Civil Services' Surgicals

Eram toilets A new kind of  portable toilet  has been created by Eram Scientific Solutions Ltd based in Thiruvananthapuram.  It is already in use in Kerala, and could serve as a model for such toilets all over the country.  What are its features? Built with stainless steel/fibre to withstand corrosion, it can be programmed to accept either Re 1, Rs 2 or Rs 5 denominations. After payment, the door of the unit unlocks and the light and exhaust fan are switched on automatically. After the user enters it, the closet is doused with 100 ml of water. In case it isn’t flushed after use, the system automatically does the cleaning. This is an intelligent toilet too. If the usage is for less than three minutes, the system flushes with 1.5 litres of water. If used for more, it flushes four litres. “There are plans to reduce this to less than three litres,” says Varghese. Normal toilets consume seven litres for a single flush. The water tank can store up to 500 litres o...

It seems UFOs (Unidnetified Flying Objects) are  being sighted  by the Indian Army units near the China border. An ITBP unit based in Thakung, close to the Pangong Tso Lake, reported over 100 sightings of luminous objects between August 1 and October 15 this year. In reports sent to their Delhi headquarters in September, and to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), they described sighting ”Unidentified Luminous Objects” at day and by night. The yellowish spheres appear to lift off from the horizon on the Chinese side and slowly traverse the sky for three to five hours before disappearing. Image courtesy  Indian Today Some thought that they might be drones from China, which btw are very common. The Army has reported 99 sightings of Chinese drones between January and August this year: 62 sightings were reported in the western sector, the Ladakh region, and 37 in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh. Three of these drones intruded into territory c...

In a  major win  for Indian drug companies which manufacture generic drugs for major ailments, the India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board revoked Swiss giant Roche’s patent for a hepatitis C drugs.  This means that the patent that could have prevented the Indian companies from copying this formula have a free hand.

  FEATURE MSME                                                                                  Jacob Abraham*             All over the world hard wood becomes a scarce commodity.  The furniture manufacturers are vigorously searching for an ecofriendly alternative to wood.  The National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Thiruvananthapuram, a constituent laboratory of CSIR has developed the technology to make wood substitute from natural fibre polymer comp...

Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar is to inaugurate a world-class institution in food processing sector – called NIFTEM - at kundli, Haryana, day after tomorrow (7th November). Haryana Chief Minister Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda and a number of Union and State Ministers will be present at the inaugural function. NIFTEM or the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management has been conferred Deemed University status. The institute has begun its first academic session this summer. It will confer B. Tech. (Food Technology and Management), M. Tech. and Ph. D. in the area of Food Technology and Management. 

An agreement for loan of US$ 106 million (equivalent) for Phase-I of the World Bank assistance for the “ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP)” was signed at New Delhi today between Shri Prabodh Saxena (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs) on behalf of Government of India and Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank. Representatives from Ministry of Women and Child Development and officials from the World Bank, among others, were present.  The overarching Goal of the proposed two-phased Program is to improve nutritional outcomes of children in India. The Objective of the Phase-I is to support Government of India and participating states to:  Strengthen the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) policy framework, systems and capacities, and facilitate community engagement, to ensure greater focus on children under three years of age  Strengthen convergent actions for improved ...

Recently appointed Cabinet Minister Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch today assumed charge as Union Minister of Culture. Talking to newspersons after taking over, she said, it has been an honour for her to have been appointed Culture Minister of this great country which has a long legacy of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. She said, it is especially a privilege to be head of this Ministry in a period of increasing global engagement when we are entering into an era of cultural dialogue which is dictated by new developments and technologies. She said, the challenge before us is both to preserve our historical legacy while incorporating and fostering an environment for development of evolving cultural spaces. Culture is not only an abstract concept but also contributes to the daily lives of people both in terms of cultural and economic aspects.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee called for concerted efforts by Government, private and voluntary sectors for the development of the weaker and vulnerable sections of our society. He pointed out that the Government of India, through its programmes and policies has engineered a major directional change in public policy by its focus on inclusive development. He expressed confidence that the organizations who have won awards will inspire hundreds of other organizations like themselves, located all over India - in rural as well as urban centres.