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A recent report by <keyword id="23201114" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centrum-Institutional-Research" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Centrum Institutional Research" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Centrum Institutional Research">Centrum Institutional Research</keyword> reveals a sharp rise in the number of <keyword id="21365016" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="wealthy-Indians" source="keywords">wealthy Indians</keyword> over the past five years. The data highlights that the number of individuals earning more than Rs 10 crore annually has surged by 63%, bringing the total count to approximately 31,800. Meanwhile, those earning over Rs 5 crore per annum now number 58,200, marking a significant 49% increase. <h2>Wealth growth across <keyword id="23201527" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tiers" source="keywords">income tiers</keyword></h2>The report not only tracks the increase in high earners but also highlights growth among those earning above Rs 50 lakh annually. Over the last five years, this group has expanded by 25%, with nearly 10 lakh individuals now in this income bracket. In terms of cumulative income, the report showcases rapid growth. The income of individuals earning over Rs 10 crore annually grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 121% between FY19 and FY24, reaching a staggering Rs 38 lakh crore. Those earning more than Rs 5 crore annually saw their collective income grow by 106% CAGR, amounting to Rs 40 lakh crore. Similarly, the income of those earning over Rs 50 lakh per annum increased by 64%, totaling Rs 49 lakh crore over the same period. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113328057" title="The illegal maneuvers the rich use to get richer" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The Centrum report also forecasts significant growth for India's <keyword id="20301791" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="High-Net-Worth-Individuals" source="keywords">High Net Worth Individuals</keyword> (HNI) and <keyword id="21662893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ultra-High-Net-Worth-Individuals" source="keywords">Ultra High Net Worth Individuals</keyword> (UHNI). By 2028, their combined financial assets are expected to rise from USD 1.2 trillion in 2023 to USD 2.2 trillion, driven by an annual growth rate of 13-14% over the period from 2023 to 2028. The <keyword id="23201526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mass-affluent-market" source="keywords">mass affluent market</keyword> is also projected to grow in early double digits during this time. <h2>A gap in professional <keyword id="20074812" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wealth-management" source="keywords">wealth management</keyword></h2>While the wealth of India's affluent is growing rapidly, the report highlights a key difference between India and advanced economies: only 15% of financial wealth in India is professionally managed, compared to 75% in more developed markets. This gap suggests a significant opportunity for the professional wealth management sector as India’s wealthy population continues to grow. (With inputs from ANI)

Individuals earning over Rs 10 cr rise by 63% in India; financial assets of high net worth individuals to nearly double by 2028

