Vice President Hamid Ansari on Monday said water scarcity was a developing crisis which needed to be addressed urgently. Ansari said desalination would become a major exercise in the not too distant future.
“We are facing a crisis situation. Why should we not look at desalinating water,” said the vice president, while releasing a book – Water, Peace, and War – by geostrategist Brahma Chellaney.
“A message needs to go to every family, every child that water is a scarce commodity which should not be wasted,” said Ansari.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / TNN / February 25th, 2014
Gulbarga University’s 32nd convocation will be held today
The former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid is among the 12 personalities who will receive honorary doctorate from Gulbarga University during the 32nd annual convocation to be held on the university campus here on Thursday.
Vice-Chancellor E.T. Puttaiah told presspersons here on Wednesday that the list included people ranging from educationists and politicians to social activists. They would be conferred Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Sciences.
The other persons who will receive the honorary doctorate are Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises K.H. Muniyappa; Municipal Administration and Waqf Minister Qamarul Islam; Rajyogini Brahmakumari Dadi Ratan Mohini; Sri Chennaveera Shivacharyaru of Samsthan Hiremath; Sri Shivanand Swamigalu of Siddalingeshwar Viraktamath; Dalit leader Shivaram Mogha; Editor of Agni Rajasekhar Hatagundi; secretary of the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society Sharad Rampure, chairman of the New Horizon Educational Institution Mohan S. Manghnani; entrepreneur Krishnaji Kulkarni and contractor Dhareppa Uppar.
Defending the decision to confer the doctorate on so many people, Prof. Puttaiah said the university had received a total of 46 applications. The final list was selected by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, who is also Chancellor of the university.
Prof. Puttaiah said that Ph.D and M. Phil would be awarded to 115 and 90 scholars respectively.
A total of 157 meritorious students who stood first in their respective courses would receive gold medals and cash prizes.
Sumita Pujari, a student of Doddappa Appa MBA Institute, topped the university by bagging eight gold medals and securing the first rank in MBA.
Hussain Basha came second by winning seven gold medals and securing the first rank in M.Sc. Mathematics.
Eminent scientist and Principal Scientific Advisor to the Union government R. Chidambaram will deliver the convocation address.
source: http://www. thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Gulbarga – February 20th, 2014
It was an evening to rejoice and celebrate with the winners of Hyderabad Women of the Decade Achievers Awards organised by Assocham Ladies League recently.
Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was the chief guest of the evening and was seen mingling with the guests and winners.
Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan , who graced the do, was given a special award.
Musician-singer Dina Fanai from New York made the evening memorable by crooning beautiful numbers.
Also spotted was tennis ace Sania Mirza , actress Sharada, Sangita Reddy, Geeta Reddy, and Seema Kumar among others.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / February 01st, 2014
On this past 3rd May, a history was created very silently in Assam by a young Muslim girl. Umme Fardina Adil did what female members of her Muslim community in the Northeast state could not do in the last 66 years of Independence. By cracking India’s most coveted Civil Services examination, Fardina became first Muslim woman to become IAS in Assam. Her historic achievement could not be hidden long.
Umme Fardina Adil, a resident of Hatigaon in Guwahati, was felicitated by ERD Foundation and other organisations for her success in the Civil Services exam 2012 whose results were announced on 3rd May. In the list of 998 successful candidates this year, Fardina got 319 rank.
Speaking at the function organised at Regional College of Higher Education (RCHE) in the city on Sunday, Mahbubul Hoque, Chairman ERD Foundation said, “Assam gave the only President of India from the North East – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. Assam also gave the first and only Muslim woman Chief Minister of the country – Anwara Timur. But it took Assam 66 years to produce the first Muslim woman IAS officer – Umme Fardina Adil.”
Hoque also informed the audience that the entrance test and interview of minority candidates opting for coaching for the IAS exam of 2014 was conducted at the same venue in the morning. It was organised by Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI) and coordinated by ERDF. The felicitation for Fardina was arranged in the afternoon to facilitate her interaction with all the aspiring minority community IAS candidates of 2014 from Assam who were also present at the venue.
L-R: Mahbubul Hoque, Chairman ERDF; HN Das, former Chief Secretary of Assam; Umme Fardina Adil; and Prof PK Abdul Azis, VC, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya at a function in Guwahati on 12th May 2013.
Dr Ikramul Haque, Atiqur rahman Siddiqui and Mohammed Aleem from the Zakat Foundation of India, New Delhi were also present on the occasion.
Speaking during the felicitation programme, HN Das, former Chief Secretary of Assam & Director, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Coaching Centre for Civil Services Examinations Guwahati said, “Financial hardship should not be a reason for not being able to sit for IAS examination. Now there are many organisations to support meritorious students to prepare for competitive examinations.”
