R Srikanth

भारत की परमाणु यात्रा में एक और ऐतिहासिक मील का पत्थर Another Watershed Moment in India’s Nuclear Journey The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the 300 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-300), drafted jointly by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), was released on August 14, 2026. This marks another advancement in the indigenous Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) complementing its ongoing large nuclear power builds with captive nuclear power option underscoring the commitment towards developing next-generation nuclear technologies for the nation. This comes as another transformative step in India’s nuclear journey since the formal initiation of BSMR-200, the first indigenous 220 MWe forerunner pressurized water reactor (PWR), a year ago. BSMR-300 has been conceptualized as a wholly indigenous Gen 3+ PWR. The DPR was released by senior officials of the organisations in the presence of Shri. Vivek Bhasin, Director, BARC and Shri. V. Rajesh, Chairman & Managing Director, NPCIL. #NPCIL #BARC #DAE #SMR #BSMR #SmallModularReactor #AdvanceTechnology #NuclearPower #NuclearEnergy #ViksitBharat #NetZero #BharatAt2047 @PMOIndia @DrJitendraSingh @DAEIndia @PIB_India

Session V on Day 3 of the IN-STEP Programme, titled “Advancing Equity for the Global South in Climate Security, Energy Transition and Sustainable Development,” was moderated by Dr J. R. Bhatt (@JRBhatt60), Distinguished Fellow, VIF. The speakers for the session were Dr R. Srikanth (@ramansrikanth), Professor & Dean, NIAS, Bengaluru; and Amb D. P. Srivastava, Distinguished Fellow, VIF. The discussion highlighted the continuing role of coal in India’s energy landscape, particularly in meeting the growing electricity demand of the country. While India is continuing to pursue a transition towards cleaner sources of energy, coal remains an important part of the country’s energy mix. The role of nuclear energy in India’s energy security and climate action was also discussed, particularly its potential to provide reliable, low-carbon electricity while supporting India’s growing energy needs. The importance of maintaining high safety standards and developing the necessary skills and capabilities for the responsible use of nuclear energy was emphasised. The discussion also highlighted the challenges of pursuing an energy transition within a constrained carbon space, particularly while meeting growing electricity demand and developmental needs. It emphasised the importance of considering the wider energy system, including reliability, transmission, storage and backup requirements, alongside climate objectives. Historical responsibility was another important theme, with discussions highlighting the differing contributions to historical emissions and the need to recognise the developmental priorities and energy needs of countries in the Global South. The session underscored the importance of an inclusive and equitable energy transition that balances climate action with development. #INSTEP #VIF #ClimateSecurity #EnergySecurity #EnergyTransition #GlobalSouth #NuclearEnergy #SustainableDevelopment

This is a crucial video which each 17+ Indian must not only watch but share and tell others as much as they can. The Indian Express report has shaken up India, yet there is half the population that is unaware of the danger lurking on their heads, that can literally rob them of their fundamental right to vote and be considered as a valid legit citizen of India. All of this thanks to a bunch of blood thirsty greedy criminal politicians, Indians themselves handed over power to. They now find it difficult to get them off their backs, sadly. Listen and share as far as you can 🙏

Here @TheJaggi argues on why UPI should be treated as digital public infrastructure and not as another commercial payment product. The real economic value of keeping UPI free is not merely the ₹10,000–20,000 crore infrastructure cost avoided, but the enormous friction, cash-handling and transaction costs that would return if users and merchants were pushed back towards cash or fee-bearing alternatives. @bsindia

The move to levy MDR on UPI transactions above Rs 2000 will lead to these costs being passed onto the consumer . Someone has to pay the cost to keep 5 crore Merchants and 65 crore consumers connected via UPI. Banks and Fintechs make huge cross sell revenues , selling other loan and financial products like insurance , mutual funds to this base . UPI needs to be kept free . $ 3.8 trillion will move via UPI in India this year . Just 4% transactions but 68% of value is above Rs 2000 MDRs will kill this momentum. UPI brings formalization , financialisation and cross sell opportunities . The government needs to put the consumer ahead and refuse MDR calls .

Awarded the Brock Gold Medal by the International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing for outstanding evolution of remote sensing and spatial sciences. It is given once in four years and sponsored by the American Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing. @NIAS_India

Delighted to share that @Reuters has won India’s most prestigious journalism honour — the Ramnath Goenka Award — for business reporting for the investigation that revealed how Apple supplier Foxconn rejected married women from India iPhone assembly jobs because they had more family responsibilities than unmarried women. The story had immediate and lasting impact. Modi's government called for an investigation within hours of the story being published, and the women's wing of Modi's party, India's human rights agency and opposition parties all reacted to it. The story became a major talking point on TV news and talk shows, as well as in newspaper editorials. Indian labour officials visited the Foxconn factory as part of the probe. Foxconn changed its policy: the company quietly tweaked its hiring protocols. It ordered its hiring agents who helped recruit iPhone assembly workers to remove age, gender and marital criteria from job ads. For some Indian women, a job building iPhones is a ticket out of poverty. Between January 2023 and May 2024, Reuters made more than 20 trips to Sriperumbudur. We also reviewed a candidate information pamphlet, dozens of job ads and records of WhatsApp discussions in which four of Foxconn’s third-party recruiters stated to prospective candidates that only unmarried women were eligible for assembly jobs. 🙏 It was an important story. Apple is positioning India as an alternative manufacturing base to China. India PM Modi sees Foxconn’s iPhone factory and Apple’s broader supply chain as helping the world’s most populous country move up the economic value chain. With @PraveenR_P, @MunsifV. Special thanks to our editor for the project, David Crawshaw. @ReutersPR

"Beddoes and the magazine she edits find numberless ways of justifying Israel’s wars, its ethnic cleansing, its mass killing of civilians, but they will deny Palestinians the consolation of symbolic recognition." @mukulkesavan doesn't mince words, and rightly so.

