Category Archives: Science & Technology

Innovative knife sharpening

Amazing Feats, Science & Technology
Mylarapu Rajanna sharpening a pair of scissors on his knife sharpening contraption. Photo: S. Harpal Singh
Mylarapu Rajanna sharpening a pair of scissors on his knife sharpening contraption. Photo: S. Harpal Singh

Innovation and ingenuity were always the hallmark of rural technologists in the country and Mylarapu Rajanna only carries the tradition forward in tune with the times. He has not only simplified the mechanism to sharpen knives and scissors but has the pedal-driven ‘machine’ mounted on the rear of his moped which makes his task of moving around much easier.

Rajanna is a ‘retired’ lorry driver from Mendapally in Indervelli mandal whose comparatively larger area of operation covers the mandals of Gudihatnoor, Indervelli, Utnoor, Narnoor and Jainoor. He visits one mandal every week and ferrets out enough work to earn him a decent income of over Rs. 200 per day, after expenses.

“I park my moped on its stand and sit in the reverse direction on the pillion to operate the pedals,” says the 60-year-old toiler as he introduces his innovation to The Hindu. I have made this machine by using parts of a cycle and of course, the grinding stone,” he adds.

The machine consists of a discarded cycle rim, a cycle gear apparatus with chain and pedals and a rouded grinding stone. The speed of the grinding stone is controlled in the same manner as that in a bicycle.

“It takes about 5 minutes to sharpen a kitchen knife or the scissors used by the pan wallah. Heavier knives and cleavers of the butchers require more speed for the grinding stone and consume more time,” Rajanna reveals.

The former lorry driver’s love of film and bhakti music even has him improvise a music system and add to his moped mounted paraphernalia. “The music not only keeps me engrossed but attracts customers when the loudspeaker gets blaring at the village square,” he points out the old-fashioned round speaker within the gap in the handlebar just under the grinding stone.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by S. Harpal Singh / Adilabad – February 17th, 2015

Can El-Fateh claim victory for the city?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Science & Technology, Sports, Travel
Students showcase the All Terrain Vehicle, made using a 305cc Briggs and Stratton engine, at the Muffakkam Jah College of Engineering and Technology on Monday. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar
Students showcase the All Terrain Vehicle, made using a 305cc Briggs and Stratton engine, at the Muffakkam Jah College of Engineering and Technology on Monday. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

The All Terrain Vehicle, engineered by 25 students of Muffakkam Jah College of Engineering and Technology, will now compete on an international platform

In all of three months, 25 students of a city engineering college toiled to come up with a fine product. Their All Terrain Vehicle, named El-Fateh, will now compete on an international platform and vie for top honours.

Crafted by students of mechanical and production engineering students at Muffakkam Jah College of Engineering and Technology (MJCET), the ATV has been selected for Mahindra BAJA SAIENDIA, which will be held in Indore later this month.

Weighing about 270 kg, the ATV can cover 100 feet in 4.03 seconds and has a top speed of 52 km/hr. It uses a 305cc Briggs and Stratton engine, producing a torque of 19.5Nm, which is mated to an Alfa Mahindra transmission. Students involved in the project say the vehicle also has a first-of-its-kind mechanical paddle shifting mechanism, which is aimed at smoother shifts and ease of driving.

“This is a great practical experience for the students and they did a good job. We are confident of doing well in the event,” said Mohd. Viquar Mohiuddin, faculty advisor to the project.

“We spent 14 to 16 hours in the college every day for the last few months. There were times when we even slept in the college premises to complete the deadline of building the vehicle,” said Abdullah Zakria, a final-year mechanical engineering student.

Outlining the vehicle’s strong points, the team’s captain Mohd. Abdul Haq said, “One of the eligibility requirements was that the vehicle has to climb an inclination of 27 degrees but we managed to drive it over step sand boulders with about 40 degrees inclination.”

