Hungarian writer ‪#‎LaszloKrasznahorkai‬ has won the prestigious‪#‎ManBooker‬ International Prize for 2015

Hungarian writer ‪#‎LaszloKrasznahorkai‬ has won the prestigious‪#‎ManBooker‬ International Prize for 2015. He was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world.

About Laszlo Krasznahorkai Laszlo Krasznahorkai was born in 1954 Gyula, Hungary. He had gained recognition in 1985 after he had published his debut novel Satantango, which he adapted for the big screen in 1994. Krasznahorkai’s other famous novels are The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), War and War (1999), Seiobo There Below (2008). Awards and Honours: In 1993, he was awarded Bestenliste-Prize of Germany for his novel The Melancholy of Resistanc. In 2004, he was awarded with most prestigious cultural award in Hungary- The Kossuth Prize.

About Man Booker International Prize The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes an authors’s achievement in fiction. It is a biennial award, bestowed upon a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language. The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Unlike the UK Man Booker Prize for Fiction, publishers cannot submit authors’ works for consideration. The Prize is significantly different in that it highlights one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. The judges, who solely decide the winner, consider a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.

Achieving the objective of “Swachh and Swastha Bharat” Radiation Hygienisation of Municipal Dry Sewage Sludge

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi launched the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” on 2^nd October, 2014to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Clean India. He said that Swachh Bharat would make a significant impact on public health, and in safeguarding income of the poor, ultimately contributing to the national economy. As a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, various ministries and departments are taking various steps to contribute to a “Clean India”. In this light, recently in April, 2015, the Bahbha Atomic research Centre (BARC) has signed an MoU withAhmedabad Municipal Corporation to set up a 100 tonnes per day Gamma Irradiation sludge hygienisation facility under its scientific and technical support. Such radiation hygienisation facilities would greatly contribute to achieve the objectives of  the mission of “Swachh and Swastha Bharat”.

Sewage is the wastewater discharged from domestic premises consisting mainly of human waste. Sewage typically contains more than 99.9% water and about 0.05% solid.  The solid part results in the formation of sludge. Largely, sludge is disposed in unorganized manner resulting in environmental pollution and spread of diseases. The sludge produced carries a heavy microbiological load and therefore its disposal has been a challenge to the urban development authorities.  Indian cities and towns together are generating an estimated sewage load of 38,254 million liters per day (MLD). Considering 0.05 % solid content, the total potential of sludge generation from the sewage is 19127 tonnes per day(1).   Considering the objectives  of Clean India Mission and Smart Cities, many of   upcoming Sewage Treatment Plants would  further add to the sludge volume.

           

Disposal of municipal sewage sludge, especially in large metropolitan cities is a serious problem due to presence of  potentially infectious microorganisms that can be a serious threat to public health. The present sludge disposal methods have their own limitations. For example, disposal into sea is site specific, incineration is an extremely energy intensive process and land filling involves transporting the sludge to faraway places due to scarce land availability in urban areas. On the other hand sludge is an important source of macro and micro nutrients such as N, P, K and Zn, Fe, Cu etc. respectively. Interest in the use of sludge for application in agriculture has increased among the farming community as well as among the sewage treatment plant (STP) operators. The farming community has realized that the excessive use of chemical fertilizers is not sustainable for long term agriculture. Dry sewage sludge (Dry Sludge) can be beneficially utilized for supplying nutrients to the crop, improving soil physical properties and above all increasing the soil organic matter. This can result in increased crop productivity as well as restoration of soil fertility. For STP operators, it may offer a way of generating a value added by product from waste whose disposal otherwise is a matter of environmental concerns and economic loss to the nation. Therefore, recycling of the sewage sludge for agriculture applications can emerge as an important outlet provided it is carried out in a manner that protects human and animal health as well as environment at large.

The sludge after conventional treatment processes at Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) still contains a heavy pathogenic microbial load and needs to be hygienised before it is applied to agricultural land or distributed in bagged form. This necessitates development of technologies that can hygienise the sludge in a reliable, efficient and cost effective manner.  World over, mix of methodologies are applied for disposal of sludge which includes 40-50% of its use in agriculture(2). Lime stabilization, heat pasteurization and composting are some of the known methods of treatment  for use of sludge in agriculture.  In general, EPA or country specific norms are followed for sludge disposal(3).

