INDIA’S BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELDS OF SCIENCE
AND MEDICINE
India made headlines in fields
ranging from nanotechnology to space weather during the year.
DINESH C SHARMA DEC
24, 2018 18:55 PM IST
The year 2018 is ending with the
spectacular success of Indian scientists and technologists in space and defence
sectors, with a series of high impact missions. But that’s not all Indian
scientists achieved in 2018. Several scientific developments, new techniques
and promising technologies — in fields ranging from
nanotechnology to space weather — made headlines during the
year. Here is a collection of 15 such stories that give a glimpse of important
developments reported by Indian scientists during the year.
A
glimpse of important developments reported by Indian scientists during the
year.
A gel that can protect farmers from
toxic pesticides
Most farmers do not wear any protective
gear while spraying chemicals in fields, which often leads to pesticide
exposure and toxicity. Scientists at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and
Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore have developed a protective gel — poly-Oxime — that
can be applied on the skin and can break down toxic chemicals into safe
substances, preventing them from going deep into the skin and organs like the
brain and the lungs. The research group plans to develop a mask that can
deactivate pesticides.
Farmers
are exposed — their bodies and the air they breathe — to pesticides they spray.
Image courtesy: InStem
World’s thinnest material with
novel technique
Pushing the envelope in
nanotechnology, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
have developed a material that is 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper.
They synthesized a two-dimensional material of just one-nanometer thickness (a
human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide) using Magnesium diboride — a
compound of boron. This is said to be the world’s thinnest material. It can find a range of
applications – from next-generation batteries to ultraviolet absorbing films.
Gene editing applied to banana
genome
Using the gene editing
technique — CRISPR/Cas9 — researchers at the National
Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali have edited the banana genome. This is the first such work in
any fruit crop in India. Banana is the fourth most important food crop after
wheat, rice and corn in terms of gross value of production. Gene editing could
be deployed for improving nutritional quality, agronomically important traits
as well as pathogen resistance in banana.
Representational
image. Reuters
Discoveries to tackle Zika, dengue,
JE and chikungunya
The National Brain Research Centre
(NBRC) at Manesar has figured out cellular and molecular mechanisms that
show how the Zika virus causes microcephaly or small head
size in babies. Researchers discovered that envelop protein of zika virus
affects proliferation rates of human neural stem cells and promotes premature
but faulty neuron formation. Another study led by a scientist at the Regional
Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad has identified a key protein which helps dengue as well as Japanese
Encephalitis viruses replication inside human body by
inhibiting anti-viral cytokines. This finding could pave way for the
development of targeted drugs for dengue and JE. For detecting Chikungunya, a
group of researchers from Amity University, Noida, Jamia Millia Islamia
University, Delhi and Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, have developed
a biosensor using molybdenum disulphide nanosheets.
Faster diagnostic tests for
tuberculosis
Scientists at the Translational
Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad and All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, New Delhi have jointly developed highly sensitive and
rapid tests for detection of tuberculosis infection in
lungs and surrounding membranes. Unlike current tests that use antibodies for
detection of bacterial proteins in sputum samples, new tests use Aptamer Linked
Immobilized Sorbent Assay (ALISA) and Electrochemical Sensor (ECS) for
detection of a bacterial protein in the sputum.
Arsenic found in Punjab groundwater
Till now arsenic was a major
problem in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and
Chhattisgarh. It was also known that there is arsenic contamination in
groundwater in Punjab. Now a new study done by New Delhi-based TERI School of
Advanced Studies has found that that Punjab's floodplains are severely affected by arsenic contamination.
In some wells, arsenic levels were found to be 20 to 50 times higher than WHO
prescribed limit.
Onsite
testing of samples during the study. Image: India Science Wire
Space weather warning model rules
out ‘mini ice age’
A team of scientists from the
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata have dismissed the speculation that the upcoming sunspot cycle is going to be
stronger, based on calculations using a model developed by them.
The near-Earth and inter-planetary space environmental conditions and solar
radiative forcing of climate over the upcoming sunspot cycle 25 will likely be
similar or marginally more extreme relative to what has been observed during
the past decade over the current solar cycle. The method makes it possible to
make predictions almost a decade before the next sunspot cycle activity peaks
in strength.
New tool developed for autism
screening
In many cases, autism is
misdiagnosed as mental retardation and attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder. Early identification and interventions may help children with
autistic disorders. To help this process, scientists at the Government Medical
College and Hospital, Chandigarh, have developed an Indian tool for screening
children for autism. The Chandigarh Autism Screening Instrument (CASI) is
designed to help community health workers to carry out initial screening for
autism.
Hope for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s
Scientists at the Indian Institute
of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have figured out the way memory deficit develops
in early stages, resulting in Alzheimer’s disease. They have found that early breaking
down of a protein, fibrillar actin or F-actin, in the brain leads to disruption
in communication among nerve cells and consequently memory deficits. This
knowledge can be used to develop early diagnosis test in future. In another
study done in fruit flies, researchers at Department of Genetics at Delhi
University South Campus found that it was possible to restrict the progression
of Huntington’s disease by increasing insulin signalling
in the brain neuronal cells.
Representational
image. Maxpixel
Green technique can address Plaster
of Paris pollution
A team of scientists at Pune-based
National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) has developed a technique that
helps recycle Plaster of Paris waste from hospitals in an
eco-friendly and economical way. The new technique disinfects waste and
converts it into useful products like ammonium sulphate and calcium
bicarbonate. The technique can also be used to disintegrate PoP waste from
idols immersed in water bodies.
Stone Age tools, genetic studies
throw new light on peopling of India
The Stone Age tools discovered in a village near Chennaisuggest
that a Middle Palaeolithic culture was present in India around 385,000 years
ago — roughly the same time that it is known to have developed in Africa and in
Europe. The discovery pushes back the period when populations with a Middle
Palaeolithic culture may have inhabited India, and challenges popular theory
that the Middle Palaeolithic was brought to India by modern humans dispersing
from Africa only around 125,000 years ago or later. In the North, a population genetic study has revealed that the Rors
who inhabit modern Haryana came to the Indus Valley when it was flourishing
during the Bronze Age and inducted West Eurasian genetic ancestry.
