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2012-02-11T23:30:00.000+05:30

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

January 13, 2012

2012-02-01T13:44:00.001+05:30

Sreedharan to handle Kochi Metro project

: India's ‘Metro Man' E. Sreedharan will associate with Kerala's first metro rail project covering Kochi city and its suburban centres.

The uncertainty over whether Mr. Sreedharan, who has a celebrated record as a leader capable of beating deadlines, would lend his leadership to Kerala's dream project ended here on Thursday with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announcing that Mr. Sreedharan had consented to “lend his experience and expertise” to his home State.

The Chief Minister announced this at a press conference after a meeting of the State Planning Board. On a request from the State government, Mr. Sreedharan, who had stepped down as Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 2011, is now serving as a member of the State Planning Board to oversee the planning of transportation-related projects in the State.

Coastal Security Group boats too took a beating in cyclone ‘Thane'

Two high-speed interceptor boats of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) have been damaged in the ‘Thane' cyclone. The vessels anchored at the Cuddalore Port got a beating when the cyclone pounded Cuddalore on December 30.

Now both the crafts are in-operational and could be made sea-worthy only after necessary repair works are carried out. The boats are now secured to the metallic-holds placed on the concrete pavement near the port and guarded by police personnel.

T. Shanmugham, Inspector and Cuddalore CSG Unit Officer, and R. Gunasekaran, Sub-Inspector and Technical Port Staff, told The Hindu that the Cuddalore Marine Police were provided with two boats of five-tonne capacity and 12-tonne capacity.

It was the smaller boat that got the maximum damage as its motor mounted on the rear was ripped off and the sides and the bottom were razed. The bigger one got its rubber coverings on the sides torn and the paint at many places peeled off, signifying that the waves tossed it around and dashing it against the jetty.

Mr. Gunasekaran said that the higher-ups had been informed of the mishap and arrangements had been made to bring in experts from the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd.

Only after the Garden Reach team inspected the boats the full extent of damage would be known and so also when the boats could be put back to the sea.

The sources said that since the fishermen community had been on strike for the past few days, protesting against non-receipt of relief ever since the cyclone struck, there was virtually no seafaring activity in the 57.5-km long coastline of the district. Hence, the CSG personnel could relax till the damaged boats were set right, the sources added. Besides the CSG boats, one of the two barges, belonging to a private party got detached from its mooring by the sheer velocity of the wind and was carried away farther into the Paravanar (that has a confluence point near the port) towards the Sothikuppam bridge.

Now the barge stands grounded and it cannot be put to immediate use because of shallow depth at that point. Sisupal Kumar, Navigational Watch-keeping Officer, told this correspondent that the barges had arrived from Vietnam for maintenance.

It could be tugged only on the New Moon day, 10 days away, when there would be high tide.

He hoped that by then the fishermen would also resume work and be of help in getting the grounded barge back into the sea. Till then, the crew staying in another barge is provided with provisions by the owner to prepare food, Mr. Kumar added.

Memorial for Pennycuick to have a replica of Mullaperiyar

The memorial proposed by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as a mark of gratitude to the British engineer would not be complete without a replica of Mullaperiyar dam

January 13, 2012

2012-02-01T13:40:00.001+05:30

State inks MoUs for Rs.1,00,000-crore investment

Andhra Pradesh government signed agreements for investments to the tune of a staggering Rs.1,00,000 crore on Thursday for different projects, including two oil refineries in the State.

These Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on the opening day of the two-day ‘CII Partnership Summit 2012' inaugurated by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) here. Trade delegations from 43 countries are taking part in the summit where the State government will sign many more MoUs.

The two refineries are proposed to be set up with an investment of Rs.30,000 crore each at Kakinada and in the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region near Visakhapatnam (PCPIR). The GMR Holdings Private Limited will set up a 15 million tonnes per annum greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex, including an integrated investment park at Kakinada. G. Kiran Kumar, Business Chairman, GMR Group, said the company was looking for strategic partners. GMR Infrastructure Limited would invest an additional Rs.3,000 crore in a multi-product Special Economic Zone in the PCPIR.

B.R. Shetty and Group inked the MoU to set up the other refinery in the PCPIR, Visakhapatnam, by employing about 3,000 persons. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, hailing from Karnataka is the CEO and MD of the Abu Dhabi-based New Medical Centre Group of Companies, signed the MoU.

Sports city

The Yash Birla groups also announced its maiden foray into Andhra Pradesh by investing Rs.13,000 crore. Chairman of the Group Yash Birla said an amount of Rs.10,000 crore would be invested in a poly-silicon plant to make advanced, solar photovoltaic cells and panels, and Rs.1,000 crore in the Global Integrated Ayurvedic village by the Birla Wellness and Healthcare division. The Group would also promote a first-of-its kind sports city at a cost of Rs.2,000 crore.

India leads the world in recognising right to food, says Stiglitz

Pointing out that nearly one out of seven Americans face food insecurity, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said here on Thursday that by recognising the right to food as a basic human right, India is leading the way for the rest of the world.

“India has recognised the right to food as a basic human right, leading the way for the rest of the world, and is on the verge of a historic implementation of the world's largest social protection programme against hunger,” Professor Stiglitz said delivering the Convocation Address at the 46{+t}{+h}Convocation of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

Citing the work of fellow Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, he said hunger is not caused by an absolute shortage of grain, but by the lack of income of those in poverty to get access to it.

While one out of every seven Americans today is on food stamps, almost an equal number still face food insecurity, he said, ruing that “while India debates whether there should be basic economic rights, like the right to food, such debates are still not part of the discourse in America.”

Speaking of the challenges that lie ahead for India, Professor Stiglitz questioned that while it prides itself on its democracy, “can there be real or meaningful democracy with the large economic divides that are emerging today in the U.S. and elsewhere, where the wealthy use their money to have an undue influence in shaping perceptions and beliefs, and thus the outcome of the electoral process?”

“Too much of the world has been in pursuit of what I have called GDP (Gross Domestic Product) fetishism – the belief that development is simply the increase in GDP,” he said. The assessment of the success or failure of programmes should not only depend on their impact on GDP or income, but on broader measures of well-being, he added.

State planning youth budget

The State Government is planning to introduce a ‘youth budget' to enable young people to meet their aspirations, Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda has said.

However, he did not make it clear if it would be introduced from 2012-13.

The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating the 17th National Youth Festival at Mangala Stadium here on Thursday.

He said the Government would constitute a special task force to implement the policy recommendations of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC) on youth and strengthen existing youth-centric policies of the State.

Mr. Gowda said more opportunities would be created for the youth to take part in transforming the State into a knowledge society by 2020.

The KKC had recently conducted a survey on perception, aspirations, expectations and attitudes of youth of Karnataka. This revealed that young people continued to respect family and social values, while keeping pace with the changing world, the Chief Minister said.

Youth awards

Ajay Maken, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, said the Union Government had increased the number of national youth awards from 25 to 30, which included 28 individual awards and two for organisations, from 2010-11, as it was the International Year of Youth. The 30 awards were presented at the inaugural session on Thursday.

Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily and dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade spoke.

The National Youth Festival is held to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Connectivity will generate economic vibrancy: Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the connectivity between India and Bangladesh, particularly with the northeastern States, including Tripura, would generate tremendous economic vibrancy, leading to peoples' empowerment and overall development of the region.

Ms. Hasina, who was on a two-day visit to Tripura, urged India, Nepal and Bhutan to make the best use of the Chittagong and Mongla ports, which Bangladesh had already opened for these neighbouring countries, to access the sea route for their trade and commercial activities.

“Physical connectivity with countries in the South Asian region and beyond has become a major drive of my foreign policy,” Ms. Hasina said in her speech after being conferred an honorary D. Litt ( honoris causa ) degree at the 9th convocation of Tripura University. The degree was formally handed over to her by Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari.

She expressed confidence that the initiative with Tripura, including the Akhaura-Agartala rail link; operation of Ashuganj as a multimodal trans-shipment point under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade for transportation of Indian goods to Agartala; transportation of Over Dimensional Cargo for the Palatana power project; the bridge over the Feni river; use of the Chittagong and Mongla Ports by India, Nepal and Bhutan; operation of the Ramgarh-Sabroom Land Custom Station; and four new border haats (markets); when implemented would enhance Tripura's development.

Later at the civic reception accorded to her by the Agartala Municipal Corporation on the Assam Rifles ground, Ms. Hasina said Bangladesh was keen to undertake a joint venture project for power generation through utilisation of the vast natural gas reserve in Tripura. Once such projects were realised, her country would also buy power from them. She also said that four new border haats would be set up by India and Bangladesh to facilitate trade.

Identifying poverty as the biggest common enemy of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the Bangladesh Prime Minister said although national efforts to eliminate it were important, it would not be possible without regional prosperity and economic development, which, in turn, would not be possible without an excellent network of connectivity of roads, railways, waterways and close people-to-people contact.

In his address, at the convocation, Mr. Ansari said Bangladesh provided critical links to the economy, ecology and environment of the northeast region. He said India was committed to fashioning economic and trade arrangements, not only for ensuring closer integration of the region with the national economy, but also with the neighbouring economies.

Vice-Chancellor Arunoday Saha said the conferment of the honorary D. Litt on Ms. Hasina was in acknowledgement of her contribution to peace, development and women empowerment in the sub continent. The convocation was also addressed by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Tripura Governor D.Y. Patil, and Chancellor A.K. Bagchi.

Recalls sacrifices of Tripura people during liberation war\

When Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's plane touched down at the airport here on Tuesday evening a flush of emotions overwhelmed her as she recalled the tremendous sacrifices by the people of Agartala and help provided by Tripura in the form of food, shelter and support to Bangladesh liberation war heroes and lakhs of refugees.

On Thursday, when she was greeted by a capacity crowd at the huge Assam Rifles ground, where a civic reception was accorded to her by the Agartala Municipal Corporation, and earlier in the day, when she was conferred the honorary D. Litt. degree by Tripura University, Ms. Hasina was overwhelmed with emotions of memories and historical affinity of people of her country and Tripura.

Saying that the campus of Tripura University was the site of a training camp of Mukti-joddha during the Liberation War of 1971, Ms. Hasina said she was proud to visit the same place after 40 years.

“An occupation force had brutally cracked down on a defenceless people all over Bangladesh on March 25, 1971, setting in motion a large human exodus of the last millennium. As they streamed across the border with only their lives, starving and lost, they were welcomed by you with open arms,” she said.

She recalled: “Tripura was in those days flooded with refugees, who were more than its own population. It was indeed a unique situation. Nevertheless, through the nine months of our liberation war, the people of Tripura and India stood by our side and helped selflessly the forsaken millions, giving them food, shelter and other basic necessities. Our freedom-fighters also received training and support on this side of the border, and eventually fought with our Indian friends to the final surrender of the occupation forces and liberation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. How can we not remember with gratitude our friends in need in Tripura and India?”

The Bangladesh Prime Minister said that after the brutal assassination of her father — Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman — and 18 close family members on August 15, 1975, as the elder of the two surviving sisters, (her younger sister is Sheikh Rehana), she was determined to carry forward her father's struggle to establish democracy and give people their fundamental rights, including freedom from poverty.

She said she would always be thankful to late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for providing her and sister shelter from 1975 to 1981. When her father was implicated in the so-called ‘Agartala conspiracy case' in 1966, a conspiracy was hatched to hang him to death, but massive uprising by the people that followed foiled the con

$220 million Panasonic plant for Jhajjar

The Panasonic Corporation will invest $220 million at Jhajjar by setting up a plant there. This was disclosed by Panasonic India President Daizo Ito in a meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here on Thursday.

Mr. Daizo said the plant will be set up over 76 acre in the Model Economic Township at Jhajjar and will function as headquarters of Panasonic in India.

In the first phase, it will manufacture air-conditioners, washing machines and welding systems, while in the second it will make refrigerators, automotive systems, flat panel TVs, microwave ovens and other electronic components besides setting up a research and development centre.

The units will provide employment to 1,500 people in the first phase and over 2,000 in the second.

Mr. Hooda urged him to give priority to locals in employment and said Panasonic should set up a skill development centre in the area so that

Grocer-archaeologist discovers Gupta-era temple near Bundi

An amateur archaeologist has discovered the remains of a temple supposed to have been built in the 5th Century A.D. during the Gupta period, when the concept of installing statues of deities in temples was introduced, in dense forests 35 km away from Bundi district town in Rajasthan. The temple has a ‘Shivalingam' with the face of Lord Shiva engraved on it.

The temple, found near Bhimtal village, has the remnants of a square sanctum and pillared porch. Built with bricks, the temple makes a significant addition to the handful of sites in the country where the remains of places of worship from the Gupta era have been unearthed.

Archaeologist Om Prakash Sharma alias Kukki, who has spent two decades discovering the pre-historic rock art in Bundi, Kota and Bhilwara districts, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the latest discovery had confirmed the presence of the thriving ancient empire in Hadoti region of Rajasthan during the 5th Century, when magnificent temple architecture was gradually evolving.

The Gupta empire, that existed approximately between 320 and 550 A.D. and was described by historians as the golden age of ancient India, covered much of the Indian subcontinent and was marked by scientific and cultural creativity, including the outstanding architecture and sculptures, and crystallisation of the elements of Hindu culture.

Mr. Sharma said the presence of the dilapidated Shiva temples of the later period amid thick vegetation in surrounding areas such as Jalindri, Nathun, Deojhar, Banganga, Umarthuna and Kheruna indicated that the Shaivite religion held sway over much of the Hadoti region for several centuries.

“The characteristic elements of Shiva temple [that] emerged in the Gupta period are found even in the present-day shrines.”

The five-foot long and two-foot thick ‘Shivalingam' is reportedly the third of its kind from the Gupta era found in the country so far. Similar statues were earlier discovered at Udaigiri in Vidisha and Bhumra in Satna district of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Sharma said the ‘Shivalingam,' built of white sandstone, has embellishments like earrings and ornaments with Lord Shiva's face, while the sanctum where it was installed is encircled with hundreds of undamaged and broken bricks. In the local parlance, this statue is called ‘Mukhling.'

There are traces of a covered processional path in the temple for circumambulation, which formed part of the worship ritual. A methodical study of the Bhimtal temple could provide important clues to various dimensions of early Hindu architecture in ancient India, said Mr. Sharma.

The gradual evolution of the Gupta style architecture led to the construction of shikhara (dome) in the temples and ornamentation on the pillars and door-frame. Later, the decorative motifs like goblins, couples, flying angels, door-keepers and a figure relief in the centre of the lintel emblematic of the deity consecrated in the temple were introduced.

A barely-literate grocer with a passion for history and archaeology, the 54-year-old has discovered rock paintings and objects and tools of the Copper Age and Mauryan and post-Gupta period in the vast hilly tracts of the Hadoti region in south-east Rajasthan over the past two decades.

Mr. Sharma said his latest discovery had demonstrated that Hadoti did not merely have a pre-historic human habitation, but was also rich in archaeological wealth which could throw a new light on the evolution of Hinduism with the dissemination of Vedic civilisation by Aryans.

January 12, 2012

2012-02-01T13:27:00.003+05:30

Rs. 152 crore allocated for Virudhunagar

: The Tamil Nadu Assembly Petitions committee, led by MLA, Mohan, reviewed the process of petitions received by officials from the public on important issues, here on Wednesday.

Mr. Mohan said that Virudhunagar was the 11{+t}{+h}district in the State the panel was visiting. The panel took up 45 out of the 133 petitions received from the people for review. The members instructed the district administration to process all the petitions.

A total of Rs. 152 crore had been allocated for Virudhunagar district for various works, he said.

The committee inspected the railway level crossing gate on Ramamoorthy Road where a road over bridge had been proposed. It also inspected the underground drainage work and the Government hospital in Virudhunagar town and the bus stand in Tiruthangal.

New president of ISTE

: The Vice-Chancellor of Anna University of Technology, Madurai, R.Murugesan has been elected as the president of Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi, for 2012 to 2014.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Dr. Murugesan said the election for the post was held during the 41{+s}{+t}ISTE Annual National Convention hosted by Baba Bandha Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab on December 16, 2011. Dr.Murugesan now joins the elite group of G.R.Damodaran and V.C. Kulandaisamy by becoming the third person from the state to hold that position after a gap of 15 years. He is also the 15th president of the society.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi frowns on over-celebration of icons

Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Tuesday disapproved of the tendency to “contradict heritage at every step of celebrating the country's heritage” and overdoing the commemoration of national icons.

Launching a set of four books on Rabindranath Tagore by scholar-lawyer K. Chandrasekharan re-published to mark the 150{+t}{+h}anniversary of Tagore, Mr. Gandhi said one of the four ways in which people gratified their sense of indebtedness to individuals was by oversimplifying the object of commemoration — thus Tagore becomes a national poet and universalist, Mahatma Gandhi becomes the apostle of non-violence and Jawaharlal Nehru the architect of modern India.

The other means were to over-decorate — by erecting statues, issuing stamps and instituting memorial orations — over-celebrate (starting centenaries a year late and going on after “zero-point”), and overwhelm (through extravagance, exaggeration and excess), Mr. Gandhi said.

Tsunami scare in Cuddalore

The much harried coastal community was in the grip of panic on Wednesday when the news broke out that an earthquake that occurred off the Sumatra coast might trigger tsunami.

The residents of Singarathope coastal village collected their belongings and took their children to places of safety. Many of them went to the high-level bridge there that saved hundreds of lives during the December 2004 tsunami. Most of the residents stayed outside for the better part of the day.

Some of the fishermen said that the early symptoms they witnessed before the tsunami strike was that the sea waves advanced well into the shore, much beyond the usual level.

January 12, 2012

2012-02-01T13:21:00.003+05:30

EC halts minorities sub-quota in five poll-bound States

The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the Union Ministry of Personnel not to give effect to the December 22, 2011 office memorandum, providing a 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities within the 27 per cent reservation for the Other Backward Classes in Central government jobs and educational institutions, in the five poll-bound States.

The direction will be applicable until after the completion of the Assembly election process in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. The EC took into account the fact that the decision on sub-quota was announced by the Centre on December 22, before the model code came into force, i.e. on December 24, when the poll schedule was announced.

The EC said it was brought to its notice that the order had been issued in violation of the model code, and that it took the decision to ensure a free and fair poll.

Model code

Sources in the EC drew attention to the Sections in the model code relating to parties, candidates and the State/Central governments. Para 1(3): There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes.

Para VII: The party in power, whether at the Centre or in the State or States concerned, shall ensure that no cause is given for any complaint that it has used its official position for purposes of its campaign.

Para VII (vi): From the time elections are announced, Ministries and other authorities shall not announce any financial grants in any form or promises thereof ......, which may have the effect of influencing voters in favour of the party in power.

Many parties, particularly the BJP, had strongly opposed the Cabinet decision and said the announcement was made as an inducement to Muslims, who are in sizable numbers in Uttar Pradesh. The decision would benefit Muslims more than other minorities as there were many Muslim communities designated as OBCs, the parties said.

Even some Muslim organisations felt that the Cabinet decision would betray their interests. Earlier, the various Muslim communities listed for the 27 per cent OBC quota managed to get 2.3 per cent. Now OBC Muslims would have to compete with Christians, Sikhs and Parsi OBCs for the 4.5 per cent quota, they claimed.

Hasina in Tripura

Landmark visit:Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in Agartala on Wednesday, is seen with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. In the city to receive an honorary doctorate from Tripura University, she will also hold trade talks. This is the first visit by a Bangladesh Prime Minister to Tripura, which played an important role in Bangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971.

NMDC signs pact with SEPC

The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) signed a contract with a consortium led by Shriram EPC Limited (SEPC) on Tuesday for By-Product Plant (BPP) package for the upcoming three million tonnes per annum integrated steel plant at Nagarnar in Chattisgarh.

According to a release, the total cost of the package is Rs.509 crore. The contract was signed by ED (NISP) G. Viswakarma on behalf of NMDC and V-P of A.B.Paul for SEPC.

