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Drone, a major draw at Mumbai’s engineering expo

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Mumbai: A drone, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), built by Thane-based Idea Forge Technologies (IFT), is the star attraction at the ongoing 4th India Engineering Sourcing Show, officials said here Wednesday.

The expo, which started Tuesday with over 400 engineering companies participating, has fascinated huge crowds, including students who are enjoying viewing the technological products and innovations displayed here.

However, the biggest draw is the IFT’s drone which, in a cameo in Aamir Khan’s 2010 national award winning movie “3 Idiots”, detects a student’s suicide in the movie.

Last May, Mumbai buzzed with excitement when Francesco’s Pizzeria restaurant claimed to have delivered a pizza by a drone. But it later proved to be a mere publicity stunt.

The IFT’s completely autonomous UAV, named NETRA, developed in collaboration with the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), is being used extensively by the Indian armed forces, paramilitary and security forces, besides helping the National Disaster Response Force, the National Security Guard, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), among others.

Fitted with GPS and powerful sensors, NETRA can be launched from any small open place, commanded to overfly an interest area of up to 400 metres independently and return after completing its mission.

It also boasts of the smallest auto-pilot in the world, can send continuous real-time videos of every ground movement, and has a vertical take off and landing, making it extremely user-friendly.

IFT was launched in 2008 by five IIT-Bombay graduates — Ankit Mehta, Vipul Joshi, Ashish Bhat, Amardeep Singh and Rahul Singh — all driven by the passion for robotics.

Initially, it got $one million funding from the Technology Development Board of India and later an angel investor pumped in another $100,000.

“We are still away from commercial usage of drones, although pizza delivery etc. serve as great marketing gimmicks,” one of the partners commented.

As per market estimates, the drone price tag starts at around Rs.2.5 million and they are mostly working for the government.

Presently, there are barely six or seven drone manufacturers in India, compared to around 900 in China, some low-end ones available for less than Rs.100,000, and 200 manufacturers in the US.

Drones have varied and multi-faceted applications, including surveillance and rescue missions, aerial photography and cinematography vis-a-vis the expensive helicopter shooting, crowd management during mega-festivals like Kumbh Mela or public fairs, event supervision and recently even wildlife management.

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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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