learn about pros and cons of revenue police system in uttarakhand

learn about pros and cons of revenue police system in uttarakhand
#ukpcsinterview
Uttarakhand is known for a unique police system in which civil
officials of the Revenue Department have powers and functions of Police.Although regular police is established in the state, yet in some hill pattis jurisdiction of the police is yet to be extended to and the revenue officialsperform functions of police like arrest of offenders and investigation. With
their limited resources they are doing this for about a century. In this paper, an attempt has been made to discuss the law which authorizes therevenue officials to perform police functions. Besides this, related history
has also been touched in brief. To be truthful, the present paper is not anew work but has been prepared with study material of three books namely
1. ‘Uttarakhand Ka Faujdari Prabandh’ written by Hon’ble Mr. JusticePrafulla C. Pant, Judge of the Hon’ble High Court of Uttarakhand atNainital,
2. ‘British Administration in Kumaon Himalayas’ written by
Dr. Arun Kumar Mittal and 3, ‘Bharat Ka Vidhik Itihas’ written by Sh.Surendra Madhukar. Besides this, material made available by the revenue
department and guidance of seniors also helped to reduce the subject inutshell so as make it possible for the readers to go through the same inshort time.
2. As we know offences are defined and punishment there for areprescribed in Indian Penal Code, 1860 and other penal enactments such
as Arms Act, 1959, Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985,Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 etc. Merely defining the offencesand providing punishment is not sufficient, as at the same time procedural
law is required so that the offences may be investigated, inquired into,
tried and otherwise dealt with. The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 is
such main law which provides that all the offences under the Indian Penal
* LL.M. Delhi University, Civil Judge, Senior Division, Roorkee, Haridwar
Revenue Police in Uttarakhand : History and Law
121
Code are to be investigated, inquired into, tried and otherwise dealt with
as per the provisions of the Code.
3. As far as investigation and other allied duties are concerned, in
the Code, they have been given to the police or more particularly to the
officer in charge of police station. Police was defined and established by
century old enactment known as Police Act, 1861. In the State of
Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand Police Act, 2007 has been brought into force
and by which, the Act of 1861 has been repealed in context of the State.
However, there is one peculiar thing in Uttarakhand. In the Hill Pattis of
the State, certain revenue officials such as Kanoongo, Lekhpal and
particularly Patwari have been conferred upon the powers and functions
of the police officer to investigate the offences. As the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 which extends to this State also, provides that investigation
may only be done by police officer; therefore, in the following paragraphs
an attempt is being made to discuss such special laws which give power
to the revenue officials to investigate and perform other connected
functions.
4. Although in the hilly areas of the State, powers have uniformly
been conferred upon the revenue officials to investigate offences, but the
special enactments, where-under such special powers have been given
are not one. The State of Uttarakhand may be classified into three regions
wherein three different enactments are in force which give the revenue
officials powers of police to arrest and investigate etc. These three regions
are:-
(a) Hill Pattis of Kumaon and Garhwal Division which once formed
part of British India.
(b) Hill Pattis of district Tehri and Uttarkashi.
(c) Jaunsar-Bawar region of district Dehradun.
5. Revenue Police in hill Pattis of Kumaon and Garhwal Division
which once formed part of British India:- The hill districts of Kumaon
Division which once formed part of British India are Almora, Bageshwar,
Champawat, Nainital and Pithoragarh. Till 1790, Kumaon was ruled by
Chand dynasty. During the Chand period, the Thokdars and Padhans
used to perform functions of police. In 1790 Chands were ousted by
Gurkhas who ruled Kumaon through military officers. As such, during the
Uttarakhand Judicial & Legal Review
122
Gurkha period, military officers performed functions of both, army and
police. Soon they invaded Garhwal and were successful in annexing a
large part thereof. Finally in 1815 A.D., British ousted Gurkhas and as per
the famous treaty of Saigauli, river Kali became the international border
of then British India and Nepal. It is said that the then rulers of Tehri who
had lost their territories to Gurkhas requested British to oust the Gurkhas
from Garhwal and promised to pay Nazrana in return. However, after
the war they could not pay the same and in lieu of the Nazrana promised,
the British kept western part of the Garhwal which they started calling
British Garhwal. It consisted of present day districts of Pauri, Chamoli
and Rudraprayag. As the British Garhwal was merged with Kumaon for
administrative purpose and became part of the then Kumaon
Commissionary, for sake of convenience we may call the Kumaon and
Garhwal which came under the British, the then British Kumaon.
6. British who came to India as traders and later became rulers,
were smart enough to appreciate the then peculiar geographical,
demographical and socio-economical features of hill pattis of British
