President confers Stree Shakti Puraskars and Nari Shakti Puraskars for the year 2014

On International Women’s Day, the President confers Stree Shakti Puraskars and Nari Shakti Puraskars for the year 2014 Women achievers at grassroots level being given Rajya and Zila Mahila Sammans this year: Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave away Stree Shakti Puraskars and Nari Shakti Puraskars for the year 2015 at a function organized on the International Women’s Day in Rashtrapati Bhawan today. Speaking on the occasion, the President said “we should remind ourselves that the empowerment of women and their equality, liberty and dignity are not a distant goal or fond aspiration of the women of our country. It is one of their sacred rights. It is not a privilege that they should seek. It has been a key element in the codes of conduct that our ancient societies prescribed for themselves more than 3000 years ago.” He also said that we must make the required effort to remove the structural and institutional barriers that inhibit the economic and social transformation of women in India. The President congratulated the winners of Stree Shakti and Nari Shakti Puruskars and appreciated the efforts of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for encouraging the distinguished awardees to work towards a noble cause. Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi thanked the President for honouring the awardees of Stree Shakti Puraskars and Nari Shakti Puraskars. She said that every year we observe 8th of March as International Women’s Day when we celebrate womanhood and the contribution of women to the world. She also said that this year the Government has decided to further recognize the singular contribution of women in specific areas by way of Nari Shakti Puraskars. The Zila Mahila Sammnas and Rajya Mahila Sammnas have also been instituted this year to recognize and reward selfless work done by exceptional and committed women, in particular at the community and grass root levels, she said. Smt Maneka Gandhi said that the Prime Minister launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme on January 22, 2015 which aims to reverse the decline in the child sex ratio. The Government is setting up one stop crisis centres for women in distress which will be connected by a universal women’s helpline, she added. The Minister also proposed 33% reservation for women in police. In another measure to tackle crimes against women, Smt Maneka Gandhi also proposed appointment of women as Special Police Officers who will work as honorary police women and provide interface between the police force and the women affected by violence. The Stree Shakti puraskars are conferred to six womenin the area of women’s endeavor and exceptional contribution each year. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 300,000 and a citation. Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award has been given to Anyay Rahit Zindagian NGO of Goa, Seema Prakash of Madhya Pradesh got Rani Lakshmibai Award, Astha Sansthan (NGO) of Rajasthan has been awarded Rani Rudramma Devi Award), Smt. Chandraprabha Bokey from Maharashtra has been conferred Mata Jijabai Award, Dr. P Bhanumati of Kerala gets Kannagi Award, Sister while Mariola from Rajasthan has been conferred Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award. The Nari Shakti Puraskarshave been conferred for the first time this year. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and a citation. They have been instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to honour8 women to recognize theirindividual contribution in specific areas. This year’s awardees are: Smt. Rashmi Anand (Delhi), Dr. Nandita Krishna (Tamil Nadu), Dr. Laxmi Gautam (Uttar Pradesh), Ms. LatikaThukral (Haryana), Ms. Neha Kirpal (Delhi), Dr. Sailakshmi Balijepally (Tamil Nadu), Ms. P.Kousalya (Tamil Nadu), Dr. Swaraj Vidwan (Uttarakhand).

Draconian measures on black money a problem

Among the most discussed proposals of the Union Budget are the legislative provisions outlined by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to address the question of money hidden from the taxman, or "black money". On domestic unaccounted wealth, the finance minister said that a fresh and strong "benami" transactions law would be drafted - benamitransactions are those with false names. But black moneyabroad appeared to receive special attention. Four strong penal provisions were announced. First, the concealment of income or of assets and the evasion of tax related to foreign assets will lead to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, if proved. Even the failure to file returns or to "inadequately" disclose foreign assets will have a sentence of seven years' rigorous imprisonment. Offenders will not be allowed to approach the Settlement Commission to come to an agreement about tax dues. And there will be a penalty to pay at the rate of 300 per cent of the tax due.

Few can disagree with the basic substance of the concern. Tax evasion is endemic in India, which has far too limited the base of taxpayers. The political salience of the fight against black money is also undeniable, and so the government could not be seen to be slow in framing tougher legal provisions. Yet the final decision by the government reveals that it is unwilling and unable to step out of an outdated mindset. After all, the idea of such stringent penal provisions gives an enormous amount of discretion and power to the taxman, when the government should be moving away from a confrontational and adversarial approach to tax collection. Many have been reminded of the awful days of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, or FERA, which was introduced as a "temporary" measure in 1973 but stayed as the law of the land for three decades. It is worth noting that the existence of FERA did not stop the well-connected from building up ill-gotten wealth overseas. The government has now merely introduced a lever for harassment while doing little to address the real problem.

