5-6 October 2015

5 october

GAIL to take 10 percent stake in TAPI natural gas pipeline project

TAPI project: 1735 km long transnational natural gas pipeline project from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan to Pakistan and to India.

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India or TAPI natural gas pipeline project was in news on 4 October 2015 as the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) is expected to take 10 percent stake in the project.

The objective of the project is to transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India.

Features of TAPI

• It will transport natural gas from Turkmenistan to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• The 1,735-kilometer pipeline will run from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to the Indian town of Fazilka, in the Punjab near the Pakistan-India border.
• It will carry 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkmen gas annually; While, Pakistan and India would each purchase 42 percent of that volume (13.8 bcm), Afghanistan would purchase 16 percent that would amount to 5.11 bcm.

• The four countries signed the TAPI gas pipeline deal in September 2010 and the implementation phase will begin in December 2015.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) carried out a feasibility study of the proposed project and extended its support to it. The EU and the USA also provide international support for the TAPI pipeline project.
• It will be developed with an estimated cost of 10 billion US dollars and will be operation by 2018.
• Turkmenistan will lead the consortium to build the project and the remaining members will invest according to the techno-commercial viability, shareholders agreement and investment agreement.

Comment

The project holds multi-faced benefits to all the four countries involved in the project. It will transport precious natural gas from energy rich Turkmenistan to energy deficient Pakistan and India.

It is also called as peace pipeline as it traverses through most terror prone areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For India, the TAPI is expected to reduce dependence on gas supplies from the Gulf region and thereby enhancing its energy security.

What, Why and How of new International Poverty Line $1.90?

The World Bank in October 2015 raised the international poverty line to1.90 US dollars per day from the existing 1.25 US dollars.

Against this backdrop, World Bank explained few pertinent questions related to the international poverty line and its revision.

Why did the World Bank decide to update the International Poverty Line, and why now?

As differences in the cost of living across the world evolve, the global poverty line has to be periodically updated to reflect these changes. Since 2008, the last update, 1.25 US dollars had been used as the global line. As of October 2015, the new global line will be updated to 1.90 US dollars per day.

What is the new poverty line, and based on this new measure, how many people are living in extreme poverty in the world?

The new global poverty line is set at 1.90 US dollars per day using 2011 prices. Just over 900 million people globally lived under this line in 2012 (based on the latest available data) and it is projected that just over 700 million are living in extreme poverty in 2015.

Why raise the poverty line? What was wrong with the 1.25 US dollar a day line that we are all used to?

As differences in the cost of living across the world evolve, the global poverty line has to be periodically updated to reflect these changes. The new global poverty line uses updated price data to paint a more accurate picture of the costs of basic food, clothing, and shelter needs around the world. In other words, the real value of 1.90 US dollars in today’s prices is the same as 1.25 US dollars in 2005.

How revision in global poverty line takes place?

In 1990, a group of independent researchers and the World Bank proposed to measure the world’s poor using the standards of the poorest countries in the World. They examined national poverty lines from some of the poorest countries in the world, and converted the lines to a common currency by using purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates.

The PPP exchange rates are constructed to ensure that the same quantity of goods and services are priced equivalently across countries. Once converted into a common currency, they found that in six of these very poor countries the value of the national poverty line was about 1 US dollar per day per person, and this formed the basis for the first dollar-a-day international poverty line.

After a new round and larger volume of internationally comparable prices were collected in 2005, the international poverty line was revised based on 15 national poverty lines from some of the poorest countries in the World. The average of these 15 lines was1.25 US dollarsper person per day (again in PPP terms), and this became the revised international poverty linesince 2008.

Similarly in 2015, poverty lines of those same 15 poorest countries from 2005 (holding steady the yardstick against which we measure) were used to determine the new global poverty line of 1.90 US dollars on the 2011 PPP basis.

What is Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and how is it determined?

PPP allows us put each country’s income and consumption data in globally-comparable terms. The PPP is computed on the basis of price data from across the world, and the responsibility for determining a particular year’s PPP rests with the International Comparison Program (ICP), an independent statistical program with a Global Office housed within the World Bank’s Development Data Group.

What is the significance of revision in the international poverty line?

