Author: Shradhanjali Mukherjee

US business leaders are throwing their support behind Nikki Haley, an Indian American candidate viewed as a more stable alternative to Donald Trump and a more business-friendly option than Joe Biden. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s head, encourages even liberal Democrats to consider Haley over Trump, emphasizing her potential appeal. Prominent figures like Charles Koch and investor Stanley Druckenmiller are backing Haley, significantly boosting her campaign funds. In December, a fundraiser in New York yielded over $500,000 in pledges from the city’s business elite. Initially cautious donors are now aligning with Haley, recognizing her impressive performance in debates and expressing concerns…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Supreme Court’s endorsement of Article 370’s abrogation as a declaration of hope and unity. He assured Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh of unwavering commitment and emphasized extending progress benefits to marginalized sections. The court, dismissing Article 370’s permanence, mandated J&K elections by September 2024, calling for statehood restoration. BJP Chief JP Nadda praised the court for validating the government’s decisions, applauding PM Modi’s historic integration of J&K. However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, acknowledged the loss, asserting history’s role in judging institutional actions. Omar Abdullah expressed disappointment but affirmed the ongoing struggle. Ghulam…

Reshma Saujani, the Indian American activist, has earned a spot on Forbes’ Women To Watch In 2024 list, highlighting influential women just outside the top 100 powerful people globally. As the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, Saujani focuses on empowering females in computer science and eliminating gender discrimination in the field. Forbes notes the organization’s significant impact, educating over 500,000 participants in the last 11 years. Beyond Girls Who Code, Saujani has redirected her efforts post-Covid towards advocating for improved family leave and childcare policies in the US. Initiatives like the Marshall Plan for Moms, now Moms First,…

Meira Chand, a novelist of Indian origin, has recently been honored with Singapore’s prestigious Cultural Medallion, the highest artistic award in the country. This recognition comes with a financial grant of US $58,000 (SGD $80,000) to support her artistic endeavors. The National Arts Council (NAC) of Singapore commended Chand for her ability to captivate a global audience with stories that reflect her multicultural heritage and delve into themes surrounding cultural identities. Specifically, her novel “A Different Sky” (2010), set against pre-independence Singapore, drew attention and was longlisted for the 2012 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It also found a place on…

Usha Reddi, the current Indian American senator representing Kansas’ 22nd district, has officially declared her candidacy for re-election. Assuming office after Tom Hawk’s departure in January, Reddi aims to extend her term until January 2025. Announcing her candidacy on X, formerly Twitter, Reddi expressed her commitment to public service and working for the people as their State Senator. Her focus areas, as outlined on her campaign website, include health care, mental health, public education, safety, equity, jobs, security, economic growth, infrastructure, housing, and childcare. Emphasizing collaboration, Reddi pledges to work with legislators, experts, and community members to formulate policies benefiting…

The spacecraft responsible for delivering the Chandrayaan-3 lander to the moon has successfully returned to Earth orbit, showcasing technologies crucial for a future Indian lunar sample return mission. The propulsion module, initially designed to move the lander to a low lunar orbit, performed maneuvers to bring it back to Earth orbit after the lander’s successful touchdown on the moon. The module, equipped with the SHAPE instrument, observed Earth while in orbit. ISRO’s decision to bring it back was driven by having excess propellant. The mission aims to derive insights for future lunar endeavors, including a potential sample return mission mentioned…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended congratulations to A Revanth Reddy for being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangana. Modi assured full support for the progress and welfare of the state. Revanth Reddy, representing the Congress party, took the oath of office administered by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at the L B Stadium in Hyderabad. Modi posted his congratulations, affirming support for Telangana’s progress and citizens’ well-being, emphasizing commitment to collaboration under new leadership. Prime Minister Modi A Revanth Reddy Telangana Chief Minister congratulations support progress welfare

Venktesh Shukla, founder of Monta Vista, a California-based seed-stage venture capital firm, was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus award by Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal, where he completed his electronics engineering degree in 1975. During the convocation ceremonies, Shukla announced a donation of 134,000 US Dollars to MANIT for a project of the institute’s choice, along with an annual donation of INR one lakh to the MANIT Alumni Association. Addressing the graduating classes of 2022 and 2023, Shukla emphasized the significance of technology in today’s rapidly changing landscape. He highlighted the exponential growth of technology, citing examples…

On the 67th death anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes. The day, observed as “Mahaparinirvan Diwas,” saw Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and other parliamentarians honoring Ambedkar at his statue in the Parliament premises. PM Modi acknowledged Ambedkar’s role as the architect of the Indian Constitution and his commitment to social harmony and the welfare of the exploited. In a social media post, PM Modi referred to Ambedkar as an “immortal champion of social harmony” and paid his respects on this significant day. Lok Sabha Speaker…

Professor Ravinder Dahiya, an expert in electronic skin at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering in Boston, is leading a project funded by a $230,000 National Science Foundation grant. The project aims to develop flexible and compressible electronic skin (e-Skin) integrated with soft magnetic coil-based ultra-thin actuators and touch sensors for robotics applications. The goal is to provide robots with human-like tactile abilities, enabling them to interact safely with objects and assist the elderly in daily tasks. Dahiya’s work addresses the limitations of existing e-Skin variants by creating a seamless coupling between touch sensors and actuators, allowing the skin to expand…