If the government was serious about black money, the approach should have been straightforward, and need not have involved tinkering with the criminal code. First, the government should have recognised that the real problem lay in India and not in Switzerland. The larger amount of black money either goes into domestic real estate or bullion, or is round-tripped back into India anyway. So the government should have instead worked to ensure that black money left real estate - not through making the payment of more than Rs 20,000 in cash for property a crime, but through following more sensible recommendations of the 2012 white paper on the subject, such as deducting tax at source in such transactions. Second, basic routes into India for black money, which in addition drive up asset prices and distort the market, should be closed off. Instead of announcing penal provisions, why is the government not closing off the "Mauritius route" for fund flows into India? It is known to be misused. Instead of going back to the failed methods of the 1970s, deal with black money as a 21st century problem.

Mr #Buffett's great ride

Attentive readers will notice that Tesco, which last year appeared in the list of our largest common stock investments, is now absent. An attentive investor, I'm embarrassed to report, would have sold Tesco shares earlier. I made a big mistake with this investment by dawdling … In 2013, I soured somewhat on the company's then- management and sold 114 million shares, realizing a profit of $43 million. My leisurely pace in making sales would prove expensive. Charlie calls this sort of behavior 'thumb-sucking.' (Considering what my delay cost us, he is being kind.) During 2014, Tesco's problems worsened by the month ... In the world of business bad news often surfaces serially: You see a cockroach in your kitchen; as the days go by you meet his relatives." 

This delightful passage is from Warren Buffett's most recent letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. It captures his wit and wisdom and ability to distil business lessons - bad business sagas often can be like a soap operatic serial - but most of all it captures Mr Buffett's capacity for self-deprecation. This is a man, after all, who has not only willed his billions to charity but to a foundation with someone else's name on it because he is convinced his friend and bridge partner Bill Gates has a better strategy to put those billions to work.

The loss in question was $444 million, only 0.2 per cent of Berkshire's net worth. But Mr Buffett is as much a teacher as an investor in these shareholder letters. Presumably, he deemed the Tesco experience worth dwelling on because he hopes others will learn from his mistake. In an accompanying letter from Berkshire's 91-year-old vice-chairman, Charlie Munger, Mr Munger says that one of Mr Buffett's aims was to "personally contribute, like [value-investing legend] Professor Ben Graham, to the spread of wisdom attained".

The 2014 letter is especially long because it commemorates 50 years since the company was founded in 1964. It has been parsed over for clues about whether his successor will be Ajit Jain or Greg Abel, both more directly mentioned in Mr Munger's accompanying letter.

The letter, however, is well worth reading and rereading for all it teaches about investing, work and ultimately, since both are building blocks to being happy, about life. Early on, there is a pretty robust defence of investing in shares: "The inescapable conclusion from the past fifty years is that it has been far safer to invest in a diversified collection of American businesses than to invest in (US) Treasuries, whose values have been tied to American currency."

This is especially relevant because with the advances in medicine, many of us face the prospect of a life expectancy that is likely to be closer to Mr Munger's 91 than the mid-70s of an earlier generation. And we need to be precise about what we define as risk. As Mr Buffett points out, "In business schools volatility is almost universally used as a proxy for risk ... It is dead wrong: Volatility is far from synonymous with risk. Popular formulas that equate the two terms lead students, investors and CEOs astray."

Another wonderful bit of advice from Mr Buffett for CEOs on an acquisition trail is to ignore bankers' typical tendency to tout the " 'customary' premiums-to-market price that are currently being paid for acquisitions - an absolutely asinine way to evaluate the attractiveness of an acquisition - or whether the deal will increase the acquirer's earnings per share". Beware of so-called synergies and focus instead on ensuring that the "intrinsic value of shares you give in an acquisition must not be greater than the intrinsic value of the business you receive".

