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80% work on Kalpakkam reactor completed
- The construction work at the 500 mega watt (MW) Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) in Kalpakkam is going as per schedule
- PFBR was indigenously developed on the basis of experiments carried out at the fast breeder test reactor at IGCAR.
- we are concentrating on the completion of the construction work and by mid-2012 we would be able to know the date for the commissioning of the project.
- nuclear power stations in the country had been operating without any major incidents for the last 40 years.
‘Save water from agriculture for future use'
- Experts addressing a Water Conclave-2011 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here over the weekend laid emphasis on reducing the use of water in the agriculture sector without affecting production.
- The conclave coincided with felicitation of the country's “excellent water-efficient industrial units” and presentation of the 8 {+t} {+h} national awards for excellence in water management instituted by the premier industry body.
- Speakers expressed concern over inefficient use of water and spoke of new initiatives that could conserve water.
- 83 per cent of the water available in the State is being utilised in agriculture: “Even if five per cent of this water is saved, we will have enough water for [all of] our needs in future.”
- He said a marginal decrease in water supply for agriculture would not affect production, while geographical information system technology could be utilised for mapping the ground water aquifers. Civil society should play a role in reducing the exploitation of ground water
- official agencies as well as the people at large in the desert State should focus on water efficiency and water quality during the 12 {+t} {+h} Five Year Plan period and evolve a balance between the supply and consumption of water.
- State Government should motivate farmers to go in for less water-intensive crops by keeping their minimum support prices at good margins.
- search for alternative sources of water, better measurement and distribution and treatment and reuse would support the cause.
- The national awards for excellence in water management for 2011 were given in two categories, the first of which was “within the fence” recognising the initiatives undertaken by industries within their existing facilities. The second category, “beyond the fence”, recognised the initiatives taken with the involvement of public and private agencies as well as the local communities.
- 35 to 55 per cent of drinking water was being wasted during distribution due to leakage. Against the treatment of merely 30 per cent of water in India, the developed countries treat and re-use up to 80 to 90 per cent
NASA in high gear for Mars rover launch
- The U.S. space agency is poised to launch the most powerful and advanced robotic rover ever built to explore Mars and hunt for signs that life may once have existed on the red planet.
- At a price of $2.5 billion, the rover, known as Curiosity, aims to provide scientists with detailed information about the rocks on the surface of Mars, and clues about whether life ever existed on Earth's nearest neighbour.
- NASA's exploration of Mars began with the 1976 landing of the Viking spacecraft and has continued with, most recently, the twin rovers known as Spirit and Opportunity that began tooling around on the Martian surface in 2004. Spirit finally died last year, but Opportunity is still working.
- NASA sees Curiosity as the midway point in a long journey of Mars discovery that may lead to a human mission there, or to one of its two moons, in the 2030s.
- The landing spot, the Gale Crater near Mars' equator, was chosen after lengthy study because it contains a three-mile high mountain and many layers of sediment that could reveal a lot about the planet's wetter past.
- Everywhere that water exists on Earth, so does some form of life. So scientists are hopeful that they may find more than just hints that life used to thrive there — perhaps even signs that microbial life still does.
Investments in R&D to be scaled up substantially in 12 {+t} {+h} Plan
- The 12{+t}{+h}Plan, beginning next fiscal, aims to substantially boost R&D investments to two per cent of the country's GDP with half the contribution coming from the corporate sector.
This was stated by former ISRO chairman and Planning Commission member, Dr. K. Kasturirangan - The 12{+t}{+h}Plan, beginning next fiscal, aims to substantially boost R&D investments to two per cent of the country's GDP with half the contribution coming from the corporate sector.
- He said that while the world spends $ 1.2 trillion on R&D currently, India spends three per cent of the global R&D. India's gross expenditure in R&D was 0.9 per cent of the GDP as compared to global average of 1.9 per cent.
- There was also a need to substantially scale-up R&D in higher education, which was around 0.3 per cent of the GDP in the United States.
- Outlining the accomplishments of 11 {+t} {+h} plan with an overall growth of eight per cent, he said that with Indian economy aspiring to grow to $ 10 trillion by 2025, the country would need significantly different planning and development.
- Science & Technology has to play a major role in enabling efficient solutions, measurable performance matrix, sustainable growth paths and speedy implementation of tools.
- Listing out the country's strengths, among others, he said India was one of the two top exporters of IT services, has a strong pharmaceutical industry with 10 per cent of global market share and produces 25 per cent of global generic drugs.
- Referring to gaps that needed to bridged, he pointed out that only two per cent to five per cent of those graduating in India have basic vocational skills, compared with 96 per cent in Korea, 75 per cent in Germany and 68 per cent in the United States. About 80 per cent of exports were low tech.
