EChO Network launched to catalyze cross-disciplinary leadership in India; will train educators and students in interdisciplinary manner

EChO Network, a national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership in India with the specific focus of increasing research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the environment was launched yesterday in New Delhi by Prof K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Speaking at the launch programme, Prof Vijay Raghavan said India has recently embarked on a number of national-level efforts to promote ecological and environmental research on the subcontinent; however, there remains a lacuna of trained scientists with interdisciplinary skills and collaborative mindset. We need to train a new generation of educators and students who can identify and solve problems in an interdisciplinary manner and who can listen to our natural world and tackle real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, ecology, and technology and I am convinced this network will inspire an entirely new approach to Indian education and exploration necessary for the post-technological world said Prof Vijay Raghavan.

India faces unprecedented threats to its human environmental and ecosystems, solving which requires a confluence of India's strong technological expertise and knowledge of the natural world itself. EChO Network would develop a national network to catalyse a new generation of Indians who can synthesize interdisciplinary concepts and tackle real-world problems in medicine, agriculture, ecology, and technology. With no precedent for such a network anywhere in the world, EChO Network establishes a new platform to change how science is embedded in our modern society.

Through interactive sessions with citizens, industry, academia, and the government, the Network will identify gaps in knowledge regarding selected topics in human and environmental ecosystems. The program will then train postdoctoral leaders in research and outreach on these topics, while also incorporating current public and private efforts into a national network. It would then go on to establishing nation-wide awareness in these issues through public discourse and education for citizens, industry, and government with information exchange at all educational levels. Over time EChO Network intends to create an international distributed institute comprising individuals housed within industry, government, private, and academic sectors, combining their expertise and resources collectively to tackle large scale problems.

The initiative has drawn in partners from Government, industry and academia, with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Govt. of India steering the program under the guidance of Prof Shannon Olsson, Director, EChO Network. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hindustan Unilever Limited, RoundGlass, India Climate Collaborative, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) are the founding partners of the EChO Network.

This is a mission of hope remarked Prof Olsson at the launch programme. He further said that throughout his career in India, he has met countless individuals working hard to make a positive difference for Indian ecosystems. The purpose of this Network he informed is to bring all those together to share knowledge and synergize efforts under the umbrella of science. In order to do this, we need leaders who are trained to communicate across different sectors of society, this is the goal of the EChO Network said Prof Olsson.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiynagxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan

CLW Produces 300th Locomotive Of 2019-20 In Less Than 9 Months

Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) has turned out 300th locomotive of the FY 2019-20 on 21st December 2019 evening, in less than 9 months (216 working days) of current financial year.

The working days for production of 300th loco has reduced from 292 days in the year FY2017-18 to 249 days in FY2018-19 and further to 216 days in the current FY2019-20. Therefore, a reduction of 28 per cent since FY2017-18.

Shri Praveen Kumar Mishra, General Manager flagged off the 300th loco, WAG-9 HC (32692) from CLW on 21st Dec 2019 evening amidst the presence of senior officers and staff. He appreciated the efforts of all the dedicated team of officers and staff in production of 300th electric locomotive from CLW.

Shri Praveen Kumar Mishra also expressed hope that with this trend in production, CLW will be able to even surpass the target of this FY 2019-20 and will be all set for creating a new record. CLW produced 402 locomotives in 2018-19 and thus became the world's largest producer of locomotives.
#Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer #Brainstormautomotive
#Sukumarbalakrishnan

Non-life insurers register 13 per cent rise in November premium to Rs 14,591 crore

According to the data from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI), the non-life insurance companies witnessed a rise of 13.1 per cent in their collective premium in November to Rs 14,590.50 crore (US$ 20.09 billion).

Though, the business premium by these 34 non-life insurance firms stood at Rs 12,903.57 crore (US$ 1.85 billion) in the same month of the previous year.

The data showed that out of the total non-life insurers, the 25 general insurers witnessed rise of 11 per cent in their premium income at Rs 12,723.61 crore (US$ 1.82 billion) during the month, as against Rs 11,508.67 crore (US$ 1.65 billion) in the year-ago same period.