Forest fire at Chamundi Hills; handiwork of miscreants suspected

A forest fire broke out at Chamundi Hills on Wednesday, but the damage to the vegetation is reckoned to be minor. This is the first forest fire to be reported this season. Shrub jungles and dry forests are prone to fires in the run up to summer.

Staff of the Department of Forests were at the spot extinguishing the flames. Officials suspect the fire to be the handiwork of miscreants.

National Service Scheme awards

The Higher Secondary National Service Scheme awards for programme officers, units, and volunteers for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have been announced.

T.P. Mohammed Basheer, Himayathul Islam HSS, Kozhikode, Rajan Thomas, S.N.V.HSC, N.R.City, Idukki, have been selected as the best officers and NSS units at the State level for 2010-11.

The regional level winners are P.S.Joymon, C.K.M.HSS, Korothodu, Kottayam, R.Gopalakrishnan, Government Girls HSS, Thazhava, Kollam, and the unit at Government HSS, Sreekantapuram, Kannur.

The best district-level officers and units for 2010-11 are Benny V.Varghese, M.K.M.HSS, Piravom, Renjith Jacob, St. Mary's HSS, Mullenkolly, Wayanad, M.K.Faizal, Calicut Girls HSS, Kozhikode, Shaji N.Raj, R.R.V.GHSS, Kilimanoor, K.K.Manoj Kumar, GHSS, Peelikode, Kasaragod, Pintu D.Kalariparambil, Lourdes Mata HSS, Pacha, Alappuzha, G.Gopakumar, Government HSS, Thankamom, Pathanamthitta.

M.Satheesh Kumar, Naduvannur HSS, Wakayad, Kozhikode, is the best officer and unit at the State level in 2009-10.

P.K.Anita, A.K.M.HSS, Poochatty, Thrissur, is the winner at the regional level. The district-level winners in 2009-10 are R.Jaya, SNDP HSS, Venkurinji, Pathanamthitta, B.Najeeb, Government HSS, Venjaramoodu, C.S.Gopalan, Government HSS, Chathannur, Palakkad, K.C.Muralidharan, Nirmala HSS, Erumamunda, Malappuram, K.M.Subair, M.J.HSS, Ilayattil, Kasaragod, Rafeeq, T.P.N.A.M.HSS, Peringathur, Kannur, and Muhammed Sherief, Government Fisheries HSS, Cheruvathoor, Kasaragod.

The best volunteers for 2010-11 are Bipin Sunny, Valayanchirangara HSS, S.Abhijith, government HSS, Thengamam, Pathanamthitta, V.Priyaraj, Government GHSS, Thazhava, Kollam, Aswathy Satyan, L.M.HSS, Pacha, Alappuzha, K.M.Suhail, St.Mary's HSS, Mullenkolli, Wayanad, Dhanya Johnny, S.N.V.HSS, N.R.City, Idukki, T.M.Raisanus, Government Fisheries HSS, Cheruvathoor, Kasaragod, N.Habib Rehman, P.K.K.S.M. HSS, Kayamkulam, Justin Joy, Government HSS, Sreekantapuram, Kannur, B.K.Anaswara, Naduvannur HSS, Wakayad, Kozhikode.

The winners for 2009-10 are Awathy Elizabeth, S.N.HSS, Thrikanarvattom, Ernakulam, R.Anu Krishnan, Government Boys HSS, Adoor, J.Ebeneezer, Government HSS, Kulasekharapuram, Kollam, S.Sabujan, Government GHSS, Thazhava, Kollam, K.Subash, GMHSS, Vellamunda, Wayanad, K.V.Nihas, Himayathul Islam HSS, Kozhikode, P.Reshma, Government HSS, Pulamanthole, Malappuram, Venisha, Socarso CGHSS, Kottakkal, Thrissur, R.Manuraj, GHSS, Kudamaloor, Kottayam, T.S.Anoop, SNDP HSS, Venkurinji, Pathanamthitta, P.P.Dhanyasree, Palora HSS, Palora, Kozhikode, and A.S.Shyam Kumar, C.K.M.HSS, Koruthodu, Kottayam.

Education Minister P.K.Abdu Rabb will present the awards at Cotton Hill HSS here on January 11.

Protect Thirumalai hills: High Court

: The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday directed Additional Solicitor General M. Ravindran to take notice on behalf of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in a public interest litigation petition seeking to protect Thirumalai hills at Thirumalai Koneripatti village in Sivaganga district under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Chitra Venkataraman and Justice R. Karuppiah also recorded the submission of Additional Advocate General K. Chellapandian that he would ask the local police to verify the petitioner's allegations of large scale vandalism in the hillock, boasting ancient Jain abodes, and file a status report within two weeks.

M. Ayyannar (26), a resident of Thirumalai Koneripatti, had filed the PIL petition through his counsel R. Alagumani.

According to them, the hillock was situated about 54 kilometres from here. It contained rock paintings dating back to 5{+t}{+h}century and Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions of the Sangam Age. Several Jain beds (billow lafts) were also hewn out of the rock floor of the caverns. The hillock also boasted of a Swasthika, a sign incised on Jain beds; a rock cut Malai Koluntheeswarar Bakampiriyal Temple of 8{+t}{+h}century A.D. and a structural 3{+r}{+d}century temple.

It was also one of the fourteen popular Jain abodes situated around Madurai, the other being those in Tirupparankundram, Samanarmalai, Kongar Periyankulam, Vikramangalam, Antipatti, Anaimalai and so on.

“Except Thirumalai, all other popular Jain abodes were now declared as protect monuments by the ASI though Thirumalai hill is also an equally important monument which contained 30 Tamil inscriptions of Pandya kings such as Jadawarman Kulasekaran, Maaravarman Sundara Pandiyan, Jatawarman Parakrama Pandiyan belonging to 13{+t}{+h}and 14{+t}{+h}centuries A.D.,” the petitioner's affidavit read.

It went on to state: “Each and every rock painting of Thirumalai hills has been defected with names scrawled on them. The inscriptions and Jain beds have been vandalised and discredited… On one bed, the election symbol of a political party has been carved.

Jan/11/2012

2012-01-11T20:08:00.001+05:30

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina arrives in Agartala

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here on Tuesday by a special aircraft on a two-day visit to Tripura.

She was received at the airport by Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal as a special emissary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, State Governor D Y Patil and Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

In the evening, Ms. Hasina will participate in a discussion with business delegations of both the countries.

Tomorrow she will be conferred D Litt by the Tripura Central University at its ninth convocation.

No respite from cold in Valley

There was no respite for residents of Kashmir as mercury across the Valley remained below the freezing point for the third consecutive day on Wednesday.

In the summer capital Srinagar, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 3.3 degrees Celsius, an decrease of 0.5 degrees from last night, a MeT official said.

Srinagar city on Tuesday recorded the maximum temperature of minus 1.0 degrees Celsius which was the coldest day in many years.

North Kashmir’s Gulmarg resort recorded a low of minus 14.8 degrees Celsius, an increase of 1.4 degrees from last night.

In Pahalgam resort of south Kashmir, mercury touched a low of minus 10.7 degrees Celsius, the official said.

The south Kashmir gateway town of Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, while north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara town recorded a low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

Slow start to Punjab Assembly polls

With Thursday being the deadline for filing nomination for the coming assembly elections in Punjab and political heavy-weights like Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and State Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh having filed their nominations, other candidates from all political parties are lining up to file their papers. However, campaigning is yet to pick up to attract voters to their respective sides.

Elections to the 117 assembly constituencies in Punjab is scheduled for January 30 and the date for completing the process of scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawal of candidature is still five days away.

Under the strict eye of the Election Commission monitoring all electoral activities, including expenses of prospective candidates in the run up to the polls, major political parties are exercising all caution. Political parties need to inform the returning officers about placing of advertisements, putting up hoardings and even organizing rallies in their respective assembly segments. With the expenditure limit put at Rs. 16 lakh for an assembly seat, candidates have to maintain their log books in a register on expenses incurred in organizing meetings, hiring vehicles and tents and even for offering refreshments to the party workers.

Four People's Principles

Only modern science can solve the many problems that India's masses face.

When we discuss science, we must ask what its purpose is. The answer, to my mind, is: to make our lives better and happier. Science is that knowledge by which we understand nature and harness it for our benefit.

Some people may oppose this view, saying that the atom bomb destroys lives, and that science has created weapons of destruction. Scientific knowledge can be misused, but also used to benefit mankind. But without science we will be living precarious, wretched lives.

An objection could also be raised that it is only the applied sciences (technology) that benefit people, not the fundamental sciences. It is true that a scientist doing fundamental research does not care whether his discoveries are of any utility or not. Newton and Einstein did not bother whether their discoveries would benefit mankind. However, these benefit mankind in the long run.

Today India faces huge problems; only science can solve them. Some 80 per cent of its people live in poverty, with unemployment, sky-rocketing prices, problems of healthcare, education and housing, and so on. Forty-eight farmers commit suicide on an average each day. And 47 per cent of the children are malnourished. Our national aim must be to abolish these evils and make India prosperous for all.

To address the problems, I present Four People's Principles (following Sun Yat Sen's Three People's Principles). These should be our guiding principles: Science, Democracy, Livelihood, and Unity of the People.

SCIENCE

When India was on the scientific path, it prospered. With the aid of science we built mighty civilisations thousands of years ago when most people in Europe (except in Greece and Rome) lived in the forests. We made outstanding scientific discoveries. However, we subsequently took to the unscientific path of superstition and ritual. The way out is to go back to the scientific path shown by our ancestors — Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta, Sushruta and Charaka, Ramanujan and C.V. Raman.

Here are three examples of Indian scientific achievements in ancient times.

1. The decimal system was perhaps the most revolutionary and greatest scientific achievement in the ancient world. The Europeans called the numbers in the decimal system Arabic numerals, but surprisingly the Arabs called them Hindu numerals. Were they Arabic or Hindu? The languages Urdu, Persian and Arabic are written from right to left, but if you ask any speaker of these languages to write a number, he will write it left to right. This shows the numbers were taken from a language that was written left to right. It is accepted now that these numbers came from India, and were copied by the Arabs.

The decimal system has revolutionary significance. Ancient Rome was a great civilisation, but its people were uncomfortable with numbers above 1000. They wrote their numbers in alphabets, I standing for 1, V for 5, X for 10, L for 50, C for 100, D for 500 and M for 1000. There was no alphabet expressing a number higher than 1000. If one would have asked an ancient Roman to write the number one million, he would have gone crazy: to write one million he would have to write the letter M, which stands for millennium (or one thousand), one thousand times. On the other hand, under our system, to express one million we have just to write the number one followed by six zeroes. We could thus express astronomically high numbers by adding zeroes. In the Roman numerals there is no zero. Zero was ancient India's invention.

2. Five thousand years ago in the Indus Valley civilisation was created the system of town planning, with covered drains and the sewage system.

3. Plastic surgery was invented in India in the 6th century B.C.; Westerners discovered it about 200 years ago.

I am not going into our other great scientific achievements (for details, see ‘Sanskrit as a Language of Science' at the website, www. kgfindia.com).

However, today we are far behind the Western countries in science; that is the real cause of our poverty and other social evils. We must spread science — not physics, chemistry and biology alone: it is the entire scientific outlook. We must spread rational and logical thinking among our masses and make them give up backwardness and superstition. The mindset steeped in casteism, communalism and superstition must change. Science is not the natural sciences alone, but also the social sciences. A worldwide recession is on. This can only be solved by knowledge of economic theory, not of natural sciences or engineering.

DEMOCRACY

The second principle is Democracy. When King Ajatashatru of Magadha was planning to attack the Vajjian democracy, he sent a messenger to the Buddha for advice. Instead of speaking to this messenger, the Buddha told one of his disciples: “Have you heard, Anand, that the Vajjians foregather often and frequent the public meetings of their clan? So long, Anand, as the Vajjians so foregather and so frequent the public meetings of their clan, so long they may be expected not to decline but to prosper.

Similarly, Avadan Shatak, a Buddhist Sanskrit text of the second century A.D., mentions that a group of merchants went from North India to the Deccan and were asked by the Deccan King, who was the king who ruled over North India. The merchants replied: Deva, kechit deshah ganadheena, kechit rajaadheena, iti, which means “Your Majesty, some regions are under democratic rule, while others are under kings.” So, democracy is nothing new to India.

The method of shastrarthas was developed in ancient India, which permitted free discussion in the presence of a large assembly. This resulted in growth in philosophy, law, grammar and so on, and also in science, including medicine, mathematics and astronomy.

Some people say democracy is not good for India. I disagree. The problem in India is not that there is too much democracy but too little. We need more democracy, not less, and that means educating the masses, raising their cultural level, and involving them actively in national reconstruction.

Democracy and science go hand in hand. Scientific growth requires certain supportive values, namely, the freedom to think, criticise, and dissent, tolerance, plurality, and free flow of information. These are the values of a democratic society.

LIVELIHOOD

The third principle is livelihood for the masses. Today, 80 per cent of Indians are poor, and there is massive unemployment, lack of healthcare, housing and good education. In the recent period, the rich have become richer, and the rich-poor divide has increased. Economic growth has benefited only a handful.

The French thinker, Rousseau, wrote: “It is obviously contrary to the law of nature for a handful of people to gorge themselves on superfluities while the starving multitudes lack the necessities of life.” (Discourse on the Origins of Inequality)

Using our creativity we must find ways to raise the standard of living of the masses. Ultimately, that is what matters. Let the system we adopt be called capitalism or socialism or communism, the real test is whether the standard of living of the masses is going up or not. Surely, a system in which a quarter million farmers have committed suicide in the last 15 years and vast masses live in poverty is unacceptable.

Before the Industrial Revolution, which began in Western Europe in the 18th century, there was feudalism everywhere. In the feudal system the methods of production were primitive and very little wealth was generated, and only a handful of people could be rich. In contrast, modern industry is powerful and big, and enough wealth can be generated to meet everybody's basic needs. Nobody needs to be poor. It is the state's duty to ensure that.

UNITY OF THE PEOPLE

India has great diversity, with a number of castes, languages, religions and ethnic groups, as it is broadly a country of immigrants (see the article, ‘Kalidas Ghalib Academy for Mutual Understanding,' and the video, ‘What is India,' at www. kgfindia.com). So the only policy that will work here is secularism, giving equal respect to all communities. This was the policy of Emperor Akbar, who was really the architect of modern India. This policy was continued by Jawaharlal Nehru and his colleagues who created our secular Constitution.

In 1947, religious passions were inflamed; Pakistan had declared itself an Islamic state. There must have been tremendous pressure on Nehru and his colleagues to declare India a Hindu state. It is not easy to keep a cool head when passions are inflamed, but our leaders said India would not be a Hindu state but a secular one. It is for this reason that there is more stability in India than in the neighbouring country.

Powerful vested interests are trying to destroy the unity and make us fight one another on the basis of religion, caste, region, language, and so on. It is the duty of all patriotic people to expose these designs and maintain the unity of the people; without that we cannot progress.

(Justice Markandey Katju is Chairman of the Press Council of India. This is an edited version of the address he delivered on January 11 at an international conference organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, on ‘Science Communication for Scientific Temper,' in New Delhi)

Intel enters smart phone market

Intel Corp on Tuesday announced plans to team up with Motorola Mobility Inc and Lenovo to make the first smart phones running on Intel chips.

Lenovo will use a 1.6GHz Atom z2640 chip on a phone to debut in China in the second quarter, Intel chief executive Paul Otellini said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Motorola has also entered into a multi-year, multi-product agreement with Intel, Otellini said.

"The best of Intel computing is coming to smartphones," the Intel chief said. "Our efforts with Lenovo and Motorola Mobility will help to establish Intel processors in smartphones and provide a solid foundation from which to build in 2012 and into the future."

The devices from the two manufacturers represent Intel's belated entry into the surging smartphones market. In contrast to the computer world, where Intel's dominant X86 chip is dominant, most smartphones run on the rival architecture of chips by ARM Holdings Plc, which is thought to be use less power than Intel's chips.

Jan/11/2012

2012-01-11T20:06:00.003+05:30

Jayalalithaa launches new health insurance scheme

A new health insurance scheme for providing free medical and surgical treatment to 1.34 crore families in Tamil Nadu was on Wednesday launched by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at an annual outlay of Rs. 750 crore.

Under the “Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme”, replacing the previous DMK regime’s insurance cover, a family would get a health insurance cover up to Rs. one lakh per annum for four years, an official release said.

In the case of certain diseases, the insurance cover could go up to Rs. 1.50 lakh. The scheme, to be implemented by public sector United India Insurance Company, would be applicable to every member of a family whose annual family income is less than Rs.72,000.

Jarawa footage: Andaman administration to serve notice to TV channels

The Andaman and Nicobar administration on Tuesday said that it would serve legal notice on two Delhi-based TV channels telecasting a video footage showing a group of tribal women being ordered to dance for tourists by a policeman.

British newspaper, ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The Observer’, a weekly, had released video footage of police involvement in ’human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands. The videos were recently aired on the two Delhi-based channels.

The policeman had allegedly taken a bribe of £ 200 to take tourists into the protected Jarawa reserve.

While Andaman and Nicobar police remained tight-lipped about the incident, administration sources told PTI that legal notice would be served on the two TV Channels regarding this matter as the footage was one-sided and they had not taken the version of administration or cross-checked with it.

The sources said the administration was “totally against Jarawa tourism” but ruled out closure of the Andaman Trunk (ATR) road ordered by the Supreme Court a decade ago to protect the Jarawa habitat. The road cuts through South Andaman where the Jarawa reserve is located, linking Port Blair with Diglipur in North Andaman.

The official said any decision on closure of the road, the lifeline of the Middle and North Andamans, would take time as it was a policy decision but said an alternative route via sea was being chalked out to bypass the Jarawa reserve.

A Supreme Court ruling in 2002 on the Shekhar Singh Commission report had ordered closure of the ATR road to protect the Jarawas.

The scandal, first exposed by Survival International, an NGO in 2010, involves tourists using an illegal road to enter the reserve of the Jarawa tribe.

Tour companies and cab drivers ‘attract’ the Jarawa with biscuits and sweets, The Guardian and The Observer had said in their report published in January last year.

The video showed a group of Jarawa women being ordered to dance for tourists by a policeman, who had reportedly accepted a £200 bribe to take them into the reserve.

One tourist had previously described a similar trip to the newspapers. “The journey through tribal reserve was like a safari ride as we were going amidst dense tropical rainforest and looking for wild animals, Jarawa tribals, to be specific”, he said.

Survival International has called for tourists to boycott the road.

Working with a local organization, SEARCH, Survival has distributed leaflets to tourists arriving at the Islands’ airport warning of the dangers of using the road.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said, “This story reeks of colonialism and the disgusting and degrading ‘human zoos’ of the past.”

“Quite clearly, some people’s attitudes towards tribal people haven’t moved on a jot. The Jarawa are not circus ponies bound to dance at anyone’s bidding,” Mr. Cory said.

The lone Member of Parliament from the Islands, Bishnupada Ray told PTI that the video tapes were very old and government should take immediate action against this.

Nobel laureate economist stresses on holistic sustainable development

Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz has stressed on the need for a holistic approach to sustainable development and removing the inequalities and disparities that have been on the rise in different parts of the world.

The Columbia University Professor, in his interaction with Lord Meghnad Desai here on Tuesday night, pointed out that governments would have to play a more proactive role in shaping the economic policies that are more tuned to the hopes and aspirations of the people.

“Economic reforms have to address the key issues affecting people and have to bring about qualitative changes in their economic conditions,” he pointed out.

Mr. Stiglitz stressed on the need for harnessing natural and human resources in a proper way for the benefit of the people and restructuring the economy through a slew of reforms aimed at bringing about changes in the living conditions of the common man.

Mr. Stiglitz said the driving force behind the success of any economy is the participation of people in a big way and civil society.

NGOs and SHGs in the development process can catapult any state or nation toward the path of economic prosperity, he said.

Highlighting the economic emergence of Asian giants China and India in the global economy, Mr. Stiglitz said to ensure continued momentum, more emphasis should be given to investment in human capital, infrastructure development and capital knowledge coupled with high savings.

