NRDC inks MoA with Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkatta on Technology Transfer”
NRDC inks MoA with Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkatta on Technology Transfer”
National Research Development Corporation, an Enterprise of Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi (NRDC) has entered into Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkatta for commercialisation of technologies/ intellectual properties developed at IACS. NRDC shall also provide its services in IP Evaluation/Valuation in terms of their commercial potential.
Chairman Managing Director of NRDC Dr. H. Purushotham and Director, IACS Professor Santanu Bhattacharya exchanged the Memorandum of Agreement.
NRDC has been working for more than six decades in development, promotion and commercialisation of technologies emanating from R&D organization and academia. It has so far licensed technologies to more than 4800 enterpreneurs/ companies in the country in almost all sector of industry.
The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) is an autonomous and oldest research institute in India. The institute is devoted to the pursuit of fundamental research in the frontier areas of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Energy, Polymer and Materials. In each field, IACS nurtures young and innovative research fellows in their R&D programs. Professor Santanu Bhattacharya, Director, IACS, Kolkatta hoped that the partnership between IACS and NRDC would lead to successful commercialization of Technologies developed at IACS.
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Indian Railways Wins National Chess Team Championship for the First Time
Indian Railways has won The National
Chess team Championship for the first time. The 36th Championship was held at Bhubaneswar
from 8th to 14th February, 2016.
This Championship was conducted on pool basis. During championship, Indian Railway team beat its counterparts, viz. Odisha, Gujrat, Air-India, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, Airport Authority of India, Tamil Nadu, Delhi. Lastly, Indian Railway ousted Life Insurance Corporation.
Indian Railway team consisted of the following Chess players from different Zonal Railways which are shown against their names:
1. Shri Karthikayan/ICF,
2. Shri Deepan Chakkravarthy/ICF,
3. Shri Rathnakaran/SR,
4. Shri Arghyadip Das/ER and
5. Shri Swapni Dhopade/CR.
This Championship was conducted on pool basis. During championship, Indian Railway team beat its counterparts, viz. Odisha, Gujrat, Air-India, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, Airport Authority of India, Tamil Nadu, Delhi. Lastly, Indian Railway ousted Life Insurance Corporation.
Indian Railway team consisted of the following Chess players from different Zonal Railways which are shown against their names:
1. Shri Karthikayan/ICF,
2. Shri Deepan Chakkravarthy/ICF,
3. Shri Rathnakaran/SR,
4. Shri Arghyadip Das/ER and
5. Shri Swapni Dhopade/CR.
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All 360 toll plazas in India to have e-tolling system by April 
Union Minister for Shipping, Highways and Road Transport Shri Nitin Gadkari today announced that e-Tolling system on all the 360 toll plazas in the country will be operational by April this year. "We have already put this project on fast track and we expect the system to be operational before April this year," Shri Gadkari said addressing a press conference at the Make In India Week Media Centre in Mumbai today.
The Minister said a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed to implement this project. Shri Gadkari said the introduction of e-tolling will reduce waiting time at toll plazas and save cost and fuel.
The Minister also said that his Ministry is now focusing on Hybrid Annuity and Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) models for development of road projects. “Road projects worth Rs 380,000 crore that were stalled have been revived and Rs 100,000 crore contract order has been issued in the North East region” Shri Gadkari added.
The Minister said that India’s national road highway length has been raised to 152,000 km from 96,000 km and is expected to cross the 200,000 km milestone by April-May. In Maharashtra, the road length has been raised to 22,000 km from 7,000km, he said.
Stressing on the advantage of water transport and its cost advantage, Shri Gadkari said the government plans to promote inland water transport in a big way . “On Ganga, our Ministry is building three multi modal hubs at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Sahibganj in Jharkhand and Haldia in West Bengal. We plan to create 30 water ports on this stretch and overall 500 water ports across the country,”
The Minister said a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed to implement this project. Shri Gadkari said the introduction of e-tolling will reduce waiting time at toll plazas and save cost and fuel.
