Innovations to be at display when PM inaugurates Science Congress in Punjab next week

Phagwara (Punjab) Dec 30 (ANI): A number of innovations, including a solar-powered driverless bus, will be on display at the upcoming Indian Science Congress which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on January 3.
Renewable energy is expected to be the key focus of the five-day 106th edition of the Science Congress with the theme 'Future India: Science and Technology'.
The Congress, which will bring innovators and scientists under one roof, will be held on the premises of Lovely Professional University (LPU).
The University will showcase its own innovation in the form of a solar-powered driverless bus, according to officials of the university.
This eco-friendly heavy vehicle will ferry passengers to the aerodrome, housing societies, industrial complexes, and educational institutions, they said.
The design of this solar bus has been made in accordance with the available Indian infrastructure. The bus, which will cost Rs. 6 Lakh each, can have seating capacity between 10-30 and can run at the maximum speed of 30 km per hour, the officials said.
"We are very happy to design a completely driverless and eco-friendly bus to welcome PM Modi. If his schedule and security arrangements permit, we would love to give him a tour of our campus in the bus," said the project head Mandeep Singh.
Chancellor Ashok Mittal said the driverless bus is an example of LPU students being at the forefront of technology.
"Some other interesting projects done by LPU students include Flying Farmer, a wireless sensor device, exclusively used in farming and field survey, Formula one car and Go-karts," he added.
Solar-powered vehicles are much needed considering the fact that pollution is on an increase across the country.
According to the latest Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) analysis, not just Delhi as many as 70 Indian cities from North to South are reeling under air pollution.
From October 22 to 29, none of the 70 cities breathed good quality air.
Some of the major cities of which Air Quality Index was measured were Amravati, Asansol, Bangalore, Chennai, Chikkaballapur, Haldia, Howrah, Hubbali, Kolkata, Panchkula, Rohtak, Lucknow, Kanpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati and Vijayawada.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said every human being is entitled to breathe fresh and clean air and that all countries must work together to battle the rising pollution crisis.
Speaking at the first WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Geneva, Ghebreyesus said, "Our dream is a world free of air pollution. To get there, we need to set an aspirational goal to reduce the number of deaths from air pollution by two-thirds by 2030. We are eager to hear the views of countries and partners on this target and we need to do more work together on the scientific foundation for it," he said. (ANI)