The global poverty line is used primarily to track global extreme poverty, and to measure progress on global goals set by the World Bank, the United Nations, and other development partners. A country’s national poverty line is far more appropriate for underpinning policy dialogue or targeting programs to reach the poorest. For example, in a middle-income country, where the national poverty line is at 4 US dollars a day, the global poverty threshold may be less relevant than in a poorer country where the national line is at 1.65 US dollars or similar.

When will the global poverty line be updated again?

The revision in the international poverty line once the Commission on Global Poverty provides its recommendations in April 2016.

Portugal’s Pinto won Asia’s premier Mountain Biking Race

Luis Leao Pinto of Portugal on 4 October 2015 won Asia’s premier mountain biking race and got the crown of ‘King of the Himalaya’ for the second time. He took time of 27:29:22 in the 600 km long 7 stages biking race that ended in capital Shimla of Himachal Pradesh.
Earlier, he won the crown in the year 2013.

The other two top riders in the Solo Men’s category were Andi Seewald of Germany and Pau Zamora of Spain. All of them have neck-to-neck race. Total 68 riders took part in the race and 54 completed it.

Besides, Catherine Williamson from (UK) emerged as the overall winner in the Open Women’s Solo category. She was followed by Ilda Periera of Portugal and Laxmi Magar from Nepal.
Reimund Dietzen, the veteran pro-rider is the winner in the Master’s solo category.
The riders experienced a net elevation of approximately 50000 ft as they rode though seventy degree steep up hills, uncontrollable down hills, cobbled pathways and single tracks other than the tarmacs, the meadows, the streams and the villages.

Shashank Manohar elected BCCI President

Shashank Manohar on 4 October 2015 was elected President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He was elected unopposed during a special general meeting called by the BCCI following the demise of Jagmohan Dalmiya.

Manohar, who has also served as the 29th President of the board from 2008 to 2011, will remain at the helm for two years.

He is also referred to as Mr. Clean and is also known for his spotless track record and integrity in cricketing circles.

Shashank Manohar was born on 29 September 1957 in the family of lawyers.

Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone opened to public for 1st time in 12 years

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on 4 October 2015 declared Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone open to the public for the first time in 12 years.
In a statement, al-Abadi said that the move was part of a reform drive that was promised to people.
However, he added, some restrictions would remain, with a number of streets requiring a special pass.

The 10 square kilometers area, home to government buildings and foreign embassies, was closed after the US-led invasion in 2003.
This opening of the Green Zone may end complain of several Iraqis who said that the zone has become symbol of disconnect between the country's top officials and ordinary citizens.

Green Zone area of Baghdad
The present day, Green Zone area of Baghdad that lies on the west bank of the Tigris River in the Karkh district of central Baghdad, was known as the International Zone of Baghdad and was a seat of government power under former president Saddam Hussein. The area became Green Zone after the 2003 US-led invasion and was declared as a no-go area for public.
Despite being protected by high concrete walls with barbed wire and a number of checkpoints, the complex has been targeted number of times by militant groups.

World Bank released global poverty projections for 2015

World Bank on 4 October 2015 released global poverty projections for the year 2015. As per the projections, the number of people living in extreme poverty around the world is likely to fall to under 10 percent of the global population in 2015.

Consequently, the world is all set to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 1- ending poverty in all its forms by 2030.

The projections were based on the updated poverty line of 1.90 US dollars per day on the 2011 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) exchange rates basis. The earlier poverty line was 1.25 US dollars per day at 2005 PPP exchange rates.

Takeaways from the poverty projections

• Sustained reduction in poverty, began in 1990, is moving the world closer to the historic goal of ending poverty by 2030
• Global poverty will have fallen from 902 million people or 12.8 per cent of the global population in 2012 to 702 million people or 9.6 per cent of the global population in 2015.
• Reductions in poverty were due to strong growth rates in developing countries in recent years, investments in people’s education, health, and social safety nets that helped keep people from falling back into poverty.
• Present challenges in eradicating extreme poverty are- slower global growth, volatile financial markets, conflicts, high youth unemployment, and the growing impact of climate change.
• For the last several decades, three regions, East Asia and Pacific, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, have accounted for some 95 percent of global poverty.