Prof PK Abdul Azis, Vice Chancellor, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya, who was also a member of the IAS interview board for several years congratulated Fardina and offered her flowers and gifts on behalf of the University. Sabur Tapader and Ahmad Hussain offered gifts to Fardina on behalf of Unity Education Foundation and Pragjyotish Group of Institutions respectively.
Fardina, a former student of Disneyland School and Cotton College of Guwahati, informed the audience that she cleared the IAS in her first attempt and with about 8 months of preparation putting in about six hours every day. She said, she depended on newspapers and Wikipedia for gathering knowledge about new topics and never referred to any guide books.
Fardina encouraged the aspiring candidates for developing a politically neutral view and showing an aptitude for analytical dissection of the subject in question. She also asked the young generation to be socially committed, stressing that this attitude would see them through in any interview.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Education / by Muslim Mirror News / May 13th, 2013
Hasan Mansur, a veteran human rights activist, passed away in Bangalore on Wednesday morning.
Prof. Mansur (1930-2014), who retired as the Head of the Department of English in Bangalore University, was closely associated with People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and a host of other human rights initiatives, and fact-finding efforts in Karnataka and elsewhere.
Prof. Mansur was one of the founding members of the Karnataka Civil Liberties Committee (KCLC) in 1984. He went on to work for the PUCL, with which he was associated till the end.
His role at PUCL
In a press release, the PUCL State committee has said that Prof. Mansur played a significant role in broad-basing the concerns of PUCL and taking it beyond the traditional human rights issues to focus attention on violations of socio-economic rights, including the right to housing and the right to water.
Prof. Mansur was also one of the founding members of the Karnataka chapter of the Indo-Pak People’s Friendship Forum and was associated with trade union movements since the 1950s.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ramdas Rao, his colleague at the university and a co-activist in PUCL, said: “I admired Prof. Mansur for the way he brought together literature, politics and human rights.” Recalling his love for literary greats like James Joyce, Pablo Neruda and T.S. Eliot, he said: “He could quote large chunks of Joyce’s Ulysses and Eliot’s Four Quartets and continued to teach to the larger community of his friends even after he retired.”
Prof. Mansur leaves behind his wife, Hasnath Mansur, and a son. Funeral prayers were held at Arab Lane Mosque on Richmond Road on Wednesday evening.
I admired Mansur for the way he brought together literature, politics and human rights: Ramdas Rao
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bangalore – February 13th, 2014
Jung tries to find a solution to any situation that the state government faces
It is a battle of files between two former bureaucrats—one an ex-IAS officer and the other who quit the IRS. The former is the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, while the latter is its Chief Minister. The strategic warfare between the soft spoken, nattily dressed theatre loving Najib Jung and the hectoring, muffler sporting and drama obsessed Arvind Kejriwal has escalated to open warfare. Years after Jagmohan retired from in 1982 from the colonial era Raj Niwas in North Delhi’s leafy Civil Lines, no other occupant has become a major political player in Delhi like Jung.
The latest controversy is over the Lt Governor seeking Attorney General Mohan Parasharan’s opinion on the constitutionality of Kejriwal’s AAP government tabling the Jan Lok pal Bill, which the chief minister has promised to launch with much fanfare at Ramlila Maidan. AAP called Jung a “Congress agent.” Referring to the communication between Jung and Parasaran, AAP leader Ashutosh told media that when anything from AAP government goes to LG, parts of it become public via the media.
Because Delhi is a Union Territory, all bills tabled in Delhi assembly are by convention sent to the Home Ministry for approval before being tabled in the state assembly. The AAP led government doesn’t, however, agree. Media leaks exposed the opinion of the Solicitor General’s office that introducing a bill directly assembly would be ‘unconstitutional’. Ashutosh questions whether the “LG’s office is involved in the leak”.
“Just like you had sought the opinion of the Solicitor General, the Delhi government has also sought an opinion from three noted lawyers and a former chief justice. All these four experts are of the opinion that the union home ministry order is unconstitutional. Their names are: Justice Mukul Mudgal, Mr PV Kapoor, Mr KN Bhat and Mr Pinaki Mishra. After getting their opinion, the Delhi cabinet in its meeting on February 3, 2014, passed a resolution recommending that the home ministry should withdraw its order and till such time decided not to accept it,” said Kejriwal in a letter written to Jung.
However, Mishra and Mudgal denied being consulted.
AAP’s main worry is that clearance of the bill from the central government could take a long time, which the AAP can ill afford since it has promised to get the Janlokpal bill passed within fifteen days of coming to power; that deadline is already over.
Though Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Centre, Jung’s background as an eminent academician and a prominent member of Delhi’s Muslim community is seen as a Congress attempt to woo both the minorities and its urban base.