Unusually, for letters to shareholders but not for Mr Buffett's annual missives that have been compiled into a book, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as you retrace the journeyBerkshire Hathaway has made over the past 50 years from being an investment company with a dud investment in textiles in the 1960s to the much admired company it is today. Famously, the annual meeting has become a pilgrimage for thousands of grateful shareholders. This year's will feature the "fourth International Newspaper Tossing Challenge". Mr Buffett estimates he tossed half a million newspapers as a teenager with a daily newspaper delivery run. "So I think I'm pretty good. Challenge me! Humiliate me ... I'll buy a Dilly bar for anyone who lands his or her throw closer to the doorstep than I do." Mr Buffett and Mr Gates will also kick off a table tennis challenge against a US 2012 Olympics woman player who we learn did not even yield a point to Mr Buffett when he played her, aged nine.

A curmudgeonly Bloomberg commentator has opined that such antics all add to the folksy aura Mr Buffett has long enjoyed and benefits Berkshire's stock price. Even if true, so what? Mr Buffett's wry account on how he goofed up in not selling out of the textile company that gave Berkshire its name has this gem. "The northern (American) textile industry is finally extinct. You need no longer panic if you hear I've been spotted wandering around New England."

This country has a few easygoing and down-to-earth corporate leaders - Harsh Mariwala, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Rajan Anandan and Nandan Nilekani among them - but self-deprecation is a trait so rarely seen in Indian public life, it might as well be un-Indian. Which is my excuse for ending on a self aggrandizing note. Years ago as a pedantic fact-checker at Fortune magazine in New York, I called Mr Buffett's office in Omaha to ask what he meant by the term "elephant-bumping affairs". Mr Buffett called back to explain that he was referring to giant leadership summits - such as World Economic Forum-styled events today. These were conferences where big egos went to meet other big egos, Mr Buffett explained. To Mr Buffett's eternal credit, he attributes much of Berkshire's success to good investment calls by Mr Munger. And somehow still finds time for newspaper throwing antics with his grateful shareholders.

Shanghvi is richest Indian: Forbes

sun Pharma founder overtakes Mukesh Ambani

#DilipShanghvi of Sun Pharmaceuticals, with a net worth of $21.5 billion, surpassed Mukesh Ambani as the world’s richest Indian on Wednesday, two days after the Reliance Industries Ltd. chief was ranked India’s wealthiest for the eighth consecutive year.

A real-time update by the business magazine Forbes reworked the rankings. On the global rich list, Mr. Shanghvi moved up to the 37th position, while Mr. Ambani slipped to the 43rd.

Earlier on Monday, Forbes released its annual rich list for 2015, ranking Mr. Ambani at the 39th position and Mr. Shanghvi at the 44th. Azim Premji of Wipro was ranked 48th, from which he has moved up one place now. Mr. Shanghvi’s net worth stood at $ 21.5 billion, following a sharp rally in the share prices of his group companies.

Regular eye check up and treatment can save vision

World #Glaucoma Week is held in March each year to increase awareness about glaucoma. Glaucoma is largely an invisible disease but a leading cause of irreversible blindness due to the damage caused to eye's optic nerve by the increase in intraocular pressure. If damage to the optic nerve from high eye pressure continues, glaucoma will cause permanent loss of vision. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.

Definition

               #Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve at the back of the eye is slowly destroyed. In most people this damage is due to an increased pressure inside the eye - a result of blockage of the circulation of fluid inside eye ball (aqueous) or its drainage. In other patients the damage may be caused by poor blood supply to the vital optic nerve fibers, a weakness in the structure of the nerve, and/or a problem in the health of the nerve fibers themselves. While it is more common as people age, it can occur at any age.

How Does Pressure Rise in the Eye

               Glaucoma usually occurs when pressure inside eye increases. This can happen when eye fluid isn't circulating normally in the front part of the eye. Normally, this fluid, called aqueous humor, flows out of the eye through a mesh-like channel. If this channel becomes blocked, fluid builds up, causing glaucoma. The direct cause of this blockage is unknown, but doctors do know that it can be inherited, meaning it is passed from parents to children.

Less common causes of glaucoma include a blunt or chemical injury to the eye, severe eye infection, blockage of blood vessels in the eye, inflammatory conditions of the eye, and occasionally eye surgery to correct another condition. Glaucoma usually occurs in both eyes, but it may involve each eye to a different extent.

