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Develop people-friendly technologies, CM to scientists
87 institutes connected with high-speed network
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Dimri advocates use of solar energy
India, Oz working on tsunami warning systems
Policy hindering information distribution
Graphic Era, Wipro to hold job fest on Nov 12
Trust to give scholarship to needy
St Joseph Academy holds sports meet
Special Olympics’ athletics meet from tomorrow
Dehradun clinch basketball trophy
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Develop people-friendly technologies, CM to scientists
Dehradun, November 10 Addressing the Fifth Uttarakhand Science Congress organised by the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) at Doon University, Dehradun, Dr Nishank said Uttarakhand was fast developing into a hub of higher education, particularly in the science stream. He reminded the congress that some of the best scientific institutions were situated in Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun. The Chief Minister said sharpness of vision and seriousness of thought were requisites for an intellectual activity. Referring to the session on climate change, he said fast climatic changes occurring in the Himalayan region would have a great impact not only on the climate of the country, but that of the entire world. His government would give due priority to the recommendations submitted by the scientists at the conclusion of the three-day congress. The Chief Minister felicitated internationally acclaimed scientists DS Bhakuni, VP Dimri and BK Gairola. Umesh Chandra Pandey, a maths lecturer from Government Inter-College at Binapani in Almora, was awarded the Best Science Teacher award by the National Academy of Sciences. Welcoming the Chief Minister and other dignitaries, Doon University’s Vice-Chancellor Girijesh Pant called for attention towards the need for setting up a higher education council in the state in order to monitor the quality of higher education. “We have suggested that academic auditing of universities should be carried out along with financial auditing. This would lead to autonomy and accountability,” Pant said. Director of UCOST Rajendra Dobhal said the objective of the science congress was to provide a vibrant platform for young and senior scientists to interact and exchange ideas in an atmosphere conducive to intellectual activity. Former Director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology BR Arora, who is now associated with the National Academy of Science, India (NASI), Renowned scientist Anupam Verma and former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary RS Tolia also delivered lectures. Dr DP Uniyal and Dr Brijmohan Sharma were also present.
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87 institutes connected with high-speed network
Talking to The Tribune on
the sidelines of the Uttarakhand Science Congress in Dehradun, Dr BK Gairola, Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), said the NIC was working speedily towards realising the goals of collaborative research thought setting up of the National Knowledge Network in the
country. “We have already connected 87 institutions of higher learning and hope to connect all identified 1,500 institutions of higher learning in the country that include CSIR labs, IITs, agriculture institutions and other institutes,” said Gairola. With a staggering budget
provision of Rs 5,900 crore, the ambitious network will encourage sharing of knowledge and
collaborative research among scientists, researchers and students from diverse spheres across the country facilitating them in their field of study. Interestingly, even eminent institutions from countries in Europe, Australia, Japan and USA will also be connected through network in the next phase. While expressing concern over declining interest towards science on the part of students, Dr Gairola called for the promotion of innovative environment for flourishing of science strongly advocating for the development of science and technology. He also backed creation of better job opportunities for those pursuing higher studies in science. “Lack of job opportunities force science aspirants from desisting from going into higher studies in the subject,” he pointed out. Referring to Uttarakhand vis-à-vis information technology, Dr Gairola suggested for taking panchayats as tools to ensure better connectivity in the hill state. Ensuring primary access to panchayats was very important. “Broadband must reach these places,” he said, adding that the satellite technology despite being a bit costly was the only way out in the hilly terrain as fibre technology that was effective in the plain areas was not as suitable for the hills. He admitted that the growing divide of technology between rural and urban areas was certainly a matter of concern. It is noteworthy that the
National Informatics Centre is an independent office under the Ministry of Communication and
IT and provides information technology solutions to the government ministries and departments. It is also one of the designated organisation for hosting the government websites.
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Dimri advocates use of solar energy
Dehradun, November 10 Interacting with The Tribune on the sidelines of the Fifth Uttarakhand Science Congress here, Dr Dimri said the solar energy was best suited to make up for energy needs of Uttarakhand as this form of energy involved no carbon dioxide emissions and required little maintenance costs. Dr Dimri, who had a short stint at the Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute, Gandhinagar, after his superannuation as the head of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, said the state was exploiting solar energy to the fullest despite dust in its dry areas proving an hindrance in the conduct of solar energy mechanism. “Hill areas of Uttarakhand have no such dust problem and thus wull need little maintenance costs,” Dr Dimri said, adding that the greatest advantage of the usage of solar technology will be in bringing electricity to isolated houses in hill villages. He also reiterated keen pursuance of setting up of a geothermal project in the Tapoban area of Uttarakhand to explore geothermal possibilities in the hill state. Green energy from geothermal sources has so far never been a source of power generation in the country and success at Tapoban could lead to its replication in other parts of the country. He said this was the first geothermal initiative that had reached an extent where the NGRI was highly hopeful of success. Tapoban is known for its hot springs in Chamoli district. Dr Dimri, a native of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, was born at Dimmar village. His father late Ghanshyam Chamoli was the first member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from the Badri-Kedar region.