Sikkim gets a real-time landslide
warning system
A real-time landslide warning system has been set up in the
Sikkim-Darjeeling belt of the north-eastern Himalayas which is highly
vulnerable to landslides. The warning system consists of over 200 sensors that
can measure geophysical and hydrological parameters like rainfall, pore
pressure and seismic activities. The system is capable of warning about 24
hours in advance. It has been deployed by researchers of Kerala-based Amrita
University and Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority.
A
real-time landslide warning system. Image: India Science Wire
Computing capacity for weather
forecasting gets a boost
During the year, the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) upgraded its computing capacity
for weather forecasting and climate monitoring, taking its
total high-performance computing (HPC) power to as high as 6.8 Petaflop. With
this, India rose to the fourth position, next only to the United Kingdom, Japan
and USA in terms of dedicated capacity for HPC resources for weather and
climate propose.
Scientists use silk polymer to
develop artificial vertebral disc
Scientists at Indian Institute of
Technology, Guwahati developed a silk-based bioartificial disc that may find use in
disc replacement therapy in future. The group has developed a fabrication
procedure for a silk-based bioartificial disc adopting a “directional freezing
technique”. The disc mimics internal intricacy of a human disc and its
mechanical properties too are similar to those of the native ones. The use of a
silk biopolymer to fabricate a biocompatible disc can reduce the cost of
artificial discs in future.
Transgenic rice with reduced
arsenic accumulation, flowering mustard
To address the problem of arsenic
accumulation in rice grains, researchers at Lucknow- based CSIR-National
Botanical Research Institute developed transgenic rice by inserting a novel
fungal gene, which results in reduced arsenic accumulation in rice grain. They
cloned Arsenic methyltransferase (WaarsM) gene from a soil fungus and inserted
it into rice genome. In another study, TERI School of Advanced Studies has
developed an early flowering transgenic variety of mustard.
Representational
image. Flickr
In other significant developments,
the Department of Science and Technology launched a national mission on Cyber-Physical Systems with an
outlay of Rs 3660 crore for five years. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics in
Bangalore commissioned India’s first robotic telescope to keep an eye on the
dynamic cosmos, while the ambitious India Neutrino Observatory (INO) project got a go-ahead from
the National Green Tribunal.
Why peace on
earth can’t beat the bullies
·
WHY PEACE ON EARTH CAN’T BEAT THE
BULLIES
RICARDO
SALUDO
Before the headline topic, an
urgent warning about rice. With the coming conversion of import volume
restrictions into 35 percent duties with no shipment limits, the National Food
Authority is said to be stopping rice imports and eventually its subsidized
sales of the staple.
Thus, NFA rice would eventually
be priced at P35 a kilo, well above the current P27, because, as Agriculture
Secretary Manny Piñol explained last week, the agency “cannot afford subsidized
rice anymore.”
Soon after, however, Senate
Agriculture Committee Chairman Cynthia Villar insisted that NFA could still
sell cheap rice. “President (Rodrigo) Duterte said that even with rice
tariffication and liberalization of the rice industry, the NFA shall continue
to provide the public, particularly the less fortunate, with rice that is
affordable and safe,” she said.
Before this issue gets waylaid in
political jousting and media soundbites, to the detriment of millions of poor
families, let’s get three imperatives crystal-clear:
First, making sure the poor can
buy enough food, including rice, must be the paramount concern here, not NFA
finances, which the state can support, if necessary.
That said, the better policy may
be work-for-food, increased conditional cash transfer, and other safety-net
mechanisms, which do not waste state subsidies on middle-class consumers able
to buy commercial rice.
Second, NFA must still stockpile
enough rice in strategic locations, so it can flood key markets with P35-a-kilo
rice anytime. This would prevent undue profiteering amid calamities or cartel
collusion by traders.
The latter was the cause of this
year’s rice price spiral. Top-level disagreement over rice imports, and NFA’s
stupid and illegal diversion of rice buying funds to debt service led to the
depletion of its grain, allowing greedy traders to jack up prices. NFA must
never be allowed to let its stocks fall below the level needed to fight
profiteering.
Third, more than NFA selling
policy, what Secretary Piñol, Senator Villar and other government leaders must
define is the comprehensive food production and security program, to boost farm
productivity and incomes, and make food affordable for Filipinos.
Economic Planning Secretary
Ernesto Pernia raised agriculture policy concerns last year, prompting a retort
from Secretary Piñol. President Duterte must get the two Cabinet members and
other relevant agencies, such as the Department of Agrarian Reform, to put
their heads together and present this comprehensive agriculture program
yesterday. Otherwise, another food crisis will surely erupt again, escalating
inflation, eroding public support and giving rebels and terrorists an issue to
lure the poor.
Our violence-crazed society
Turning to the headline issue, with the expulsion of the Ateneo Junior High School bully, whose violence went viral online, many Filipinos will heave a sigh of relief, if not a harrumph of serves-him-right vindication. And a good number would think the penalty teaches would-be bullies a lesson.
Turning to the headline issue, with the expulsion of the Ateneo Junior High School bully, whose violence went viral online, many Filipinos will heave a sigh of relief, if not a harrumph of serves-him-right vindication. And a good number would think the penalty teaches would-be bullies a lesson.
While the boy’s dismissal may be
warranted, rather than scaring bullies, it simply makes other violent kids stay
off camera. Rightly, Ateneo plans to take other measures to better prevent,
expose and address student violence. Among measures to consider is a mechanism
for reporting bullies in confidence.
But the most important effort is
still teaching youths that violence is wrong. And if a Catholic school turning
160 next year cannot instill that basic Christian tenet in its students, it
doesn’t augur well for the rest of Filipino youth and education.
