Young innovators share 175 ideas at Startup India boot camp
There has been overwhelming response to the Startup India Telangana Yatra with students sharing 175 ideas at the boot camp organised at the Jyothismathi Institute of Technology and Sciences (JITS) on Monday.
To promote entrepreneurship in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, Telangana State Innovation Cell launched the Startup India Telangana Yatra to bring budding entrepreneurs together to brainstorm and present their ideas. JITS was selected as the nodal centre for the programme.
The boot camp witnessed the participation of over 400 students from various engineering colleges such as JNTU Kondagattu and Manthani, NIT-Warangal, SR Engineering College and KITS-Huzurabad, apart from schools like Sidhartha High School in Karimnagar town. Among them, 175 students shared their ideas and innovations.
Of those, the best ideas would make it to the grand finale at JNTU-Hyderabad. The winners would be attached to seven incubators in the State and provided all assistance to start their business. On this occasion, the students of JITS have exhibited their innovations and won accolades.
A working model on prevention of accidents on ghat roads in the wake of Kondagattu bus mishap was appreciated by visitors. Third year civil engineering students S. Ashritha, E. Sucharitha and A. Laxmi Prasanna designed the model by erecting roller barricades, which would prevent vehicles from plunging into the gorge.
Startup India Telangana representatives Radhika Meenakshi Shankar, Nikitha Rupasri, Amith Sharanya, Spoorthi, Major Sunil Shetty, Tarun, Raj Janagam and Swetha clarified doubts raised by the students about startup ideas and innovations. JITS chairman J. Sagar Rao, director K. Venkat Rao and principal G. Laxminarayana were also present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Karimnagar – September 25th, 2018
Startup India Yatra van at SR Engineering College in Warangal on Thursday. | Photo Credit: M_Murali
Students to share their ideas with Startup India representative Karandeep Singh
The Startup India Yatra, a government initiative to promote startups, reached SR Engineering College here on Thursday where students would share their ideas with Startup India representative Karandeep Singh. Some of the potential ideas would be taken to the boot camp on September 22.
College principal V. Satish said the initiative, taken up by the Government of India and Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) in 12 districts, would help in creating awareness on startups. “Entrepreneurship has always been a buzzword in metropolitan cities, but after the launch of Startup India programme, many from Tier-II and Tier-III cities are into entrepreneurship,” he said.
The selected ideas from the boot camps would be connected to seven incubators of Telangana, including SRIX incubator in Warangal. CEO of SRIX Sridevi Reddy, and Startup India college coordinator G. Satish Raj urged the students to make use of the opportunity.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Warangal Urban Dt, – September 20th, 2018
Panel discussions, alumni meet held over the weekend
Celebrations spread over two days, with a global alumni meet, panel discussions and showcase of its research and innovations marked the 20th anniversary of the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H).
While the alumni meet was held on Saturday, the panel discussions took place on Sunday.
Secretary to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Ajay Sawhney, Director General of Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad Ajit Rangnekar, Director of Amazon Development Center Hyderabad Jayaram Valliyur and Dean (R&D) of IIIT-H Vasudeva Varma were among those who participated in the deliberations.
IIIT-H Governing Council Chairman Raj Reddy highlighted the founding objectives of the institute.
Director of IIIT-H P.J. Narayanan shared an overview of the Institute and its plans. “Our research is today ranked among the top in the country in several areas, such as robotics, computer vision and AI. Undergraduate research continues to pay rich dividends for the Institute, in terms of a large, global diaspora of researchers who stay engaged with the Institute,” he said.
A release from IIIT-H, on the 20th anniversary celebrations, said from just 50 students in the first batch to around 1,800 students in 28 programmes, IIIT-H is ranked as the No.1 institute in AI (computer vision, machine learning and data mining, and Natural Language Processing) in India and Asia’s 2nd best institute for robotics.
A short film on ;Making of IIIT-H, How it All Started’ was screened, followed by a tour of the campus and showcase of its research work and innovations as well as technologies created by the labs and start-ups seeded at the Institute, the release said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – September 03rd, 2018
For a person educated in the vernacular medium, learning the basics of English language is a challenge more often. But Pendoti Chandrashekar has proved to be an exception. Schooled in Telugu medium, he had the conviction to opt for BA English Literature, which he followed up with an MA in English and a B.Ed degree, going on to become a post-graduate teacher in English at the Government Model School, Nandipet. Not stopping at that, he has carved out a niche for himself by writing poetry in English and has also encouraged his students to follow suit. His poem on former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been published in the anthology titled The Hope Re-Born.
Mr. Chandrashekar was one among the 28 poets across the country selected by the noted publishers Research and Publication Academy, Allahabad to write for their publication The Hope Reborn, which will be released very soon this month. With a good command over English, he has endeared himself to his students by teaching the subject in a simple method. Born in Mallapur village in Indalwai mandal he completed his primary and secondary education at government schools in his village and studied Intermediate at Government Junior College, Bheemgal in Telugu medium. Thereafter, he opted for BA English Literature at Giriraj Degree College here.