The Minister also said that his Ministry is now focusing on Hybrid Annuity and Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) models for development of road projects. “Road projects worth Rs 380,000 crore that were stalled have been revived and Rs 100,000 crore contract order has been issued in the North East region” Shri Gadkari added.
The Minister said that India’s national road highway length has been raised to 152,000 km from 96,000 km and is expected to cross the 200,000 km milestone by April-May. In Maharashtra, the road length has been raised to 22,000 km from 7,000km, he said.
Stressing on the advantage of water transport and its cost advantage, Shri Gadkari said the government plans to promote inland water transport in a big way . “On Ganga, our Ministry is building three multi modal hubs at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Sahibganj in Jharkhand and Haldia in West Bengal. We plan to create 30 water ports on this stretch and overall 500 water ports across the country,”
The government would also invest Rs 80,000 crores on modernisation and mechanisation of major ports, besides building three new major ports Colachal in Tamil Nadu, Sagar in West Bengal, Vadhawan at Dahanu in Maharashtra.
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Success of Make in India conditioned on Makers who are Skilled: Rudy 
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy today visited Pune to review Health Skill Centre of Symbiosis and other good skill training centres in the city.At the Symbiosis Centre, Mr. Rudy said the success of Make in India depends on availability of ‘makers of India’- the skilled workforce, which would propel the manufacturing and growth scenario in the country. He subsequently visited BVG India Hospital & Skill Development Centre and DSK International Skill Training Centre- skill centres in healthcare and industrial design respectively in Pune. He appreciated the Emergency Response Services facility at the former and the state of the art campus for high end skilling at the latter. During the visits, shri Rudy mentioned about the stellar role of the Prime Minister Modi in bringing about a paradigm shift in the national discourse and bringing about a renewed focus on skill development in the country. The fact that the Skill India Mission is headed by none other than the Prime Minister speaks volumes of the importance given to Skill India Mission under the present dispensation, he averred. He also pointed out that the emphasis on formal education has grown over time since almost all the role models in various fields of life come from formally educated background. There are abundant success stories of people who have exemplified themselves through attainment of good formal education, thereby scaling up the social ladder. On the other hand, such stories from the skilling sector are few and far between. This has led to lesser aspirational values being attached by the society on acquisition of these skills. He, therefore, emphasized that India needs an ecosystem where skill development is considered dignified and respected.Rudy also outlined the necessity of establishing institutional linkages between good centres in various trades across the country so that benefits of scale and specialization could be reaped by all. He mentioned that a nation-wide integration of such good centres would benefit the skill ecosystem by providing platforms of excellence and seamless upgradation of skilling knowhow among the students. He also assured full support and partnership of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to the centres he visited.
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Distribution of Aids and Assistive Devices for Persons with Disabilities, conducted by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at Baramulla 
Composite Regional Centre, Srinagar (J&K) functioning under aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India organized a three-day Special Mega Awareness cum assessment and distribution Camp for Aids and Assistive devices, here on Tuesday. Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot was the chief guest for the event. Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar also graced the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion of the 101st Mega Camp conducted by the Ministry in the past one and a half-year period, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot expressed his happiness over successfully organizing first such Mega Camp in Jammu & Kashmir and appreciated District Collector Smt Yasha Mudgal and the staff of Composite Regional Centre, Srinagar, for braving the odds of nature to successfully organize this Camp despite prevailing adverse weather conditions. This Camp, which is also one of the largest Social Welfare Camps ever to be held in the history of J&K witnessed a houseful presence of PwD beneficiaries, who turned out in large numbers at the Prof.Shawket Ali Stadium in the border district of Baramulla. Announcing the establishment of a Drug de-addiction centre Shri Gehlot said that a Special Cultural Programme for Children with Disabilities in Baramulla will be conceptualized with support from Government of India. He added that children with hearing and speech impairment will be screened for the innovative Cochlear implant surgery and high end Assistive devices manufactured by ALIMCO in collaboration with Ottobock (Germany), will also soon be provided to needy beneficiaries in the border district though CRC Srinagar.