Not because Ateneo isn’t trying
hard enough. Rather, the peace-making message from the classroom and even the
Church is drowned out by the worldwide glorification and adulation of violence,
power and me-first individualism.
From action movies and violent
video games to martial arts mania and intensely competitive, often nasty
reality shows, mass and social media sensationalize aggression among our youth,
just as the explosion of sex in entertainment and advertising promotes
promiscuity.
With all that violence and sex
inundating the public consciousness, peace and wholesome family values are
crowded out. And it doesn’t help that the weak criminal justice system and
lawless groups have made violent force by the state as the main solution to
crime, drugs, terrorism and insurgency.
Even some of those appalled by
the Ateneo junior high incident have called for beating the Montes kid
senseless, and challenging his father to a fight. How will such comments
deliver the message that violence is not the solution?
In his Christmas message,
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said: “Christmas teaches us that
killing people who kill people is not human. Killing is the solution offered by
jungle justice, not by civilized societies. Herod wanted to kill Goodness and
Love. We must be like the angel who led the Child and his parents into safety
away from murder. In solving problems by killing, we side with Herod not with
Christ.”
So, are victims of violence and
injustice supposed to just flee and never fight?
The former Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines president continues: “Christmas is a feast of
joy. It must also be a feast of courage — courage to stand up for Jesus and
defend what He taught us through the Christmas story. Let us stand up against
vulgarity with the powerful innocence of the Christ Child. Let us defend human
life by siding with Jesus and not applauding Herod. Let us stand up for
womanhood best taught us by the purity of the Virgin Mary.”
Can peace on earth win?
The good archbishop is right. But
again he is a lone Jeremiah railing against the violence- and sex-charged
entertainment and social media shaping our young minds.
Even the Church and its schools,
for all its criticism of drug war killings, says little about violent shows and
games, which take up more of the youth’s attention and activity.
So, here’s a dumb idea. If the
Church and other peace-loving groups really want to stand up against violence,
start by listing violent movies, TV shows, and video games families should not
patronize. And plug wholesome entertainment. Do this in all parishes and
schools.
Can’t be done? Then the bullies
will be back.
3.5% agri growth
target for 2019 doable
·
3.5% AGRI GROWTH TARGET FOR 2019 DOABLE
The 3.5 percent growth eyed by
the Department of Agriculture (DA) for next year is doable, an agriculture
expert said, despite the various challenges faced by the sector this year that
could hamper a recovery in the first few months of 2019.
This, however, can only be made
possible if the DA doubles its efforts to implement programs that directly
benefit all stakeholders, said former Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“[The target] is achievable
if they double work and [be] more directed towards helping the farming
communities. What we really lack is the delivery system,” Dar told The
Manila Times in an interview.
Dar, who is also president of
InangLupa Movement Inc., said one of the drivers of the agriculture sector’s
2019 growth would be the rice tariffication bill, which is considered by
economic managers as vital to lowering the price of rice and tempering
inflation, which peaked at a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in October.
“The rice tariffication bill will
be one of the drivers of the growth but I would like to see a more focused
programs that are properly offered to all stakeholders,” Dar said.
“Implementation is the key. [The
DA] should give focus and inspire the change agents and the like. They should
also coordinate with the local government units working with the colleges and
universities in agriculture.”
The bill, which is awaiting
President Duterte’s signature before turning into law, seeks to replace
quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariffs. It imposes a 35-percent
tariff on rice imports from neighboring members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean).
Earlier, Dar said the DA, under
the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, should invest
heavily in the country’s top 10 rice-producing provinces, to adequately
feed the increasing population, and compete well with its Asean
counterparts, particularly Thailand and Vietnam.
“Much-needed funds should be
poured to mechanize rice farming, and putting up of more post-harvest and
milling facilities, construction of more irrigation systems, and empowering
small farmers’ groups to be entrepreneurs, among other
imperatives,” Dar said.
There are 30 provinces producing
roughly 75 percent of the country’s annual palay
(unhusked rice) harvest, Dar said, citing data
from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
He said the government
should roll out massive promotion on the proper use of hybrid and inbred
rice varieties, and water resource conservation technology and
practices which can increase farmers’ yields.
According to Piñol, the DA has
been advised by economic managers to maintain a two percent annual growth
to keep pace with the 1.7 percent population growth,. But the DA is
hoping to hit a 2.5 percent growth this year and
3.5 percent in 2019.
SUCCESSFUL SOS RICE
BY PATTAYA
DECEMBER 25, 2018
SUCCESSFUL SOS RICE
This project has been going on ever since a small group of foreigners for more than 20 years ago met with the legendary Father Raymond Brennan, a Catholic priest who started the Pattaya Orphanage and many other institutions for under privileged people. The foreigners wanted to help the priest and asked him what he needed the most. Father Ray answered “My children need rice”. Later the Thai community got involved in the project and it mushroomed into what it is today.
This project has been going on ever since a small group of foreigners for more than 20 years ago met with the legendary Father Raymond Brennan, a Catholic priest who started the Pattaya Orphanage and many other institutions for under privileged people. The foreigners wanted to help the priest and asked him what he needed the most. Father Ray answered “My children need rice”. Later the Thai community got involved in the project and it mushroomed into what it is today.
During the month of December
every year collection points are set up around Pattaya at many retail store
like 7-11, Tops Marked, Big C, Big C Extra, Foodland, Friendship Supermarked,
Villa Marked, Central Festival Shopping Mall, Makro, Tesco Lotus, Central
Marina and other places. People can buy rice and present it to the collection
points. The Father Ray Foundation is taking care of 850 orphans and people with
disabilities. In one year the foundation cooks 75 tons of rice. On Tuesday 27.
November a press conference took place at the foundation with VIP guests
attending nd each explaining the significance of this worthwhile project that
this year yielded more than3 tons of rice and one million baht in cash as well
as a lot of other food products.