Having completed MA English and B.Ed in distance mode from Osmania University, he got selection as PGT in 2012 and since then, has been working in Nandipet. Coming from a humble background he achieved his goal. Chandrashekar is also one of the four writers who authored the English subject book for PGT Gurukul Mains Examinations published by the TS Telugu Academy. “His poetry is lucid, simple and can easily be understood by ordinary English readers,” said Dasari Raghu, a PGT in Botony. “His contribution to the Telugu Academy book is very valuable and useful to candidates preparing for the PGT competitive exam. He has done an excellent job. He is the pride of the district,” said Nampally Rajesh, District Educational Officer, speaking at a function to felicitate Mr. Chandrashekar at the GMS.
Another feather in his cap is that poems written by his students M. Rachana and M. Lavanya of X Class are being published along with his poem in The Hope Reborn. “
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by P. Ram Mohan / Nizamabad – September 03rd, 2018
A Master class on Bronchial Thermoplasty, the ultra advanced procedure to treat severe asthma was organised by the Department of Interventional Pulmonology of Yashoda Hospitals here on Tuesday.
Said to be the first-ever such Master class in the country, the innovative and state-of-the-art procedure gaining rapid acceptance world over is available in few major modern medical centres. The Yahsoda had taken the initiative to organise the Master class for the benefit of practising pulmonologists, according to a release.
The two-day training programme included hands-on workshop and was inaugurated by Pavan Gorukanti, Director, Yashoda Hospitals Group, Hyderabad here on Monday. The Master class provided a comprehensive overview of advanced therapeutic bronchoscopic procedure- Bronchial Thermoplasty, he said.
About 200 leading pulmonologists from India and from overseas attended the programme. The Master class had both foreign and Indian faculties and few guest invitees including Adrian Chan from Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Jamalul Azizi Abdul Rahman from Serdang Hospital, Malaysia and Elena from Romania and Deepak Talwar (Metro Hospitals) and Karan Madan (AIIMS) from India.
The programme also included live case demonstrations organised by the Yashoda Hospitals team of Interventional Pulmonologists led by Hari Kishan, V.G. Nagarjuna Maturu , M. Gangadhar Reddy and Y.Gopi Krishna. the release added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 11th, 2018
An all-terrain wheel chair, a vehicle mounted wind turbine, an underground cable fault detection system, a solar-based automatic drainage cleaning system were among several interesting projects developed by the graduating officers at the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), Secunderabad.
Governor E S L Narasimhan who conferred engineering degrees to 20 Officers of Technical Entry Scheme Course (TES-29) urged the graduates to harness technologies for the army.
“Rapid advances in technology are relentlessly fuelling changes at a rate that is both awesome and exhilarating. Your challenge is to harness these technologies for the Army and ensure that each and every one is touched by this change,” he said.
The ceremony was attended by a host of senior dignitaries from military and civil administration and gathering of more than 300 Service personnel and their families.
Delivering the inaugural address, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh, Commandant, MCEME said the institution had not only excelled in the field of technology and training but has also left its indelible mark in the field of sports and adventure activities.
The GOC-in-C ARTRAC Trophy, Best student book prize and DGEME Gold medal were awarded to Lieutenant Siddharth Siwal for standing best all round student officer of the course. Lieutenant Aayush Vatsal (Electronics) and Lieutenant Nitin Dabas (Mechanical) were awarded Commandant’s silver medals. The chief guest, Governor Narasimhan appreciated the Best project “Vehicle mounted wind turbine” designed by Lieutenant Nitin Dabas, Lieutenant Bhupendra Singh Rathore, Lieutenant Jai Prakash Saraswat and Lieutenant Gaurav Chaudhary.
The Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Secunderabad was established in 1953. Over the years, the College has developed into a premier training institution of the Indian Army. The training standards of the College have been recognised and College has been rewarded with Prime Minister’s Awards for various Students Projects. The MCEME trains technical capital for providing sustainment and engineering support to the complete equipment of the Indian Army.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Ch. Sushil Rao / TNN / June 28th, 2018
A new building dedicated to the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering department on the National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus here has been adjudged second best constructed institutional building in the south zone.
Constructed by the the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at a cost of about ₹70 crore, it has selected for the second prize under the Civil Stream Best Completed Projects in south zone. The department, set to mark the 164th CPWD Day, selected buildings constructed in different zones of the country to present awards in various categories. The award would be presented to the concerned engineering wing on July 12 on which the CPWD Day celebrated, NIT director N.V. Ramana Rao.
The building houses state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories, computer facilities and a modern conference hall. It will also accommodate the physics and chemistry departments of the institute.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Warangal, Urban Dt- July 03rd, 2018
To address poor bioavailability of harpin arising from its inability to permeate into plants, the researchers led by Appa Rao Podile (second from right) turned to nanotechnology.
Up to 90% reduction in severity of fungal infection in tomato plants was seen
Researchers at the University of Hyderabad have found that harpin biopesticide brought about 80-90% reduction in severity of fungal infection in tomato plants when it is encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles. The fungal infection was caused by Rhizoctonia solani. The reduction in disease severity is only about 50-55% when the biopesticide is used without loading it in nanoparticles. The results were published in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers.
