What will be the India-based Neutrino Observatory’s impact

The INO will be like a 2-inch hole made to insert a pipe through a 10-foot-high wall; it will not affect the stability of the hill

In a landmark move, the Government of India’s Union Cabinet recently approved the India-based Neutrino Observatory project. Coming soon after the approval of the 30-metre telescope which will be located in Hawaii, this decision will cause India to step into big fundamental science. “A pioneer in the field of neutrino science, India was a world leader in 1965. In the mid-1990s, with the closing of the Kolar Gold Fields which was the site of the experiments, experimental neutrino research in India came to a halt, and the INO is expected to revive the lost advantage,” says Prof. G. Rajasekaran of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, a founder member of the INO.

The three types of neutrinos, which were initially thought to be mass-less, are now believed to have a small mass.

This was shown by observations of neutrino oscillation, which is a phenomenon by which one type of neutrino transforms into another.

There is a hierarchy among the masses of these three types of neutrino and the experiments at the INO will study this mass ordering using a magnetised iron calorimeter (ICAL). The ICAL is a massive detector which will be made of iron — 50,000 tonnes of it! The project will be housed in the 63 acres of land, about 2 km away from the settlement, in the Bodi West Hills about 100 km from Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

One might wonder at the need for such a massive detector and for drilling underground. The reason is that the neutrinos interact very weakly with the surroundings. We are all being washed by a stream of neutrinos every passing minute as they just pass through us without leaving a trace. Since they interact so weakly, detecting them over other interactions is impossible. We need to have a barrier of at least 1 km of earth to block out other radiation and particles, such as muons from cosmic rays. This is the reason scientists are now going underground. They will construct a tunnel at a depth of 1,300 metres below the peak and which is 2 km by 7.5m by 7.5m. This will lead to a chamber that will house the detector.

Questions have been raised as to whether this tunnel will harm the mountain. D. Indumathi, physicist and outreach co-ordinator of INO says, “This is exactly like making a 2-inch hole to insert a pipe through a 10-foot-high wall. It will not affect the stability of the hill.” About the ecological impact of the construction process, Dr, Indumathi says, “There will be hardly any disturbance after the construction period. During construction, we will take a lot of precautions and proceed in a controlled manner. Controlled blasting of the rock will last a few seconds, twice a day. At a few hundred metres from the site, this will produce a ground vibration less than 1 mm per sec.”

The members of INO had to deal with many more questions such as the effect of the construction on distant dams and the impact of the development on the villagers, and, according to her, detailed answers to questions on the impact of various aspects of the project are outlined in the INO website.

“In Idukki itself, there are more than 200 quarries, which are working without impacting the dam.

Even the Chennai Metro Rail project can dig just metres under the buildings without damaging them because of advances in technology,” she says.

While experiments around the world are being set up in the South Pole, on top of mountains and even in outer space, big basic science projects are still new in India. The INO’s project director Naba Mondal says, “This will be the largest experimental facility to come up in the country and students will get a chance to work with cutting edge technology and build sophisticated instruments.

It will be a boon for students all over the country, especially Tamil Nadu.”

For instance, S. Pethuraj, who passed out of Madurai Kamaraj University, has joined the INO’s PhD programme at TIFR, Mumbai. “Meeting the INO scientists at the university was inspiring, and the exposure I get at TIFR is of a very high level,” he says.

Watershed in judicial history

The Supreme Court of India and the High Courts, described as the most powerful judiciary in the world, are witnessing dramatic changes in their institutional structure. Pending notification, the legislature has passed the Constitution (121st Amendment) Bill, 2014 and The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 to regulate the procedure for recommending the appointment and transfer of the Chief Justices and Judges of these higher courts, marking a watershed in judicial history. The new law provides for the setting up of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), a six-member panel headed by the Chief Justice of India, and includes two senior-most Supreme Court judges, the Union Minister of Law and Justice and two ‘eminent persons’ nominated by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the CJI and the Leader of the Opposition. Although controversial, this represents a much-needed reform of the older collegium system. That system was a judge-devised practice of appointments that evolved out of the ‘three-judges cases’ (1982, 1993 and 1998) wherein the Chief Justice along with a panel of senior-most judges would make a binding recommendation to the President on the appointees. This model was a reaction to blatant favouritism by the executive that marked appointments until the Supreme Court decided to change the procedure. To avoid charges of favouritism, the collegiums relied on seniority, which only encouraged more mediocrity.

