India

Bhubaneswar, Sep 10 (IANS) Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged his cabinet colleagues Prahlad Joshi and Bhupender Yadav to ensure payment of better wages and benefits to contract labourers working at coal mines of NALCO and NTPC in Odisha's Angul district.

The labourers should get the wages as per the recommendations of the Central Advisory Contract Law Board (CACLB), Pradhan said in a letter to the Union Minister of Coal and Mines, Joshi and Labour & Employment Minister, Yadav.

Engagement of contract labourers in coal mines has been prohibited under Section 10 of the Contract Labour (regulation and Abolition) Act 1970. However, the Section 31 of the Act provides for exemption in special cases subject to prescribed conditions and restrictions, he said.

Taking the route, industries engaged in coal mining in Angul district have been taking exemptions under such provisions to employ contract labour, Pradhan said.

He pointed out that National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has waived off the applicability of the Section-10 for the coal mining blocks of NTPC for a period of 5 years while National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) has also applied for exemption through the Ministry of Mines.

"Some contractors are denying payment of high powered committee recommended wages and benefits to their workers engaged in coal mines of NALCO. This is a matter of grave concern as it goes against the spirit of labour welfare espoused by the Government of India," said the Education Minister.

He requested the Union Ministers to intervene in the matter and ensure payment of wages to the coal mines labourers as per the recommendations of CACLB.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Aiming to take India's defence sector to another level, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is making optimal use of the facilities provided by the government.

As the world is moving towards laser-based weapon systems, India looks up to organisations like the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) under DRDO. In India, CHESS is the nodal centre for such evolved and futuristic weapon systems.

Located in Hyderabad, CHESS is a defence lab under DRDO.

According to reports, CHESS conducts research and works on High Energy Laser Systems. The organisation has been experimenting with Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) in an attempt to modernise the defence technology of the nation.

These systems destroy hostile targets using laser technology. Any hostile object, whether it is a drone, enemy boat or mortar, that comes in contact with a high-energy laser gets destroyed. In layman's terms, DEWs are capable of destroying or damaging the target temporarily or permanently by focusing high-energy beams or lasers. The application of systems developed by CHESS includes neutralising targets such as personnel, missiles, drones, vehicles and optical devices on land, air or water, reported All India Radio.

Given India's security concerns, DEWs will play an essential role, especially at a time when our neighbouring countries are also experimenting with such weaponry. DEWs are the weapons of the future. CHESS is working on both the Hard Kill and Soft Kill parts of these weapon systems which will enable the country to better engage with threats. These systems will provide India with strategic and operational superiority over its adversaries, the report stated.

In a conversation with PBNS, Ravi Shankar, a scientist at CHESS, said that DRDO has a tie-up with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for mass production of these defence systems as it is only an R&D organisation.

"Currently, the defence systems developed by CHESS are employed with Army Air Defence, National Security Guard (NSG) and Special Protection Group (SPG)," said Ravi Shankar at FICCI's event ‘Making India a Global Drone Hub'.

DRDO has been working in this domain for the past few years to develop weapon systems of up to 100 kilowatts of power for short, medium and long ranges. These high-powered DEWs can quietly incapacitate enemy missiles or drones without leaving any physical evidence or debris.

Russia, France, Germany, the UK, Israel and China are few of the countries that are working and have robust programmes to develop DEWs or Laser Directed Energy Weapons. DEWs are being used by various militaries as a force multiplier and India is also making simultaneous efforts to keep up with the requirements of modern-day warfare.

India's DEW development includes DURGA II (Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array), which is a 100 kilowatt, lightweight directed-energy system. This weapon system will be integrated with the Indian Army and any other platform on land, air or water bodies.

There are many projects in progress related to DEWs under DRDO's sleeves. Some of the projects are Kilo Ampere Linear Injector (KALI), Project Aditya and Air Defence Dazzlers.

--IANS
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By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi
New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in the national capital this week, met scores of political leaders including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI-M Secretary General Sitaram Yechury, CPI's D Raja and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.


The purpose of Nitish Kumar's visit was the talk of opposition unity and he plans to meet Sonia Gandhi when she returns from abroad. Before arriving in New Delhi, Kumar had met RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and TRS Chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Nitish officially denied any prime ministerial ambition but the political commentators feel that the target is the PM's chair. However the biggest obstacle is the Congress which is maintaining that being the biggest political formation it should be the fulcrum of any alliance.

Sources say in the Congress that the Nitish Kumar situation is evolving and we are watching how it unfolds in the future.

Rahul Gandhi on Friday addressing a press conference in Nagercoil said that "opposition unity is a good thing" and it's the responsibility of other opposition parties to fight the BJP. Nitish Kumar had a nearly one-hour meeting with Rahul Gandhi on the issue.

Kumar said that he "was not a claimant for the Prime Minister's post and had no desire for it."