“The gap in per capita income between the Asian countries and the West has to be narrowed down considerably,” he added.

Mr. Stiglitz said the International Monetary Fund would have to play a proactive role like the World Bank on reducing poverty and inequalities that can cause economic and political upheaval.

09/01/2012

2012-01-11T19:43:00.003+05:30

U.P. phase I polls rescheduled

The first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for 60 seats, scheduled for February 4, has been re-scheduled. The new date will be announced soon.

A brief announcement made by the Election Commission here said the change was necessitated by uncertainty about the date of the Barawafat festival, which might fall on February 4.

The second phase is scheduled for February 8. Indications are that the first phase will be held on either February 5 or 6, and the rest of the schedule will not be affected.

Plea on Food Safety Act

: The Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association has called for deferring the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006, which was notified on August 5, 2011.

The Act mandates various qualifications for Food Safety Officers and Inspectors which entail a minimum training period of two years after its implementation had begun. Hence, the association said that it was imperative that more time be given to the food business operators, who were mostly illiterate, to acquaint themselves with various provisions of the Act.

Association president S.P. Jeyapragasam presented the memorandum to V.N. Gaur, Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA), who was in the city recently to address awareness programme on the FSS Act.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a statutory body for laying down science based standards for articles of food and regulating manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food.

Fines under this new Act were over 100 times when compared to the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. The law should give time and opportunity to the people to set right their deficiencies, he said, adding that the maximum penalty must be brought down to Rs. 25,000 instead of the present Rs. 1 lakh.

Before enforcing the Act, the association said that the Central Government must establish quality control food analytical laboratories in all districts and also fix reasonable charges as the Act mandates strict quality levels. Also, private laboratories must be provided accreditation and encouraged through subsidies.

Also, any changes regarding labels in the law should be allowed to take effect only after 12 months so that traders could change logistics and production process accordingly.

With agricultural practices varying across regions in the country, the produce and its contents like nutritional values would also change. Hence, the FSS Act should allow for declaring ‘approximate' nutritional values in labels rather than ‘exact' values

Mr. Jeyapragasam also called for providing adequate representation of various food product producers in the Central Advisory Committee.

Jayalalithaa announces memorial for Pennycuick

Amid the simmering dispute between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the Mullaperiyar Dam, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday announced that her government would build a memorial to John Pennycuick, the British engineer who constructed the dam to overcome the drought in the Vaigai delta region in the 19{+t}{+h}century.

The 2500 square feet ‘manimandapam' with a statue of Pennycuick would come up on the premises of the TANGEDCO office at the Lower Camp, Ms Jayalalithaa said in a statement.

The cost of the project would be Rs 1 crore. Pennycuick's grandson would be invited for its inauguration, she said.

Ms Jayalalithaa said her government had decided to create a Manimandapam following requests from the people in the southern districts including Theni.

Gratitude

“They want to express their gratitude to Pennycuick, who constructed the dam, which is still in good condition and will survive many hundred years to come,” she added.

The Chief Minister said Colonel Pennycuick, who came to India as an Army Engineer, decided to divert the west-flowing river's culmination in the Bay of Bengal towards the East so that it could irrigate lakhs of acres of dry land depending only on Vaigai river.

Though Pennycuick and other British Engineers went ahead with the construction, braving the nature's fury and the dangers of poisonous insects and wild animals, the construction works were disrupted by relentless rain. Since he could not get adequate funds from the British government, Pennycuick went to England and sold his family property to mobilise money to fund the project, which was completed in 1895.

Ms Jayalalithaa said the dam was inaugurated by Lord Wenlock, the then Governor of the Chennai Presidency.

It resulted in irrigation of 2.23 lakh acres in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.

January/2012

2012-01-11T19:11:00.002+05:30

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Jan/10/2012

2012-01-10T19:23:00.000+05:30

Aung San Suu Kyi to contest by-election in Yangon

Democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi will contest the upcoming by-election in a Yangon neighbourhood that was hard-hit by the 2008 Cyclone Nargis, opposition sources said on Tuesday.

“It’s official. She will contest in Kawhmu Township, Yangon,” National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman Nyan Win said. Kawhmu is located in the southwestern part of the Yangon region.

The area was among those worst hit by Cyclone Nargis in May, 2008 that claimed 138,000 lives in the Yangon Region and Irrawaddy Delta.

Myanmar will hold a by-election on April 1, to fill 48 parliamentary seats left vacant when cabinet members assumed their ministerial posts in March, 2011.

The Election Commission last week approved the NLD’s application to contest the by-election.

Should she win in the Kawhmu seat, which is deemed likely, Ms. Suu Kyi is expected to become the opposition leader in Parliament, making her eligible for appointment to various government committees, government sources said.

“It is possible that Aung San Suu Kyi may head of one of these committees but it depends on her abilities,” presidential advisor Nay Zin Latt said.

The April 1 by-election will be the first polls Ms. Suu Kyi has participated in.

She was under house arrest during Myanmar’s 1990 general election, which the NLD won by a landslide before they were blocked from assuming power by the former junta.

Myanmar held its next election two decades later on November 7, 2010, bringing to power the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party. That election was boycotted by the NLD.

Since coming to power, Myanmar’s new President Thein Sein has taken a conciliatory stance towards Suu Kyi, initiating a dialogue with the Nobel laureate in August last year, and paving the way for her NLD to re-enter Myanmar politics.

10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas off to a vibrant start in Jaipur

The 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave was kicked off here on Saturday with a colourful unveiling depicting the rich and vibrant Rajasthani culture, followed by half-a-dozen parallel brainstorming sessions convened on subjects such as water management, solar energy, health care, tourism and tapping youth potential.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will formally inaugurate the prestigious annual event with his address at the main venue, B.M. Birla Auditorium, on Sunday. The chief guest, Indian-origin Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad Bissessar, arrived here on Saturday.

The theme of this year's three-day convention is “Global Indian: Inclusive Growth”. Over 10 Union Ministers as well as Chief Ministers of six States are scheduled to address the delegates on different aspects of the country's development process.

Among those taking part in this flagship event will be about 1,500 NRIs and persons of Indian origin from 54 countries are taking part in the flagship event, leading businessmen, industrial magnates, government functionaries and young entrepreneurs.

Ms. Bissessar met acting Rajasthan Governor Shivraj Patil and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot here. Mr. Patil apprised her of the desert State's cultural heritage and the rapid strides being made in the modern scientific and industrial realms.

The Trinidad and Tobago premier asked Mr. Gehlot to consider teaming up for a proposed oil refinery here, while pointing out that oil and natural gas production comprised 40 per cent of the gross domestic product of her country. Ms. Bissessar said her country had 100 years of experience in this sector.

Mr. Gehlot later told reporters that the State government would not expect huge investments from the event's participants, but would like to enhance interaction with the diaspora and seek their suggestions for giving a suitable direction to development: “This [event] would enable NRIs from all walks of life to come and see what is happening in their country.”

The Prime Minister is scheduled to interact with the State Council of Ministers for an hour at Raj Bhavan here after inaugurating the conclave. Mr. Gehlot and his Cabinet colleagues are expected to apprise Dr. Singh of the State government's performance and difficulties over the past three years.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi inaugurated the Protector of Emigrants (POE) office at Sitapura on the outskirts of Jaipur. He said the ninth POE office established in the country would render assistance to the large number of people from the State who went abroad for jobs, particularly to the Middle East.. The new office would do away with the need for prospective emigrants to travel to Delhi for emigration clearance, while the registered recruiting agents could file their applications online.

Addressing the seminar on “Solar energy: Investment and R&D”, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said the sector could help preserve the global ecological balance. He emphasised the need for increased efficiency and better technology for harnessing the true potential of solar energy. The national diaspora could consider making investments for generating capacity and R&D, Mr. Abdullah said.

Speaking at the seminar on “Health and wellness: Partnering with the diaspora”, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the share of healthcare in GDP should be enhanced from the present 1 per cent to 2.5 per cent. The Centre was considering allowing medical practitioners having post-graduate degrees from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, to practise in India, Mr. Azad said.

President Pratibha Patil will address the closing ceremony of the conclave on Monday and give away awards to the NRIs and PIOs in recognition of their achievements in different fields.

The three-day event has been jointly organised by the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, Confederation of Indian Industry and the State government.

Infosys prize conferred on six researchers from 5 science streams

Prize carries cash component of Rs. 50 lakh, a gold medallion and a citation

Six researchers from five science streams were honoured with the Infosys Prize-2011 by the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, here on Monday.

Eminent personalities, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, attended the function.

The prize, into its third year, carries a cash component of Rs. 50 lakh, a gold medallion and a citation. The jury that selected the winners includes renowned academics, including Dr. Sen.

‘RESEARCH CULTURE’

“Research culture in academics and research institutions is the crying need. I feel the prize winners should be deployed in some of the universities in India,” Dr. Kalam said, after giving away the awards.

Outlining the challenges before the country, he said attention should be paid to provision of drinking water, agriculture, access to green energy, healthcare and balancing of greenhouse gases. The country could become a global leader in science only when the spirit of science was inculcated in classrooms, syllabus and teachers. Research in basic science, he said, was vital to facing global competition.

The prize winners are Kalyanmoy Deb, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (engineering and computer science); Imran Siddiqi, scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad (life sciences); Kannan Soundarajan, director, Mathematics Research Centre, Stanford University, U.S. (mathematical sciences); Sriram Ramaswamy, Professor, Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Indian Institute of Sciences–Bangalore (physical sciences); Raghuram G. Rajan, Charles M. Harper Faculty Fellow at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business (social sciences-economics); and Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president and chief executive of the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi (social sciences-political science and international relations).

Except Dr. Rajan, whose wife Radhika Puri received the award, all other winners were present. He could not attend the function because of his academic engagements.

T.V. Mohandas Pai, president of the Board of Trustees of Infosys Science Foundation, said a new award category in humanities would be introduced from 2012. It would cover philosophy, history, archaeology, linguistics and literary sciences.

Chairman Emeritus of Infosys Ltd. N.R. Narayana Murthy, Executive Co-Chairman Krish Gopalkrishnan, Co-Chairman K.V. Kamat and Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilakeni were present.

‘Herpes virus can reactivate even during antiviral therapy’

For the first time, scientists have found that genital herpes can reactivate even during high dose antiviral therapy, a discovery which they say underlines that new class of treatments are needed to combat this common infection that affects one in five people.

The study by a team from the University of Washington’s Virology Research Clinic in Seattle was based on three trials that involved 113 patients who received antiviral therapy to treat genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV—2).

The results, published in The Lancet, showed that the virus can reactivate in “breakthrough episodes” even when doses of antiviral therapy are high.

The patients in the trials were given either a standard dose or a high dose of available medications — aciclovir and valaciclovir — to treat their infection.

The results showed that short episodes of subclinical shedding (symptom free) persist with both standard-dose and high-dose aciclovir and valaciclovir.

Although HSV shedding was reduced by 50 per cent with the highest doses of valaciclovir compared with standard dose valaciclovir, the rate of breakthrough shedding episodes did not change — about 16-20 episodes per year.

The researchers, led by Dr Christine Johnston said: “Our finding that high-dose valaciclovir increases the kinetics of viral clearance, but not expansion, supports the hypothesis that these antiviral drugs do not suppress the release of virions into the genital tract.

“That we could not eliminate or even alter the frequency of shedding episodes with high-dose valaciclovir suggests that the maximum benefit of shedding reduction has probably been reached for currently available antiviral drugs.”

Symptoms of HSV-2 infection include ulcers in the skin or mucus membranes of the mouth, lips, or genitals. However, most people with this infection do not have obvious symptoms, but even so, can shed the virus and transmit it to sexual partners. Once someone is infected, HSV-2 is able to hide in the nervous system of the host, enabling it to reactivate periodically in those infected.

During re-activation, the scientists said, the virus in a nerve cell is transported along the nerve to the skin, where new replication and “shedding” occur and cause new sores.

Intensive genital secretion collection shows that HSV shedding episodes are three-times more frequent than was previously realised.

The authors concluded: “Although currently available anti-HSV therapy benefits patients by preventing clinical HSV recurrences, suppressive therapies with greater potency, including antiviral drugs or immunotherapy in the form of therapeutic vaccines, are needed to provide substantial public health benefits, such as prevention of HSV-2 transmission and HIV-1 acquisition and transmission.”

Experts also believe that development of new classes of antiviral drug such as helicase-primase inhibitors is important but such drugs would need good long-term coverage and adherence to successfully prevent shedding and onward transmission of HSV-2.

Jan/10/2011

2012-01-10T19:14:00.001+05:30

Ballmer delivers Microsoft’s last CES keynote speech

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer gave the software company’s final keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, showcasing his company’s Windows 8 operating system as well as new Windows phones and the latest innovations on the company’s Xbox 360 video console.

The Seattle software giant has been a stalwart of the largest U.S. tech show since 1995 and recently announced that this would be its last year as it focuses on launch events more closely attuned to its own new product cycle.

Mr. Ballmer used the address to show off new phones from Nokia that both companies hope will help them close the gap with iPhone maker Apple Inc. and other rivals like Samsung Electronics Co. whose phones run on Google’s Android operating system.

Mr. Ballmer also shared new information about the launch of Microsoft’s next operating system Windows 8, a dramatic revamp of the current PC software, which will be released in October. Windows 8 will be the first Microsoft operating system to run on ARM chip architecture, which powers most smartphones, as well as the traditional Intel-based x86 standard, which is optimised for laptops and desktops.

“With Windows 8, we’ve reimagined Windows all the way from the chip set to user experience,” said Mr. Ballmer, adding that it would deliver the “potential of the tablet and the power of the PC.” He also revealed that the Kinect motion-sensing interface for the Xbox 360 video console would be available for Windows 7 in February.

Huawei unveils world’s thinnest smartphone

Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei showed off what it said was the world’s thinnest smartphone on Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The sleek Ascend P1 is just 6.68 mm thick and boasts an 11 cm screen and a dual core 1.5GHz processor.

The handset runs on the latest version of Google’s Android operating system and according to Huawei chairman Richard Yu boasts battery life that’s 30 per cent superior than that of its competitors thanks to the company’s two decades of experience in developing mobile infrastructure.

The high-end phone, which will retail for some 400 dollars in the US, Asia and Europe starting in April, are also equipped with front and rear-facing cameras, and Dolby Mobile 3.0 Plus 5.1 surround sound.

“Now you can take your home theatre music system away with you — a really fantastic user experience,” Yu boasted. The phone also features a nifty bit of camera software that can automatically take five shots of a group of people and select the best image of each person to merge into one single image.

Alien Earths may have two Suns

Astronomers should start hunting for planets like the Tatooine in the science fiction series “Star Wars”, as Earth-like worlds could exist in the habitable zones around binary systems, scientists say.

In the “Star Wars” universe, Tatooine was a circumbinary planet that had two Suns. In September last year, NASA’s Kepler space telescope had discovered the first real-life circumbinary planet, Kepler-16b, a gas giant like Jupiter.

Now, astrophysicists from the University of Texas in the U.S. suggested that Earth-like worlds could exist in the habitable zones around binary systems that are neither too hot nor too cold to support liquid water on its surface, and thus life as we know it.

“This is an assessment of the possibilities,” said study co-author Zdzislaw Musielak. “We’re telling them where a planet has to be in the system to be habitable. We’re hoping they will look there,” he was quoted as saying by SPACE.com

The researchers used the Kepler-16 twin Sun system as a starting point. The habitable zone of this system is cantered mostly on the system’s primary star and extends in a region around it equal to 0.36 to 0.71 the distance of the Earth to the sun. This corresponds in our system to a distance from between Earth and Venus to about Mars, the researchers said.

“This work is informed by observations and it has the potential to trigger more observations,” said study co-author Manfred Cuntz.

One possibility the researchers explored involved an Earth-sized planet that directly orbits the binary system at distances outside its conventional habitable zone. This corresponds to a distance from the system’s primary star equal to twice the distance from Earth to the sun.

To host life in this extended region, such a planet would need high levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide or methane in its atmosphere to trap warmth.

“We determined that a habitable Earth-like exoplanet is possible in the extended habitable zone,” said lead author Billy Quarles. “There is less light from the star, so the planet itself has to maintain more heat.”

Another possibility involved an Earth-sized moon of a gas giant in the habitable zones of Kepler-16, the team told the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

“We determined that a habitable exomoon is possible in orbit around Kepler-16b,” Quarles said.

Other more exotic possibilities the researchers are considering include an Earth-sized planet around the twin stars that gets captured by a gas giant in the system to become a moon, as well as an Earth-sized world in a so-called Trojan orbit equidistant from the gas giant Kepler-16b and the binary system’s primary star.

Govt notifies 100 p.c. FDI in single brand retail

Notwithstanding its inability to open multi-brand retail for foreign investment, the government on Tuesday notified 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail, paving way for global chains like Adidas, Louis Vuitton and Gucci to have full ownership of their India operations.

“Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), up to 100 per cent , under the government approval route, would be permitted in single brand product retail trading,” a press note by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said.

However, in respect of proposals involving FDI beyond 51 per cent, the mandatory sourcing of at least 30 per cent would have to be done from the domestic small and cottage industries which have a maximum investment in plant and machinery of USD 1 million (about Rs. 5 crore).

“FDI in single brand has led to emergence of some global majors in Indian market...This will provide stimulus to domestic manufacturing value addition and help in technical upgradation of our small industry,” Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said.

The decision to increase FDI in single-brand retail was taken by the Cabinet on November 24 along with opening the gates for overseas investment in multi-brand retail.

However, the Government was forced to put on hold FDI in multi-brand retail by several political parties, including UPA ally Trinamool Congress.

At present, for single-brand retailers, 51 per cent FDI is permitted. Removal of investment cap would help global fashion brands especially from Italy and France to strengthen their interest in the growing Indian market.

Many big names have already set up their operations in the country by partnering with Indian partners. The new policy would allow them to buy out the domestic partners.

Malnutrition a national shame: Manmohan

Describing malnutrition in the country as a national shame, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the government could not rely solely on the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to deal with it.

"The problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame. Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high," Dr. Singh said after releasing a report on fighting hunger and malnutrition here.

Pointing out that India had not succeeded in reducing the levels of malnutrition fast enough, he said, "Though the ICDS continues to be our most important tool to fight malnutrition, we can no longer rely solely on it."

The report "Hungama’’ says that 42 per cent of children under five are underweight and 59 per cent were stunted. Of the stunted children, about half are severely stunted and about half of all children are underweight or stunted by the time they are 2 years old. However, it also suggests that the prevalence of child underweight had decreased from 53 per cent to 42 per cent in the past seven years indicating a 20.3 per cent decrease with an annual average decline of 2. 9 per cent.

"We need to focus on districts where malnutrition levels are high and where conditions causing malnutrition prevail," Dr. Singh said adding that the Centre had already initiated a multi-sectoral programme in the indentified 200 high burden districts.

He said that policy makers and programme implementers need to clearly understand many linkages -- between education and health, sanitation and hygiene, drinking water and nutrition – and then shape their responses accordingly.

"This 20 per cent decline in malnourishment in the last seven years is better than the rate of decline reported in National Family Health Survey-III," he said. "However, what concerns me is that 42 per cent of our children are still underweight. This is an unacceptably high occurrence," he said.

The report, on the survey conducted by Naandi Foundation, has been made at the insistence of the Citizens' Alliance against Malnutrition. Among those present at the function to release the report at the Prime Minister's residence included filmmaker-turned-MP Shyam Benegal, actor Rahul Bose, singer Penaz Masani, MPs Jay Panda, Jyoti Mirdha, Madhu Yaski Goud, Shahnawaz Hussain, and Union Minister Sachin Pilot.

Conducted by Naandi Foundation across 112 rural districts, the survey found "positive change for child nutrition in India is happening, including in the 100 Focussed Districts." The 100 Focus Districts are located across six states -- Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Noting that the prevalence of malnutrition is significantly higher among children from low-income families, the survey found that children from Muslim or SC/ST households generally have worse nutrition indicators.

