Author Archives: Srinivas Chakravarty

PSLV-C37 Launches 104 Satellites in One Flight, Sets New Record

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In its 39th flight PSLV-C37, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite and 103 other satellites on Wednesday morning, February 15, 2017, at 9:28 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

This is the 38th consecutively successful mission of PSLV, which weighed 1,378 kg, that lifted off from the First Launch Pad.

Within 16 minutes 48 seconds, the satellites achieved a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit of 506 km inclined at an angle of 97.46 degree to the equator and in the succeeding 12 minutes, all the 104 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV.

In a predetermined sequence Cartosat-2 followed by INS-1 and INS-2 separated, making the total number of Indian satellites launched by PSLV to 46.

The two arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed and ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore took over the control of it. Next, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration following which it will begin to provide remote sensing services using its panchromatic (black and white) and multispectral (colour) cameras.

The imagery from the Cartosat-2 series satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.

The data sets will be useful for urban planning of 500 cities under the Amrut Planning Scheme. The government initiative of 100 smart city programme in which these data sets could be used for master plan preparation.

Of the 103 co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C37, two – ISRO Nano Satellite-1 (INS-1) weighing 8.4 kg and INS-2 weighing 9.7 kg – are technology demonstration satellites from India.

The remaining 101 co-passenger satellites carried were international customer satellites from USA (96), The Netherlands (1), Switzerland (1), Israel (1), Kazakhstan (1) and UAE (1).

The complex mission involved many technical challenges like realising the launch of a large number of satellites during a single mission within the time frame sought by the customers from abroad. With today’s successful launch, the total number of foreign satellites on PSLV has reached 180.

China, India Behind 50% of Global Deaths Due to Air Pollution: Study

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China and India together contributed for more than half of the total global deaths due to air pollution in 2015, said a study by the U.S.-based Health Effects Institute (HEI).

The report showed that air pollution caused more than 4.2 million deaths in 2015, making it the fifth highest cause of death. But just two countries – India and China alone reported 2.2 million deaths, or half of the global deaths.

The institute on its website – www.stateofglobalair.org – said 92% of the world’s population lives in areas which are filled with polluted or unhealthy air. In turn, air pollution causes cancer, stroke and heart disease, as well as chronic respiratory problems such as asthma.

However, China is trying to bring down the deaths but India has a long time to go, it said. In January, a ministry spokesman told domestic media, “It is currently too early to draw conclusions about the extent of the impact of smog on health, especially its long-term impact on the body.”

The report said most of the world’s population lives in areas where air quality is unhealthy and an estimated 92% of people live in areas where fine particulate matter concentrations (small dust or soot in the air) exceed the World Health Organization’s Air Quality Guideline of 10 µg/m3.

Air pollution is a complex mixture of particles and gases and the composition varies from place to place, depending on what sources are present, including power plants, heavy industry, traffic, weather conditions, and how they mix in the atmosphere, said the organisation in it study.

Challakere in Karnataka: No Secret City But Hub of Nuclear Power, Says Report

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Challakere in Karnataka is not only a hub for buses travelling to and fro Bangalaore and Bellary but also a hub for the Defence ministry, purported to be the nuclear city of future to generate the country’s nuclear power for submarines and weapons.

Last year, the US magazine Foreign Policy, quoting a former PMO official, said it may trigger competition from neighbouring nuclear powers China and Pakistan. Not China but Pakistan has recently complained that the hub is a “secret nuclear city.”

India has denied the allegations and stood to its ground it is a safer bet to hold on to its nuclear weapons unlike Pakistan, which was involved in smuggling nuclear secrets to North Korea and other threshold countries, violating all the norms of being a nuclear power.

The not-so-secret nuclear underground factory was set up in 2012 when the Congress government was in power at the Centre and the BJP was in power in the state of Karnataka, 203-km northeast of Bangalore on 4,290 acres of land in Challakere for scientific and nuclear use, said reports.

In its 14-page report. Foreign Policy claimed that the Challakere project will be the “subcontinent’s largest military-run complex of nuclear centrifuges, atomic-research laboratories, weapons and aircraft-testing facilities” when it is scheduled to be completed this year. It was expected to produce fuel for nuclear reactors and the navy’s fleet of new submarines, said the article.