Deciding whether to rent or buy a home is one of the biggest financial choices most people will make. It’s not a straightforward decision, especially when considering the rapid increase in <keyword id="21530105" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rental-prices" source="keywords">rental prices</keyword> in some of India’s biggest cities. Let’s dive into how the cost of renting has risen compared to buying, and whether it's still worth it to rent or if it’s time to start looking at <keyword id="20879400" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="homeownership" source="keywords">homeownership</keyword>. <h2>Soaring renting costs</h2>If you’re renting in cities like Bengaluru, Pune, or Kolkata, you might have noticed something frustrating — your rent seems to keep going up. According to <keyword id="20974307" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ANAROCK-Research" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ANAROCK Research" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ANAROCK Research">ANAROCK Research</keyword>, in several of India’s top cities, rental prices have jumped significantly, even more than <keyword id="21006188" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="property-values" source="keywords">property values</keyword> in some places. For example, in Bengaluru’s Sarjapur Road, average monthly rents shot up by 67% between the end of 2021 and the middle of 2024. If you were paying Rs 21,000 in rent at the end of 2021, that would now be around Rs 35,000 a month! And Bengaluru isn’t the only city where renters are feeling the squeeze. In Pune’s Hinjewadi, rent prices have surged by 52%, while property values went up by just 31%. Similarly, in Kolkata’s EM Bypass, rents rose by 46%, but property prices saw a much smaller bump of 15%. But there are cities where buying makes even more sense because property prices are outpacing rental costs. In Hyderabad’s Gachibowli, for instance, while rent went up by 50%, property values soared by 70%. This trend is also seen in NCR’s Sohna Road, where rents increased by 40%, but property prices grew by 54%. <h2>Is renting really worth it?</h2>Let’s say you’re living in a 2BHK flat in Bengaluru, paying Rs 50,000 a month in rent. It might seem like an okay deal at first, but when you look at the long-term cost, things get tricky. Dr Prashant Thakur, Regional Director &amp; Head of Research at ANAROCK, breaks it down: "One-year payable rent for the individual is Rs 50,000 x 12 = Rs 6,00,000. For the next 10 years, the total rental outgo, including an annual rental increase of 7%, will be around Rs 83 lakh. This rental outgo is almost 69% of the total cost of this property — and this is just an expense with no investment value accrued." <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113367496" title="I bought my dream home, but the difficult process and higher cost sometimes make me wish I&amp;#39;d stuck with renting" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>What does that mean? If you keep renting, you’re essentially throwing money out the window without gaining any ownership of the home. While you may have the flexibility that comes with renting, your hard-earned money doesn’t build any long-term value. <h2>Is it time to make the home purchase leap?</h2>So, what if you took the plunge and bought the place instead? Let’s say you’re eyeing a Rs 1.2 crore apartment and can afford to put down a 20% down payment, with the rest coming from a 10-year home loan at 9.5% interest. Dr. Thakur explains, “If the individual opts to buy the property via a home loan, has the financial wherewithal to make a 20% down payment, and borrows the remaining amount over a 10-year tenure at 9.5% interest rate, such a purchase is definitely profitable. Instead of spending a huge amount on rent, the individual can pay monthly EMIs and ultimately own the physical asset after a ten-year period.” With this approach, the monthly EMIs may be slightly higher than what you’re paying in rent, but there’s a key difference — you’re working towards owning your home. After 10 years, the home is yours, and you don’t have to worry about rent going up year after year. <h2>Homeownership isn’t just about the numbers</h2>While the math might lean towards buying, it’s not just about finances. For some people, renting makes more sense, especially if they don’t plan to settle down in one place for a long time. Job mobility, financial stability, and lifestyle choices all factor into this decision. However, something interesting happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people, including millennials who had previously been all about renting, started reconsidering. The pandemic brought a sense of uncertainty, and suddenly, the security of owning a home became much more attractive. Dr. Thakur points out, "Amid a rising aversion to high-risk investments, an increasing number of tenants see rent as an expense, and EMIs as SIPs towards a non-volatile asset." <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113395713" title="Welcome to interest-rate cut week: Here&amp;#39;s how the Fed&amp;#39;s next move will impact everything from home prices to new cars loans" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Plus, home loan interest rates are currently lower, averaging between 8.75% and 9.5%, making homeownership more affordable than it has been in the past few years. And let’s not forget the tax benefits: Homebuyers can avail of deduction on principal repayment, interest charges, and a further deduction of Rs 50,000 for first-home buyers. The answer, as with most things, isn’t black and white. Renting offers flexibility, especially if your job might take you to a new city in a year or two. But with rents rising sharply in cities like Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai, buying might be a smarter option in the long run. If you’re financially ready to make a down payment and secure a home loan, investing in a home could save you from steep rental hikes and give you the stability of owning a property.