Kumaon. Therefore, when G.W.Trail, then second Commissioner of
Kumaon who served as such from 1816 to 1830, wrote that no special
police was required as crimes were very rare in Kumaon, it was decided
that no regular police was needed except in towns like Almora, Ranikhet
and Nainital etc.. Soon the post of Patwari which was common in Mughal
administration and in the adjoining plain areas, was introduced in revenue
administration of British Kumaon. Although Kumaon had come under the
British rule, but due to its distinct geographical, demographical and socioeconomical
features, it remained a non-regulated area where as compared
to his counterpart of the plain, Commissioner had more powers and
autonomy. In non-regulated area, special rules and regulations could have
been framed and under the very such special rules, regulations and
administrative instructions, Patwaris were given powers and functions of
the police officer. Besides this, the conventional posts like Thokdars and
Padhans were not abolished, but they continued in the roll of the
Government and were also given limited functions of police like arrest of
offenders and forwarding them before a Patwari.
7. Thus, a special police system started functioning in British Kumaon
in which the revenue officials with the help of Thokdars and Padhans
Revenue Police in Uttarakhand : History and Law
123
had the powers to apprehend offenders, investigate the offences and do
connected functions. The System was functioning under the special rules
and administrative instructions and there was no superior law to the contrary
having simultaneous extension in British Kumaon. In this context,
noteworthy is the point that at the same time regular police was also
raised and police stations were established in towns like Almora, Ranikhet
and Nainital. The first police station was established at Almora in 1837.
After six years, in 1843 another police station was established at Ranikhet.
Although regular police was working in towns where police stations had
been established, a large part of the Commissionary was still under the
revenue police.
8. After few years, in the year 1833, which is considered by many
as milestone in the history of the Indian legal system, came an Act which
introduced codification of laws. Before 1833 there was no provision of
enactments. Regulations used to be the governing laws and all the three
presidencies namely Bengal, Bombay and Madras had separate and
independent powers to make regulations. By the time the Act of 1833
came into force, 675, 259 and 251 regulations had already been passed
respectively in Bengal, Bombay and Madras presidencies. Accordingly, at
that time India used to be called country of regulations. The Act of 1833
was enacted not only to introduce codification of the laws, but to establish
one single legislative institution at the central level to enact uniform laws,
as, at times regulations were contrary to each other on the same legal
point. Thus, after the Act of 1833 India started to have codified laws.
Indian Penal Code, 1860, Societies Registration Act, 1860, Police Act,
1861, Hindu Widow Re-marriage Act, 1856 were some of the initial
enactments.
9. Till now the revenue police system was based on administrative
instructions by whatever name they might have been called and there
was no superior law to the contrary. However, in 1861 the Police Act
was enacted and after some years the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898
also came into force. Although, the Police Act which provides for
establishment of regular police had came into force in 1861, but it was
extended to the British Kumaon i.e. then Almora, Garhwal and Nainital
district in the year 1892 vide Notification No.1254/VIII-228-A-81 dated
30.8.1892. Thus, it appears that after coming into force of the said two
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124
enactments, it became necessary to give the existing revenue police system
a legal basis which could confirm to the said two laws. Fortunately, in the
year 1874 Scheduled Districts Act had come into force. One of the objects
of this Act was to make special provisions for such parts of British India
which due to their distinct geographical, demographical and socio-economic
features were never brought under the general laws or for the same reason
could not be. Section 6 of the Act accordingly provides that the local
government within the scheduled district (districts enlisted in schedule of
the Act), may appoint officers to administer civil and criminal justice and
prescribe procedure to be followed.
10. Accordingly, in the year 1916, in exercise of Section 6 of the
Scheduled Districts Act, 1874, rules were made for appointing police
officers, regulating their procedure and prescribing the powers and duties
to be exercised and performed by them in the districts of Almora, Garhwal
and hill pattis of Nainital. The said rules are known as ‘KUMAUN
POLICE’ and were published vide Notification No. 494/VIII/-418-16 dated
07.3.1916. In rule 1 of the said rules, various revenue officials like
Peshkars, Kanoongo, Superintendent of Patwaris and Patwaris and
conventional posts such as Thokdars, Padhans and village headmen under
the roll of the Government were given various powers and functions of
police. Further, whereas the revenue official were given vide powers of
police including powers of officer in charge of the police station to register
the report and investigate, powers of conventional posts which now have
almost become redundant were limited only to arrest the offenders and
report the matter to revenue officials. In this context, it very important to