The high energy radiation has the unique ability of inactivating microorganisms present in the sewage sludge in a simple, efficient and reliable manner. Ionizing radiation emitted by radiation source such as ⁶⁰Co (Cobalt-60) interact with the critical molecules like DNA and proteins present in the cell resulting in the inactivation of pathogens(Table 1.). Indirectly, radiolytic products of water also makes the treatment more lethal to microorganisms. Due to this property, radiation technology is used worldwide for sterilization of medical products. There are  currently 18 Cobalt-60 based gamma radiation facilities  in India and more than 400  world over.

The end product of a standard STP is dry sludge which contains about 75-80% solid( Fig. 1.) and 20-25% water. It should not exceed the specified limits for:

1.                  The presence of pollutants (Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc). Domestic sewage is not expected to have high concentration of these metals. Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) and United States Environmental Protection Agency(US EPA) have described similar limits. Radiation processing does not alter the concentration of the heavy metals.

2.                  The presence of pathogens (e.g. bacteria, viruses, parasites)

3.                  The sewage sludge attractiveness to vectors e.g. rodents, flies, mosquitoes, birds etc. which could transfer pathogens to other places and human. STP process reduces this factor(2).

On meeting the above criteria, dry sludge can be safely used in agriculture. US EPA and MoUD have described gamma and electron beam irradiation as one of the effective methods to further reduce bacteria, viruses, protozoan cysts ,helminthes, ova to below detectable level.

Experience gained at Sludge Hygienisation Research Irradiator (SHRI) Facility at Vadodara has established that sludge can be applied on land for farmer's benefit. SHRI  employs  liquid sludge irradiation process (96% water and 4 % solids).  Dry sludge irradiation is  more economical, reliable and scalable to large scale sludge hygienisation. Other solid waste can also be hygienised using the process of dry sludge irradiation. Inoculation of the hygienised sludge with Rhizobium, Azotobacter and Phosphate solubilizing bacteria showed 100-1000 times higher growth in comparison to growth in unhygienised  sludge and  making it a value added bio-fertilizer.

Fig 1 Schematic of Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant With Irradiation Facility

Table 1 Microbiological Analysis of Irradiated Dry Sludge

Results of field trials carried out by  Krishi Vigyan Kendra (ICAR)  and local farmers in Gujarat using radiation hygienised sludge established:

•                    Increased crop yield - direct benefit to the farmers. Improved soil conditions - soil conservation & restoration.

•                    Reduced health risks associated with sludge which reduces potential pressure on the country's health care system.

•                    Reduced demand of water due to higher water holding capacity of the sludge.

•                    The nutrient rich sludge which otherwise is wastefully discarded can be gainfully recycled for economic gain.

•                    Improved overall quality of life.

Thus, such radiation hygienisation facilities can be utilised in other parts of the country also can really contribute in making India Cleaner, healthier and providing better quality of life to the people of India.

Job Creation in Industry and Services is important for overall prosperity - Arvind Panagariya

Job Creation in Industry and Services is important for overall prosperity - Arvind Panagariya

The Vice chairman of NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya has underlined the importance of job creation in industry and services for overall prosperity of the nation. He shared the views with the people in his first blog post published on the newly launched website of NITI Aayog in New Delhi today. The full text of the blog post is as follows and can be accessed at www.niti.gov.in.

“There can be little disagreement that the fastest relief to the poor in India would come from productivity growth in agriculture.  This is where nearly half of the workforce is employed.  With the share of agriculture in the GDP at about 15 percent now, this half of the workforce is also significantly poorer than the other half, employed in industry and services.

But in the longer run, the potential of agriculture to bring prosperity to a vast population remains limited.  Over long periods, experiences such as that of Madhya Pradesh during 2011-12 to 2013-14 whereby agriculture grew in excess of 20 percent annually are rare.  In the recorded Indian history, the fastest that agriculture has grown nationally over a continuous ten-year period has been under 5 percent.  Put another way, in countries experiencing growth rates of 6 percent or more over long periods, overwhelmingly, industry and services have grown substantially faster than agriculture.

            It is in this context that the creation of good jobs in industry and services is critically important. Unless workers have the opportunity to migrate to better paid jobs in these sectors, they will be unable to fully share in the prosperity experienced by a fast-growing economy.  Thus, for example, prosperity was widely shared in South Korea and Taiwan during the 1960s and 1970s because workers in agriculture could migrate to good jobs in industry and services.  The share of industry and services in employment in South Korea rose from 41.4 percent in 1965 to 66 percent in 1980 and further to 81.7 percent in 1990. Correspondingly, the employment share of agriculture fell.  A similar pattern was observed in Taiwan during the 1960s and 1970s and more recently China.