Ebonyi govt, millers, debunk news of fire
razing Abakaliki rice mill
Last Monday at 10:05 AM
The commissioner said that the fire outbreak was caused by
negligence as efforts would be intensified to enlighten the millers on safety
practices.
Ebonyi govt, millers,
debunk news of fire razing Abakaliki rice mill
Ebonyi govt, millers,
debunk news of fire razing Abakaliki rice mill
The Ebonyi Government and rice
millers at the popular Abakaliki Rice Mill, have debunked reports that the
entire mill was razed by fire which damaged several property.
Chief Moses
Nome, State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources,
told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that the news about the fire
was mischievous.
“The entire mill was not engulfed by the fire
but one milling line, which burnt about six shops and destroyed property.
“The Abakaliki rice mill
contains over 100 milling lines and it was only the line ‘13’ that was affected
by the fire outbreak.
“It is then unfortunate for
anyone to conclude or report that the rice mill was engulfed by fire and this
shows that the fight against fake news should be intensified in the
country,” he said.
The commissioner said that the fire outbreak was caused by
negligence as efforts would be intensified to enlighten the millers on safety
practices.
“One of the millers did not switch off the
electrical appliance in his shop and the harmattan increased the damage
experienced.
“We urge the public to
disregard the reports as the rice mill is booming with business activities to
meet the demands of the yuletide,’’ he said.
Chief Joseph
Ununu, Chairman of the rice mill, confirmed the commissioner’s
statement, saying that only one milling line was destroyed.
“The fire started around 9 p.m. on that day and
the attention of the mill’s leadership was drawn to it.
“We immediately alerted the
state fire service which responded quickly, put off the fire and still salvaged
some property.
“We are urging the public to
disregard the information that the mill was gutted by fire as we are ready to
meet the rice-milling needs of the people,” he said.
One of the affected shop
owners, Jim Ibe, rued his ordeal
but insisted that the incident did not affect the entire mill as being
publicised.
“I lost several property worth millions of
naira to the fire but I am appealing to the government and well-meaning
individuals for assistance.
“My life has been shattered
because I use the proceeds from my burnt shop to take care of my family,’’ he said.
A NAN correspondent who visited the mill reports that business
activities were in top gear as people from several parts of the country were
there to process and purchase rice.
Afraid of potential EU tariffs,
exporters and millers buy less rice
Sok Chan / Khmer Times Share:
Local rice exporter and millers
will buy significantly less paddy rice this year as they await the European
Union’s final decision on whether or not to impose tariffs on Cambodian rice,
industry insiders say.
Chan Sokheang, chairman and CEO of Signatures of Asia,
told Khmer
Times that his company will purchase between 25,000 to 30,000
tonnes of organic and fragrant paddy rice from Cambodian farmers from now until
April, a sharp decrease from previous years, when it bought between 40,000 to
45,000 over the same months.
He said his firm is not the only
one reluctant to buy as per usual, with many exporters and rice millers fearing
the effect on the market of an EU decision to activate the safeguard clause
that would enable bloc members to tax Cambodia’s and Myanmar’s rice.
“We don’t know what to do with
regards to exporting rice to the EU,” he said. “We don’t know whether they will
impose the tariffs on our rice or not. We don’t know how to prepare for this
scenario,” Mr Sokheang said.
“Sales thus far are normal, but
we are not purchasing paddy as before. Last year, we bought a lot of paddy rice
for processing, as we rely mainly on the EU and the Chinese market, but now we
don’t know what’s happening with the European market, so we are hesitant about
buying too much.
“On top of that, some commercial
banks have cut lending to rice exporters by about 60 percent,” he said, adding
that, “All rice millers and rice exporters are facing the same issues, so it
affects the whole production and value chain.”
In March, the European Commission
launched an investigation to see if imports of semi-milled and milled Indica
rice from Cambodia and Myanmar resulted in serious difficulties to EU producers
of similar or competing products.
On December 4, a vote on whether
to impose tariffs on Cambodian and Burmese rice was held, with EU members failing
to come to a consensus. As a result, the European Commission was task with
issuing a final decision on the subject by early next month.
The EU is looking at imposing
tariffs over the next three years: 175 euros ($199.5) per ton during the first
year, 150 euros ($171) in the second year, and 125 euros ($142.5) in the last.
CRF secretary-general Moul Sarith told Khmer
Times that Cambodian exports of milled rice will experience a
significant drop in 2018 due to this issue.
“From October to December, rice
exports, particularly to the EU, will drop because exporters are waiting on the
EC’s decision.
“Our exporters are reluctant to
buy rice until they hear the decision,” Mr Sarith said.
“We ask the EC to consider their
decision carefully, and call on our members to continue exporting and
strengthening the quality of our paddy rice,” he added.
Kann Kunthy, vice president and
managing director of Amru Rice, posted on his Facebook profile that rice
exports in 2018 will amount to just 560,000 tonnes, a 12 percent drop compared
to last year.
He blamed the decrease on the
potential EU’s tariffs as well as Vietnam’s decision to put more stringent
customs measures in place for transshipments that go through Vietnamese ports.
From January to November this
year, China bought 137,866 tonnes of Cambodian rice, making it the biggest
buyer. It was followed by France (73,669 tonnes), Malaysia (37,289 tonnes),
Gabon (25,335 tonnes), and the Netherlands (23,643 tonnes), according to data
from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
Gov’t
has to intervene on behalf of struggling rice farmers
I am aware that APNU+AFC are busy
licking their wounds right now. But they lost the No-Confidence vote in
Parliament because they have consistently ignored the injustices perpetuated on
citizens around the country every single day. Among people who have endured
gross injustices are the rice farmers, the men and women who have ensured that
Guyana’s economy since 2015 remained positive. In the midst of an economy that
has remained stubbornly stagnated since May 2015, the rice farmers have
represented the one bright spot in the economic architecture of our country.