Cost Rs.4 lakh

The vehicle costs, which amounted to around Rs.4 lakh, and other expenses were borne by the college and private sponsors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – February 17th, 2015

World’s First Photonics Valley to Come up in TS

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

The first-ever Photonics Valley in the world will come up in Telangana soon. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by state IT secretary Harpreet Singh and PhotonIC Corporation’s CEO Birendra Raj Dutt in the presence of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and IT minister KT Rama Rao here on Saturday.

According to sources, the proposed Photonics Valley will have not one single industry but many related to the field, making investments to the tune of ` 7,000 crore. Once the project is ready, it is expected to provide employment to around 50,000 youths. The Valley would be operationalised in four years, sources said.

PhotonIC is a company having its registered office at Los Angeles in California, US. The PhotonIC International Private Ltd, Singapore is a technology company and sister company of PhotonIC Corporation that has evolved an expertise in photonics.

The company is executing various projects for the US military including defence advanced research projects and naval air systems command. The company has evolved state-of-the-art technology which encompasses development and operation of design, modelling and testing capabilities in support of standard and novel processing technology for commercial prototyping of photonic integrated circuits and related devices.

PhotonIC Corporation develops, fabricates, and manufactures highly-integrated photonic and electronic devices that promise to revolutionise conventional electronics by overcoming the inherent limitations of copper circuitry.

To achieve this, PhotonIC will establish silicon and CMOS processes to integrate optical and electronic components on a single substrate, thereby reaping the benefits of reduced power consumption and vastly increased bandwidth at significantly lower costs.

Both the state government and PhotonIC agreed to collaborate on setting up an ecosystem to facilitate the institutionalisation of all processes related to photonics. They have also agreed to evolve, test and produce the next generation chips by using Silicon Photonics and compound semi-conductor photonics technology.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / February 15th, 2015

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY PRACTITIONERS – No shortcuts for her

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology
Dr. Manjula Anagani
Dr. Manjula Anagani

Dr. Manjula Anagani, who was recently selected to be conferred with the Padma Shri, believes that there can be no shortcuts to success

When she began practicing medicine in the 90s, minimally invasive surgery was in its nascent stage. Dr. Manjula Anagani, a well-known gynaecologist and obstetrician in the city, saw the merits of the procedure especially in women’s health.

After nearly two decades of pursuing her passion and developing several new techniques in the field of laparoscopic surgery the doctor has been selected for one of the highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri.

One of the seven from the city to have won the prestigious award this year, Dr Manjula says the announcement came as a surprise.

“I knew about the nomination but didn’t expect to be actually selected. I was at a national conference when I got the call confirming the conferment and I was elated. The award came as a bigger surprise for my family, who had no inkling about the nomination,” she smiles, as she sits in her office at Sunshine Hospital with old Hindi songs playing softly in the background.

“I trained in both minimally invasive surgery and IVF and for a short while I tried my hand at IVF.

Minimally invasive surgery, which was just developing at the time helped me provide my patients with better treatment options while cutting down the risk of infections and recovery time,” says the doctor, who is credited with pioneering several new techniques in laparoscopy including her work on primary amenorrhea (absent menstrual cycles), using autologous stem cells to regenerate endometrium and a technique to create a Neovagina for women with absent vaginas.

“Back then minimally invasive surgery was a man’s world and it was more experience based, with surgeons developing their own techniques.

I soon realised that it was the future of medicine. From a 10mm incision we’ve now progressed to doing surgeries through a mere 3mm incision. From basic cameras we’ve now progressed to ones that afford us a panoramic view of the body and allow for precision,” she explains.

The reputed gynaecologist has in the past been associated with Apollo Hospitals, Care Hospital and currently is a consultant at Sunshine Hospitals.

But apart from being at the helm of cutting edge techniques in her field, she also heads several teaching programmes, has published several papers, consults at a hospital in Dubai and also founded an NGO Pratyusha along with actor Samantha to spread awareness about women’s health, while also extending help to those in need.

“When your work is driven by passion, you find a way to make it all happen,” she says about juggling so many roles. “It helps that I have always associated myself with health institutes rather than just hospitals as it gives me the chance to carry on my research work as well,” she adds.