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Cartographers meet to map the future
Dehradun, November 10 This has made weather prediction more meaningful and useful to the common man. “Around six lakh farmers are receiving weather information on their mobile phones for which they are paying. We hope to increase the number to 20 lakh next year,” said Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. He was delivering a lecture titled “Managing Earth System Geospatially” today at the inaugural session of the 30th Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) International Congress at Hatibarkala Estate, Survey of
India.
Nayak said they would like to better their prediction by improving observing and computing systems so that farmers could be given more advanced information. “This will help farmers increase their production even in adverse climatic conditions. It will usher in an evergreen revolution and also build climate services for water management, health management, road construction etc,” he emphasised. He reiterated that seasonal monsoon forecasts by scientists in the past six years had been fairly consistent and efforts were already on to predict temperatures in the future. “What will be the weather after 20 years is the hot topic being debated. First-level projections by the Centre for Climate Change for the next 20 years is a deficient North-West monsoon. Though the predictive studies are still in the initial stage, we hope to do better,” he said. Along with providing agro-weather information, coastal wave forecasting is helping fishermen in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Puducherry make their operations more efficient. Forecasters have also learnt some lessons from the only tsunami that hit India. “The country has now put in place a robust early warning system that could even predict a small tsunami,” he said. Earlier Dr T Ramaswamy, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, called for dissemination of data among planners. “We need to forge partnerships with other institutions and ensure that they take up the challenge of deciphering data that is with us,” he said. Practicing cartographers from the Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National Hydrographic Office, National Remote Sensing Agency, Space Application Centre, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation, state remote sensing agencies, universities, private industries and other scientific and research bodies participated in the Congress. On the occasion, the first INCA Life Achievement Award was given to Brig Nilanjan Dhal (retd).
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India, Oz working on tsunami warning systems
Here to attend the 30th Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) International Congress at the Survey of India, Professor Cartwright said the link between Indian and Australian cartographers was established in 1908, but technology exchange was a policy matter that is decided by the governments of two nations. “The tsunami warning system for stake holders in the Indian Ocean calls for cooperation between nations. The humanitarian aspect of the tragedy has brought several countries together and we hope to cooperate in the area of risk management,” he said. Australia is recognised internationally as a leader in spatial data infrastructure (SDI) that facilitates the exchange and sharing of spatial data between stakeholders. The SDI is a portal where each stakeholder can access, use and exchange spatial data for social, economic and environmental well-being. Professor Cartwright said cartography was no longer used only to produce maps, but to locate communities. “Accurate space mapping also proves to be a big help in disaster mapping, thereby improving risk management. “During tsunamis, it is used in a big way to locate people. And now, in the post-disaster scenario, people can be advised not to build houses in low-lying areas,” he said.
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Policy hindering information distribution
Speaking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the 30th INCA International Congress, he said the SOI possessed a treasure of data, but it had to be extrapolated for scientific purposes. The Survey of India has also recorded the effect of the tsunami in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with the Indian tide gauge network and also put in place 13 geo-satellite positioning systems in Antarctica during the 23rd and 24th Antarctica expedition. “The remote-sensing data helps in collection of information in digital form and predictions through early warning systems help in reducing losses,” he said. The SOI has assisted the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, a nodal agency of the government of India, in developing an early tsunami warning system model to disseminate information on tsunami alerts in real time. “We will like to share more and more information with other institutions, but the policy that the Survey of India can use maps only for its own use is acting as a big hindrance, especially in sharing of gravity and marine data,” he stressed.
