Monthly Archives: July 2019
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Indian team in Hyperloop Pod contest presents prototype
These students devote three-four hours every day after college and now their work has come to fruition as they have raised `1 crore from sponsors and finally built a pod and a 40-metre test track.
Bengaluru :
At an event hosted by Atria Institute of Technology on Tuesday, aerospace engineering student from IIT Madras, Sai Madhav, presented his team’s prototype pod for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod competition to his audience.
Avikshar Hyperloop is one of the 22 teams out of the 1,600 teams worldwide and also the only team from Asia that has qualified to the finals. It is a group of about 30 students from inter-disciplinary backgrounds who have been working on creating their own pod since September 2017. These students devote three-four hours every day after college and now their work has come to fruition as they have raised `1 crore from sponsors and finally built a pod and a 40-metre test track.
SAE India, a member-driven organisation which acts as a knowledge partner for students and faculty in automotive and aerospace engineering, hosted its second event in its lecture series that deals with aerospace engineering. It also functions as a think-tank and a policy maker. The second lecture was specifically about the Hyperloop, an almost too-good-to-be-true transportation service proposed by Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla. The Hyperloop, if installed, seeks to reduce travel time drastically. It is supposed to be a land-based transportation service where pods, that house passengers, can levitate and zoom through tunnels by having the air pumped out of them in order to create a near-perfect vacuum for greater speed. It boasts of a travel time of just 30 minutes from Bengaluru to Chennai.
Being the main speaker at the event, Madhav’s presentation and video of the only Indian team to qualify for this competition impressed a mixture of faculty, students and heads of the SAE group. He also talked about how the plan for building their pod looked solid on paper but when it came to the actuality of making it, they faced a lot of discrepancies. Being in the stability team, he deals with a lot of mechanical aspects of the pod. During the question-and-answer session, the question of the safety of the passengers was raised as the Hyperloop project has bragged about reaching speeds up to 500-600 km/hour. “Yes, passengers will feel major deceleration effects. All this is new and I can only hope that newer research yields positive results,” he said. J Munirathnam, who is on the Board of SAE India for aerospace, also said the project will have to be built after taking into consideration the degree of g-force that the human body can withstand.
“This is completely new. We have the freedom to explore it. If you look at building a car, parameters have already been established for it. That is not the case here,” Madhav said.
The hype about hyperloop
The Hyperloop, if installed, seeks to reduce travel time drastically. It is supposed to be a land-based transportation service where pods, that house passengers, can levitate and zoom through tunnels by having the air pumped out of them in order to create a near-perfect vacuum for greater speed.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Chinmay Manoj / Express News Service / July 11th, 2019
Child-rescue initiative ‘Nanhe Farishte’ to be replicated across the country
The initiative will operate with dedicated child helpdesks at all nominated A and A1 stations
Operation Nanhe Farishte, a dedicated child-rescue initiative by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) of the South Western Railways (SWR), will be replicated across the country.
The initiative will operate under the same name with dedicated child helpdesks operating from all nominated A and A1 stations. The decision was taken at a Railway Board meeting recently.
‘Nanhe Farishte’ — meaning Little Angles — was an initiative taken by D.B. Kasar, Chief Security Commissioner, RPF of SWR, in July 2017, with a dedicated team of rescuers to identify and prevent the inflow of children who are illegally brought to the city, mainly to work as child labourers. Apart from Bengaluru, it was also implemented in Mysuru and Hubballi.
2,235 rescued
SWR, with the help of a few non-governmental organisations, has rescued over 2,235 children from July 2017 to March 2019. The rescued were victims of child labour, bonded labour, prostitution, organ-trade rings, and a few runaways. A total of 416 children were rescued in Bengaluru, in 2017, while 523 were rescued in 2018 from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway station, Yesvanthpur Railway station, and other stations.
Debasmita Chattopadhyaya Banerjee, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force of SWR, who has been supervising the operation since its inception, said it was a welcome move and one that needed immediate attention across the country. “Though the Indian Railways has systems to check human trafficking , it does not have a dedicated team for this. This prompted us to take up the initiative,” she said.
Legal angles
However, the RPF does not have the powers under The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, to arrest the perpetrators. Its only job is to prima facie hand them over to respective agencies.
Arguing for more powers for RPF in such cases, she said, “As we are the immediate responders, our role is crucial. If the agency which is identifying has the power to arrest and prosecute, then the the system will be more effective and efficient.”
As per The Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1966, people can be punished by the RPF for suspected possession of railway properties, whether obtained unlawfully or stolen. “If a law can exist for things and goods, then special laws for people should also be given to RPF,” an official said.
NGOs such as International Justice Mission (IJM) and CHILDLINE India Foundation assist the RPF in identifying and enquiring about children who are possibly trafficked. They also help in training and sensitising of officials, ground staff and the general public.
