CHANDRAYAN I MISSION IS OVER

BYE-BYE CHANDRAYAN-I

The Chandrayan I mission is over, said ISRO. Annadurai, the project director of Chandryan I, said that ISRO has not been able to establish link with the spacecraft and it will not be established in future also. The ‘mission is over’, he lamented. The unmanned Chandrayan, the spacecraft, launched by ISRO on 22^nd October, 2008 from Satish Dhavan centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh was the first such scientific and space mission of India. This spacecraft was launched with PSLV-C-11, the indigenously developed launch vehicle. The proposal to send this moon mission, prepared by ISRO, was approved by government in November, 2003 and about 386 Crore rupees were spent on this mission.

DESIGN LIFE AND MISSION LIFE- the design life of this space craft was two years, meaning thereby that this space craft was expected to remain in the orbit at least up to October, 2010. The spacecraft developed some technical snag within few months of its launch. The star sensor of the craft had gone out of order owing to which the photographs sent by the Chandrayan were not as clear as they should have been. Some scientists had casted a shadow of doubt that time itself that this spacecraft would not survive its full life. Due to some other snag, the craft suddenly went overheated, but it was rectified soon.

As far as mission life is concerned, many scientists believe that this spacecraft has been successful and has sent about 95% of the data expected. The solar plate fitted (700 watt) spacecraft fixed national flag on surface of the moon and sent very useful pictorial and digital data which are of immense scientific experiment under Research and Developed programme (R&D). Among other scientific experiments and discoveries, the space craft was inserted into the Moon’s orbit to discover the history of origin of Moon, its geographical structure and terrain, collection of some meteorological data and install some scientific instruments on moon. Chandrayan-I accomplished most of them, the scientists said. The majority scientists are of the opinion that the conditions around the moon’s orbit are very hostile under which the spacecraft has to survive, it is therefore the life tenure of these spacecrafts sometimes gets shorter, they add.

FATE OF CHANDRAYAN-I -The spacecraft’s technical life has come to an end within 10 months of its launch, but this does not mean that the spacecraft would fell down into the earth immediately. This craft would continue to rotate in the 200 km orbit, which is very stable orbit, around the moon for many years as ‘Space Debris’. The scientist communities say that after revolving and rotating for many years, the space craft would dash to the moon and would be destroyed. There are so many spacecrafts which still remain in space as space debris.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHADRAYAN-I – the mission helped India become member of elite club of nations which include countries like Germany, USA, U.K., Japan and China. Although Chandrayan-I could not survive its full life tenure, it holds a significant scientific place in the success story of Indian space programme. India is expected to launch Chandrayan-II, the improved version of Chandrayan-I, sometimes in 2012. The shortcomings in this mission could be utilised in the phase-II of chandrayan by the scientists, on which we have great faith. Hopefully Chandrayan II would be able to complete the unfinished tasks of the Chandrayan I and India would embark on many more such scientific voyages.

WOMEN RESERVATION BILL FOR PRIS ON ANVIL

WOMEN RESERVATION IN PRIs; WHEN IN PARLIAMENT

The union government has decided to provide 50% reservations to the women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). A proposal to give effect to this provision has been taken by the Cabinet, which met in New Delhi yesterday. The Bill, the government said, would be tabled in the coming session of Parliament. This would necessitate a constitutional amendment; therefore the proposed bill will be in a Constructional Amendment Bill form and would amend Article 243(D) of the constitution of India. This article provides for reservation of one third of seats in PRIs for the women.

It is being interpreted as a major step in the area of empowerment of women in the country. The 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which conferred constitutional status on the PRIs, brought in by Rajiv Gandhi was a land mark in the field of devolution of power at grass root level, and was regarded as the first serious attempt to visualize the dream of Gandhi. Although the framers of constitution had enshrined in the constitution, the directives principles of state policy, the devolution could not be made till the 73^rd constitutional amendedment was brought in.

Bihar, under Nitish Kumar, became the first state to provide reservation up to half the total number of seats to the women by enacting a law called Bihar ‘Panchayati Raj Act’ in the year 2005 i.e. just after coming to power in the state. This legislation was hailed through out the length and breadth of the country by people across party lines and from different walks of life. Subsequently, two years after the huge success of this provision in terms of wider participation of women especially from Scheduled Castes (SCs,) Most Backward Castes (MBCs) and Other Back ward castes (OBCs) in the elections held, the Bihar government enacted similar legislations for providing reservation to women in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) also. The Bihar model of reservation to the women in ULBs and PRIs paved way for many states to legislate on similar patterns. States like MP and UP have also made similar provisions.