Should you rent or buy a home? Here’s how much rental pricing has gone up compared to ownership cost in major Indian cities

An affordable <keyword id="9107118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tuberculosis-testing" source="Orion">tuberculosis testing</keyword> technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body <keyword id="19918794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR" source="keywords">ICMR</keyword>'s regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A <keyword id="19986036" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CRISPR" source="keywords">CRISPR</keyword> case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "<keyword id="19992404" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tuberculosis" source="keywords">Tuberculosis</keyword> (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current <keyword id="22921102" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diagnostic-methods" source="keywords">diagnostic methods</keyword> often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some molecular diagnostic methods, while offering improved sensitivity, may lack the desired specificity or face challenges associated with cost and ease of handling. "Considering these problems, the CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic system 'GlowTBPCRKit' coupled with an amplification step (using thermal cycler) and the '<keyword id="22921103" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RapidGlow-device" source="keywords">RapidGlow device</keyword>' provides a promising solution," the official said. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has now invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, manufacturers for undertaking 'Transfer of Technology' for commercialisation of the 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' for the detection of <keyword id="20115212" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mycobacterium-tuberculosis" source="keywords">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</keyword>. The ICMR-RMRCNE institute will provide expert guidance and technical support for the production of 'A CRISPR Cas based TB detection system' in all phases. Such technical oversight by the institute would accelerate the development of the product and its commercialisation. The ICMR would also provide technical support through its team of experienced scientists in study, planning, product development, development of study protocol, results or data analysis, outcome assessment, safety and efficacy assessment, product improvement, etc., if deemed fit upon the mutual understanding between ICMR and collaborative company. The apex health research body through its institutes would provide support and facilitation to conduct the research and development or clinical study of new technology or product in India through its affiliates or institutes, in collaboration with the company and institutions in a professional and mutually agreed upon manner and timelines.

ICMR's regional centre develops technology that can test for tuberculosis in just Rupees 35!

All Indian <keyword id="19926225" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="salt" source="keywords">salt</keyword> and <keyword id="20109149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sugar" source="keywords">sugar</keyword> brands, whether big or small, packaged or unpackaged, contain <keyword id="19970180" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="microplastics" source="keywords">microplastics</keyword>, according to a study published on Tuesday. The study, titled "Microplastics in Salt and Sugar" and conducted by the <keyword id="22774411" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environmental-research-organisation" source="keywords">environmental research organisation</keyword> <keyword id="21593811" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toxics-Link" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Toxics Link" meta.hostid="281" meta.entityid="Toxics Link">Toxics Link</keyword>, tested 10 types of salt -- including table salt, rock salt, <keyword id="158885" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sea-salt" source="Orion">sea salt</keyword> and local raw salt -- and five types of sugar purchased from both online and local markets. The study revealed the presence of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples, in various forms, including fibre, pellets, films and fragments. The size of these microplastics ranged from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The highest levels of microplastics were found in <keyword id="630077" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iodised-salt" source="Orion">iodised salt</keyword>, in the form of multi-coloured thin fibre and films. Toxics Link founder-director Ravi Agarwal said, "The objective of our study was to contribute to the existing scientific database on microplastics, so that the global plastic treaty can address this issue in a concrete and focused manner." "We also aim to trigger policy action and attract researchers' attention to potential technological interventions that could reduce exposure risks to microplastics." Toxics Link associate director Satish Sinha added, "Our study's finding of substantial amounts of microplastics in all salt and sugar samples is concerning and calls for urgent, comprehensive research into the long-term health impacts of microplastics on human health." The concentration of microplastics in the salt samples ranged from 6.71 to 89.15 pieces per kilogramme of dry weight, the report said. Iodised salt had the highest concentration of microplastics (89.15 pieces per kilogramme) while organic rock salt had the lowest (6.70 pieces per kilogramme), according to the study. In sugar samples, the concentration of microplastics ranged from 11.85 to 68.25 pieces per kilogramme, with the highest concentration found in non-organic sugar. Microplastics are a growing global concern because they can harm both health and the environment. These tiny plastic particles can enter the human body through food, water and air. Recent research has found microplastics in human organs such as the lungs, heart, and even in breast milk and unborn babies. Previous studies found that the average Indian consumes 10.98 grams of salt and around 10 spoons of sugar every day -- much higher than the <keyword id="19896311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="keywords">World Health Organization</keyword>'s recommended limits.