But none of her work would have been possible without the support of her family she says. “It was my father’s dream that I become a doctor. I’ve been blessed with a very supportive family.

Even after I got married my husband and mother-in-law were with me every step of the way. In fact, I did my post graduation after marriage. On my part I try and ensure that I’m there for important family events. It’s all about prioritising and planning,” she smiles.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Rajani Rajendra / Hyderabad – February 09th, 2015

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY PRACTITIONERS : Road less travelled

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Dr. Raghu Ram
Dr. Raghu Ram

Credited with spreading awareness about breast cancer to a large extent in the State, Dr. P. Raghu Ram is set to receive the Padma Shri

Talk Breast Cancer and the one name that will come to mind is Dr. P. Raghu Ram. Right from talking about the rarely discussed ailment to creating a high awareness about ‘Breast Cancer month’ every year in a bid to spread awareness and organising the star-studded Pink Ribbon walk, the oncoplastic breast surgeon has made tremendous headway in breast health care in the state in the last decade. And it’s in recognition of his contribution towards improving awareness about breast health care that he will be conferred with the Padma Shri this year.

“It’s humbling and a great honour to be chosen for this award. I am very happy and I think God placed me at the right place at the right time,” he smiles, between sips of lemon tea as he continues to go about his work.

With not too many medical practitioners choosing to work in the area of breast health, Dr. Raghu Ram chose to take the road less travelled and specialised in the field after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. “Awareness about breast cancer was in its infancy back then and there were no advanced screening programmes either. There was no such concept of a dedicated breast health surgical society either. I wanted to change that,” he says.

Settled in the UK at the time, he decided to move back to Hyderabad. “I debated if I would be able to achieve the goals I had set for myself. But my wife was very supportive and we made the move. When I began meeting people here and talking to them about breast health I was laughed at. Slowly but steadily I was able to make headway and spread more awareness about the condition. In 2007 we established the Ushalakshmi Breast Health Centre, a free standing place, at KIMS,” he says.

Ever since, Dr. Raghu Ram has successfully conducted several awareness campaigns including the Pink Ribbon Walk and roped in celebrities like Marcia Barrett, Gautami and Kamal Haasan and Pamela Yash Chopra to create more awareness about breast cancer. “My next step was to set up a community-based screening programme; it was implanted in 2013. We train health care workers to examine women between the ages of 35 and 60 to detect breast cancer in the early stages. I hope some day soon Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will become benchmark states for community programmes like this,” he says.

He also set up a support group as part of the breast cancer foundation to help patients deal with the emotional baggage that cancer entails. Apart from his medical practice and awareness programmes, he is also heavily into academic work, having penned several chapters on the topic for various publications and also teaches students. Given his vast body of work, the oncoplastic surgeon has been in the past bestowed with several awards and has been invited for talks and lectures by various international bodies of breast health surgeons.

While his work is his passion, Dr. Raghu Ram also prioritises family time. “My kids bath time was always my time with them. Now that they’re older I make it a point to spend at least an hour with them each evening. I’d like them to imbibe values like honesty and stay grounded at all times. While we don’t expect them to be the best in everything, we do encourage them to give whatever they’re doing the best,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ranjani Rajendra / Hyderabad – February 09th, 2015

5 City Students Selected for Global Business Competition

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Five high school students from Hyderabad got a unique chance to compete in the TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TyE) global business plan competition for their innovative project ‘TICH’, which will provide online services even to those who don’t have access to the Internet.

Keshav, Rishi Reddy, Neha Acharya, Yagna Agarwal and Zayaan will compete in the global competition where the winners will be awarded a cash prize of $10,000. The best project will also receive funding from top corporate companies, according to Safir Adeni, president of TiE Hyderabad. The children earned this rare opportunity for developing a professional business plan for an innovative idea to provide online services through a call centre.

According to the plan, a call centre will be set up where customers can call and seek various services. This will process the requests of the customers and send the results to them. The services include online shopping, ticket booking and applying for jobs and admissions.