Patrolling on trains
M. Prathima, associate director, IJM, said that human trafficking was an organised crime with complex links. She said patrolling on trains was as important as patrolling at railway stations and government should look into this issue immediately. “Coordination and cooperation between different government agencies, private organisations, and stakeholders, including the general public is important to effectively combat this issue,” she said.
Mahesh Jakati, program manager at CHILDLINE India Foundation — which has volunteers stationed at the railway stations for Nanhe Farishte — said that if the children were not rescued at the right time, they became vulnerable to all kinds of abuse and are forced to lead a poor life devoid of education, care, or protection, while often ending up on the streets.
Toll-free helpline
The rescued are taken to the helpdesk, given necessary care such as food, rest, medical check-up, along with counselling and are produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), who later restore the victims to their families.
To alert the agencies concerned about the suspicious movement of children on railway station premises, the public can call the toll-free security helpline number 182, or child line 1098, or the police helpline 100.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Jayashima K.R / Bengaluru – July 09th, 2019
SWR bags efficiency shield in civil engg
The South Western Railway (SWR) has bagged ‘Efficiency Shield in civil engineering’ for 2018-19.:
Hubballi :
The South Western Railway (SWR) has bagged ‘Efficiency Shield in civil engineering’ for 2018-19. The national level award is instituted by the Railway Board. The shield will be presented by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal at a function to be held in Mumbai in the third week of July.
In civil engineering construction, the SWR has done an outstanding job in completion of new projects. In the SWR, 227-km of railway track has been doubled in the last fiscal. The progress of doubling was much higher and faster compared to the national average, SWR chief public relation officer E Vijaya stated in a press release.
In 2018-19, the SWR has commissioned 27-km Wandal-Mulvad line and 32-km Jamnal-Minchnal track (both part of Hotgi-Kudagi-Gadag new railway track), 36-km Arsikere-Karadi (Arsikere-Tumakuru), 37-km Chikjajur-Tolahunse line (Hubballi – Chikjajur) and 36-km Makalidurga-Devarapalli line (Yelahanka-Penukonda.
Of the 352-km Hosapete-Vasco line doubling project, 69-km has been completed between Devrayi-Shivathan, Koppal-Munirabad, Annigeri-Binkadakatti and Alnavar-Devrayi in the last year. Vijaya said in terms of target, the SWR is the best among zonal railways to have achieved the highest percentage. The material management department, which procures and supplies all materials required for various activities across the zone in addition to the responsibility of sale of scrap, has also won efficiency shield.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / July 09th, 2019
Museum at KRS planned
What made Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar mortgage the Mysuru royal family’s ornaments to complete the construction of Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir (KRS)? Were there chief engineers other than Sir M. Visvesvaraya behind its construction? Who built the Brindavan Gardens?
In an attempt to provide vast details on the structures located on the banks of the Cauvery in Srirangapatna, the Water Resources Department plans to establish a museum near the main entrance of KRS. Setting up the museum has been a decade-old demand. There have also been demands to install statues of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Sir Visvesvaraya on the premises of KRS.
The State government has resorted to install statues at a cost of ₹8.5 crore. A.S. Ravindra Srikantaiah, Srirangapatna MLA, performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the proposed works on Sunday.
Two 46-ft mantaps, replicas of those in front of the Mysuru palace and K.R. Circle in Mysuru, will be constructed at the place for the statues. A Mysuru-based contractor has been given the tender to complete the project in 12 to 18 months, an officer said. “The mantaps will have content on the life, achievements and contribution of both personalities,” the officer added.
There is a common notion that only Sir. Visvesvaraya had worked on the construction of KRS. The museum will help clear such doubts and enhance visitors’ knowledge on the KRS and Brindavan Gardens, a senior Irrigation Department officer told The Hindu. Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail of Mysore had also planned and built the Brindavan Gardens during the construction of the reservoir.
The museum will contain files, photocopies of important documents, photographs of the construction process, of personalities who visited KRS, of members of the erstwhile royal family, and Diwans who worked for the structures. It will contain audio and visual content, the officer said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by M. T. Shiva Kumar / Mandya – July 07th, 2019
Bengaluru boy scores goal to land spot in Homeless World Cup in UK
BookASmile, the charity initiative of BookMyShow, will be sponsoring Satish’s all-expense paid trip.
Bengaluru :
When Satish Kumar failed his SSLC exams a few years ago, he was so dejected at the thought of not knowing what life had in store for him. But a few years down the line, the 20-year-old, who chose to give his everything to football, has managed to make a name for himself. About a month-and-a-half ago, Kumar “couldn’t believe” that he had been selected to play in the Homeless World Cup in Brute Park, Cardiff, UK, an annual football tournament organised by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, a social organisation that advocates the end of homelessness through the sport.