see that the opening words used in rule 1 of the rules ‘In addition to the
police enrolled in Act V of 1861…’ appears to give an idea that revenue
police system is in addition to and not in derogation of the regular police
and shall work where jurisdiction of the regular police does not extend.
11. The rules known as ‘Kumaun Police’ framed in exercise of
powers conferred by Section 6 of the Scheduled Districts Act, 1874 in the
year 1916 are still in force. They confer powers and functions of police
and officer in charge of the police station to such revenue officers as are
mentioned therein. Revenue officials perform police functions in such areas
of present districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Chamoli,
Pithoragarh, Pauri, Rudraprayag and hill pattis of district Nainital where
Revenue Police in Uttarakhand : History and Law
125
jurisdiction of the regular police does not extend. Further, since Police Act
of 1861 has been repealed and replaced by the Uttarakhand Police Act,
2007 in Uttarakhand, and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 by the
new Code of 1973 in the country, therefore, in the said rules of 1916
wherever the words ‘Police Act, 1861’ or ‘Code of Criminal Procedure,
1898’ occur, as per sub-section (1) of section 8 of General Clauses Act,
1897, they shall respectively be read as ‘Uttarakhand Police Act, 2007’
and ‘Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973’.
12. Revenue Police in Hill Pattis of District Tehri and Uttarkashi:-
It is said that though, the erstwhile Princely State of Tehri had its own
systems, yet it usually followed the criminal justice system as was prevalent
in British India. Like neighbouring British Garhwal, in Tehri also revenue
officers like Patwaris had police powers. After independence when this
princely state merged with Union of India, since the ‘Kumaun Police’
rules had extension to then district Garhwal only, to continue with the
revenue police system and to make uniformity in all hill pattis of State, a
special enactment was necessary which could confer upon the revenue
officials powers and functions of police. Accordingly, the Tehri Garhwal
Revenue Officials (Special Powers) Act, 1956 was enacted. This Act
does not itself give the revenue officers namely Lekhpal, Patwari etc.
police powers, but vide section 2 which provides that the State Government
may do so by issuing orders in this behalf. In exercise of such power, the
State Government issued orders dated 04.3.1958 where under Patwaris
of hill pattis of present districts of Tehri and Uttarkashi have been given
powers and functions of officer in charge of police station to arrest and
investigate. In this context, noteworthy is the point that the orders dated
04.3.1958 is very similar to the ‘Kumaun Police’ rules framed in 1916
under the Schedule Districts Act, 1874.
13. Revenue Police in Jaunsar-Bawar Region of District Dehradun:-
District Dehradun not only comprises plain region, but hill pattis also. The
Jaunsar-Bawar parganas has the same geographical, demographical and
socio-economic features as those of the other hill regions of the state. In
fact, till 1958, revenue police system was working in this region which like
the districts of Almora, Garhwal and Nainital was also under the British
Administration. Under the Bengal Regulation XI of 1831 Tehsildar
Chakrata was empowered with powers of police in Jaunsar-Bawar areas
Uttarakhand Judicial & Legal Review
126
of district Dehradun. It appears that soon after commencement of the
Tehri Garhwal Revenue Officials (Special Powers) Act, 1956 necessity
of a similar enactment was also felt for Jaunsar-Bawar area for two
probable reasons. The first was that under the Bengal Regulation XI of
1831, only Tehsildar of Chakrata was empowered with the police powers
and it might have been very difficult for him to exercise such powers in
the whole of the Jaunsar-Bawar area, and the Government might have
appreciated that like the other hill pattis of the State, other revenue officials
particularly Patwaris should be given powers and functions of the police
to arrest and investigate. Secondly, Bengal Regulation XI of 1831 was not
an enactment and under the Code read with Police Act, it was possible
for a police officer only to exercise powers and functions of police.
Accordingly, the Jaunsar-Bawar Pargana (District Dehradun) Revenue
Officials (Special Powers) Act, 1958 was passed which is very similar to
the Tehri Garhwal Revenue Officials (Special Power) Act, 1956.
14. Thus, in the state of Uttarakhand, the laws which confer upon the
revenue officials the powers of police to arrest and investigate are not
one. There are three such laws. Whereas ‘Kumaun Police’ rules of 1916
made under the Scheduled Districts Act, 1874 are applicable in present
districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Pauri,
Rudraprayag and hill pattis of district Nainital, the Tehri Garhwal Revenue
Officials (Special Powers) Act, 1956 and the Jaunsar-Bawar Pargana
(District Dehradun) Revenue Officials (Special Powers) Act, 1958 operate
in the districts of Tehri and Uttarkashi, and the Jaunsar-Bawar Pargana
of district Dehradun, respectively. However, there is one thing common
among all the three. It being, that, for the purpose of investigation and
allied matters relating to the offences, the revenue officials mentioned
therein shall deemed to be a police officer so competent under the Code.
Further, such powers and functions of the revenue officials are in effect
in only those areas where the jurisdiction of regular police does not extend.