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar in his address appreciated the work of various NGOs, Indian Army personnel, volunteers and Departments like Indian System of Medicine (ISM) in J&K for wholeheartedly supporting this noble cause. He informed that nearly 1200 Persons and Children with Disabilities will receive approximately 2000 free-of-cost Aids and Assistive devices over the period of this 3-day Special Mega Camp.
The Mega Camp conducted by CRC Srinagar - in collaboration with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and other National Institutes under the DEPwD witnessed the distribution of devices such as – BTE Hearing Aid (750 nos.), M R TLM Kits of NIMH (336 nos.) , Daisy Player (24nos.), Crutches (300 nos.), Braille Kit (100 nos), MSIED Kit (100 nos.), Walking stick (50 nos), Wheel Chair (Adult and Child) 120 nos, Low vision Devices (100 nos.), Smart Phone with Keyboard (5 nos.) , Folding Cane (10 nos), Smart Cane (22 nos.), Splint C/Foot (20 nos.). The Department of Health Services J&K conducted free medical check-ups / consultations with the Department of Indian System of Medicine (ISM) J&K providing free medical check-ups and medicine to the needy.
The 3-day camp will also play an important role in spreading awareness about various services, schemes devised by the Central government for empowering the Persons with Disabilities and for their inclusion in the mainstream. MLA Baramulla, Shri Javed Hassan Baig; MLA Gulmarg Mohd. Abbas Wani; Brigade Commander Brigadier Yogesh Chaudhary; Shri Mir Bashir, Nodal officer, CRC Srinagar and senior officials from District Administration, Baramulla were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion of the 101st Mega Camp conducted by the Ministry in the past one and a half-year period, Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot expressed his happiness over successfully organizing first such Mega Camp in Jammu & Kashmir and appreciated District Collector Smt Yasha Mudgal and the staff of Composite Regional Centre, Srinagar, for braving the odds of nature to successfully organize this Camp despite prevailing adverse weather conditions. This Camp, which is also one of the largest Social Welfare Camps ever to be held in the history of J&K witnessed a houseful presence of PwD beneficiaries, who turned out in large numbers at the Prof.Shawket Ali Stadium in the border district of Baramulla. Announcing the establishment of a Drug de-addiction centre Shri Gehlot said that a Special Cultural Programme for Children with Disabilities in Baramulla will be conceptualized with support from Government of India. He added that children with hearing and speech impairment will be screened for the innovative Cochlear implant surgery and high end Assistive devices manufactured by ALIMCO in collaboration with Ottobock (Germany), will also soon be provided to needy beneficiaries in the border district though CRC Srinagar.
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar in his address appreciated the work of various NGOs, Indian Army personnel, volunteers and Departments like Indian System of Medicine (ISM) in J&K for wholeheartedly supporting this noble cause. He informed that nearly 1200 Persons and Children with Disabilities will receive approximately 2000 free-of-cost Aids and Assistive devices over the period of this 3-day Special Mega Camp.
The Mega Camp conducted by CRC Srinagar - in collaboration with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and other National Institutes under the DEPwD witnessed the distribution of devices such as – BTE Hearing Aid (750 nos.), M R TLM Kits of NIMH (336 nos.) , Daisy Player (24nos.), Crutches (300 nos.), Braille Kit (100 nos), MSIED Kit (100 nos.), Walking stick (50 nos), Wheel Chair (Adult and Child) 120 nos, Low vision Devices (100 nos.), Smart Phone with Keyboard (5 nos.) , Folding Cane (10 nos), Smart Cane (22 nos.), Splint C/Foot (20 nos.). The Department of Health Services J&K conducted free medical check-ups / consultations with the Department of Indian System of Medicine (ISM) J&K providing free medical check-ups and medicine to the needy.
The 3-day camp will also play an important role in spreading awareness about various services, schemes devised by the Central government for empowering the Persons with Disabilities and for their inclusion in the mainstream. MLA Baramulla, Shri Javed Hassan Baig; MLA Gulmarg Mohd. Abbas Wani; Brigade Commander Brigadier Yogesh Chaudhary; Shri Mir Bashir, Nodal officer, CRC Srinagar and senior officials from District Administration, Baramulla were also present on the occasion.