Currently in Nagpur to undergo the second round of training before he leaves for Cardiff in mid-August, Kumar will be going on an all-expense paid trip sponsored by BookASmile, the charity initiative of BookMyShow, which has partnered with Slum Soccer to take 16 beneficiaries to Cardiff to attend this week-long football festival.
“I had lost my motivation after failing my 10th standard board examination. When I didn’t pass my exams, people suggested that I should take up a job. But since I had been playing football since I was in Class 6, I decided I should give it a try. But my family wasn’t convinced thinking that there was no life in this. But I wanted one chance to prove myself. And that required a lot of hard work. Reaching where I am today, despite family apprehensions, has been a big achievement,” says Kumar, who recalls having requested a coach in his area to teach him the sport.
Every once in a while, Kumar– whose father works as a painter, which helps takes care of only their basic expenses – takes up a handyman job of washing tiles which gives him Rs 300 a day. And with his earnings, he purchases gear – boots and stockings from locals stores –for himself. He’s been lucky to have got shoes from a well-wisher. “The turning point in my life came when I played the Bangalore league A division and qualified for the Bangalore Super Division in 2018,” he says.
Kumar’s gone from one achievement to the next, including playing the Slum Soccer’s National Inclusion Cup where he showed his talent and got selected to attend trials for the upcoming Homeless World Cup and has been finally selected as one of the representatives.
A typical day now includes two-and-a-half hours of practice in the morning and evening, which has intensified ahead of his departure. “We were told that the courts in foreign countries are different from the ones here,” he says, adding that at home he teaches underprivileged kids the game twice a week. “I want to show them how I reached where I have and what I did to be here,” he says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sports> Football / by Vidya Sagar / Express News Service / July 08th, 2019
Indo-German Start-Up Gets Prestigious Award
Mysuru:
‘Smartivate,’ a Start-Up co-founded by two Indians — Anand Narasipuram and Jeevan Dasan — alumni of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany and the EIT Innoenergy Master School, located in Karlsruhe, Germany, has won the prestigious ‘Smart-Home Deutschland Award’ for the year 2019. The Award was given to the Start-Up for its product, ‘Configurator for plug and play smart home devices.’
Incidentally, Jeevan Dasan, an alumnus of the National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, is the son of Dr. A.S. Dasan, Professor of English and Director, Shukrodaya’s Academy for HRD, Alanahalli Layout, Mysuru and Prof. Nalini Dasan.
‘Smartivate’ was one of the top three nominations shortlisted out of a large number of contestants from across Germany for the Award. The award ceremony, held last month in the historic ‘City Hall of Berlin,’ was hosted by ‘Smart-home Initiative, Germany eV’, a cross-industry federal association based in Berlin. Since 2012, the Association has been recognising commitment to technological excellence and quality of smart home products of companies, start-ups and student projects from across Europe.
‘Smartivate,’ a fine team-venture, actively involved in building a web-platform as one-stop-shop for smart home solutions, was launched one-and-a-half-years ago with a business start-up grant awarded by the Government of Germany.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 06th, 2019
Kidwai launches ‘eco-clinic’ with medicinal plants
Aims to create an atmosphere of positivity, serenity and wellness for patients and their families
In order to create and enhance an atmosphere of positivity, serenity and wellness for patients and their families at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO), the hospital management, along with a few NGOs, on Friday planted around 240 species of tree saplings and around 400 species of herbs and shrubs. This green initiative will serve a dual purpose as most of the species are indigenous, medicinal ayurvedic plants.
KMIO had earlier planted around 2,000 tree saplings, shrubs and herbs in two phases. But this is the first time that they are predominantly using medicinal plants.
The species planted on Friday comprise Rudraksha, Ramphal, Brami, Bakula, Jamun, and Lakshman Phal. Flower and fruit-bearing trees have also been planted with the aim of getting more birds, butterflies and squirrels to the campus.
Dr. C. Ramachandra, Director of KMIO, said that such species would not only help the environment but also induce positivity and wellness in patients. “Greenery around the hospital will give relief to stressed cancer patients. We are noticing early positive signs in patients now. Many are happy and some have even volunteered to help in the maintenance work,” he said.
Raising concern over depleting tree cover in urban areas, environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy of Bangalore Environment Trust said that such initiatives are the need of the hour. “This ‘eco-clinic’ increases the quality of air and gives comfort to patients and visitors,” he said.
The project is following the afforestation technique known as Miyawaki after the Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. G.S. Bhaskar, chairman of Eco Committee of Rotary Bangalore Midtown, which sponsored the samplings, told The Hindu that the Miyawaki method helps in speedy growth of flora even in urban areas which have turned into concrete jungles. “This method will definitely have a positive environmental impact,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / July 15th, 2019