All Indian salt and sugar brands have microplastics, notes a recent study

A sperm or <keyword id="22773682" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="egg-donor" source="keywords">egg donor</keyword> has no legal right on the child, and cannot claim to be its <keyword id="22773683" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="biological-parent" source="keywords">biological parent</keyword>, the Bombay <keyword id="19900812" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="high-court" source="keywords">High Court</keyword> held on Tuesday, while allowing a 42-year-old woman visitation rights to her five-year-old twin daughters. The woman, in her plea, said her daughters, born via <keyword id="20302787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="surrogacy" source="keywords">surrogacy</keyword>, were living with her husband and younger sister, who was the egg donor. The petitioner's husband had claimed since his sister-in-law was the egg donor, she had a legitimate right to be called a biological parent of the twins, and that his wife had no right over them. A single bench of Justice Milind Jadhav, however, refused to accept this contention, citing that though the petitioner's younger sister was the egg donor, she has no legitimate right to claim that she is a biological parent of the twins. The court said the role of the younger sister is that of an egg donor, rather, a voluntary donor, and at the most, she may qualify to be a genetic mother and nothing more. An advocate appointed to assist the court in the matter informed it that since the estranged couple's surrogacy agreement took place in 2018, when the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 had not come into force, the guidelines issued by the <keyword id="19914690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Medical-Research" source="keywords">Indian Council of Medical Research</keyword> (ICMR) in 2005 would regulate the agreement. As per a rule of the guidelines, the donor and the surrogate mother have to relinquish all parental rights, the court noted, adding that in the present case, the twins would be the daughters of the petitioner and her husband. "Under the guideline, it is clearly stated that the sperm/oocyte (egg) donor shall not have parental rights or duties in relation to the child and in that view of the matter, the younger sister of the petitioner can have no right whatsoever to intervene and claim to be the biological mother of the twin daughters," the high court said. As per the plea, the couple could not conceive naturally, and the petitioner's sister volunteered to donate her eggs. In December 2018, the babies were conceived by a surrogate woman and the twin girls were born in August 2019. In April 2019, the sister and her family met with a road accident, and her husband and daughter were killed. The petitioner lived with her husband and twin daughters from August 2019 to March 2021. Following a marital discord in March 2021, the husband moved into another flat with the children without informing his wife. The man claimed that his wife's sister (the egg donor) had been depressed after the road accident and started living with him to take care of the twins. The petitioner filed a police complaint and an application before a local court, seeking interim visitation rights to her daughters. The local court rejected her application in September 2023, following which she approached the high court. The wife said her sister had only donated her eggs and was not the surrogate mother, and hence, she had no legal right or role in the lives of the twins. The high court, in its order, noted that the surrogacy agreement of 2018 between the intending parents, the surrogate mother and the doctor is signed by the petitioner, her husband and the doctor. "It is seen that the petitioner (wife) and Respondent No. 1 (husband) are recognised as the intending parents. At least to a naked eye, there is no ambiguity whatsoever while observing and even concluding that it is the petitioner along with Respondent No. 1 who signed the surrogacy agreement as intending parents," it said. Justice Jadhav held that the lower court order denying visitation rights to the wife was passed without proper application of mind and is unsustainable and quashed it. The court directed the husband to give physical access and visitation rights of the twins to the petitioner for three hours every weekend.