• In 1990, East Asia accounted for half of the global poor, whereas some 15 percent lived in in Sub-Saharan Africa; by 2015 Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for half of the global poor, with some 12 percent living in East Asia.
• Poverty is declining in all regions but it is becoming deeper and more entrenched in countries that are either conflict ridden or overly dependent on commodity exports.
• While some African countries have seen significant successes in reducing poverty, the region as a whole lags the rest of the world in the pace of lessening poverty.
• Sub-Saharan poverty fell from an estimated 56 percent in 1990 to a projected 35 percent in 2015
• Poverty in East Asia and the Pacific would fall to 4.1 per cent of its population in 2015, down from 7.2 per cent in 2012.
• Latin America and the Caribbean would see fall to 5.6 per cent in 2015 from 6.2 in 2012.
• In South Asia, the poverty would fall to 13.5 per cent in 2015, compared to 18.8 per cent in 2012.

The projections for 2015 are in tune with two goals set by the World Bank for itself in April 2013-to end extreme poverty by 2030, and to boost shared prosperity by raising the incomes of the bottom 40 percent of populations

Flipkart appointed Sriram Venkataraman as Chief Financial Officer

India’s e-commerce giant, Flipkart, on 4 October 2015 appointed Sriram Venkataraman as the new Chief Finance Officer (CFO) for its commerce platform (CP). The homegrown online marketplace also appointed Pramod Jain as Vice President and Head of Taxation.

Venkataraman will watch over all aspects of the finance function for CP. He will also be responsible to drive the CP business to deliver its goals.

Jain will play an important role in taking the tax team’s engagement with revenue and government authorities to the next level.

About Sriram Venkataraman

Sriram Venkataraman obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras and completed his post-graduation in Management from the Indian School of Business (ISB).

He holds more than 19 years of experience in Hindustan Unilever. His last role was Head of Sales Finance in Unilever.

About Pramod Jain

By professional qualifications, Pramod Jain is a Chartered Accountant and Lawyer.

He has worked as the country tax head for Dell and Xerox. His last role was Vice President of Taxation with Indus Towers Limited, the world’s largest telecom tower company and a joint venture of Airtel, Vodafone and Idea.

Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis won women's doubles title of Wuhan Tennis Open

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis on 3 October 2015 won the women's doubles title of Wuhan Tennis Open. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated Romanian team of Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-3 in the title clash.

With this win, the Indo-Swiss pair won their seventh WTA doubles titles together in the year 2015. The other six WTA titles are Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, the US Open, and Guangzhou.
They have won their last three tournaments and their last 13 matches without dropping a single set.

26th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea

26th edition of the Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) between India and Indonesia began on 3 October 2015 in the Andaman Sea. The expanded version of the 18-day long CORPAT that will conclude on 21 October 2015 will also see the first ever bilateral exercise between the two nations.
The two-day inaugural India-Indonesia Bilateral Maritime Exercise is scheduled from 17 October to 18 October 2015 in the Andaman Sea.

Participants in the 26th edition of CORPAT are
• India - INS Saryu, an indigenously built NOPV based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command, along with a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft
• Indonesia - Indonesian Navy

About Coordinated Patrolling (CORPAT)
The two navies have been carrying out Coordinated Patrolling (CORPAT) along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2002 with the aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.
The CORPAT has strengthened understanding and interoperability between the navies, instituting measures to prosecute vessels engaged in unlawful activities and conducting Search and Rescue as well as pollution control.
India-Indonesia Bilateral Maritime Exercise
The first ever India-Indonesia Bilateral Maritime Exercise that will be hosted along with the 26th edition of the CORPAT will help the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The Bilateral Maritime Exercise and the CORPAT would see participation by one warship and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both sides.

Ruling Social Democratic Party-led coalition won Portuguese general election

Ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD)-led coalition on 4 October 2015 won general election to the Portuguese parliament-Assembly of Republic.

Out of the total votes polled, the PSD and the CDS – People's Party coalition secured 37 percent votes out of which the share of the PSD is just over 32 percent.

With this win, incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho is set to hold the post for next four years.

The present performance of the coalition is dismal compared to the absolute majority it obtained in the 2011 general election.

Still, the faith in the Pedro Passos Coelho-led government is expected to help the country in overcoming the challenges to the economy.

At present, Portugal is suffering from unemployment at the rate of 12 percent of the workforce and 125 percent debt to GDP - the second highest rate in the European Union next only to Greece.