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Union Minister of Steel & Mines meets Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Poland offers sharing of expertise in exploration of copper & silver and coking coal technology, with Indian companies
Poland offers sharing of expertise in exploration of copper & silver and coking coal technology, with Indian companies
A meeting was held between Union Minister of Steel & Mines Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland Prof. Piotr Glinski in Mumbai on 15.2.16. The meeting was attended by delegates from both sides. It may be noted that Poland has sent a high-level delegation of 50 members led by the Deputy Prime Minister to participate in Make-in-India Week programme at Mumbai.
The meeting began with Shri Tomar welcoming the visiting dignitaries to India.
Deputy Prime Minister, Poland Prof. Glinski expressed keen interest in mutual collaboration in the area of mining and mineral exploration. Polish companies, like KGHM, have expertise in exploration of copper and silver which can be shared with Indian companies, he added. Prof. Glinski also offered knowledge exchange in the area of coking coal manufacturing and skill development. It was informed that Poland is a world leader in Coking coal production and is second largest exporter of coking coal in the world. He shared plans of setting up a state-of-the-art coking coal plant of 2.7 million tonne annual capacity in India.
Shri Tomar spoke about the initiatives taken by the government of India for attracting investors to the country. He gave an overview of the mining and exploration sector in the India and the recent developments in this area. The Minister informed about policy measures like amendment in MMDR Act, National Mineral Exploration Trust and proposed National Mineral Policy, which encourage participation of international private companies also in the Mining & Exploration Sector. He exhorted the Poland delegation to explore avenues for investment and collaboration in mining, exploration, Make in India, Clean India and other special drives being undertaken by the government of India. He assured of all possible support from the government in realizing the true potential of bilateral relations between the two countries. He appreciated the proposal of Poland side for an MOU for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources between the two countries and assured that once the draft MOU is received from Poland side, the Indian side will give it due consideration.. Shri Tomar appreciated the fact that Poland has started a “Go India” initiative to support “Make in India” and had joined the observance of International Yoga Day enthusiastically. Shri Tomar also welcomed the proposal of Poland side to set up a 2.7 million tonnes per annum capacity coke oven plant in India and assured of full co-operation.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate in the area of clean coal technology. Both sides agreed to further the discussion in forthcoming Kolkata Mining Exhibition, where Poland is planning to participate.
From Indian side, the meeting was also attended by Indian Ambassador to Poland, Joint Secretaries from Ministry of Steel and Ministry of Mines, CMD MECL, CMD MECON, DG GSI and Directors from SAIL and NMDC.
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The meeting began with Shri Tomar welcoming the visiting dignitaries to India.
Deputy Prime Minister, Poland Prof. Glinski expressed keen interest in mutual collaboration in the area of mining and mineral exploration. Polish companies, like KGHM, have expertise in exploration of copper and silver which can be shared with Indian companies, he added. Prof. Glinski also offered knowledge exchange in the area of coking coal manufacturing and skill development. It was informed that Poland is a world leader in Coking coal production and is second largest exporter of coking coal in the world. He shared plans of setting up a state-of-the-art coking coal plant of 2.7 million tonne annual capacity in India.
Shri Tomar spoke about the initiatives taken by the government of India for attracting investors to the country. He gave an overview of the mining and exploration sector in the India and the recent developments in this area. The Minister informed about policy measures like amendment in MMDR Act, National Mineral Exploration Trust and proposed National Mineral Policy, which encourage participation of international private companies also in the Mining & Exploration Sector. He exhorted the Poland delegation to explore avenues for investment and collaboration in mining, exploration, Make in India, Clean India and other special drives being undertaken by the government of India. He assured of all possible support from the government in realizing the true potential of bilateral relations between the two countries. He appreciated the proposal of Poland side for an MOU for cooperation in the field of geology and mineral resources between the two countries and assured that once the draft MOU is received from Poland side, the Indian side will give it due consideration.. Shri Tomar appreciated the fact that Poland has started a “Go India” initiative to support “Make in India” and had joined the observance of International Yoga Day enthusiastically. Shri Tomar also welcomed the proposal of Poland side to set up a 2.7 million tonnes per annum capacity coke oven plant in India and assured of full co-operation.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate in the area of clean coal technology. Both sides agreed to further the discussion in forthcoming Kolkata Mining Exhibition, where Poland is planning to participate.