Sperm or egg donor has no legal right on child, can't claim to be biological parent, says high court

New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): The <keyword id="19915130" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Space Research Organisation" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Space Research Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (<keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords">ISRO</keyword>) on Sunday achieved another success in the <keyword id="21046346" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reusable-Launch-Vehicle" source="keywords">Reusable Launch Vehicle</keyword> (RLV) landing experiment (LEX). The third and final test in the series of LEX (03) was conducted at 07:10 IST at the <keyword id="22149303" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Test-Range" source="keywords">Aeronautical Test Range</keyword> (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Following the success of the RLV LEX-01 and LEX-02 missions, <keyword id="22149668" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RLV-LEX-03" source="keywords">RLV LEX-03</keyword> re-demonstrated the <keyword id="21054893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="autonomous-landing" source="keywords">autonomous landing</keyword> capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions (cross range of 500 m against 150 m for LEX-02) and more severe wind conditions. The winged vehicle, named '<keyword id="21046350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pushpak" source="keywords">Pushpak</keyword>', was released from an <keyword id="19992067" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian Air Force" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Indian Air Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. From a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway, and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centerline. Due to this vehicle's low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, the landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph, compared to 260 kmph for a commercial aircraft and 280 kmph for a typical fighter aircraft. After touchdown, the vehicle's velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute, after which the landing gear brakes were employed for deceleration and stop on the runway. During this ground roll phase, Pushpak utilises its rudder and nose wheel steering system to autonomously maintain a stable and precise ground roll along the runway. This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming ISRO's expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a RLV. Through this mission, the advanced guidance algorithm catering to longitudinal and lateral plane error corrections, which is essential for the future Orbital Re-entry Mission, has been validated. Notably, the RLV-LEX uses multisensor fusion, including sensors like an Inertial sensor, Radar altimeter, Flush air data system, Pseudolite system and NavIC. Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems as such without any modification, from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of ISRO's capability of design and reuse flight systems for multiple missions. The mission, led by VSSC, was a collaborative effort involving multiple ISRO centres (SAC, ISTRAC, SDSC-SHAR), with significant support from the Indian Air Force (IAF), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness (RCMA) under the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Indian aerospace industrial partners, Indian Oil Corporation of India, and Airport Authority of India. S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO/Secretary, Department of Space, congratulated the team for their efforts in maintaining the success streak on such complex missions. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, emphasised that this consistent success boosts ISRO's confidence in the critical technologies essential for future orbital re-entry missions.

'Pushpak' aces test: ISRO achieves yet another success in Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) landing experiment

Having your family publicly appreciate art while privately denouncing the profession is the pinnacle of the core Indian experience. However, while most boomers might discard the career path due to well-established fears of the “struggling artist”, India’s most <keyword id="21837275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="successful-artists" source="keywords">successful artists</keyword> are anything but struggling, it turns out. The <keyword id="21308480" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hurun-Research-Institute" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hurun Research Institute" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hurun Research Institute">Hurun Research Institute</keyword> has just released their Art List of 2024, which encapsulates the top 50 most successful living painters and sculptors from India, or who have made India their place of work. With notable figures such as the creator of Chicago’s “<keyword id="21837279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-bean" source="Orion">The Bean</keyword>” and various <keyword id="20128810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Padma-Bhushan" source="keywords">Padma Bhushan</keyword> and Padma Shri recipients in the list, you can rest assured that this article is as Indian parent-friendly as can be. Dominating the list for the sixth year in a row, 70-year-old sculptor <keyword id="21283454" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anish-Kapoor" source="keywords">Anish Kapoor</keyword> continues to exercise his fame as India’s most successful artist alive. According to Hurun, the creator of ‘Cloud Gate’ — or ‘The Bean’ as it is commonly known – amassed a whopping Rs 79.9 crores via a plethora of sculptures last year. If not for The Bean, you might remember Anish from his involvement in the Vantablack controversy, when the artist signed a contract for exclusive rights to the new material’s use in painting and sculpture. Such is the fame that Anish has carved out for himself that he even reigns far above the rest of the Indians on Hurun’s list, monetarily speaking. In second place comes 87-year-old <keyword id="21837278" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gulam-mohammed-sheikh" source="keywords">Gulam Mohammed Sheikh</keyword>, a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee who earned an impressive Rs 24.1 crores last year. The richest woman artist with an inspiring banker-turned-painter story, 87-year-old Arpita Singh, came in third with Rs 22.9 crores. In fact, while artists over 80 years of age litter most of the list — the oldest being the 99-year-old <keyword id="21837277" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="krishen-khanna" source="keywords">Krishen Khanna</keyword> in fifth position with 18 crores — there is one unmissable and striking exception. 27-year-old <keyword id="21837276" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghav-babbar" source="keywords">Raghav Babbar</keyword> became the eighth highest-selling Indian artist after totalling 12.1 crores in sales, providing a fantastic example that even youngsters can make money through art. As for the individual pieces with the biggest price tags, Gulam Mohamed Sheikh’s 2015 piece ‘Ark: Kashmir’ stands far ahead of the competition after being sold at Rs 21 crores last year. In total, four art creations were sold for over Rs 5 crores last year, including designs from Arpita Singh, Anish Kapoor and Raghav Babbar. A sculpture of the Hulk constructed from stainless steel discs and plated fibreglass by Valay Shende was another of the top-selling works in 2023. With a total of Rs 301 crores from 789 art lots sold, this year’s report shows a very clear trend: the demand for Indian art is indubitably on the rise. In fact, the entry point for artists in the top ten almost quadrupled from Rs 2 crores to Rs 7.7 crores in the mere span of three years. These figures helped India land the seventh place globally in terms of art auction turnover, according to Hurun. "With rising middle-class incomes, our expectation is that Indian art will become one of the top preferred choices to 'invest' in a growing asset class and 'spend' on a meaningful lifestyle addition,” explains Anas Rahman Junaid, founder of Hurun India. He argues that India being one of the world’s oldest civilisations lends it an exponentially higher intrinsic art value compared to the status quo. This recognition will likely continue to help the Indian art sector grow at a good pace in the coming years.