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Graphic Era, Wipro to hold job fest on Nov 12
Dehradun, November 10 The fest will be conducted on the premises of the university at the new MCA Seminar Hall from 10 am to 4 pm, where suitable candidates will be hired by Wipro. Wipro is looking for graduates and post-graduates from the streams of BTech, BBA, BCA, BSc (computer science/information and technology), BSc (physics/chemistry/maths) etc other than MCA. Dr DP Giridhar, Vice-Chancellor, Graphic Era University, said, “The leading IT organisation, known for its excellence and innovation, is providing a platform to the students of our institute and the youth of the state as well. We are hopeful that a large number of ambitious youngsters will take up this challenge and embark upon rewarding careers”. “All interested candidates in the age group of 18 to 45 years are eligible to apply. The only pre-requisite is that applicants should possess good English communication skills. For those who may need some guidance on the BPO industry and the career opportunity with Wipro BPO, the company is also organising an orientation session at 9.30 am on the same day,” asserted Giridhar.
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Trust to give scholarship to needy
Dehradun, November 10 Skilled and capable doctors, teachers and other workers will participate in the programme. The suitable students will be given scholarship under the name of the Swami Ram Humanity Award, while an association governed by Justice Vekat Chalaiya will select the scholars. — TNS
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SGRR Vasant Vihar boys win title
Dehradun, November 10 In boys’ semi-finals, SGRR Vasant Vihar beat SGRR Patelnagar 25-10 and SGRR Race Course defeated SGRR Bindal 39-25 to enter the final of the championship. The final of the girls’ category was played yesterday. In the girls’ final also SGRR Basant Vihar defeated SGRR Nehru Gram 20-14 to win the girls’ title. In the boys’ semi-finals, Basant Vihar had beaten SGRR Shastradhara 34-15 and SGRR Nehru Gram had surpassed Race Course 24-4.
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Royal Challengers beat Amba XI
Dehradun, November 10 Pawar (37) and Pawan (24) were the main scorers for the winning team. Ranjeet of Amba got three wickets. While replying, Amba XI was bundled out for 103 runs 18.1 overs. Bony (33) was the only batsman who could stand on the pitch and score respectable score. Amarkant Mailk of the winning team got three wickets. In another match, Doon Combined beat Rising Star 59 runs.
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Mohit gets better of Bharat
Dehradun, November 10 Mohit Latupal of Pauri got the better of Bharat Singh of Pitthoragarh in the second semifinal. In the 54kg semi-final, Suraj Pandey beat Sagar Singh of Dehradun and Anubhav Kunwar of Pitthoragarh defeated Dhan Singh of Pauri. While in the 57kg semi-final, Raman Thapa of Nainital surpassed Pankaj Pandey of Pitthoragarh. In the second semi-final of the same category, Mahesh Singh Danu of Bageshwar defeated Anand Singh Bisht of Dehradun.
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St Joseph Academy holds sports meet
Dehradun, November 10 The programme began with the inaugural ceremony followed by different races. Girls and boys equally participated in the sports event and were extremely enthusiastic. They received all help from their teachers to make the day memorable. The young athletes received full encouragement from their parents who enjoyed the thrilling event. Among the most anticipated events were skipping sack race, three-legged race, spoon-lemon race, ready-to-school race, thread and needle race, banana race and jalebi race. The students participated in their share of races followed by track event of 80 metre, 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre race of senior students. Brother AJ George, Principal of St Joseph Academy, applauded the children and the schools for putting together a brilliant event while prizes were awarded to the winners of every sports event, respectively.
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Special Olympics’ athletics meet from tomorrow
Dehradun, November 10 About 200 special athletes above the age of eight years from all over the state and their coaches will participate in a number of athletics events. Vice-Admiral VL Koppikar, president of the Special Olympics Bharat, Uttarakhand, in a press conference said today that the divisions would be done on the basis of age and mental ability. The Special Olympic Bharat is an accredited programme of Special Olympics Inc. and is recognised by the Government of India as the National Sports Federation of Persons with Mental Retardation. It is actively supported by branches in most of the states. The Uttarakhand branch was founded in 2003 and has on its register nearly 600 special athletes and 95 coaches belonging to various special schools in the state, said Koppikar.
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Dehradun clinch basketball trophy
Dehradun, November 10 Dehradun beat Almora 56-12 in the under-19 final and Dehradun defeated Nainital 39-33 in the under-17. While in the match played for the third place, Almora got the better of Almora 40-20.
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Dehradun, November 10
Prof William Cartwright, President, International Cartographic Association, RMIT University, Australia, said cartographers of India and Australia continued to share information that was mutually beneficial and were actively engaged in perfecting tsunami advance warning systems.
Surveyor General of India S Subba Rao said the Survey of India (SOI) was now engaged in preparing a
scale in the ratio of 1:10,000 for the entire country. “After completing the scale of 1:50,000, we are now moving towards another scaling undertaken by most countries in the world,” he said.