India registers significant decline in under five child mortality rate; Rate of decline has doubled over last year

India registers significant decline in under five child mortality rate; Rate of decline has doubled over last year

Big boost to ‘Mission Indradhanush’

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare expressed happiness over the just released SRS bulletin (2016) as India registered a significant decline in under-five child mortality. According to the bulletin, under-five child mortality (U5MR) of India showed an impressive decline by 9%, a 4 points decline from 43 per 1000 in 2015 to 39 in 2016. The rate of decline has doubled over the last year. Not only this, number of under-five deaths for the first time in the country have come down to below 1 million with nearly 120,000 fewer under-five deaths in 2016 as compared to 2015. Most of the states have shown good progress in reduction of under-five child mortality from the previous year, except Chattisgarh, Delhi and Uttarakhand, which have shown a slight increase over the previous year and Telangana, which has shown no change in 2016.

Congratulating all those associated with this remarkable feat, Shri Nadda stated that the results signify that the strategic approach of the Government is yielding dividends and the efforts of focusing on low performing states is paying off. He stated that India with the current rate of decline of U5MR is on track to meet the SDG target for under-five child mortality of 25 by 2030. The Health Minister further said that under the visionary leadership and guidance of the Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, the government is committed to advancing the agenda of Universal Health Coverage in the country and its initiatives like Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush, with their focused approach, are significantly turning the tide in favour of India.

Shri Nadda said that these remarkable achievements in merely one year are the result of countrywide efforts to increase the health service coverage through various initiatives of the Government that include strengthening of service delivery; quality assurance; RMNCH+A interventions; strengthening human resources and community processes; information and knowledge; drugs and diagnostics, and supply chain management, etc.

According to the SRS Bulletin, the gender gap in India for child survival is reducing steadily; the gender difference between female and male under-five mortality rates has now reduced to 11% which was as high as 17% in 2014. The current under-five mortality for male child is 37 per 1000, while for female child is 41 per 1000 live births. Amongst the bigger states, seven states (Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, MP, Odisha, Tamil Nadu Telangana) have reversed the gender gap in survival of female child, while four of these have reversed the gender gap for under-five survival. These are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Telangana, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab and Delhi have depicted less than 5% gap in mortality of female child and are within striking distance to reverse the gender gap. The maximum gender gap in survival of under-five for female child is in Bihar (46% higher mortality for female child), followed by Haryana (23%), Kerala (20%), Assam, Karnataka (19%) and Rajasthan (17%).

