The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	MiG-21 completes 50 years in India Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, April 17 It was 50 years ago that MiG-21, the first supersonic fighter jet in the Indian Air Force fleet, flew over Indian skies. The plane, which went on to serve as a frontline fighter in 1971 war with Pakistan, had then put New Delhi firmly in the Soviet Union-led Bloc during the Cold War era. It was only 45 years later, in 2008, that India and the US started warming up to each other. In the intervening period, the Soviet Union collapsed and India emerged as a fledgling global power. Fifty years later, there have been subdued functions to mark the arrival of the first MiG 21 and 50 years of the Indo-Russian defence partnership. Besides the MiG-21, these 50 years have seen subsequent variants like the MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27 and MiG-29 in India. On April 15, General Director of JSC "Russian Aircraft Corporation" MiG, Sergei Korotkov, presented a memento to the Indian Ambassador at Moscow, Ajay Malhotra. On April 20, a book on MiGs in India will be released by Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne. The first lot of MiG-21s had arrived in Mumbai in January 1963 and was assembled to be handed over to the 28 Squadron, known as the 'first supersonics' in IAF terminology. The squadron was based at Chandigarh, then no more than a fledging small-town of bureaucrats and the ruling political class. It was in April 1963 that the MiG-21s started flying in a routine more than the speed of sound sending a noisy sound of the 'boom' across the plains of Punjab. Wg Cdr Dilbagh Singh (later Chief of Air Staff) was commanding the squadron at that time. The 1962 agreement for the supply of MiG-21 to India was signed around the time India and China were just weeks away from bloody war. The IAF shortlist had the French Mirage III, the US-produced F-104 Starfighter and USSR-produced MiG-21. The Mirage III lost out due to high cost while the US reluctance to allow licensed production meant India opted for MiG-21. Fifty years later, Russia and India have a defence partnership going and are now co-developing the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). New Delhi's dependence on Moscow may not be the same as Cold War era, however, Defence Minister AK Antony always acknowledges Russia as a 'key ally'. First licensed production of MiG-21 started in India in 1964. It was in 1980 that MiG-23 arrived and two years later MiG-25 termed as 'foxbat' arrived. This was primarily a spying plane of era when satellite imagery was not well developed and was based out Sarsawa, Saharanpur. In 1985, the India-USSR relations were on the upswing. The newly developed MiG-29, the twin-engined fighter, was purchased by India. The western world was reportedly awestruck when it was first shown in Finland in 1986. The developments of those times have to be juxtaposed with the intense USA-USSR rivalry and the fact that Pakistan was a key ally of the US. Today, after the Cold War has ended, the Indian Navy had ordered the MiG 29-K, the sea-variant of the MiG-29, and deliveries have commenced. First Supersonic fighter jet The first lot of MiG-21s arrived in Mumbai in January 1963 and was assembled to be handed over to the 28 Squadron, known as the ‘first supersonics’ in IAF terminology The 1962 agreement for the supply of MiG-21 to India was signed around the time India and China were just weeks away from a bloody war The first licensed production of MiG-21 started in India in 1964. It was in 1980 that MiG-23s arrived and two years later MiG-25, termed as ‘foxbat’, had arrived
	Hydrogen as energy source: Breakthrough in Kolkata lab Kolkata, April 17 In a two-pronged approach aimed at solving India's energy and water problems, Kolkata scientists have achieved a breakthrough in developing an efficient and bankable hydrogen-based energy source. "These results are breakthroughs that help pave the way for hydrogen-based power generation," Abhishek Dey of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) told IANS. Environmentalists have hailed the development. "It is a dream of scientists to see a hydrogen-based economy, we hope for the dawn of the hydrogen age. Hydrogen can be used for transport as well as a fuel," said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi. The scientists hope hydrogen could be used as a source of clean and sustainable fuel to meet ever-increasing global energy needs. Abhishek Dey and his team at the IACS department of inorganic chemistry have shown in two different studies that hydrogen can be generated from water in a considerable amount, using two different metals, cobalt and iron, to speed up the reaction. Hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, alcohol, biomass and other non- renewable material. Splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen currently remains the core method of hydrogen generation. Development in this regard has been hindered by affordability and efficiency of the reaction-speeding substance or catalyst. Conventionally, platinum