Birth weight is an important risk-factor for child malnutrition, the report said. It added that the prevalence of underweight in children born with a weight below 2.5 kg is 50 per cent while that among children born with a weight above 2.5 kg is 34 per cent.

The survey found that awareness among mothers about nutrition is low. "92 per cent mothers had never heard the word malnutrition."

Highlighting the negligence towards girl children even in their early childhood, the report said the nutrition advantage girls have over boys in the first months of life seems to be reversed over time as they grow older.

According to the survey, mothers' education level also determines children's nutrition. "The prevalence of child underweight among mothers who cannot read is 45 per cent while that among mothers with 10 or more years of education is 27 per cent".

The survey found that giving colostrum to the newborn and exclusive breastfeeding for first 6 months of a child's life are not commonly practised. "51 per cent of the mothers did not give colostrum to the newborn soon after birth and 58 per cent mothers fed water to their infants before six months," the report said.

The survey also emphasised the need for providing better services through anganwadi centres.

While a total of 96 per cent of the villages have their own anganwadi centre, 61 per cent of these only operate in pucca buildings.

"The anganwadi services accessed by the largest proportion of mothers (86 per cent) is immunisation; 61 per cent of anganwadi centres had dried rations available and 50 per cent provided food on the day of survey; only 19 per cent of mothers reported that the anganwadi centre provides nutrition counselling to parents," it said.

The Shrinking Universe - The more the merrier?

Is our society ready for multiple partner relationships?

My last column on extra-marital affairs generated a fair bit of email. Not just from those who agreed with my position, but mainly from those who didn't. The general theme of what most of my interlocutors had to say centred around the belief that since multiple partner relationships are successful in many parts of the world, they should, therefore, be acceptable in our country as well. Although my research hasn't provided me any convincing data that such relationships actually work in the short or long-term, I thought it may be politic to examine some of the dynamics in some clearly delineable prototypes of multiple partner relationships.

Open relationships

The first of these are what are usually referred to as ‘open relationships', wherein both partners are free to get emotionally and sexually involved with other people without needing the partner's consent every time. In other words, consent is a given. There is also no restriction on the degree of emotional or sexual closeness you can experience with the ‘paramour'. It is quite conceivable that you may end up having a committed relationship with the ‘ paramour' if this is indeed what you want to do, but then, you will have an open relationship with the ‘paramour' too, thereby permitting you to still maintain a relationship with your original partner. In other words, the element of exclusivity gets taken out of your open relationship, although commitment is still inherent.

This is different from ‘swinging' and ‘spouse-swapping' in which the focus is more on sexual rather than emotional intimacy. You're still married to your spouse, but both of you, by mutual consent, engage, from time to time, in sexual romps with other swinging couples. The idea here seems to be to provide both partners some sexual variety, but in a reasonably controlled situation, so that some degree of exclusivity is retained, and when both partners tire of sexual frolic, they retire to lives of companionable monogamy.

And in recent times, there is the new phenomenon called polyamory or simply, poly, sometimes described as ‘responsible non-monogamy'. While the definition of polyamory is not always absolutely clear, and can include open relationships as well in its ambit, it is distinguished from swinging, because it's seen as encompassing sexual, emotional, romantic and spiritual dimensions. The basic understanding here is that anyone is capable of having simultaneous, multiple, deep, intimate relationships, and that the ‘ distracting' elements of marriage, like jealousy, exclusivity, power imbalances etc., are squarely removed from the equation, thereby creating opportunities to grow as human beings.

However, jealousy does appear every now and again, and the successful poly is one who has been able to conquer this emotion and replace it with what is referred to as compersion (the opposite of jealousy, where you experience genuine happiness that your partner finds fulfilment or joy from somebody or something other than yourself). Fidelity, loyalty, honesty, equality, respect and transparency are big virtues among polys, for, no relationship takes place in the absence of consent and consensus. If ever consent is withheld, the reasons have to be substantial.

Polyamorists may engage in long-term relationships in triads, quads or networks. They would still tend to have a ‘primary' relationship and one or several ‘secondary relationships'. They are a growing movement in the United States (apparently there're about half a million polyamorists there) and also participate in Pride parades to highlight the legitimacy of their cause. Polyfidelity is a more controlled method of engaging in multiple relationships. The partners that one can choose from are limited to members of a group, network or commune. And fidelity to this group is demanded at all costs. Otherwise, the dynamics are similar to polyamorous relationships.

And finally, there is the old faithful — polygamy, which, in our country, was not uncommon in the past, but confined, since we live in a patriarchal environment, primarily to the male of the species (polyandry, which refers to a woman having multiple husbands, is too rare to even mention). Polygamy refers to having multiple socially, even if not legally, sanctioned spouses. This means that the polygamist takes responsibility for all of his wives and whatever children may be born of these liaisons. However, in the last few decades, polygamy, whether on account of inflation, recession or just an increasing belief in monogamy, is certainly on the decrease, even in religious denominations or sub-cultures where it used to be acceptable.

Viable alternative?

Some research into multiple marriages is under way in the west, but it's too early to tell whether it is a viable and sustainable alternative to monogamy. However, the fundamental issue is whether such multiple partner relationships could actually be considered to fall under the rubric of ‘marriage', which, by and large, has been a monogamous institution. The general clamour of my email interlocutors has been to expand the institution of marriage to cover multiple partner relationships as well. But, my question is, why? If one is comfortable with monogamy, one gets married. If one is not, one can opt for one of the ‘poly' alternatives. And then one can really understand whether more is actually merrier or whether three is indeed a crowd.

Messi scoops FIFA Ballon d’Or award

Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi was on Monday named winner of the FIFA World Player for the third successive year, while the women’s award went to the captain of Japan’s World Cup-winning team Homare Sawa.

The 24-year-old, who made history by becoming the first Argentine player to win the award in 2009, beat off teammate Xavi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The award, announced at a glamorous gala in the Kongresshaus in Zurich, crowns a successful year for Messi, who won the Spanish League, the Champions League, the World Club Cup, as well as the Spanish and UEFA Super Cups with Barcelona.

The forward, who received the trophy from former winner Ronaldo, received 47.88 per cent of the vote, beating Ronaldo, who was second with 21.60 per cent. Xavi picked up 9.23 per cent of the vote.

“It is a huge pleasure. It is the third time and it is a huge honour and I would like to share this award with my teammates both in Barcelona and Argentina.

“I want to share this also with my teammate Xavi. It is the fourth time we are here together and it is an honour to play together on the pitch,” Messi said.

Sawa denied Brazilian Marta a sixth successive triumph. The 33-year-old, who received her award from popstar Shakira, is the first-ever Asian winner of a World Player award.

She beat Marta into second place by picking up 28.51 per cent of the votes, while the Brazilian received 17.28. The coaches awards went to Japan’s Norio Sasaki, who won the FIFA World Coach Women’s Football award, while Barcelona coach Pep Guardialo took the male award.

The awards are voted for by the coaches and captains of the world’s national teams, as well as international media. In his opening speech FIFA president Joseph Blatter acknowledged that it had been a difficult year for football. “With a family of 300 million, there are bound to be some devils amongst them.

“There are a lot of devils, some very big ones, but we are determined to steer the ship back into clear and clean waters,” he said.

.Sahitya Akademi Award

2012-01-10T18:49:00.000+05:30

1.Sahitya Akademi Award is an annual award, given by the Sahitya Akademi

(India's National Academy of Letters)

2. To writers in 24 Indian languages.

3. The award was instituted and first awarded in 1955.

4. It carries a monetary reward of 50,000 Rupees and a citation.

5. The list of Tamil language writers who have won the award is given below

1955 Tamil Inbam (Essays) R. P. Sethu Pillai

1956 Alai Osai (Novel) Kalki Krishnamurthy

1958 Chakravarti Tirumagan C. Rajagopalachari

1961 Agal Vilakku (Novel) Mu. Varadarajan

1962 Akkarai Cheemaiyil (Travelogue) Somu (Mi. Pa. Somasundaram)

1963 Vengaiyin Maindhan (Novel) Akilan (P.V. Akilandam)

1965 Sri Ramanujar (Biography) P. Sri Acharya

1966 Vallalar Kanda Orumaippadu (Biography) M. P. Sivagnanam (Ma. Po. Si.)

1967 Virar Ulagam (Literary criticism) K. V. Jagannathan

1968 Vellai Paravai (Poetry) A. Srinivasa Raghavan

1969 Pisirantaiyar (Play) Bharatidasan

1970 Anbalippu (Short stories) Ku. Alagirisami

1971 Samudaya Veedhi (Novel) Na. Parthasarathy

1972 Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (Novel) D. Jayakanthan

1973 Verukku Neer (Novel) Rajam Krishnan

1974 Thirukkural Needhi Illakkiyam K. D. Thirunavukkarasu

1975 Tharkkala Tamizh Illakkiyam R. Dhandayudham

1977 Kuruthip Punal (Novel) Indira Parthasarathy

1978 Pudukavithaiyin Thottramum Valarchiy Vallikannan

1979 Sakthi Vaithiyam (Short stories) Thi.Janakiraman

1980 Cheraman Kadali (Novel) Kannadasan

1981 Puthiya Urai Nadai (Criticism) M. Ramalingam

1982 Manikkodikalam (Literary history) B. S. Ramaiya

1983 Bharathi: Kalamum Karuthum T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan

1984 Oru Kaveriyai Pola (Novel) Lakshmi Thiripurasundari

1985 Kamban: Putiya Parvai A. S. Gnanasambandan

1986 Ilakkiyathukku oru Iyakkam Ka. Naa. Subramaniam

1987 Mudalil Iravu Varum (Short stories) "Aadhavan" Sundaram

1988 Vazhum Valluvam (Literary criticism) V. C. Kulandaiswamy

1989 Chintanadi (Autobiographical Essays) L. S. Ramamirtham (la. sa. ra)

1990 Veril Pazhutha Pala (Novel) Su. Samuthiram

1991 Gopallapurathu Makkal (Novel) Ki. Rajanarayanan

1992 Kutralakurinji (Historic Novel) Kovi. Manisekaran

1993 Kathukal (Novel) M. V. Venkatram

1994 Pudhiya Dharsanangal (Novel) Ponneelan

1995 Vanam Vasappadum (Novel) Prapanchan

1996 Appavin Snehidar (Short stories) Ashoka Mitran

1997 Chaivu Narkali (Novel) Thoppil Mohamed Meeran

1998 Visaranai Commission (Novel) Sa. Kandasamy

1999 Aalapanai (Poetry) S. Abdul Rahman

2000 Vimarsanangal Mathippuraikal Pettikal Thi. Ka. Sivasankaran

2001 Sutanthira Daagam (Novel) C. S. Chellappa

2002 Oru Giraamattu Nadi (Poems) R. Vairamuthu

2004 Vanakkam Valluva (Poetry) Tamilanban

2005 Kalmaram (Novel) G. Thilakavathi

2006 Akayathukku Aduthaveedu (Poetry) Mu. Metha

2007 Ilai Uthir Kaalam (Novel) Neela Padmanabhan

2008 Minsarapoo (Short story) Melanmai Ponnusamy

2009 Kaioppam (Poetry) Puviarasu

2010 Soodiya poo soodarka Nanjil Nadan[6]

2011 Kaval Kottam (Novel) S. Venkatesan

09/01/2012

2012-01-10T18:41:00.006+05:30

NRIs will get right to vote; pension fund for overseas workers

Manmohan wants them to contribute“much more” to building a modern India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday called upon the Indian communities living abroad to play a more active role and contribute “much more” to the building of a modern India and promised significant steps to facilitate, encourage and promote their engagement with the country of their origin.

Inaugurating the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, Dr. Singh also announced the right of franchise to the non-resident Indians who are registered under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. A new pension and life insurance fund for overseas Indian workers, to enable them to voluntarily save for their return and resettlement, has also been introduced.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is the chief guest at the three-day festival, which began on Saturday. About 1,900 NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (POIs) are taking part in the flagship event.

The formal inauguration of the annual event at B.M. Birla Auditorium here on Sunday, a day after brainstorming seminars were organised on a variety of subjects, was attended by a battery of distinguished persons, industrial magnates, young entrepreneurs and government functionaries.

Among others, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, acting Rajasthan Governor Shivraj Patil and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot attended the inaugural session. Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister C.P. Joshi and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor addressed the subsequent sessions.

Dr. Singh said that while the notifications had been issued to enable Indian residents abroad to participate in the country's election processes, a Bill had been introduced in Parliament to merge and streamline the PIO and Overseas Citizen of India schemes by amending the Citizenship Act. This would provide for an overseas Indian card that would be given to foreign spouses of the holders as well.

The new pension and life insurance scheme, fulfilling a long-pending demand, would enable the overseas Indians to save for their old age after returning to the country, said the Prime Minister. Listing the steps taken for safety and security of the Indians living abroad, particularly in the regions of instability, Dr. Singh said the government was “acutely conscious” of the security needs of over six million Indians staying in the Gulf and West Asia. “We have conveyed to [these] countries that we have a stake in the peace and stability of this region. We expect that they would appropriately look after the interest of Indian communities.”

China will ‘make efforts' to improve relations with India: top official

: A top Chinese diplomat said on Sunday that China would “make concerted efforts” to improve relations with India in 2012. The comments are seen as an attempt to draw a line over recent differences that had strained the ties between the neighbours.

“China hopes that the two sides will support each other and learn from each other, so as to push for better and faster development of the Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership,” said Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin.

The rare remarks by a Chinese official on relations with India were made in an interview with the state-run Xinhua news agency.

His comments came after a string of recent commentaries in more nationalistic party-run media outlets had taken a hard line on India, accusing New Delhi of being part of a U.S.-led “containment” strategy and looking to provoke China into disputes.

Only on Friday, the Communist Party-run Global Times blamed India's Ministry of External Affairs for being “full of narrow nationalism” for issuing an advisory and “hyping” up a trade dispute that saw two Indian traders being detained in the southern city of Yiwu.

Mr. Liu said both countries had maintained a “growing momentum” in developing the relationship, and had “established effective communication and coordination on significant international and regional issues.”

He said exchanges in 2011, which was marked as the “year of exchanges” between the neighbours, had helped “increase mutual understanding,” citing the visit of a 500-member Indian youth delegation to Beijing.

Two-way trade, he said, had reached US$ 67.28 billion in the first 11 months of last year, a 21.8 per cent year-on-year rise. The past year also saw the first meeting of the newly set up strategic and economic dialogue and the annual defence dialogue, which was held in New Delhi last month after an almost two-year hiatus.

Indian officials said on Saturday that a 15-member military delegation from India will leave for China on a four-day visit on Tuesday. India agreed to send a truncated delegation following Chinese objections to issue a visa to an Indian Air Force official from Arunachal Pradesh, who was slated to travel as part of a 30-member group.

Dec/30/2011

2012-01-05T20:16:00.002+05:30

Tamil Nadu faces cyclone threat

Even as the very severe cyclonic storm ‘Thane' is inching closer to the coast, the Tamil Nadu and AndhraPradesh administrations have been geared to meet any exigency.

Navy floats out first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier

The first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) of the Navy was floated out at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), at a low-key event attended by senior shipping and naval officers on Thursday.

Among those present were Union Shipping Secretary K. Mohandas; Rear Admiral K.N. Vaidyanathan, Director General, Naval Design; and Commodore K. Subramaniam, Chairman and Managing Director of CSL.

The floating ceremony was followed by a meeting to review the progress in the work being done on the aircraft carrier, a 40,000-tonne fleet air defence platform of the Navy, which will be named after the legendary INS Vikrant. The Union Shipping Secretary told The Hindu that the work on the carrier was progressing, albeit not as per schedule, as so many variables were being factored into the extremely complex construction process.

The official added that the commissioning of the carrier, the keel of which was laid in February 2009, was likely to overshoot its original timeline.

According to a senior naval functionary, the carrier was ‘technically floated out' as the shipyard needed the dry-dock for ‘some other commercial work.' “The carrier has taken on about 14,000 tonnes. She would now undergo interior outfitting, including the laying of pipes before being dry-docked again in the latter half of next year for integration of the propulsion gear-box, generators and the like,” he toldThe Hindu .

As earlier reported by The Hindu , a delay in the delivery of gear boxes and associated systems had considerably slowed down the construction of the prestigious carrier. Naval officers, however, put on a brave face saying that the phase in which teething trouble was encountered was over. “The gear box is ready and undergoing trials, at last. The underwater package is all lined up but the rest of the equipment has to be identified and tested,” said a naval source.

After facing initial hiccups due to paucity of supply of steel, the carrier project got the much-required thrust with the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) and the Steel Authority of India (SAIL) fashioning carrier-grade steel indigenously.

After the steel supply stabilised, problems pertaining to quality gearbox put the brakes on the project. Elecon Engineering Company Limited, a Gujarat-based firm which had earlier manufactured CODOG marine gear boxes for the Navy's Shivalik-class stealth frigates, found itself in the red attempting to make the carrier's huge main gearboxes. “They have been able to overcome the difficulties with support from a German firm,” said a Navy officer.

‘Weapon technology to undergo a sea change'

Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh has said the present decade was likely to see dramatic changes in weapon technology that might fundamentally alter the very nature of warfare.

Aerospace power had revolutionised all other forms of warfare and had itself undergone profound changes with ever accelerating advances in technology, said Gen. Singh in his address at the combined graduation parade of 175 flight cadets of all branches of Indian Air Force at the Air Force Academy near Dundigal here on Thursday.

The Army chief said the security environment in the region had necessitated induction of sophisticated and costly equipment into the armed forces. Though the need for such a step was long felt, it could not be fulfilled due to resource constraints.

“These constraints will continue and it will be your duty to handle the equipment provided to you with care and efficiency.”

As a growing regional power, India's strategic footprint would be influenced by its interests and responsibilities. The burgeoning economy made energy and trade security as important as the country's territorial security. The country needed a strategic reach in order to meet its security challenges and fulfil all other responsibilities, he added.

The parade was followed by the traditional fly past featuring feats by fighter aircraft of the IAF, including a newly acquired Hawk, AN-32, Dornier and Kiran.

The loop and tumble by multi-role aircraft Sukhoi Su-30, as it whizzed past at a speed of 200 kmph impressed the large crowd.

The AN-32 dropped Akashganga paratroopers from a height of 8,000 ft. The 28-member Air Warrior team displayed magical movement of rifles to the amusement of the crowd.

International classical guitar festival takes off in Kolkata

Bringing the who's who of the international classical guitar fraternity together under one roof, one of the biggest classical guitar festivals in Asia got off the ground here on Thursday.

The week-long Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival 2011 has lined up a series of 13 concerts in which 40 artistes from all over the world would participate at the ICCR auditorium, said Avik Saha of the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society, the organisers.

Global musical bigwigs like America's Adam del Monte, Bosnia's Denis Azabagic, AKGI duo of Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic and Spain's Eugenia Moliner are expected to enchant the audience with their electrifying performances in the second edition of the music carnival.

Winner at the 1997 Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition, del Monte is a dynamic force with both the flamenco and classical guitar.

Having performed the world over, his first flamenco concert in the city will be on Friday night.

The festival will also witness the world premiere of renowned musicians Bickram Ghosh and Papon collaborating with Scottish singer Rachel Sermanni for ‘Troikala' project. Planned as an album and a series of concerts in India and Britain, the project will explore musical synergy in folk music across borders.

Young British Sarod maestro Soumik Datta will present his new musical journey, ‘Sounds of Bengal', with tabla player Arif Khan on Sunday evening.

Besides all this, Grammy winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, jazz fusion musician Amit Heri, one of India's most sought after guitarists Amyt Datta and Hindustani classical musician Kala Ramnath will mesmerise music aficionados in the series of soirees.

To hone the talent of young and budding musicians, 33 classes and seminars on the nuances of Western classical guitar will be held where techniques, styles and the history of the stringed musical instrument will be taught. “We want youngsters to get the opportunity to witness the veterans and perform in front of them so that they are encouraged to take up music as a vocation,” Saha told PTI.