In the ongoing saga between AAP and the UPA government, this is not the first time Jung is playing a key role in a political situation. Two weeks ago, he resorted to parantha diplomacy to dissuade a perennially coughing Arvind Kejriwal to end his wintry dharna outside Rail Bhawan demanding suspension of two policemen. Jung sent hot “parathas” to the chief minister through AAP leader Yogendra Yadav with the conciliatory offer that the cops would be sent on leave if the CM ended his protest. Kejriwal, aware that the Republic Day parade was approaching and in all likelihood would be evicted by the Indian Army, hastily accepted the offer as a face saving device. That round went to Jung.
The Delhi LG, not the person to be sitting behind the high aloof walls of LG’s office is known for his eye for detail. His nature of being particular and reading files comes from being a career bureaucrat. He is known to be approachable and actively engages in solving any impasse and ever ready to give a patient ear, to various delegations including those of Congress, BJP which visit him. Delhi CM Kejriwal too has had fairly long discussions on the Janlokpal bill with him.
When Delhi CM Kejriwal recently said that licenses of private power distribution companies would be cancelled if they resort to power cuts, Jung called Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chief PD Sudhakar for a meeting. This shows his quality of not being a governor who is aloof, but a governor who actively engages and tries to find a solution to any situation or eventuality that the state government faces.
Seen as an official who goes by the rulebook, Jung had recommended President’s rule in Delhi with the assembly being kept in suspended animation after the assembly elections gave a hung verdict. The 62 year old Jung’s academic record shows that he is nobody’s unthinking lackey; the masters in history from Delhi University, and the MA from the London School of Economics in social policy and planning in developing countries earned by the Lieutenant Governor would give him the necessary perspective to handle tricky political situat ions with significant social overtones as in AAP’s case. The Bill controversy is just the beginning.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The Sunday Standard / by Tarun Nangia – New Delhi / February 09th, 2014
Echoing the concerns of various stakeholders at the valedictory function was Vice-President Mohd. Hamid Ansari. He pointed to the fact that India would have one of the youngest populations in the world in six years. “It is estimated that by 2020, the average Indian will be only 29 years of age, compared with 37 in China and US, 45 in Western Europe and 48,” he said at the concluding session of the ThinkEdu Conclave.
Hence, at the centre of all efforts to create a knowledge-based society should be provision of high quality relevant education for all at the primary, secondary and higher levels, including professional, technical and vocational education. Any shortcomings or failure in the effort could transform the potential ‘demographic dividend’ into a possible nightmare, of a ticking demographic time-bomb, with all its economic, social and economic consequences, he warned.
Posing three queries on the status of education in India, the vice-president quoted official reports highlighting the declining quality at all levels due to poor infrastructure, poor curricula and poor teacher and teaching quality. He saw far-reaching correctives in the sector, including introduction of holistic education, carried out in a time-bound manner as the only solution to the malady.
In the Vice-President’s view, holistic education drew its relevance from the need to address to challenges such globalisation, materialism, consumerism, commercialisation of education and other threats due to climate change, environmental degradation and terrorism. “It is essentially an education concerned with both individual freedom and social responsibility,” he said.
Ansari called for the cooperation and support of parents, guardians and community members to make the endeavour a success.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The Sunday Standard / Home / by The Express News Service / February 02nd, 2014
Photo – Extreme Left -1) Sameena Jabeen Corporator . Photo -2) The dried branches of trees near Buddha Stupa which need to be pruned.
North: From Mahatma Gandhi Circle (front of Court) to Madhavarao Circle (Agrahara Circle) through M.G. Road (Vani Vilas Road).
East: From Madhavrao Circle to Basaweshwara road 11th cross through 101 Ganapathi Temple.
South: From Basaweshwara road 11th cross to Nanjumalige Circle through Hosabandikeri 1st cross. From Nanjumalige Circle to N.S. Road and Kantharaj Urs road junction and Jayanagar Under-bridge through Kantharaj Urs road.
West: From Jayanagar Under-bridge and Kantharaj Urs road junction to Mahatma Gandhi Circle (In front of Court) through K.R. Boulevard road.
by S. Kenneth Shishir
Ward 3 comprises areas — Lakshmipuram, Hosabandikeri, Nanjumalige and areas in front of city Court Complex — which consists of many apartments and commercial establishments.
Excluding Lakshmipuram, most of the roads in the Ward are congested, resulting in traffic jams and many of the roads also need to be asphalted.
Nanjumalige is mainly a market street. The street vendors should be provided space to carry out their business as they have encroached the footpaths and roads.
Most of the roads in the Ward need to be asphalted, storm water drains need to be cleared from blockages and trees need to be pruned.