Seven standalone private sector health insurance companies registered their premium increasing by 29 per cent to Rs 1,167.66 crore (US$ 167.07 million), from Rs 903.65 crore (US$ 129.30 million) in November 2018.

The data showed that the two specialised state-owned insurers, Agricultural Insurance Company of India Ltd and ECGC Ltd, witnessed an increase of 42 per cent in the premium collection at Rs 699.22 crore (US$ 100 million) from Rs 491.25 crore (US$ 70.29 million) a year ago.

Cumulatively, the premium of all the non-life insurers during April-November were up by 15.57 per cent at Rs 1,26,048.45 crore (US$ 18.04 billion), as against Rs 1,09,068.12 crore (US$ 15.61 billion) a year ago.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer #Brainstormautomotive
#Sukumarbalakrishnan

Amid violent protests, PM Modi to review progress in govt's works today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review on Saturday the progress made by various ministries in the last six months after the BJP returned to power for the second consecutive term, government sources have said.

While brief presentations would be made by various ministries on various decisions taken by them, the focus would be on agriculture, rural development and the social sector.

Usually, the Council of Ministers meets after Cabinet meeting every month. But this time, the meeting is being held independently. The regular weekly Cabinet meeting will be held on December 24, the sources said.

In the past few weeks, the prime minister has reviewed progress made by various ministries in implementing the government's policies during cabinet meetings.

But Saturday's meeting assumes significance as it would be attended by ministers of state and ministers of state with independent charge.

The BJP-led NDA returned to power with a greater mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It completed six months in power in November.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumabalakrishnan

BSNL launches new recharge with 90 days plan validity and 5GB data benefit

BSNL has launched a new prepaid plan for its users. Called as the new Mithram Plus, this new prepaid recharge costs Rs 109 and offers 90 days of account validity. The prepaid plan is available only in Kerala circle only.

Just like the Vodafone Idea, Jio and Airtel, the new BSNL Mithram Plus is also one of those plans that may not offer much of the benefits in terms of data or calling but come with a good amount of validity which is very important.
The telecom companies have made it mandatory to maintain a minimum balance to avoid account deactivation. In this case, BSNL's Mithram Plus plan sounds like a decent deal since it offers account validity of 90 days from the date of recharge. You will face service interruption if you fail to recharge your number after these 90 days. In simple words, you can say that this plan is a good option to keep your account active.

Coming to the benefits that come with the new MIthram Plus plan, it offers unlimited voice calls to any network in India including Mumbai and Delhi circles with a capping of 250 minutes per day. There's also 5GB of data benefit included in the plan. These benefits will expire after 20 days.

BSNL revises validity of Rs 118, Rs 187, Rs 349 and Rs 399 prepaid plans

BSNL recently also revised the validity of its four prepaid plans - Rs 118, Rs 187, Rs 349 and Rs 399. It has cut down on the validity of these four plans while the rest of the benefits remain unchanged.
The Rs 118 BSNL prepaid plan that previously came with 28 days of validity now comes with 21 days of validity. It offers unlimited calls, 0.5 GB data per day, and 100 SMS per day.

The Rs 187 prepaid plan now comes with 24 days of validity instead of 26 days. It offers unlimited calls, 3 GB data per day, and 100 SMS per day.

The validity of Rs 349 prepaid recharge has been reduced from 64 days to 56 days. The benefits under the plan remain the same- unlimited calls, 2 GB per day data, and 100 SMS per day.

Last but not least is the Rs 399 recharge plan that now comes with 65 days of validity instead of 72 days. The benefits are- unlimited calls, 2 GB per day data, and 100 SMS per day.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer #Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan

India rejects Malaysia PM's remarks over Citizenship Act

India on Friday rejected the comments made by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on the Citizenship Amendment Act as "factually inaccurate".

"According to media reports, the Prime Minister of Malaysia has yet again remarked on a matter that is entirely internal to India. The Citizenship Amendment Act provides for citizenship through naturalisation to be fast-tracked for non-citizens who are persecuted minorities from three countries," a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

"The Act does not impact in any manner on the status of any citizen of India, or deprive any Indian of any faith of her or his citizenship," the statement said.

