Teej Festival celebrated by girls of Ludhiana

Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 3:30 PM
A colorful Teej event at MTSM college
Ludhiana: 8 August 2013: (Rector kathuria): Teej Festival cum Fresher’s Party was celebrated at Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women, Ludhiana to present an authentic Punjabi Culture with the blends of modern hues. The whole atmosphere was filled with gaiety when college girls dressed in elegant traditional as well as western attires staged their dance performances, skit, folk songs and modeling.
       College Principal, Dr. (Mrs.) Parveen Kaur Chawla gave a hale and hearty welcome to the new entrants and also focused on the significance of Teej Festival in Modern Era.
        Arshdeep Kaur was crowned ‘Teeyan di Rani’, Harmandeep Kaur and Navdeep Kaur were titled Miss Punjaban and Miss Majajjan respectively.  Ashwarya was crowned as Miss Fresher Shifali & Harpreet Kaur as first & second runners up respectively. Sukhpreet Kaur got the title of Miss Diva whereas Garima was declared Miss Crowning Glory. The tag of Miss Beautiful smile went to Gurleen Kaur.Various competitions like traditional style of pleating hair, Beautiful Pranda, Ethnic jewelry, Mehndi Application, Beautiful Bangles and were held and the winners were given prizes. S. Swarn Singh (President, College Managing Committee) and S. Kawalinder Singh (Secratery, College Managing Committee) graced the occasion and stressed on the need for maintaining our rich Heritage and culture in the Modern times.
        College Principal, Dr. (Mrs.) Parveen Kaur Chawla stressed on the need of being aware of our elementary traditions and values. The celebration was culminated by adding another leaf in the book of unforgettable memories of the college.

Teej Festival cum Fresher’s Party was celebrated

Save Punjabi as Subject of Study in the Colleges of Delhi

Remembering Sahir Ludhianvi

An Afghan Uniform Police

No to insecure and hostile work environment

Enjoy the freedom but

New Research Vessel for CMFRI-Silver Pomano

07-August-2013 16:49 IST
A special PIB feature on Shipping          By L.C. Ponnumon*

Fishing Vessel F.V Silver Pompano

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi has recently procured a 19.75 m fisheries research vessel F.V. Silver Pompano as part of the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The vessel is used for carrying out fisheries related research in the territorial waters. The vessel was manufactured by Goa Shipyard Ltd at a cost of about Rs. 4.75 crores.
The vessel is fitted with a 4 stroke Volvo Penta make 500 hp @1800 rpm marine engine. The main deck of the vessel contains cabin for scientists and crew, wet laboratory, weather station, galley, mess room and toilet. The hydraulically operated trawl which consist of 1000 m long, 12 mm diameter steel wire rope on each drum with a speed of 0 to 40m/minute which draws hydraulic power from main engine.

The vessel shall be used for experimental trawl fishing – both bottom and mid-water trawling using Issac-Kid Mid-water Trawl system and collection of oceanographic parameters and marine samples from the sea.   The vessel is equipped with underway CTD sampler, Doppler current meter, instruments for chlorophyll measurements, zooplankton, TSS and sediment sampling.   The vessels is equipped with a laboratory for preliminary analysis and to fix the samples for further analysis.  An automatic weather station to collect the atmospheric parameters like rainfall, humidity etc.   The vessel is fitted with modern oceanographic equipment like underway CTD sampler, Doppler current profiler, Plankton net, sediment and benthic sampler etc.  

All equipped Life Saving Appliances (LSA) are installed in the vessel. Fire control equipments like fire extinguishers and hoses are also provided. Directorate General of Shipping approved Nautical, Radio and fish finding equipments are fitted in the vessel.

           World’s Oceans are currently affected by global warming with likely impacts in changes in ocean currents and winds, precipitation etc.  Sea Surface Temperature (SST)   has increased by 0.2 to 0.3oC along the Indian coast in the last 45 years.   Global warming and consequent changes in climate patterns will have strong impact on fisheries with serious consequences on food and livelihood security of considerable section of the population.   Climate change is likely to play a key role in the distribution, abundance and phenology of marine and freshwater fishes and assessing the impact is vital for developing strategies for climate change mitigation.  Nevertheless, there exists opportunities to reduce the vulnerability of Indian marine fisheries to climate change by way of projections on fish distribution, abundance etc., thereby planning better management adaptations.  