Although such an inter-institutional model has the potential to enhance merit and diversity in the judiciary, it is the fine print of law that raises questions. With three of the six members being judges, a decision of the Commission can be vetoed by any two members. The judicial members of the NJAC lack the preponderance in voice necessary to maintain independence. The fear is that the NJAC may encourage High Court judges to give pro-government rulings with the object of gaining eventual promotion to the Supreme Court. This problem was dealt with by the Venkatachaliah Committee, endorsed by the Vajpayee government, which suggested a panel of three judges, the Union Minister and only one ‘eminent person’, thus reducing the scope for executive interference. Having a relook at this report might have been of value. But the BJP has ignored it and instead demanded more say in the NJAC; the Opposition did not seem to have any complaints about the procedure either. With several influential lawyers criticising the law for being a political assault on judicial independence, the constitutionality of the law is about to be challenged in court. Whether this would eventually lead to a conflict between the two wings of the government, is something to be seen.

Initiatives of Ministries of Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy

Excerpts from E-Book on Achievements and Initiatives of Ministries of Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy in the first 200 Days

Mission: ·        Affordable, 24x7 power for all homes, industrial and commercial establishments and adequate power for the agricultural sector ·        Long-term energy security of India Key takeaways ·        5 unions of Coal India Limited have called off the strike after cordial discussions with senior leadership of the company and the Ministry of Coal yesterday. ·        After collapse of grid in Delhi in May leading to frequent power cuts, Central government acted decisively to restore power lines and provide power to all homes. From these learnings, we have prepared a short term and medium term plan to ensure such a crisis does not occur again, for which massive investments worth Rs. 7,700 crores are already underway for: o       Upgrading power infrastructure o       Bringing more transmission lines to the city o       Underground cabling o       Smart metering to stop wrong billing o       Emergency response systems ·      National launch of LED and energy conservation mission by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji: 1 crore bulbs in Delhi will be replaced with LED within one year. Similar replacement program of500,000 street lights of Delhi in one year too. Nationwide rollout thereafter will see a saving of over Rs. 10,000 crores. ·      Amendments in the Electricity Act introduced in Parliament for providing choice to consumers in electricity suppliers (just like we have the freedom to choose a mobile phone operator and can change if dissatisfied, so will be the case with electricity suppliers too). This will ensure more competition, affordable power and better customer service. ·      50% increase in capacity addition in June-Nov 2014 versus June-Nov 2013 ·      Record 15.8% increase in thermal based electricity generation in June-Nov 2014 versus June-Nov 2013 ·      All time high 14.1% increase in coal production in Oct-Nov 2014 versus 1.0% in Oct-Nov 2013 (and 8.4% production growth in June-Nov 2014 over June-Nov 2013) ·      Central Government grant of Rs. 1.1 lakh crores for comprehensive infrastructure up gradation pan India under two schemes (Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) for rural India andIntegrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for urban India) towards 24x7 affordable power for all. o       DDUGJY will see feeder separation in rural India giving assured power to the farms, and 24x7 for homes and small scale industries o       The Remote villages with small population (e.g., dhanis) will also be covered under DDUGJY. ·      Action plan towards doubling Coal India’s production target to 100 crore tons in 5 years is in place, and transformation process has been initiated. ·      100,000 MW solar and 60,000 MW wind energy capacity installation target by 2022 for long-term energy security of India. This will entail an investment of Rs. 10 lakh crore. o       40,000 MW of rooftop solar o       20,000 MW of solar parks ·      A world-class Renewable Energy Investment Summit (RE-Invest 2015) is being held in mid-February to show case India’s potential, ease of doing business and to attract such quantum of capital. ·      Historic coal ordinance was promulgated within a month of cancellation of coal blocks by Hon’ble Supreme Court. Allocation and auction process will be held in a transparent manner exclusively by e-bidding. This will protect the interests of Coal India Limited’s employees and increase domestic production towards 24x7 affordable power for all, and long term energy security of India. ·      Coal bearing states will receive over Rs. 7 lakh crores from e-auction of coal blocks in future, for socioeconomic development and accelerating economic growth. ·      Make in India: Rs. 1 lakh crore worth orders being placed by NTPC, Coal India Limited, Energy Efficiency Services Limited, PGCIL etc. to boost manufacturing and kick start the economy. ·      Long pending transmission projects worth Rs. 35,000 crores cleared and government grant of Rs. 10,000 crores for comprehensive strengthening and up gradation of power systems in 8 North Eastern States ·      Supply of coal from nearest mines will reduce transportation costs by Rs. 6,000 crores, reducing tariffs: o       Already one exchange between NTPC and Gujarat saved Rs. 300 crores for the customers ·      PSUs under the administrative control of the Ministries of Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy areconstructing over 100,000 toilets in schools, by 15th August 2015 towards Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

“Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas”

Speech of Shri Sarbananda Sonowal at “Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” at Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Following are the excerpts of the speech of the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal at “Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” at Gandhinagar, Gujarat today:             “At the outset, I would like to compliment the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for creating an excellent platform in the form of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, for engaging with the distinguished Indian Diaspora from around the world and more so, for deciding to celebrate the first day of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas as the Youth PBD.              The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year is very special, as we celebrate the centenary of the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa as a Pravasi Indian. Mahatma Gandhi was 24 year-old young Indian when he first landed in South Africa and then, he led a non-violent struggle for justice in South Africa for 21 years, before finally returning to India to lead us to freedom.             The youth are indeed the most dynamic and vibrant segment of the population in any country. India is one of the youngest nations in the world, with about 65% population under 35 years of age.    It is expected that by the year 2020, the population of India would have a median age of 28 years only as against 38 years for US, 42 years for China and 48 years for Japan.             The Indian Youth have always been highly talented, hard-working and enterprising. A large number of young Indians have moved to various parts of the world and have made valuable contributions. A sizeable section of Overseas Indian community comprises of highly skilled young professionals, who have been extremely successful in their respective spheres of work. Indian IT professionals command respect all over the world. Today, over a dozen top Global Corporations have Indian CEOs, including MicroSoft, Pepsico and Deutsche Bank.             Despite their success around the world, the Indian Diaspora have continued to share strong bonds with their motherland.  They have continued to play an important role in supporting the India growth story in many ways. During 2013-14, the Overseas Indians sent home remittances totalling about 70 billion US Dollars, making India the global leader in terms of receipt of such remittances.             These are exciting times in India.  The new Government under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, has embarked on the mission of building a united, strong and modern India – “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”, following the principle of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”.  A number of path-breaking initiatives have been taken during last 7 months. ‘Make in India’ campaign has been launched to develop India as a global manufacturing hub. ‘Digital India’ initiative seeks to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. ‘Skill India’ is being launched to impart necessary skills to prepare Indians for the opportunities in Indian Economy as also the opportunities abroad. A number of initiatives, including Smart Cities Project, have been launched for developing infrastructure. ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ and ‘Clean Ganga’ Mission have been launched for building a clean and green India.             All these initiatives of the Government require active involvement and support of all stakeholders. Huge investments will be necessary. The young Indian Diaspora can play an important role in this ambitious task of building a modern and prosperous India. The Government has also initiated various steps to facilitate this process by simplifying rules and procedures for the Overseas Indians.             My Ministry is engaged in the noble task of developing the personality and leadership qualities of the youth by involving them in community service and various nation-building activities. This is being done, inter-alia, through two youth volunteer organisations, namely, National Service Scheme (NSS) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS). NYKS currently has 8.1 million youth volunteers enrolled through 2.85 lakh youth clubs with presence in entire rural India and NSS has 3.3 million student volunteers in senior secondary schools and colleges all over the country.  In fact, NSS was started in 1969, the birth centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi had once said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. In the same spirit, the Motto of NSS is “Not Me, but You”. The Overseas Indian youth willing to make contribution to various social causes can connect to these organisations and work with them. In fact, some of these volunteers are present here today. This is an opportunity for the Indian Diaspora to interact with them.             I am glad to inform that  in addition  to the task of developing the personality and leadership qualities of the youth, my Ministry is also conducting Post Graduate and Graduate academic courses in Sports Coaching, Sports Medicine, Physical Education, Yoga, Youth Empowerment, Gender Studies, Life Skills Education, Career Counselling and other research and doctorate programme through our reputed institutions like Sports Authority of India`s Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Trivandrum,  Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior, and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, Sriperumbudur (Tamilnadu).             India is one of the oldest civilization of the world and the world is a witness to the rich traditions and literature such as Vedas and Upanishads which speaks not only about religion but also about the human values and duties towards family and society.  The tradition of joint family and family values has been kept alive in India. On this occasion, I call upon all Pravasi Bharityas to preserve the values and traditions of their forefathers who came from India to different parts of the world to spread the word of human values.  Stable family makes a Stable Society and a stable society leads to a stable Nation.    India has a great past and our Government has set out on the task of projecting India and its richness to the world. I take this opportunity to urge upon all young Overseas Indians to join us in this gigantic task to spread the richness, talent and values of Indian tradition to the different parts of the World.

