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Time of India
30-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Chandrayaan 3 gives world insight into 4.3bn-yr-old material on moon
1 2 Ahmedabad: In a major breakthrough in understanding the formation and composition of the Moon, scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad analysed volatiles from an area around the South Polar region. This region is believed to host lunar primitive mantle materials ejected from a basin about 4.3 billion years ago. It is the first time a space agency analysed samples this old in this region of the Moon, reports Parth Shastri. The findings were recently published in the Nature journal 'Communications: Earth and Environment'. The study, ' Primitive lunar mantle materials at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site', is authored by Rishitosh Sinha, Neha Panwar, Neeraj Srivastava, Dwijesh Ray, and Anil Bhardwaj, among others. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Anil Bhardwaj, director of PRL and a co-author of this study, said that this new finding makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising location to access primitive mantle samples, which are otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The concentrations of volatile elements were measured at the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region of the Moon using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan Rover of the mission. The readings from the volatile elements from the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region were analysed by a PRL team. The results at the site showed a very different composition of elements such as sulphur, sodium, and potassium compared to the results of earlier missions such as Apollo, Luna, and Chang'e. The major result included relatively high sulphur content and relatively low sodium and potassium levels, primarily due to the location of the lander. Researchers said that the location of Chandrayaan 3 's landing in 2023 was close to the SPA basin, whereas the majority of the other missions landed near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), an area rich in potassium and other incompatible elements, providing a limited view of the Moon's composition. Most importantly, the findings support the idea that the Chandrayaan 3 site holds some of the oldest and most primitive materials from the Moon's deep interior. The researchers at PRL said that the data not only reinforces the lunar magma ocean hypothesis but also opens new opportunities for studying ancient mantle materials. 'A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulphur in the soils at the highland landing site. This study has revealed the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga (4.3 billion years) ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,' read a release by ISRO on the groundbreaking discovery. The primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulphur, which mixed with the materials at the landing site, said Rishitosh Sinha, the lead author of this study. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggest that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation, said Neha Panwar, a co-author of this study. Neeraj Srivastava, a co-author of this study, said that the primitive mantle samples are crucial for studying the early evolution of the Moon. Ahmedabad: In a major breakthrough in understanding the formation and composition of the Moon, scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad analysed volatiles from an area around the South Polar region. This region is believed to host lunar primitive mantle materials ejected from a basin about 4.3 billion years ago. It is the first time a space agency analysed samples this old in this region of the Moon, reports Parth Shastri. The findings were recently published in the Nature journal 'Communications: Earth and Environment'. The study, 'Primitive lunar mantle materials at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site', is authored by Rishitosh Sinha, Neha Panwar, Neeraj Srivastava, Dwijesh Ray, and Anil Bhardwaj, among others. Anil Bhardwaj, director of PRL and a co-author of this study, said that this new finding makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising location to access primitive mantle samples, which are otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The concentrations of volatile elements were measured at the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region of the Moon using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan Rover of the mission. The readings from the volatile elements from the Shiv Shakti Point in the South Pole region were analysed by a PRL team. The results at the site showed a very different composition of elements such as sulphur, sodium, and potassium compared to the results of earlier missions such as Apollo, Luna, and Chang'e. The major result included relatively high sulphur content and relatively low sodium and potassium levels, primarily due to the location of the lander. Researchers said that the location of Chandrayaan 3's landing in 2023 was close to the SPA basin, whereas the majority of the other missions landed near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), an area rich in potassium and other incompatible elements, providing a limited view of the Moon's composition. Most importantly, the findings support the idea that the Chandrayaan 3 site holds some of the oldest and most primitive materials from the Moon's deep interior. The researchers at PRL said that the data not only reinforces the lunar magma ocean hypothesis but also opens new opportunities for studying ancient mantle materials. 'A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulphur in the soils at the highland landing site. This study has revealed the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga (4.3 billion years) ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,' read a release by ISRO on the groundbreaking discovery. The primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulphur, which mixed with the materials at the landing site, said Rishitosh Sinha, the lead author of this study. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggest that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation, said Neha Panwar, a co-author of this study. Neeraj Srivastava, a co-author of this study, said that the primitive mantle samples are crucial for studying the early evolution of the Moon.