Yet APNU+AFC have wholly abandoned the rice farmers, left them to wallow in
injustice.
While quite understandably
everyone’s attention is focused on the no-confidence motion that has now
resulted in APNU+AFC forced to hold elections by March 21st, 2019, I am
obligated to highlight the dire circumstances hundreds of rice farmers and
their families are experiencing. Just last Saturday, a few days before
Christmas, as highlighted in the Guyana Times of December 23, about 300 farmers
stormed the gates of a rice mill complex demanding to meet the owner for their
payments. These farmers not only have Christmas on their minds and hoping their
family could enjoy the holidays, they have bank loans and expenses for their
children they must provide for.
In fact, hundreds of rice farmers
have not been paid for paddy sold to millers. Some of them are owed for paddy
sold since the first crop of 2018 and others are owed for paddy from the second
crop. There are some farmers who are owed for paddy sold since 2017. The
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, has been largely silent on this issue
since he assumed the position in May 2015. The only times he has spoken on this
matter, he dismissed the problem as a private transaction between millers and
farmers. He absolutely disowned the problem. But there is a law, the Rice
Factory Act, that clearly assigns the government with responsibility in these
transactions. The law makes the government a party to these transactions, even
if the government was not at the table.
The government itself, at its
highest level, has reiterated the Minister’s position, insisting that the
non-payment of farmers for paddy sold is not any business of the government
since the transactions are squarely private arrangements between private
people, in this case, millers and farmers. The President has affirmed this
position and so have other people, like the Prime Minister. But an injustice
being endured by any citizen is the business of government. In refusing to
intervene, the government is abrogating its responsibility to uphold justice in
our country, abdicating its responsibility as laid out in the laws of the
country.
The law of the land provides
leverage for the government. As Minister of Agriculture, I never caused anyone
to lose their licence for operating a rice factory. This does not mean I never
used the law; I used the law as leverage and worked in partnership with the
millers and farmers to ensure farmers were paid fairly and on time. Government
often paid the farmers some or all of what the millers owed them and then
forced the millers to pay to the government, through the GRDB. We were not
silent then. The government is silent now.
The hands-off posture of
APNU+AFC, such as the silence on non-payment of farmers, is totally responsible
for Guyana having failed to reach the target of 700,000 tons of rice. After the
first crop of 2015, when we reached production of 398,000 tons, Guyana was on
target to reach 700,000 tons. But there was a sizeable drop in production in
the second crop and Guyana failed to reach the 700,000 tons target. Similar
failure was experienced for 2016, 2017 and now 2018. Government has also
been silent when farmers experienced problems with irrigation, floods, pests
etc.
Guyana has the capacity to reach
1,000,000 tons whenever it chooses to. Guyana has the market to significantly
increase its export. But the only way these goals can be achieved is Government
by playing a strong role, together with farmers and millers.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
Farmers Allege Harassment By Millers In Dhenkanal
Dhenkanal: Farmers of Jagannathpur
village in the district are facing a tough time during the paddy procurement
process owing to a dispute with rice millers over fair average quality (FAQ)
norms.
During the last two days tonnes of
paddy brought for sale by farmers from distant villages are lying outside the
mandis. Moreover, farmers are spending sleepless nights to guard the sacks of
paddy.
As per allegations, millers are
demanding cuts/concessions of at least 10 kgs during the procurement citing
fair average quality (FAQ) norms. “The millers are demanding 10-15 kg cut per
quintal. Apart from this, there are major inaccuracies in the weighing machine
of millers,” rued a farmer Srinivas Sahu.
ALSO READ
“Millers are demanding 260-kg of
cuts for purchasing 50 bags of paddy. When we asked millers to cut less, they
are not willing to procure paddy,” alleged another farmer Basudeb Mallick.
On the other hand, Arun Kumar,
secretary of the cooperative society, which procured paddy from farmers, said
that he is not aware of the allegations.
“I don’t know of any such
cuts/concessions or dispute between farmers and millers” said Kumar.
Ex-SPDA officials
cleared of graft
Published
By Czarina Nicole Ong
The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division has cleared former officials
of the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) of two graft charges
in relation to the allegedly anomalous purchase of P20 million worth of
agriculture equipment.
Former SPDA administrator Sultan Ali Mindalano, deputy
administrator Esa Bayani, legal officer III Tomas Ballesteros, administrative
department officer in charge (OIC) Sultan Dic Kah Manalundung, operations and
planning division Chief Rodolfo De Asis Sudario, general services division
chief James Cautivar, and, Kidapawan Mercantile Inc. & Major Tractors &
Equipment contractor Loreto Nicolas were initially accused of violating Section
3(e) and (g) of R.A. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Supply officer III Reynaldo Tech and accounting division OIC
Charlene Damuy were only accused of violating Section 3(g) of the said law.
In October 2000, the accused reportedly conspired with one
another and gave unwarranted benefits to Nicolas when they rigged the bidding
for the purchase of 10 tractors amounting to P26,775,000, 10 rice millers
amounting to P2,934,700, 10 rice threshers amounting to P1,517,250, 10 power
tillers amounting to P1,758,750, and 10 turtle power tillers costing P819,000.
On the other hand, the contract for the procurement of 10 corn
shellers costing P1,520,400 was awarded to Rubbar Marketing Center.
The prosecution claimed that the accused officials rigged the
bidding in favor of Nicolas and a John Doe, adding that there was no delivery
despite the payment made by the SPDA.
However, the anti-graft court found their evidence lacking. For
one thing, the court said the prosecution failed to prove how the accused
rigged the bidding.
The only thing the prosecution presented was the testimony of
state auditor IV Lilia Maglana, who presumed that there was only a single
publication of the invitation to bid. Her testimony was even refuted by the
defense when they shared the invitation to bid published in the Metropolitan
Gazette and Gold Star Daily.
