Commodore S.L. Deshmukh

AI generated image The controversy over India’s latest GDP numbers have acquired an importance that extends beyond the economy. The Q1 2026-27 estimate has prompted accusations by some quarters that the BJP-led Central government allegedly manipulated the statistical base to manufacture a stronger growth rate. National accounting is not a matter of picking two numbers and calculating the difference between them. It involves a constantly evolving statistical framework, changing price...

Rotating detonation engines could redefine propulsion in the near future, and India cannot afford to be a bystander For more than a century, the basic architecture of the jet and rocket engine has remained remarkably resilient. Fuel is burned, gases expand and turbines, compressors or other components turn that energy into thrust. Now, a different idea is beginning to move from laboratories towards operational propulsion: the rotating detonation engine (RDE). It replaces conventional...

Hydrogen-powered turbines could help India decarbonise electricity, industry and eventually aviation but formidable challenges remain. Hydrogen has acquired the status of energy’s favourite future tense. It promises clean industrial heat, low-carbon electricity and, eventually, cleaner aviation. Yet hydrogen is not simply natural gas with a greener label. It behaves differently in a turbine, burns faster, ignites more readily and creates its own engineering hazards. That makes the emergence...