Nirbhay all set to take off today

The range of the long-range subsonic missile missile, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, can be extended up to 1,000 km. The low-altitude-flying Nirbhay has high manoeuvring capability and will follow various pre-commanded way points during the development trial on Friday.

The stage is set for the test-firing of India’s long-range (800 km) subsonic missile ‘Nirbhay’ (Fearless) on Friday from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) here.

This will be the second flight trial of the country’s first long-range subsonic cruise missile, as its maiden experiment was terminated midway after it deviated from the trajectory in March last year.

The range of the missile, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, can be extended up to 1,000 km. Meanwhile, missile technologists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) completed pre-launch checks and range integration with Nirbhay on Thursday. They also fuelled the missile and charged the battery, besides carrying out helicopter sorties to check the effectiveness of a network of radars, telemetry stations and electro-optical tracking systems.

People living within the radius of 1 km of the ITR have been advised to remain indoors till the completion of the launch window time on Friday. After taking off, the missile’s first stage booster will get separated, and it will fly like aircraft with wings getting deployed. Also, the turbo prop engine will be ignited to give thrust to the missile, as it cruises at a speed of 0.7 mach. The low-altitude-flying Nirbhay has high manoeuvring capability and will follow various pre-commanded way points during the development trial on Friday.

A unique feature of Nirbhay is that it can search its targets after the launch and take them out. A DRDO official said Nirbhay would make significant addition to India’s strategic deterrence capability. DRDO is also planning to develop land, air, ship and underwater variants of the missile, he added.

Saarc Countries Finalized Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation

The 5th SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting has finalized the SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity). This is a significant achievement of the Ministers’ meeting, as this Agreement has been pending since 2010 and is a crucial step towards developing a SAARC Market for Electricity (SAME) on a regional basis. Two days meeting concluded here with the Ministers assurance to get the Framework Agreement approved from their respective Governments so that it could be signed during the forthcoming SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in November, 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal. India proposed to host the Seminar on “Sharing Experiences on Energy Pricing Mechanism in the SAARC Region”. India also proposed to host the Second Meeting of the Expert Group on Technology/Knowledge Sharing (including Energy Efficiency, coal, etc.) in 2015. Bangladesh will convene the Meeting of Energy Regulators /Bodies in SAARC countries by December 2014. The Meeting noted that all the four Expert Groups have already finalized their ToR and Work Plans and urged the lead Member States to continue convening of Expert Group meetings regularly, preferably on annual basis. The Member States apprised the Meeting of the initiatives taken with regard to Renewable Energy projects. The Meeting referred the matter to the Expert group on Renewable Energy for further deliberations. The meeting approved the 8 reports of earlier meetings of the Working Group on Energy, separate Expert Groups on Electricity, Technology and Knowledge Sharing, Renewable Energy and the reports of the Inter-governmental Meetings on “Study on South Asian Regional Power Exchange”, organized by ADB. The Indian side presented two Concept Reports namely, “Framework for planning cross-border transmission links and associated system strengthening through joint system studies” and “Operation of stable and secure SAARC Electricity grids”. Bangladesh has also prepared the Concept Paper on “Structures, functions and institutional mechanisms for SAARC regulatory issues on electricity exchange/trade” and the same would be circulated among Member States, shortly. Member States will offer their views/comments on the Concept Papers by 31 December 2014. The next meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers’ will be held in Nepal. Background: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985, with its Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal. The process of regional cooperation in energy sector began in January 2000 with the establishment of a Technical Committee on Energy. Thereafter, through the Islamabad Declaration at the 12th SAARC Summit in 2004,the Ministerial level Energy Forum was constituted. The First Meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers was held at Islamabad in 2005. This was the fifth meeting of the Energy Ministers held after a gap of three years. This meeting was preceded by Secretary level SAARC Senior officials meeting on 16th October 2014.

Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in London

Inaugural Speech by External Affairs Minister and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in London

Following is the text of the Inaugural speech by External Affairs Minister and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj at the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in London  on October 17, 2014. Honourable Foreign Secretary, Mr. Philip Hammond,  Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Mr. Ranjan Mathai,  Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr. Prem Narain,  Distinguished delegates at this inaugural session of the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas,  My friends from the Indian Diaspora, It has been a matter of great pleasure for me to come to London and inaugurate the Eighth Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in the warm presence of members of the Indian Diaspora and the distinguished Foreign Secretary of the British Government and officials from the British and Indian side. I attach great importance to this event as this is the first large-scale engagement of the new Government in India with the highly successful and vibrant Indian origin community of the United Kingdom and other European countries. We are pleased that the people and Government of the United Kingdom have shown tremendous goodwill towards India since the new Government took over following the historic parliamentary elections in our country earlier this year. I deeply appreciate the presence of Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and thank him for making time to grace this important event. I also thank other senior Government dignitaries, Parliamentarians, community leaders, participants from the UK and other European countries and all friends of India for being with us today. India and the United Kingdom have enjoyed decades of partnership as two vibrant, pluralistic and multicultural democracies. The shared values of the rule of law, basic freedoms, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence of diverse communities and emphasis on inclusiveness have enabled our two countries to build enduring bonds of friendship and cooperation. We regard relations with the United Kingdom as a priority in India’s external engagement and seek to raise this multifaceted partnership to greater heights. The role and contribution of the large Indian Diaspora is an important input in this endeavour. We deeply value the role and contribution of the Indian communities abroad - in building bridges of friendship and goodwill between India and their adopted countries. The Indian Diaspora truly represents the unity of India with all its diversity, and promotes understanding of Indian values and culture. .We are proud of the great accomplishments of the Indian community in the UK and other European countries in all areas of human endeavour and the great reputation they have earned as industrious, law abiding and peace loving citizens, while retaining their Indian roots. The Indian Diaspora in the UK is a special one. It has been formed over the years, over several decades due to various historical factors. The UK was always a destination for Indian students. Several legendary leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel came here to study law. Several groups of people including those from Punjab and Gujarati expatriates have chosen to make UK their home. The Diaspora now has generations born in Britain but still keeping their roots in the rich Indian cultural heritage. The second and third generation British Indians have clearly made an impression in British life. They have made a mark in almost every profession from business, finance, politics and medicine to sports and life sciences. I understand that there are 8 Members of Parliament and 23 Peers of Indian origin in this country. Indian Business Houses have done tremendously well in UK. Today the Indian Diaspora in UK is one of the largest ethnic minority communities in the country, with approximately 1.5 million people of Indian origin in the UK, equating to approximately 1.8 percent of the population. Yet another symbol of the growing strength and visibility of the community is the impact of Indian culture in this country. I am told that curry has overtaken fish and chips as the most popular food. Most major Indian festivals are encouraged and celebrated by the British Government. It is not uncommon to hear Bollywood music and Bhangra beats even at public places. As we rejoice in the success of the Indian Diaspora, we also invite you to actively participate in India’s growth story. Our Government is fully committed to good governance, clear policies, efficiency, accountability, speedy decision making, transparency and favourable business environment. There are tremendous opportunities today for you to join us, especially in the fields of manufacturing, infrastructure development, education, health, skills development, science and technology, research and innovation, knowledge economy and youth development as part of our effort to realise India’s full potential. Several exciting projects such as the Clean Ganga Project, Metro Rail Project, and Smart Cities Project etc. are on the anvil, where you can contribute meaningfully. Our Government is committed to engaging with the Diaspora to leverage each other’s strengths to mutual benefit. We are also mindful of certain concerns in the community and their desire for greater ease for sustaining links with India. As you are aware, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to the United States, publicly announced a series of steps on consular and visa issues affecting overseas Indians. All PIO cards are now valid for the lifetime of the cardholder, instead of 15 years. PIO cardholders would also now not be required to report to a police station even if their visit to India exceeds 180 days. The Government is working on a new scheme that will merge the PIO and OCI schemes. The doors of my Ministry are open to you. We would welcome your new ideas and suggestions on how we can work closely together. I would also like to take this opportunity to personally invite you to the main Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) Convention to be held in India from the 7th to 9th January 2015 at Gandhinagar Gujarat. This PBD is a very special one as it is being held on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa. It will be an important occasion for overseas Indians to interact among themselves and with different agencies of Government of India and with the various State Governments of India that are present here. Before I conclude, I would like to express my Government`s appreciation and gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom for all their support in helping us host this event in London. We also recognise the decision made by the British Government to install a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square next year. It will be a symbol of the strong mutual goodwill between our two countries. I would also like to place on record that the event today would not have been possible without the generous contribution and participation of the Indian community. The Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas will cover discussions on a gamut of important subjects ranging from the contribution of the Diaspora to the British and European economies to Indian UK collaboration in trade and investment and issues of concern to the Indian Diaspora, besides cultural performances. I am confident that rich and meaningful deliberations will take place during these two days of Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and I wish a grand success of this Convention. I wish I had stayed on for all the deliberations of the conference but I am not able to do so because the visit is rather short. However, be assured that I will get detailed briefings from the High Commission on all your discussions and all your concerns will be addressed.