“But another, more controversial ambition, according to retired Indian government officials and independent experts in London and Washington, is to give India an extra stockpile of enriched uranium fuel that could be used in new hydrogen bombs,” the report said.

As of 2015, India had 110 nuclear war heads compared to 120 in Pakistan and 260 in China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It quoted former White House official Gary Samore who said, “I believe that India intends to build thermonuclear weapons as part of its strategic deterrent against China.”

Other reports said the test center in the cordoned area may have a 3-mile long runway for a new generation of drones and long distance unmanned vehicles. The report also said Mysore district nearby is known for plutonium resources. The Center for Public Integrity has undertaken a field report on environmental fall out of the so-called secret city recently.

‘Secret Nuclear city’ is Pakistan’s Imagination: India

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India has refuted Pakistan’s allegations about a secret nuclear city with weapons calling it an imagination of Islamabad, which is a “diversionary tactic” to cover its own failure to stop state-sponsored terrorism that has come under global radar now.

Reacting to Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria’s reamrks on Thursday saying, “India is building a secret nuclear city,” and it has potential to threaten the strategic balance of power in the region.

On Friday, Indian external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “These are completely baseless allegations. The so-called secret city appears to be a figment of the Pakistan imagination. India has always been in compliance with all its international obligations.”

He said it was a very strange statement coming from a country that does not have a separation plan for nucelar weapons and has a strong record of nuclear “proliferation which is well known to the world.”

On the contrary, India has very different credentials. He said these remarks are clearly “a diversionary tactic by Pakistan which aims to deflect attention from the real issue at hand – the continued state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan and its harbouring of internationally designated terrorists.”

Earlier, zakaria in a press conference alleged saying, “It (India) has been building Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and an Anti-Ballistic Missile System. It has a stockpile of fissile material for producing nuclear weapons outside the IAEA safeguards… It is also building a secret nuclear city in south India which, according to Foreign Policy investigative report, is to produce thermonuclear weapons.”

However, he did not name the city nor give any details. To another question, Zakaria said the Donald Trump administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, would not be extended to Pakistan and that the White House had assured Islamabad about it. He responded positvely on questions about Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s visit to Washington soon.

Indian American Student Finds Simpler Solution to World Water Problem

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Chaitnya Karamchedu has discovered a cheaper way to desalination, revolutionizing the approach to address water crisis. (Photo courtesy: jesuitcrusader.org)

Indian American student Chaitanya Karamchedu’s project has potential to revolutionize the method to purify salt water into safe drinkable fresh water and no wonder, many firms are vying for its commercial use.

Chaitanya from Portland, Oregon in the US, is a senior student at Jesuit High Schoo, has hit upon the idea more scientifically. “Sea water is not fully saturated with salt,” he explained. While the research hitherto focused on 10% of water that’s bonded to the salt in the sea, Chaitanya addressed the problem experimenting on 90% of the water that is free from salt bond.

Using a highly absorbent polymer, Chaitanya was able to discover a cheaper method effective way to remove salt from ocean water and turn it into fresh water.

Using superabsorbent hydrophilic polymers, with no external energy, under room temperature and pressure Chaitanya was able to produce drinkable water which stands WHO standards for potable water.

Based on saponified starch-grafted-polyacrylamide’s hydrophilic properties, he was able to create a hydrogel to separate freshwater from seawater, then separated hydrogel from the brine, dewatered the gel resulting in aqueous sulfuric acid and then recovered fresh water from the aqueous solution.

The use of hydrophilic polymers to desalinate water required no thermal or electrical energy and the extracted water was comparable to fresh water with an average conductivity of 306.32 µS/cm, comparable to the conductivity of 200 µS/cm for the reference distilled water used. It involved no cost for pre-treatment and post-treatment and it is amenable for small scale use.

Chaitanya Karamchedu has already won a $10,000 award from the US Agency for International Global Development at Intel’s International Science Fair and MIT’s TechCon Conference provided him research. He was also named one of 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search Semifinalists.

