Dec/18/2011

Kalam launches Sasthrayaan project

Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has called for adopting an interactive learning approach backed by research to make science education a meaningful experience for schoolchildren in the country.

Addressing the students during the formal launch of the science education project, ‘Sasthrayaan,' at Government Boys High School, North Paravur, near here, on Saturday,

Mr. Kalam spoke on the role of science as a vehicle of development.

“Convert the nature into your laboratory,'' he told the students, adding that science would give them an opportunity to become unique. “Nothing in science is impossible…. You'll feel good to stand on the shoulders of great scientific minds.” He also urged them to show the courage to tread different paths.

Mr. Kalam underlined the need for higher education to be enterprising as well as creative and elaborated on the concepts of sustainable development, competitiveness, and spirit of integrity.

He said today's knowledge-based world offered a multitude of career opportunities for the youngsters.

Earlier, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who delivered the presidential address, hailed Sasthrayaan as a model initiative.

Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb launched the Sasthrayaan web-portal.

Union Minister K.V. Thomas delivered the keynote address.

Sasthrayaan is an activity-based learning programme aimed at improving the quality of science education in 21 government and aided high schools at North Paravur.

More than 7,000 students from Class VII to IX and 250 teachers are involved in the various activities of the project.

New Food Safety Act a tough nut to crack

The transition from the old Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 to the new Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which came into being from August 5 this year, has turned out to be a big challenge for the State Health and Family Welfare Department's Food Safety Commissionerate.

Without a proper database on the number of business enterprises in the food industry, including roadside petty eateries, and inadequate staff and infrastructure, the department has now taken up a pilot project on effective implementation of the Act in Jayanagar and Banaswadi wards.

State Food Safety Commissioner B.S. Ramaprasad, who is also the State Health Commissioner, told The Hindu on the sidelines of the workshop, ‘Food safety – the way forward', held in the city on Saturday, that the project was being carried out by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) in association with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Based on the project, a survey of all food outlets and eateries in the State would be carried out. Admitting shortage of qualified food safety officers, Mr. Ramprasad said: “We require 234 food safety officers, but we have only 104. We have five laboratories to test food samples, including the Public Health Institute in Bangalore. But there is a shortage of analysts to test the samples: we have only eight while we need at least 20.”

Website, call centre

CSD Chairperson A. Ravindra said his organisation was readying a website for the Karnataka State Food Safety and Standards Authority. “Aimed at enabling proper implementation of the Act, it will also function as a call centre for people to complain about any food safety issues.”

Designated food safety officers would reply to the complaints with action taken reports within a stipulated time. “A team of researchers from IIMB, led by professor Gopal Naik, has prepared a framework on how the Act should be implemented in the State,” he said. The 104 food safety officers attended the workshop which was organised by the State Food Safety Commissionerate along with Nestle Nutrition Institute.

Himachal national park to get Unesco stamp

Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Saturday disclosed that the Great Himalayan National Park would soon get UNESCO World Heritage Status and its evaluation process would take place early next year.

The Chief Minister, who is also Chairman of the State Wildlife Board, said the rationalisation process of taking out the inhabited areas out of the purview of 33 wildlife sanctuaries, spread over an area of 7161 km of the State was in progress. About 1.5 lakh people of 775 villages would be taken out of the sanctuary area, he said.

Mr. Dhumal said a Himalayan Snow Leopard Research Centre would soon be developed near Kibbar village of Spiti valley at a cost of Rs.5.15 crore to preserve this wild species in its natural habitat and carry out research.

He said a project worth Rs. 2 crore for Eco-Tourism in Pong Dam Wetland would also be executed with the help of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department to create infrastructure to meet requirements of visitors. He expressed satisfaction with the efforts made by the Wildlife Wing in captive breeding of endangered vultures which had helped in increasing their population. Himachal Pradesh happened to be the first State in the country to have undertaken such a vital project in hand and succeeded in the same, he said.

The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh had emerged the first State in the world where successful breeding of Western Tragopan had taken place at Sarahan village in district Shimla. He said a presentation on this was given by Mr. John Corder, Vice President of the World Pheasant Association in UK, whose services had been requisitioned by the State as Advisor, Conservation Breeding of Pheasants Programme.

Night vision cameras to track tigers

The Forest Department will employ night-vision cameras, supported by a new software called M-stripes, to track tigers in the Nallamala forest, which is hub of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.

100 cameras

Experts from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, National Tiger Conservation Authority and Project Tiger travelled down to Srisailam a few days ago to train officers and staff in the new method of assessment. Once the training is over, the Forest Department plans to deploy 100 cameras to take up surveillance and assessment of the tiger population, according to Divisional Forest Officer, Atmakur, Vijayakumar.

According to the new procedure, the tigers would be identified by their individual stripe pattern with the help of cameras. Identification of a tiger by its stripes is the most accurate method since the pattern of any two animals is never the same. Also, pressure impression pads would be laid in the tiger trails to collect imprints and infer information about the species, age and sex.

Of late, the forest officials have noted that the cattle foraying into forest areas are not only sharing the fodder with deer and other herbivores but spreading diseases as well to the wild animals.

The forest officials decided to collect the samples from the carcasses of dead animals and send them to laboratories to pinpoint the cause of the death.