Category Archives: Science & Technologies

15 per cent growth in capacity of ports: Vasan

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Union Shipping Minister G. K. Vasan (centre) presents a cheque for Rs. 50 lakh to V. Shanta, Director, Cancer Institute, Adyar at a function in Chennai on Wednesday. / Photo: R. Ravindran / The Hindu

Cumulative capacity has crossed 1200 million tonnes a year

Union Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan gave Rs 50 lakh financial assistance to Cancer Institute, Adyar, on behalf of three major ports in the State, which made the donation as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes.

Handing over a cheque to V. Shanta, Director, Cancer Institute, at a function here on Wednesday, Mr. Vasan said that Chennai Port Trust had handled 41.88 million tonnes of cargo till January 15, 2013, and this was expected to reach 53.50 million tonnes by the end of this financial year.

While VOC port in Tuticorin has handled 22.13 million tonnes and expected to reach 28.50 million tonnes, Ennore port handled 12.21 million tonnes and this would reach 15 million tonnes by end of this fiscal.

Stating that the capacity of Indian ports has grown by 15 per cent per year for the past two years, he said cumulative capacity of Indian ports had crossed 1200 million tonnes per annum.

Of the 42 projects planned under public-private participation (PPP) mode with an investment of Rs 14,750 crore, Mr. Vasan said tenders have already been floated for 17 with capacity of 52 million tonnes per annum at a cost of Rs 3600 crore.

Funds earmarked

In line with the Shipping Ministry’s guidelines that every port must earmark three to five per cent of the previous fiscal’s net profit for CSR activities for 2012-13 fiscal, Chennai Port Trust, Ennore Port Limited and VOC Port Trust have earmarked Rs 77 lakh, Rs 2.72 crore and Rs 3.06 crore respectively.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai, January 17th, 2013

Free laptops distributed to Anna University students

Education, Science & Technologies

Chennai. 

The human development index and gross enrolment ratio of students in Tamil Nadu is better than the national average, said Apurva Varma, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, here on Thursday.

Addressing students of Dindigul and Ramanathapuram regional centres of Anna University during a programme organised to distribute free laptops, he said “the national average of gross enrolment ratio is 13 per cent whereas it is18 per cent in Tamil Nadu.”

Last year, Rs 1000 crore was allocated for procurement of laptops and this year Rs. 1500 crore had been allocated.

Cynthia Pandian, Vice-Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, advised the students to use the laptops for educational activities.

Madurai Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellapa and K. Sivakumar, Director of Anna University’s Madurai regional centre, were present.

gross enrolment ratio, free laptops, human development index, higher education, Tamil Nadu.

source: http://www.news4education.com / Home / January 11th, 2013

LED lamps to replace streetlights in Pudukottai

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Patient hearing: Municipal chairman (in-charge) S.A.Sait alias Abdul Rahman listening to a councillor at the municipal council meeting in Pudukottai on Friday. / The Hindu

Streetlights in all wards in the municipality will be replaced with LED lamps, said S.A. Sait alias Abdul Rahman, municipal chairman (in-charge).

Moving a resolution in this regard at the municipal council meeting here on Friday, he said work would be taken up at an estimate of Rs.5.48 crore to be shared equally by the municipality and a private firm which would execute it.

He explained that LED lamps would bring about economy in consumption charge.

Presently, the municipality incurred a huge expenditure of Rs.36 lakh every year towards power consumption charge and spent Rs.11.50 lakh every year towards maintenance and repair works.

The LED lamps would ensure curtailment in expenditure on power consumption by about 32 per cent of the present expenditure. About 6,328 tube lights would be replaced by LED lamps.

He also said that it has been planned to construct minor culverts in 18 wards. From out of the MLA constituency area development fund, mini tanks would be set up in wards in the town, each at an estimate of Rs.1.34 lakh.