Here’s how much top Indian artists earned in 2023 as Anish Kapoor becomes most successful at Rs 80 crore

A recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnrasl/article/535/1/L18/7760380">study</a> has revealed an unexpected consequence of the global lockdowns imposed in 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19: a measurable cooling of the <keyword id="19899207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon" source="keywords">Moon</keyword>'s surface. Indian researchers from the <keyword id="20178202" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Physical-Research-Laboratory" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Physical Research Laboratory" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Physical Research Laboratory">Physical Research Laboratory</keyword> (PRL) analysed night-time temperatures at six different locations on the Moon's near side between 2017 and 2023. Using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, they discovered a consistent temperature drop of 8-10 Kelvin during the strictest lockdown period of April-May 2020 compared to previous years. For instance, the coldest temperature was recorded in 2020, with a value of 96.2 K at one location. In contrast, post-lockdown years like 2021 and 2022 saw a gradual warming trend as human activity resumed. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111772552" title="Newly discovered Moon caves could shelter astronauts as they set up lunar bases!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The researchers posit that this unusual cooling can be attributed to a reduction in Earth's outgoing radiation during the lockdowns. As human activity slowed down, <keyword id="20107362" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="greenhouse-gas-emissions" source="keywords">greenhouse gas emissions</keyword> and aerosols decreased significantly. This meant less heat was trapped and re-emitted by Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a measurable decrease in the radiation reaching the Moon. Further, the Moon's surface acts as an amplifier of Earth's radiation signature. And this unique global event provided a rare opportunity to observe how changes in human activity on Earth can affect our nearest celestial neighbour. While the study presents a compelling correlation, the authors acknowledge that more data is needed to definitively establish the link between Earth's radiation changes and <keyword id="23366659" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lunar-surface-temperatures" source="keywords">lunar surface temperatures</keyword>. They suggest that future Moon-based observatories could play a crucial role in studying Earth's climate and environmental shifts. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112222991" title="Scientists want to send our endangered species to the Moon to “save” them" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>This unexpected finding highlights the interconnectedness of our solar system and the far-reaching impacts of human activities on our planet. As we continue to grapple with the challenges of <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>, understanding these subtle interactions between Earth and the Moon can provide valuable insights into our planet's complex systems. (With inputs from TOI)

The Covid lockdowns did WHAT to the Moon?!