Trichy Corporation won Skoch Award for Effective Solid Waste Management

The Tiruchirapalli City Municipal Corporation in third week of September 2015 was awarded with Skoch Smart Governance Award for Achieving Operational Excellence in Waste Transportation using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based solutions.

The award was given by Skoch, a Gurgaon-based group that deals with social issues.

The city corporation used radio frequency identification system (RFID) for effective solid waste management in the city.

The RFID tag was devised to supervise garbage collection from various sources to Ariyamangalam dumping yard, which receives nearly 400 metric tons of garbage daily. The corporation in association with a private firm introduced the RFID attached dumpsters in 17 wards of the city corporation in the first phase.

A private firm monitored the dumpster with the help of software,Chitragupta. They watched over workers and their cleaning activity. Once the dumpsters were cleaned, the corporation officials received a message in their cell phones.

The system has also simplified the process of segregation of waste into degradable and bio-degradable waste. Conservancy workers were trained on collection and segregation, which was put into practice in Srirangam zone a few months ago.

About Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID)

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the wireless use of electromagnetic fields to transfer data to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. The tags carry electronically stored information.

Ashish Bahuguna given additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI

Ashish Bahuguna, the Chairman of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on 4 October 2015 was given an additional charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FSSAI.

The decision was taken following the shift of Yudhvir Singh Malik to NITI Aayog as an Additional Secretary in September 2015.

A retired IAS officer of 1978-batch of Rajasthan cadre and former Agriculture Secretary, Bahuguna was appointed as Chairman of the food regulator in July 2015.

He will hold the position of CEO until a new appointment is made for the position.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

FSSAI was instituted under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 in August 2011. It is an agency of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety. It is headquartered at New Delhi.

Noted Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao died

Noted Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao died of the old-age-related illness on 4 October 2015 at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 81. He is survived by wife and a son.
Rao, the producer of 10 Telugu movies is known for his landmark films like Shankarabharanam (1979), Sagarasangamam (1983) and Swatimutyam (1986). His films helped him to garner four national awards as well as Nandi awards.

His other films included Tayaramma Bangarayya, Seetakoka Chiluka, Sitara, Swayamkrushi and Apatbandhavudu.
Siri Siri Muvva and Swatimutyam also had the distinction of being screened at Moscow Film Festival even as Shankarabharanam brought him critical acclaim at the global level.
His movie Swatimutyam was chosen as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1986, but was not nominated.
Rao, born on 24 April 1934, started his career as a theatre artiste, film actor, dubbing artiste turned up to be a film producer by launching Poornodaya Movie Creations in 1978. His first production under this banner was Siri Siri Muvva.

DRDO inaugurated world’s highest Research Centre in Ladakh

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 3 October 2015 inaugurated an Extreme Altitude Research Centre at Chang La, Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir at 17600 feet above mean sea level. It is the world’s highest terrestrial research and development centre.

It is situated 75 km off Leh town towards Pangong Lake.

The centre has been established by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, a constituent establishment of DRDO.

The centre will serve as a natural cold storage for preserving rare and endangered medicinal plants for generations.

The centre will be highly useful for Research & Development work in anterior areas of food and agriculture and bio-medical sciences for safety of the soldiers deployed in high-altitude cold desert.

Besides, many life sciences activities are planned to be undertaken at the centre including human physiological work, long term conservation of plant genetic resources, designing, testing, validation and demonstration of mobile greenhouses, soil-less micro-farming technologies for fresh food in far-flung landlocked posts.

About Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR)

Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), formerly known as Field Research Laboratory, is one of the laboratories of DRDO. It was established in 1962. The lab is the brainchild of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru.

DIHAR is situated in Leh at an altitude of 3500 meter above mean sea level. The lab specialises in cold arid agro-animal technology in the world.

Malaysia ordered shut down of schools due to choking smog

Malaysian authorities on 4 October 2015 ordered shut down of most of the country's schools for two days because of possible health risks posed by the thick haze from Indonesian forest fires. The handful schools which were excluded from the order are located in outlying areas of the country.
As per the order, the schools will remain closed on 5 October and 6 October 2015.
The action was taken after about half of Malaysia's 52 pollutant monitoring stations around the country registered unhealthy air quality. Of these 52 stations, six including one in Kuala Lumpur registered very unhealthy levels, with one area in the outskirts of the capital hovering close to the hazardous level.

