JAMMU : As many as 128 civilians today exchanged sides as the Poonch-Rawlakote ‘Peace Bus’ service resumed after a week’s time along the Line of Control at Chakkan-da-Bagh in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. “The issue of the ‘Peace Bus’ service was resolved after talks with our Pakistani counterparts and the gate at Chakkan-da-Bagh was opened in the afternoon at around 1505 hrs,” an official told.
He said 128 civilians exchanged sides. From this side of the border, three fresh Indian citizens went across while 72 residents of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir returned back to their native places after completing their stipulated stay here.
“From across the line, 33 Indian citizens returned back and 20 fresh PoK residents reached here to meet their relatives,” said an official.
Pakistan authorities on January 27 had denied entry to the weekly peace bus from India in view of continuing deadlock over the cross-LoC trade.
The reaction came in the backdrop of seizure of 114 packets of brown sugar from a truck coming from PoK side on January 17 at the Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Baramulla district of Kashmir.
The truck driver and a local trader who was to receive the narcotics were arrested.
Pakistan has been demanding the release of the arrested driver before allowing Kashmiri drivers to leave. The Pakistani authorities are also demanding seized truck and brown sugar to prosecute the driver in the PoK.
NEW DELHI: With the arrest of a Jammu and Kashmir police constable and two men from Tamil Nadu, Delhi police today claimed to have busted a narco-terrorism network through which money obtained from narcotics business was being used to fund terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahdin.
Constable Khurshid Alam, a resident of Guthali Bagh in Ganderbal district, B Ganesh and M Senthil, both from Tamil Nadu, were arrested near Humayun Tomb here on January 19, police said today.
A total of 10 Kg of heroin worth approximately Rs 35 crore has been recovered from their possession, police said.
“During interrogation, Alam revealed that since January 2013, he has supplied around 70-80 kg heroin in Delhi and NCR,” Special Commissioner (Special Cell) S N Shrivastava said.
On investigation it has been found that the kingpin of the syndicate is a Kuwait-based person named Ali, who carried out activities of this drug cartel over phone and through Internet telephony, Shrivastava said.
He co-ordinated with terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahidin members for channeling drug supplies into India, he said.
Earlier Ali’s another trafficking module was busted by the Special Cell in December last year which resulted in the recovery of 47 Kgs of heroin and 2 Kgs of crack cocaine and the arrest of four persons, police said.
Arrested Constable Khurshid revealed that Fayyaz alias Tanveer alias Shamsher, an Area Commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin, presently based in Abottabad, Pakistan had been sending consignments of drugs through his conduits active in Uri sector of J&K, police said.
A significant portion of the proceeds of this trade was remitted to Fayyaz for furthering the activities of the terror outfit.
“Fayyaz is a known cadre of Hizb-ul-Mujahidin who was active in Ganderbal area of Kashmir Valley till 2006 and thereafter, reportedly returned to Pakistan and has been since acting as a launch commander for terrorists who infiltrate into India to carry out terrorist strikes,” Shrivastava said.
The latest activity of Fayyaz was noticed in the month of August 2013, when five militants launched by him were neutralised in a counter-insurgency operation in Penag area of Ganderbal in J&K. (AGENCIES)
SRINAGAR : The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed yet again from this afternoon following heavy snowfall at Jawahar tunnel area since this morning.
However, majority of vehicles which had left different parts of the Kashmir valley, including summer capital, Srinagar, for Jammu have crossed the tunnel area despite slippery road since this morning.
A traffic police official said Srinagar-Jammu national highway was declared closed this afternoon due to heavy snowfall. It was still snowing hampering snow clearance operation on the highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.
After allowing traffic from Jammu for Srinagar for two days, today traffic was from Srinagar to Jammu. This was done to clear the Kashmir–bound passengers before the highway was closed as there was a prediction for heavy to very heavy snowfall from Monday to February 6. The Met department spokesman had warned that this system would affect surface and air traffic, particularly till February.
(AGENCIES)
JAMMU :The National Innovation Foundation has recorded nearly 2 lakh innovations in the country over the past three years, Union Minister Jaipal Reddy said today.