World's thinnest electric generator developed

Researchers from Columbia Engineering and the Georgia Institute of Technology report today that they have made the first experimental observation of piezoelectricity and the piezotronic effect in an atomically thin material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), resulting in a unique electric generator and mechanosensation devices that are optically transparent, extremely light, and very bendable and stretchable.
In a paper published online October 15, 2014, in Nature, research groups from the two institutions demonstrate the mechanical generation of electricity from the two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 material. The piezoelectric effect in this material had previously been predicted theoretically.
Piezoelectricity is a well-known effect in which stretching or compressing a material causes it to generate an electrical voltage (or the reverse, in which an applied voltage causes it to expand or contract). But for materials of only a few atomic thicknesses, no experimental observation of piezoelectricity has been made, until now. The observation reported today provides a new property for two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide, opening the potential for new types of mechanically controlled electronic devices.
"This material—just a single layer of atoms—could be made as a wearable device, perhaps integrated into clothing, to convert energy from your body movement to electricity and power wearable sensors or medical devices, or perhaps supply enough energy to charge your cell phone in your pocket," says James Hone, professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia and co-leader of the research.
"Proof of the piezoelectric effect and piezotronic effect adds new functionalities to these two-dimensional materials," says Zhong Lin Wang, Regents' Professor in Georgia Tech's School of Materials Science and Engineering and a co-leader of the research. "The materials community is excited about molybdenum disulfide, and demonstrating the piezoelectric effect in it adds a new facet to the material."
Hone and his research group demonstrated in 2008 that graphene, a 2D form of carbon, is the strongest material. He and Lei Wang, a postdoctoral fellow in Hone's group, have been actively exploring the novel properties of 2D materials like graphene and MoS2 as they are stretched and compressed.
Zhong Lin Wang and his research group pioneered the field of piezoelectric nanogenerators for converting mechanical energy into electricity. He and postdoctoral fellow Wenzhuo Wu are also developing piezotronic devices, which use piezoelectric charges to control the flow of current through the material just as gate voltages do in conventional three-terminal transistors.
There are two keys to using molybdenum disulfide for generating current: using an odd number of layers and flexing it in the proper direction. The material is highly polar, but, Zhong Lin Wang notes, so an even number of layers cancels out the piezoelectric effect. The material's crystalline structure also is piezoelectric in only certain crystalline orientations.
For the Nature study, Hone's team placed thin flakes of MoS2 on flexible plastic substrates and determined how their crystal lattices were oriented using optical techniques. They then patterned metal electrodes onto the flakes. In research done at Georgia Tech, Wang's group installed measurement electrodes on samples provided by Hone's group, then measured current flows as the samples were mechanically deformed. They monitored the conversion of mechanical to electrical energy, and observed voltage and current outputs.
The researchers also noted that the output voltage reversed sign when they changed the direction of applied strain, and that it disappeared in samples with an even number of atomic layers, confirming theoretical predictions published last year. The presence of piezotronic effect in odd layer MoS2 was also observed for the first time.
"What's really interesting is we've now found that a material like MoS2, which is not piezoelectric in bulk form, can become piezoelectric when it is thinned down to a single atomic layer," says Lei Wang.
To be piezoelectric, a material must break central symmetry. A single atomic layer of MoS2 has such a structure, and should be piezoelectric. However, in bulk MoS2, successive layers are oriented in opposite directions, and generate positive and negative voltages that cancel each other out and give zero net piezoelectric effect.
"This adds another member to the family of piezoelectric materials for functional devices," says Wenzhuo Wu.
In fact, MoS2 is just one of a group of 2D semiconducting materials known as transition metal dichalcogenides, all of which are predicted to have similar piezoelectric properties. These are part of an even larger family of 2D materials whose piezoelectric materials remain unexplored. Importantly, as has been shown by Hone and his colleagues, 2D materials can be stretched much farther than conventional materials, particularly traditional ceramic piezoelectrics, which are quite brittle.
The research could open the door to development of new applications for the material and its unique properties.
"This is the first experimental work in this area and is an elegant example of how the world becomes different when the size of material shrinks to the scale of a single atom," Hone adds. "With what we're learning, we're eager to build useful devices for all kinds of applications."
Ultimately, Zhong Lin Wang notes, the research could lead to complete atomic-thick nanosystems that are self-powered by harvesting mechanical energy from the environment. This study also reveals the piezotronic effect in two-dimensional materials for the first time, which greatly expands the application of layered materials for human-machine interfacing, robotics, MEMS, and active flexible electronics.