“We are dedicated to promoting the interests and aspirations of classical guitar professionals, students, teachers and guitar lovers of India,” he said. - PTI

Musical bigwigs like USA's Adam del Monte, Bosnia's Denis Azabagic and Spain's Eugenia Moliner are expected to perform

Notices for 187 amendments in Rajya Sabha

Notice had been given for as many as 187 amendments to the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 including from the Trinamool Congress for deletion of the entire Part III of the Bill regarding establishment of the Lokayuktas. The Biju Janata Dal and the Shiromani Akali Dal too had given similar notices.

By afternoon, the Rajya Sabha had received 173 amendment notices. The number swelled to 187 by evening as announced by the Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy.

Normally notices are taken 24 hours in advance but on Thursday, notices were accepted till late evening, while the government took the stand in the House that there were too many amendments which “needed consideration.”

Among major amendments were the ones given by the Bharatiya Janata Party for deletion of words “not less than” 50 per cent of members of Lokpal belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Women in Clause 3.

They also asked for deletion of the word ‘Minorities' in Clause 3 and inclusion of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on Selection Committee in Clause 4. They also wanted Lokpal to appoint his secretary and not select from a panel given by the government

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) gave amendment for replacement of eminent jurist on the Selection Committee with “an eminent person to be nominated by the Chief Election Commissioner, Comptroller and Auditor General and Union Public Service Commission. They also wanted the Inquiry Wing under the Lokpal to be replaced by “Investigation Wing” with the Central government providing officers and staff under exclusive jurisdiction of the Lokpal as decided in consultation with the Lokpal.

The Party gave another amendment for inclusion under the Lokpal of “any corporate body, its promoters, its officers including Director against whom there is a complaint of corruption in relation to grant of government licence, lease, contract, agreement or any other action to influence government policy through corrupt means.”

They wanted Lokpal to take suo motu action in a compliant of corruption.

The Communist Party of India gave amendments against for deletion of immunity to Prime Minister in cases of corruption in relation to “public order.” Under the Chapter ‘Jurisdiction for Inquiry,' they gave amendment for inclusion of Director, Manager, secretary or other officer of “Non-Government Organisation” receiving government funds or foreign funds in excess of Rs 10 lakh.

The party also sought inclusion of Chairman, MD or member of Board of Directors of “any private company or business house” which deals with Centre of State and against whom compliant regarding a government tender or contract.

SP amendment

The Samajwadi Party gave amendment for inclusion of Leader of Opposition in the Selection Committee, inclusion of NGOs and media in the jurisdiction of Lokpal, submission of investigation report to “appropriate court,” not Lokpal, and appointment of chairperson and members of Lokayukta should include an eminent jurist not nominated by Governor but by the “collegium of three senior-most judges of the High Court.”

Dec/31/2011

2012-01-05T20:07:00.000+05:30

Punjabi films' award function to be held in Toronto\

The first-ever Punjabi International Film Academy Awards (PIFAA) function would be hosted in Toronto on August 4, 2012, and noted actor of yesteryear Dharmendra would be the brand ambassador-promoter of the event, president of the Canada-based media group Rajinder Saini announced here on Friday.

The event was aimed at taking Punjabi films to a higher plank and getting international recognition for Punjabi artistes, said Mr. Saini.

The popularity of Punjabi films has been increasing outside India due to the rapidly growing Punjabi Diaspora as well as the improvement in the quality of the films in recent years.

Despite a long history of Punjabi films and dominance by Punjabis in Bollywood, there was no major awards function dedicated to acknowledge their excellence. The Parvasi Media Group decided to initiate the PIFAA after consultations with Punjabi film personalities and “their enthusiastic response.”

The awards would be divided into 15 categories. Punjabi films from Pakistan would also be included in a special category and some leading Pakistani film personalities have been invited for the event.

The media group has been organising Parvasi Awards for the last five years to honour outstanding achievements of Punjabi Canadians in various fields.

Anti-dam protesters in Assam suspend stir

Five organisations, including the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) led by Right to Information (RTI) activist Akhil Gogoi, and the Asom Jatiyabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), which have been demanding a halt to the ongoing construction of the 2000 mega watt lower Subonsiri hydro-electric project of the NHPC at Gerukamukh in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday announced a two-day suspension of the blockade of national highway 52 used for transporting equipment and construction materials to the project site.

The organisations, however, said if the Assam government failed to initiate discussion within the next two days the blockade would automatically resume on January 2. The suspension came after a war of words between the organisations and the State government, and the government alleging that Maoists were behind the protests. Mr. Gogoi while denying the allegation, dubbed it a conspiracy to malign the anti-mega dam agitation.

Meanwhile, 26 organsations, including the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), have launched a three-day blockade, demanding halt to the construction of the dam.

Mr. Akhil Gogoi expressed solidarity with the blockade. The AASU and other student youth bodies also took out a procession and submitted a memorandum to the State government through the Deputy Commisisoner of Lakhimpur district. In the city, leaders and workers of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) blocked the busy Guwahati-Shillong road at Ganeshguri demanding arrest of Mr. Akhil Gogoi. They accused him of being a “Maoist.” The police later took them into custody.

Earlier, a crackdown by the Assam police and paramilitary forces during the early hours of Monday to evict agitators from the highway triggered violent protests. Five organisations called for a 48-hour bandh in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts in protest.

However, defending the police action, the government said the organisations had taken the law into their hands. It maintained that it was open to dialogue.

China, India partners: Niu Qingbao

Media reports of unverified Chinese incursions in the border, hackings of Indian computers and dumping of goods are nothing but fallacy, China's Consul General in Mumbai Niu Qingbao said here on Friday.

“China and India are partners in establishing a new world political and economic order… With the emergence of India and China, the standing of the Third World is getting stronger by the year.”

Addressing a meeting organised by Indo-China Friendship Association (ICFA), Tamil Nadu Committee, the Chinese envoy said, “There has been sayings of a Century of Asia. But there can be no Century of Asia for a risen China or a risen India only. It will come only when both China and India are risen and united.”

“Seeds of confusion”

China and India are the two largest and fastest growing economies and were the main engines for global economic recovery. As such, the two countries had been coordinating and cooperating to safeguard the interests of developing countries in crucial issues such as climate change, he said.

Stating that misunderstandings had existed between the two Asian giants, he blamed the “European colonists” for sowing the seeds of confusion. Both countries had suffered in the hands of colonialist powers.

Strongly disputing reports of Chinese aggression, he said that the border was not demarcated and both sides have different understandings of the position of Line of Actual Control and as such it was unavoidable for patrols to cross areas claimed by the other side.

He also recalled statements by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament that he did not believe China was going to invade India.

As regards reports of computer hacking, he said that China itself was the largest victim of such crimes. Further, he pointed out that India's IT industry was more advanced as it was the world's back office and had the best IT engineers.

Trade surplus

China's trade surplus with India was due to its comparative advantage in manufacturing high quality Chinese goods which were also affordable and brought profits to Indian traders and benefits to consumers.

He recalled that China's Premier Wen Jiabo had stated that friendliness accounted for 99.99 per cent of the 2,200 year old Sino-Indian exchanges with misunderstandings merely 0.01 per cent.

Mr. Niu Qingbao said that bilateral trade totalled US $ 61.7 billion last year, a growth of 21 times since 2000 with China being India's largest trading partner and India being China's largest trade partner in South Asia and the two-way trade and investment had seen rapid growth.

F.H. Fernandes, vice-president, ICFA National Committee, recalled that India under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the first country to accord diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China in 1949.

4,700 MW of additional power for State by next December'

Tamil Nadu will get 4,700 MW of additional electricity by December 2012 from new projects to be commissioned next year, said N.Balakrishnan, Chief Engineer, TANGEDCO, Tiruchi region, here on Saturday. With this additional power, shortage and load-shedding prevailing in the State, would be completely tackled. "But people have to wait till December, 2012, and till then they should adhere to energy efficient methods.”

At the national energy conservation day organised by the State Electrical Inspectorate Department, he said there are 2.38 crore power consumers in the state and TANGEDCO has plans to commission 10 additional sub-stations in Tiruchi region to prevent transmission losses. About 10,000 college students have been sensitised to energy saving methods in the last one year.

C.Mani, General Manager, Power Plant, Piping Unit, BHEL, said changes in lighting methods such as using mercury lamps in industries could save energy. Sodium vapour lamps and induction lamps can help in saving energy.

BHEL has installed sensor-based lighting on a trial basis in the administrative office for the plant being constructed at Thirumayam.

"Sensor-based lighting will provide light only when the person is inside the room,” he said. T.Elambooranan, Electrical Inspector, Electrical Inspectorate Department, Tiruchi region, R.Loganathan, professor, SASTRA University, and Electrical Engineers R.Karuppusamy, R.Lakshmiprabha and D.Muthukumaran participated.

Dec/31/2011

2012-01-05T20:02:00.001+05:30

‘Thane' claims 33 lives in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

‘Thane,' the very severe cyclonic storm that crossed Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Friday morning, claimed 33 lives, and left behind a trail of destruction and human suffering.

Throwing life off course, the storm, which passed the coast north of Cuddalore at 6.30 a.m. at a speed of more than 125 km an hour, uprooted trees and electric posts, disrupted power supply and transport services and damaged homes and standing crops.

Twenty-six people were killed in Tamil Nadu and seven in Puducherry. Besides, hundreds were rendered homeless and forced into relief camps set up by the governments.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa released Rs. 150 crore towards immediate relief works.

While 21 persons died in Cuddalore district, two persons lost their lives in the neighbouring Villupuram district. One person each in Tiruvallur and Chennai were among the dead as strong wind and heavy rain lashed the coastal areas.

Ms. Jayalalithaa announced a solatium of Rs. 2 lakh each to the families of the victims. Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said he had briefed Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on the situation.

Around 6,000 persons in Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts and Chennai and low-level areas were shifted to shelters.

Fifteen fishermen who put out to sea in Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts were reported missing. Samba cropped grown on 1,700 hectares in Thanjavur district and 2,000 hectares in Tiruvarur district suffered damage.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who reviewed the situation with the Chief Secretary and other officials, sent five Ministers to five districts to oversee the relief works.

Secretaries of various departments and Collectors of the districts that bore the brunt of ‘Thane' have been asked to send a report to the government after assessing the damage.

Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force based in Arakkonam were sent to Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Chennai and Tiruvallur. As a precautionary measure, electricity supply had been cut in Cuddalore, Villupuram and Nagapattinam districts since Thursday evening.

The Chief Minister said she had asked officials to clear the uprooted trees to ensure smooth flow of traffic and resume power supply by Friday evening.

Unprecedented damage

In Puducherry, the Chief Minister convened a meeting of his Cabinet colleagues and senior officials to assess the situation.

“Probably by this evening or by Saturday morning, we will be sending an interim report,” he told The Hindu. Though the damage could not be assessed now, he said, “it is unprecedented and heavy.”

“Initial reports suggest that the wind speed was around 130 to 140 km after 3 a.m. We haven't heard of such a calamity in the history of Puducherry,” he said.

Trains cancelled

Southern Railway cancelled six trains and partially cancelled three services. The arrival and departure of four international flights and more than 25 domestic flights were rescheduled.

Rail projects to be speeded up

Several of the railway projects in Karnataka, including the doubling of the Bangalore-Mysore line, which have been languishing for over a decade owing to land acquisition related issues, are expected to be speeded up with the State Government assuring the Railways that the required land will be handed over in about a month.

Sources in the State Secretariat told The Hinduthat with the Government here keen on fulfilling its commitment, the Railways had been asked to prepare a timeline for the completion of the projects.

Karnataka has been sharing the cost with the Ministry of Railways with respect to 12 projects, several of which are for laying new lines and the others related doubling the existing tracks.

Delay

So far, the State Government has spent over Rs. 1,000 crore, with little benefit to the people though, owing to the delay in the completion of the projects.

The project cost is being shared on 50:50 basis between the State and the Railway Ministry.

The State Government has decided to speed up the completion of the projects and is of the view that providing the required land is the only way to speed up their execution.

The Railways had sought 2,493 acres, and of this the State Government has so far handed over 2,293 acres, and the remaining land would be made over in a month. Strict instructions had been issued to deputy commissioners of the districts concerned to complete the formalities quickly.

The 12 major projects which have been delayed are the Hassan–Bangalore (new line); Kadur–Chikmagalur (new line); Bidar–Gulbarga (new line); Munirabad–Mahbubnagar (new line); Kolar–Chickballapur (gauge conversion); Ramanagaram–Mysore (doubling); Tumkur–Rayadurga (new line); Kottur–Harihar (new line); Whitefield–Kolar (new line); Davangere–Tumkur (new line); Bagalkot–Kudachi (new line), and the Shimoga–Harihar (new line) .

Towards these projects, the Railways had sought land for the Ramanagaram–Mysore and Bangalore–Hassan lines (5.51 hectares in Bangalore, 68.50 hectares in Ramanagaram district, 83.94 hectares in Mandya district, 3.59 hectares in Mysore district, and 10.65 hectares in Hassan district ); Kolar–Chickballapur (8.7 hectares in Kolar and 2.98 hectares in Chickballapur); Raichur–Gadwal (0.4 hectares in Raichur), and Gulbarga and Bidar (forest lands).

For the completion of the Bangalore–Mysore doubling work, the Government had provided most of the land and has to now provide only 29 acres in Mandya district and 6 acres in Ramanagaram district.

The State Government has constituted a high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath, to monitor the completion of the rail projects.

Secretary, Infrastructure Development, Rajkumar Khatri is in overall charge of coordinating with the various departments of the Government and the Railways.

Showdown between PSC and Cabinet averted

A showdown between the State Cabinet and the Public Service Commission (PSC) was averted on Friday with the commission accepting the former's recommendation for extension of rank lists.

The Cabinet had met specially to consider the reply of the commission to its recommendation which had been sought by 4 p.m. on Friday.

The Advocate General, Law Secretary, and other officials were called in to the Cabinet meeting with the objective of considering an Ordinance to take away the powers of the commission for extension of the rank lists and empower the government to do so.

Reply delayed

However, as the reply from the commission was delayed, the Cabinet meeting was adjourned to 6 p.m. By the time it met again, the PSC had communicated its decision to accept the recommendations.

The Cabinet had recommended extension of the rank lists expiring on December 31 to April 2012 twice before, but the PSC had declined to accept the recommendation.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet reiterated the recommendation with some modifications. It was proposed that the rank lists need be extended only till a new live list becomes available or till April 30, whichever falls earlier. Rank lists which were live for four-and-a-half years need not be extended. Expressing his happiness over the PSC accepting this recommendation, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the media after the Cabinet meeting that the Cabinet had, however, decided to bring three issues to the notice of the PSC.

The government had reported 41,260 vacancies between April 1 and November 31 this year to the PSC. However, the PSC had advised candidates for only 19,109 posts so far. Appointments to the remaining 22,000 posts should be expedited.

If live rank lists did not exist for those posts, the PSC should take urgent steps to prepare rank lists and advise candidates for the posts.

The Chief Minister noted that about 500 live ranks lists would now be expiring on April 30 following the extension. As the government was not interested in backdoor appointments, it would be reporting all vacancies to the PSC. The PSC should complete procedures and prepare the rank lists to replace all the expiring lists. Mr. Chandy noted that the appointment of differently abled people to the government service had been entrusted to the PSC by the previous government.

Earlier, appointments to posts reserved for them were being made by a committee headed by the Collector. There were 1,154 reserved posts in the government service and vacancies from 2005 remained to be filled.

The government had so far reported 470 posts to the PSC. The PSC should expedite the matter and advise the candidates after completing the procedures.

‘Fleedom' at midnight: Jaitley

Accusing the UPA government of “running away” from voting on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP on Friday demanded its resignation, and elections.

At a news conference here, Leaders of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, however, ducked questions whether the party would move a no-confidence motion against the government.

“We would finalise our strategy before the budget session of Parliament scheduled for the last week of February,” they said.

The crux of their argument is that the Congress floor managers orchestrated “disturbance” to bail out the government, which faced the embarrassment of the Trinamool Congress voting against the Bill.

Ms. Swaraj alleged that the entire drama had the blessings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Both of them, present in the House, neither spoke nor intervened to bring order, she said.

“At the stroke of midnight, when the world slept, India awoke to a great fraud being played on its parliamentary democracy. It was fleedom at midnight,” Mr. Jaitley quipped.

The two leaders asked how the government could blame the Opposition for the failure to pass the Bill when most of the Opposition parties were consistent in their stand in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha.

Security agencies plan complete tab on mobile, Internet communication

The next five years could change the way how security agencies keep a tab on your phone calls and flow of content on the Internet as the government has proposed a Rs.900-crore corpus for setting up a ‘Centre for Communication Security Research and Monitoring' to give law enforcement agencies a free hand to intercept calls and monitor the worldwide web.

While Rs.800 crore would be invested in setting up a “Centralised Monitoring System” for interception of all types of communications through phones as well as Internet, a ‘Telecom Testing and Security Certification Centre' worth Rs.100 crore would come up for testing of all kinds of equipment, says a Department of Telecommunications report. It has been prepared by the working group on the telecom sector for the 12{+t}{+h}Five-Year Plan (2012-17).

“For the assistance of the law enforcement [agencies], in the 11th Five-Year Plan, a Centralised Monitoring System (CMS) was envisioned. A proposal for the setting up of a Centre for Communication Security Research and Monitoring has already been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security with a government funding of Rs.450 crore…a good amount of research work on CMS has already been done and rollout has begun during 2011-12,” the report says.

Explaining how the system would be upgraded and strengthened in the next five years, the report points out that a facility for centralised monitoring will be created throughout the country across different telecom and broadband technologies and services at a cost of Rs.350 crore. The system would be further upscaled to take care of an expanded network by creating more facilities at an estimated cost of Rs.150 crore. A sum of Rs.300 crore would be kept aside for operation and maintenance of the mammoth infrastructure.

At present, the entire monitoring of phone calls and Internet content is done, after manually taking authorisation at multiple places on the premises of the telecom service providers (those giving phone and Internet services).

But this system is “time consuming and fraught with dangers of loss of secrecy” and “there is hardly any analytical capability in the system” to assist law enforcement agencies, says the report.

Anti-social activities

While building the case for the new monitoring paraphernalia, the report says: “Exponential growth and quick technological development in the telecom sector further compound the security challenges, because the expanding reach of the sophisticated telecom networks has also led to the communications systems being used by however a small number, individuals, clans and groups, from within the country and outside, for anti-social and criminal activities.”

The report notes: “The anti-social and anti-national elements can use the communication facilities either to communicate their plans, coordinate and execute the crime or they can attack the network, steal the confidential and private information contained in the network devices or flowing through the Internet. These two types of threats require distinct and different handling of the issues.”

‘Pakistan gets due share of Indus water'

“Pakistan is getting its due share of river water under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960,” Pakistan's Water and Power Minister Syed Naveed Qamar said on Friday.

In a written reply submitted in the National Assembly, he said the treaty allocated waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — to India and those of the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan, except for certain specified uses.

In the past, Islamabad had said its share was being diverted by dams in Jammu and Kashmir, though New Delhi has denied the charge.

Army Chief's plea on age rejected

The Defence Ministry has rejected Army Chief General V.K. Singh's statutory complaint to consider May 10, 1951 as his date of birth and conveyed to him that he will have to retire on May 31 next year. Gen. Singh had filed the statutory complaint with Defence Minister A.K. Antony, the first Chief of the 1.2 million-strong Army to do so, after the government on July 21 issued an order saying it would consider May 10, 1950 as his date of birth, which would have denied him another 10 months in office.

‘Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg regions seriously impacted by mining, power projects'

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) has called for a “careful cumulative impact analysis of various development activities” in the plains and coastal regions of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra. It has observed that the “entire region has been seriously impacted, both environmentally and socially, by a number of mining, power projects, and polluting industries.”

The Madhav Gadgil-led panel has accused the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of “suppressing” the Zoning Atlases for Siting of Industries (ZASI), “apparently under unfair pressure.”

Incidentally, the Ministry had asked the panel to suggest an appropriate course of further development of mining, power production and polluting industries in the two districts.