“The National Innovation Foundation has recorded nearly 2 lakh innovations. These provide a useful insight into how solutions developed from the bottom-up approach in some of the most challenging public service environments can better meet the needs of our citizens,” Reddy said.
The Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Science was speaking at the 101st Indian Science Congress here.
He said the Government has taken several initiatives to promote and foster innovations in the country.
“A new plan for scaling innovation which would serve the needs of common man is being launched. Special overseas scholarships for bridging national gaps in critical and frontier areas of scientific research are also being launched.
“The Ministry also proposes to mount joint virtual institutes in areas like advanced manufacturing, climate change science,” Reddy said.
He said the National Innovation Council has set up at a pilot ‘Tod Fod Jod’ programme in schools and colleges in Delhi, Vadodara and Karnataka to foster an enquiring mind set and creativity.
The Human Resource Development Ministry is establishing 1,000 National Innovation Fellowships for children, he said.
The minister said over 5,000 patents were being filed from Bangalore, considered to be the fourth-largest technology cluster in the world, and these innovations were coming from both research organisations and MNCs.
“I am told Infosys ranks second after Accenture, among IT Services Company, in US patents filing. Similarly, Hyderabad alone contributes 20 per cent of the development activities of SAP,” Reddy said.
He said it was necessary to create an ecosystem for propelling India to the top 10 to 15 nations in innovation sector.
“This would call for trust among the inter-institutional linkages, risk bearing potentials in our financial appraisal systems, application mindset in educational sector, venturing mindset among our investors, entrepreneurial spirit in the industrial community and leadership focus in the country,” he said. (AGENCIES)
JAMMU : Pitching for more funds to promote science, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the country’s annual expenditure on science and technology should be at least two per cent of the GDP.
“To do science, someone must pay for it.We must increase our annual expenditure on science and technology to at least 2 per cent of GDP. This has to come from both Government and industry.
“In countries such as South Korea, where a high percentage of the GDP goes to science, the contribution of industry is significant,” Singh noted.
In his inaugural address at the 101st Indian Science Congress here, the Prime Minister also said that India is joining the CERN, a premiere European Organisation for Nuclear Research, as an associate member.
“India will partner with international scientific community in establishment of the world’s major R&D projects. In the Gravitational Wave Experiment, India intends to host the third detector. A Neutrino-based Observatory is proposed to be established in Tamil Nadu at a cost of about Rs 1450 crore. India is also joining the CERN as an associate member,” Singh said
Lauding Indian scientists working in the fields of atomic energy, space and earth science, the Prime Minister said India has occupied an “enviable position” in these fields.
“Indian nuclear scientists are attracting global interest in their efforts to develop a Fast Breeder reactor. I expect the prototype under construction in Kalpakkam to be completed this year. We will be one of the few countries with leadership in a completely new area of nuclear technology that can contribute to a non-polluting world.
“The launch of our Moon and Mars Mission are a testimony of the giant strides we are making in space. We have now the ability to issue alerts within 13 minutes of a tsunami-genic event,” he noted.
“Our decision to set up a new Ministry of Earth Sciences following the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 and to invest in world-class tsunami forewarning systems in 2007 has been amply rewarded”, the Prime Minister said.
He said the country’s advances in meteorology were evident during the cyclone in Odisha, when “we received accurate forecasts of landfall point that were more accurate than the forecasts of well known international bodies.”
“I would also like to see continuous improvement in our monsoon prediction capability through the recently launched Monsoon Mission so that we can avert the kind of calamities that we saw in Uttarakhand last year”, he said.
The Prime Minister also announced a National Mission on High Performance Computing with an outlay of Rs 4500 crore.
“We are also considering establishment of a National Geographical Information System with an outlay of about Rs 3000 crore. A National Mission on teaching to enhance the esteem of our teachers is also being launched,” Singh said.
Batting for Bt crops, Singh said while safety must be ensured we should not succumb to unscientific prejudices.
“To ensure food security and to improve and water productivity, we have to launch a national drive for an ever-green revolution.”
