Know your Bio Diversity - Western Ghats

Bio-Diversity of Western Ghats 

From the know your series we will be letting you know about Western Ghats and its diversity.

The Western Ghats are internationally recognized as a region of immense global importance for the conservation of biological diversity, besides having areas of high geological, cultural and aesthetic values. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The ecosystems of the Western Ghats include the tropical wet evergreen forests, the montane evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, etc. There are over 4,000 species of angiosperms (1500 endemic), 332 species of butterflies (37 endemic), 288 species of fishes (116 endemic), 156 species of amphibians (94 endemic), 225 species of Reptiles (97 endemic), 508 species of birds (19 endemic) and 137 species of mammals (14 endemic) reported from Western Ghats.

All are Welcome to Marie Curie Exhibition in Bangalore August 7 - 25, 2012

Introduction and Use of BT Brinjal | India decides to holds its release

Following a series of nationwide consultations, the Minister for Environment and Forests (I/C) today announced his decision on the production and use of BT Brinjal. He also made public a copy of his exhaustive report which relies on inputs received from stakeholders from all across the spectrum of scientists, civil society, academics, Chief Ministers of various states and others concerned. Following is an excerpt from the statement issued today:

“Based on all the information presented in the preceding paragraphs and when there is no clear consensus within the scientific community itself, when there is so much opposition from the state governments, when responsible civil society organisations and eminent scientists have raised many serious questions that have not been answered satisfactorily, when the public sentiment is negative and when Bt-brinjal will be the very first genetically-modified vegetable to be introduced anywhere in the world and when there is no over-riding urgency to introduce it here, it is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary principle-based approach and impose a moratorium on the release of Bt-brinjal, till such time independent scientific studies establish, to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and environment, including the rich genetic wealth existing in brinjal in our country.

A moratorium implies rejection of this particular case of release for the time being; it does not, in any way, mean conditional acceptance. This should be clearly understood.”

Indi Proff
pib

Celebrating with a Theme Each Month , Indi Proff's Theme of February Month is "Waste and its Management"

Hi All Indi Proff is striving forward with all your support... in this journey we have taken one more step forward with yet another idea ie., the "Theme of the Month ". In this series we will be posting,discussing and telling you various aspects surrounding the Theme. The Theme of February Month is " Waste and its Management".

Today you will be knowing facts about one of the modern kind of waste which is generated and rising very rapidly :" E-Waste"

Electronic waste, e-waste or e-scrap describes loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices. The processing of electronic waste in developing countries causes serious health and pollution problems because electronic equipment contains some very serious contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium and brominated flame retardants. Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste involves significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations.

Interesting fact From Ministry of Environment and Forests(India): E-waste expected to increase to 8,00,000 tonnes by 2012 in India
During 2005, 1,46,800 tonnes of e-waste was generated in the country, which is expected to increase to 8,00,000 by 2012. A survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) further states that the top ten cities generating e-waste are Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.


Journal related to E Waste: http://www.ewastejournal.com/
Indi Proff

19th New Delhi World Book Fair to be inaugurated by Union HRD Minister Shri Kapil Sibal 30th January 2010

The 19th Edition of the biennial New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), organized by National Book Trust, India, is to be inaugurated by Union HRD Minister Shri Kapil Sibal on 30th January 2010. Prof. Irfan Habib, eminent historian, will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest, while Prof.(Mrs.) Temsula Ao, Dean, School of Humanities and Education, North –Eastern Hill University; Shillong will preside over the inaugural function. The Fair is from 30 January to 7 February 2010 daily from 11 am to 8pm. Entry is free for school children in uniform accompanied by teachers on weekdays.


The Fair has many interesting features to offer. First, a serious attempt has been made to find a connection between the worlds of books with that of sports as the Theme of this year’s world book fair is Reading Our Common Wealth: An International Rights Exhibition of Books on Sports on the occasion of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. Nearly 700 titles published by around 75 publishers across the country on different genres of sports are being exhibited at the Theme Pavilion. A special International Rights Catalogue, with bibliographic and copyright details of more than 550 titles, based on this exhibition has also been brought out, which will be released by the HRD Minister during the inauguration of the NDWBF.

In the Theme Pavilion, which also houses children and youth pavilions, many interactive session with some of the eminent sports personalities have been scheduled to inspire the youth and children. A Special Exhibit of the Books on and by Jawaharlal Nehru to showcase his contribution to the world of books has also been organized at the Foyer area of 7E, which will also be decorates with some beautiful panels.