Economic Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Steel safeguard duty to hike infra costs, hurt MSMEs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The safeguard duty imposed on steel products, including hot-rolled coils, sheets and plates, is likely to drive infrastructure and construction costs up by 8-10%, while impacting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in industries such as automobile."The 12% safeguard duty will increase the cost of infrastructure and construction projects by 8-10% in the country," said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises. Secondary steel producers expect the safeguard duty to bring respite to their shrinking margins as "prices of secondary steel products like TMT bars used for construction will increase by 4-5%", said Anil Nachrani, convener, Secondary Steel Association of India. MSMEs using steel to make finished products, such as automobile and bicycle component makers, are poised to become less competitive in the overseas and domestic markets. Automobile and bicycle components can be imported into India without safeguard duty, costing less than those locally produced. "The Indian market is open for global exporters, allowing them to ship products such as auto components and bicycle parts to India without any safeguard duty, making the domestic producers of such components uncompetitive," said safeguard duty is also a double blow for MSME engineering goods exporters, which were already reeling from the 25% tariffs imposed by the US on steel and aluminium imports last month."The steel prices have already gone up by 10% since the Directorate General of Trade Remedies recommended a 12% duty last month, which came after (US President Donald) Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports in March. This is a double blow for us, making it challenging to export," said Pankaj Chadha, chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council.
Economic Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Industry body wants reforms for smooth MSME credit flow
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel An industry body of small businesses has sought changes in banking regulations - particularly loan classification guidelines and third-party rating system - to ensure smooth credit flow to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) facing temporary a submission to the government, the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (Fisme) has recommended introducing a human interface before categorising loans as special mention accounts (SMAs) and easing the is an early warning system used by lenders to identify accounts at risk of becoming non-performing assets (NPAs).It categorises loan accounts into different groups based on the number of days an instalment is overdue. "The SMA framework's trigger is automatic, computer-driven, and lacks a mechanism to take into account the qualitative reasons of delay," Fisme said in its representation to the an account is tagged as SMA, banks isolate these companies from the credit ecosystem, severely harming their chances of revival, Fisme guidelines also encourage the banks to sell the assets of enterprises rather than focus on revival, it added."The SMA guidelines at present are designed in a way to bury these enterprises to the ground once they fail to meet their payment obligations, although the cause may be temporary and there is a good chance that these MSMEs could be revived with some support," said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general of flaw flagged by the industry body is the yardstick third-party rating agencies use for evaluating MSMEs' ability to pay back debt. These agencies are suitable for assessing listed companies based on their return on investment (ROI) potential, which differs from evaluating MSMEs for their solvency standing, it said.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Industry body wants reforms for smooth MSME credit flow
An industry body of small businesses has sought changes in banking regulations - particularly loan classification guidelines and third-party rating system - to ensure smooth credit flow to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) facing temporary setbacks. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India pulled the plug on IWT when Pakistanis are fighting over water What makes this India-Pakistan standoff more dangerous than past ones The problem of Pakistan couldn't have come at a worse time for D-St In a submission to the government, the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (Fisme) has recommended introducing a human interface before categorising loans as special mention accounts (SMAs) and easing the guidelines. SMA is an early warning system used by lenders to identify accounts at risk of becoming non-performing assets (NPAs). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo It categorises loan accounts into different groups based on the number of days an instalment is overdue. "The SMA framework's trigger is automatic, computer-driven, and lacks a mechanism to take into account the qualitative reasons of delay," Fisme said in its representation to the government. Once an account is tagged as SMA, banks isolate these companies from the credit ecosystem, severely harming their chances of revival, Fisme said. Live Events The guidelines also encourage the banks to sell the assets of enterprises rather than focus on revival, it added. "The SMA guidelines at present are designed in a way to bury these enterprises to the ground once they fail to meet their payment obligations, although the cause may be temporary and there is a good chance that these MSMEs could be revived with some support," said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general of Fisme. Another flaw flagged by the industry body is the yardstick third-party rating agencies use for evaluating MSMEs' ability to pay back debt. These agencies are suitable for assessing listed companies based on their return on investment (ROI) potential, which differs from evaluating MSMEs for their solvency standing, it said.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Steel safeguard duty to hike infra costs, hurt MSMEs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The safeguard duty imposed on steel products, including hot-rolled coils, sheets and plates, is likely to drive infrastructure and construction costs up by 8-10%, while impacting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in industries such as automobile."The 12% safeguard duty will increase the cost of infrastructure and construction projects by 8-10% in the country," said Anil Bhardwaj, secretary general, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises. Secondary steel producers expect the safeguard duty to bring respite to their shrinking margins as "prices of secondary steel products like TMT bars used for construction will increase by 4-5%", said Anil Nachrani, convener, Secondary Steel Association of India. MSMEs using steel to make finished products, such as automobile and bicycle component makers, are poised to become less competitive in the overseas and domestic markets. Automobile and bicycle components can be imported into India without safeguard duty, costing less than those locally produced. "The Indian market is open for global exporters, allowing them to ship products such as auto components and bicycle parts to India without any safeguard duty, making the domestic producers of such components uncompetitive," said safeguard duty is also a double blow for MSME engineering goods exporters, which were already reeling from the 25% tariffs imposed by the US on steel and aluminium imports last month."The steel prices have already gone up by 10% since the Directorate General of Trade Remedies recommended a 12% duty last month, which came after (US President Donald) Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports in March. This is a double blow for us, making it challenging to export," said Pankaj Chadha, chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council.