is used. It is efficient, but is also very expensive. "You need a catalyst that is fast, lasts for a while and will be selective towards its function. This process has been of interest because of increasing fuel prices and environmental concerns," Dey said. For the first study published in the American Chemical Society's Inorganic Chemistry journal this year, the Kolkata team, in collaboration with a research group in Israel led by Zeev Gross, came up with a new cobalt-based catalyst to boost the reaction. This cobalt catalyst proved to be highly efficient, and by immobilising it on a cheap graphite platform, one could use it to yield hydrogen in a water-based environment. "We have shown that the cobalt catalyst immobilized on graphite electrode can catalyze the reaction very efficiently, from water obtained from local sources without requiring pretreatment, and even in the presence of oxygen," Dey said. According to Dey, one can use water from most local sources and without any pre-treatment. "You can just filter the particulates out and use that water and get hydrogen out of it," Dey said. Encouraged by the results of the cobalt-based study, the team also examined an iron (1,000 times more abundant than cobalt)-based system for its catalytic properties. The projected turnover of the iron catalyst is around 80 litres of hydrogen per second per gram of the catalyst, a figure so far not reported in any study. "To the best of our knowledge this is possibly the highest electrocatalytic hydrogen generation rate reported so far. "In addition, iron can be stuck to the surface of very cheap carbon electrodes conventionally used in domestic zinc-carbon dry batteries. Profuse evolution of hydrogen gas was observed," said Dey, of the second study published in the American Chemical Society's Catalysis journal. Furthermore, the research could also prove to be a tool to tackle a water crisis as pure hydrogen generated using these catalysts, from sea or river water, when used in a fuel cell or a combustion engine, will produce pure water, according to Dey. The next step for Dey and his team is trying to scale up the lab process to judge its commercial viability. — IANS Big leap Kolkata scientists have acheived a breakthrough in developing an efficient and bankable hydrogen-based energy source The scientists hope hydrogen could be used as a source of clean and sustainable fuel to meet ever-increasing global energy needs Abhishek Dey and his team at the IACS department of inorganic chemistry have shown in two different studies that hydrogen can be generated from water in a considerable amount, using two different metals, cobalt and iron, to speed up the reaction Hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, alcohol, biomass and other non- renewable material. Splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen currently remains the core method of hydrogen generation
	NDA will split if BJP ignores allies on PM nominee: Sena Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, April 17 The Shiv Sena today once again warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would split if the latter declared its prime ministerial candidate without consulting its allies. In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna, the Sena leadership noted that the BJP could itself be a big loser if the NDA split. “Declaring someone as a candidate could bring in five or 10 seats, but if some old allies leave there could be a loss of 25 seats,” the editorial said. Echoing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Shiv Sena demanded that the BJP must choose its Prime Minister in consultation with its allies. “The BJP cannot choose the prime ministerial candidate on its own.... The NDA is like Arjun’s chariot drawn by many horses. Every horse is important. If the chariot gets stuck, this Mahabharat story will be different,” Saamna said. While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi might be one of the prime ministerial candidates, the final candidate should be decided by all the parties, Saamna said. The editorial also noted that the NDA is a divided house right now. “Everyone in the NDA is beating his own drum and bursting the ear drums of the people. There are squabbles every day over the PM candidate and the situation is getting ugly,” Saamna said. Asking party leaders like LK Advani, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj to step in, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece demanded that a solution be worked out. Comparing the UPA with the NDA, Saamna said the former presents a united house. “Everyone there is speaking in one voice supporting Manmohan despite their different opinions,” the editorial said. Incidentally, the editorial seemed to be keeping its options with Modi also open. “Even if Keshubhai Patel or Shankersinh Vaghela were the Chief Minister instead of Modi, the reaction (to the burning of the train at Godhra) would have been the same,” the write-up said. The paper also criticised Nitish Kumar saying he had changed his stand motivated by political calculations and ambition.