TeamIndus Among 5 Finalists for Google XPRIZE to Land Rover on Moon

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XPRIZE and Google have announced that five finalists including India’s TeamIndus will be launching their verified moon vehicles to vie for $30 million lunar prize in the competition to land an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the Moon.

The duo have also announced that a $1 million Diversity Prize will be split among 16 Google Lunar XPRIZE teams, to recognize each of their unique approaches and initiatives over the years.

Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer, senior director, Google Lunar XPRIZE said, “Each of these teams has pushed the boundaries to demonstrate that you don’t have to be a government superpower to send a mission to the Moon, while inspiring audiences to pursue the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

The five finalists in the final phase of the competition:

TeamIndus from India has entered into a commercial launch contract with ISRO to send its spacecraft aboard its PSLV. TeamIndus’ spacecraft is designed to nestle inside the nosecone of the PSLV and will launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, said the statement.

HAKUTO from Japan has already signed for a rideshare with TeamIndus to carry its four-wheeled rover to the Moon. Hakuto seeks to explore holes that are thought to be caves into underlying lava tubes, which could lead to identifying long-term habitats to shield humans from the Moon’s hostile environment.

SpaceIL from Israel has secured a position on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and their vehicle will be designed to make an educational impact and to create an “Apollo Effect” for the next generation.

Moon Express from the US also signed a multi-mission launch contract with Rocket Lab USA for three lunar missions by 2020, to open up the Moon’s vast resources for humanity and establish new avenues for commercial space activities.

Synergy Moon, an international team, signed with InterOrbital Systems to launch its vehicle to moon aboard the rocket NEPTUNE 8. Synergy Moon consists of individuals from 15 countries, with a mission to make manned orbital travel, personal satellite launches and Solar System exploration cost effective for all.

Recognising their efforts, XPRIZE made an update that the launch be initiated by the December 31, 2017 deadline, instead of completed.

The $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE is meant for a privately funded team which should successfully place a robot on the Moon’s surface that explores at least 500 meters and transmits high-definition video and images back to Earth.

Cabinet Approves Ratification of 2nd Period of Kyoto Protocol

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The government of India has officially approved to ratify the Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol on containing the emission of Green House Gases (GHGs), becoming the 65th country to ratify the second commitment period of the Protocol that was adopted in 2012.

Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by India is believed to encourage other developing countries also to undertake this exercise as India’s implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under this commitment period in accordance with Suslainable Development priorities have attracted some major investments in India as well.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) seeks to stabilise Green House Gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would minimize interference with the climate system and India is one of the original nations to participate in the negotiations on Kyoto Protocol in Japan way back in 1996.

Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) in the atmosphere, the Kyoto Protocol places commitments on developed nations to mitigate targets and to provide financial aid and transfer of technology to the developing nations. Developing countries like India have no mandatory mitigation obligations or targets under the Kyoto Protocol but have voluntarily set targets.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and the first commitment period from 2008-2012 was renewed again after the talks at Doha in 2012, where the amendments to Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period (the Doha Amendment) were successfully adopted. The second commitment period is from 2013 to 2020. Developed countries have already started implementing their commitments under the ‘opt-in’ provisions of the Doha Amendment.

India, which has emphasized the importance of climate actions by developed country Parties in the pre-2020 period, kept its commitment to advocate climate actions based on the principles of the Convention, such as the principle of Equity and Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR & RC).

ISRO to Explore Space With Japan Agency JAXA

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The Indian Cabinet has been apprised of the MoU signed between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for cooperation in the field of outer space exploration, which was signed on November 11, 2016 during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo.

The MoU seeks to pursue future cooperation in outer space exploration activities and in pursuing space research activities in space science technology and applications including earth observation, satellite communication and navigation; exploration and space sciences; Research and development of space systems and space technology; and Space industry promotion.

ISRO and JAXA will bear the costs of their respective activities under this Memorandum, unless they decide otherwise in writing. Ability to fulfil their respective roles and activities under this Memorandum and its relevant separate Implementation Arrangement is subject to their respective funding procedures, the availability of appropriated funds and their respective national laws.

India and Japan have been cooperating in the field of space research for over 5 decades and carried out several studies in the field of atmospheric study, observation of universe and scientific investigation in remote sensing.