Vani Vilas Market
Situated in Agrahara, the market that came up during the Maharaja’s reign, owing to exposure of the European ways of life, has outlived its utility and is not fit for occupation. The MCC has planned to demolish this market and construct a new building in its place with a parking lot to ease traffic congestion on the road.
Former Mayor Sandesh Swamy who had inspected the market had said that new facilities would be added including a parking lot and the new structure would retain the vintage look.
The main roads in the Ward are neat with footpaths laid using inter-locking tiles.
Some of the residents, speaking to SOM, said that, as such, they are not experiencing serious problems, but added that irregular supply of electricity and low pressure of drinking water supply were the main issues.
Storm water drain on Vani Vilas Road needs to be cleared as the drain is completely blocked near Siddappa Square.
Santosh Kumar Paul, a social worker told SOM that the “Ward cannot hope for any development as the Corporator is from BSR Congress party and getting funds were difficult. If only she was from Congress, funds would have been released for developmental works,” he added. He further said that many developmental works like widening of roads, installation of new street lights, renovation of Vani Vilas Market, asphalting of roads etc. should be taken up.
Lakshminarayan, a two-wheeler mechanic said that the authorities, after providing good roads, should also maintain it properly. He said that dried branches of trees should be removed, trees should be pruned and debris on road sides be cleared.
Many residents of the Ward, especially in Hosabandikeri, said that garbage is not cleared regularly, there is no pressure in water being supplied and there are cases of frequent blockages of drainages. Also the parks need maintenance with installation of slide, swings, see-saw, etc.
When these issues were brought to the notice of Corporator Sameena Jabeen, she said that JUSCO had laid pipelines to supply 24×7 water supply to the residences of the Ward about five months back and had installed water meters to the houses.
She said that water is being supplied to major portion of the Ward through this pipeline where the pressure is good and the same will be completed in other parts of the Ward soon. Regarding irregular garbage clearance, Sameena said that the public has been provided with phone numbers so to complain such irregularities and only then can action be taken against erring officials.
She further said that grants are awaited for taking up road and drainage repair works and added that a proposal had been given to install a statue of late Srikanta Datta Wadiyar in Manuvana Park during the last Council meeting which is awaiting approval.
Corporator Sameena Jabeen can be contacted on Mob: 93421-25591.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / February 05th, 2014
Indian business leader, scientist and philanthropist Dr Yusuf Hamied on Monday announced a major financial donation to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the world’s leading chemistry community, to support an innovative chemistry education programme for school students in India.
Dr Hamied, who is the chairperson of the generic pharmaceuticals company Cipla and has pioneered the model of producing affordable medicines for patients in developing countries, is donating Rs eight crore to the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme.
The programme will be managed by the Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with the UK’s Salters Institute and leading Indian academic institutes to enhance the skills and knowledge of Indian chemistry teachers and inspire students to study chemistry at university.
Over the next five years, the programme aims to equip 8,000 teachers across India with the specialist knowledge and skills to deliver exciting and engaging chemistry lessons, and to pass this knowledge on to their colleagues. It will also provide 1,600 of the brightest chemistry students from all backgrounds with places at chemistry camps to motivate them to reach the necessary standards to study chemistry at university.
Dr Hamied said: “I am very pleased to be working in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to support the Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme. I believe the programme will make a real difference to the education and experience of students studying chemistry in schools across India.”
Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr Robert Parker, said: “We are delighted to be working with Dr Hamied and grateful for his generous donation to enable us bring together leading organisations from the UK and India to deliver this education programme and make a real impact.” Dr Hamied added: “To inspire the next generation of great Indian scientists we must equip our teachers with the specialist knowledge and practical skills they need to show their students that chemistry is a fascinating.”
Just as teachers pass on their knowledge to their pupils, the programme will support the most talented chemistry teachers in India to train their colleagues to deliver informative and exciting chemistry lessons – a “train the trainer” approach. I am very pleased to support this sustainable model for teacher training which will allow the programme to reach thousands of teachers across the country.” Dr Hamied said: “An inspiring chemistry education isn’t just about excellent teachers.
We need to encourage and motivate the best students to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to go on to study chemistry at university and eventually, to make a strong contribution to India’s success. This isn’t just about getting the best grades – we also need students to develop problem-solving and interdisciplinary skills. That is why I am also very pleased that this joint initiative will support the best students – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to take part in chemistry camps at leading academic institutions and experience a true taste of chemistry at university.”
Dr Simon Campbell, former president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and personal friend of Dr Hamied, said: “This unique programme is a significant educational investment with great potential to train the skilled chemists that will be vital for India’s growth and social wellbeing.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Bangalore – DHNS / February 10th, 2014