	First manned Mars mission draws flood of applicants New York, April 17 Applications are already pouring in for the ambitious Mars mission that aims to send an adventurous duo — a man and a woman — on a 501-day-long flyby around the Red Planet in January 2018. Millionaire Dennis Tito, who became the first space tourist in 2001, had unveiled the Inspiration Mars' "Mission for America" in February this year. Applications are now rolling in from enthusiasts, despite the fact that the selected couple may be crammed into a space the size of a recreational vehicle for more than a year, breathing recycled air, subsisting on dehydrated food and drinking their purified urine, 'LiveScience' reported. "We've already had a ton of applications," said Jane Poynter, president of the Paragon Space Development Corp, which has partnered with the Inspiration Mars Foundation for the mission. "Some of them are kind of interesting, but please don't send your applications just yet. We're not announcing that we're taking applications!" Poynter said. Speaking at the National Space Symposium in Colorado, members of the foundation described the challenges inherent in launching two humans on a 501-day flyby journey to the Red Planet and back in January 2018, but remained optimistic that those challenges aren't insurmountable. Tito unveiled the plan to launch the first manned mission to Mars in 2018, a voyage that could include an adventurous married crew. The project aims not to land people on the surface of the Red Planet, but to take advantage of a rare planetary alignment that would allow a relatively easy, quick flyby around the Mars. — PTI
	NCP leader’s son detained after his SUV mows down 2-yr-old Aurangabad, April 17 Reckless driving of a SUV car by the 17-year-old son of a senior NCP leader has snuffed out the life of a two-year-old girl after which the teenager was detained by the police. The police said today the minor son of Abdul Qadeer Maulana was detained for questioning after the sports utility vehicle(SUV) he was driving knocked down two minor girls and their uncle, killing the younger girl on the spot. The accident occurred on Tuesday morning and the minor victim was identified as Navya Prakash Sonawane, the police said. CCTV footage of the mishap showed the minor girl being mowed down by the high-end car. According to police, the minor boy was behind the wheel at the time of incident, while the car driver, Mohammed Amar Chaus, was seated beside him. Navya and her three-year-old sister Sayali were on their way to a temple along with their uncle Shirish Sonawane (35) when they were hit by the car near the Hudco TV Centre chowk, senior inspector Pratap Baviskar of Cidco police station said. The CCTV footage showed the car then went on to hit another two-wheeler and knocked down his driver. After the accident, an irate mob roughed up the occupants of the car and tried to burn the vehicle, but the police intervened and brought the situation under control. Sonawane and his niece were admitted to a private hospital. The minor boy was detained while Chaus was arrested in this connection, the police said. — PTI Death on wheels The police said the minor son of NCP leader Abdul Qadeer Maulana was detained for questioning after the SUV he was driving knocked down two minor girls and their uncle, killing the younger girl on the spot The accident occurred on Tuesday morning and the minor victim was identified as Navya Prakash Sonawane CCTV footage of the mishap showed the minor girl being mowed down by the high-end car
	PM meets envoys, reviews situation in neighbourhood Ashok Tuteja/TNS New Delhi, April 17 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is understood to have discussed the situation in the region with Indian envoys in neighbouring countries, amid indications that new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit New Delhi soon on first overseas official trip. The Indian ambassadors to Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Iran, Bhutan and the Maldives briefed Singh on the developments in the country under their respective charge. It was noticed that all the countries in the region are in a state of transition with elections slated in most of them during the course of the next one year. The elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan in May, Bhutan by the end of July, the Maldives in September, Nepal by mid-December, Bangladesh by the end of the year and Afghanistan by April next year. There was a considerable discussion on China with Ambassador S Jaishankar briefing the PM on the developments since the new leadership assumed office in the Communist country in March. The PM also apprised the Indian envoys of the discussions he had with new Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the BRICS Summit in South Africa last month. Jaishankar is believed to have told the PM that the new Chinese Premier has been very keen to visit India before going on any other overseas trip. The two countries are now discussing the possible dates for the visit, which is expected to take place in May. The Indian Prime Minister is also likely to visit China before the end of this year. The two countries are also now holding their first-ever dialogue on Afghanistan. A high-level Indian official delegation, led by Y K Sinha, Joint Secretary in-charge of Afghanistan in the External Affairs, has left for Beijing to hold the dialogue. The envoys held focused discussions on each neighbouring country with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai in the past two days. Chinese Premier to visit India soon The Indian ambassadors to Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Iran, Bhutan and the Maldives briefed Manmohan Singh on the developments in the country under their respective charge There was a considerable discussion on China with ambassador S Jaishankar briefing the PM on the developments since the new leadership assumed office in the Communist country in March Jaishankar is believed to have told the PM that the new Chinese Premier has been quite keen on visiting India before going on any other overseas trip It was noted that all countries in the region are in a state of transition with elections slated in most of them over the next one year
	IAF battles to free its bombing range from encroachers Vijay Mohan/TNS Chandigarh, April 17 Even as the armed forces face a dearth of firing ranges for training and maintaining operational preparedness, the IAF is embroiled in a legal battle to regain control over large parts of its Tilpat range in Haryana. The air force contends that a large area of its Tilpat firing and bombing range along the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh border near Faridabad has been encroached upon by locals who claim ownership of the said land. After the Additional District Judge (ADJ), Faridabad, ruled in favour of the IAF’s contentions, overturning an order by a lower court that had allowed the claims of the locals, the issue has now landed up before the Punjab and Haryana High Court where it is scheduled to come up for hearing later this month. The Tilpat range, which was acquired by the Central government in 1950, measures about 4,500 acres. The IAF states that over 351 bighas has been encroached upon, with farming activity and some constructions coming up. The earlier court proceedings also brought up curious details that not only the name of the village, Chak Salarpur, that the locals claim to be from does not exist in revenue records, but documents were fabricated by the UP authorities to show that the said land was under the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh. In her order recently, ADJ Ritu YK Behl had ruled that the locals concerned had failed to discharge the onus on them to show the exact location of the property to which they claim ownership making only vague statements without any specific allegations. The locals had contended that they purchased the said land from the Uttar Pradesh government in 1977 out of surplus evacuee land and later, with the Yamuna changing its course, Chak Salarpur was ceded to Haryana under the Dixit Award. The ADJ ruled that there was no document or record to show that any village by the name Chak Salarpur has ever been transferred to Haryana. Observing that the khasra numbers given by the locals and the location given by them does not tally with any document, the ADJ ruled that a local commission set on the orders of the then ADJ and the Faridabad Tehsildar had reported in 1997 that the records pertaining to Chak Salarpur were fabricated. The report stated that possession of the said land was taken over the Central government in 1950 and it was formally registered in its name in 1969.