102ND Science Congress Culminates

Shri Ram Naik Calls Upon Scientists Devise New Methods for Increasing Agricultural Praoduction, Better and Economic use of Water Resources as well as  Cost Effective Energy Consumption Knowledge of the Past should be with The Modern Concept Dr. A.K.Saksena Nominated as President Elect For 103rd Indian Science Congress to be held at Mysore The five days long sojourn of 102nd Indian Science Congress today came to an end with a call from Uttar Pradesh Governer and Chief Guest of the event  Shri Ram Nayak to the Scientist Community to devise new methods for increasing Agricultural Praoduction, better and economic use of water resources as well as  cost effective energy consumption.  He said it is a challange for us as he have an ever indreasing population  and scienists need to evolve solution for it. Shri Ram Naik first talked of Late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan” and linked it with the slogan given by former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratn Nominee Shri Atal Bihari Vajpeyee “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan aur Jai Vigyan”. He said our current Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is rightly working to promote Scientific Environment in the Country with a firm resolution. Referring  to the Ancient scriptures Shri Naik said what ever knowledge we have should be associated with the modern concept and there should be a thorough research in this regard. He said we must have proud on our past achievements as one who forgets past fails to design future. Shri Naik also referred to Swami Viveka Nanda’s words ‘awake, move aheadtill you reach at the destination’ and said we should keep in mind the Ved Mantra “Chaieveti-Chaireveti” in all our ventures. Shri Naik also released a Sovenier for the Indian Scince Congress on this Occasion. He also felicitated winners of Young Scientists Awards for the Year 2014-15 in the field of Agricultural & Forestry Science, Animal Husbandry, Embryology, Chemical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Mineral Sciences, Medical Sciences, New Biology, Physical and Plant Sciences. The Award carried a Citation with Rs. 25,000/-each. The Pwards for poster competion were also given on the occasion. In addition all the departments participating in the “Pride of India Expo” were also felicitated. The Guest of Honour Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu in his address said he is addressing Scientists of today and tomorrow. He said emphasis be laid on how to use Science and Technology to achieve the targets and fulfill the aspirations of people. He said in coping with the developmental needs of our county anfd humanity at large Science and Scintifis fraternity has to play a pivotal role. He also emphasised the need to address the Climatic Changes concerns, conservation of our Ecological  resources. He said we have to think that “To solve a problem we should not create another problem” and Science  and Technology should be used for it. He called upon to prepare  a national agenda for devising a  long term vision in this regard. The other guest of honour, the Maharashtra Minister of Technical & Higher Education Shri Vinod Tavde said that suggestions during Science Congress will be duly considered by a  Task Force set up by the State Government. Earlier in his Welcome Address Dr. Naresh Chandra, Pro-Vice Chanceller of Mumbai University informed of the Participation of 15,000 plus delegates and 06 Nobel Laureates and o4 other Laureates in the Conference. In his Address Prof. Rajan Welukar, Vice Chanceler of Mumbai University while expressing gratitude to all the collaborates announced the dedication of University based Nano Science Cell and Nano Technology department to the Nation for open research. He said any one desirrous of doing research work can come here for hie persuits. Dr,. S.B.Nimse, Vice Chancellor Lucknow University and President of the Indian Science Congress in his address also expressed gratitute to all concerned for making this mega event a grand success. Earlier in the General Body Meeting of Indian Science Congress held to day Mr. A.K. Saksena was nominated  as new President elect for the 103rd Indian Science Congress to be held in Mysore in January, 2015.