For the Western Ghats regions of the districts, the panel prescribed “an indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2 and phasing out of mining from ESZ 1 by 2016.”

It recommended the “continuation of existing mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 under strict regulation with an effective system of social audit” and said no “new red and orange category industries, including coal based power plants, should be permitted to be established in the two ESZs.”

The “current moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining, red and orange category polluting industries and power plants in the plains and coastal tracts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts should be extended till satisfactory completion of such an analysis of the carrying capacity of these districts. The moratorium may then be reviewed in light of the findings of the study.”

The environmental degradation in the region had led to the “depletion and pollution of groundwater, siltation of water bodies, increased flood frequencies and loss of fertile agricultural land.” It has also resulted in the “depletion of fisheries, deforestation, loss of unique biodiversity elements, such as herbaceous plants of lateritic plateaus, air pollution, noise pollution, traffic congestion and accidents and increase in respiratory ailments,” says the report.

It termed the problems faced by the region as “not just legal, but substantial levels of illegal activities,”

The panel said, “pollution from many industries is also well above the legally permissible limits. Consequently, there is much social discord, especially because people firmly believe that the law and order machinery is being misused to protect illegal activities.”

The panel directed the MoEF to “ask the State Forest Departments to proactively assist the Tribal Welfare Departments in implementing the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act. The implementation of the Community Forest Resources provisions of this Act will greatly help create broad-based stakes for people in safeguarding the environment of the region.”

Release zoning report

The ZASI had “generated a spatial database for all the districts of the country, mapping the existing pollution levels and environmentally and socially sensitive areas, delineating zones where it would be undesirable to add further pollution loads, and suggesting locations where industries with different levels of potential air and water pollution impacts may be set up without undue environmental risks.”

However, the database “has not been released at all, and a copy was obtained by the WGEEP only after much effort. The MoEF must obviously expeditiously put all these documents in the public domain,” the panel said.

It observed that the Environment Impact Assessments conducted in the region “were particularly weak in the sections on biodiversity and socio-economic issues.”

The “process leaves out of consideration many pertinent issues. The inputs made available during the public hearings are often simply ignored, leading to high levels of social frustration and discord. In the absence of any transparent, participatory monitoring process, the conditions imposed while according environmental clearance are routinely violated.” It said, “No step has been taken to implement the Biological Diversity Act in Maharashtra, and the implementation has been unsatisfactory and restricted to the State level committee in Goa. The Biodiversity Management Committes must be immediately activated at all levels, before taking any further decisions.”

The Hindu--2011

2011-12-30T11:45:00.001+05:30

The Hindu : News / International : 2011: The World in Pictures

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SLIDESHOW

2011: The World in Pictures

Dec 26, 2011

2011 was clearly a year of protests, disasters and fall of tyrants. Here is a look at the key events that shaped the destiny of millions. Photos: AP, Compiled by Soyesh. H. Rawther

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The Hindu --2011

2011-12-30T11:18:00.001+05:30

International National States The India Cables The Pakistan Cables

SLIDESHOW

2011: The World in Pictures

Dec 26, 2011

2011 was clearly a year of protests, disasters and fall of tyrants. Here is a look at the key events that shaped the destiny of millions. Photos: AP, Compiled by Soyesh. H. Rawther

Latest slideshows in this section

Latest in this section

2011: Those who bid adieu--2

2011-12-29T18:39:00.001+05:30

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (December 16): Author, essayist and polemicist, he had a remarkable journalistic career and wrote the provocative best-seller “God is Not Great”.

SOCRATES (December 4): Brazilian football legend, he was an elegant player on the field, led the legendary 1982 team at the World Cup and was also actively involved in his country’s politics.

MARIO MIRANDA (December 11): Renowned cartoonist, he drew his characters and themes mostly from his Goan background, his sketches populated with many human absurdities and humorous contradictions

DEV ANAND (December 4): The ‘Evergreen’ star romanced Hindi films for decades, first as actor and later director, and was one of Bollywood's greatest romantic heroes.

USTAD SULTAN KHAN (November 27): Sarangi maestro and Hindustani singer, he staged his first concert at the age of 11 and his soulful music played on for over six decades enthralling music lovers the world over

HAR GOBIND KHORANA (November 9): Indian-American biochemist, he won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1968 for unravelling the nucleotide sequence of RNA and deciphering the genetic code.

BHUPEN HAZARIKA (November 5): A music legend who introduced to the rest of India and the world the mystical folk music and culture of Assam, he donned many hats as singer, composer, lyricist, litterateur, journalist and filmmaker.

GEORGE VARGHESE KAKKANADAN (October 19): One of Kerala’s greatest storytellers, Kakkanadan pioneered modernism in Malayalam novels and short stories

SRI SATHYA SAI BABA (April 24): Iconic spiritual leader, his divine powers, philosophy and teaching earned him millions of followers from around the world across social and religious lines. A philanthropist, he also helped build a number of charitable, educational and health institutions.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR (March 23): Legendary Hollywood actor and style-icon, Liz Taylor ruled the screen for five decades, winning two Academy awards. She also stayed in the limelight offscreen with her turbulent relationships that included eight marriages

ARJUN SINGH (March 4): Veteran Congress leader, he was twice union minister and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh three times. Photo: San

ANANT PAI (February 24): Founder of the immensely popular comic series Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, 'Uncle Pai' enchanted generations of Indian children, bringing them closer to their roots and introducing a number of lovable characters. Photo: Special Arrangemen

BHIMSEN JOSHI (January 24): The legendary Hindustani vocalist strode the Indian musical scene as a colossus for decades with his unparalleled rendition of the Kirana gharana.

INDIRA GOSWAMI (November 29): One of India’s eminent contemporary writers and Assam’s beloved 'Mamoni Raisom', she was vociferous in her demands for the empowerment of women and the downtrodden. The Jnanpith Award winner also played a key role in the peace talks between the ULFA and the Centre

2011: Those who bid adieu

2011-12-29T18:15:00.002+05:30

The year witnessed the demise of many legends, who left indelible marks in their fields of expertise. A photo tribute compiled by Sharika C.

MANSOOR ALI KHAN PATAUDI (September 22): One of India’s finest cricket captains, the legendary ‘Tiger’ was an outstanding individual both on and off the field.

WANGARI MAATHAI (September 26): Kenya’s “tree lady”, she became the first African woman and first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Through the Green Belt Movement she founded, Maathai also addressed issues of peace, democracy, women's empowerment and human rights, besides environmental conservation.

JEHANGIR SABAVALA (September 2): Renowned artist influenced by the styles of cubism and impressionism, he created beautiful landscapes and seascapes in a career spanning over six decades

SHAMMI KAPOOR (August 14): India’s very own Elvis Presley, the legendary Shammi Kapoor was not just Hindi cinema’s romantic and style icon, but also the embodiment of the spirit of the swinging 60s

AMY WINEHOUSE (July 23): The celebrated British singer, whose blend of jazz, soul, rock and classic pop made her a huge hit, was found dead in her London home. The 27-year-old star led a troubled life plagued by several drug and alcohol problems

KARTHIGESU SIVATHAMBY (July 8): Eminent Tamil scholar, he specialised in the social and literary history of Tamils, Tamil drama and literary criticism, and authored about 70 books and 200 research papers in Tamil and English. He also played a key role in the World Classical Tamil Conference held in Coimbatore in 2010

MANI KAUL (July 6): An eminent filmmaker, his films were a clear break from Indian cinematic conventions. His first film ‘Uski Roti’ heralded the New Wave in Indian cinema

SURESH TENDULKAR (June 21): An eminent economist, he did extensive research on poverty and played a key role in deriving what has come to be known as the Tendulkar poverty line

MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN (June 9): The iconic painter who carved a niche for Indian art on the international arena, was forced to leave India in 2006 and had accepted Qatari nationality last year. An artist non pareil, his prolific output, free soaring spirit and flamboyant life made him larger than life.

BADAL SIRCAR (May 13): Doyen of Indian theatre, he is known for his anti-establishment and Marxist plays which he staged mostly in public spaces and street corners

T.K. GOVINDA RAO (September 28): Respected musician, he made lasting contributions to the field of music as a performing artist, teacher, musicologist and author.

STEVE JOBS (October 6): Co-founder of Apple, this digital visionary gave the world the personal computer Macintosh, the iPod, and iPad, revolutionising the way we communicate today. A true iCon of our times, he was also the man behind animation company Pixar that produced the popular movies 'Finding Nemo' and 'Toy Story'

JAGJIT SINGH (October 10): Ghazal maestro, his soulful voice captivated an entire generation of music lovers, also endearing him to the middle class Indian.

DENNIS RITCHIE (October 12): A pioneer in the field of computer programming, he invented the C programming language and co-created the Unix operating system, playing a pivotal role in developing the infrastructure for technologies we use even today.

MARCO SIMONCELLI (October 23) & DAN WHELDON (October 16): Two tragic crashes during racing events within a span of a week claimed the lives of Italian rider Marco Simoncelli at the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang and Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Dec/29/2011

2011-12-29T12:54:00.001+05:30

Siberian court throws out case against Gita commentary

iberian court has thrown out a petition that sought to ban a translation of the Bhagavad Gita as “extremist” literature.

Judge Galina Butenko of the Leninsky District Court in Tomsk ruled on Wednesday that there were no grounds for recognising Bhagavad Gita As It Isas extremist because the book was “one of the interpretations of the sacred Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita.”

The defence side said it was fully satisfied with the court verdict.

“This court decision shows that Russia is indeed becoming a democratic society,” said lawyer Alexander Shakhov, who represented at the trial the local branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

India's Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, who had fiercely opposed the trial, welcomed the court ruling.

“The verdict of the Honourable Judge in Tomsk in dismissing the case pertaining to the Bhagavad Gita deserves to be applauded,” said the envoy. “It is very nice to see that this issue has been conclusively resolved and is now behind us.”

State prosecutors had filed the petition against Bhagavad Gita As It Is, claiming it sowed “social hatred” and called for “violence against non-believers.” The case was built on expert testimony from local professors of philosophy and philology, who said the book expresses religious hatred and discriminates on the basis of gender, race, nationality and language. Prosecutors offered no comment as they left the court after the verdict.

“We are happy that the court showed reason and competence in passing the correct verdict,” said Sergei Zuyev, vice-president of ISKCON in Russia. “It is not right for secular courts to try religions.” On the eve of Wednesday's hearing, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had summoned the Russian Ambassador in New Delhi, Alexander Kadakin, asking the Russian government to provide all possible help to resolve the issue.

Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin welcomed the court decision. “I think the Russian government must draw the right conclusions from this incident. It should fight terrorism by exposing terrorist plots and outfits, not by passing judgment on ancient sacred scriptures,” he said.

The case against the book had been filed on the basis of the 2002 Russian anti-extremism law, criticised in Russia for its very loose definition of extremist activity. Human rights activists said the law had been used to suppress legitimate criticism of authorities. The Russian Christian Orthodox Church has also been accused of using the law as a tool to fight “non-traditional religions”, such as Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Hare Krishna movement in Russia.

In a particularly bizarre case, a court in Rostov Region two years ago accused Leo Tolstoy of extremism for his denunciation of the Russian Orthodox Church teaching as “a crafty and evil lie” and “a concoction of gross superstition and witchcraft.” Tolstoy was expelled from the Church nine years before his death for his repudiation of Jesus Christ and the Russian Church.

‘INDIA HAPPY'

New Delhi Special Correspondent writes:

“We are happy to learn that the case has been dismissed by the Hon'ble Court in Tomsk in the Russian Federation. We appreciate this sensible resolution of a sensitive issue and are glad to put this episode behind us. We also appreciate the efforts of all friends in Russia who made this outcome possible,” said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

‘Severe’ cyclone looms, fishermen asked to stay away from sea

A “very severe” cyclonic storm lay centered about 250 km of Chennai, with the weather office forecasting winds touching up to 135 kph and advising fishermen against venturing into sea for the next two days.

“The very severe cyclonic storm ‘THANE’ over southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-southwestward and lay centered about 250 km east-southeast of Chennai, 270 km of Puducherry and 420 km north-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

“The system is likely to move westwards and cross north Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Chennai, close to Puducherry around early morning of December 30th,” the regional Meteorological department said.

It forecast rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall over north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south coastal Andhra Pradesh, saying the intensity of the rainfall would increase from heavy to very heavy, with the likelihood of even recording 25 cm or more over North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next 48 hours.

Squally windsspeed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph is likely along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

The windspeed will increase, gradually touching 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph along and off north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast from tonight onwards, it said.

Storm surge of about 1 meter height above the astronomical tide would inundate low lying areas of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Villupuram districts in the State at the time of landfall, the department said.

Sea condition was ‘very rough’ and it would gradually become very high to ‘phenomenal’ along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

Fishermen along north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts are advised not to venture into sea during the next 48 hours, it added.

“Extensive damage” to thatched roof and huts and minor damage to power and communication lines due to uprooting of large trees and flooding of escape routes were the “expected damage” it said, adding standing crops could also be affected.

The weather office suggested total suspension of fishing activities besides asking coastal hutment dwellers to move to safer places.

Unconstitutional, unethical, unscientific

The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, if passed, will adversely affect agriculture, health of humans and animals, and the environment, causing unparalleled harm.

It is now widely accepted that the existing procedure in India (and even elsewhere) for regulation of genetic engineering technology is faulty and insufficient. It was for this reason that Jairam Ramesh, then Minister for Environment and Forests, put an indefinite moratorium on the open release of genetically engineered Bt brinjal, which was approved by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee of the Ministry on October 14, 2009.

The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, proposed to be put up to Parliament, claims to take care of the deficiencies in the existing system of approval of genetically modified (GM) crops. As it turns out, the Bill is unconstitutional, unethical, unscientific, self-contradictory, and not people-oriented. It suffers from greater flaws and deficiencies than the present system. If passed, it will seriously and adversely affect agriculture, health of humans and animals, and the environment, causing unparalleled harm.

BRAI will consist of three full-time and two part-time members. It will have three divisions, each headed by a Chief Regulatory Officer. It will be supported by a Risk Assessment Unit, an Enforcement Unit, a Monitoring Office, a Product Ruling Committee, an Environmental Appraisal Panel, Scientific Advisory Panels, an Inter-ministerial Governing Board, a Biotechnology Advisory Council, and State Biotechnology Regulatory Advisory Committees. These bodies would consist mostly of bureaucrats who are likely to have little knowledge of the highly complex issues that arise in today's biotechnology. No civil society participation is proposed anywhere. Even the proposed Biotechnology Regulatory Appellate Tribunal will not accept complaints from civil society, in spite of the fact that the Bill directly or indirectly affects every citizen. It is not even clear which department of the Government of India will service BRAI. The Convener of the Selection Committee for members of BRAI will be from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which is a vendor of genetic engineering (the technology that BRAI is supposed to regulate) in the country. The Bill says the members of BRAI will be persons of integrity. There is, however, no requirement of integrity for members of any of the other committees mentioned above!

The Bill is unconstitutional as agriculture is a State subject, and it takes away from the State government the authority to take decisions on GM plant products. In this connection, it is noteworthy that more than 10 States cutting across political affiliations formally told Mr. Ramesh in 2009-2010 that they would not permit Bt brinjal to be released in their territories.

No public consultation

Article 28 of the Bill states the information declared by BRAI “confidential commercial information” will not come under the RTI Act, and there is no way civil society can challenge its decision to declare any information confidential. In spite of the fact that BRAI encompasses activities that would virtually affect every Indian, there is no mention in the Bill of public consultation.

Articles 81, 86 and 87.2, which allow BRAI to override any existing law in the areas covered by BRAI, contradict Article 86, which says “the provisions [of BRAI] shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other law for the time being in force.”

The definition of modern biotechnology in Article 3 (r) is absurd as it excludes a large number (over 25) of areas such as peptide synthesis, immuno-technology, tissue culture, stem cells and nano-biotechnology that are an integral part of today's biotechnology. Not only that, it would make techniques that are used in everyday research in modern biology such as isolation or sequencing of DNA and the PCR technique illegal, unless approved by BRAI in every specific case. So every university in the country teaching these extremely widely used techniques will have to get BRAI permission for teaching them to undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Funnier is the inclusion in Schedule I (which lists organisms and products “which should be regulated by the Authority”) of cloned animals, DNA vaccines, and stem cell-based products. There is no mention of them in the main text of the Bill. Schedule 1 also includes “products of synthetic biology for human or animal use.” I have been in the business of modern biology for six decades and seen the modern biological evolution from very close quarters with more than 20 of my friends having won Nobel prizes but, for the life of me, I cannot make out what is meant by “products of synthetic biology.”

In fact, if one strictly followed item 2(d) of Schedule 1, no organ transplantation would be possible in the country without BRAI permission!

One would also have expected that the Bill, if it was people-oriented, to state the procedure to be adopted before approval of a GM product. The first step should be to determine the need for the product through a socio-economic survey and analysis. If there is need, then one should determine if there are cheaper, better and well-established alternatives such as smart or molecular breeding, organic agriculture, or use of Integrated Pest Management or bio-pesticides in the case of GM products containing a foreign pesticidal gene. If it is concluded that there is no alternative to, say, a GM crop, one would need to state a mechanism for deciding what tests the GM crop would need to undergo, and a statement of who will do the tests to ensure public credibility. There is no provision in the Bill for an independent testing laboratory for GM crops, in which civil society would have confidence.

No mention of mandatory labelling

There is no mention of mandatory labelling of GM food products, and there is no protection provided to, say, farmers whose fields growing, for example products of organic agriculture, get contaminated with a GM product of the neighbouring farm.

Article 62 under “Offences and Penalties” is unprecedented. It implies that anyone making a statement about a GM crop which BRAI decides is false or misleading, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to three months and also with a fine which may extend to Rs. 5 lakh. BRAI will not be obliged to state the basis of its decision which is not challengeable by any member of civil society. The Bill thus assumes that all the wisdom of biotechnology lies with the five members of the Authority, and what thousands of leading scientists say will cut no ice with the members of BRAI.

One may justifiably ask why this Bill. The reasons are clear. Food business is the biggest in the world. Whosoever controls it will control the world. To control food production, one needs to control just seed and agrochemicals production. This is what a handful of multinational seed companies, which are also producers of agrochemicals such as pesticides and weedicides, are attempting to do through patented GM crops. These companies are located in the United States, and liaise closely with the U.S. government.

In fact, one of the biggest quarrels between the U.S. and Europe is that Europe, by and large, does not allow GM crops and requires appropriate labelling of all food products that contain more than 0.9 per cent of GM material. No such labelling is required in the U.S. where, therefore, a person today does not know if he is consuming GM food.

Till a few years ago, there was no significant opposition to GM crops in India. In fact, the mechanism set up by the Government of India, ostensibly to regulate GM products, largely worked as a vendor of GM products, serving the interests of seed and agrochemical MNCs.

But, then, people of India became wiser and better-informed. Consequently, against all odds and expectations of the MNCs, and of the U.S. government and the rulers in India, we had an indefinite moratorium on Bt brinjal, and the opposition to GM crops became a force to reckon with. Some components of the existing regulatory system have also begun to assert themselves. As of today, at least five States (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh) have formally declared that they will not allow field trials and/or open release of any GM crop. So, the present system had to be disabled, and roadblocks to fulfilling the ambition of the U.S. and the seed MNCs removed. What better way to achieve this than by BRAI — so the government thought. But, I believe, the GoI has again underestimated the collective wisdom of the people of India!

Ratan Tata calls on Narendra Modi along with Cyrus Mistry

Ratan Tata, the outgoing chairman of over USD 80 billion conglomerate, on Thursday introduced his successor Cyrus P. Mistry to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during a courtesy visit at his residence in Gandhinagar, a top state official said.

“Mistry has evinced interest in strengthening business ties with Gujarat,” official sources said.

The 43-year-old Mistry, the son of Pallonji Mistry, Chairman of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group that holds 18 per cent stake in Tata Sons, holding company of Tata Group, will take over the reins from Tata after he retires in December, 2012.

