Nov 20 2014 : Mirror (Pune)

ISRO chosen for Indira Gandhi prize for peace, disarmament

NEW DELHI PTI





Indian space agency ISRO will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014 in recognition of its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space. The award jury, chaired by Vice President Hamid Ansari, made the announcement on Wednesday.“The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is awarded to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in recognition of its path-breaking achievement, culminating in the Mars orbiter mission, its significant contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space,“ an official statement revealed.
The jury also noted the pioneering role played by it in the application of advanced technologies in promoting broadbased and sustainable social and economic development and addressing basic needs of the people particularly in remote and rural areas of the country.
ISRO has shown how Indian scientists and talents can be harnessed to international level, catching up with more advanced nations in a highly technical and sophisticated field, it said. ISRO has demonstrated that in space technology, India stands shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world, it said.

Nov 20 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Man to live another's life for 4 wks

Andrew Griffin

THE INDEPENDENT





With Virtual Reality Headset, He Will Experience Life Of Hired ‘Avatar’

A London man is to live the life of another person for 28 days, in an experiment that he hopes will give him insight into the nature of human existence but which experts have called potentially `extremely disturbing'.Mark Farid is set to recruit an `avatar' or `other', who will video his whole life for 28 days, and watch all of that video through an Oculus Rift, while people feed him all of the food that his participant eats.
Farid hopes that the experiment will allow him some insight into the debate over whether it is nature or nurture that causes a person to be how they are, accord ing to Vice. By living as somebody else, Farid hopes to see whether he will start thinking like them, too.
The 28-day period was chosen because of a common (though debunked) idea that new habits take 21 days to form, according to the Verge. Earlier in 2014, Farid ran a 24-hour test-run of the project, called ‘ Alone Together’, at the Arebyte Gallery in London.
As in that run-through, the only contact Farid will have is an hour’s consultation with a psychologist, who will watch him in silence, and the volunteers who will help feed him the food that his surrogate eats. The other participant’s life will be recorded through a secret camera mounted in his glasses. Participants won’t be able to tell anybody but their partner that they are taking part.
Applications to be the ‘other’ open on November 28. Farid requires that the participant is a male, and in a relationship and living with someone who also agrees to take part. He also asks that potential participants consider whether they are comfortable with someone filming and watching a month of their whole life, and with that footage being used in a documentary . The successful participant will be given time with a psychologist before the task, to ensure he is up for it, and after. The project will be funded through a Kickstarter that is set to launch soon.
Professor Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at Cambridge, said, “I am concerned how such a long project which involves voyeurism on the part of Mark and also on the part of the public in regard to Mark will affect his mental health.“

Nov 20 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Smart city project irks NE village

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





The Thaudao Students Association and about 150 villagers from a tiny village along the Manipur-Myanmar border near Moreh town have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Wednesday against illegal land acquisition for a smart city project.Haolenphai is a tribal village mainly inhabited by the Kuki tribe where about 3000 acres of land is reportedly in the process of being acquired for a commercial township as part of the government's initiative to build 100 smart cities in India. The villagers however claim that selling or giving away land is against their custom and would mean loss of livelihood for the villagers.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Nov 20 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Unesco meet on rights of handicapped

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Unesco will host a three-day international conference -From Exclusion to Empowerment: Role of Information and Communication Technologies for Persons with Disabilities -between November 24 and 26 in Delhi.In addition, Delhi will also play host to a `We Care' film festival and an exhibition of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and assistive technologies for persons with disabilities and handicaps.
The film festival will aim to raise awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities across the globe and act as a vehicle in bringing disability issues to the fore among government agencies and civil society , affecting both institutional and grassroots level attitudinal and behavioral change

Nov 20 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

India has world's largest number of voluntary givers

Mumbai: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Over 18Cr Indians Support NGOs By Giving Time, Resources