India to overtake UK in world aviation market ranking

India, which is now the ninth largest aviation market in the world, will overtake the UK to take the third position in over 15 years, after China and the United States, global airlines' body IATA said today.
India would be among the top five fastest growing markets in terms of adding more passengers every year, the first IATA projection for the next two decades showed.
"Currently the ninth largest market, India will see a total of 367 million passengers by 2034, an extra 266 million annual passengers compared to today. It will overtake the United Kingdom (148 million extra passengers, total market 337 million) to become the third largest market around 2031," a report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released today showed.
By 2034, "the five fastest-increasing markets in terms of additional passengers per year will be China (856 million new passengers per year), the US (559 million), India (266 million), Indonesia (183 million) and Brazil (170 million)."
The Indian and Brazilian domestic markets would grow at 6.9 and 5.4 per cent respectively, with the former adding 159 million extra passengers and the latter 147 million. Their total domestic air markets will be 215 million and 226 million respectively, the IATA projections showed.
Eight of the ten fastest-growing markets in percentage terms over the next two decades would be in Africa, with Central African Republic, Madagascar, Tanzania, Burundi and Kuwait making up the five fastest-growing markets.
Interestingly, intra-Pakistan flights would also grow at a fast average rate of almost ten per cent.
Among the highlights of the report is the expectation that China would overtake the United States as the world's largest passenger market -- defined by traffic to, from and within, by 2030. "Both markets, however, are expected to remain the largest by a wide margin," the study said.

World Food Day observed

On World Food Day, observed to mark the foundation of the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945, here is a reality check for India.



(a) 2012-14: India has around 190.7 million undernourished people, out of a total population of 1,252 million — a 15% prevalence rate.



(b) 2010-12: India had 188 million undernourished people, which means the number of undernourished people during 2012-14 increased by 2 million.



(c) Number of undernourished people in India was the highest in 2004 when it was 241 million.



