, and 95 crore internet users, where more than 40 % of the world's real-time digital transactions take place, where digital connectivity is a last-mile delivery effective tool, there the discussion on the status and future of global telecommunication will also become a medium for global good," said PM Modi addressing ITU World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly.

Highlighting India's role in connecting the world by reducing the global conflicts existing today, the Prime Minister said, "WTSA talks about empowering the whole world through consensus. India Mobile Congress talks about empowering the whole world through connectivity. That means consensus and connectivity have been linked together in this event. You know how important both of these are for today's conflict-ridden world. India has been living the immortal message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam for thousands of years. When we got the opportunity to lead the G20, we gave the message of one earth, one family, one future. India is engaged in connecting the world by taking it out of conflict..."

PM Modi said that WTSA and IMC coming together is inspiring, adding to that he stated, "When local and vocal get together, the world gets benefitted and it is our aim. India's telecom journey became a matter of study for the entire world. In India, we made telecom not just a medium of connectivity but a medium of attaining equity and providing opportunity. This medium is helping in reducing the differences between poor and rich, villages and cities."

PM Modi said that when Digital India's vision was presented, it was said that we would lead with a holistic approach. Adding to that he stated, "We identified four pillars of Digital India- first, device cost must be less, second digital connectivity must reach every nook and corner, third data must be accessible to everyone, and fourth digital-first should be our aim. We worked on all four simultaneously and we also attained results. Mobiles could have not become cheaper if we had not manufactured them in the country."

Elaborating on India's achievements in mobile manufacturing, PM Modi said, "In 2014, there were only two mobile manufacturing units in India and today there are more than 200. Earlier we used to import most of the phones from abroad, today we are manufacturing 6 times more mobile phones in India than before. We are known as a mobile exporter country and we have not stopped here, now we are engaged in providing completely Made-in-India phones to the world, from chips to finished products. We are also making huge investments in semiconductors in India."

The Prime Minister emphasised how India emerged as the second-largest 5G market in the world.

"...In just ten years, the length of the optical fibre that India has laid is eight times the distance between the earth and the moon. I will give you an example of India's speed. Two years ago, we launched 5G in the Mobile Congress itself. Today, almost every district of India is connected with 5G service. Today, India has become the second largest 5G market in the world and now we are also working fast on 6G technology," he added.

"The subject of global framework of digital technology, global guidelines, now the time has come for global institutions to accept its importance for global governance. Dos and don'ts have to be made for technology at the global level. All the digital tools and applications that are available today are beyond limits. They are beyond the boundaries of any country. Therefore, no country can protect its citizens from cyber threats alone. For this, we will have to work together. Global institutions will have to come forward and take responsibility. Just like we have made a global rules and regulations framework for the aviation sector, the digital world also needs a similar framework...India's Data Protection Act and National Cyber Security Strategy show our commitment towards building a safe digital ecosystem...." he said. (ANI)

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Despite several hurdles affecting the EV market over the past few months, Gartner projects the number of EVs in use globally to total 64 million units in 2024 and increase 33 per cent in 2025.

"Many companies overestimated how quickly the switch to EVs would occur. This caused those companies to delay launching new EV models,” said Jonathan Davenport from Gartner.

Globally, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in use are forecast to total almost 62 million units by the end of next year, an increase of 35 per cent from 2024.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are expected to grow at a slightly slower rate and reach an installed base of 23 million units in 2025, up 28 per cent from 2024.

“In India, 500,000 EVs are expected to be on the road by the end of 2025. BEVs in use are expected to total 370,000 units, while 129,500 PHEVs are forecast to be on the road by the end of 2025,” the report mentioned.

The number of EVs on the road in India will achieve a high growth, increasing 51 per cent in 2025.

“Economic incentives like the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme are making EVs more affordable than petrol or diesel cars,” said Davenport. “Indian customers are increasingly willing to make procurement decisions that will result in improving air quality levels.”

By 2030, Automakers Will enable the recycling of 95 per cent of batteries from EVs to mitigate the risk from raw material shortage.

With EV sales expected to rise year-over-year, a shortage of raw materials will not be easy to resolve.

“A robust recycling effort to take advantage of materials in spent batteries and scrap from the manufacturing production process, which, together with EU efforts to mandate battery recycling, could reduce the need for more mineral excavation,” said Davenport.

--IANS

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