Chandrayaan-I passes thermal vacuum test

Chandrayaan-I passes thermal vacuum test BANGALORE, Sept 11: The Chandrayaan-I satellite has successfully undergone the thermal vacuum test even as Indian space scientists achieved a major milestone inching closer to the country’s first mission to the moon. A formal announcement on the date of the eagerly awaited launch is expected to be made by Chairman of the Bangalore-headquarter Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G Madhavan Nair next week. The two-week vacuum test to evaluate the thermal design of the spacecraft and to verify its endurance in the harsh environment of space, has just been completed at ISRO Satellite Centre here, sources in the space agency said. “The test was satisfactory,” an ISRO official told PTI today. “Environment and acoustics tests will follow, and the pre-shipment review is expected by this month-end.” The ambitious moon mission is slated for second half of October. An ISRO official said on condition of anonymity that the first available date is October 22, and the launch window has been fixed between October 22 and 26. ISRO officials said it’s an “exceptional example” of international collaboration towards exploring the moon. The nearly 1,400 kg Chandrayaan-I satellite would be launched by the 316-tonne Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the spaceport of Sriharikota. There are six scientific payloads from NASA, ESA and Bulgaria in addition to the five Indian instruments onboard Chandrayaan-I. The Chandrayaan-I spacecraft would be in a 100 km polar orbit around the moon. ISRO officials say the mission is aimed at high-resolution remote sensing of the lunar surface and preparation of a three-dimensional atlas of both the near and far sides of the moon besides conduction of chemical and mineralogical mapping of the lunar surface, among others. Experts believe India’s first planetary science and exploration mission is unique. “It’s going to be very unique,” former ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan said, noting that the mission carries 11 instruments whose measurements would be “more contemporary than ever before” as new technologies have been incorporated. The mission would throw more light on the physical, chemical and chronological aspects vis-a-vis moon as well as availability of water, he said. “Water is a contentious issue. For any human settlement — exploration and exploitation — presence of water is going to be critical.” Kasturirangan said the polar region of the moon has not been investigated as much as the equatorial one. According to him, the fundamental question of origin and evolution of the moon has not been settled to any satisfactory level. “Our present knowledge only touches the tip of the iceberg. Chandrayaan-I would make a big headway in our understanding of the moon,” he said. (PTI)

Expansion plan for varsities, colleges on the anvil: Sonia IDUPULAPAYA (AP), Sept 11: The Centre has drawn up plans for massive expansion of universities and colleges over the next five years with an emphasis on improving access to higher education for rural students, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today said. Despite significant growth in the number of colleges in the country since Independence, the bitter reality is that only ten per cent of the college-going population are enrolled in the institutes of higher learning, Gandhi said. She had arrived in this lonely village in Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s home district of Kadapa to inaugurate the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT) here. The Andhra Pradesh government has established three autonomous Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) under RGUKT at Idupulapaya, Basara (Adilabad district) and Nuziveedu (Krishna district), each with an initial investment of Rs 320 crore. Aimed at catering to the educational needs of meritorious rural students, the IIITs, commencing from this academic year, specialise in teaching and research in information technology and other emerging disciplines. Noting that the challenge before the country was to provide educational facilities and access to the rural students, she said the UPA government is making determined efforts in this direction so that the young boys and girls could fulfill their aspirations by pursuing higher education. The objective is to ensure that no student is denied access to higher education just because of his or her rural background, the Congress President said. The UPA government, she said, has taken steps to increase the number of scholarships to students belonging to weaker sections of the society and encourage banks to formulate special schemes to provide loans to the needy. “I understand over 10 lakh young people have already taken advantage of the bank loans,” Gandhi said. Andhra Pradesh has been the biggest beneficiary of the initiative to expand educational infrastructure, she said, adding that 14 new universities had been set up in the state during the last four years. Addressing the gathering after going round the campus, Gandhi described the new institute as “innovative” and “wonderful” and said it would emerge as a Centre of Excellence and serve as a role model for other states. The land for Idupulapaya campus, spread over 300 acres, was donated by members of Rajasekhar Reddy’s family. The IIIT offers an integrated six-year programme for those who have passed the Xth standard and awards dual degrees of B Tech in IT and B Tech or M Sc in other domain specialisations in engineering and science. Recalling how former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had pioneered application of science and technology to empower the rural poor, the UPA Chairperson said, “When Rajiv first introduced computer education, many people made fun of him and dubbed him ‘computer boy.’ But his vision and passion are now bearing fruit.” Lauding the Rajasekhar Reddy government for setting up a unique institution for the benefit of rural students, she asked the authorities to work with rural women’s self-help groups (SHGs) to identify potential students for enrolment into the regular and special courses. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said over 6,000 rural students have been enrolled in the IIITs in the first year. The idea has been to provide the best of infrastructure and facilities to rural students so that they can compete with their urban counterparts, he said. “It is a matter of honour for me that the land owned by my forefathers is being used for a noble purpose,” the Chief Minister said. The state IT Minister R Damodar Reddy, AICC General Secretary Veerappa Moily, APCC chief D Srinivas, Chancellor of the university Prof Raja Reddy and chairman of the A P Council for Higher Education K C Reddy were among those present on the occasion. (PTI)

BJP’s national executive meets in Bangalore today BANGALORE, Sept 11: Ahead of a series of elections including that to the Lok Sabha, an upbeat BJP is expected to finalise its strategy at the party’s National Executive beginning here tomorrow having learnt that it lost the battle in 2004 due to “overconfidence and complacency.” The meet is also significant as it is likely to spell out its position on the Indo-US nuclear deal at a time when the Congress-led UPA is in a jubilant mood following the NSG waiver at Vienna. While the meet is the penultimate one ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, there is a feeling in the party that the elections could come earlier than scheduled and the refrain is that the BJP “should not be found wanting” whenever the big battle comes. Bouyed by a number of poll victories including the latest here in Karnataka, the party feels there is an “urgency to replace the UPA coalition at the centre” and is going the extramile to win new friends. The NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani will lose no time in spreading the ‘message from Bangalore’ all over the country as he would be resuming his countrywide ‘Vijay Sankalp Rallies’. The first such rally is being held in this city on September 14, the second day of the three-day meet. The party has already taken the lead in gearing up the organisation and has been among the first to announce a few candidates for the Lok Sabha led by Advani from his pocketborough of Gandhinagar. “We have learnt our lessons as the 2004 polls were lost due to overconfidence and complacency,” a leader frankly admitted and added that these are the two things the saffron brigade is avoiding this time. BJP leaders claim that the next one month would see the strength of the NDA going up in the backdrop of the “confusion” over the composition of the Third Front. With the BJP already in power in election-bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, the focus would be on how best the party could retain its hold there and extend that to Delhi where the Congress is ruling for the past ten years. “Karnataka is the gateway of the South for the party. We are looking ahead to make major gains in the southern states in the days to come,” party vice-president Muqhtar Abbas Naqvi said when asked on the significance of holding the executive here. This is the fourth National Executive to be held in Karnataka since 1976 and the first one after the state came under the saffron party rule. Party leaders emphasise that the 2004 poll debacle and the rise of the UPA was due to the failure of the NDA in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The BJP is striving hard to go in for alliances especially in these two states to cause an upset for the Congress. The party is warming up towards AIADMK led by J Jayalalithaa and has shown the olive branch to Chiranjeevi whose party Praja Rajyam has stirred the political waters in Andhra Pradesh, having the largest number of Congress MPs. Besides, the saffron party claims that now it has got its act together and has also been able to bring about cohesion in the ideological family, the RSS and its outfits. The party has also tried to give a message of unity by appointing former president and hardliner Murli Manohar Joshi as the chief of the saffron brigade’s election manifesto preparation. Joshi, a known Advani detractor was out of any active role in the party for long. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who has been unwell for quite some time and has not been attending for national executive meetings for the last one year is expected to send a message. The meet is also significant as it would see deliberations on the state of affairs of the organisation in various states along with possible alliances. Ahead of a series of polls, BJP has also roped in general secretary Arun Jaitley to head the media cell. Jaitley has also been entrusted with the responsibility of finalising the draft political resolution for the national executive. As per sources, Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha have been entrusted the responsibility to finalise a draft resolution on the Indo-US nuclear deal clubbing it with the price rise situation in the country. Spiraling prices and internal security are some of the issues that will also come up for discussion. The party will also discuss the geographical, political and social changes in constituency profiles post-delimitation. Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states and office bearers of the party will attend the meet for which the hosts, Karnataka unit has made elaborate arrangements. The meeting will also be discussing the performance of its government in Karnataka, which completed 100 days in office on September nine. Rajnath, Advani and others will be addressing a public meeting on September 13 at the National College grounds. (PTI)