Further, the SRS Bulletin also shows that the neonatal mortality rate has reduced by 1 point from 25 per 1000 live births to 24 per 1000.

uttarakhand special

अध्ययन रिपोर्ट के अनुसार उत्तराखंड के विश्वविद्यालय सिस्टम में 25 प्रतिशत महिला सहभागिता है। महिला रिसर्च स्काॅलर 16 प्रतिशत हैं जबकि महिला फेकल्टी 9 प्रतिशत हैं। इसमें उत्तराखंड में स्थित राज्य विश्वविद्यालयों, निजी विश्वविद्यालयों, केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय का तुलनात्मक अध्ययन भी किया गया। इसमें पाया गया कि उत्तराखंड में स्थित निजी व केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय की तुलना में राज्य विश्वविद्यालयों में महिला सहभागिता सर्वाधिक है। उत्तराखंड के राज्य विश्वविद्यालयों में महिला फेकल्टी व महिला पी.एच.डी., निजी व केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय से अधिक है। राज्य विश्वविद्यालयों में महिला फेकल्टी 20.98 प्रतिशत है जबकि निजी विश्वविद्यालयों में 16 प्रतिशत है। राज्य विश्वविद्यालयों में 18 प्रतिशत महिला पी.एच.डी. हैं जबकि उत्तराखंड में स्थित केंद्रीय विश्वविद्यालय में 11 प्रतिशत महिला पी.एच.डी. हैं।
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,मुख्यमंत्री Trivendra Singh Rawat ने मुख्यमंत्री आवास स्थित जनता मिलन हाॅल में फिक्की द्वारा आयोजित कार्यक्रम में FICCI LADIES ORGANISATION (FLO) के Uttarakhand Chapter का शुभारंभ किया। कार्यक्रम को सम्बोधित करते हुए मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेंद्र सिंह रावत ने कहा कि प्रदेश में महिला सशक्तिकरण के लिये तीन योजनाएं संचालित की जा रही है। रेडिमेड वस्त्रों के 670 सेंटर स्थापित किये जायेंगे। प्रारम्भिक तौर पर 15 सेंटर स्थापित किये जा रहे है।

अगले चार महीने में 179 आटोमेटिक वेदर स्टेशन स्थापित हो जाएंगे। डॉप्लर रडार के लिए मसूरी, मुक्तेश्वर और पिथौरागढ़ में स्थल का चयन कर लिया गया है। स्थापित करने की प्रक्रिया 18 महीने में पूरी हो जाएगी। पहला डॉप्लर रडार मसूरी में लगाया जाएगा। यह जानकारी मुख्य सचिव श्री Utpal Kumar Singh ने सचिवालय में भारतीय मौसम विभाग के उप महानिदेशक डॉ० डी० प्रधान के साथ विचार विमर्श के दौरान दी।

मुख्यमंत्री श्री Trivendra Singh Rawat से मुख्यमंत्री आवास में पर्वतारोही सुश्री अमिषा चौहान ने शिष्टाचार भेंट की। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कु० अमिषा चौहान को बधाई एवं शुभकामनायें दी। उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य सरकार द्वारा सुश्री अमिषा चौहान को हर संभव सहयोग दिया जायेगा। जिन्होंने देश के लिए एक नया रिकार्ड बनाया हैं तथा माउंट किलीमंजारो की चढ़ाई केवल 54 घण्टे में पूरी करने वाले वे पहली भारतीय महिला है। 

मुख्यमंत्री श्री Trivendra Singh Rawat से मुख्यमंत्री आवास में पर्वतारोही सुश्री अमिषा चौहान ने शिष्टाचार भेंट की। मुख्यमंत्री श्री त्रिवेन्द्र ने कु० अमिषा चौहान को बधाई एवं शुभकामनायें दी। उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य सरकार द्वारा सुश्री अमिषा चौहान को हर संभव सहयोग दिया जायेगा। जिन्होंने देश के लिए एक नया रिकार्ड बनाया हैं तथा माउंट किलीमंजारो की चढ़ाई केवल 54 घण्टे में पूरी करने वाले वे पहली भारतीय महिला है। 