Singh also announced institution of 25 Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships, under which eminent scientists from abroad will be invited to work in India for 12 months over a period of three years.
Under this initiative, the Government will give 1 lakh USD for three years to the fellows. The Government has already selected five scientists, who are also the Fellows of the Royal Society, London, under this scheme.
The Prime Minister also urged scientists to learn from the past and connect with the present and focus on the future.
“Our basic research must be directed at new discoveries with innovative efforts to develop affordable solutions. Above all, our science should be a driving force propelling India as a resurgent civilisation which holds out both hope and opportunity,” he said.
This is the first time that the Indian Science Congress is being held in Jammu.
Recognising the role of scientific inputs in providing accessible and affordable healthcare programmes, the Government has established a new department for Health Education and Research, the Prime Minister said.
“Efforts to discover drugs for neglected diseases are beginning to bear fruit. A Rota Virus vaccine, a new drug for malaria and many other leads emanating from collaborative research are all reassuring developments”, he said.
“The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has leveraged Open Source Innovation for discovery of drugs and found a lead for TB. CSIR has also ventured into the new world of data-intensive discovery and large data systems,” he said.
Calling upon the scientific community to take a lead in the global arena, Prime Minister said, “India needs to leverage the ability of modern science to deliver value to society. We must also seek global leadership in at least some research and development areas”.
“Affordable innovations for human healthcare, sustainable agriculture, clean energy and total solutions for water-related challenges are some areas where Indian science can seek global leadership”, he said.
As the country is expected to have the largest population of youth entering stepping into the world of higher education, Singh said it was important to give more attention to science education.
“We must find ways of encouraging them to take up the right path that will provide them not only productive employment but also excitement in their profession,” he said, adding the Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education has more than doubled in ten years and now stood at 19 per cent.
Recognising the role of scientific inputs in providing accessible and affordable healthcare programmes, the Government has established a new department for Health Education and Research, the Prime Minister said.
“Efforts to discover drugs for neglected diseases are beginning to bear fruit. A Rota Virus vaccine, a new drug for malaria and many other leads emanating from collaborative research are all reassuring developments”, he said.
“The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has leveraged Open Source Innovation for discovery of drugs and found a lead for TB. CSIR has also ventured into the new world of data-intensive discovery and large data systems,” he said.
Calling upon the scientific community to take a lead in the global erana, Prime Minister said, “India needs to leverage the ability of modern science to deliver value to society. We must also seek global leadership in at least some research and development areas”.
“Affordable innovations for human healthcare, sustainable agriculture, clean energy and total solutions for water-related challenges are some areas where Indian science can seek global leadership”, he said.
As the country is expected to have the largest population of youth entering stepping into the world of higher education, Singh said it was important to give more attention to science education.
“We must find ways of encouraging them to take up the right path that will provide them not only productive employment but also excitement in their profession,” he said, adding the Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education has more than doubled in ten years and now stood at 19 per cent.
Noting that the Department of Biotechnology has activated private public partnerships in R&D in biotechnology, Singh asked the corporate sector to join hands with the Government in “realising the goals that we have set for our nation”.
“The 2013 Science, Technology and Innovation Policy reflects our ambitions and outlines our broad approach. We have strengthened the research and academic base of the country as a critical foundation to achieve these goals”.
“We have also taken a number of measures to make a career in science more attractive. We have worked to create a synergy of academia with research, research with industry, industry with economy and economy with the well-being of our people,” he said.
The Sixth Pay Commission has improved substantially the condition of academic and scientific personnel and international surveys have shown that India now scores well in terms of salary structures for scientific personnel, Singh said.
India’s gross expenditure per full time R&D personnel is increasing as compared to other countries, he said.
Singh said there is evidence of rejuvenation of research in Indian universities. “Global surveys this year have put Punjab University at the top of Indian institutions of higher learning”.
“Government departments like Space, Atomic Energy and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research have taken important steps forward to establish academies and build backward linkages with our universities in the last ten years, thus enabling cross-fertilisation of ideas”, he said.