Types of #glaucoma

               Chronic (primary open-angle) glaucoma is the most common form of this disease. However, other forms occur:

·              Low-tension or normal tension glaucoma. Occasionally optic nerve damage can occur in people with so-called normal eye pressure. This form of glaucoma is treated in the same manner as open-angle glaucoma.

·              Acute (angle-closure) glaucoma. Acute glaucoma is when the pressure inside the eye rapidly increases due to the iris blocking the aqueous flow. An attack of acute glaucoma is often severe. People suffer pain, nausea, blurred vision and redness of the eye. Immediate medical help should be sought. If treatment is delayed there can be permanent visual damage in a very short time. Usually, laser surgery performed promptly can clear the blockage and protect against visual impairment.

·              Congenital glaucoma. This is a rare form of glaucoma caused by an abnormal drainage system. It can exist at birth or develop later. Parents may note that the child is sensitive to light, has enlarged and cloudy eyes, and excessive watering. Surgery is usually needed.

·              Secondary glaucoma. This glaucoma can develop as a result of other disorders of the eye such as injuries, cataracts, eye inflammation. The use of steroids (cortisone) has a tendency to raise eye pressure and therefore pressures should be checked frequently when steroids are used.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

               Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your eye doctor regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs. If you are over age 40 and have a family history of glaucoma, you should have a complete eye exam with an eye doctor every one to two years. If you have health problems such as diabetes or a family history of glaucoma or are at risk for other eye diseases, you may need to visit your eye doctor more frequently.

               Chronic (primary open-angle) glaucoma is the most common type. It has no symptoms until eye sight is lost at a later stage. Damage progresses very slowly and destroys vision gradually, starting with the side vision; the person remains unaware of any problem until a majority of nerve fibers have been damaged, and a large part of vision has been destroyed. This damage is irreversible. It is progressive and usually relentless. Treatment cannot recover what has been lost. But it can arrest, or at least, slow down the damage process. That is why it is so important to detect the problem as early as possible, to be able to start treatment with as little damage to the vision as possible.

               Although anyone can get glaucoma, some people have a higher risk. These include a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, migraine, short sightedness (myopia), blood pressure, past or present use of cortisone drugs (steroids) etc.

How to treat

               Although there is no cure for glaucoma it can usually be controlled and further loss of sight either prevented or at least slowed down. Treatments include:

·              Eye drops

·              Laser (laser trabeculoplasty) - this is performed when eye drops do not stop deterioration in the field of vision. In many cases eye drops will need to be continued after laser. Laser does not require a hospital stay.

·              Surgery (trabeculectomy) - this is performed usually after eye drops and laser have failed to control the eye pressure. A new channel for the fluid to leave the eye is created.

Government Initiatives

               National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) was launched in the year 1976 as a 100% Centrally Sponsored scheme with the goal to reduce the prevalence of blindness from 1.4% to 0.3%, by the year 2020. As per Survey in 2001-02, prevalence of blindness is estimated to be 1.1 and during 2006-07 showed reduction to 1%. 

               Among main causes of blindness Glaucoma accounts for 5.80%.During the XII plan NPCB envisages to reduce the backlog of blindness through identification and treatment of blind at primary, secondary and tertiary levels based on assessment of the overall burden of visual impairment in the country; Develop and strengthen the strategy of NPCB for “Eye Health” and prevention of visual impairment; through provision of comprehensive eye care services and quality service delivery; Strengthening the existing and developing additional human resources and infrastructure facilities for providing  high quality comprehensive Eye Care  in all Districts of the country;  enhance  community awareness on eye care and lay stress on preventive measures;   Increase and expand research for prevention of blindness and visual impairment and secure participation of Voluntary Organizations/Private Practitioners in eye Care.

Regular eye check up, especially after 40 years and immediate treatment can save remaining vision but it does not improve eye sight affected due to Glaucoma.