           National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project was initiated by ICAR as a major programme to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture covering crops livestock and fisheries to climatic variability and climate change.  The project was initiated with an outlay of Rs. 350 crores in the XI plan and continues in the XII plan.  Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is one of the major institute in the strategic research component in the NICRA project  and the nodal agency to carry out climate related impact studies on Indian fisheries.  Warming of waters and sea level rise may severely impact the fishery comprising both the resource and its tappers.  Therefore, it is pertinent to study and evaluate the shift in spawning season, strength and recruitment into fisheries, determine quantitative and qualitative food availability, especially to the  spawners and juveniles and find relationships between climatic and oceanographic variables on distribution, spawning and food availability of Indian marine fishes.  As part of the project, CMFRI, Kochi has procured this vessel.

The project on fisheries CMFRI is headed by Dr P.U Zacharia, Principal Scientist and Head of Demersal Fisheries Division and 44 scientists working at different centers of CMFRI are involved in the project in addition to 23 research scholars.  The work involves finding the impact of climate change on the distribution, abundance, spawning behaviour by selecting  10 species representing  pelagic, Demersal, crustaceans, and molluscan species. Other aspects under study are assessing the vulnerability of coastal districts, estimating the emission from fishing and allied activities, identifying and developing hatchery technologies for climate resilient species for mariculture and developing and demonstrating technologies in estuarine and coastal areas. (PIB Features)

Click here to see more Photos


*****
*Media & Communication Officer, PIB, Cochin.

With inputs from Director, CMFRI, Kochi.

SS-62/SF-62/07-08-2013

RTS/HSN

Electronic Toll Collection

05-March-2013 19:10 IST
To be Rolled Out on NHS Across Country by March Next Year -Dr.C P Joshi
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways aims to rollout Electronic Toll Collection( ETC) across all the toll plazas on National Highways in the entire country by March 31, 2014.This was stated by Dr. CP Joshi, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH) here today while delivering the keynote address at a discussion organised on” India’s Highways-Next Gen Tolling and Corridor Management” 

Electronic Toll Collection is a system enabling collection of toll payments electronically allowing for near-nonstop toll collection and traffic monitoring.ETC utilizes vehicles equipped with transponders(electronic tags),wireless communication, in-road/roadside sensors and a computerized system(hardware and software) for uniquely identifying each vehicle ,electronically collect toll, providing general vehicle/traffic monitoring and data collection. 
Here is the text of Minister’s speech 
“ I am confident that the daylong discussions would have sparked off ideas that have the potential of revolutionizing Tolling and Corridor Management on Indian Highways. 

“The mission of Government of India has been to make quality highway network across the country and make the system transparent and responsive. 

“In our bid to do so / I am glad to share that by the end of this financial year we would complete construction of nearly 3000 kilometers of National highways, / which is a record till date. 

“Along with constructing highways we are also re working our systems to sync with times. To make the system transparent / we first introduced e-tendering, / followed it with pilot project to Electronically collect Toll. 

“Now we have a vision to mark national highway network on maps / making it compatible to mobile devices / and even have apps for highway network.

“I will elaborate a bit on our endeavor to implement RFID based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system across National Highways. 

“The RFID technology shall expedite the clearing of traffic at toll plazas / and the need of carrying cash shall also be eliminated when Toll plazas shall be duly integrated with each other throughout India. 

“We started a Pilot Project on ETC last year in April at Parwanoo on NH-5. / 

“The pilot is being carried successfully and concessionaires have been requested to work out necessary modalities with the ETC solution providers / and Banks for setting up of Central Clearing House (CCH). 

“A few more stretches have also been selected for ETC implementation. They are Mumbai - Ahmedabad, Chennai- Bangalore and Gurgaon – Jaipur – Beawar. 

“I would like to assert that by March 31, 2014 we aim to implement ETC across all the toll plazas on our National Highways. 

“For implementation of nationwide electronic toll collection we have recently constituted / Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) / with equity partnership from NHAI (50%) Concessionaries (25%) and institutions (25%) . 

“Government of India is also amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 for fitment of RFID tag on vehicles by the automobile manufacturers. 

“I am happy that Feedback Brista Highways OMT Pvt. Limited (FBH) has organized this special session to discuss the issues that affect user comfort at the Toll Plazas and how we can develop an effective and efficient mechanism at Toll Plazas on National Highways. 

“Our endeavor will be to develop policies and systems for happy user experience on Indian Highways / through better safety measures / and / lower waiting time at the Toll Plazas. 

“We will be happy to partner with the Government of Portugal to develop a mechanism for better cooperation and collaboration in this regard.” (PIB)
***

Eviction of 1200 families from a slum

Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 9:09 AM
A Protest Demonstration on 4th March 
Dear Friends !
Greetings !