            Indian farmers and their children recognize the superior prospects that faster-growing industry and services can potentially offer.  According to a recent survey conducted by the NGO Lokniti, 62 percent of all farmers say that they would quit farming if they could get a job in the city.  As for their children, 76 percent say that they would like to take a profession other than farming.

             It is in recognition of these aspirations that while reorienting public investment in agriculture toward productivity-enhancing items such as micro irrigation, soil cards, effective extension services and improved seeds, the government has paid special attention to creating jobs in industry and services.  The “Make in India” campaign has provided the umbrella for many of the government’s initiatives in this context.

            Using the instrumentality of cooperative federalism, the government has encouraged states to undertake labor law reforms that would help stimulate jobs.  States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have taken lead in this area and, going by the reports in the press, the central government is now considering an overhaul of labor-law regime.  It intends to consolidate the 44 central labor laws into five while simultaneously introducing important employment-friendly reforms.

            The government has also greatly cut the inspector raj by introducing a portal that allows small and medium firms to comply with 16 central labor laws through self-certification. Any inspections are performed via a computer generated random selection.  Similarly, to improve access to good jobs, skill development has been greatly accelerated.  Under a recent initiative, 1.4 million workers aged 35 or younger from households that have completed 100 days of work during 2014-15 under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme, would be imparted skills so that they may avail of urban employment opportunities.

            A common fear aired in the media is that the expansion of industry and services would divert land away from agriculture thereby undermining food security.  But these views are aired without attention to the some key facts on the pattern of land use.  Area under non-agricultural use, which includes housing, industry, offices, roads, railways and other similar items, was only 8% in 2011-12, the latest year for which data are available. Fifteen years earlier, in 1997-98, this proportion was 7%.  Accelerated growth over these fifteen years facilitated by the 1 percentage point increase in non-agricultural use of land has produced more gains in per-capita income and poverty reduction than what had been achieved over the entire fifty preceding years.

            Of course, even this 1 percentage point increase did not come at the expense of agriculture.  Increased multiple cropping allowed the gross area sown to rise from 57.8 to 59.4 percent of the total land area between 1997-98 and 2011-12.  And, of course, productivity increases allowed agricultural output to rise proportionately much more.  There remains much scope for further output increase through the extension of the Green Revolution to eastern states and rain-fed regions, as emphasized by the Prime Minister.

            In sum, agricultural growth and the expansion of good jobs in industry and services can go hand-in-hand to bring rapid elimination of poverty and shared prosperity for all.”

Emphasises on Consistent, Quicker and Efficient Supply Chains for Supply of Farm Produce for Food Processing

Emphasises on Consistent, Quicker and Efficient Supply Chains for Supply of Farm Produce for Food Processing

India is the third largest food producer in the world yet barely 2.2% of fruits and vegetables are processed. Under the visionary guidance of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Ministry of Food Processing Industries is focusing on boosting the Food Processing Sector so that agriculture sector grows exponentially. To make Food Processing the engine of growth is the motto of Ministry of Food Processing Industries. This was stated by Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries here today in an interaction with the media.

Addressing a press conference to highlight the one year’s achievements of Ministry of Food Processing Industries , Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated that to address the challenges of insufficient infrastructure leading to huge wastage, undue advantage to middlemen at the cost of farmers remuneration, the government’s focus is on compressing supply chains and to make them consistent, quicker and efficient for supply of farm produce for food processing. The Government also focuses on creating a Cold Chain Infrastructure to link the farmer to the consumer seamlessly and creating a Cold Chain Grid in the entire country. The Ministry has identified creation of modern infrastructure for food processing as a focus area and encouraging private investment. Sanctioning of 17 new Mega Food Parks and 30 Cold Chain projects will attract total investment of about Rs. 3077 crore in the creation of infrastructure in food processing sector.