The formation of JAXA by Japan in 2003 opened up gates for joint studies and potential future cooperation in the field of outer space under a pact signed in October 2005 between ISRO and JAXA. Subsequent pacts addressing lunar exploration, satellite navigation, X-ray astronomy and Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) were also signed.

During the ISRO-JAXA bilateral meeting held at New Delhi on April 05, 2016, both sides prepared the draft of a new ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ISRO and JAXA concerning cooperation in the field of outer space that was signed on November 11, 2016 at Tokyo during the visit of Prime Minister of India to Japan.

Gondwanaland Never Isolated for 30 Million Years: New Study

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Gondwana land or Indian subcontinent that remained isolated for 30 million years before thrusting itself north to give rise to Himalayas — is not a theory in tact but there are some missing middle in it, showed a research by a group of researchers from Germany, Poland and India.

Based on tiny insect fossils near Surat, which are similar to fossils found in Europe and China, they said these insects could have moved across the ocean along with island-hopping birds. Known as ‘biting midges’, these insects measure less than a millimeter long and were found fossilized in amber, a tree resin in the Cambay basin near Surat in Gujarat.

The paleontologists estimated their age at 54 million years ago, which coincides with the previously thought period when Indian plate was purportedly isolated and surrounded by oceans. As the Indian subcontinent harbours unique species of flora and fauna, which reflect no exchange with other regions, leading to the belief that India remained isolated for millions of years due to continental drift.

Scientists assumed that the supercontinent Gondwana later drifted into parts giving away to current South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Madagascar, besides India in due course of geological history. Then the upward thrust towards the north east resulted in its collision with the Eurasian plate. But disproving the entire theory, scientists now cite amber in Surat.

“Certain midges that occurred in India at this time display great similarity to examples of a similar age from Europe and Asia,” said lead author Frauke Stebner from the Steinmann Institute at the University of Bonn, Germany.

He has mined for amber in seams of coal near Surat that left for archaeological survey after mining was done. These small midges were found encased in tree resin 54 million years ago in the form of fossils and their descendants can still be found today in Germany in meadows and forests. These insects attack animals and humans in swarms and suck the blood.

“There was significant conformity with biting midges in amber from the Baltic and Fushun in north-east China,” reports Stebner, who studied 38 of them from the Surat coal mine, which collates the new theory that the Indian subcontinent was not isolated for 30 million years.

The research study had its Indian contribution from Hukam Singh, a scientists at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences, Lucknow and the study was published in journal PLOS ONE.

Pinaka Guided Rocket Successfully Test-Fired

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The Pinaka Rocket converted to a Guided Pinaka was successfully test-fired from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Chandipur on Thursday, said the ministry of defence in a statement.

The Pinaka Rocket Mark-II, which evolved from Pinaka Mark-I is equipped with a navigation, guidance and control kit and has been transformed to a Guided Pinaka, which has considerably enhanced the range and accuracy of the rocket.

The test-firing has met all mission objectives with the radars, electro-optical and telemetry systems tracked at Chandipur facility that monitored the vehicle all through its flight-path. The Guided Pinaka is developed jointly by ARDE Pune, RCI Hyderabad and DRDL Hyderabad. ITR Chandipur provided the range and launch support for the successful test-firing.

Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher produced by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The system has a maximum range of 40 km for Mark-I and 65 km for Mark-II, and can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds. The system is mounted on a Tatra truck for mobility and it was used during the Kargil War effectively. On an average 5,000 missiles are being produced every year while the current one is an advanced version with enhanced range and accuracy.

Dr. K.M. Rajan, Director ARDE, Pune, Mr B.H.V.S. Narayana Murthy, Director, RCI, Hyderabad, Dr. B.K. Das, Director, ITR, Chandipur and Mr R. Appavuraj, Director, PXE, Chandipur monitored the launch operations and an Armed Forces team witnessed the flight test.

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar has congratulated the DRDO, industry and the Armed Forces for the successful flight-test and he was joined by top defence officials P.K. Mehta, DG (ACE) and Dr. S. Christopher, Secretary, Deptt. of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO.