We are sending you our appeal for your solidarity and support on behalf of National Movement For Land, Labor and Justice- NMLLJ and Forum against EWS Land Grab, Bangalore Karnataka.

Hope you are already aware of the illegal-demolition and  eviction of 1200 families from a slum  in Bangalore,  where they were living for more than 20 years .

This brutal action was enacted by the combined violence of police, pvt goons, and government officials.The whole purpose is to grab the 15.64 acres of prime land on which they were living.  it is between Jan 18--20. but even today the evicted people are living on footpath. this is the first where a `corporate land sharing project ` under PPP is being introduced in entire south India, in Urban poor Housing. If this move is not resisted , it only pave way to more and more land grab from slum people all over. What we are experiencing in the country is  the diminishing Democracy and flourishing Corporatocracy.

At this Juncture we request all democratic organization at Delhi to extend support and solidarity in resisting, exposing and get back the land grabbed from the social groups -historically marginalized.

.We seek your support and solidarity in organizing a protest Demonstration on 4th March at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi and a CSO consultation on 6th at Delhi. A strong struggle  group  from Forum against EWS Land Grab, Bangalore Karnataka.

We request you to play a prominent / leading role in actualizing  organized mass protest at Delhi on 4th march. Around 20 people from Bangalore forum that led the struggle so far, will be joining the protest.
Please see these attachments and Photos for more details.

M.R.Prabhakar
Convener,  Forum against EWS Land Grab, Bangalore
09449820566.

ARUN KHOTE
राष्ट्रीय भूमि, श्रम  एवं न्याय आन्दोलन
National Movement For Land, Labor and Justice-NMLLJ
222,Vidhayak Niwas, Aishbagh Road, Rajendra Nagar
Lucknow -226004 Utter Pradesh (INDIA)
Mob: 91#9451872099

At Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

Peoples of India observed strike today

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 4:30 PM
The protestors included large number of women

Peoples power at Ludhiana.....................................Photo by Rector Kathuria

Ludhiana(Rector Kathuria); On a call given by the 11 Central Trade Unions and various independent federations, unions and associations, the workers affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), INTUC, BMS, CTU, TUCC and CITU observed strike today in their respective industries and other institutions. Thereafter they gathered at Bus stand and organized a massive protest rally in support of their demands. The unions of workers of Punjab Roadways and PRTC  had already struck work and so there was a total Chakka Jam at the bus stand since 12.00 midnight.
The protestors included large number of women, construction workers, industrial workers, Public health workers,  contractual workers, Corporation workers, University employees, private hospital employees, roadways  and others sections of workers and employees. Todays’s protesat rally  was presided over by Com Om Parkash Mehta - AITUC, Com Jatinder Pal Singh of CITU and  Shri Swaran Singh of INTUC, Com Paramjeet Singh of CTU, Sh Nageshwar Singh of BMS, Shri Sham Narain Yadav of TUCC . Speaking on the occasion state leaders Com Bant Brar–General Secretary AITUC Punjab, Com Raghunath Singh, General Secretary of CITU Punjab,  Com Paramjeet Singh of CTU, Sh. Swaran Singh- President INTUC Punjab, Hari singh Sahni-TUCC  demanded minimum wages to be fixed by the Punjab Govt. @ for unskilled workers Rs 10,000, Semi Skilled 15,000, Skilled workers 20,000 per month, end to contractual and out sourcing and filling up of all govt. and semi govt. posts on regular basis, to disband the new pension policy effective from 1.1.2004 and implement the same old pension scheme on all employees.  They cited low wages in the state as major reason for the shortage of labour in the state. They demanded all anti worker acts recently promulgated by the Punjab government to be withdrawn with immediate effect. The speakers said that the labour laws in the state are being flouted by both public and private sector with impunity. The contractual workers in both the sectors be regularized hence forth.  These must be implemented in letter and spirit. They deplored that under the process of so called globalization and privatization at the diktat of the world bank and International Monetary Fund ,  the economic policies of both central and state governments there has been accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, while vast majority is suffering under acute poverty and unemployment. Latest reports have indicated that 100 top rich families in India own assets to the tune of 16 lakh crores of rupees where as 70% are forced to live on meager spending of Rs. 16.60  per day.  Speaking on the occasion Com. Tarsem Jodhan, Com D P Maur, Com Ram Lal, Jagdish Chand and Gurjeet Singh Jagpal, Gulzar Singh Gorea opposed FDI in banks, LIC and retail as this will hit the job situation hard for the employees and also the production in the small scale sector. They also demanded  regular jobs and equal wages for ASHA, Aanganwadi and mid day meal workers. They warned that if the govt. does not change its economic policies benefitting the rich and the corporate sector, then more militant agitations   are on the anvil. Others who addressed include Com Bhagirath Paliwal, Suresh Sood, Gurnam Gill, Laddoo shah, Haniuman Prasad Dubey, Samar Bahadur, Gurnam Sidhu, Kameshwar Yadav, Sarbjit Singh Sarhali, Manjeet Singh Buta, Charan Dass, Amarnath Kumkalan, S K Tiwari and Rajesh Kumar Sharma

A research on brains and spiders

A Whole New Meaning for Thinking on Your Feet 

Nephila clavipes, a big tropical spider, has plenty of
room in its body for its brain. Credit: Pamela Belding.

Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their 
body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of ongoing research to understand how 
miniaturization affects brain size and behavior, researchers measured the central nervous systems of nine species of spiders, from rainforest giants to spiders smaller than the head of a pin. As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities. 
“The smaller the animal, the more it has to invest in its brain, which means even very tiny 
spiders are able to weave a web and perform other fairly complex behaviors,” said William Wcislo, 
staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. “We discovered that the 
central nervous systems of the smallest spiders fill up almost 80 percent of their total body cavity, including about 25 percent of their legs.” 
Some of the tiniest, immature spiderlings even have deformed, bulging bodies. The bulge 
contains excess brain. Adults of the same species do not bulge. Brain cells can only be so small 
because most cells have a nucleus that contains all of the spider’s genes, and that takes up space. The diameter of the nerve fibers or axons also cannot be made smaller because if they are too thin, the flow of ions that carry nerve signals is disrupted, and the signals are not transferred properly. One option is to devote more space to the nervous system.  
“We suspected that the spiderlings might be mostly brain because there is a general rule for all 
animals, called Haller’s rule, that says that as body size goes down, the proportion of the body taken up by the brain increases,” said Wcislo. “Human brains only represent about 2-3 percent of our body mass. Some of the tiniest ant brains that we’ve measured represent about 15 percent of their biomass, and some of these spiders are much smaller.” 
Brain cells use a lot of energy, so these small spiders also probably convert much of the food 
they consume into brain power. 
The enormous biodiversity of spiders in Panama and Costa Rica made it possible for 
researchers to measure brain extension in spiders with a huge range of body sizes. Nephila clavipes, a Smithsonian Institution   News Dec. 12, 2011 SI-528-2011 2 rainforest giant weighs 400,000 times more than the smallest spiders in the study, nymphs of spiders in the genus Mysmena.  
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit 
of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its 
importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes 
conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. 

Website: www.stri.si.edu 

Spiders carefully move their legs
The web-weaving behavior 
A research on brains and spiders


# # #Brains of tiny spiders are so large 

Initiative Reduces

01/31/2013 03:20 PM CST                                       Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 2:54 AM
Disability Claims Processing Time
From a Department of Veterans Affairs News Release
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 - The Veterans Affairs Department has launched a new initiative that could eliminate the requirement for an in-person medical examination for some veterans and shorten the time it takes to process disability compensation claims.

Officials said the initiative -- called Acceptable Clinical Evidence, or ACE -- was developed jointly by the Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans Benefits Administration to provide a veteran-centric approach for disability examinations.

Use of the ACE process opens the possibility of doing assessments without an in-person examination when there is sufficient information in the record, officials said.

Under ACE practices, a VA medical provider completes a disability benefits questionnaire by reviewing existing medical evidence. This evidence can be supplemented with information obtained during a telephone interview with the veteran, officials explained, alleviating the need for some veterans to report for an in-person examination.

"ACE is a process improvement that will help us meet our goal to eliminate the claims backlog and provide more timely benefits to our veterans, their families and survivors," said Allison A. Hickey, VA's undersecretary for benefits. "The initiative also saves veterans the inconvenience and costs associated with attending a medical examination."

When a VA medical provider determines VA records already contain sufficient medical information to provide the needed documentation for disability rating purposes, the requirement for veterans to travel to a medical facility for an examination may be eliminated.

If VA can complete a disability benefits questionnaire by reviewing medical records already on file, it will use the ACE process. This would then expedite the determination of disability ratings, officials said, in turn eliminating the wait time to schedule and conduct an exam from the claims process.

During a 15-month pilot test at one VA regional claims processing office, officials noted, 38 percent of claims submitted were eligible for ACE.

The ACE initiative is a part of a five-year effort by the Veterans Benefits Administration designed to improve claims processing, officials said. The goal of the transformation plan is to eliminate the claims backlog and process all claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy in 2015.
Related Sites:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Disability Benefits Questionnaire