From Indian side, the meeting was also attended by Indian Ambassador to Poland, Joint Secretaries from Ministry of Steel and Ministry of Mines, CMD MECL, CMD MECON, DG GSI and Directors from SAIL and NMDC.
Sushri Uma Bharti, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation will inaugurate a workshop on lessons Learnt from the ongoing Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) on 18 February 2016 at New Delhi. Prof. Sanwar Lal Jat, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation will grace the occasion. Senior Executives overseeing dam operation and maintenance in the States as also other large dam owning organizations are expected to participate in the Workshop.
There are about 4900 large dams in India and about 80 % of them are over 25 years old. The old dams designed and built to withstand certain levels of flood and earthquake and may not meet the revised estimates based on information gathered over the period. The design practices and safety considerations prevailing at that time also do not match with the current design standards and the safety norms. The engineering properties of the foundation or the material used to build the dams can deteriorate over time. Owing to these factors and issues of differed maintenance, some of the dams may be experiencing distress and require urgent repairs to ensure their safety and restore their operational reliability.
Any remote event of dam failure seriously affects the lives, property and the environment in addition to disrupting the services provided by the dams. Realizing the importance of dam safety in the country, Government of India embarked on the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with loan assistance from the World Bank for rehabilitation and improvement of about 250 dams in seven States. The six-year DRIP project, started in April, 2012 is in mid-way through its implementation.
Concern was expressed in several forums about the urgent need for rehabilitation of several large dams which are experiencing distress conditions, across all States, to ensure their safety and operational efficiency. In view of the complex nature of issues involved in rehabilitation of these ageing large dams, it was felt appropriate to draw on the experience of DRIP implementation in sensitizing the dam safety concerns and to determine strategies for undertaking this enormous task. Accordingly, the above Workshop is being organized on the subject.
This Workshop will draw on the experience gained by the country in mitigation of the distress conditions of large dams and also on the lessons learnt in three years of DRIP implementation in the rehabilitation of dams. The recommendations emerging out of this Conference will help in determining the strategies for undertaking the large scale rehabilitation work and for managing the technical, managerial and financial resources required to implement the mammoth task.
There are about 4900 large dams in India and about 80 % of them are over 25 years old. The old dams designed and built to withstand certain levels of flood and earthquake and may not meet the revised estimates based on information gathered over the period. The design practices and safety considerations prevailing at that time also do not match with the current design standards and the safety norms. The engineering properties of the foundation or the material used to build the dams can deteriorate over time. Owing to these factors and issues of differed maintenance, some of the dams may be experiencing distress and require urgent repairs to ensure their safety and restore their operational reliability.
Any remote event of dam failure seriously affects the lives, property and the environment in addition to disrupting the services provided by the dams. Realizing the importance of dam safety in the country, Government of India embarked on the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with loan assistance from the World Bank for rehabilitation and improvement of about 250 dams in seven States. The six-year DRIP project, started in April, 2012 is in mid-way through its implementation.
Concern was expressed in several forums about the urgent need for rehabilitation of several large dams which are experiencing distress conditions, across all States, to ensure their safety and operational efficiency. In view of the complex nature of issues involved in rehabilitation of these ageing large dams, it was felt appropriate to draw on the experience of DRIP implementation in sensitizing the dam safety concerns and to determine strategies for undertaking this enormous task. Accordingly, the above Workshop is being organized on the subject.
This Workshop will draw on the experience gained by the country in mitigation of the distress conditions of large dams and also on the lessons learnt in three years of DRIP implementation in the rehabilitation of dams. The recommendations emerging out of this Conference will help in determining the strategies for undertaking the large scale rehabilitation work and for managing the technical, managerial and financial resources required to implement the mammoth task.
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