Saturday, 8 October 2011

Aakash Low Cost Access Device

Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resourced Development launched ‘Aakash’, a low cost access cum computing device, here today. This device was also distributed among 500 children on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion the Minister underlined thatAakash will help in eliminating digital illiteracy. For this he also emphasized the need for having high quality study content to be made accessible to students. He also called for support and partnership from all so that the device could cost further less, while praising the team which had worked towards the creation and production of this device.

Background on the Device

. To ensure complete transparency and a level playing-field, the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) decided to task one of the IITs (IIT Rajasthan at Jodhpur) with the job of procuring and testing these devices based on the design and specifications that the Mission’s team had finalized.

IIT Rajasthan followed an open tender process. A three-step process was followed to evaluate the bids that were received. First, a committee scanned all bids to check their eligibility based on the conditions specified in the tender. Eligible bids were then evaluated by a technical evaluation committee comprising of eminent academics and industry experts. Bids that were found technically suitable were then evaluated by a financial evaluation committee which then declared the lowest bidder. Following set government norms, a further negotiation was then held with the lowest bidder and a further discount obtained from them

On 22^nd July, 2010 Shri Kapil Sibal, had unveiled a device that was expected to cost “around US$ 35”. The lowest bidder quoted an ex-factory price of US$ 37.98 which was close to the cost mentioned by HRM. This cost that comprised of cost of components and material as well as manufacturing expenses. The final landed price of $49.98/unit (which translated to INR 2276 at the exchange rate at the time of the order) included taxes, levies, and charges like freight and insurance, servicing and documentation etc. The landed price also includes one-year free replacement warranty from the manufacturer

It needs to be mentioned that this price does not include any subsidy from the Government and is a price that has been arrived at following a commercial tender process. The Government will also be providing price subsidy to the students on the price indicated in the earlier paragraph. The device will be distributed to students through the institutions at which they are studying.

The development of this device has been done in India in a plant at Hyderabad. This unique device is meant for students across India. Using this device, and the connectivity also provided under this Mission, learners will be able to access all the thousands of items of content available on the Sakshat portal and other educational web-sites

Roadmap

This current phase was a pilot to procure 100,000 devices. This pilot helped in sorting out the production related issues. These devices are now being distributed to students all over the country so that they can be extensively tested in various climatic and usage conditions. The feedback obtained from the testing will form an input into the design of the next version of the device. This is important, as the numbers that the Mission needs to procure are very large.

To achieve this, the team of experts working on this project would be broad-based. The production capacities of Indian manufacturers would also have to be substantially expanded to meet production requirements of a few million devices within a six-month time frame

Broadly speaking, future efforts will move in two directions – to achieve the same functionality at a lower cost and to achieve added capabilities at the same cost

MHRD invites collaboration, ideas and inventions from the community of academics and experts and inventors to achieve the cherished goals.

Connectivity:

It is expected that 416 Universities and 20,000 colleges all over India will be connected under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT). The Mission pays for fiber connectivity for each University to connect to the nearest NKN node. The Mission has placed a consolidated order for connecting all Universities and Colleges to BSNL and about 80% of the Universities and Colleges have been connected already

Content Creation

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) has proposed 18 different line items for content creation. All content that is created under this Mission needs to meet the following criteria:

· It should be related to education delivery.

· It should involve faculty from different institutions

· All IP (Intellectual Property) created under projects funded by this Mission will vest with MHRD

· All content should be created using open-source software.

· All content created under this Mission is for open access by all and cannot be charged for in any way

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) was launched by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, in February 2009 with a budget of Rs 4612 crore. The National Mission on Education comprises of 48 different components structured broadly around building CONTENT, enabling ACCESS and developing LOW COST ACCESS cum COMPUTING DEVICES.

Aakash UbiSlate 7 Specifications

• Hardware:

– Processor: 366 Mhz with Graphics accelerator and HD Video processor

– Memory (RAM): 256MB RAM / Storage (Internal): 2GB Flash

– Storage (External): 2GB to 32GB Supported

– Peripherals (USB2.0 ports, number): 1 Standard USB port

– Audio out: 3.5mm jack / Audio in: 3.5mm jack

– Display and Resolution: 7” display with 800x480 pixel resolution

– Input Devices: Resistive touch screen

– Connectivity and Networking: WiFi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g

– Power and Battery: Up to 180 minutes on battery. AC adapter 200-240 volt range.

• Software:

– OS: Android 2.2

– Document Rendering

• Supported Document formats: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP

• PDF viewer, Text editor

– Multimedia and Image Display

• Image viewer supported formats: PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF

• Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA

• Supported video formats: MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV

– Communication and Internet

• Web browser - Standards Compliance: xHTML 1.1 compliant, JavaScript 1.8 compliant

• Separate application for online YouTube video

• Safety and other standards compliance

– CE certification / RoHS certification

Other: Additional Web Browser: UbiSurfer-Browser with compression/acceleration and IE8 rendering

AADHAR TO BE LINKED TO MGNREGS WAGES

AADHAR TO BE LINKED TO MGNREGS WAGES :

With the AADHAR scheme apparently in limbo, the Centre is making a desperate effort to provide it social content.