Uphaar case: Ansal brothers surrender in court NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal today surrendered before a Delhi court in compliance with the Supreme Court order cancelling their bail in the case of Uphaar fire tragedy which claimed 59 lives. Ansal brothers surrendered before Additional Sessions Judge I K Kochhar at the Patiala House district courts. Two managers of the Uphaar theatre, Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, also surrendered before the court. All the four were yesterday directed by the apex Court to surrender before the trial court by 4 pm today. An apex court bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and G S Singhvi had ordered their arrest after cancelling their bail. The apex Court while cancelling the bail of the convicts had taken a strong exception to the alleged tampering with the judicial records of the case by the accused persons. The bail of the convicts were cancelled on a petition filed by Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) challenging the order of the Delhi High Court. The trial court on November, 20, 2007 had convicted the Ansal brothers along with three others under Section 304-A IPC (causing death due to rash and negligent act) and had sentenced them to two years imprisonment. Seven others including Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, managers of the theatre whose bail was also cancelled yesterday, were convicted under Section 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Others convicted under section 304 IPC were — Radha Krishan Sharma, Manmohan Unniyal (cinema’s gatekeeper), Brij Mohan Satija, A K Gera and Bir Singh. (PTI) Delhi to host premiere of The Last Lear NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Mumbai premiere of Amitabh Bachchan-starrer The Last Lear was cancelled, but Big B and the entire film crew are upbeat about the red carpet start the English film is scheduled to get here later Thursday. The premiere at the Select City PVR Multiplex here will be a glittering affair and will be attended by producer Arindam Chaudhuri, director Rituparno Ghosh and Amitabh and rest of the cast except Preity Zinta. “Delhi premiere is not the last minute decision. We had planned three premieres of the film - Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. Mr. Bachchan is excited about the Delhi premiere of The Last Lear,” Amit Saxena, president strategy team Planman Motion Pictures, told IANS. The Mumbai premiere of “The Last Lear” was cancelled after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked the cinema hall where the film was to be screened. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had called for a ban on the screening of films starring any of the Bachchan family as a protest against actress and MP Jaya Bachchan’s alleged “anti-Marathi” remarks at the music release function of “Drona”. Saxena says that the incident hasn’t disrupted the publicity or the screening plans. “There is hardly any change in the publicity campaign or the release schedule. Unexpected things came up and we had to deal with it. Anyway, Raj Thackeray has accepted Bachchan’s apology so that the controversy is over,” said Saxena. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, The Last Lear is based on Utpal Dutt’s play “Aajker Shahjahan”. It is shot in theatrical style and Amitabh will be seen as a whimsical Shakespearean actor who is drawn into the world of movies. It also stars Arjun Rampal and Preity Zinta in pivotal roles. Made at a budget of about Rs.80 million, this is Amitabh’s first English film and also, for the first time he plays an actor in a movie. Also, he went to Kolkata after 20 years for the shooting of the film. “The Delhi premiere was always on the agenda. It has to happen with the whole star cast. Also Raj Thackeray has accepted the apologies made by Amitbah Bachchan, so PVR has no problems playing the movie,” said a reliable source from PVR. Saxena added: “The film will have all India release with 120 prints. The shooting of the film was completed in record time of two month. As per our plan, we first travelled to various film festivals before releasing it India.” Arindam Chaudhuri, managing director of the film, had earlier said that he may suffer losses of about most Rs.70 million if the MNS carried out its threat to prevent the screening of films starring the superstar or his family members. Chaudhuri said that even a slight delay in the film’s release would disturb his investment plans. “The release can’t be delayed! My Mumbai collections will suffer greatly. Since it is a multiplex release, Mumbai and Delhi are my main markets. In fact, my profits will be affected as 40 percent of the collections come from Mumbai alone,” he had said. (IANS) Raj withdraws agitation against Bachchans MUMBAI, Sept 11: MNS chief Raj Thackeray today called off the agitation against the Bachchans that threatened to stall the release of movies starring the family members over Jaya’s alleged anti-Marathi remarks, saying he was satisfied with the apology offered by megastar Amitabh. “Actually, Jaya Bachchan should have made a public apology because she was the one who made those remarks but we are accepting Amitabh’s apology as