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Monday,
February 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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India’s nuclear technology signals robust health UP ELECTIONS
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Uttaranchal Cong expels rebels Top Air Force officers reshuffled Padma Bhushan to Carbide man irks Bhopal gas victims Artistes share Sitara Devi’s anguish 3.5 kg kidney tumour removed
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India’s nuclear technology signals robust health
The year 2002 brings good cheer from an area of advanced science and technology — the nuclear sector — vital for India’s good economic health and security concerns. Riding a wave of technology advances in 2001, India’s nuclear programme is poised for a major thrust all round, affecting her economy and security concerns. “In the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), we have considerable experience in converting our research efforts into successful large-scale deployment. We must take these capabilities and their applications to greater heights. We know we can do it. Also we know that the nation expects this from us”, says the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Anil Kakodkar in an interview with O.P. Sabharwal. Dr Kakodkar said, “Our commercial nuclear power programme has done extremely well during 2001. The Nuclear Power Corporation, which is responsible for this programme, has demonstrated a high level of excellence in the performance of operating power stations as well as construction projects. Excerpts from the interview Q: In the expanded levels of nuclear reactor construction, has our nuclear establishment added a significant technology quotient? Answer: The answer is in the affirmative. While we move on the path of excellence in our operation and construction programme, we should also remember that technology never remains static. It needs continuous upgrading. I am extremely pleased at the programmes that have been taken up by the NPCIL for enhancing the rating of 500 mwe units significantly through the use of limited boiling in coolant channels along with the activities to upgrade some of the operating units. At one point of time we had planned to set up 10,000 mwe capacity by the year 2000. Let us realise this target in the next 10 years, and also achieve the objective of realising 20,000 mwe capacity by the year 2020. Q.: What has been the shape of nuclear infrastructure industries, particularly nuclear fuel and heavy water units, in which output is of vital concern in predominant Indian reactor design? Ans: The excellent performance in our power programme was, during the outgoing year, matched by excellent performance in fuel manufacturing and heavy water production. Our heavy water plants registered a substantial reduction in energy consumption resulting in reduced production costs while maintaining an excellent safety record. Similarly, the Nuclear Fuel Complex exceeded its target production for the third successive year. Programmes are now well underway to demonstrate front-edge technologies for our heavy water plants, which would be delinked from fertiliser plants, even while the latter are themselves undergoing a technology change. Q.: Reports from many advance countries speak of inhibitions in regard to fast breeders. What is the situation in India? Has there been significant advance in this area so vital for India’s long-term nuclear power programme aimed at inducting thorium in the fuel cycle? And how are matters with the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, which presumably will provide a half-way hose of thorium induction? Ans: Development of fast breeder reactor technology is of crucial importance in our efforts to exploit full energy potential in the context of our uranium and thorium resources. The indigenously developed uranium plutonium mixed-carbide fuel used in the fast breeder test reactor FBTR has shown excellent performance and is nearing three times the original design target. The work on design and development of 500 mwe prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) has reached the stage when we can take up its construction. The PFBR would serve as a commercial demonstrator on the basis of which, further construction programme has to follow. The work on fast reactor technology has to be matched with the development of appropriate fuel cycle technologies aimed at minimising out of pile inventory and realisation of short doubling time. As for the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, consistent with our mission to develop technologies for thorium utilisation, the detailed design of the AHWR is nearing completion here at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). A new critical facility is also being set up at BARC for validating the reactor physics aspect of the core design of the AHWR. A technology road map on shaping the third stage of our power programme has been formulated and a document on this has been put out. This programme involves a very large number of scientific disciplines and technologies and needs to be pursued as a national programme. Q: Could you focus on the Research and Development projects that the nuclear establishment has lately been working on? Ans: The DAE is unique in its technological capabilities, both for basic research and application development. In the area of basic