M. Arumugam, a councillor, said the maintenance of street lights should be properly ensured by the private firm.

A.M.S. Ibrahim Babu (Congress), said there was delay in issuing birth and death certificates by the municipality and sought immediate action to streamline the process.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Pudukottai, January 06th, 2013

SSA’s e-governance pilot project launched in Coimbatore

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

To overcome the issue of dealing with a lot of paper work, Coimbatore based ByVal Technologies had developed an online application for Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs), Cluster Resource Teacher Educators (CRTEs) and senior officials of the SSA

Coimbatore , INDIA:

Those days are gone when Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Coimbatore used to get data from its field officers through papers.

Now, the e-governance pilot trials of SSA have been launched by Collector M. Karunagaran.

The decision to introduce pilot trials was taken to cut down on the time consuming process, errors that come with duplication of work, increased time to retrieve data through registers and block files.

“This project completely does away with the need for paper work in monitoring the implementation of various SSA projects,” a Hindu report quoted Coimbatore Additional Chief Education Officer (SSA) R. Thiruvalarselvi as saying.

To overcome the issue of dealing with a lot of paper work, Coimbatore based ByVal Technologies had developed an online application for Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs), Cluster Resource Teacher Educators (CRTEs) and senior officials of the SSA.

The application automatically consolidates the data entered by all field level personnel in the website from their respective blocks. The data entered cannot be edited by any other person and it can be viewed by select officials only.

source:  http://www.ciol.com / Home> E-Governance> News / by  CIOL Bureau / Monday, January 07th, 2013

Now, tummy tucks and nose jobs at GH

Science & Technologies

The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital has set up a cosmetic surgery clinic.

It will function for one hour from Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. So far, 50 persons have undergone procedures to correct noses and for liposuction, at the hospital.

A dedicated clinic is necessary now that more people suffer from damaged facial features following accidents, said dean V. Kanagasabai.

“In a corporate hospital, a patient may have to spend anywhere from several thousands to lakhs, but at the GH, these surgeries are done free of cost,” Dr. Kanagasabai said.

The equipment for the surgeries, costing Rs. 10 lakh was purchased from the money the hospital received through the CM’s insurance scheme.

Common cosmetic surgeries are liposuction, removal of fat from thighs and arms, nose corrections and hair transplants.

While these are not covered under the Chief Minister’s health insurance scheme, some procedures such as correcting a deviated nose, a damaged jaw or reconstructing a birth defect in the jaw bone may be covered under the scheme, said R. Gopinath, head of the clinic.

Over the past six months, three persons have undergone liposuction (tummy tuck), some patients have required nose corrections and some boys have been operated on for breast enlargement, because of a condition called gynaecomastia.

A dedicated clinic for cosmetic surgeries will function at the hospital five days a week

source: http://www.TheHindu.com  / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai, January 01st, 2013

Solar energy products shine at Tiruchi expo

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologies

Mu.Mohan, State chairman, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Builders’ Association of India, visiting a stall at Buildrock-2012 exhibition in the city on Tuesday. / Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam / The Hindu

The exhibitors believe that in the backdrop of power shortage, people will give a serious thought to making purposeful investments

For those contemplating solar power for homes, commercial buildings and industrial establishments, all roads should lead to Buildrock 2012 exhibition presented by Builders` Association of India at the grounds of Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan School near Karur Bypass Road.

The exhibition featuring various other aspects of home right from electrical, flooring, pipes, roofing, water heating and storage, plywood doors and interior decoration promises to serve as a one stop spot for keen planning and budgeting prior to commencing construction.

In the backdrop of power shortage and indications that the situation may not turn to normal for at least the next couple of years, the exhibitors of solar energy products believe that constructors will give a serious thought to make purposeful investments.

Solar panels of various sizes along with their power generation capacities are on display. Realtors and builders of residential apartments have also sought to make their presence felt.

According to J.Sankaran, chairman, Buildrock, about 50 per cent of the 66 exhibits at Buildrock 2012 showcase new products.

Be it aluminium coated galvanised sheets or low-weight concrete blocks with higher sturdiness and efficiency, visitors will be quick to learn the advantages of the products, organisers promise.