The Malaysian Prime Minister had criticised India's new citizenship law while speaking on the sidelines of the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 on Friday. He said, "I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state now is taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship."

India has not taken kindly to these statements and asked Malaysia to "refrain" from commenting on India's "internal" matters.

"...the Prime Minister of Malaysia's comment is factually inaccurate. We call upon Malaysia to refrain from commenting on internal developments in India, especially without a right understanding of the facts," the MEA statement said.

Mahathir Mohamad, who is known to be inclined towards Pakistan, has in the past also raised the issue of Kashmir and expressed concerns regarding the situation in the Valley.

Questioning the recent amendment in India's citizenship laws, Mahathir questioned the "necessity" of the changes. "People are dying because of this law. Why is there a necessity to do this when all the while, for 70 years, they have lived together as citizens without any problem?" he asked.

ADVERTISEMENT

India has been engaging the international community on the recent developments in India and all the missions have been briefed to reach out to the respective foreign ministries to apprise the countries of the reason behind Modi administration's policies.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Panacea Biotec bags orders worth US$ 24 million from UN agencies

Panacea Biotec has bagged orders worth Rs 170 crore (US$ 24.32 million) from UN agencies, including UNICEF, for the supply of Pentavalent vaccine.

The vaccine has a role in providing protection against five deadly diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B to children.

"Panacea Biotec... has received awards worth US$ 24.32 million from U N agencies (UNICEF and PAHO) for supply of its Easy five-TT, a fully liquid WHO prequalified wP-based Pentavalent vaccine (DTwPHepB-Hib)," according to the company filing to BSE.

This award of order from UNICEF is for the calendar year 2020 and for three calendar years that include 2020 to 2022 from PAHO.

These pediatric vaccination have a major role in particular to reach the target set by United Nation under Sustainable Development Goals. The goal is to reduce under-five mortality rate to less than 25 per 1,000 live births.

"Pentavalent vaccine protects children against five deadly diseases; Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B and invasive infections caused by Haemophilus Influenza Type b - becoming the foundation of paediatric immunisation programs across the world," the company said.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Brainstormautomotive
#Fuehrer #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Ministry of Railways signs MoU with University of Birmingham for establishment of Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems

The National Rail Transport Institute, a deemed to be university under the Ministry of Railways, signed an MoU with the University of Birmingham in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi on December 18th, 2019 to set up its first Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems. The MoU was signed by Mr Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board and Chancellor of NRTI, and Professor Clive Roberts, Head of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham.

Indian Railways is a founding partner of this centre and would provide proprietary data, professional expertise, spare equipment and other available resources directly or through its Centralised Training Institutes and research organisations. The centre would also invite partnerships from other industry and academic organisations as it develops in the future.

This Centre will be involved in promoting development of the Rail and Transportation sector in India which include offering post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes, customized training programmes for in-service professionals, undertaking joint research projects in areas such as signalling, communication, asset maintenance, traction and safety and developing benchmarks, standards and certifications for specialized skills. It will also be involved in organising knowledge events, conferences, workshops to disseminate trends, latest research, global best practices and developments in the transportation sector, accessible to industry and academia.

The establishment of this centre is yet another step towards building our capacity in the transportation sector, which would prepare our youth for participating in building and operation of national projects such as High-Speed Railways, modernizing Indian Railways signalling systems, rolling stock and operations. Its pedagogy would nurture creativity and entrepreneurship among NRTI students providing them an opportunity to become best in class professionals, influential leaders, nation-builders and value driven citizens.