[ tags pinaka rocket, test fired, drdo, chandipur test range]

India has Nobel Potential But Lacks Nurturing Scientists

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India has a great potential to be a scientific power and should invest more in basic and fundamental researches, said several Nobel laureates who spoke to a huge gathering of scientists, students and general public as a part of the first Nobel Prize Series being held in Ahmedabad in conjunction with the biennial summit of Vibrant Gujarat on Tuesday.

The Programme, Nobel Dialogue, saw active participation of 9 renowned scientists and Nobel Laureates including Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Dr. Richard Roberts, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Dr. Harold Varmus, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Dr. Randy Schekman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, David Gross, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, Dr. Ada Yonath, Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics and Dr. William E Moerner Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry.

Interesting discussions ranging from getting rid of mosquitoes to tackle malaria, research for finding out new vaccines, genetic modification of food crops and the need for strengthening education particularly science education were discussed at these two sessions.

The first dialogue was introduced and moderated by the Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan and the second by the Deputy Chairman, Nobel Foundation Dr Goran K Hansson. Several students and Scientists posed interesting questions to Nobel Laureates.

Dr. Venkatraman Ramkrishnan pointed out that there is a lot of scope for research on vaccines in India. Dr. Richards Roberts pointed out that 125 Nobel Laureates have signed in favor of Genetically modified food crops and that opposition against them is unjustifiable as about 800 million people world over go without food every night.

Dr. Randy Schekman said that India with a history of having had Nalanda University over 1,000 years before the first university in other parts of the world came up, should think of having a high quality affordable education system. The Laureates said that they shared their ideas with the Prime Minister at a dinner meeting that they had with Narendra Modi on Monday evening.

The dialogue is part of the Nobel Prize Series, India 2017, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, 9th January. The Nobel Prize Series Science Exhibition was also inaugurated at the Science City in Ahmedabad.

As a run-up to these events, a nationwide Ideathon contest was organised that invited ideas from students that could address any challenges faced by society. The ideas were reviewed by a panel of experts and about 150 students from across the country were selected and have been invited to participate and meet with the Nobel Laureates.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed last year by Nobel Media and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India for hosting Nobel Prize Series in India for the next five years.

After this agreement, a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Biotechnology of Government of India, the Government of Gujarat and the Nobel Media. Accordingly, the first of the Nobel Prize Series, India 2017 is being held as a prelude to Vibrant Gujarat to demonstrate how science and discovery underpins all enterprise and human well-being under the overall theme of “Science Impacts Lives”. See below a drawing released by PIB on the occasion.

As a part of the Nobel Prize Series, India 2017 lectures are also to be held in Delhi and Bengaluru on 12th and 13th January, 2017.

Pentagon Tests Micro-Drone Swarm Technology

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U.S. military has successfully tested more than 103 micro-drones released from 3 F/A-18 Super Hornets, in what it said the largest-ever test for the cutting-edge “swarm” technology.

The swarm of 103 Perdix micro drones, too small and of battery-powered were launched from three separate Super Hornets at China Lake in California, by the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, or SCO, in collaboration with Naval Air Systems Command, said a statement.

The micro-drones demonstrated swarm behavior in terms of “collective decision-making, adaptive formation flying, and self-healing,” said a Defense Department release on Monday.

“This is the kind of cutting-edge innovation that will keep us a step ahead of our adversaries. This demonstration will advance our development of autonomous systems,” Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who created the SCO in 2012. The test was conducted in October 2016 and aired on Sunday’s CBS News program “60 Minutes”.

Perdix micro drones are low-altitude flying devices too small to be detected with naked eye or a radar but they are capable of autonomously conducting intelligence collection and useful for surveillance operations.

Perdix are not pre-programmed synchronized individuals but act like a collective organism, sharing one distributed brain for decision-making and adapting to each other like swarms in nature, said SCO Director William Roper. “Because every Perdix communicates and collaborates with every other Perdix, the swarm has no leader and can gracefully adapt to drones entering or exiting the team.”

These devices were originally developed by engineering students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and they were eventually modified for military application at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in 2013.

Earlier, they were test using F-16 flare canisters by the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in 2014 and in 2015. About 90 Perdix missions were undertaken so far under U.S. Pacific Command’s Northern Edge exercise in Alaska.