On invitation of Gujarat government, Tata Motors had relocated the mother plant of Nano to Sanand from Singur in West Bengal in 2008, after it faced stiff opposition there.

The Tata group companies like Tata Chemicals Limited and Tata Consultancy Services already have operations in Gujarat, while Tata Power Limited is setting up an ultra-mega power plant at Mundra in Kutch district.

The making of a nuclear scientist

The orientation course conducted at BARC Training Schools provides a wonderful launching pad for candidates to realise their dreams of a career in nuclear research.

After a 30-year pursuit of excellence in nuclear research that includes a number of research papers, scientist M. Sai Baba, says scientists like him have started to play an “integrating role.”

The upcoming competitive exam for the one-year Orientation Course for Engineering Graduates and Science Post-Graduates (OCES) conducted at BARC Training Schools is likely to be yet another opportunity.

Dr. Sai Baba's team has been shouldering the responsibility of mentoring selected students who are future scientists at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam. “The young scientists are from various parts of the country. We have to integrate them. This is the most fulfilling experience,” says Dr. Sai Baba.

Stressing the need for collective efforts in the country for research in strategic and civilian uses, he says “There are only around 300 world class research papers pertaining to nuclear research in the country every year. We want to inspire more students towards a rewarding career in nuclear research.”

The OCES conducted at BARC Training Schools is likely to be a stepping stone for such students.

In the backdrop of protests in various parts of the country against nuclear plants, the exam is likely to generate more enthusiasm among students of engineering and postgraduate programmes in physics and chemistry.

Those selected would also have the opportunity to be part of a team that tries to balance the energy needs of our developing nation and safety concerns of the common man pertaining to nuclear installations, say scientists who are part of Dr. Sai Baba's team that shaped the training module for young scientists.

“When we address safety concerns of the young scientists we say that the training is an opportunity to make nuclear technology safer for the common man,” said a scientist.

According to a statement from IGCAR, an aspirant who scores a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate marks on completion of the training programme is declared to have passed the course. Successful trainees would be posted as scientific officers in any of the units of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) such as the Atomic Minerals Directorate of Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad; Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai; Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), Kalpakkam; Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT), Mumbai; Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore; Heavy Water Board (HWB), Mumbai; Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam; Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), Hyderabad; Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), Jaduguda; Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, (NPCIL), Mumbai, and Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata.

Allocation of a successful OCES trainee to a DAE unit is done based on the merit at the end of the OCES programme.

They also earn a Post-Graduate Diploma of Homi Bhabha National Institute, a Deemed-to-be University. This could also be an opportunity for earning a Ph.D for young scientists who are motivated.

The successful students would get an opportunity to work in various branches of basic, applied and engineering sciences that have a bearing on Nuclear Technology. This includes structural mechanics, heat and mass transfer, material science, fabrication processes, non-destructive testing, chemical sensors, high temperature thermodynamics, radiation physics and computer science.

The trainees would also get to lead research teams in various frontier subjects like quasi crystals, oxide superconductors, nano-structures, clusters, SQUID fabrication programmes, exopolymers and experimental simulation of condensed matter using colloids.

They would in future emerge as key contributors to vital sectors such as defence and space to develop techniques for reliable solutions to specialised problems. They would also have to prepare for collaborations with educational, research and development institutes.

A few of the successful young scientists would steer the country's High-Technology Nuclear Programme.

The success of the second stage of Indian Atomic Energy Programme, which is aimed at preparing the country for utilisation of the extensive thorium reserves and providing means to meet the large demands of electrical energy in future, depends on the teamwork of such bright young minds.

The details of the exams and training programme are available at www.igcar.gov.in.

Aspirants can have direct interaction with mentor scientists through email at msb@igcar.gov.in and tcpas11@gmail.com.

Even though the programme is rigorous, the mentors say they will be with the young scientists through the programme.

“Every birthday of the young scientist at the programme is celebrated with a sharing of life stories that motivates them towards their goal,” said Dr. Sai Baba. Technological breakthrough comes not because of a single human; it is surely because of good teamwork, he adds.

Present Union Miniaters

2011-12-27T17:08:00.000+05:30

Council of Ministers

Cabinet Ministers
Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Prime Minister(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Planning(External website that opens in a new window) Department of Atomic Energy(External website that opens in a new window) Department of Space(External website that opens in a new window)	Dr. Manmohan Singh
2.	Minister of Finance(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Pranab Mukherjee
3.	Minister of Agriculture(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Food Processing Industries(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar
4.	Minister of Defence(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri A.K. Antony
5.	Minister of Home Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Palaniappan Chidambaram
6.	Minister of External Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri S.M. Krishna
7.	Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Virbhadra Singh
8.	Minister of Science and Technology(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Earth Sciences(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh
9.	Minister of Health and Family Welfare(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad
10.	Minister of Power(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sushil Kumar Sambhajirao Shinde
11.	Minister of Corporate Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri M. Veerappa Moily
12.	Minister of New and Renewable Energy(External website that opens in a new window)	Dr. Farooq Abdullah
13.	Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Jaipal Sudini Reddy
14.	Minister of Urban Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Kamal Nath
15.	Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Vayalar Ravi
16.	Minister of Civil Aviation(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ajit Singh
17.	Minister of Information and Broadcasting(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Ambika Soni
18.	Minister of Labour and Employment(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Mallikarjun Kharge
19.	Minister of Human Resource Development(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Communications and Information Technology(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Kapil Sibal
20.	Minister of Commerce(External website that opens in a new window) Industry and Minister of Textiles(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Anand Sharma
21.	Minister of Road Transport and Highways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri C. P. Joshi
22.	Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Culture(External website that opens in a new window)	Kumari Selja
23.	Minister of Tourism(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Subodh Kant Sahai
24.	Minister of Shipping(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri G.K. Vasan
25.	Minister of Parliamentary Affairs(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Water Resources(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal
26.	Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik
27.	Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri M. K. Alagiri
28.	Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Praful Manoharbhai Patel
29.	Minister of Coal(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal
30.	Minister of Law and Justice(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Minority Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Salman Khurshid
31.	Minister of Tribal Affairs(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Panchayati Raj(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo
32.	Minister of Steel(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Beni Prasad Verma
33.	Minister of Railways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Dinesh Trivedi
34.	Minister of Rural Development(External website that opens in a new window) Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Jairam Ramesh

Top

Ministers of State with Independent Charge
Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Ministry of Mines(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Dinsha J. Patel
2.	Ministry of Women and Child Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Krishna Tirath
3.	Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ajay Maken
4.	Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution(External website that opens in a new window)	Prof. Kuruppassery Varkey Thomas
5.	Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Srikant Kumar Jena
6.	Ministry of Environment and Forests(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan
7.	Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar

Top

Ministers of State
Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Ministry of External Affairs(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Human Resource Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri E. Ahamed
2.	Ministry of Home Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ramachandran Mullappally
3.	Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions(External website that opens in a new window) Prime Minister Office(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri V. Narayanasamy
4.	Ministry of Commerce and Industry(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
5.	Ministry of Human Resource Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Daggubati Purandeswari
6.	Ministry of Railways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri K.H. Muniyappa
7.	Ministry of Textiles(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Lakshmi Panabaka
8.	Ministry of Finance(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Namo Narain Meena
9.	Ministry of Defence(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri M. Mangapati Pallam Raju
10.	Ministry of Urban Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Saugata Roy
11.	Ministry of Finance(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri S.S. Palanimanickam
12.	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Jitin Prasada
13.	Ministry of External Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Smt. Preneet Kaur
14.	Ministry of Agriculture(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Food Processing Industries(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Harish Rawat
15.	Ministry of Railways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki
16.	Ministry of Tribal Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Mahadeo Singh Khandela
17.	Ministry of Rural Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sisir Kumar Adhikari
18.	Ministry of Tourism(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sultan Ahmed
19.	Ministry of Shipping(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Mukul Roy
20.	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Choudhury Mohan Jatua
21.	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri D. Napoleon
22.	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri S. Jagathrakshakan
23.	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri S. Gandhiselvan
24.	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary
25.	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sachin Pilot
26.	Ministry of Coal(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Pratik Prakashbapu Patil
27.	Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Corporate Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh
28.	Ministry of Water Resources(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Minority Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Vincent H Pala
29.	Ministry of Rural Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Pradeep Kumar Jain Aditya
30.	Ministry of Rural Development(External website that opens in a new window)	Ms. Agatha Sangma
31.	Ministry of Planning(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Science and Technology(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Earth Sciences(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Ashwani Kumar
32.	Ministry of Power(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri K. C. Venugopal
33.	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay
34.	Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Food Processing Industries(External website that opens in a new window) Ministry of Food Processing Industries(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Charan Das Mahant
35.	Ministry of Home Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Jitendra Singh
36.	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology(External website that opens in a new window)	Shri Milind Murli Deora
37.	Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs(External website that opens in a new window)	Shukla Shri Rajeev

Dec/26/2011

2011-12-27T00:19:00.005+05:30

The sorrow of Majuli

River Brahmaputra has eaten more than half of Asia's largest riverine island Majuli over the last 60 years. With land disappearing, there is progressive loss of the traditional means of livelihood of its people, leading to their displacement. Some lately are migrating even as far away as Andhra Pradesh, finds out Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty after a visit.

Farmer Sridhar Bora stops mid-way as he brings down his axe on a tree log in his front yard and casts a curious glance at the stranger in his village. Walking up the dusty path, he asks me, “Have you come for the meeting?”

Well, no. I have come to see your village, I say. “Not much is left of our village,” he answers before ushering me in to his thatched roof house. In typical Assamese tradition of welcoming a guest, Bora offers me betel nut. I am curious to know the meeting that he thought I had come for. Biting a nut wrapped in betel leaves, he says, “The Sub Divisional Officer (SDO), the SDC and the SDO (Agriculture) are coming to our village for the first time to inspect the scale of erosion that happened five months ago.”

Bora's village Padumoni, in Assam's Majuli Island on River Brahmaputra, is barely a 30-minute car ride on a wobbly path from the sub-divisional headquarters, Garamur. Padumoni is in the island's Bhakat Sapori area, accessible in the monsoon months only by boat or a shaky bamboo bridge constructed by villagers. In good times, when this low lying land would be covered by the flood waters of the Brahmaputra beginning every May, it brought joy to the farmers because the waters would leave their land fertile to grow hectares of sugarcane, rice, mustard and black gram. Farmers like Bora have done good business in sugarcane production alone, providing it to huge parts of Assam. No longer. Now, Bora and other villagers of Padumani dread the monsoons. Since 2008, the floods have been bringing to them the Brahmaputra in the form of a killer red river whose fury has already gobbled up hectares of cultivable land, their only source of livelihood.

“In the first two weeks of May this year, 7 bighas of my sugarcane cultivation were taken away by Brahmaputra. Since 2008, I have lost about 20 bighas,” says Bora. With not much land left to cultivate, Bora let his two older sons accompany a village boy to Hyderabad in search of jobs a few months ago. “Both are graduates; with no land to till, they wanted to look for jobs there. So many boys from Majuli have already gone to Hyderabad for work. They are yet to send money home though,” he says.

Collecting some other farmers, he takes me to show the damage by the river side, barely 100 metres from his house. A few strands of his sugarcane are still hanging from the edges. Bora's neighbour Ganesh Saikia is carrying along a file fat with letters written to the SDO and the SDC pleading allotment of land to farmers of three villages of Padumoni, one already submerged in the Brahmaputra. “After my land was swept away, I began to grow sugarcane on 3 bighas of land owned by a satra (the Neo-Vaishnavaite monasteries founded by the 16th Century reformer Sankardeva in Majuli) nearby.” Pleas to the government for new land have not helped.

“The SDAO sent us to the SDC since he deals with land matters. The SDC shooed us away. Till now forget any State Minister, I have not seen even the local MLA visiting us. That MLA has become the State Water Resources Minister now. Sometimes, just before the monsoons we see some engineers here but whatever they do has not been able to stop erosion,” he says.

Villagers of Majuli are angry. From the file, Saikia pulls out a paper saying, “We have been paying land tax. Corruption is so rampant here that the clerk at the revenue office refused to take our tax this time unless we also pay for the land which we have lost to the river.”

Besides Bhakat Sapori in Lower Majuli, there are 20 saporis (alluvial sand banks created by the river over the years) across the riverine Island, Asia's largest. These sand banks are occupied by farmers who have lost their land to erosion in other parts of Majuli, some since the 70s. Bora and Saikia have been in Bhakat Sapori for over 35 years. Since the last land survey was conducted in Majuli about 40 years ago, Padumoni is still a non-cadastral village along with 32 others. The Government collects from the villagers a penalty tax for the crop grown on such land. Some sand banks have been occupied by the Vaishnava monasteries with the argument that those were their land lost to the river and now resurfaced. Monasteries like Auniati and Bor Alengi have lot of land in Bhakat Sapori, villagers cultivating on it pay them the tax.

Farmers of Bhakat Sapori are non-tribal Assamese. The dominant tribal community in Majuli, the Mishings, are also badly affected by erosion. Rows of Chang Ghars (traditional Mishing dwellings on stilts) on road sides across Majuli announce their plight. Without land, their mainstays — agriculture and pig rearing, are not there. In Sumoimari area in upper Majuli, I see Mishings living by the embankment. “We came here in 2007. Our village was about 6 km away. There are people from 14 villages here,” says Arun Payeng. Payeng studied till Class XII before joining his father in agriculture. “We used to grow mustard, peas and bau dhan (a rice variety that can survive in water, typical to Majuli) in 7 bighas. With no land, now I till someone else's land in a nearby village and give half the harvest to the owner,” he says. Payeng gets an annual share of about three and a half quintals of rice which translates to Rs. 5000 a year. With a family of four to look after, he often takes loan from the local money lender. His wife accompanies village women going to parts of Assam during the harvest season to work as a labourer. His brother's two sons have left for Hyderabad to become security guards.

The government is well aware of the problems. “As of July this year, an estimated 2009 hectares have been affected by erosion belonging to 7,965 families,” says SDAO S.N. Sonar. As per a scheme of the Assam Disaster Management Authority, Sonar will distribute seeds of peas, mustard, potato, and summer paddy to the affected farmers. “Only the pea seeds have arrived so far. If the rest don't come soon, the pea seeds will be of no use,” he says.

Not just agriculture, other traditional means of livelihood of the people are also affected by Majuli's shrinking land mass and its uncertain future. Samaguri, the centre for the centuries-old practice of mask and boat making, has been badly affected. So also Salmora, where potters still make wares without the wheel and sell them through the ancient barter system. Well known mask maker Hemchandra Goswami of Samaguri monastery shows pictures of his masks flowing away in the river. “I have been trying to keep the tradition of our monastery alive by teaching a few students but it is an individual effort. Already many have quit because it can't run their kitchen. With Majuli's future bleak, I worry about the survival of this art,” he says. Jaya Kakati of Salmora recalls seeing 55 families leaving for Satai in Jorhat district on one single day in 2008. “Last year, there was no erosion here, so we are keeping our fingers crossed,” she says.

Unmindful of the river flowing barely 50 metres from her house, she is busy making pots which her husband will take on a boat on the Brahmaputra across Assam to sell. “He will be out for three months and return with rice,” she says.

Mishings are also losing their traditional skills like weaving jim (a ribbed quilt), rearing pigs and goats. “With no land to cultivate, we have nothing to feed our animals, so many have sold them. Our boys are now labourers and carpenters. Only one young girl in my area knows how to weave a jim,” says Rita Gam. Quite a few houses still have weaving looms but the cost of thread is prohibitive. “We used to have cotton plants at home to make thread. In the whole of Sumoimari now, you will not find more than 10 plants. The river took away everything. We have started buying clothes,” says Rita Pegu, a housewife.

Displacement due to erosion is not new to Majuli. A big earthquake in the 1950s led the Brahmaputra to change its course leading to annual erosion thus shrinking Majuli from 1250 sq km then to 514 sq km now. Of its three tehsils in the 50s, one, Ahataguri is lost to the river and yet another, Salmora, is badly affected. The Government helped migrate some people to Jorhat and Golaghat districts in the 60s and the 70s. Lately, the influential monasteries have been the only beneficiary of government land. Individuals who could afford it, have bought land in Jorhat, Golaghat and Lakhimpur districts and those who can't, have been either on sand banks or living like refugees on the bunds and roadsides with no sanitation facilities.

In Korotipara area of lower Majuli, many families have made the local veterinary hospital and the community centre their home. The local post office is barely 50 metres from the river. “Post a letter from here, next year this post office will be gone,” the postman tells me. The distance from his house to his high school was 10 kms. It is now in the middle of Brahmaputra. His daughter is a nurse in the local health centre. “If the river takes away both the post office and the health centre, we will have no means of livelihood,” he says. Last year, Korotipara lost its library and the local club. The river stops metres away from its primary school set up in 1913. Resident Bharat Bora says, “With the community centre and its auditorium filled with displaced people, we could not do raas this year.” Being the centre for Vaishnava monasteries which prays to Lord Krishna, raas is the main festival in Majuli.

SDO Krishna Barua claims about 5,000 people have been given land by the government so far. But local resident Manoj Bora shows an RTI report which mentions only 500 families of the 9,566 families displaced by erosion since the 1960s have been settled by the government elsewhere.” The Assam Government, in 2003, had handed down the responsibility of arresting erosion of Majuli to the Brahmaputra Board set up by the Centre to look into the perennial floods in the North East. Work began in 2005 and since then more than Rs 56 crore has been spent with no concrete result on ground. Red tape, unaccountability and a lackadaisical attitude has only increased misery in Majuli. An example of money being spent without thought by the Board are the porcupines and spurs erected to arrest erosion. They are now in the middle of the river! Unable to meet its deadline, the Board's term has now been extended to 2014.

After years of neglect, the Assam Government is blaming the Board for not doing enough. It has recently applied to the UNESCO to grant heritage status to Majuli. It also ratified the Majuli Cultural Landscape Region Act some time ago to preserve the Island but not much ‘preservation' is seen there apart from cosmetic changes like constructing museums and guest houses funded by the ASI and erecting a tourist accommodation. Determined to put both the State Government and the Board on the mat, Manoj Bora has filed a PIL in the Gauhati High Court.

Number of competent mathematicians inadequate: Manmohan

Declaring 2012 as the ‘National Mathematical year’ as a tribute to maths wizard Srinivasa Ramanujan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday voiced concern over the “badly inadequate” number of competent mathematicians in the country.

He also said that the perception that pursuit of mathematics does not lead to attractive career possibilities “must change.”

“It is a matter of concern that for a country of our size, the number of competent mathematicians that we have is badly inadequate”, he said at a function to here mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan.

Dr. Singh also declared December 22, the birthday of Ramanujan, as ‘National Mathematics Day.’ Students have not pursued mathematics at advanced levels over more than three decades, which has resulted in a decline in quality of mathematics teachers at schools and colleges, Dr. Singh who is on a two-day visit to the state, told a galaxy of academics at Madras University.

“There is a general perception in our society that the pursuit of mathematics does not lead to attractive career possibilities. This perception must change. This perception may have been valid some years ago, but today there are many new career opportunities available to mathematics and the teaching perception itself has become much more attractive in recent years”, Dr. Singh said.

The Prime Minister said the mathematical community has a duty to find out “ways and means” to address the shortage of top quality mathematicians and reach out to the public, especially in the modern context, where mathematics has tremendous influence on every kind of human endeavour.

Noting that the Central government has pursued a policy of encouraging scientific activities of diverse kinds, the Prime Minister said, “Given our traditions, we naturally attach special importance to mathematics...in many ways, mathematics can be regarded as the mother science“.

He said Ramanujan overcame formidable difficulties to reach the pinnacle of greatness, illustrating the inadequacy of University evaluation system in the early decades of the last century, while at the same time showing the system displayed enough flexibility to take care of mavericks like him.

“There have been many reforms since those days but there would still be talent which would elude proper evaluation. Our institutions of higher learning must be sensitive to this problem.”

“A genius like Ramanujan would shine bright even in the most adverse of circumstances, but we should be geared to encourage and nurture good talent which may not be of the same calibre as that of Ramanujan”, Dr. Singh said.