research, Indus-I, the first synchrotron radiation source, is an important development and in regular operation with three of its five beam lines commissioned at the Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT), Indore. Work on the construction of Indus-II is progressing well. The construction of superconducting LINAC booster to enhance the energy of heavy ion beams is progressing at the BARC-TIFR Pelletron Accelerator. The ILU6 industrial electron accelerator is now in regular operation at Vashi and is available for industry users. The Electron Beam Centre being set up at Kharghar as well as the developments at CAT would support further development and deployment of this important technology for industry. Several new areas in modern biology, such as brain research, were opened up at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Q: Can you throw light on nuclear research in agriculture, food irradiation and health areas such as cancer? Ans: In the area of nuclear agriculture, our search has proved to be very beneficial towards enhancing production of important pulses and oilseeds. We have a good network with several agricultural universities. We should now make the benefit of our R and D available to farmers and villagers living in the vicinity of our installations. This would serve the twin objective of demonstration and larger breeder seed production. An institutional mechanism wherein this could be done on the basis of self-help with the DAE and its scientists playing an interactive and catalytic role needs to be developed. Radiation processing of agro and other food products would soon become very important in view of the possibility of storage over longer duration without spoilage and better hygienic quality. This technology along with other complimentary technologies can certainly contribute to higher value addition activities and also improved price stability. The high dose spices processing plant of BRIT at Navi Mumbai and a plant nearing completion at Lasalgaon near Nasik for radiation processing of agro products requiring low doses would serve as demonstrator facilities of important technology. I am happy to note that the foundation stone of the first private sector commercial plant for radiation processing of food products and sterilisation of medical products was laid a few days ago. We are in touch with other entrepreneurs and state government institutions to facilitate setting up of more such plants. The Centre for Advanced Technology is working on the use of electron beams for food processing. The Cancer Research Institute of Tata Memorial Centre has been actively involved in basic research and transnational research related to cancer. A Western blot kit for detection of HIV was formulated in the institute and this is now ready for marketing in India. For the first time in India, transgenic mice have been developed and pre-clinical studies for the gene therapy of oral cancer have been completed. Q: In the sensitive area of security and defence, India’s nuclear deterrent capability is an aspect that is of great concern to the country at the present juncture. Could you affirm that India’s advancing nuclear technology embraces our nuclear defence and security capability just as nuclear technology is pushing ahead in the areas of peaceful applications? Ans:
I can answer your question in
the affirmative. Nuclear capability acquisition is inter-related and
cannot be divided into compartments. India’s nuclear deterrent is
stronger than ever. (IPA Service). |
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UP ELECTIONS Lucknow, February 3 While there are still 15 days for the voters to make up their mind but initial indications suggest that it is going to be an uphill task for the BJP candidates to retain their seats this time as a very keen contest appears to be in the offing between the ruling party, the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the Lok Parivartan Party of BSP rebel R.K. Chaudhary. In and around this city of “Nawabs”, the BJP had won 5 Assembly seats in the 1996 elections and the BSP and the Samajwadi Party had one seat each. The sitting BJP MLAs are again in the fray in the East, Central, Cantonment, West and Mahona Assembly constituencies but the anti-incumbency factor in Lucknow, being an urban centre known for its etiquettes, appears to be strong. In Lucknow
West, from where Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon, who has also been enjoying Mr Vajpayee’s confidence, the contest is still wide open with SP candidate Virendra Bhatia putting up a stiff challenge. The large Muslim population in this constituency is working against Mr Tandon though the minister in the Rajnath Singh government is hoping that Congress candidate Farid Rizvi would manage enough votes to make him sail through. In Mahona, from where sitting BJP MLA Gomti Yadav is fighting against his old rival Santosh Prasad Yadav of the SP, former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s niece Sunita Singh and BSP candidate Sitala Bux Singh are also in the field. In the four-cornered contest, the BJP appears to be in a tight corner with neither an issue nor a wave favouring it. Only the five-year rule of the BJP appears to be weighing in the voters’ mind. In the Sarojni Nagar constituency, a four-cornered battle is on the cards with sitting SP MLA Shyam Kishore Yadav facing a tough challenge from Congress candidate Ajay Kumar Tripathi