he is head of the Bachchan family,” Raj told reporters here. Mumbai police, which has issued gag orders against the MNS chief, allowed him to hold the press conference. Raj said he had spoken to Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor yesterday and sought permission to put forth his views after Bachchan tendered the public apology on the issue. Raj launched a vitriolic attack on Mumbai Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) K L Prasad for his alleged remarks that “Mumbai does not belong to any individual”. “Prasad should remove his police uniform, badge and chair and come onto the street and then he will realise to whom Mumbai belongs,” he said. The MNS chief said Prasad’s comments were unwarranted and that he would ask the Congress-NCP government in the state to deal sternly with such officers. Actress Sonali Bendre today said Jaya Bachchan’s controversial remarks made at the music launch function of her husband’s film Drona were not meant the way they were construed to be. “Those who know Jayaji will understand that her comments were not made with a malicious intent. They were off-the-cuff remarks. She is like a mother to me. I am saying this not because I am married to Goldie Behl whom she considers as her elder son. I have known her since the time I worked in the ABCL’s film Major Saab. It has been a lovely relationship,” Sonali told reporters here today. She was interacting with the media at the launch of Indian Idol season four of which she is one of the judges. “Jayaji and Amitabh Bachchan are senior professionals. They come with a vast body of work and are icons to millions of people. (PTI) India okays changes in IMF pact for enhanced quota NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The government today approved a proposed amendment in the IMF’s articles of agreement that will increase India’s quota in the multilateral funding agency. With the proposed amendment, India’s quota in IMF, in terms of Special Drawing Rights or reserve asset, will go up from 1.91 per cent to 2.44 per cent. Reserve assets, which are supposed to supplement a country’s official reserves comprising gold and foreign exchange, are a potential claim on the freely usable currencies of member countries to determine the exchange value of one’s own currency unit. In absolute terms, India’s quota will increase from 4,158.2 million SDR to 5821.5 million SDR. India’s voice in the International Monetary Fund is set to increase, with the country today giving approval to the proposed restructuring of quotas in the multilateral agency. With the Cabinet clearing the proposed amendment in IMF’s Articles of Agreement, India’s quota is slated to go up from 1.91 per cent to 2.44 per cent in the world body. As such, India’s voting rights are also scheduled to increase from 1.88 per cent to 2.34 per cent, enabling it to have a greater say in the functioning of the Fund. “It’s a good development that India’s participation level has been increased. Quota has been increased for the first time in International Monetary Fund. Our voice will be stronger in IMF,” Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters after the Cabinet meeting here. India will also have to make a necessary expenditure towards capital payments to the Fund since its quota is likely to increase from 4,158.2 million special drawing rights (SDRs) to 5,821.5 million SDRs. SDRs are an international type of monetary reserve currency, created by the Fund, and their value fluctuate relative to the basket of major currencies. The amendment to the IMF’s Articles of Agreement require approval by 60 per cent of the membership, having 85 per cent of the total voting power. Additionally, the individual quota increase also needs to be approved by the relevant member country. Each member country of the IMF is assigned a quota, based broadly on its relative size in the world economy. A member’s quota determines its maximum financial commitment to the IMF and its voting power, and has a bearing on its access to IMF financing. Total quotas at the end of March 2008 were SDR 217.3 billion (about 357.3 billion dollars). To address the concerns of developing countries about equal voting rights and representation, the IMF this year began a review of the quota shares. The IMF’s executive board endorsed the quota reform on March 28 this year, which was okayed by its Board of Governors in April. At that time, Finance Minister P Chidambaram had welcomed India’s improved voice in the Fund, saying, “India views the current round of quota and voice reform as only the first step in a process that needs to be carried forward. We would welcome a periodic realignment of quota shares as the global economy gets restructured over time.” Besides India, quota shares were increased for 53 countries, mainly emerging nations. The aggregate shift in quota shares for these 54 members is 4.9 percentage points. These countries saw their quotas rising in the range of 12 per cent to 106 per cent this year from the original quota levels prevailing at the time when the IMF decided to review them in 2006. While India , Brazil and Mexico had a 40 per cent increase in their quota, China’s quota was hiked by 50 per cent and Korea’s quota surged the most at 106 per cent. Only last week, the Fund formed a committee of eminent persons, headed by South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, including Nobel laureate Indian economist Amartya Sen, to advise on any modification that might enable the body to fulfil its global mandate more effectively. The panel will assess the adequacy of IMF’s current framework for decision-making. (PTI)

source: sentinel assam