The prosecution’s evidence also does not support its claim that
there was no delivery of the purchased equipment. The deficiencies in the sales
invoice and delivery receipts, according to the court, only prove that there
were deficiencies in SPDA’s documentation and nothing more.
“Clearly, the deficiencies in SPDA’s documentation and the
notice of suspension do not conclusively prove the non-delivery of the subject
tractors, especially in the absence of any evidence,” the court’s decision read.
Related Posts
Without NBS, PDP
Could Have Been Importing Figures From China – Sen. Sani
December 24, 2018
By ANN
Senator
representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani said if not
for the National Bureau of Statistics the All Progressive Congress and Peoples
Democratic Party could have been churning out unverifiable figures.
The
51-year old stated this via his official twitter handle. He said without the
NBS, PDP could have been importing figures from China and APC could have been
locally manufacturing their own figures too.
The
civil rights activist acknowledged the good job NBS is doing; keeping Nigerians
informed with useful statistics.
He
tweet reads: NBS has been doing a good job, keeping Nigerians informed with
useful statistics. Without the NBS, the main opposition could have been
importing figures from China in containers & the ruling party could have
been locally milling, bagging & churning their figures along with rice.
NBS has been
doing a good job,keeping Nigerians informed with useful statistics.Without the
NBS,the main opposition could have been importing figures from China in
containers & the ruling party could have been locally milling,bagging &
churning their figures along with rice.
Nigeria
Will Stop Importing Rice In 2019 – Osinbajo
By
FG Boosts
Local Food Production Through Anchor Borrowers Programme
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has declared that by next year, Nigeria will stop importing
rice as there will be enough local production to cater for the need of
Nigerians.
Osinbajo made the submission on
Sunday at the palace of Musa Dogonkadai, the Seriki of the Hausa community
in Agege, Lagos as confirmed by Mr. Laolu Akande, his senior special assistant on
media and publicity.
The Vice President added that the federal government, through
its anchor borrowers programme, had made soft loans available to over 760,000
farmers to produce rice, millet and sorghum.
This Osinbajo said, is in line with the federal government’s
efforts in improving the welfare of all Nigerians.
“Look at what is happening in
the north now because of the Anchor Borrowers Programme. We gave many of the
farmers, over 760,000 farmers, soft loans. So, now they are producing rice,
producing millet, producing sorghum,” Osinbajo said.
“We are not importing rice now.
We are bringing rice from Kebbi, from Sokoto, from all over the country. By
next year, we will not import rice. All our rice will be produced here. When
you do that farmers will be rich. Farmers in other countries they are rich
people. They are not poor. I’ve been to a country where farmers own airplanes.
Why? Because their leaders are not thieves. Their leaders help them so that
they can farm; they can expand their farms and they can earn money.
“I went to speak to them in
Kebbi. Two of the farmers came to me and said, since this our government (came
into power), they have been doing very well. One of them said, “now I have my
money, I can pay for my hajj.” Another one even told me that he has married a
second wife and I said no, no. I said don’t do that because one wife is enough.
He said since he is getting some money be can marry a second wife
“But the truth of the matter is
that there is enough money for us in this country. I believe that we must give
President Muhammadu Buhari enough votes to lead this country for four more
years. If he leads this country for four more years, you will see the
difference.”
Gov’t has to intervene on
behalf of struggling rice farmers
I am aware that APNU+AFC are busy
licking their wounds right now. But they lost the No-Confidence vote in
Parliament because they have consistently ignored the injustices perpetuated on
citizens around the country every single day. Among people who have endured
gross injustices are the rice farmers, the men and women who have ensured that
Guyana’s economy since 2015 remained positive. In the midst of an economy that
has remained stubbornly stagnated since May 2015, the rice farmers have
represented the one bright spot in the economic architecture of our country.
Yet APNU+AFC have wholly abandoned
the rice farmers, left them to wallow in injustice. While quite understandably everyone’s
attention is focused on the no-confidence motion that has now resulted in
APNU+AFC forced to hold elections by March 21st, 2019, I am obligated to
highlight the dire circumstances hundreds of rice farmers and their families
are experiencing. Just last Saturday, a few days before Christmas, as
highlighted in the Guyana Times of December 23, about 300 farmers stormed the
gates of a rice mill complex demanding to meet the owner for their payments.
These farmers not only have Christmas on their
minds and hoping their family could enjoy the holidays, they have bank loans
and expenses for their children they must provide for. In fact, hundreds of
rice farmers have not been paid for paddy sold to millers. Some of them are
owed for paddy sold since the first crop of 2018 and others are owed for paddy
from the second crop. There are some farmers who are owed for paddy sold since
2017. The Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, has been largely silent on this
issue since he assumed the position in May 2015. The only times he has spoken
on this matter, he dismissed the problem as a private transaction between
millers and farmers.
He absolutely disowned the problem. But there
is a law, the Rice Factory Act, that clearly assigns the government with
responsibility in these transactions. The law makes the government a party to
these transactions, even if the government was not at the table. The government itself, at its highest
level, has reiterated the Minister’s position, insisting that the non-payment
of farmers for paddy sold is not any business of the government since the
transactions are squarely private arrangements between private people, in this
case, millers and farmers.
The President has affirmed this
position and so have other people, like the Prime Minister. But an injustice
being endured by any citizen is the business of government. In refusing to
intervene, the government is abrogating its responsibility to uphold justice in
our country, abdicating its responsibility as laid out in the laws of the
country. The law of the land provides leverage for the government. As Minister
of Agriculture, I never caused anyone to lose their licence for operating a
rice factory.
This does not mean I never used the
law; I used the law as leverage and worked in partnership with the millers and
farmers to ensure farmers were paid fairly and on time. Government often paid
the farmers some or all of what the millers owed them and then forced the
millers to pay to the government, through the GRDB. We were not silent then.