and BSP MLA aspirant Mohammad Ershad Khan. In Lucknow Central, sitting BJP MLA Suresh Kumar Srivastva is facing a serious challenge from SP candidate Banwari Lal Kanschal who had deserted the BJP only sometime back. But in this closely contested electoral exercise, the BSP and the Congress candidates cannot be just written off as the coming days may generate an issue which may spring a surprise. Rebel BJP candidate Amit Puri is another source of trouble for the ruling party MLA. In Lucknow Cantonment, the battle appears to be three-cornered with the sitting BJP MLA Suresh Chandra Tewari facing formidable challenge from SP candidate Sharda Pratap Shukla and Congress challenger Rajendra Singh, alias Gappu. In Lucknow East, sitting BJP MLA Vidyasagar Gupta is facing a tough challenge from SP candidate Ravidas Mehrotra who is a former university president and was once the member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Congress candidate Kush Bhargava, son of prominent Congress leader of yester-years Rani Ramkumar Bhargava, is also leaving no stone unturned. In the neighbouring reserved constituency of Mohanlalganj, sitting MLA R.K. Chaudhary is contesting from his own party, the Lok Parivartan Party. He is being supported by the BJP and his main challenge is the BSP candidate
R.P. Saroj. Mr Chaudhary had won the seat in 1996 on the BSP ticket but he had to leave the party in the wake of differences with former Chief Minister Mayawati. |
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BJP
Website on UP poll New Delhi, February 3 Launching the site, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the BJP had become the first political party in the country to have a website dedicated to polls for speedy news and photographs from remote areas. Though the
Website www.upelections.com was conceived for UP, facts and data about Uttaranchal and Manipur had also been incorporated to broaden contents, she said. The minister said that the party was not trying to reach the voters through the website but it would help the media by providing latest news speedily as well as necessary data for
in-depth analyses. |
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Uttaranchal Cong expels rebels Dehra Dun, February 3 All 13 district Congress committees have taken action expelling all rebel candidates with immediate effect for six years, Mr Agarwal said. He said the exact number of expelled rebel candidates would be known in a day or two. The prominent expelled rebel candidates include Mr Suryakant Dhasmana, Mr Umesh Sharma ‘kau’, Mr Harshavardhan Sharma and Mr Ramsharan Nautiyal. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and senior party leader Karan Singh would also canvass for party candidates in the state. Party President Sonia Gandhi is coming to Srinagar and Bageshwar to address election meetings tomorrow.
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Top Air Force officers reshuffled New Delhi, February 3 An official statement said Marshal Menon, on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, would continue to hold the additional charge of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Operations). It said the Air Force took the decision not to shift Marshal Menon from the Operations Directorate in view of the present mobilisation on the border. Air Marshal Menon was the Air Officer commanding Jammu and Kashmir area during the Kargil operation. In another changes, Air Marshal M.B. Madon has taken over Air Officer (Commanding-in-Chief), Eastern Air Command, in Shillong. He replaces Air Marshal S.G. Inamdar who has taken over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. Air Marshal A.R. Gandhi has taken over as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), Western Air Command while Air Vice Marshal S.K. Malik, on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, has taken over as the SASO, South Western Air Command in Gandhinagar. |
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Padma Bhushan to Carbide man irks Bhopal gas victims Bhopal, February 3 The inclusion of Keshub Mahindra’s name in the list of recipients of Padma Bhushan, published by the Union Government on the Republic Day, has upset the Bhopal gas leak survivors. Keshub Mahindra was chairman of the Union Carbide (India) Limited, a subsidiary of the Union Carbide Corporation, which was responsible for the upkeep of the pesticide plant in Bhopal. The leak of MIC gas on the intervening night of December 2, 3,1984, had created havoc in the city, the after-effects of which were still continuing. An estimated 30,000 persons had so far succumbed to the MIC leak-related complications and a few lakh survivors are afflicted with various ailments. The Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan, a leading voluntary organisation working among the gas leak survivors, today appealed to the Union Government to withdraw the honour conferred on Keshub Mahindra. Sangathan convener Abdul Jabbar told mediapersons today that they would move the Supreme Court if the Union Government did not withdraw the Padma Bhushan awarded to Mahindra within one month. The Union Government had failed to seek the extradition of the then Union Carbide Corporation chairman Warren Anderson against whom the warrants had been pending for nearly a decade. Now bestowing the national honour on another “culprit” of the Bhopal gas disaster was like adding insult to injury, Mr Jabbar said.