March 6^th is Glaucoma Day

CSIR - Pioneer of India’s Intellectual Property Movement

CSIR has strengthened its patent portfolio to carve out global niches for the country in select technology domains. In written reply in the Lok Sabha today theMinister of Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan  has said CSIR is granted 90% of US patents granted to any Indian publicly funded R&D organization. On an average CSIR files about 250 patents in India and 250 patents abroad per year.         CSIR has pursued cutting edge science and has thus advanced the knowledge frontiers. The scientific staff of CSIR only constitutes about 3-4% of India’s scientific manpower but they contribute to about 10% of India’s scientific outputs. CSIR has published 5444 papers during 2014 in SCI journals. CSIR is a globally benchmarked organization.  It is ranked at 84th position (only Indian institution within top 100 ranks) out of the 4851 institutions worldwide by Scimago Institutions Ranking World Report 2014 http://scimagoir.com/pdf/SIR Global 2014O.pdf. CSIR holds the 17th rank in Asia and leads the country at the first position.         CSIR through its constituent laboratory, Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun has developed a state-of-the-art Wax Deoiling Technology to produce waxes from petroleum streams. Based on CSIR IIP-EIL-NRL technology, Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) - a subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), situated in North-East Region of India, has set-up a grass root Wax Deoiling Plant with the investment of INR 750 crores. Recently, CSIR has launched Krishi Shakti- a small tractor (10-12 hp) which would benefit Indian farmers possessing small land holdings. Further, a Supercontinuum Light Source based Confocal Microscope has been designed and developed under the CSIR-New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (CSIR-NMITLI) Scheme and has recently been launched.

SRO to carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015

The reusable vehicle will bring down the cost of satellite launches

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015. Technology Demonstrator winged body vehicle weighing 1.5T will be lofted to a height of 70 km using solid booster, thus attaining 5 times the speed of sound. Thereafter it will descend by gliding and splashing down into the sea. This test flight would demonstrate the Hypersonic aerodynamics characteristics, Avionics system, Thermal protection system, Control system and Mission management. Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles is a technical challenge and it involves development of many cutting edge technologies. The magnitude of cost reduction depends on development and realization of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability. ISRO has taken steps to develop next generation launch vehicle GSLV MkIII, capable of launching 4 ton class communication satellites to Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit, which would bring down the cost of satellite launches.  Department of Space has taken multi-pronged approach to provide Space education to the youths in the country The Department of Space has taken multi-pronged approach to disseminate or to provide formal education on important subjects coming under Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the youths in the country as under: • Department of Space (Dos) has established an academic institution viz., Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (lIST) at Thiruvananthapuram with a prime objective of providing highly specialised academic programmes in the niche areas of Space. The Institute is offering Undergraduate programmes, Post graduate programmes and Doctoral programmes to the youth of the country. • Dos has established an academic and training institute viz., Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) at Dehradun. The institute offers Post graduate diploma and Masters courses in Remote Sensing, Geo-informatics, Environment and Atmospheric sciences, Urban planning, etc. • The Department has developed curriculum in the areas of Remote Sensing & GIS for PG programme and assisted various academic institutions to establish the required laboratory infrastructure and administer the academic programme. • The Department has also provided technical and scientific support to students and faculty members of various academic institutions to design, develop and realise small satellites by the respective institution. The Department has also extended the support of free launch services to place the students` satellites in orbit. • The Department has also tied up with various academic institutions to undertake research and related activities in the field of Planetary Science and Exploration. • To promote Space Science education amongst the youth, the Department has identified few academic institutions to support and strengthen the research in space sciences in the universities through guidance and funding. • The Department has also encouraged academic institutions to participate in the scientific satellite missions by providing flight worthy payloads duly developed by the academia. • The Department has also instituted Research Fellowships Scheme in academia to promote space science research work at national laboratories. • The Department has involved many academic and autonomous research institutions to work in the areas of climate and weather of the Sun-Earth system through funding and definition of research themes. • As a collaborative approach with academic institutions and research institutions, the Department has been running the Joint Astronomy Programme, where in the selected student will pursue research in Astronomy and Astrophysics leading to award of Ph.D degree. This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today. The fourth satellite #IRNSS-1D to be launched soon Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is setting up Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) to provide positioning and navigational services in Indian mainland and surrounding region up to 1500 Km. IRNSS consists of seven satellites in a constellation, three satellites in geostationary orbit and four satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The objective of IRNSS is to provide positioning services over Indian region with an absolute position accuracy of better than 20 metres. IRNSS provides two services namely Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for Civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users. Out of the 7 satellites required in the constellation, three satellites namely, IRNSS-1A, 1B & 1C have already been successfully placed in the orbit. The fourth satellite IRNSS-1D is scheduled for launch during March 2015. The work on remaining three satellites is in progress. The associated ground segment for maintaining the satellites in orbit, monitoring the constellation status, correction of the orbital parameters and navigation data uploading is in place.