In the meeting with the Left parties he said: "We have discussed that if all the parties, including the Left parties, regional parties in the states, and Congress come together, then it will be a big political formation."

Yechury said that this was a positive sign and a good political development in the country.

Kumar is in Delhi to unify the Opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who thanked Nitish. The bonhomie is brewing with many central agencies chasing AAP leaders.

"Many thanks to Nitish ji for visiting my house. Many serious issues of the country including education, health, Operation Lotus, openly buying MLAs by these people and bringing down the governments elected by the people, increasing autocratic corruption of BJP governments, inflation, unemployment were discussed", tweeted CM Kejriwal.

Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have Congress governments and they respectively have 25 and 11 Lok Sabha seats while in the Lok Sabha the Congress has about 53 MPs. There are many states where the Congress has zero seats including Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Delhi, Himachal.

The opposition ruled states and their statistics may hold the key to the Lok Sabha election 2024 as West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats and the Mamata Banerjee led TMC is in power. In Jharkhand, the JMM led by Hemant Soren is in power and the state has 14 seats. Kerala has 20 Lok Sabha seats and the Left is ruling the state. In Telangana, KCR is ruling and it has 17 seats.

The DMK led by MK Stalin is having its government in Tamil Nadu and it has 39 Lok Sabha seats, in Punjab the AAP is in power and it has 13 seats.

Besides these, Maharashtra is another state where NCP leader Sharad Powar has considerable influence. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats.

After the Maharashtra government changed, the BJP has the upper hand in the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP won 303 seats in 2019 and formed the government at the Centre. The BJP won 17 seats in Bihar, 16 seats in West Bengal and 11 seats in Jharkhand in 2019.

--IANS
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By Ajay Kumar
Patna, Sep 10 (IANS) After the three-day visit of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to Delhi, his alliance partner in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) believes that he is the most suitable leader for the Prime Minister's post.


Mritunjay Tiwari, the national spokesperson of the RJD, said: "Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) has the longest parliamentary life than any other leader. He is an experienced leader who knows how to govern the country. He has a clean political and socialist image and other leaders are nowhere near to him when we talk about quality leadership."

"The parliamentary life of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi is less than Nitish Kumar. Besides, the latter has a socialist image which makes voters comfortable. Narendra Modi on the other hand has done nothing in the last 8 years other than communal politics. Moreover, the central government has many anti people policies which have created anti incumbency against the BJP. The Narendra Modi government has failed on every count including the economy. The prices of commodities are increasing and the income of the people is decreasing. The life of the common people has become hard and such a factor can act against Narendra Modi," Tiwari said.

"As far as the opposition parties are concerned, everyone is in favour of a 'BJP Mukt Bharat'. The primary objective of every opposition party is to remove the BJP government from the Centre and not who would be the PM candidate of the opposition parties. Nitish Kumar himself has said that he is not the prime ministerial candidate at present. He also said that all opposition parties will sit together to decide the name of the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition parties to challenge Narendra Modi," Tiwari said.

The opposition leaders know well the political style of the BJP. It believes in the character assassination of leaders who are in the opposition. They were with Rahul Gandhi and he was given the name Pappu. The only aim was to defame Rahul Gandhi and demoralize him. Rahul is still standing firm and taking on the BJP in his own style, they said.

"For Nitish Kumar, he has not been involved in any scam or has any serious allegation or any baggage of corruption. Hence, it would not be easy for the BJP to target him. Moreover, he is a Hindi heartland leader capable of counter attacking Narendra Modi in his own style. If we remember, Narendra Modi during the 2015 Vidhan Sabha election commented on his DNA. Nitish Kumar immediately responded with Badka Jhutha Party for BJP," said Chitranjan Gagan, another RJD leader and spokesperson.

As far as the RJD is concerned, it has been out of power for 15 years in Bihar. Moreover the party's national president Lalu Prasad may not have national ambitions as he is ill and suffering from multiple diseases. The second big leader of the RJD is Tejashwi Yadav and he is focusing on Bihar.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav is out of power. Hence, he is trying to consolidate his position in the state rather than thinking of national politics. His father and a big socialist face Mulayam Singh Yadav is also ill and not in a position to contest elections. Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Benerjee is a possible challenger to the Narendra Modi government but her acceptance in the Hindi heartland is a million dollar question.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal could be another challenger to Narendra Modi but his fate will be decided only after the AAP's performance in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. If he manages to defeat the BJP in Gujarat, his chances as the opposition's prime ministerial candidate become brighter.

For the Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are doing national politics and hence leaders like Ashok Gehlot and Raman Singh are not in the race. For leaders like KCR, MK Stalin and Sharad Power, it would not be easy to challenge Narendra Modi who is a very good speaker in Hindi.