As of now, only 3.5 crore unique identification cards have been issued as against an enrolment of 10 crore people across the country.

Matters turned worse when the Reserve Bank of India issued a directive that bank accounts could not be opened on the basis of UID cards.

But later it issued a clarification accepting AADHAR cards as proof of identity and residence.

What is bothering the Union government is that AADHAR will be judged not by the coverage in terms of numbers but by the impact it creates as a card-bearing benefit. But possession of the AADHAR card is not mandatory.

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has taken the initiative to link AADHAR with payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the five States where the ministry has been appointed registrar for issuance of UID cards.

To facilitate this, Mr. Ramesh held a meeting with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman Nandan Nilekani.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding the UIDAI signed with the States, the ministry has been appointed registrar for collection of data in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura and West Bengal. Other Central government departments such as Food and Civil Supplies and Information and Technology have been assigned the role in other States.

Within its limited jurisdiction, the Ministry is seeking to provide the UID card a social content.

The MGNREGS wages will be paid in these States through AADHAR-linked bank accounts.

The Ministry will hold a meeting of officials on October 23 and 24 to decide whether to start the project across these five States or make a beginning by concentrating on a few districts in each of them, and the time frame to implement the scheme.

Uphill task

Mr. Ramesh favours a reasonable timeline of 12 months to issue UID cards to all job cardholders. But that seems an uphill task as of now, even if linking AADHAR to MGNREGS wage payment is limited to these five States. For, as against the 3.09 crore job cards issued in these States, only 39 lakh BPL households have been provided with bank accounts.

Out of these households with bank accounts, West Bengal accounts for 22.16 lakh, way behind the 1.08 crore job cards issued there. In Assam too, only about 20 per cent (7.42 lakh) of the job card holders (38.4) have secured bank accounts.

It is pretty bad in Bihar, where only 1.73 lakh MGNREGS workers have bank accounts, though the number of job card holders is 1.16 crore, and in Jharkhand, where only 2.6 lakh out of 39.5 lakh job card holders have bank accounts.

Tripura is the only State which has done well, ensuring that four lakh MGNREGS workers out of 5.9 lakh job card holders have bank accounts.

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

CURRENT ENVIRONMENT EVENTS

CANCUN Summit: World Climate Summit (WCS) in Cancun, Mexico, which kicked-off officially on November 29th, 2010 is said to be the beginning of a new, open and collaborative global 10-year framework dedicated to helping governments, businesses and financiers accelerate solutions to climate change.

1. Global Warming: Given the urgency of the problem of global warming, a gradual climate policy is still not enough. Yet the UN climate negotiations this time proved to be surprisingly robust and resolute. They produced a modest deal that, for the first time, commits all the major economies to reducing emissions, but not enough to meet their promise of keeping the global temperature rise to 2^°C. However, governments failed to reach agreement on how far overall global emissions should be cut.

2. Deforestation: Formal backing was given for the UN's deforestation scheme, REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation), under which rich countries pay poorer nations for not to chop down forests and so lock away carbon emissions.

3. Kyoto Protocol: Decisions on the future of the Kyoto protocol, the current international treaty binding rich countries to cut emissions, were effectively deferred until South Africa summit in 2011.

4. Copenhagen Accord: Cancun summit has not dealt in with any new accord; rather it has tried to conclude the objectives decided at COP 15. The Green Climate Fund, including REDD-plus, adaptation, capacity-building, and technology development and transfer were the chief issues at Copenhagen. The proposals for a mandatory cut in carbon emission were proposed under Copenhagen accord. Also, the deal at Cancun has given substance to the notion of an inspection regime, which was raised at Copenhagen.

5. Cop 17: The 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17) will be held in the city of Durban, South Africa.

6. Green Climate Fund: During climate talks in Cancun, delegates from developed countries agreed to set up a Green Climate Fund. Developed countries agreed in Copenhagen to provide $100 billion annually by 2020 to developing countries to mitigate the climate change. The Fund will be governed by a board of 25 people. The U.N. will manage the Fund, instead of the World Bank. However, the World Bank will be the interim trustee of the Fund for the first three years after its launch; it will then be subject to a review.

7. Climate Technology Centre and Networking: The idea of transferring knowledge of clean technology between countries was backed at Cancun. A technology executive committee and a climate technology centre and network are to be set up.