If “achhe din“ can be measured in terms of giving, India tops the charts when it comes to the largest number of volunteers anywhere in the world. Nearly 18.65 crore people in India support non-profit organizations (more popularly known as non-government organizations or NGOs) by volunteering their time and effort. In stark contrast, China, with only 6.8 crore volunteers, achieved a fourth place on this list.Compared with the previous findings relating to 2012, the number of Indians volunteering time has shot up by three percentage points as 29 million more people contributed their time during 2013.These findings were released by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), an international nonprofit that compiles the World Giving Index annually .
India has climbed 24 places in its overall ranking of 69 out of the 135 countries that participated in the World Giving Index 2014 survey . This index looks at three measures of giving during 2013: The number of people who have given money to charity , volunteered their time or helped a stranger. In the previous year's survey , India's overall rank was 93. When it comes to the sheer number of participants in these acts of giving, India's booming population of over a 100 crore has shown that it has a large heart.
Nearly 40.9 crore Chinese went out of their way to help a stranger and China led the pack when it came to the largest number of people helping others. India, with 34.6 crore people doing so, came second.The percentage of people helping a stranger in India has increased by 10 percentage points, meaning 9.3 crore more Indians performed an act of kindness in 2013.
In fact, India, which was once noted for engaging in acts of non-institutional charity (especially at religious places or events) has increasingly begun to donate to NGOs. Despite having smaller adult populations than China, both India and the United States have more individuals donating money to charity .A total of 24.9 crore Indians donated to NGOs, followed by the US at 17.5 crore people and China at 14.8 crore.
While the proportion of people donating money in India has remained unchanged from the previous year (28%), population increase means that over four million more Indians are estimated to have donated money in 2013 than in 2012, says CAF India.
Meenakshi Batra, chief executive, CAF India, says: “The World Giving Index 2014 report shows an unprecedented growth in Indian generosity in recent years. With charities making more use of technology , people seem to be responding more quickly to appeals for help and natural disasters around the country .Let's hope this momentum continues.“

MAHESH MODI ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AWARD 2015

Prizes: First prize of Rs. 1,25,000, Second Prize of Rs 75,000 and Third prize of Rs. 50,000.  
Last Date: 30/11/2014.
Mahesh Modi Environmental Technology Award Application Format

With the objective to foster technological innovation based on innovative science, ARAI has launched the Mahesh Modi Environmental Technology Award in association with Modi Measurements Pvt Ltd. It is launched to recognize the efforts of individuals or groups in meeting the challenges posed by environmental conservation requirements. Continuous encouragement needs to be provided to innovators in the environmental field to unleash and realize their creative potential. Besides, those who succeeded in successfully implementing their ideas for the benefit of society need to be honoured.
Modi Measurement Systems Pvt Limited (MMSPL) was founded in 1966 by Shri. Mahesh Modi who was the first entrepreneur to introduce Integrated Circuits in India. As a futuristic visionary, in 1975, Shri. Modi took a big leap into the field of environmental science measuring technology. MMSPL continued to strengthen its position under Shri. Mahesh Modi’s dynamic leadership and is today regarded in India, as a pioneer and trusted business partner serving the Indian Automotive Industry, by providing exhaust emission reduction related environmental technologies for meeting regulations to help preserve the environment.
The award is to encourage scientists, mobility engineers and technologists for development of innovative technologies and products that are amongst the best in the world and enhance India's Environment. Automobile related technologies leading to products, processes and services, which improve India’s environment, are considered for the award. Besides, the technological innovation must simultaneously help broaden interactions among academia, R&D, test agencies and industry. The award will constitute First prize of Rs. 1,25,000, Second Prize of Rs 75,000 and Third prize of Rs. 50,000. The awards will be given during Valedictory session of SIAT 2015 (Symposium on International Automotive Technology) at ARAI-Pune tentatively on 23rd Jan 2015.

We invite you or your associates to apply for this award and thus participate in the innovation initiative. The application format and eligibility criteria is attached herewith. The completed applications need to be sent to Mr. Sushil.  S. Ramdasi, General Manager, Powertrain Engineering Department ,Tel: +91-20-3023-1434, Email: ramdasi.edl@araiindia.com by hard & soft copy latest by 30th November 2014. 

CONTACT:
Dr. K. C. Vora
Convener SIAT-2015
Vice President, SAEINDIA
Sr. Dy. Director & Head, ARAI Academy
The Automotive Research Association of India
(Research Institution of the Automotive Industry 
with the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Govt. of India)
Phone: +91-20-3023 1190.
Fax: +91-20-30231104
Email: siat2015@araiindia.com Website:  www.araiindia.com, https://siat.araiindia.com/publication.aspx

12th International Congress on English Grammer, 19-23 JAN, 2015

12th International Congress on English Grammer, 19-23 JAN, 2015

12^TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ENGLISH GRAMMER

 19-23 January 2015

Dr. Babasahed Ambedkar Marathwada University

Aurangabad, Maharashtra,  India