State Chairman, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Builders’ Association of India, Mu Mohan inaugurated the exhibition in the presence of Chairman of Tiruchi Chapter Jawagar and Secretary M.Thirusangu.

From the perspective of consumers, the exhibition is being organised at a time when there are price fluctuations in the cost of construction materials. The exhibition will be kept open for public until December 30.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / december 26th, 2012

Google Doodles Srinivasa Ramanujam on his 125th birthday

Amazing Feats, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujam is being honored the Google way on his 125th birthday with a doodle. Born on December 22, 1887 in Madras, now Chennai, Ramanujam was mathematical wizard and his birthday is celebrated as National Mathematics Day in India.

Google’s Doodle shows an Indian child scribbling mathematical geometric figures in the formation of the word Google.

http://www.bgr.in/news/google-doodles-srinivasa-ramanujam-on-his-125th-birthday/

Ramanujam was introduced to formal education at the age of 10 and by the time he was 12 years old, he had covered advanced trigonometry and went on to discover his own theorems. As a teenager he carried out research on Bernoulli numbers and the Euler-Mascheroni constant.

While he was a mathematical genius he consistently failed examinations in other subjects that led him to change his college. He then took up a job and then sent samples of his work to the University of Cambridge.

At Cambridge, English mathematician GH Hardy called him to work alongside him. He went on to become a fellow of the Royal Society and a fellow at the Trinity College in Cambridge. He came up with 3900 results in mathematics. Most of these theorems were called unconventional at the time, but later have proven to be true. Prime examples of his work are the Ramanujam Theta Function and the Ramanujam Prime.

He passed away at the ripe age of 32 on April 26, 1920 in Chennai.

source: http://www.bgr.in / Your Mobile Life / Home> Google> News/ by Sahil ‘Bones’ Gupta / December 22nd, 2012

Ramanathapuram to become solar energy hub

Science & Technologies

Madurai , DEC. 17:

Minister for Handlooms and Textiles S. Sundararaj, participating in a function at Ramanathapuram on Saturday, said that the district would soon become a hub for solar energy generation.

He said that more and more private companies have evinced interest in setting up units in the 100 MW solar energy park, part of a pilot project, to be established in over 500 acres at a cost Rs 920 crore at Pambur in Paramakudi taluk under the New Solar Energy Policy 2012 in the State.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Raasi Green Earth Energy recently. The process for acquisition of 500 acres of land in the village has been completed and Labour Minister would soon lay the foundation stone for establishing the park.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry / by The Hindu Correspondent / Madurai, December 17th, 2012

Campaign to popularise Siddha concoction

Nature, Science & Technologies

:Students of Government Siddha Medical College here on Monday distributed pamphlets highlighting the efficacy of ‘nilavembu kudineer’, a siddha concoction, which is proved to be so effective in containing dengue and neutralizing the side-effects of the dreaded disease.

As ‘nilavembu kudineer’ and other siddha formulations are found to be very effective for counterbalancing the serious effects of dengue, the campaign to popularize the siddha concoction has been commenced. Around 10,000 pamphlets will be distributed to the public during the campaign.

The movement that was conducted around Vaeinthaankulam new bus-stand and Melapalayam by the students of Government Siddha Medical College, will be continued in other areas of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Special Correspondent / Tirunelveli, December 11th, 2012

DRDO scientist selected for National Design Award

Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai, Dec 14 (PTI)

A city-based senior DRDO scientist has been selected for the prestigious ‘National Design Award 2012’ by the Institute of Engineers.

P Sivakumar is the Director of DRDO’s Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment in Avadi near here. The award will be conferred on him by the President of Institute of Engineers (India) in the presence of the President of India in a function in Delhi.

CVRDE is involved in the development of armoured fighting vehicles, tanks, automotive electronics among others.

Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / Home> News> Wire News / PTI / Friday, December 14th, 2012

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