The government is silent now. The hands-off posture of APNU+AFC, such as the
silence on non-payment of farmers, is totally responsible for Guyana having
failed to reach the target of 700,000 tons of rice.
After the first crop of 2015, when
we reached production of 398,000 tons, Guyana was on target to reach 700,000
tons. But there was a sizeable drop in production in the second crop and Guyana
failed to reach the 700,000 tons target. Similar failure was experienced for
2016, 2017 and now 2018. Government has
also been silent when farmers experienced problems with irrigation, floods,
pests etc. Guyana has the capacity to reach 1,000,000 tons whenever it chooses
to. Guyana has the market to significantly increase its export. But the only
way these goals can be achieved is Government by playing a strong role,
together with farmers and millers.
Afraid of potential EU tariffs,
exporters and millers buy less rice
Local rice exporter and millers
will buy significantly less paddy rice this year as they await the European
Union’s final decision on whether or not to impose tariffs on Cambodian rice,
industry insiders say.
Chan Sokheang, chairman and CEO of Signatures of Asia, told Khmer Times that his company
will purchase between 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of organic and fragrant paddy
rice from Cambodian farmers from now until April, a sharp decrease from
previous years, when it bought between 40,000 to 45,000 over the same months.
He said his firm is not the only
one reluctant to buy as per usual, with many exporters and rice millers fearing
the effect on the market of an EU decision to activate the safeguard clause
that would enable bloc members to tax Cambodia’s and Myanmar’s rice.
“We don’t know what to do with
regards to exporting rice to the EU,” he said. “We don’t know whether they will
impose the tariffs on our rice or not. We don’t know how to prepare for this
scenario,” Mr Sokheang said.
“Sales thus far are normal, but
we are not purchasing paddy as before. Last year, we bought a lot of paddy rice
for processing, as we rely mainly on the EU and the Chinese market, but now we
don’t know what’s happening with the European market, so we are hesitant about
buying too much.
“On top of that, some commercial
banks have cut lending to rice exporters by about 60 percent,” he said, adding
that, “All rice millers and rice exporters are facing the same issues, so it
affects the whole production and value chain.”
In March, the European Commission
launched an investigation to see if imports of semi-milled and milled Indica
rice from Cambodia and Myanmar resulted in serious difficulties to EU producers
of similar or competing products.
On December 4, a vote on whether
to impose tariffs on Cambodian and Burmese rice was held, with EU members
failing to come to a consensus. As a result, the European Commission was task
with issuing a final decision on the subject by early next month.
The EU is looking at imposing
tariffs over the next three years: 175 euros ($199.5) per ton during the first
year, 150 euros ($171) in the second year, and 125 euros ($142.5) in the last.
CRF secretary-general Moul Sarith told Khmer Times that Cambodian
exports of milled rice will experience a significant drop in 2018 due to this
issue.
“From October to December, rice
exports, particularly to the EU, will drop because exporters are waiting on the
EC’s decision.
“Our exporters are reluctant to
buy rice until they hear the decision,” Mr Sarith said.
“We ask the EC to consider their
decision carefully, and call on our members to continue exporting and
strengthening the quality of our paddy rice,” he added.
Kann Kunthy, vice president and
managing director of Amru Rice, posted on his Facebook profile that rice
exports in 2018 will amount to just 560,000 tonnes, a 12 percent drop compared
to last year.
He blamed the decrease on the
potential EU’s tariffs as well as Vietnam’s decision to put more stringent
customs measures in place for transshipments that go through Vietnamese ports.
From January to November this
year, China bought 137,866 tonnes of Cambodian rice, making it the biggest
buyer. It was followed by France (73,669 tonnes), Malaysia (37,289 tonnes),
Gabon (25,335 tonnes), and the Netherlands (23,643 tonnes), according to data
from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
What Indian scientists achieved in 2018 beyond ISRO and its rocket
launches
New and promising scientific technologies in fields ranging from
nanotechnology to space weather made headlines this year.
The year
2018 is ending with spectacular success of Indian scientists and technologists
in space and defence sectors, with a series of high impact missions. But that’s
not all Indian scientists achieved in 2018. Several scientific developments,
new techniques and promising technologies – in fields ranging from
nanotechnology to space weather – made headlines during the year. Here is a
collection of 15 such stories that gives a glimpse of important developments
reported by Indian scientists during the year.
A gel that can protect farmers from toxic pesticides
Most farmers
do not wear any protective gear while spraying chemicals in fields, which often
leads to pesticide exposure and toxicity. Scientists at the Institute for Stem
Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bengaluru have developed a protective gel —
poly-Oxime — that can be applied on skin and can break down toxic chemicals
into safe substances, preventing them from going deep into the skin and organs
like the brain and the lungs. The research group plans to develop a mask that
can deactivate pesticides.
World’s thinnest material with novel technique
Pushing the
envelope in nanotechnology, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology
Gandhinagar have developed a material that is 100,000 times thinner than a
sheet of paper. They synthesized a two-dimensional material of just
one-nanometer thickness (a human hair is about 80,000 nanometer wide) using
Magnesium diboride — a compound of boron. This is said to be the world’s thinnest
material. It can find a range of applications — from next-generation
batteries to ultraviolet absorbing films.
Gene editing applied to banana genome
Using the
gene editing technique — CRISPR/Cas9 — researchers at the National Agri-Food
Biotechnology Institute, Mohali have edited the banana genome.
This is the first such work in any fruit crop in India. Banana is the fourth
most important food crop after wheat, rice and corn in terms of gross value of
production. Gene editing could be deployed for improving nutritional quality,
agronomical important traits as well as pathogen resistance in banana.
Discoveries to tackle zika, dengue, JE and chikungunya
The National
Brain Research Centre (NBRC) at Manesar has figured out cellular and molecular
mechanisms that show how Zika virus causes
microcephaly or small head size in babies. Researchers
discovered that envelop protein of zika virus affects proliferation rates of
human neural stem cells and promotes premature but faulty neuron formation.