About the National Rail Transport Institute

The National Rail Transport Institute has been set up as a deemed to be university and has been operational since 2018. In addition to Schools and Departments in various disciplines, NRTI aims to develop interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence which would be collaborative constructs to promote research and education to the transportation sector. NRTI's strategy is focussed upon sourcing the best expertise from around the world from leading global institutions through institutional partnerships for collaborating on developing curriculum, research projects and executive education programs. Further details about the institution are available at www.nrti.edu.in

About University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is home to the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) with over 150 academics, researchers and professional services staff, delivering world-class research, education and leadership to the global rail industry. The BCRRE is the largest university-based centre for railway research and education in Europe, involved in developing world-leading new technologies alongside higher education programmes, research and innovations in Climate Change, Aerodynamics and International Benchmarking, Power Systems and Energy Use, Railway Control and Operations Simulation.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan

CGHS services to be extended to 100 cities: Dr Harsh Vardhan

"CGHS services shall be now be extended to 100 cities". This was stated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare as he inaugurated the new CGHS Wellness Centre at Vikaspuri, New Delhi, in the presence of Shri Parvesh Saheb Singh Verma, Member of Parliament, West Delhi. The Union Health Minister added that at present the scheme is operational across 72 Cities through 329 Allopathic Wellness Centres and 86 AYUSH Centres. It serves 12.09 lakh primary cardholders and 35.72 lakh beneficiaries, out of which around 17 lakh beneficiaries belong to Delhi/NCR. There are more than 2.5 lakh beneficiaries aged 75 years and above. About 58 per cent of CGHS beneficiaries' avail of CGHS facilities at least once in a year.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that after 2014, the number of CGHS Wellness centres have expanded to 72 cities from the earlier figure of 30, which shows the exemplary commitment of the government to the health and wellness of the employees. Soon CGHS shall be extended to other cities like Itanagar, Kannur, and Kozhikode, he stated. He added that recently the Ministry has elicited the feedback and suggestions from the various stakeholders, beneficiaries and others to improve the delivery of health services through CGHS centres. As an innovative feature, for beneficiaries above 80 years of age, doctors from CGHS wellness centres call at least once in a month to enquire about their wellbeing / make a home visit if residing within 5 km.

The Union Health Minister stated that it is a reflection of the commitment to the health sector by the government, that the number of AIIMS have now increased to 21. Six of the AIIMS are now operational, he stated. Work is also progressing on setting up 157 Medical Colleges mainly in the aspirational districts of the country to ensure that people of these regions are provided superior health services, and they do not have to travel long distances to avail of them. He also highlighted the "Eat Right India" and "Fit India" campaigns of the Government aimed towards preventive, promotive and positive health, which also is the underpinning thought for the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres. "It is sad that the people of Delhi have been deprived of the invaluable tertiary health services under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, which have benefitted more than 69 lakh people from various parts of the country through more than 19,000 empanelled hospitals", Dr Harsh Vardhan stated. He added that these needy and poor people could not have dreamed of such health care facilities earlier, in the absence of PMJAY.

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) is a contributory health scheme for serving / retired Central Government employees and their dependent family members. The scheme was started in 1954 in Delhi. It provides comprehensive health care facilities to the beneficiaries that include OPD Consultation from CGHS Medical Officers and specialists, issue of medicines, investigations at Govt. hospitals and private empanelled centres, specialist consultation and hospitalization at Govt. and private empanelled hospitals, etc. OPD consultation from CGHS empanelled private hospitals on referral from CGHS Wellness Centre is also done as part of the scheme.

Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, Spl. Secretary (Health), Shri Alok Saxena, Joint Secretary (Health), along with other senior officers from the Ministry and CGHS were also present at the event.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan

DRDO successfully flight-tests Pinaka Missile System off Odisha coast

Pinaka Missile System developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast at 1200 hrs today. The Pinaka is an Artillery Missile System capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.

The Pinaka MK-II Rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the Navigation, Control and Guidance System to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range. The Navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

The mission achieved all the objectives including enhancing the range, accuracy and sub-system functionality. The missile was fired from Pinaka launcher system in deployment configuration. The flight article was tracked by multiple range systems viz. Telemetry, Radars, Electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), etc. which confirmed the textbook flight performance.

The missile system has been jointly developed by various DRDO Laboratories viz. Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), The trial was conducted under the supervision of Director RCI Shri BHVS Narayana Murthy, Director ARDE Dr V Venkateswara Rao, Director ITR Dr BK Das, and Director PXE Shri DK Joshi.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams involved in the flight trial.
#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Brainstormautomotive #Sukumarbalakrishnan