The benefits of Aadhaar

The direct benefits transfer (DBT) scheme of the Indian government, said to be the largest of its kind in the world, was technically rolled out across the entire country from January 1. It has been initiated with the transfer of the subsidy for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), meant for cooking gas to the consumer's designated bank account that is also linked to her Aadhaar number. This is an important part of the government's programme to pass on as many subsidies as possible directly to the beneficiary concerned in order to avoid leakage. There are three legs on which the whole operation stands - the consumer's proof of identity as established through the biometric Aadhaar system, her bank account to which the subsidy will be credited and the beneficiary details of the service in question, in this instance supply of LPG cylinders. So far close to 65 million or 43 per cent of the total number of consumers have registered and till now Rs 624 crore of subsidy has been disbursed through bank accounts. A massive 728 million people (58 per cent of the country's 2013 population) have registered under Aadhaar so far. In the last three months, 103 million bank accounts have been opened under Jan Dhan Yojana, thus bringing under its ambit 98 per cent of targeted households. By any measure, all this adds up to a highly credible technological achievement for any country, not to speak of a developing one.

The key identification enabler, Aadhaar, was developed by the previous government but became mired in controversy, some of it created by the Bharatiya Janata Party itself, then in opposition. TheDBT for LPG was also introduced by the previous United Progressive Alliance government, but was held back when initial glitches surfaced. Right now, Aadhaar registration is not compulsory and a sixth of those who have registered for LPG have not furnished Aadhaar details. They have three months to do so. Even if a consumer fails to do that, she will not lose her subsidy for good as it will rest in an escrow account until the paperwork is complete. These important fallbacks have been introduced so that consumers can take their time to understand what they have to do and do it with confidence.

It is to the credit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he saw the potential of Aadhaar as a key enabler for the DBT scheme and stretched out across bipartisan skirmish lines to revive and adopt it. Once the DBT scheme gets fully going, leakages resulting from the existence of fictitious consumers and impersonation will be virtually abolished. But more will need to be done to meaningfully target subsidies. The important task of identifying the deserving in order to make targeting work has to be a separate exercise and that is likely to prove challenging. Right now an absurdly huge proportion of households in several states has been designated as falling below the poverty line and, hence, entitled to many subsidies. This is a failure of targeting. As only three per cent of Indians pay income tax, determining incomes for the rest to enable effective targeting will be both difficult and controversial.

Govt deserves credit for moving on direct transfers

Finding a number for 'good' governance

The recent elections saw the emergence of an aspirational class exercising their franchise in an unprecedented manner. The electorate put its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an attempt to prevent the moral and operational decay of India's governing institutions.