EIGHT NATIONAL MISSIONS

Eight National Missions
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM): The government has launched the JNNSM in January 2010 with a target of 20,000 MW grid solar power (based on solar thermal power- generating systems and solar photovoltaic [SPV] technologies), 2000 MW of off-grid capacity by 2022. The Mission will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will last three years (up to March 2013), the second till March 2017, and the third till March 2022. The Government has also approved the implementation of the first phase of the Mission (up to March 2013) and the target to set up 1100 MW grid-connected solar plants including 100 MW of rooftop and small solar plants and 200 MW capacity-equivalent off-grid solar applications and a 7 million sq.m solar thermal collector area in the first phase of the Mission, till 2012-13.

Energy Conservation and Efficiency: The objective of the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) is to achieve growth with ecological sustainability by devising cost-effective strategies for end- use demand-side management. The Ministry of Power and Bureau of Energy Efficiency have been entrusted with the task of preparing the implementation plan for the NMEEE and up-scaling the efforts to create and sustain market for energy efficiency to unlock investment of around Rs 74,000 crore. The Mission is likely to achieve about 23 million tons oil-equivalent of fuel savings—in coal, gas, and petroleum product—by 2014-15, along with an expected avoided capacity addition of over 19,000 MW. The carbon dioxide emission reduction is estimated to be 98.55 million tons annually.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC): The NMSKCC has been launched with the broad objectives of mapping of the knowledge and data resources relevant to climate change and positioning of a data-sharing policy framework for building strategic knowledge among the various arms of the Government, identification of knowledge gaps, networking of knowledge institutions after investing critical mass of physical, intellectual, and policy infrastructure resources, creation of new dedicated centres within the existing institutional framework, building of international cooperation on science and technology for climate change agenda through strategic alliances and assistance for the formulation of policies for a sustained developmental agenda.

National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE): The broad objectives of the NMSHE include: understanding the complex processes affecting the Himalayan ecosystem and evolving suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding it, creating and building capacities in different domains, networking of knowledge institutions engaged in research and development of a coherent data base on the Himalayan ecosystem, detecting and decoupling natural and anthropogenic-induced signals of global environmental changes in mountain ecosystems, studying traditional knowledge systems for community participation in adaptation, mitigation, and coping mechanisms inclusive of farming and traditional health care systems, and developing regional cooperation with neighbouring countries, to generate a strong data base through monitoring and analysis so as to eventually create a knowledge base for policy interventions.

National Water Mission: The objectives of the National Water Mission are 'conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution both across and within States through integrated water resources management'. The goals of the Mission are a comprehensive water data base in the public domain, assessment of the impact of climate change on water resources, promotion of citizen and State actions for water conservation, augmentation and preservation, focused attention to overexploited areas, increasing water use efficiency by 20 per cent, and promotion of basin-level integrated water resources management.

Green India Mission: The Mission aims at responding to climate change through a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures. These measures include enhancing carbon sinks in sustainably managed forests and other ecosystems, adaption of vulnerable species/ecosystems to the changing climate, and adaptation of forest-dependent communities. The objectives of the Mission are increased forest/tree cover on 5 million ha of forest/non-forest lands and improved quality of forest cover on another 5 million ha (a total of 10 million ha), improved ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services, carbon sequestration as a result of treatment of 10 million ha), increased forest-based livelihood income for about 3 million households living in and around the forest, and enhanced annual CO2 sequestration by 55 million tonnes in the year 2020.

National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH): The NMSH seeks to promote sustainability of habitats through improvements in energy efficiency in building and urban planning, improved management of solid and liquid waste including recycling and power generation, modal shift towards public transport, and conservation. It also seeks to improve ability of habitats to adapt to climate change by improving resilience of infrastructure, community- based disaster management, and measures for improving advance warning systems for extreme weather events.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) seeks to address issues regarding 'sustainable agriculture' in the context of risks associated with climate change by devising appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies for ensuring food security, enhancing livelihood opportunities, and contributing to economic stability at national level. Under this Mission, the adaptation and mitigation measures would be mainstreamed in research and development activities, absorption of improved technology and best practices, creation of physical and financial infrastructure and institutional framework, facilitating access to information and promoting capacity building. While promotion of dry-land agriculture would receive prime importance by way of developing suitable drought- and pest-resistant crop varieties and ensuring adequacy of institutional support, the Mission would also expand its coverage to rain-fed areas for integrating farming systems with livestock and fisheries so that agriculture continues to grow in a sustainable manner.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

NOBEL PRIZE

ALFRED NOBEL

Alfred Nobel

The Man Behind the Nobel Prize

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been honoring men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and for work in peace. The foundations for the prize were laid in 1895 when Alfred Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth to the establishment of the Nobel Prize.

Biographical Information

Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on October 21, 1833. His family was descended from Olof Rudbeck, the best-known technical genius in Sweden in the 17th century, an era in which Sweden was a great power in northern Europe. Nobel was fluent in several languages, and wrote poetry and drama. Nobel was also very interested in social and peace-related issues, and held views that were considered radical during his time.