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Artistes share Sitara Devi’s anguish New Delhi, February 3 Many a distinguished artiste, while refusing comment on Sitara’s action, admit that the honour has come “late” for her and that there are scores of doyens in other classical forms who have yet to be accorded the honour due to them. Kathak exponent Uma Sharma, who was awarded Padma Bhushan last year, says Sitara Devi, her senior of many years, got the Padma Shri along with herself in 1973. Although, Uma Sharma feels that “justice has been done to her,” she quickly points out that her second honour came years after Bharat Natayam dancer Sonal Mansingh, “my junior” got it. Sitara Devi, who is now 79 years old, herself said: “My juniors and contemporaries like Kishan Maharaj and Kishori Amonkar have been decorated with Padma Vibhushan. How can I accept Padma Bhushan... It’s an insult to kathak.” Echoing her feelings, Pandit Birju Maharaj, one of the greatest kathak dancers the country has had, says that his own Guru, Pandit Lachchu Maharaj, who was also his uncle was awarded much after himself. The angst is not restricted to the field of art alone. Assamese writer, Indira Raisam Goswami, has also declined to accept Padma Shri as she found “this award very incongruous after getting the Jnanpith and several other national and international awards.” “While it is not for me to say whether she (Sitara Devi) was right or wrong, she has received the award rather late,” says Birju Maharaj.
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3.5 kg kidney tumour removed New Delhi, February 3 Dr Rakesh Chopra, Senior Consultant Oncology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and member of the Executive Committee of American Society of Clinical Oncology said that although kidney tumours can be big, the aforesaid tumour is little bigger than usual. Dr Katiyar said that the patient, J.P. Singh is stable on the third day of the five-hour long operation and is likely to be discharged after a week. He said that Mr Singh, a college teacher in Jaipur, came to the hospital on January 26 after doctors at SMS Hospital, Jaipur failed to diagnose his ailment. The patient’s family told Dr Katiyar that he had been complaining of acute pain in the abdomen. Doctors at SMS Hospital first diagnosed the condition through ultrasound as liver abscess and drained out the fluid. When the patient did not get any relief, the doctors advised him another ultrasound and operated on the abdomen. Eventually, the CT Scan showed a large tumour. Fed up with the long process, the patient decided to come to Batra Hospital for a second opinion. During preliminary examination, Dr Katiyar noticed a bulge in his stomach. The patient had low energy level and his haemoglobin was only 6. He was given three units of blood. During the emergency surgery, he bled a little and was given three units of blood on the operating table. Dr Katiyar said that the histopathology will indicate the type, grade and stage of tumour. The patient is presently on iv fluids. His stitches will be removed two weeks after the operation. After a gap of a fortnight, he will undergo radiotherapy for 25 days, five days a week. The patient’s brother, Sanjay Kumar Tomar confirmed that doctors at SMS Hospital could not diagnose the malady. He said that the doctors operated on his brother twice and tried to pump out the fluid with the help of a syringe. It was only on January 24 that the CT scan indicated a tumour. Having spent Rs 30,000 on medication at the hospital, Mr Singh’s family lost no time in bringing him to Delhi. Tomar recalled that for almost a year, his brother had been vomiting
frequently and complained of pain in the abdomen. The surgery and hospitalisation at Batra Hospital has cost the patient about Rs 60,000. His medicine bills are
likely to touch Rs 20,000. The tumour will be preserved in a jar and kept in the pathology lab in the hospital for
at least a year. |
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