"Challenging Narendra Modi in his own style would be one of the key aspects for the opposition parties where Nitish Kumar is far more experienced than anyone else. He is also a supporter of RJD and it means its 79 MLAs and 12 MLCs are also favouring Nitish Kumar who is having 45 MLAs in Bihar and 17 Lok Sabha MPs," said a RJD leader requested not to be named.

--IANS
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London, Sep 10 (IANS) Scientists have discovered a new mechanism through which very small pollutant particles in the air may trigger lung cancer in people who have never smoked,

Particles linked to climate change also promote cancerous changes in airway cells, they found, paving the way to new approaches for lung cancer prevention and treatment.

Scientists of the Francis Crick Institute and University College London, funded by Cancer Research UK, presented the data at the 'ESMO Congress 2022'.

According to them, the particles which are typically found in vehicle exhaust and smoke from fossil fuels, are associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk, accounting for over 250,000 lung cancer deaths globally per year.

"The same particles in the air that derive from the combustion of fossil fuels, exacerbating climate change, are directly impacting human health via an important and previously overlooked cancer-causing mechanism in lung cells," they informed.

The risk of lung cancer from air pollution is lower than from smoking, "but we have no control over what we all breathe".

"Globally, more people are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution than to toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, and these new data link the importance of addressing climate health to improving human health," said Charles Swanton from the Francis Crick Institute.

The new findings are based on human and laboratory research on mutations in a gene called EGFR which are seen in about half of people with lung cancer who have never smoked.

In a study of nearly half a million people living in England, South Korea and Taiwan, exposure to increasing concentrations of airborne particulate matter (PM) 2.5 micrometres (Im) in diameter was linked to increased risk of NSCLC with EGFR mutations.

In the laboratory studies, scientists showed that the same pollutant particles (PM2.5) promoted rapid changes in airway cells which had mutations in EGFR and in another gene linked to lung cancer called KRAS, driving them towards a cancer stem cell like state.

"We found that driver mutations in EGFR and KRAS genes, commonly found in lung cancers, are actually present in normal lung tissue and are a likely consequence of ageing," said Swanton.

However, when lung cells with these mutations were exposed to air pollutants, "we saw more cancers and these occurred more quickly than when lung cells with these mutations were not exposed to pollutants", suggesting that air pollution promotes the initiation of lung cancer in cells harbouring driver gene mutations.

"The next step is to discover why some lung cells with mutations become cancerous when exposed to pollutants while others don't," said Swanton.

Tony Mok from Chinese University of Hong Kong, who was not involved in the study, said that the research is intriguing and exciting.

"It means that we can ask whether, in the future, it will be possible to use lung scans to look for pre-cancerous lesions in the lungs and try to reverse them with medicines such as interleukin-1I inhibitors," said Mok.

"We don't yet know whether it will be possible to use highly sensitive EGFR profiling on blood or other samples to find non-smokers who are predisposed to lung cancer and may benefit from lung scanning, so discussions are still very speculative," he added.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Prime Minister on Saturday said that science is not only the basis of solutions, evolution and innovation, but also the inspiration with which today's new India is moving forward with Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan as well as Jai Anusandhan.

Prime Minister Modi made the observation while inaugurating 'Centre-State Science Conclave' in Ahmedabad via video-conferencing.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted that the organisation of this conclave is a clear example of Sabka Prayas. "Science is like that energy in the development of 21st century India, which has the power to accelerate the development of every region and the development of every state. Today, when India is moving towards leading the fourth industrial revolution, the role of India's science and people related to this field is very important. In such a situation, the responsibility of people in administration and policy making increases significantly."

On the lessons from history that will help both the Centre and the states, he said during the early decades of the last century, the world was going through a period of devastation and tragedy. But even in that era, whether it was about the East or the West, scientists everywhere were engaged in their great discovery.

In the West, scientists like Einstein, Fermi, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and Tesla were dazzling the world with their experiments. In the same period, many scientists, including C.V. Raman, Jagdish Chandra Bose, Satyendranath Bose, Meghnad Saha, and S. Chandrashekhar were bringing their new discoveries to the fore. He also underlined the fact that due recognition was due to the "work of our scientists".

The Prime Minister reiterated that the government is working with the thinking of Science-Based Development. "Since 2014, there has been a substantial increase in investment in the field of science and technology. Due to the efforts of the government, today India is ranked 46th in the Global Innovation Index, whereas in 2015, India was at number 81", the Prime Minister added. He acknowledged the record number of patents being registered in the country.

He highlighted that in order to make India a global centre of research and innovation in this Amrit Kaal, one will have to work on many fronts simultaneously.

Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed the belief that the 'State-Centre Science Conclave' will add a new dimension and resolve toward the progress of Science in the country.