Another study led by scientists at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology,
Faridabad, has identified a key protein
which helps dengue as well as Japanese Encephalitis viruses replication inside
human body by inhibiting anti-viral cytokines. This finding could pave way for
development of targeted drugs for dengue and JE. For detecting Chikungunya, a
group of researchers from Amity University, Noida, Jamia Millia Islamia
University, Delhi and Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, have developed a biosensor using molybdenum disulphide nanosheets.
Faster diagnostic tests for tuberculosis
Scientists
at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, and
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi have jointly developed
highly sensitive and rapid tests for detection of
tuberculosis infection in lungs and surrounding membranes.
Unlike current tests that use antibodies for detection of bacterial proteins in
sputum samples, new tests use Aptamer Linked Immobilized Sorbent Assay (ALISA)
and Electrochemical Sensor (ECS) for detection of a bacterial protein in the
sputum.
Arsenic found in Punjab groundwater
Till now
arsenic was a major problem in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh. It was also known that there is arsenic
contamination in groundwater in Punjab. Now a new study done by New Delhi-based
TERI School of Advanced Studies has found that that Punjab’s floodplains are
severely affected by arsenic contamination. In some wells, arsenic
levels were found to be 20 to 50 times higher than WHO prescribed limit.
Space weather warning model rules out ‘mini ice age’
A team of
scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)
Kolkata have dismissed the speculation
that the upcoming sunspot cycle is going to be stronger, based on
calculations using a model developed by them. The near-Earth and
inter-planetary space environmental conditions and solar radiative forcing of
climate over the upcoming sunspot cycle 25 will likely be similar or marginally
more extreme relative to what has been observed during the past decade over the
current solar cycle. The method makes it possible to make predictions almost a
decade before the next sunspot cycle activity peaks in strength.
New tool developed for autism screening
In many
cases, autism is misdiagnosed as mental retardation and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder. Early identification and interventions may help
children with autistic disorders. To help this process, scientists at the
Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, have developed an Indian
tool for screening children for autism. The Chandigarh Autism
Screening Instrument (CASI) is designed to help community
health workers to carry out initial screening for autism.
Hope for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s
Scientists
at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have figured out the way
memory deficit develops in early stages, resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.
They have found that early breaking down of a protein, fibrillar actin or
F-actin, in the brain leads to disruption in communication among nerve cells
and consequently memory deficits. This knowledge can be used to develop early
diagnosis test in future. In another study done in fruit flies, researchers at
Department of Genetics at Delhi University South Campus found that it was
possible to restrict the progression of Huntington’s disease by
increasing insulin signaling in the brain neuronal cells.
Green technique can address Plaster of Paris pollution
A team of
scientists at Pune-based National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) has developed
a technique that helps recycle Plaster of Paris
waste from hospitals in an eco-friendly and economical way. The
new technique disinfects waste and converts it into useful products like
ammonium sulphate and calcium bicarbonate. The technique can also be used to
disintegrate PoP waste from idols immersed in water bodies.
Stone Age tools, genetic studies throw new light on peopling of
India
The Stone Age tools discovered
in a village near Chennai suggest that a Middle Palaeolithic
culture was present in India around 385,000 years ago — roughly the same time
that it is known to have developed in Africa and in Europe. The discovery
pushes back the period when populations with a Middle Palaeolithic culture may
have inhabited India, and challenges popular theory that the Middle
Palaeolithic was brought to India by modern humans dispersing from Africa only
around 125,000 years ago or later. In the North, population genetic study has
revealed that the Rors who inhabit modern Haryana came to the Indus Valley when
it was flourishing during the Bronze Age and inducted West Eurasian genetic
ancestry.
Sikkim gets real-time landslide warning system
A real-time landslide
warning system has been set up in the Sikkim-Darjeeling belt of
north-eastern Himalayas which is highly vulnerable to landslides. The warning
system consists of over 200 sensors that can measure geophysical and
hydrological parameters like rainfall, pore pressure and seismic activities.
The system is capable of warning about 24 hours in advance. It has been
deployed by researchers of Kerala-based Amrita University and Sikkim State
Disaster Management Authority.
Computing capacity for weather forecasting gets a boost
During the
year, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) upgraded its
computing capacity for weather forecasting and
climate monitoring, taking its total high performance computing
(HPC) power to as high as 6.8 Petaflop. With this, India rose to the fourth
position, next only to United Kingdom, Japan and US in terms of dedicated
capacity for HPC resources for weather and climate proposes.
Scientists use silk polymer to develop artificial vertebral disc
Scientists
at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, developed a silk-based bioartificial
disc that may find use in disc replacement therapy in future.
The group has developed a fabrication procedure for a silk-based bioartificial
disc adopting a “directional freezing technique”. The disc mimics internal
intricacy of human disc and its mechanical properties too are similar to those
of the native ones. The use of a silk biopolymer to fabricate a biocompatible
disc can reduce the cost of artificial discs in future.
Transgenic rice with reduced arsenic accumulation, flowering
mustard
To address
the problem of arsenic accumulation in rice grains, researchers at Lucknow-
based CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute developed transgenic rice by
inserting a novel fungal gene, which results in reduced arsenic
accumulation in rice grain. They cloned Arsenic
methyltransferase (WaarsM) gene from a soil fungus and inserted it into rice
genome. In another study, TERI School of Advanced Studies has developed an early flowering transgenic
variety of mustard.
In other
significant developments, the Department of Science and Technology launched a national mission on
Cyber-Physical Systems with an outlay of Rs 3,660 crore for
five years. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru commissioned India’s first robotic
telescope to keep an eye on the dynamic cosmos, while the
ambitious India Neutrino Observatory (INO)
project got a go ahead from the National Green Tribunal.
This article was originally published on Indian
Science Wire.
https://theprint.in/science/what-indian-scientists-achieved-in-2018-beyond-isro-and-its-rocket-launches/169125/