India to Allocate Dwarka Land for 2nd Diplomatic Enclave in Delhi

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Indian Cabinet has approved the transfer of 34.87 Hactares of land in Sector 24, Dwarka, New Delhi from Delhi Development Authority to Land and Development Office (L&DO) for the purpose of allocating it to the proposed Second Diplomatic Enclave in the national capital.

Currently, there is only one Diplomatic Enclave in Chanakyapuri, where land has been allotted to the Embassies soon after Independence and several embassies and foreign missions have been set up in nearby Shanti Niketan or Vasant vihar areas.

The Ministry of External Affairs has long been demanding for more land for allotment to Diplomatic Missions/ International Organizations for building their Chanceries/ Embassies in Delhi. For this DDA has earmarked 34.87 Ha land in Sector 24, Dwarka, which will be transferred to L&DO, said a statement.

This will provide land for Second Diplomatic Enclave in Dwarka near the International Airport in New Delhi, which will be easy to access for foreign missions in the capital.

Indian Cabinet Okays MoU with Portugal, Kenya, Uruguay

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Indian Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved signing of bilateral agreements with Portugal, Kenya and Uruguay in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

The Agreements cover exchange of scientific and technical information, trade in plants and plant products, exchange of information in phytosanitary issues, training programmes, seminars and visits of experts and consultants.

These agreements will faciitate constitution of a Joint Working Groups comprising of representatives from both countries, to monitor the implementation of MoU and making concrete proposals for agriculture cooperation in the future.

The agreements will remain in force for five years, to be automatically extended for another five years unless either Party gives written notice through diplomatic channels to the other Party of its intention to terminate the Agreement at least six months before its expiration, said a statement by the government.

The agreement with Uruguay is significant as it also envisages cooperation in Customs Matters. It vouches for help in the availability of information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences to ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between the two countries.

The Agreement also takes care of Indian Customs’ concerns and requirements, particularly in the area of exchange of information on the correctness of the Customs value declared, the authenticity of certificates of origin of goods and the description of the goods traded between the two countries.

Uruguay is an important trading partner of India among members of the MERCOSUR, a trading block in Latin America, with which India signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) that came into effect from 1st June, 2009.

As trade between India and the Uruguay has been expanding gradually, the pact provides a legal framework for sharing of information and intelligence between the Customs authorities of the two countries and help in the proper application of Customs laws, prevention and investigation of Customs offences and the facilitation of legitimate trade.

India to be in Top 3 Nations in Science by 2030: PM Modi

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Addressing scientists in the holy city of Tirupati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the rapid global rise of Cyber-Physical Systems has the potential to pose unprecedented challenges and the science community should be prepared to face it.

The 104th session of The Indian Science Congress was opened on Tuesday in the campus of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati on Tuesday focusing on theme “Science & Technology for National Development”.

The PM also paid tributes to eminent scientist Dr. M.G.K. Menon who died on November 2016. On new technologies, he said, “We equally need to keep an eye on the rise of disruptive technologies and be prepared to leverage them for growth.”

On the rapid global rise of Cyber-Physical Systems, he said it has the potential to pose unprecedented challenges and stresses to our demographic dividend but it should be turned into an opportunity by research, training and skilling in robotics, artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing, big data analysis, deep learning, quantum communication and Internet-of-Things.

“We need to develop an Inter-Ministerial National Mission in the Cyber-Physical Systems to secure our future by creation of basic R&D infrastructure, manpower and skills,” he added.

On ocean exploration, he said the Indian peninsula with over 1,300 islands, provides the nation a 7,500 kilometre coastline and 2.4 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone with huge opportunities in energy, food, medicine and a host of other natural resources, which may provide a significant dimension of a sustainable future.

He also noted that the Ministry of Earth Sciences is working to launch a Deep Ocean Mission to explore, understand and harness ocean resources.

“By 2030 India will be among the top three countries in science and technology and will be among the most attractive destinations for the best talent in the world. The wheels we set in motion today will achieve this goal,” he said and asked Indian institutions to involve foreign and NRI Ph.D. students in post-doctoral research in their projects.

He said the Ministry of Science & Technology is initiating a programme focused on students of classes 6 to 10 that will scout, mentor, reward and showcase 10 lakh top innovative ideas focused on local needs from 5 lakh schools.