Recalling that a few years ago he had announced a scheme to attract talent in the field of science and research, he said the scheme, known as INSPIRE, has now emerged as the Government’s most highly acclaimed and recognised programmes.
“It has rewarded more than one million children and generated over 400 patent-grade innovations from our young Indians”.
“A major research funding organisation, the National Science and Engineering Research Board, has just started functioning. This Board is managed by scientists and it has simplified funding procedures.
“We expect much more from it in supporting individual scientists as well as groups of scientists in creating small units devoted to crucial sectors at the very frontiers of science”, he said.
On young scientists, he said, “We have also devised several ways of supporting young scientists as well as senior scientists in the last ten years”.
The JC Bose and Ramanujan Fellowships, and other similar initiatives, are intended to ensure that science is attractive as a profession, and capable individuals get adequate support for their research work, the Prime Minister said.
The eminent scientists selected for the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships are Prof M. Vidyasagar, computational biologist at University of Texas, Prof Srinivas Kulkarni, astronomer at Caltech, Prof Trevor Charles Platt, geo-scientist at Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada, Prof. Srinivasa Varadhan, mathematical scientist at New York University and Prof. Azim Surani, life scientist at the University of Cambridge.
“I recognise and we all recognise that the Government must focus on creating new opportunities for our bright and socially conscious scientists”, he said.
“Our Government selected Professor CNR Rao for the highest civilian award of Bharat Ratna. Let this be only the first step in creating an environment that gives birth to many more Bharat Ratnas in the field of Indian science. That is my wish that is my prayer”, he said.
Maintaining that he was deeply aware of the importance of science, he said, “I belong to a generation which drew its inspiration from the life and work of Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, who asked at the dawn of independence: ‘Who indeed could afford to ignore science today? At every turn, we have to seek its aid’ … The future belongs to science.” (AGENCIES)
NEW DELHI : Scores of Sikh protesters led by Shiromani Akali Dal and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) today held a protest outside Rahul Gandhi’s residence, demanding revelation of names of Congressmen who were allegedly involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“We want Rahul Gandhi to reveal the names of those involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots. We have given him a 72-hour ultimatum after which we will protest outside the Prime Minister’s house,” DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK said.
In a recent interview to a TV news channel, Gandhi had said that “some Congressmen were probably involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and they had been punished for it”.
The protesters raised anti-Congress slogans and held up black flags and placards, demanding justice for thousands who were killed in anti-Sikh riots in October 1984 following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
DSGMC also served langar to around 200-odd protesters who had gathered outside Gandhi’s residence at 12 Tuglak Lane. Some women also tried to take the langar food inside the Gandhi’s house but they were denied permission by police personnel.
“I have seen my son being killed. Why these police personnel did not act when Sikhs were being massacred in 1984? We want all those guilty to be punished,” said Lakshami Kaur, one of the riot victims.
The protesters also demanded ex-gratia relief, jobs and residential allowance for riot-victims.
“In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apologised for the riots and promised an allowance of Rs 715 crore. The ex-gratia in the case of death, jobs and compensation for damaged property were also enhanced but we have received no relief so far,” said Kuldip Singh Bhogal, President, All India ’84 Riot Victims Relief Committee.
Asked about the Delhi Government’s decision to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the riots cases, he said, “We have been demanding an SIT for the past 25 years, if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is really with us, we welcome him.”
Several protesters also accused Gandhi of “rubbing salt on wounds of victims of 1984 riots.”
In the interview, Gandhi had insisted that the Congress Government in 1984 “was not aiding and abetting the riots” but had tried to stop the violence.
Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar are facing allegations of involvement in the riots. (AGENCIES)
JAMMU : Calling for open science and liberal dissemination of knowledge, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said medical technologies having global relevance like cure for AIDS or cancer should not be patented.
“All innovations should have universal implications and consequences that would lead to amelioration of human condition. Global public goods like cure for AIDS or cancer and diffusion of technologies to better and improve services and systems for mankind cannot be patented,” he said.
Omar was addressing the 101st Indian Science Congress inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here.
Underscoring the need for synthesising science, technology and innovation for maximum benefit to mankind, he said innovations should be universal.