Alfred Nobel Timeline

1833	Alfred Nobel is born in Stockholm, Sweden. In the same year, his father – Immanuel Nobel – goes bankrupt.
1837	Immanuel Nobel travels to Finland and then to St Petersburg, Russia, where he starts a mechanical workshop; he leaves his family behind in Sweden.
1842	The Nobel family is reunited in St Petersburg.
1850-1852	Alfred Nobel goes to Paris and works for one year in the laboratory of T. Jules Pelouze. He also travels to Italy, Germany and the United States (US).
1853-1856	The Crimean War rages. The Nobel Company flourishes at first, but goes bankrupt as the war ends and the Russian military cancels orders. Alfred Nobel searches desperately for new products. Nikolai N. Zinin, Nobel's chemistry teacher, reminds him of nitroglycerin.
1862	Alfred Nobel starts his experiments with nitroglycerin.
1863	Nobel obtains the first patent on nitroglycerin (blasting oil) as an industrial explosive. He develops and patents a detonator (blasting cap) for triggering the explosion of nitroglycerin. He also moves to Stockholm, where he continues his experiments.
1864	Emil, Alfred Nobel's brother, is killed during the preparation of nitroglycerin at Heleneborg, Stockholm. Nobel continues his experiments and forms the company Nitroglycerin AB in Stockholm, Sweden.
1865	Alfred Nobel improves the blasting cap design and moves to Germany to set up the Alfred Nobel & Co Factory in Krümmel near Hamburg.
1866	Nobel establishes the United States Blasting Oil Company in the US. A violent explosion destroys the Krümmel plant. Experimenting on a raft anchored on the river Elbe, Alfred Nobel tries to make nitroglycerin safer to handle. He finds that nitroglycerin is stabilized by the addition of kieselguhr(a siliceous deposit; also known as diatomaceous earth), and calls this mixture dynamite.
1867	Alfred Nobel obtains a patent for dynamite.
1871	Nobel establishes the British Dynamite Company (Ardeer, Scotland, UK). In 1877 the company name is changed to Nobel's Explosives Company.
1872	Immanuel, Alfred Nobel's father, passes away.
1873	At the age of 40 Alfred Nobel is a wealthy man. He moves to Paris and settles at Avenue Malakoff. The manufacture of nitroglycerin and dynamite starts at Ardeer.
1875	Alfred Nobel invents blasting gelatine in Paris and patents it in 1876. He establishes Société Générale pour la Fabrication de la Dynamite in Paris, France.
1876	Dynamitaktiengesellschaft (DAG), formerly Alfred Nobel & Co (Hamburg, Germany), is formed. Alfred Nobel advertises for a housekeeper/personal secretary, meets with Bertha Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau (later von Suttner) and hires her. She leaves his employment after a short time and becomes a leading peace activist.
1880	Dynamite Nobel is formed by merging Nobel's Italian and Swiss companies.
1881	Alfred Nobel buys an estate and laboratory at Sevran outside Paris.
1885	German Union is formed by merging DAG and a group of German dynamite companies.
1886	Nobel-Dynamite Trust Co (London, UK) is formed by merging DAG and the Nobel's Explosives Company.
1887	Nobel obtains a patent for the blasting powder "ballistite" in France.
1889	Andriette, Alfred Nobel's mother, passes away.
1891	Alfred Nobel leaves Paris and settles in San Remo, Italy, after a dispute with the French government over ballistite.
1893	Alfred Nobel hires Ragnar Sohlman, who he later names executor of his will and testament.
1894	Alfred Nobel buys a small machine works (Bofors-Gullspång) and a manor (Björkborn) at Karlskoga, Sweden.
1895	The third and final will of Alfred Nobel is signed at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris.
1896	Alfred Nobel dies at his home in San Remo, Italy, on 10 December 1896.

Facts and Lists

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to men and women from all corners of the globe for outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and for work in peace. In 1968, economic sciences added to the the list of fields.

The Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies

The Nobel Laureates take center stage in Stockholm on 10 December when they receive the Nobel Prize Medal, Nobel Prize Diploma and document confirming the Nobel Prize amount from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. In Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates receive their Nobel Peace Prize from the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of King Harald V of Norway. An important part is the presentation of the Nobel Lectures by the Nobel Laureates. In Stockholm, the lectures are presented days before the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. In Oslo, the Nobel Laureates deliver their lectures during the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony.

Nobel Prize Awarded Organizations

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 23 times to organizations between 1901 and 2009. 20 individual organizations have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, as UNHCR, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has received the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1954 and 1981, and the work of Comité international de la Croix Rouge (International Committee of the Red Cross) (ICRC) has been honoured three times, in 1917, 1944 and 1963.