Queen Elizabeth’s Health Triggers Anxiety Levels in London

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The long-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II’s health after she missed mass on Christmas Day for the first time in six decades has fuelled enough fire over the next course of events in Buckingham Palace. The palace, however, said the queen had a “heavy cold” and preferred to stay indoors, though she would participate in other ceremonies.

Queen Elizabeth II is longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom surpassing the earlier record created by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who took over India’s Queen in 1857, heralding the long British rule in the country. She is the only monarch who has visited over 115 countries so far.

Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, at the age of 25 years and now she is 90. While other media outlets rubbished the reports in some quarters of the British media, the BBC said it was merely "undue concern”.

The queen has four children – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The ledest Prince Charles is the heir to the throne even if the Queen relinquishes her throne or dies.

Indian Navy Chief Visits Japan, Bilateral Ties to Strengthen Further

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The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, has paid an official visit to Japan from 19 December 2016 in a bid to consolidate existing Maritime Cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues.

Defence cooperation between India and Japan is currently robust and is primarily focused towards Maritime Cooperation ever since the commencement of the India-Japan Comprehensive Security Dialogue which was initiated in 2001.

Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) has participated in the MALABAR exercise in 2007, 2009, 2014 prior being included as a regular member in the exercise since 2015. JMSDF participated in MALABAR 15 and 16 held in the Bay of Bengal and Western Pacific respectively.

In 2014, Japan has also been included as an observer in the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a Maritime Cooperation construct conceptualised and pioneered by Indian Navy in 2008.

Both navies also engage in Navy to Navy Staff Talks which commenced in 2008. The 7th Navy to Navy Staff Talks are scheduled to be held in 2017. JDS Matsuyuki participated in the International Fleet Review 2016 held at Visakhapatnam.

The Chief of Staff of the JMSDF, Admiral Tomihisa Takei also attended the Review. Indian Navy too participated in the International Fleet Review conducted by the JMSDF in Oct 15 at Sagami Bay, Yokosuka, Japan.

JMSDF for the first time participated in the Admiral’s Cup Sailing Regatta conducted by the Indian Navy in 2016 at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala from 05 to 11 Dec 16. Warships of both countries regularly visit each other’s ports.

India and Japan share similar maritime challenges such as long coastline, extensive EEZ, coastal security, large coastal shipping and fishing fleet, wherein both navies have opportunities to learn from each other’s experiences. In addition common ground exists for cooperation on a number of issues common to both navies.

Indian navy chief Admiral Sunil Lamba

During the visit, Admiral Sunil Lanba is scheduled to hold discussions with Chief of Staff, JMSDF, Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff besides other Senior Dignitaries and Naval Officers.

The friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilisational ties. India’s earliest documented direct contact with Japan was with the Todaiji Temple in Nara, where the consecration or eye-opening of the towering statue of Lord Buddha was performed by an Indian monk, Bodhisena, in 752 AD.

In contemporary times, among prominent Indians associated with Japan were Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, JRD Tata, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Judge Radha Binod Pal. The Japan-India Association was set up in 1903, and is today the oldest international friendship body in Japan.

India Signs Open Skies Pact With 6 Countries During ICAN 2016

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On the sidelines of International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) – 2016 held recently in Nassau from 5th to 9thDecember, 2016, R.N. Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation said that India signed agreements with six nations on air aviation.

The Conference was attended by 106 countries out of ICAO membership of 191 countries. India held negotiations with 17 countries and “Memorandum of Understanding” was signed with 12 countries.   The major issues resolved at these negotiations as per the directions in National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP 2016) are:

  1. Increase in traffic rights:- India renegotiated traffic rights with Oman increasing the entitlements with 6,258 seats effective from Summer 2017 as the existing entitlements were nearly exhausted. The points of call remained unchanged.

India agreed with Saudi Arabia to increase the capacity by 8000 seats per week from IATA season when Indian carrier’s utilization reaches 80%. This was in response to the needs of increasing traffic between the two countries where Indian carriers have been utilising open sky in Damman to mount more flights than the Saudi Arabian side.