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WEF ranks India 30th on global manufacturing index, Japan tops

WEF ranks India 30th on global manufacturing index, Japan tops
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index—much ahead of its BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa, except China which has been placed at 5th spot

WEF said India’s manufacturing sector has grown by over 7% annually on average in the past 3 decades and accounts for 16-20% of its GDP
The report, which analyses development of modern industrial strategies and urges collaborative action, has categorised 100 countries into four groups -- Leading (strong current base, high level of readiness for future); High Potential (limited current base, high potential for future); Legacy (strong current base, at risk for future); or Nascent (limited current base, low level of readiness for future)

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index—below China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

Japan has been found to have the best structure of production in the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’ and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10.

Among BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South Africa at 45th place. The report, which analyses development of modern industrial strategies and urges collaborative action, has categorised 100 countries into four groups -- Leading (strong current base, high level of readiness for future); High Potential (limited current base, high potential for future); Legacy (strong current base, at risk for future); or Nascent (limited current base, low level of readiness for future).

India has been placed in the ‘Legacy’ group along with Hungary, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Turkey, among others. China figures among ‘leading countries’, while Brazil and South Africa are in ‘nascent’ ones.

The 25 ‘leading’ countries are in the best position to gain as production systems stand on the brink of exponential change, the WEF said in the report published ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland later this month.

At the same time, no country has reached the frontier of readiness, let alone harnessed the full potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in production. About India, the 5th-largest manufacturer in the world with a total manufacturing value added of over $420 billion in 2016, the WEF said the country’s manufacturing sector has grown by over 7% per year on average in the past three decades and accounts for 16-20% of India’s GDP.

“Home to the second-largest population in the world and one of the fastest growing economies, the demand for Indian manufactured products is rising.

“India has room for improvement across the drivers of production, except for demand environment where it ranks in the top 5,” the WEF said.

It listed human capital and sustainable resources as the two key challenges for India and said the country needs to continue to raise the capabilities of its relatively young and fast-growing labour force. This entails upgrading education curricula, revamping vocational training programmes and improving digital skills, the WEF said, while adding that India should continue to diversify its energy sources and reduce emissions as its manufacturing sector continues to expand.

It also took note of the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative to make the country a global manufacturing hub and of “a significant push” to improve key enablers and move towards a more connected economy with announcement of a $59 billion investment in infrastructure in 2017.

In terms of scale of production, India has been ranked 9th, while for complexity it is at 48th place. For market size, India is ranked 3rd, while areas where the country is ranked poorly (90th or even lower) include female participation in labour force, trade tariffs, regulatory efficiency and sustainable resources.

Overall, India is ranked better than its neighbours Sri Lanka (66th), Pakistan (74th) and Bangladesh (80th). Other countries ranked below India include Turkey, Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Mauritius and the UAE. The countries ranked better than India include Singapore, Thailand, the UK, Italy, France, Malaysia, Mexico, Romania, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Philippines and Spain.

In a separate list of the countries best positioned to capitalise on the fourth industrial revolution to transform production systems, the US has been ranked on the top, followed by Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands in the top five. India has been ranked 44th on this list, while China is at 25th place and Russia at 43rd. However, India is ranked better than Brazil (47th) and South Africa (49th).

The report has been developed in collaboration with A T Kearney and calls for new and innovative approaches to public-private collaboration are needed to accelerate transformation.

“Every country faces challenges that cannot be solved by the private sector or public sector alone. New approaches to public-private collaboration that complement traditional models are needed to help governments quickly and effectively form partnerships that unlock new value,” it added.

IGIB discovers a protein regulating melanoma growth, pigmentation

IGIB discovers a protein regulating melanoma growth, pigmentation
Calcium entry into cells can be an attractive chemotherapy target
Researchers at Delhi’s CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) have for the first time identified a calcium sensor protein (STIM1) that independently regulates both skin cancer and pigmentation. The STIM1 protein does so by activating two independent signalling pathways.

