NewBytes

India's Shubhanshu Shukla is set for his maiden space flight as part of Axiom Space's fourth commercial mission to the International Space Station, which is scheduled for lift-off onboard SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 8. The launch of the Dragon spacecraft will take place not earlier than 6:41 pm IST from NASA's spaceport in Florida, making Shukla only the second Indian to travel to space four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. Besides Shukla, the mission pilot for the Axiom-4 mission, the other crew include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, marking both European nation's first travel to the International Space Station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years. Veteran US astronaut Peggy Whitson will be the commander of the Axiom-4 mission.

The famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala is set to witness a rare consecration ritual after 270 years, an official said.  Maha Kumbhabhishekam (Grand Consecration) will take place next week following the recent completion of long-overdue renovation work at this ancient temple.  The objective of the ritual is to reinforce spiritual energy and reawaken the sanctity of the shrine, according to temple authorities. Such a comprehensive renovation and the accompanying rituals are being held at the centuries-old shrine after a gap of over 270 years, and it is unlikely to occur again in the next several decades, temple manager B Sreekumar said here. The 'Maha Kumbhabhishekam' ritual will be held at the temple complex on June 8, he said.

The Himachal Pradesh government will develop as many as 77 eco-tourism sites in different forest circles across the state under the Eco Tourism Policy-2024 in the next five years, an official said. Eco-tourism means travelling to natural places without harming the environment. The new eco-tourism policy 2024 has been specially made to support this idea, keeping both tourism and nature safe. The goal is to attract tourists in a way that protects nature, creates local jobs, and helps the economy grow in a clean and sustainable manner, a statement issued here said. With its snow-covered mountains, thick forests, clean rivers and rich wildlife, Himachal Pradesh has always been a favourite place for nature lovers. Now, the new eco-tourism policy aims to use this natural beauty in a responsible way. Under this policy, 77 eco-tourism sites are being developed in different parts of the state, including Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur, Rampur, Solan, Nahan, Hamirpur, Nalagarh, Dharamshala, Palampur, Chamba, Dalhousie, Nurpur and Reckong Peo.

India is poised to see a massive surge in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) professionals, with projections estimating the need for one million skilled individuals by 2026, according to the report India's AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat, released by the Union Ministry of Electronics & IT. As the country aspires to become a $23-$35 trillion economy by 2047, higher education--particularly in engineering--is undergoing a fundamental transformation to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving job market shaped by AI, automation, and interdisciplinary innovation. Engineering education is at the heart of this shift. According to the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the number of approved B. Tech seats for the 2024-25 academic year has risen to 14.9 lakh--a nearly 16 per cent increase over four years. This growth is largely driven by a more than 50 per cent rise in seats for Computer Science and allied streams such as AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Blockchain--mirroring strong industry demand. India's tech education landscape is increasingly embracing interdisciplinary and industry-integrated learning to nurture a new generation of engineers who can code, create, collaborate, and lead innovation. The transition from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to STEAM, adding Arts to the mix, is gaining ground, blending technical knowledge with design thinking, communication, psychology, law, and business.