September 26, 2026

Kautilya

Economy Make in India

From Chandrayaan-3 to Aditya-L1: The Made-in-India Chips Powering India’s Space Missions

The Government of India highlighted this capability on 23 August 2026, National Space Day, detailing the contribution of the Semiconductor Laboratory at Mohali to India’s space programme. SCL develops and manufactures flight-grade semiconductor devices including radiation-hardened integrated circuits, processors, sensors, electro-optical imaging devices and application-specific integrated circuits for satellites and launch vehicles.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Governance Intervention

India Sets First National Minimum Standards for Mortuaries, Bars Basement Morgues

The Clinical Establishment Act Standards for Mortuary, prepared under the National Council for Clinical Establishments and the Directorate General of Health Services, mark an attempt to bring greater consistency to an area of healthcare and forensic infrastructure that has traditionally operated under differing state-level procedures, police manuals, hospital practices and medico-legal rules. The official Clinical Establishments portal now lists the mortuary standards among its prescribed minimum standards.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Birds Living Heritage

White-Hooded Babbler Recorded in North Bengal After 95 Years

The White-hooded Babbler (Gampsorhynchus rufulus) was recently photographed near Rongtong in the Darjeeling foothills, marking the first documented record of the species from North Bengal since 1931. The sighting was made by birder and eBird reviewer Sandeep Biswas, who was exploring bamboo-rich habitat in the area along with fellow birders when the bird unexpectedly appeared.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Intervention Neighborhood

X Exposes 200,000-Account China-Linked Bot Network

The findings fit into a much wider pattern already documented by Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and US authorities. In several of those earlier cases, investigators were able to connect influence operations more directly to Chinese state-linked organisations or individuals associated with Chinese law enforcement.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Diplomacy Economy

Indian UPI Payments to Work with Uzbekistan’s UZQR Network as India Expands Digital Payments Footprint into Central Asia

The development is significant because it links India’s domestic real-time payment ecosystem with Uzbekistan’s emerging national QR infrastructure. It also places digital payments alongside trade, investment, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other technology sectors in the expanding India-Uzbekistan relationship, which has now been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Defense

Indian Army Aviation Executes Extraordinary One-Skid Casualty Evacuation at 18,600 Feet Near Nun-Kun

The operation was conducted on 29 August 2026 under severe constraints imposed by altitude, strong mountain winds, difficult terrain and rapidly fading daylight. With little margin available for either aircraft performance or time, the pilots stabilised their helicopter with just one skid touching the slope, enabling the casualty to be taken aboard before lifting away from the mountain.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Economy Make in India Research

Skyroot Ships Second Vikram-1 Hardware to Sriharikota as India’s Private Rocket Programme Accelerates

Skyroot co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana confirmed that hardware for the next launch was en route just 36 days after the first Vikram-1 mission. Contemporary reporting also indicated that the first stage had begun its journey to Sriharikota, with additional stages expected to follow as the company prepares the second vehicle for integration and launch operations.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026
Make in India Research

ISRO Readies EOS-05, India’s First Imaging Satellite from Geosynchronous Orbit

ISRO formally published the GSLV-F17/EOS-05 mission page on 29 August 2026, describing EOS-05 as a state-of-the-art Earth-observation spacecraft and, most importantly, India’s first-ever imaging satellite from geosynchronous orbit. GSLV-F17 will place the spacecraft initially into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, from where the satellite will proceed towards its intended operational orbital configuration.

By Kautilya / August 31, 2026