Interestingly, different parts of the STIM1 protein activate the two independent signalling pathways that control melanoma growth and pigmentation. This opens up the possibility of developing drug molecules that target specific sites in the STIM1 protein to control tumour growth and regulate pigmentation.

While skin cancers account for third highest number of cancer associated deaths worldwide, perturbations in pigmentation pathways result in pigmentation disorders such as solar lentigo, melasma, vitiligo, and pityriasis alba. Current therapeutic regimes are not efficient in alleviating pigmentation disorders.

Role of STIM1

“The role of STIM1 in breast cancer and prostrate cancer is already known. Based on this, we hypothesised that STIM1 might have a role in melanoma growth as well,” says Dr. Rajender K Motiani from the Systems Biology Group at IGIB who led the team of researchers.

To study the role of STIM1 protein in melanoma growth in vitro, the researchers used STIM1 knockdown mouse cells and injected them into mouse models and observed the growth of melanoma. Compared with controls, melanoma growth was reduced by as much as 75% in mice that were injected with STIM1 knockdown cells.

While trying to find novel players that could potentially regulate pigmentation, the researchers identified a few signalling pathways which were differently regulated with change in pigmentation level.

When chemicals were used to change the levels of pigmentation of melanocytes, the researchers found that along with changes in melanin levels, other signalling modules were also changing. Similarly, melanin level reduced when pigmentation decreased. A surprising finding was that when pigmentation was decreasing, the calcium signalling pathway was also decreasing. “We got a hint that the STIM1 protein, which is a key regulator of calcium signalling pathway, would be regulating pigmentation too,” says Jyoti Tanwar from IGIB and one of the authors of the paper published in The EMBO Journal.

Zebrafish embryos

To confirm the role of STIM1 protein in pigmentation, the researchers knocked down the protein in melanocytes. This resulted in a reduction in pigmentation levels. “We further validated the role of STIM1 in regulating pigmentation in zebrafish models,” Dr. Motiani says. “The knockdown of STIM1 significantly decreased pigmentation in zebrafish embryos. Both in vitro and zebrafish studies established the critical role of STIM1 protein in pigmentation.”

The protein mediates calcium entry into cells and this leads to melanoma growth. “So calcium entry into cells can be an attractive chemotherapy target for melanoma,” says Dr. Motiani.

“We will next be studying biopsy samples of human pigmentary disorders. Our research has led to identification of a novel molecular target with high translational value,” says Tanwar.

What is urban heat island effect?Chiru goat

What is urban heat island effect?

The urban heat island is a phenomenon when the heat gets trapped near the earth’s surface as a result of a decline in green cover, rapid urbanisation, energy-intensive activities, and concrete structures.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Urban heat islands can have worse air and water quality than their rural neighbours. UHIs often have lower air quality because there are more pollutants (waste products from vehicles, industry, and people) being pumped into the air. These pollutants are blocked from scattering and becoming less toxic by the urban landscape: buildings, roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. Water quality also suffers. When warm water from the UHI ends up flowing into local streams, it stresses the native species that have adapted to life in a cooler aquatic environment.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The urban heat island effect is so strong in Delhi, the largest city in the region, that it saw 50% less fog than surrounding areas. In Delhi, the heat island effect also appears to be suppressing the very formation of fog. Scientists found that while areas outside Delhi have seen a 20 per cent increase in fog in the period 2012-2016 compared with 2000-2004, Delhi itself did not see an increase.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,SPARCS is a new NASA-funded space telescope and will be launched in 2021. The mission, including spacecraft design, integration and resulting science, is led by Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE).

The stars that SPARCS will focus on are small, dim, and cool by comparison to the Sun. Having less than half the Sun’s size and temperature, they shine with barely one per cent its brightness.
The heart of the SPARCS spacecraft will be a telescope with a diameter of nine centimetres plus a camera with two ultraviolet-sensitive detectors to be developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Both the telescope and camera will be optimised for observations using ultraviolet light, which strongly affects the planet’s atmosphere and its potential to harbour life on the surface.