The Prime Minister also urged everyone to not let any opportunity slip in the field of science and technology. "The coming 25 years are the most important years for India as it will determine the new identity and strength of India to come", the Prime Minister said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) The Central Vista project in New Delhi, Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad or the master planning of Jagannath temple in Puri -- all these symbols of India's cultural and urban landscape might be situated at different corners of the country, but one name common with these landmarks is Bimal Patel, the main architect behind all these projects.

Patel is an architect, urbanist and academician who has traversed disciplinary, professional and institutional boundaries to explore the ways in which architecture, urban design and urban planning can enrich the lives of people in India's cities.

He is President of CEPT University in Ahmedabad and leads HCP Design Planning and Management Private Limited, an architecture, planning and project management firm.

Apart from these landmark projects, the work profile of HCP Design says that many of the recent big urban projects in cities of Gujarat involve the services of Patel and his company.

Whether it is Central Vista of Gandhinagar, multiple riverfront parks in Ahmedabad, walled city revitalisation plan in Ahmedabad, transit oriented zone of Ahmedabad or Centre for Performing Arts in Ahmedabad, Patel's company is involved with all these projects.

Similarly, Aga Khan Academy of Hyderabad, Amul Dairy of Mumbai, Container Terminal of Chennai, architectural design of IIT Jodhpur and many other such urban structures landscaped in parts of the country have some architectural contributions of Patel and his company.

Bimal received a Diploma in Architecture from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, in 1984.

He received a Master's degree in Architecture and City Planning in 1988 and a PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1996, he founded Environmental Planning Collaborative, a not-for-profit consultancy and policy-research and advocacy organisation.

Since 2012, he has also been heading CEPT University as its President.

His work has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019, which is among the highest civilian honour conferred by the President.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 10 (IANS) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, stressed on the importance of passengers in the rear seat wearing seatbelt while travelling in four-wheelers.

Referring to the tragic death of industrialist Cyrus Mistry, who died in a road accident near Mumbai on Sunday, Gadkari said, "I have made legal provisions in this regard."

Mistry, former Tata Sons Chairman, was sitting in the back seat and was not wearing a seatbelt when his speeding Mercedes crashed into a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference here, Gadkari said that provisions are being be made to introduce a seat belt alarm system for rear seats, just like the driver's seat.

"Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has called me three times from London to start a campaign in the backdrop of the death of Cyrus Mistry," Gadkari said.

"Though wearing seatbelt is mandatory for those sitting in the rear seat of a car, it is not followed. Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar along with many cricketers have agreed to campaign for this free of cost," Gadkari said.

--IANS
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Patna, Sep 9 (IANS) As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned home from a three-day-long visit to Delhi, his Janata Dal-United welcomed appreciation by a large section of opposition leaders, including his West Bengal counterpart, for seeking to augment unity.

Banerjee, appreciating his initiative, said: "If we have to defeat the BJP in 2024, the opposition parties have to put smaller issues aside and become united." She said "Nitish ji is in Bihar, Akhilesh Yadav is in Uttar Pradesh, Hemant Soren is in Jharkhand, she herself in West Bengal and other leaders of similar ideology become united now, 275 to 280 seats are not far away from them".

Reacting to her statement, Bihar Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary claimed that the visit of his leader Nitish Kumar has a positive impact in all sections.

"His efforts were appreciated everywhere in the country, especially the statement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was very important. If opposition parties will leave the smaller political compulsions aside, defeating BJP is not a big issue for them," he said.

"The opposition leaders who had meetings with Nitish Kumar during the recent Delhi visit, have shown positive intent. It encourages us. Our leader has already announced that his efforts will continue in future to defeat the BJP," Chaudhary added.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) To celebrate eight years of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has officially announced the commencement of 'Swachh Amrit Mahotsav', a fortnight of activities to galvanise action around 'Swachhata' from September 17, Seva Diwas, till October 2, Swachhata Diwas.

The fortnight will focus on mobilising citizen action and commitment towards the vision of building 'Garbage Free Cities'.

The Union Minister has announced the opening of the first ever Indian Swachhata League (ISL), an inter-city competition to take place between the youth of the cities on the September 17.

For the maiden edition of ISL, more than 1,850 city teams from across the country have officially registered to compete. Each team will compete in the League by creating their own unique sanitation initiatives to focus on creating garbage free beaches, hills, and tourist places.

The ISL has attracted a diverse set of Indian cities to take part in the first of its kind League. Cities from diverse geographies and with iconic tourist locations across the length and breadth of the country -- such as Leh, Kanyakumari, Kohima, Dwarka, Konark, Port Blair, Rameswaram, Gaya, Poanta Sahib, Karta, Ujjain, Nashik, Varanasi, Pahalgam -- have registered their teams and appointed team captains for the competition.

As a next step, citizens are invited to join their respective city teams on the official MyGov portal from September 11 onwards.

--IANS
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