Smt. Badal further informed that the scheme of Cold Chain, Value Addition and Preservation Infrastructure provides financial assistance up to Rs. 10 crore for entrepreneurs. A total of 138 integrated Cold Chain projects were approved by the Government, out of which 108 projects are under the implementation by the Ministry. Of these, 52 projects have already achieved completion and commenced commercial operation. The capacity created by these 52 projects is 2.16 lakh MT of cold storage/CA/Deep Freezer, 80.3 lakh litres per day of milk processing, 38.5 MT/Hour of Individual Quick Freeze and 271 of Reefer Transport. It is expected that operationalization of 108 projects would create capacity of (a) 3.64 lakh MT of Cold Storage, Controlled Atmosphere (CA)/Modified Atmosphere (MA) Storage, Deep Freezer (b) 90 MT per hour of individual Quick Freezing (IQF) (c) 106.95 lakh litres per day of milk processing and storage and (d) 601 number of reefer carriers.

The Union Minister of Food Processing Industries informed that sanction has been accorded to 30 new Cold Chain proposals for implementation. Total expected grant-in-aid to be released to these 30 project is Rs. 274.9 crore which would attract an investment of Rs. 470 crore. Total Cold Chain infrastructure capacity to be created by these is (a) 1.12 Lakh MT of Cold Storage/CA/MA Store (b) 11.10 Lakh Litres per Day of Milk Processing (c) 28.5 MT/Hour of IQF (d) 1434 MT/Day of Ripening Chamber and (e) 209 Reefer Vehicles.

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal also informed that to boost the creation of Infrastructure for Food Processing, the Ministry has, in the last one year, inaugurated two Mega Food Parks - one in Karnataka and another in Fazilka in Punjab. Three more Mega Food Parks are to be inaugurated shortly in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. Government has announced 17 new Mega Food Parks in last one year. It has also completed 14 Cold Chain projects and 30 new Cold Chain projects are being announced.

The Minister informed that the Government has also set up a Fund of Rs. 2000 crores under NABARD for extending affordable credit to entrepreneurs for designated food parks and for setting up of food processing units in the designated food parks. The Government has classified loans to food and agro based processing units and cold chains under agriculture activities for Priority Sector Lending (PSL). The Ministry is working with the industry for imparting industry relevant skill training including development of course content in identified sectors of food processing. The investor-friendly Investor’s Portal has all the required information available online.

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal expressed confidence that these steps of the Government will create modern infrastructure for arresting post-harvest losses of horti and non-horti produces and provide impetus to the growth of this sector. The timely completion of these Integrated Cold Chain and Mega Food Park projects will not only provide a big boost to the growth of food processing infrastructure in the concerned states but also help in providing better price to famers, reduce wastage of perishables, add value to the agricultural produce and create huge employment opportunities especially in rural areas. These will lead to the stabilization of food products prices and contain inflation in the country. 

#CSAT is Qualifying: Official Summary

#CSAT is Qualifying: Official Summary

#CSAT Paper is qualifying, officially. Its marks will not be added in Prelims Cut Off
Candidates have to score a minimum qualifying marks of 33% in CSAT to clear Prelims.
Number of posts for 2015: 1129
Expected Date of Notification: 23 May , 2015

Environment relegated

While addressing Environment Ministers of the States recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that environment and growth can go together. He said that the Government was in the process of recovering four times the present rates for the forests that were felled. At present the developers have to pay Rs 10 lakh per hectare for the dense forests that are felled for mining or other purposes. This is estimated to be the value of the timber and grazing that are provided by the forests. The Supreme Court had directed the Indian Institute of Forest Management to review and revise these rates. The IIFM recommended an increase from the present Rs 10 lakh to Rs 56 lakh per hectare. The Prime Minister actually wants to reduce the increase from 5.6 times to four times.

The Prime Minister also iterated his commitment to clean the Ganga. The flow of a river is its main characteristic. Hydropower projects destroy this character with the construction of a barrage and by converting a flowing river into a stagnant pool, with tunnels bypassing its long stretch. The Supreme Court is hearing a case regarding these hydropower projects. The Ministry of Environment had notified in December last year that all hydropower projects would be required to ensure that the mainstream of the river flowed without any obstruction. That would have conserved the basic character of the Ganga. But following a meeting called by the PMO in January, the Government counsel submitted before the court that six projects pertaining to barrages on the Ganga and its tributaries may be allowed. The Government also misled the court by not submitting the full report of the four members and gave a doctored version to the Court. This was a clear reversal of the Ministry’s earlier pro-river stand. Inquiries revealed that counsel was given these directions from the Prime Minister’s Office directly.