Following Modi's election, political discourse has been dominated by talk of good governance. The term occupies such a hallowed position that we have christened (pun-intended) "Good Governance Day." However, notwithstanding the wisdom of the Indian electorate, there has been something amiss amid all this rhetoric. While it is possible to meaningfully and objectively evaluate a claim of Kerala being better developed than Bihar; on what grounds can one evaluate the claim that governance in Gujarat is objectively better than governance in Maharashtra? A prerequisite to make good governance the benchmark of an effective government is a mechanism to evaluate and assess the same. Previous attempts by government agencies have resulted in incomplete or discarded projects. This shifts the onus upon private institutions and civil society organisations. India must have a system that introduces accountability and allows the public to evaluate the claims of good governance on the basis of evidence and not mere rhetoric. Given this backdrop, there is a dire need to establish a governance index for Indian states. Such a tool will create a ranking system that gives poor performance little chance to hide, while simultaneously encouraging constructive competition and empowering civil society to hold their governments to account.

The development of a governance index for Indian states is not limited to reasons of accountability alone. Tying assistance to good governance conditionalities is imperative. For example, the Millennium Challenge Corporation determines US foreign aid contributions based purely on governance improvements of poor countries, completely divorced from political compulsions. In a similar vein, a certain amount of central assistance in India could be conditioned on the governance performance of states. In this scenario, the political futures and revenue sources of leaders and governments becomes dependent on their governance performance.

Furthermore, the establishment of a comprehensive data set and index of governance will effect informed academic research and help develop more robust theory drawing links between governance and development, lack of governance and conflict and so on. It can also be used to question policy; asking how two states with similar human and natural resources end up with very different levels of security and development.

The debate over the need for a composite governance index has many parallels to the Sen-Haq debate prior to the development of the Human Development Index (HDI). Amartya Sen thought that capturing a concept as complex as human development in a single number was a "crude" and "vulgar" idea. However, Mahbub ul Haq convinced Sen of the merits of a composite index that would give policymakers the ability to fall back on a statistic that was more accessible and easier to understand and convey. The simplicity of a ranking system, in other words, is the defining characteristic that makes it a powerful tool that is easily accessed, digested, and understood by ordinary citizens to hold their governments to account. This is fundamentally the reason that ranked indices such as the HDI, Ease of Doing Business, Corruption Perceptions Index and so on gain front-page traction in media outlets in India and across the world; and thus become better tools of accountability, while World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators fail to achieve this level of outreach.

However, before quantitatively evaluating good governance, one has to conceptualise what good governance means. Some global indices measure governance by the outcomes it produces - indicators of health, education, infrastructural development and so on. This is problematic, as it equates governance with development and thus makes the link between governance and development tautological. It also ignores, for example, the fact that the development of the health sector and the under-five mortality rate is not exclusively determined by public governance; but is often a result of a complex interplay of societal structure, citizen actions, private sector performance and public sector efforts.

Thus, there is an urgent need to focus on governance as the interplay of institutions, processes and mechanisms as opposed to development outcomes. It is necessary to think about not just what good governance achieves but particularly on how good governance works and who it works for.

While acknowledging that institutional processes and mechanisms have legitimate reason for contextual variation, governance in the Indian context must acknowledge the normative constructs that are already deeply embedded in the Indian polity - transparency, decentralisation, human rights and other normative dimensions of democracy cannot be ignored because of the intrinsic value that the Indian polity has already ascribed to them. Any effort to build a governance index must also take into account other factors unique to the Indian context - the efficiency of the bureaucracy, federalism and devolution of power through Panchayati Raj, special interest capture, autonomy and independence of institutions, minority representation and so on.

Academics, policymakers and other key stakeholders must enter into a comprehensive dialogue to debate and define governance in the Indian context before commencing a substantive home-grown project to build upon existing literature, gather data and design an index. Unless we develop a rigorous method to quantify the quality of governance and hold government and politicians to account, the clarion call for good governance is doomed to failure.

Define good governance in the Indian context, and then build an index