“Solving technological problems demands scientific knowledge….Technology makes it possible to discover new scientific knowledge, hence, both enjoy a symbiotic relation. Science, technology and innovations are having an expanding effect in our daily lives,” he said.
Speaking in favour of open science, he said there was a need for liberal dissemination of knowledge. “Open science is more conducive to the rate of growth of society’s stock of knowledge. I, therefore, call for an approach that aligns befitting returns from science and knowledge”.
Omar said while patents on innovations may give a sense of ownership to the innovation and science entrepreneur, the benefits of science should not be exclusive.
He said Governments should try to make innovative quests profitable by encouraging research and development by subsidising aspects involved in the process and making innovation in science and technology as the centre piece of public policy.
Omar expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for inaugurating the Indian Science Congress. (AGENCIES)
PUNE : Kashmir Valley was not facing any problem at present and what the Kashmiri people needed was an empathetic “understanding”, social activist from Kashmir, Vijay Dhar has said.
“There is no problem in Kashmir now. Terrorism in the State was fought by Kashmiri women and not by the army. The problem is only in a few minds whose mindset has not changed,” he observed after being felicitated at the ‘Heritage of Kashmir’ cultural festival organised here by social organisation ‘Sarhad’ last night.
Dhar, who was honoured by Pune university Vice Chancellor Vasudev Gade, said “There is no problem in the State but if problem is created then there is no solution,” adding that no tourist visiting the Valley had been harmed in the last ten years.
He said Kashmiris are “enterprising” people and lauded the role of ‘Sarhad’ in supporting the youths from the State in making them self-reliant.
Gade said the Pune university was willing to contribute to the development of educational institutions in Kashmir with its expertise.
Renowned filmmaker from Jammu and Kashmir, Bashir Badgami and noted theatre personality M K Raina, too, were felicitated at the festival.
On the occasion, Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhat said wealth and property of a nation were meaningless if there was no “bonding of hearts,” adding that common people and women combated terrorism in Kashmir.
Raina, who praised work of Sanjay Nahar of ‘Sarhad’, said Pune was the first city that helped in educational rehabilitation of youths from the Valley.
Talat Parvez, director, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, said it was heartening to see the ‘Heritage of Kashmir’ festival being organised at Shanwar Wada, a historical monument of the Peshwa era in Maharashtra.
The highlights of the festival included ‘Band Pather’, a cultural programme of traditional folk dance and music which enthralled the audience.
A telefilm on the life of Kashmiri saint-poetess Habba Khatun was also screened at the festival, inaugurated by city Mayor Chanchala Kodre. (AGENCIES)
JAMMU : Pitching for more funds to promote science, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the country’s annual expenditure on science and technology should be at least two per cent of the GDP.
“To do science, someone must pay for it. We must increase our annual expenditure on science and technology to at least 2 per cent of GDP. This has to come from both Government and industry.
“In countries such as South Korea, where a high percentage of the GDP goes to science, the contribution of industry is significant,” Singh noted.
In his inaugural address at the 101st Indian Science Congress here, the Prime Minister also said that India is joining the CERN, a premiere European Organisation for Nuclear Research, as an associate member.
“India will partner with international scientific community in establishment of the world’s major R&D projects.In the Gravitational Wave Experiment, India intends to host the third detector.A Neutrino-based Observatory is proposed to be established in Tamil Nadu at a cost of about Rs 1450 crore. India is also joining the CERN as an associate member,” Singh said
Lauding Indian scientists working in the fields of atomic energy, space and earth science, the Prime Minister said India has occupied an “enviable position” in these fields.
“Indian nuclear scientists are attracting global interest in their efforts to develop a Fast Breeder reactor. I expect the prototype under construction in Kalpakkam to be completed this year.We will be one of the few countries with leadership in a completely new area of nuclear technology that can contribute to a non-polluting world.
“The launch of our Moon and Mars Mission are a testimony of the giant strides we are making in space.We have now the ability to issue alerts within 13 minutes of a tsunami-genic event,” he noted. (AGENCIES)