One of the “pet” projects of the NDA government was to erect a series of barrages on the Ganga between Allahabad and Buxar to enable large ships to ply. That too would reduce the free-flowing Ganga to a cluster of stagnant pools. Another pet project of the Prime Minister is interlinking of rivers. This envisages the construction of dams on the Ganga, resulting in diversion and further destruction of the river. This means that the Prime Minister is not happy with the smooth flow of the Ganga. Cleaning the river without ensuring its uninterrupted flow is not going to lead to rejuvenation. What good is pollution control if there is no flow?

The Prime Minister has formed a committee with the former Cabinet Secretary, TSR Subramanian, to revive the environmental laws. The only member of the committee who had some connection with environment is Vishwanath Anand. He holds the distinction of dismissing every appeal seeking protection of the environment that came before him when he was the vice-chairman of the National Environment Appellate Authority.

At present, coal mining is prohibited in all protected areas such as wildlife parks and ecosensitive zones. The high-level committee has recommended that coal mining may be permitted in parts of protected areas that have less than 70 per cent forest density. These are called “very dense forests” and constitute only 2.5 per cent of the forest cover. This means that large tracts of protected areas will be opened for mining.

The Prime Minister has correctly stated that environment and growth can go together. But who will decide whether it is indeed so? At present the affected public can approach the National Green Tribunal and seek changes in Government policy that does protect environment while pursuing growth. The committee has recommended that such complaints may be heard in future by an Appellate Board. The Board will be chaired by a retired judge of the High Court and two of its members will be former Secretaries to the government. There will be no independent representation or of people who are familiar with culture or environment. Secretaries generally sing the tune of the Ministers. The underlying idea is to fill the Appellate Board with persons who have a history of being pliable and purchasable.

The National Green Tribunal has been playing an important role in recent years. The committee has suggested that the wings of the Tribunal be cropped. The Tribunal, it is suggested, will undertake only a “judicial review” of the decisions of the Appellate Board. Judicial Review means that the process of arriving at a decision shall be scrutinized, but the merit of the decision cannot be challenged. For example, the Appellate Board may decide to allow mining in protected areas. As per the recommendations, such a decision cannot be challenged as long as the committee follows the correct process such as hearing the litigants. An anti-environment decision, given after following of the procedures, will be beyond challenge. The committee has recommended that eco-sensitive zones may be declared around protected areas. This seemingly impressive proposal can actually be ominous. At present, development activities are prohibited within 10 kilometers of a protected area under orders of the Supreme Court. The declaration of eco-sensitive zones can mean reducing this limit. I am told that a buffer zone of mere 100 meters is proposed around the Okhla bird sanctuary as also in a large number of other protected areas.

The environment and the common people and their livelihoods are inextricably related. The poor are the worst affected by environmental degeneration. For example, the poor drink contaminated groundwater while the rich install RO systems. The impact of “developmental” projects on the poor must therefore be addressed with concern, sense of justice and sensitivity. The present law requires that large developmental projects will necessitate a public hearing and the views expressed will be considered by the Ministry of Environment while granting environment clearance. The high-level committee has, however, recommended that only local people should be allowed to participate in such public hearings. This means that the people of Varanasi will not be permitted to express their views if a barrage is being made on the Ganga at Allahabad. The committee seeks to localize the environment instead of expanding it globally.

It can be argued that the committee’s recommendations are not those of the Prime Minister. The fact remains that the Prime Minister had nominated such people and allowed them to function in a non-participatory and opaque manner. The high-level committee in turn furnished a report which gives expression to his views.

Isro& Nasa to jointly study global ecological changes

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and Nasa are jointly working on the NISAR satellite designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

Talking to HT, Isro chairman Dr Kiran Kumar said, “Our target is 2020-21. The satellite will be built by us and will be launched here. The payloads will be built by Nasa.”

The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project to co-develop and launch a dual frequency synthetic aperture radar satellite.

The satellite will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency and it is planned to be used for remote sensing to observe and understand natural processes of the Earth.

Data collected from NISAR will reveal information about the evolution and state of the Earth’s crust, help scientists better understand our planet’s processes and changing climate, and aid future resource and hazard management.

The space agency, Kumar said, has planned seven launches till March 2016, including three for navigation. “There are also plans in future to carry out studies on asteroids,” he said.

Moving beyond satellite launches and planetary explorations, Isro is also aggressively working with many government departments on how to optimise usage of space tools and data.

A national meet on space is likely to be held in Delhi this month where all ministries/departments will give a presentation before the Prime Minister on how they are using space tools for their working.