Now with the proposed constitutional amendment, it would be mandatory on the part of all the federating units and UTs to legislate provisions for Women up to 50% in near future. This constitutional amendment will again bring to the fore, the Women’s reservation Bill, which has now gone in to oblivion. The civil society must rise above and exert pressure on the government to pass the legislation and cherish the goal of women empowerment. Bihar has played the role model now it is the turn of union to do the same.

Patna police to go hi-tech

GO AND CATCH THE THIEF;NOT INNOCENT

With spurt in crime, the city police in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, is all set to go hi-tech, thanks to initiative taken by police head quarters in this regard. Police Patrol cars will now carry GPS on them. Only a few weeks ago, the entire police officers right from IG to Dy.S.P and many SHOs of the state capital were reshuffled after a bizarre incident in which one girl was stripped in full public view on a busy exhibition road round . It earned lots of criticism for the police and national media, both electronic and print, got flooded with news related to police apathy and non-competence.

The young IPS Manu Maharaj was made City SP and crackdown has been unleashed on the criminals bring the morale of criminals down to a considerable level. Now herculean task with the top cop of the city is to keep constant watch on the movement of patrol cars, which is said to be 100 odd in number, so that the police personnel performs up to the expectations. IG PN Roy, who is also an expert in disaster management and has undergone trainings in countries like USA has chalked out plans to install Global Positioning System (GPS) on all the patrolling cars of the city in first phase.

It has been seen in recent times that Police patrol cars remained conspicuously absent from the site of crime and could only be located when the criminals left the place of occurrence (PO). The arrangement had has already been done that at least one police patrol should touch one particular place within 10-15 minutes. But due to absence of any device, the police parties on the patrol cars could easily lie about their locations at the time of commitment of crimes. Now with the installation of GPS, this problem can be checked and no police patrol can lie about its location. The SP or any other senior police official can locate the particular police parties.

If this experiment goes successfully implemented will certainly enhance the mobility of the police patrol parties and also help, in a better way, to keep watch on the movement of police patrol cars. At present the City police use primitive method of wireless as the sole method of communication which is far from satisfaction. There are several electronic devices easily available in the market which can intercept and leak the messages. Naxalites are using this methodology on large scale and thus they easily track the movement of police force. The leakage of wireless messages are said to be major cause of attacks on police by Naxalites.

The use of GPS will certainly improve the efficiency and communication network of the police, provided it is implemented religiously. While Nitish Kumar, the CM, has been relentlessly trying to improve the police force to bring the house in order, there are large numbers of elements in the police department itself who leave no stone unturned to thwart the reform process. The official website of the police department still carries the name of DN Gautam as DGP, whereas he has retired few weeks ago. Such is the apathy and irresponsibility of the senior police officers. Hopefully this innovation would go un-sabotaged and is implemented in letter and spirit. If it happens so will improve efficiency of the city police and help improve law and order, bring down crime rate and un-choke the traffic of the city.

Yahoo-Microsoft have to wait; Google goes unchalleged

JUST WAIT AND WATCH TILL NOD IS GIVEN

The deal which was struck between Yahoo and Microsoft last month in order to pose a united challenge to Google, the world’s largest search engine, may face some bumpy hurdles before getting it operationalised. The duo (Yahoo-Microsoft) had to pass the test of regulators in the USA which looks after the ‘Anti-trust provisions’ in matters of (acquisitions and mergers) A&M, tender offers and other such deals between two companies. This deal made headlines in media across the world because, for the first time, Google is likely to face serious business challenges since its inception.

But before Operationalisation of this huge deal, this has to be approved by Federal Trade commission and Attorney General of Anti-trust division of Justice Department in US administration. All these provisions have been made under a US law, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-trust Improvements Act, 1976, popularly known as HSR Act. This law was drafted by Senators P.A.Hart and H.D. Scott and Representative Peter. W. Rodino to prevent violations of TRUSTS in business transactions like merger and tender offers etc.