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Chiru goat

India’s environment ministry has ruled out the possibility of conservation breeding of the Chiru goat, a ‘near threatened’ species whose underfur is used for making the famous Shahtoosh shawls.
Chiru goat, which is also known as the Tibetan antelope, has long been hunted for its underfur (Shahtoosh), which is renowned for its quality and has traditionally been transported to Srinagar, where it is woven into an extremely fine fabric used to make shawls.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,India to rename Teen Murti Chowk as ‘Teen Murti Haifa Chowk’ for PM Netanyahu visit

Prime Minister Modi had indicated at the renaming during his visit to Haifa last year where he unveiled a plaque commemorating the leadership of Major Dalpat Singh who led the successful operation. 2018 marks a centenary of the end of the World War I and the Battle of Haifa.

Teen Murti War Memorial has three life-size bronze statues representing the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who participated in the Battle of Haifa for the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. The victorious operation by the Indian soldiers carried out on 23 September 1918 targeted the fortification of the city of Haifa which was then controlled by a joint Ottoman, German and Austro-Hungarian force. The Indian soldiers fighting for the Allied Powers, captured Haifa and cleared a crucial route for the Allies. A total of 44 Indian soldiers from the three princely states died during the liberation of Haifa.

However, there was some confusion in the naming process as initial photographs from the venue suggested that both the memorial as well as the Teen Murti Marg which radiates from the roundabout will be renamed.

,,,,,,,,,,,indian harvest festivals

Various festivals across the nation:

Makar Sankranti: The festival of Makar Sankranti is being celebrated today when the Sun enters the Makar zodiac and the days begin to lengthen compared to nights.
Pongal: In South India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, it’s the festival of Pongal which is being celebrated over 4 days at harvest time.
Magha Bihu: In Assam and many parts of the North East, the festival of Magha Bihu is celebrated. It sees the first harvest of the season being offered to the gods along with prayers for peace and prosperity. People in Assam celebrate this festival wearing colourful and bright clothes.
Uttarayan: Gujarat celebrates it in the form of the convivial kite festival of Uttarayan.
Maghi: In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Maghi. Bathing in a river in the early hours on Maghi is important.
Saaji: In Shimla District of Himachal Pradesh, Makara Sankranti is known as Magha Saaji. Saaji is the Pahari word for Sakranti, start of the new month. Hence this day marks the start of the month of Magha.
Kicheri: The festival is known as Kicheri in Uttar Pradesh and involves ritual bathing.

China to establish robot station on moon

China to establish robot station on moon
China is planning to establish a robot station on the moon to conduct bigger and more complicated experimental research on lunar geography
China is planning to establish a robot station on the moon to conduct bigger and more complicated experimental research on lunar geography, a media report said on Wednesday.

The station could slash the costs of returning rock samples to Earth, said Jiao Weixin, a Peking University space science professor.

A sustainable robot station would enhance lunar geography studies and “have better energy efficiency than lunar rovers as the station can deploy a much bigger solar power- generator,” he said.

The base can conduct bigger, more complicated research and experiments, state-run Global Times quoted space officials who announced the plan at an international symposium in Shanghai earlier.

China’s ambitious space programme included several manned missions, building permanent space station and reaching to Mars.

In support of the lunar landing programme, China will launch a carrier rocket with a 100-ton-plus payload for the first time by about 2030, the report quoted a report of the symposium published on the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the central cabinet.

The schedule for the heavy-lift rocket was disclosed by Lu Yu, director of Science and Technology Committee of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, a State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation branch institute.

China plans to land the Chang’e-4 lunar probe on the dark side of the moon in 2018, the report said.

The Chang’e-5 probe will be launched next year, the last chapter in China’s three-step - orbiti, land and return - lunar exploration programme. Chang’e-5 will collect and return rock samples to Earth. After that, China will launch three more missions to study the moon’s south pole.

China’s first Mars probe is scheduled to be launched on a Long March 5 by 2020 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, South China’s Hainan Province. The probe will hopefully orbit, land and deploy a rover on the Red Planet, the report said