Indi Proff
courtesy:PIB

Cabinet approves increase in the number of Junior Research Fellowship | JRF through CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (NET)

It is good news for all the students who are taking CSIR JRF NET next year as the number of Seats would be doubled from 6000 to 12000. The government is striving to attract the best talent and to minimise the brain drain...read on....
The Cabinet today approved the implementation of the proposal for increase in the number of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) through CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) in the country.The main objective of the JRF-NET is to identify, through this national competitive examination, those talented students who could be enrolled for Ph.D. programmes in specific science domains, across India’s scientific and academic institutions and also to identify those who fulfil the eligibility criteria for employment as lecturers across various academic institutions.

The brief details of the proposal are:
Increase in the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) through CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) by two fold over the Tenth Plan period. During the Tenth Five Year Plan a total of about 6000 young students benefited by availing CSIR-JRF through NET. In the Eleventh Plan CSIR proposes to increase the number by two fold.

The total cost of providing fellowships for about 12000 students in the Eleventh Plan is estimated at Rs.444.34 crore.
The proposed increase in intake of JRF-NET fellowships with the attractive remuneration would help in attracting talented youth to take up scientific research as a career and help address the issues related to shortage of scientific manpower in the country.

The biggest beneficiaries of this programme would be the University system and scientific institutions across India as they shall be able to attract bright minds for their scientific programmes/research. It will also benefit students from all over the country who are keen to take-up scientific research as a career.

The programme will be implemented by Human Resource Development Group of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, which conducts National eligibility Test (NET) across the country in 25 cities and at 125 exam centers. A total of about 12000 students would be benefiting through JRF-NET in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
Need to Increase(background):
Recognizing the need to identify and nurture young scientific talent who could be enrolled for Ph.d. programmes across India’s scientific institutions. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) started in 1983 a research fellowship scheme as a national responsibility. This was a unique step to fulfil India’s growing ambition to become a scientific & technological power house. In 1989, NET was recognized by UGC as pre-qualification for Lectureship and was renamed as CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test for Junior Research Fellowship and Eligibility for Lectureship. Since 1990, NET is being conducted twice a year in the month of June and December.

NET exam is held across the country in 25 cities and at 125 exam centers in five subject areas viz. Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematical Sciences. Selection is made through two paper system. Currently more than 1,50,000 students have been writing the NET exam each year. The CSIR-NET has established an enormous credibility in the country and it has become a bench mark for selecting candidates for pursing Ph.D. programme, appointment either as a lecturer or a project research fellow or for employment in various R&D organization all across the country.

In the recent times serious concern has been expressed by educationalist, scientists, policy markers etc. over declining interest of students to take up careers in basic sciences. There has been an emphasis on enlarging the pool of scientific manpower to contribute towards S&T development in the country which is the reliable benchmark to become a developed nation. In order to achieve this goal focused efforts are required to be made to identify and nurture bright young students who can take up scientific research as a career. The present programme is one such focussed effort in this direction.

Indi Proff
courtesy:pib

Human genetic diversity in Asia has been mapped for the first time,important implications for the study of genetics and diseases

During this time when all regions in India are joining to get seperated.....scientist are revealing the diversities of our orgins in Asia.  There are revealing facts in this genetic mapping carried out by over 90 scientist across Asia. Read on to know more....

Human genetic diversity in Asia has been mapped for the first time by a group of over 90 scientists from the Human Genome Organisation’s (HUGO’s) Pan-Asian SNP Consortium. In the process it has not only mapped of genetic diversity in Asia but also traced the genetic origins of Asian populations. This was disclosed by the Union Minister of Science and Technology Shri. Prithviraj Chavan and Shri S.K. Brahmchari, DG, CSIR at a Press Conference today(11th Dec 2009). The findings were also published online in a report in the journal “Science” today.


The human genetic mapping of Asia has important implications, especially in the further understanding of migratory patterns in human history and for the study of genetics and diseases. The study conducted within and between the different populations in the Asia continent showed that genetic ancestry was highly correlated with ethnic and linguistic groups. There was a clear increase in genetic diversity from northern to southern latitudes. The study also suggested that there was one major inflow of human migration into Asia ensuing from Southeast Asia, rather than multiple inflows from both southern and northern routes as proposed before. This indicates that Southeast Asia was the major geographic source of East Asian and North Asian populations.

Prof. Edison Liu, Executive Director at the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the President of the HUGO, which initiated and coordinated this research has said that the study was a milestone not only in the science that emerged but the consortium that was formed. Prof. Partha Majumder, Prof. And head, Human Genetics Units, Indian Statistical Institute and Director, Centre for Population Genomics, Kolkata has said that this study marks a milestone of the collaboration among the geneticist from the ten Asian Countries and paves the road to a better understanding of our origin. We would like to extend this study not only in the direction of population genetics but also towards medical and health related issues.


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