World Food Day is observed in more than 150 countries, focusing on the need for action to eradicate poverty and hunger. By sheer numbers more people are going hungry in India than anywhere else. Here’s why.



India is home to 269 million people living below the poverty line, according to the Tendulkar methodology. This is more than the population of Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation.



Simply put, 269 million Indians do not have the money to buy food. This is the reason why India has the world’s biggest food security programme under which two-thirds of the country’s 1.2 billion population has the right to subsidised grains.



A look at India’s prevalence of undernourishment and depth of food deficit, as against BRICS and a few other comparator economies such as Mexico and Indonesia, shows the subcontinent giant is doing better, but only just.



For a quick analysis, take a look at the prevalence of undernourishment, and depth of food deficit.



Undernourishment in India



Prevalence of undernourishment is officially adopted as an indicator of Millennium Development Goal. The numbers explain the probability that how many in the population consume insufficient amount of calories to lead a healthy life.



India’s 15% prevalence of total undernourishment is higher than the world average of 11.3%. India is doing better than the grouping of Least Developed countries that includes mostly African nations and only 9 Asian countries.



From 1994 to 2014, India showed a 21% reduction in the prevalence of undernourished people while least developed countries record 32% reduction.



Depth of Food Deficit



The depth of food deficit indicates the calories required to lift the undernourished from their status. It is calculated by considering the difference between the average dietary energy requirement and the average dietary energy consumption of the undernourished population, which is then multiplied by the total number of undernourished.



India comes second only to the least developed countries.



However, India’s has seen only 9% improvement from 1994-2014 as against a 26% improvement recorded by the world’s least developed countries.

5 Indian companies in global A list of green firms

NEW DELHI: At the time when the government is exploring various options to move on to a low-carbon growth path, five Indian companies have made it to the global list of firms that have shown leadership in adopting measures to cut their climate-damaging emissions.
The list reveals which companies around the world are doing the most to combat climate change. It has 187 companies from across the globe that illustrate that a low-carbon future does not mean low profit.
Most of the companies performing better in terms of their efforts to combat climate change are located in Europe, followed by the US and Japan.
The Indian companies that made it to the list — CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index 2014 — are: Essar Oil, Larsen & Toubro, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro.
This new global index has been prepared by the CDP — an international not-for-profit organization — at the behest of 767 investors who represent more than a third of the world's invested capital. The CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) is the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information.
"Awarded an 'A' grade for their performance, they (the companies in the list) earn a position on the first global ranking of corporate efforts to mitigate climate change", said the organization in a statement while releasing the report comprising the names of the companies and the parameters\methodology followed on Wednesday.
It said, "Collectively the climate performance leaders have reduced their total (absolute) emissions by 33 million metric tons in the past reporting year, equivalent to turning London's car owners into cyclists for two-and-a-half years".
Paul Simpson, chief executive officer of CDP said, "The businesses that have made it onto our first ever global list of climate performance leaders are to be congratulated for their progress; they debunk economic arguments against reducing emissions. However, global emissions continue to rise at an alarming rate. Businesses and governments must raise their climate ambition. The data shows that there is neither an excuse nor the time for lethargy."
The India 2014 report titled "Indian companies decouple business growth from carbon emissions" reveals that energy efficiency is the key means by which companies are acting on climate change.
"Over 60% of surveyed companies are introducing process energy efficiency initiatives, consequently, 24% have reduced their absolute emissions and an additional 26% have reduced their emissions intensity while driving business growth and profitability", said the report.
The report that analyzed the responses from the top 200 Indian companies by market capitalization found that the companies are now better at identifying and prioritizing the climate change issues they want to actively manage.
The occasion also saw release of the CDP India 200 Climate Change Report 2014, showing how the Indian companies are using their increased commitment to climate change action to drive innovative sustainable businesses processes.
According to the report, the Indian companies expressed their eagerness to engage with the government to keep abreast with regulatory changes. This will ensure that they can take necessary precautions and proactively maintain their competitive advantage and brand image.