Under the provision of the said Law, the concerned companies have to file detailed reports in prescribed manner with the federal regulators within 30 days of such transactions. Yahoo-Microsoft complied with this provision and filed information with the same. The law require filing details of all cash transactions in such deals within 15 days only. In nut shell, this law ensures that no secrecy is maintained which bolsters unhealthy competitions and in which trust is broken. The US’s justice department is empowered under this ACT to seek any further information which it deems necessary with respect to the deal, transactions, operations, partnerships etc and it is only after the approval of the Justice department, the deal can be operationalised. Title III of this HSR Act confers powers on the US justice department to sue any Inc which violates the ‘Trust’ of either the parties or any other stakeholders. The concerned companies can be sued on behalf on any American citizen also by the Justice department, if it feels that Trust of American has been broken.

In the case of this Microsoft-Yahoo deal, the Federal Trade Commission has sought certain more information which has been provided by the duo. The Federal Trade commission is processing the information and seeing to it that terms of agreements between Yahoo and Microsoft would not encourage unhealthy competition or break trust of any stakeholder. They have been kept on ‘stand by’ and are waiting for the results. The waiting period is likely to go up to September, this year and the deal can be made operational only when it is approved and ratified till then the Google will go unchallenged un-chased. The Microsoft-Yahoo thus is left with no option but to wait and watch and of course pray that US Justice department dispense justice with them and gives its nod to go ahead with their plans.

LIVER SWAP TRANSPLANTATION; FIRST IN INDIA

LIVER THE WORSHOP OF MAN

Science and Love can hardly be confined to geographical boundaries. Interestingly hatred also spill over lines of countries. Now it is up to the mankind as to what does he want to spread.

Love and Hate, Science and Nature do not recognize geographical boundaries. Our history and civilisation are stuffed with such examples in which love transcended the border but at the same time hate in form of terrorism has become pan civilization crossing all boundaries in the world. It is now the turn of science. A new chapter of sacrifice, pain sharing and love making has been written with the indelible ink of Medical science on 18^th August in Sir Ganga Ram hospital in New Delhi, the national capital of India.

Indian doctors successfully conducted first ever liver swap transplantation in Sir Ganga Ram hospital and made confluence of the liver, the workshop of human body, of one Nigerian and Indian. This operation has added one new chapter in the success story of Indian Medical Science.

It so happened that Dike, the 18 months boy from Nigeria and 44 years old Priya of India became India’s first patients who successfully underwent Swap liver transplantation’ in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital at Delhi. Dike was suffering from Bellary Astresia, a disease in which is the common bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent. It is a very rare condition and if not diagnosed and treated in time would lead to Liver failure.

Priya on the other hand was suffering from Hepatitis C infection and it was in advance stage. She was later diagnosed with tuberculosis. Blood group of Dike’s mother Chinwe was A+, which matched with that of Priya. On the other hand, Haresh, the husband of Priya had blood group B+, which was the same as Dike’s. Chinwe gave 50% of her right liver to Priya while 20% of Haresh’s left liver was transplanted into Dike. Thus both ailing patients got a fresh leash of life. It was a prestigious moment for all of us because this was one of the rarest surgical operations because doctors had to conduct four operations at the same time. At team of 35 doctors worked for 16 hours led by chief Liver transplant surgeon Dr. A.S. Soin. Three cheers for all of them.

NEW FEATHERS IN CAP- Medical Sciences in India is making huge success both in the fields of surgery and medicine. In July last Year one Supratim Dutta met an accident in Delhi, in which his vehicle rammed into Delhi Metro Construction site and an iron bar pierced into his chest through the bonnet of the car. The Iron rod pierced his liver, stomach and lung and his conditional was very critical obviously. When he was brought to the trauma centre of AIIMS at Delhi he was in pool of blood. Dr. Biplab Misra and his team of 8 doctors, attending on Dutta, did the operation and saved dutta’s life which was nothing short of a miracle.

In an another miraculous surgery, Doctors in Sparsh Hospital at Bangalore successfully operated Laxmi, a two years old girl from Bihar, who had eight limbs. In a complicated surgery which lasted for 40 hour and conducted by a team of as many as 36 doctors including 30 neurosurgeons and 16 super specialists, Laxmi was successfully separated from her ‘Parasitic Conjoined Twin’. This operation made big news in the world of medical sciences and our doctors earned worldwide appreciation.

Similarly Asian Heart Instituted Bandra came in limelight when Dr Panda conducted on the rarest of the rare cardiac surgery on a 70 years old lady from Ludhiana who suffered two massive heart attacks in 24 hours.

It has proved beyond doubt that country is stuffed with brilliant doctors and scientist. But unfortunately still rural India lacks even the basic healthcare facilities. The miracles of metros need therefore to reach out in the countryside also.