This project was developed by the children as part of the TYE Hyderabad business plan competition where the best team was selected to be sent for the global competition.

Other participants in the Hyderabad competition have also come up with innovative business ideas which included app-based services to manage booking of playgrounds in the city and a techno-glass which is similar to the Google glass. Around 25 children, who participated in the competition in Hyderabad, were mentored by experts from prestigious institutes like Indian School of Business (ISB) and International Institute for Information Technology and some experts from industry. During the 16-week course they were trained in several business-related topics such as conducting market research.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / February 02nd, 2015

Gubba Group launches Germplasm Bank

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

First such bank in the private sector to help preserve seeds

A Germplasm Bank for use by seed companies, farmers, scientists and research institutions is the latest business venture of Gubba, a Hyderabad-based Group specialising in cold storage services.

Announcing the launch of the bank established with an investment outlay of Rs. 4 crore, senior members of the management team led by the Group CEO, Gubba Kiran, on Wednesday said it was the first such facility in the private sector in India. It has two vaults that together offer 107 lockers in which Germplasm will be stored for five to 40 years under minus 20 degree Celsius. Explaining the process, Gubba Prashanth, Research and Technical Head, said on receiving the Germplasm seeds, it is sent to the laboratory to record the details and create a database. This is followed by x-ray analysis, cold drying, packing and preservation. The stored material will be subjected to quality checks periodically.

In tune with its role of custodian of the seeds, for which it will charge monthly rentals in the Rs. 20,000 – Rs. 25,000 band per locker, the company, he said, assures high levels of confidentiality of the database. Unless permitted by the customer, the information would not be shared, he added. A few lockers will be provided free of cost to individuals and NGOs working in the area of seed preservation. The facility over time is expected to generate and provide new scientific knowledge and information on ecosystems, species and genes.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent/ Hyderabad – January 29th, 2015

Karimnagar Farmer Shows the Way Out of Darkness

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technology
Veerla Prabhakar Rao stands beside the solar panels at his farm land in Velichala | expressphoto
Veerla Prabhakar Rao stands beside the solar panels at his farm land in Velichala | expressphoto

Karimnagar :

At a time when many farmers in the State are struggling to irrigate crops due to erratic power supply, Veerla Prabhakar Rao from Velichala village in Ramagundam mandal, has found a way out of the bleak scenario.

Rao, who owns about 60 acres of farm land at Velichala, which is 12 km from here, has installed solar photovaltaic (PV) panels with a total capacity of 18 KV, which can run two 7.5 HP pumpsets and irrigate seven acres. Speaking to Express, Rao said he had invested `7 lakh to set up the solar panels for irrigation of his paddy crop. He said thanks to the solar power, he is able to irrigate his crops well and believes the future lies in this.

“We can get power throughout the day with these solar panels. Besides, it is reliable and we could be self-reliant,” he pointed out. However, it is the cost factor that prevents farmers from opting for solar power.

“That is the reason why the government should provide at least 50 per cent subsidy,” he felt and appealed to the government to also bring awareness among farmers on the importance of harnessing non-conventional energy resources. “The power situation might worsen in summer. To have uninterrupted power supply for crops, it is better for farmers to opt for solar power and generate power on their own,” he said.

The government may take time to create awareness but Rao is leading by example. Farmers from surrounding areas are showing keen interest in his solar power. But as Rao himself says, the cost of installing solar power panels is what is holding them back.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / December 23rd, 2014

Telangana IT Minister Addresses Investors’ Meet in Dubai

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao today explained new industrial policy and various “advantages” associated with investing in the state at the ‘investors meet’ held in Dubai.

Rama Rao, who is leading a state delegation, addressed over 100 investors at the event organised by FICCI in cooperation with the India Business and Professional Council (IBPC), Dubai and Consulate of India in Dubai.

“At the meet, new industrial policy was explained. The special advantages like abundant land availability, fast track clearances, additional incentives that are offered in Telangana were discussed in detail,” a state government release said here.

Many of the investors showed “tremendous interest” in investing in Telangana, it said.