A NDMA analysis of recent major disasters says that incidents in Chamoli, Wayanad and even Silkyara tunnel were avoidable. Silkyara tunnel had experienced 21 collapses before the November 2023 incident. @jayashreenandi & I report for @htTweets hindustantimes.com/india-new…

#NTPC flags thermal plant damage from flexible ops for renewable integration Read here 👉 mybs.in/2g3tBK0 @Sudheerpalsingh

We will put cheap, reliable, abundant energy first. And we will do that unashamedly. We will Axe the Carbon Tax and scrap Ed Miliband’s old rip off wind farm subsidies. This is in the gift of Ministers. It could be done tomorrow. And it would cut your electricity bill by 20%.

The Yellow Line Metro is more than a transport milestone - it’s a bold stride towards a greener, smarter #Bengaluru. @BioconGroup is pleased to support this transformative initiative, having invested nearly ₹100 crores from our CSR budget. By easing traffic, cutting emissions, and connecting communities, this project sets a benchmark for #sustainable urban progress. #NammaMetro

I met with MoHUA Minister Sri @mlkhattar Ji today and requested his intervention on expediting submission of ISA report, early CMRS approval and opening of the #YellowLine as soon as possible. I also requested him to push for more Transit Oriented Development in our cities and prioritise public transport by sustained funding for moving people over cars. We must aim to have at least 5 Indian cities in the most liveable cities of the world in the next decade. I also requested him to standardise all metro trains across the country to facilitate interoperability, build global manufacturing capacity and quick delivery of trains. India is in the middle of an exciting urbanisation journey. It is an incredible opportunity for us to deliver growth and prosperity to our people by building world class cities.

Great to see voices like Sri @svembu’s amplifying the cause of better public transport in Indian cities. India simply can’t go the US model of each man owning a car. We are too densely populated for it. World over, city after city, it has been shown that public transport is the only solution for congestion. Bengaluru definitely needs to limit the number of cars on the streets while rapidly increasing reliable, comfortable, efficient and affordable public transport.

I am moving the High Court of Karnataka to challenge the arbitrary and opaque conduct by the State government and BMRCL in not making public the Metro Fare Fixation Committee Report. The matter will be heard tomorrow - WP No. 19524/2025 (GM-RES) LS Tejasvi Surya v. BMRCL & Ors. It is outrageous that the BMRCL and the Karnataka government continue to keep the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) report secret—a report that recommended a steep 130% hike in Metro fares. The committee undertook foreign visits on public money, made sweeping recommendations, and yet, its findings are being kept away from the very people it affects. Since this fare hike, ridership has dropped significantly. Bengaluru Metro is now the most expensive in India, unaffordable for many middle-class commuters. Every other metro system in the country, including Delhi, has made its FFC reports public. Why is Bengaluru the exception? What is the government trying to hide? Despite repeated requests over three months, and even RTI applications, the report remains under wraps. There is no national security concern here. Then why the secrecy? Why is CM Siddaramaiah refusing to release it? Public transport must be affordable, reliable, and above all accountable to the public, who fund and use it. This fight is for transparency and fairness. This fight is for Bengaluru. I will not rest until Namma Bengaluru becomes a model in public transport for all of India. @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @OfficialBMRCL

Part II of the discussion with @shreyadhoundial We need to call out the police system existing in india since 1864.

Madame @nsitharaman Pl meet a cross section of citizens to understand how getting a GST has become terribly long, corruption and bribe seeking is high. Pl listen to citizens who are sufferers not officials who do their best to cover up. Citizens are very very scared to complain because of retribution and no protection from you as our FM. This must stop. Our PM @narendramodi promised us a no corruption govt. and you must ensure that this is upheld. Pl trust citizens who voted for you and understand their pain. You are our representative as MP and Minister. @narendramodi @PMOIndia officials are getting more and more powers for rent seeking. @cbic_india cannot pass the buck to states. @amitmalviya 99% of Indians are honest and law abiding. The 1% crooks can’t be an excuse for making us suffer You must support the 99%, make their lives better not this.

Karnataka will not allow HAL to be shifted out of Bengaluru. HAL is not just an enterprise - it is a national asset, a symbol of self-reliance, and the proud legacy of Pandit Nehru and Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV. -Land has already been allotted in Tumakuru for HAL’s helicopter division -We are ready to support any expansion with ample land -HAL was founded in Bengaluru in 1940 in collaboration with the Kingdom of Mysore -Bengaluru is the cradle of India’s aerospace sector, with two HAL airports and key defence bases in Bidar and Bengaluru Karnataka contributes 65% of India’s defence production and ranks 3rd globally in aerospace ecosystem strength. Our government will do whatever it takes to protect state’s assets. We welcome progress - but not at the cost of Karnataka’s pride and strategic significance.