	Tribal landowners stand in way of oil tapping in Nagaland Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, April 17 Tribal landowners from oil-bearing belts/districts in Nagaland want ‘separate agreement’ between them and companies bidding for exploration and extraction of petroleum and natural gas taking advantage of Article 371-A of the Constitution that guarantees protection and preservation of customary laws and practices. Landowners from the oil-bearing areas of Changpang and Old-Tssori have made it clear that oil companies bidding for exploration, production/extraction of petroleum and natural gas in zones under their areas should ensure a separate agreement between them and the companies for “smooth conduct”. Similarly, the Peren District Petroleum & Natural Gas Bearing Belt Land Owners’ Union (PDPNGBBLOU) has also asserted that “no agency/body/union/individual” would be permitted to “negotiate/bargain” with the government or any other agency or represent the union at any forum without prior consent and approval on matters pertaining to oil exploration and extraction in the district. It was stated by PDPNGBBLOU president Kumui Nring and secretary Dr Ndangkie Ndang following an emergency meeting at the Ngwalwa Village Council Hall on Tuesday. The meeting deliberated on relevant issues pertaining to extraction and utilisation of oil and natural gas resources from the district. The union said companies/agencies interested in exploration/production/extraction of oil and natural gas from the district should first sign an agreement with the landowners or the union. It also warned that in the event of any “unilateral operation” without the consent of the landowners/PDPNGBBLOU, the companies/ agencies would be held responsible. It may be mentioned that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on September 22, 2012, passed the Nagaland Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulations, 2012. The Changpang Land Owners’ Union (CLOU) maintains that while the state shared the responsibility for governance, it was, however, not “an absolute owner” of land in Nagaland given that Article 371-A guarantees protection and preservation of customary laws and practices in Nagaland. As per the tribal customs, the state government doesn’t own any land in Nagaland and land is under absolute private holding.
	SP, BSP get into poll mode Shahira Naim/TNS Lucknow, April 17 While the Lok Sabha elections may well be a year away, two outside partners of the UPA, the SP and the BSP, have clearly put their parties in poll mode with national presidents of both the parties presiding over poll preparedness meetings today. Predicting general election ahead of schedule, BSP national president Mayawati today declared that her party was ready for any such eventuality. Establishing a direct dialogue with the youth brigade of the party, SP national president Mulayam Singh Yadav today gave the slogan of “100 youth at every booth” to energise the youth brigade. He was addressing a meeting of the youth frontal organisations of the party — the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, Lohia Vahini, Samajwadi Chatra Sabha and the Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade. Mulayam once again asked youth their active support to give the party an upper hand in national politics. Addressing a meeting at the state party headquarters here, Mayawati blamed the Congress-led UPA government’s wrong economic policies for causing political instability which will force early elections.
	One held for rape, murder of minor Tezpur (Assam), April 17 The police today arrested one person for alleged involvement in the rape-cum-murder of a seven-year-old girl whose body was recovered near a village at Sonitpur district of Assam yesterday. The police said seven other persons have been detained for questioning in this regard. The minor girl, who hailed from Cheralia village, had been raped and later killed by unidentified persons. One Gakul Orang (26) was arrested for being allegedly involved in the crime. Among the persons detained for questioning are Dipen Orang (22), Sam Orang (27) and August Orang (28), while the identity of the other four has not been disclosed. The girl was kidnapped from her house late in the night of April 15. The police is still investigating as to how the kidnapping was carried out. The minor's body was recovered from a paddy field near Cheralia village yesterday by some locals who later informed the police. — PTI
	Maharashtra minister caught abusing students Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, April 17 Maharashtra's Medical Education Minister Vijaykumar Gavit has joined his Cabinet colleague Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in insulting people publicly. Gavit has been caught on camera abusing students who approached him for help after their medical college was de-recognised by the Medical Council of India. Students of Jamnalal Goenka Dental College at Akola had approached Gavit at his chamber at Mumbai's Mantralaya where they sought his help in appearing for their exams at another institution. “Get out from here. If you don't leave I will not do even the little I can to help you,” Gavit is heard yelling at the students. The students, who were heard pleading before the minister, got another earful when he refused any help.