“Most of them have interest in sectors like textiles, food processing, mineral-based industries, biotechnology and other general engineering. A few investors have also shown interest in infrastructure development in industrial parks and industrial townships,” the release said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by PTI / December 15th, 2014

ICRISAT Director-General William D Dar to Retire on Dec 31

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Sangareddy :

Dr William D Dar, Director General, Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is relinquishing his post on 31 December 2014 after an unprecedented three, five-year terms. Dr Dar is leaving behind a legacy of benefiting millions of marginal farmers in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and other dryland regions of the world.

“After 15 years, we have completely transformed ICRISAT into one of the best international agricultural research for development (AR4D) centres in terms of innovative and inclusive research programmes, scientific excellence, impact on smallholder farmers, and financial health and stability,” said Dr Dar who assumed the institute’s top position in 2000.

Through his strong and transformative leadership and astute governance, Dr Dar has quadrupled the income and investments poured into ICRISAT by development partners, from US$ 22 million in 2000 to US$ 85 million as of 2014.

This financial stability has brought improved capacity and high morale among scientists and staff over the years, translated into unprecedented achievements in the institute’s AR4D programmes, and the corresponding impacts on food security and poverty reduction goals.

Over the decades, ICRISAT has grown into a pipeline of innovations and impacts that are changing the lives of the dryland poor on a large scale, showing high returns on social investment. In a 2014 ex-post impact assessment study of ICRISAT’s highly successful breakthrough innovations called ‘Jewels of ICRISAT’ – a return on investment of US$70 on average for each dollar invested in AR4D, and an internal rate of return of 35 per cent was generated. These outstanding economic rates of return to investment illustrate ICRISAT’s core science and impacts.

Restoring strong relations with countries that host ICRISAT in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and forging strategic public-private-people partnerships worldwide, the institute was able to broaden its donor base and to mobilise new resources that are fully compatible with the public-goods orientation of ICRISAT and the CGIAR. ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

Today, ICRISAT’s three top donors, outside the CGIAR system, are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, India (the largest of any CGIAR host country), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Gates Foundation is funding three of the institute’s major AR4D initiatives: the HOPE project (Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets); the Tropical Legumes II (TL-II) project; and the Village Dynamics in Southeast Asia (VDSA).

With the innovative AR4D programmes and the culture of scientific excellence that Dr Dar introduced, ICRISAT continues to attract much-needed investments into the development of climate-smart and sustainable crop cultivation and technologies of the institute’s mandate crops – chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum and pearl millet – crops that are farmed by millions of smallholder farm families in the drylands of the world.

ICRISAT-DirectorTELANGANA16dec2014

The ICRISAT Governing Board has appointed Dr David Bergvinson as the next Director General of ICRISAT for a five-year term, effective January 01, 2015 to move the institute further in generating and sharing cutting-edge global scientific innovations, and bring about genuine pro-poor growth and inclusive market-oriented development in the drylands.

A Philippine national, he is set to return to his country to share his management and technical experience and knowledge with Filipino farmers particularly in transforming rain-fed and unproductive farmlands into productive, sustainable and climate-smart farms through an agri-based social movement called Inang Lupa (Motherland).

Notable achievements of ICRISAT  1.The formulation of a new, more dynamic institutional strategy known as Inclusive Market-Oriented Development (IMOD) which shifted ICRISAT’s focus towards enabling poor farmers to harness markets for poverty escape

2.Establishment of Centres of Excellence for genomics, transgenic research, climate change research for plant protection, and information and communications technology (ICT) innovations for agriculture

3.An inclusive and technology-based entrepreneurship and agribusiness strategy – the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform – through public-private partnerships to bring science-based technologies and products to the market for the benefit of marginal farmers

4.Scaling out a sustainable natural resource management model called Bhoochetana (land rejuvenation), which uses soil analysis as an entry point, that has brought prosperity to resource-poor farmers in India

5.Establishment of the ICRISAT Development Centre (IDC) to undertake large-scale uptake of science-based technologies for the benefit of marginal farmers

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / December 15th, 2014