India also agreed with Ghana to increase the present allocation of 2 frequencies to 7 frequencies per week to encourage connectivity between the two countries.

  1. Open Skies agreement as per NCAP 2016 :- allows unlimited number of flights to six metro airports namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai, was signed with six countries namely Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka. The new arrangement will encourage connectivity and passenger travel between India and these countries.
  2. New Air Service Agreements were signed with Jamaica and Guyana.
  3. Code Shares:- In the present scenario code shares provide seamless connectivity to the travelling passengers and make possible connectivity between far off destinations not served by direct flights.  As per NCAP 2016 code shares are to be encouraged and keeping this in view, negotiations were completed with 9 countries to enable the legal framework between the governments of these countries to make possible code shares between the airlines of two sides. The negotiations have  enabled domestic code shares with Czech Republic, Portugal and Malaysia, domestic and international code shares including third country airlines with Guyana, removal of restriction of counting of capacity in case of code share with 3rd country carriers and domestic code  share to additional two points to Mauritius, code share with 3rd country carriers and 4 additional domestic code share points with Saudi Arabia and Spain and code share with 3rd country carriers with Sri Lanka.
  4. Resolution of other issues relating to Air Services Agreement was also completed with Ghana, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.

India to Get Germany’s Aid Worth Euro 1 billion for ‘Green Energy Corridors’

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Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal addressing at the National Energy Conservation Day function, in New Delhi on December 14, 2016. (PIB)

Union Minister for State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that a comprehensive scheme including Intra-State and Inter-State transmission system has been identified as a part of ‘Green Energy Corridors’.

The German air agency KfW Germany is providing soft loan to be funded as 20% equity of the State government, 40% grant from National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) and 40% soft loan, whereas, the inter State transmission schemes are to be funded as 30% equity by PGCIL and 70% as soft loan, he said.

For Inter-state transmission projects pertaining to Part A, B and C of Green Energy Corridor, loan agreement for financial assistance of Euro 500 million from KfW, Germany has been signed by PGCIL and the projects are likely to be completed by 2018. Further, for implementation of transmission schemes under Green Energy Corridor-Part D, PGCIL has taken loan from ADB.

For Intra-state transmission projects under Green Energy Corridor; the States of Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have signed the loan agreements from KfW, Germany for financial assistance of Euro 76 million, Euro 49 million, Euro 57 million, Euro 68 million, Euro 114 million and Euro 124 Million respectively.

Further, Goyal added that in order to integrate solar parks with the grid, Ministry of Power assigned PGCIL to implement Inter-State transmission scheme for evacuation from 8 solar parks (7200 MW). Transmission scheme for 6 solar parks (5750 MW) is already under implementation [Ananthapuram (1500 MW), Pavagada (2000 MW), Rewa (750 MW), Bhadla-III (500 MW), Bhadla-IV (250 MW), Essel Saurya (750 MW)]. Tender issued for Banaskantha Solar Park (700 MW), whereas Long Term Access (LTA) application for other MP solar park from the developer is awaited.

To evacuate power from the renewable capacity addition in renewable rich States (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), transmission system strengthening, both Intra State and Inter State, along with setting up of Renewable Energy Management Centre (REMC) and the control infrastructure is being implemented under GECs.

Digital IT Honchos to Meet Trump, Grudgingly for Now!

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President-elect Donald Trump is meeting the IT honchos known as “Technology Roundtable” on Wednesday, December 14th, reportedly organized in part by Paypal co-founder and Trump supporter Peter Thiel.

The list of invitees include Alphabet (Google) CEO Larry Page; Apple CEO Tim Cook; Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella; Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg; Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins; IBM CEO Ginni Rommetty; Intel CEO Brian Krzanich; and Oracle CEO Safra Catz. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may also join, though Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he wasn’t invited.

During the election campaign, Cook and Page were allegedly involved in early discussions of how to stop Trump’s nomination, while Apple came under criticism by Trump for manufacturing its phones in China and refusing to provide security backdoors to law enforcement. Bezos was engaged in a running battle with Trump throughout the campaign and described Trump as “eroding our democracy.”

Other IT people invited for the roundtable include Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, IT investor and Shark Tank fame Mark Cuban, HP CEO Meg Whitman, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.