Though harpin is used against several bacterial, fungal and viral infections, poor bioavailability is a major hurdle when harpin protein, taken from the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, is just sprayed on the leaves like any other pesticide.
Chitosan to the rescue
To address the issue of poor bioavailability of harpin arising from the inability to permeate into plants, the researchers led by Prof. Appa Rao Podile from the Department of Plant Sciences turned to nanotechnology. They used the biocompatible and biodegradable chitosan in nanoparticle size to encapsulate the biopesticide. Chitosan nanoparticles are capable of getting into the plant through the stomata (pores on the leaves through which gas exchange takes place) and then diffuse through the cell wall to enter the cells. The team found that chitosan nanoparticles containing harpin pass through the cell wall and end up in the chloroplast of tomato plants.
As a result, bioavailability of harpin inside tomato plants increases sharply when loaded in chitosan nanoparticles. Also, less amount of harpin will have to be sprayed on leaves when it is contained in nanoparticles.
Chitosan by itself has another advantage. “Chitosan’s antifungal property and its role in triggering plant defence responses are already well known. Its ability to biodegrade inside the plant without harming the plant cells is why we chose it for encapsulating harpin,” says Prof. Podile.
The disease severity in tomato reduced significantly and there was fivefold decrease in fungal biomass in the case of harpin encapsulated in nanoparticles compared with bulk harpin sprayed on leaves. While the fungus failed to colonise and infect tomato leaves upon extended incubation, it completely destroyed the leaves used as controls.
Laboratory studies found harpin was released from the nanoparticles in two phases. “The biopesticide adsorbed on the nanoparticles gets released in a burst in the first 48 hours followed by slow release up to 120 hours,” says Dr. Sandhya Rani Nadendla from the Department of Plant Sciences at UoH and first author of the paper.
Currently, the shelf-life of harpin nanoparticle is limited to 30 days as the encapsulation loses its efficiency. “The nanoparticles are currently stored in a liquid phase. We are trying to make some chemical changes at the time of preparation of chitosan nanoparticles to make it more stable. We are also trying to make it in a powder form by spray drying to further increase the shelf-life,” says Prof. Podile.
Tomato plants and R. solani fungal infection were only used as a model system to test the efficacy of chitosan nanoparticles containing harpin in controlling the disease. “The objective was not to develop an exclusive disease control method. We used this particular fungal infection as an index,” he says. “The plant defence activated by harpin is broad-spectrum so can control even bacteria.”
The team is planning to test harpin-containing chitosan nanoparticles on a large-scale on four different crops and at least two pathogens per crop. Two of the crops to be tested will be grown in fields and two others will be greenhouse crops.
source:http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by R. Prasad / June 30th, 2018
Noted socialist and a strong supporter of separate Telangana, Keshav Rao Jadhav, passed away at the age of 86 following brief illness. He is survived by wife and three daughters.
His third daughter, who is unmarried, performed the last rites at Amberpet crematorium.
Keshav Rao Jadhav, who retired as Professor in English Department of Osmania University, was the president of Osmania University Teachers Association. He was actively involved in the separate Telangana movement in 1969 and also associated with the People’s Union of Civil Liberties.
He stood for a dialogue with the Maoists to end violence. He worked closely with socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
With breathing problem, he was shifted to a private hospital in Barkatpura on Friday where he breathed his last on Saturday.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and other leaders condoled his death
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 16th, 2018
N.V.S. Ramaraju with V. Praneeth. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Telangana’s Vuppala Prraneeth is now World No. 1 in chess in the under-11 category, his coach N.V.S. Ramaraju, who is also credited with training chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika, has revealed.
For someone known to be ‘very good’ in opening and middle-games, Prraneeth came under Mr. Ramaraju’s wing three years ago. “There is no doubt that he is a potential champion from the State in the days to come,” the proud coach, who runs Race Chess Academy in the city, tells The Hindu.
Prraneeth, whose parents hail from Nalgonda, has a creditable ELO2281 and was felicitated by the Sports Authority of Telangana State chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy last week.
Mr. Reddy assured complete support to the chess wizard in his pursuit of excellence at higher levels and hoped he would become a Grandmaster soon, given his consistency in tough events.
For the record, Prraneeth bagged bronze in the 201 South Asian championship and set a record of sorts scoring ELO22 points in the 14th Parshwanath International championship in Delhi. “There is obviously a lot of scope for improvement and the best part is that he is very young, sincere and puts in hours of hard work,” points out Mr. Ramaraju.
This Class 7 student of David Memorial High School is now dreaming of bigger things, including World championship titles in his age group as he embarks on what he feels will be a demanding journey.
“I am aware that I have to widen my opening game repertoire and also improve upon my end-game. But with Ramaraju sir taking care of every aspect of my game, I am confident of achieving bigger things,” says Prraneeth.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – June 11th, 2018