Researchers at the Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics (IAP), Indian Institute of Science (<keyword id="19910180" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IISc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="IISc" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="IISc">IISc</keyword>), and collaborators have designed a new <keyword id="23052480" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supercapacitor" source="keywords">supercapacitor</keyword> that can be charged by shining <keyword id="19982220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="light" source="keywords">light</keyword> on it. The supercapacitors can be used in various devices, including streetlights and self-powered electronic devices such as sensors, Bengaluru-based IISc said in a press release. "Capacitors are electrostatic devices that store energy as charges on two metal plates called <keyword id="20675368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electrodes" source="keywords">electrodes</keyword>. Supercapacitors are upgraded versions of capacitors - they exploit electrochemical phenomena to store more energy," Abha Misra, Professor at IAP and corresponding author of the study published in the 'Journal of Materials Chemistry A", was quoted as saying in the release. The electrodes of the new supercapacitor were made of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown directly on Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO), which is transparent. It was synthesised by Pankaj Singh Chauhan, first author and CV Raman postdoctoral fellow in Misra's group at IISc. Both ZnO and FTO are semiconductors with appropriately aligned energy levels, enabling superior performance of the photo-rechargeable supercapacitor, the release said. FTO, being transparent, allows light to fall on the optically active ZnO nanorods, which charges the supercapacitor. Chauhan explained that two electrolytes -- a liquid and a semi-solid gel -- were used as the conducting medium between the electrodes. The capacity for storing charges (<keyword id="23053496" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="capacitance" source="keywords">capacitance</keyword>) is inversely proportional to the distance between the electrodes, it said. "As the distance becomes very small, the capacitance shoots up," Misra stated. "In electrostatic capacitors, maintaining a small distance between electrodes is difficult. However, in a supercapacitor, the electrodes' charges attract the electrolyte's oppositely charged ions, resulting in the formation of a charge layer just atoms away from each other - called an electric double layer or EDL. This results in the high capacitance of supercapacitors," the release stated. When the researchers shined ultraviolet (UV) light on their supercapacitor, they noticed a huge increase in the capacitance, several times higher than previously reported supercapacitors. They also noticed two unusual properties. First, while capacitance generally decreases as the voltage increases, they found the reverse - their supercapacitor's capacitance under light illumination actually increased with increasing voltage. "We call it necking behaviour," said A M Rao, Professor at Clemson University, the USA, and co-author. He explained that this may be due to the high porosity of the electrodes. Second, the energy stored within the supercapacitor typically decreases when it is charged faster, because the ions in the electrolyte do not move fast enough to respond to the increased charging rate, the release said. However, with the liquid electrolyte, the team found that the energy stored in the supercapacitor surprisingly increased upon fast charging under UV light, it was noted. Mihir Parekh, a postdoctoral researcher in Rao's group, developed theoretical models to explain these novel observations. The findings open the doors to developing simultaneously fast-charging and energy-dense supercapacitors, according to him. To design their present supercapacitor, the team explored two key ideas. First, the surface area of the electrodes was increased by combining two optically active semiconductor interfaces in a way that maximises interaction with light, leading to higher charge generation. Second, a liquid electrolyte was used to ensure an effective EDL. Together, these resulted in superior performance. "The ideas were simple - but when combined together, they worked very well," Misra explained. She added that tweaking the design of the supercapacitor can enable its charging with visible and infrared light as well. The IISc-Clemson team aims to further explore and better understand the novel phenomena observed to design better supercapacitors. "Supercapacitors have lots of applications," Misra explains. For example, they can potentially replace solar cells used in streetlights. They have a high power density, so they can release charge more quickly than batteries. They can also be used to power chips in electronic devices like cell phones. "We have miniaturised supercapacitors to the micron scale so that they can be integrated along with these microelectronic chips," Misra added.

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