Honouring Professor Robert Kanigel, who has written a biography of Ramanujan, Dr. Singh said this book has made Ramanujan well known to the public at large all over the world.

He said the country was proud of Ramanujan and Tamil Nadu has a special claim on him for he was a Tamilian.

“Along with C V Raman and Subramanyam Chandrashekhar (both Nobel laureates), he is among the three great men of science and mathematics that Tamil Nadu and India have given to the world of modern times”, he said.

Dr. P. K. Iyengar — probing atoms with a Nobel laureate

In October 1994, following announcement of the Nobel Prize in physics, there was celebration at the Babha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay.

The scientists had gathered to cherish their long association with Prof. Bertram N. Brockhouse of McMaster University of Canada — who shared Nobel Prize with Prof. Clifford Shull of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, that year, and to felicitate the Professor.

When Prof. Brockhouse began his experiments which eventually led to his winning the Nobel Prize, there was an Indian scientist beside him -- Dr. P. K. Iyengar. (Mr. Iyengar died on Wednesday.)

They soon co-authored a paper on the phonon spectrum of germanium. It was an extensive work on the quanta of lattice vibrations in Germanium. The paper became an instant hit as the as germanium was then the backbone of the transistor industry.

Dr. Iyengar left for India a few years later. But for several years since then, scientists from India's fledgling atomic establishment used to visit Dr. Brockhouse and the Chalk River nuclear reactor facility of the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited where he worked.

Between 1957 and 1959, Dr. Brockhouse and Dr. Iyengar published five papers on the neutron spectrum of germanium and manganese compounds.

They had looked into almost every aspect of the phonon spectrum of germanium.

Until Dr. Brockhouse and Dr. Iyengar did their pioneering work in neutron spectrometry, the main tool used by scientists to probe the structure of materials was x-ray. Several Nobel prizes had been awarded for contributions in this area. [It was C. V. Raman, who discovered the scattering of light by liquids and crystals. This phenomenon, which later came to be known as the Raman Effect, could provide insights into the atomic structure of materials. When visible light or x-ray is scattered by liquids and solids, its frequency (energy) changes and scientists could deduce much about the structure of materials from these energy changes].

But x-ray has its limitations. The slow moving neutrons, on the other hand, has an advantage over x-ray in that the energy change they undergo on scattering was easy to measure. They were also sensitive to magnetic properties of atoms and neutron spectrometry was the only method by which one could look at the magnetism at the microscopic level. Dr. Shull made his mark in one area of neutron spectrometry dealing with neutron diffraction and Dr. Brockhouse in neutron inelastic scattering. Dr. Brockhouse studied the interaction of atoms in liquids and the lattice structure of crystals. Soon, he unravelled the secrets of spin dynamics, atomic motions in liquids and much more.

The studies by Brockhouse and Iyengar settled a virtual conflict in the theories propounded by Max Born and C. V. Raman regarding motion of atoms. Born held that there is a continuous distribution in frequencies of vibration of atoms while Raman postulated discreet frequencies. It was finally established through neutron spectrometry that the frequency distribution was continuous. Raman was looking at only a part of the spectrum.

Recalling his association with Dr. Brockhouse, Dr. Iyengar remembered that Dr. Brockhouse alone was working in the area of neutron inelastic diffraction at the time he joined him. They together did path breaking work in lattice dynamics of atoms. By trying to unravel the mysteries of atom using neutron as the probe, he attempted something that even Americans (with their penchant for risk taking) thought difficult.

Dr. Iyengar told this reporter back in 1994 that Brockhouse was an influence on him which orchestrated his Indian mind to assimilate the western research outlook. "I learned to how to look at physics which is to discover the laws of nature."

The important thing was that a person who would not take a risk in attempting to make an innovation won't do an innovation. "I could see how a Nobel Prize worthy experiment was being done."

On his return to India, Dr. Iyengar took the lead for neutron spectrometric studies in India. "We had a fairly good group working on it at BARC and BARC hosted an international conference on neutron scattering in 1964. Dr. Brockhouse was also the inspiration behind the setting up of the research reactor Dhurva (in 1985)," Dr. Iyengar reminisced.

Dec/26/2011

2011-12-27T00:19:00.004+05:30

PM's visit: Karaikudi under security blanket

Unprecedented security arrangements have been made in and around Karaikudi in view of the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday.

He is expected to land at the helipad established on the Alagappa University campus in Karaikudi at around 12.45 pm. After a brief stay at the guest house, the Prime Minister will proceed to declare open the Ramanujan Centre for Higher Mathematics at the university.

He will be accompanied by selected dignitaries. The inaugural function will be held at L.Ct.PL Palaniappa Chettiar auditorium at 2.30 pm. Mr. Singh is scheduled to attend a private function at Managiri. He is expected to be in the town for about two and half hours.

Around 5,000 police men have been deployed in Karaikkudi and Managiri. The policemen have taken over the control of Alagappa University campus and the Apollo Hospital premises, where the Prime Minister is scheduled to address the gatherings.

Sandeep Mittal, Deputy Inspector General of Police, told ‘The Hindu' that elaborate security arrangements had been made for the Prime Minister's visit.

Asked about the calls made by various political parties to show black flags to the Prime Minister, he said teams had been working to deal with the proposed agitations.

Meanwhile, sources said that a contingency plan had been drafted to keep away black flag demonstrators.

Two more helipads have been established at Karaikudi and Managiri.

As per the plan, the Prime Minister might land at Managiri from Karaikudi by helicopter instead of reaching Managiri from Karaikudi by road after attending the Alagappa University function.

It is aimed at thwarting the attempts of black flag demonstrators.

Chief Justice visits NTPC

Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur along with High Court judges Justice G. Seethapathy and Justice V. Eshwaraiah visited the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ramagundam on Sunday.

The Chief Justice inspected all the power plants and generation of power through coal. The NTPC officials explained about the power generation and its synchronisation with the power grid, coal supply, functioning of turbines, cooling towers etc. Karimnagar district judge P. Srisudha, NTPC General Manager Y.V. Rao, DGM (HR) Nanda Kishore, AGM Tripathi and others were also present.

Stone laid

Later, the Chief Justice laid the foundation stone for the construction of three court buildings at a cost of Rs. 6.8 crore at Huzurabad. Speaking on the occasion, he stressed the need for speedy disposal of cases. Earlier, he visited the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Singapur village on the outskirts of town. Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar, legislator Etala Rajender, Collector Smita Sabharwal, S.P. V Ravinder and others were also present.

22 of a family drown as boat capsizes in Pulicat

A Christmas pleasure ride turned into a tragedy for 22 members of a family, when a boat capsized near the sea mouth of the Pulicat lake backwaters on Sunday afternoon.

Only three boys were rescued out of the 25 present on the boat. A dozen bodies were fished out by rescuers by late evening. Ashok, an alert fisherman who was on a boat in the vicinity, rescued Paul Dinakar (10), Ponraj (12), and Janakaraj (13). The head of the family, Soundarapandian annachi , ran a hotel. His grandson was baptised on Sunday morning. Many relatives had joined them for the joyous occasion and a group of over 20 family members made the trip to Pulicat lake.

The boat, with capacity of only 10 passengers, was not equipped with life vests. Boat driver Ansari (19) and his wife Nasirin Begam are also feared dead.

Parliament discussion on Lokpal Bill tomorrow

The Lok Sabha will begin discussion on the Lokpal Bill on Tuesday, even as Anna Hazare begins his three-day fast at the same time in Mumbai for a “strong” Lokpal.

The House will witness a day-long combined discussion on the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 and the Constitution (Amendment) Bill to give the ombudsman a Constitutional status.

The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill, 2010 (popularly known as Whistleblowers’ bill) will also be discussed along with the two bills.

Congress has already issued a three-line whip to its members to remain present in the Lok Sabha during the debate.

It has also requested its allies in the UPA to issue similar whips.

The Lokpal Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.

The Bill had faced objections from various political parties including the BJP at the stage of introduction last week, saying 50 per cent quota for minorities in the Lokpal bench and the Search Committee was “unconstitutional.”

Several parties had slammed the measure claiming that the Bill made it obligatory upon states to establish Lokayuktas and it was an infringement on the federal structure of the country.

Some others had criticised the move to put the Prime Minister under the ambit of the anti-corruption watchdog.

Mr. Hazare has announced that he will begin his three-day fast at Mumbai from Tuesday to protest a “weak” Lokpal Bill.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had declared that she will fight for the Lokpal Bill.

She had recently told party MPs that to tackle the issue of corruption, three bills with major implications are to be passed soon — those relating to the protection of whistleblowers, enhancing judicial accountability, strengthening anti-money laundering operations and controlling bribery of Indian public officials by foreign companies.

The government aims to establish a mechanism to receive complaints relating to disclosure on any allegation of corruption or willful misuse of power or willful misuse of discretion against any public servant under the Whistleblowers’ Bill which will also come for discussion in the Lower House tomorrow.

The measure also seeks to provide adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making such a complaint.

N Korea calls heir Kim head of powerful committee

Kim Jong Un in a file picture

North Korea’s state media on Monday called Kim Jong-il’s heir the head of the ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee, which would give Kim Jong Un power over one of the country’s highest decision-making bodies more than a week after his father’s death.

The reference in a commentary by the North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper came as two groups of prominent South Koreans with ties to Pyongyang travelled to North Korea to pay respects to Kim Jong-il, who is being mourned by millions in his homeland.

North Korean soldiers, Rodong Sinmun said, are upholding a slogan urging them to dedicate their lives to protect the committee headed by Kim Jong Un. The slogan means that Kim will likely be appointed as the party’s general secretary, one of the country’s highest positions.

North Korea is in official mourning for Kim until after a memorial Thursday. But the country is also offering hints about Kim Jong Un’s rise as ruler. North Korea began hailing him as “supreme leader” of the 1.2—million strong military over the weekend.

Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was unveiled in September 2010 as his father’s choice as successor, will be the third-generation Kim to rule the communist nation of 24 million.

Dec/25/2011

2011-12-27T00:05:00.000+05:30

7-phase poll in U.P., one-day exercise in 4 other States

Elections to the Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assemblies will be held over the three months of January, February and March 2012. The model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect, the Election Commission announced on Saturday.

It will be single-phase elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand, while in Uttar Pradesh, the exercise will be held in seven phases. Counting will be held simultaneously on March 4 and the polling process will be over by March 9.

As per the schedule released here by the Full Commission, elections to the 60-member Manipur House will be held on January 28. Punjab with 117 seats and Uttarakhand (70) will go to the polls on January 30.

The last to go to the polls — on March 3 — will be Goa, which has 40 constituencies.

The elections to the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be spread over 25 days from February 4 to 28 — on February 4 for 60 seats, February 8 (55 seats), February 11 (59 seats), February 15 (56 seats), February 19 (56 seats), February 23 (49 seats) and February 28 (68 seats).

The poll schedule will cut short the five-year term of the Assemblies. The Goa Assembly's term was to last till June 14, Uttar Pradesh till May 20, Manipur till March 15, Punjab till March 14 and Uttarakhand till March 13. Under the law, the EC is well within its right to hold an election anytime within six months of the expiry of the life of an Assembly.

Budget presentation

Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi made it clear that with the model code having come into force, none of these States should take decisions that would impact the polls. The Centre, while presenting the Railway budget and the General budget for 2012-13, would have to bear in mind that in some places elections were still to be held.

Mr. Quraishi declined to comment on the Union government's announcements made in the past few days, saying the model code came into force only from now. Any announcement made earlier was beyond the purview of the code.

Meanwhile, as if to beat the model code, the Union Cabinet had on Thursday decided on a sub-quota of 4.5 per cent for backward class minorities out of the 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs. The Centre also announced on Friday a slew of projects for Uttar Pradesh, including two Water Resources Development Ministry schemes, one of which falls in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Board exams

The EC's announcement comes days after the Uttar Pradesh government advanced school board examinations to early March, giving rise to speculation that Chief Minister Mayawati was hoping to have the elections some time in April. But clearly, the Commission had other ideas.

Mr. Quraishi said the poll dates were decided taking into consideration the factors of climate, academic and examination schedules, festivals, law and order and availability of the Central forces and their movement.

After holding a series of meetings with Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh, Mr. Quraishi said adequate forces, comprising the Central forces and armed police from other States, would be deployed for conducting free and fair polls.

He also held discussions with the Director-General, Narcotics, following suspicion that opium and other drugs could be used for inducing voters, and to check the abuse in Punjab.

Sericulture activities gaining momentum in Erode district

Cocoon production in Erode district is likely to cross 1,600 tonnes by the end of this financial year as the sericulture department has brought more area under mulberry cultivation and made efforts to enhance productivity.

Sericulture farmers in the district produced 1,341 tonnes of cocoon worth over Rs. 26.8 crore last year. Production witnessed a marginal drop during the last two years as many sericulture farmers switched over to turmeric. The yellow spice made many farmers in the district rich as prices touched a record Rs. 15,000-17,000 a quintal in 2009-10. The bullish trend prompted many farmers to switch from mulberry to turmeric during the last two years.

“But turmeric prices witnessed a steep fall recently and a significant number of farmers are now switching back to mulberry cultivation. Cocoon prices have also remained stable. Multivoltine cocoon fetches around Rs. 190 to Rs. 210 a kg in the market, while the bivoltine variety Rs. 170 to Rs. 190 a kg. The prices are remunerative to the farmers,” Assistant Director of Sericulture M. Pakkirisamy told The Hindu .

The sericulture department had brought around 300 acres under mulberry cultivation this fiscal. “The normal area of mulberry cultivation in the district is 4,600 acres. We have plans to bring in at least 1,000 more acres this year. This will enable the district to produce 300 tonnes of cocoon taking the total production to 1,600 tonnes,” sericulture officials said.

Out of the total cocoon production, the bivoltine variety accounts for about 400 tonnes. “Erode district is the second largest producer of bivoltine cocoons in the State. Krishnagiri holds the top spot,” Mr. Pakkirisamy said.

The department had launched a number of initiatives to encourage more farmers to take up mulberry cultivation and adopt modern methods to rear silkworms. The department allotted Rs. 1.22 crore to Erode district to extend subsidy to the farmers to purchase equipment, construct rearing sheds, instal drip irrigation and adopt various other modern silkworm rearing techniques, officials added.

Scheme for subsidised edible oil soon

: Union Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution K.V. Thomas said on Saturday that his ministry was in consultation with the State government to formulate special schemes to provide edible oil and pulses at subsidised rates to consumers. Another project to provide atta (flour) at lower rates was also being prepared, he said. He was speaking inaugurating a scheme to expand the network of mobile and floating supermarkets operated by Consumerfed.

The Minister handed over financial assistance of Rs.2.5 crore on behalf of his ministry to Consumerfed to operate mobile and floating ‘Triveni' supermarkets. The amount is the first instalment of a scheme for operating 10 mobile supermarkets and 7 floating supermarkets, for which the total outlay is Rs.10 crore.

Mr. Thomas said public distribution outlets would be strengthened.

End-to-end computerisation, from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns to consumer outlets, was being planned. The reform would minimise pilferage, estimated at 15 to 20 per cent now. Loss at the storage level would also be reduced substantially. He said the Consumer Protection Amendment Bill tabled in Parliament would ensure justice to consumers.

The consumer courts would be given powers of civil courts and penalty would be imposed on those who violate the rules.

The Minister said the subsidy being given by the Union government would be raised after the provisions of the new Food Security Bill are implemented.

The Union government would incur an additional expenditure of over Rs.20,000 crore for implementing the new system.

The number of beneficiaries will be decided as per the 2011 Census.

Funds would also be provided to the agriculture sector to increase production with a view to meeting the food supply targets envisaged in the Food Security Bill, which is being pursued by the standing committee of Parliament.

State Cooperation Minister C.N. Balakrishnan said Consumerfed wanted to operate mobile supermarkets all across the State.

The project could be taken up in phases.

Security up at Tiruchi airport for PM visit

: Security has been tightened at the airport here in connection with the transit visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the city on December 26.

Around 450 city police personnel have been drafted for security duty and would be deployed at strategic points within the airport premises and along the route from the airport to the circuit house. Full fledged deployment of police personnel would be done on Sunday, police sources here said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will arrive here on Monday afternoon by a special aircraft from Chennai and immediately leave for Karaikudi by a helicopter.

He will take part in the inauguration of the Ramanujan Research Centre at Alagappa University in Karaikudi and return back to Tiruchi in the evening.

He will leave for New Delhi from here immediately.

Ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, a team from the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) landed here on Friday.

The SPG team went around the airport on Saturday.

The sources said seven Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads had been constituted to carry out periodic checks at the airport.

An advanced security liaison meeting was held at the airport on Saturday in connection with the Prime Minister's transit visit.

Officers from the SPG, City Police, Special Branch CID, Intelligence Bureau, ‘Q' Branch, Special Intelligence Unit, Immigration, Central Industrial Security Force and the Airports Authority of India took part in the meeting, the sources added.

Ramanujan lost and found: a 1905 letter from The Hindu

December 22, 2011 marked the 125th birth anniversary of the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920).

The Ramanujan@125 celebrations are being inaugurated in Chennai on Monday, December 26 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will declare 2012 to be the National Mathematics Year.

More than any other newspaper, The Hindu has followed over the decades the mathematical achievements of Ramanujan in detail and highlighted his genius, especially from early 1914.

The first reference to Ramanujan occurs in a letter to the Editor titled ‘A Missing Boy', published on September 6, 1905 in the newspaper, which was a triweekly at the time. The letter, from J. Seenivasa Raghava Ayangar, appeals for the public's help in tracing “a Brahmin boy of the Vaishnava (Thengalai) sect, named Ramanujam, of fair complexion and aged about 18 years” who had “left his [Kumbakonam] home on some misunderstanding.”

The letter, discovered recently by The Hindu 's Archives department, is being reproduced for the first time.

The missing boy was “safely back” home within days, as Ramanujan's biographer Robert Kanigel relates in The Man Who Knew Infinity .

Chambal waters bring season's cheer to Keoladeo Park

The heady waters of the Chambal river have seemingly done wonders to the world famous Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

The entry of the Chambal water for the first time ever has rejuvenated avian and aquatic life in the 29 sq. km. bird paradise, once the only wintering ground for Siberian cranes in South Asia.

This is big news befitting of Christmas and New Year cheer for bird lovers and Keoladeo enthusiasts alike, as there had been widespread apprehension when the piped water was let into this marshland — in a desperate bid — this past October from the Chambal instead of the Panchana dam, the park's original source.

“We too were apprehensive initially though the water-starved park had no other option but to accept pipe water. Now it has proved a boon,” said Deputy Chief Wildlife Warden and Field Director Anoop K.R.

“In fact, once the water started coming, we were reassured of the feed for birds as the Chambal water is rich and we could spot the fingerlings of the same fish species that used to reach here through Panchana from Gambhir river,” Mr. Anoop added.

When the Keoladeo Field Director says the water quality is good, he is only stating the obvious as the Chambal, zig-zagging through Central India's badlands, is considered among the least polluted of the Indian rivers.

Even if the Chambal waters are not to be credited for the successful breeding of a pair of sarus cranes in the park after a gap of 11 years, its presence surely invited a few rare visitors this time.

Sample this: the oriental white stork and pied avocet checked into the park this winter after eight years. Among other new arrivals are the Siberian rubythroat, orange-headed ground thrush and long-tailed nightjar.

Out of the 15 species of heronry, as many as 12 species bred in the park this time creating an unprecedented babble as the winter set in. In this case, one needs to count the storks which have not bred and they are: large cormorant, white-necked stork and cattle egret. Pintails now virtually create a colourful scene in the park's skyline. Estimated at over 5,000 birds, their number is the maximum this year going by the figures of the recent years.

The approval is from the birds of prey too. As many as four species of Harriers — pallid harrier, pied harrier, marsh harrier and hen harrier — now survey the park, at times circling above and periodically perching on tree branches to prey on fish or chicks.

The park's know-all ranger Bholu Khan has counted some 2,500 nests — that makes it 5,000 birds — this season.