The Education Minister of Malaysia Mahdzir Khalid said that the haze that is happening is beyond our control. The issue should be dealt wisely and quickly as it can harm children of the country.
How the smog was caused?
The smog was caused due to smoke from forest fires on Sumatra Island which started in mid-August 2015 and gradually became worse in September 2015.
The forest fires resulted from illegal slash-and-burn practices, principally in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. The burning practices are practiced for the production of pulp, paper and palm oil and it increases during the dry season.
This has affected several Southeast Asian countries, like Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, by creating thick haze of smog and it is on the track to be the worst on record, surpassing the 9-billion dollar damage, which was recorded in 1997.

Effects of the haze in the region
• It forced shutting down of the Singapore leg of the FINA World Championships, swimming World Cup. This championship included four-time US Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin as a participant.
• One of Malaysia's biggest marathons was also cancelled because of health fears for the 30000 runners
• Local football league matches have been shelved
Besides, the smog in the second week of September 2015 forced the Indonesian government to declare a state of emergency in Riau province, one of the worst affected areas.

Earlier, a state of emergency was declared in six Indonesian provinces, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management.

Israel barred Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City

Israeli Police on 4 October 2015 barred Palestinian residents of Jerusalem from entering the Old City. The unprecedented action was taken after two Israelis were stabbed to death by Palestinians.
The Old City restrictions will be in place for two days, but Israelis, tourists, residents of the area (including Palestinians), business owners and students will be allowed to visit the city. The two-day closure was intended to protect visitors arriving to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

According to the order, worship at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Jews and Muslims, will be limited to men aged 50 and above. There will be no age restrictions on women.
According to reports, around three lakh Palestinians live in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where the Old city is located.

China won 2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship

China on 3 October 2015 won the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship by defeating the Philippines by 78-67 in the final.

The victory has won the nation a direct qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The game was organised in front of a 7000 strong capacity crowd in Changsha, Hunan province of China.

In the final game, Yi Jianlian scored maximum runs and earned 15 rebounds. He was also selected as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Philippines and Iran have secured the second and third place respectively in the tournament. India ended on eighth place in the tournament.

Odisha launched Citizen Portal to launch police complaints

Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik on 3 October 2015 launched a Citizen Portal, which enables the citizens to lodge their complaints online to the state police through internet.

The facility will allow citizens to access information, request for different police services and complaints. They can also get a copy of FIR.

Features of Citizen Portal

• Citizens can avail the service of portal to get character certificates.

• They can seek permission for taking out processions, rallies, protests and strikes.

• They can ask for permission to hold events and performances.

• They can use the portal for tenants verification, employees verification.

• They can also track the status of the complaints registered by them on the portal.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine-2015 announced

The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine on 5 October 2015 announced the recipients of the 2015 award.

The 2015 prize was divided, one half jointly to William C Campbell (Ireland) and Satoshi Omura (Japan) for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and the other half to Youyou Tu (China) for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.

Contributions of Awardees

William C Campbell is an Irish biochemist, Biologist and Parasitologist known for his discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworms. Currently, he is a research fellow emeritus at Drew University, Madison in New Jersey, the USA.

Satoshi Omura is a Japanese biochemist. He is known for the discovery and development of various originally occurring microorganisms in pharmaceuticals to treat roundworm. At present, he is associated with the Kitasato University of Japan.

Youyou Tu is a Chinese medical scientist, pharmaceutical chemist, and educator best known for discovering artemisinin (also known as Qinghaosu) and dihydroartemisinin, used to treat malaria. At present, she is working at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

National Anti-Drug Addiction Day observed on 2 October

2 October: National Anti-Drug Addiction Day

The National Anti-Drug Addiction Day was observed on 2 October 2015 across the country. It was observed to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who condemned the use of drugs.

The aim of the day is to make India free from drug and to preserve the talent.

The day was created by the Union Government against the backdrop of growing drug addiction in the country.

As per the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), while the year 2012 saw 10796 drug-related cases, it was increased to 12818 in 2013.

Further, in recent times, India has become the major global transiting point for illegal drug trade.

As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), about 90 percent of Afghan-originated heroin is illegally transported from Punjab (India) to other parts of the world including Canada and Australia.

6 october

Shashi Kapoor honoured with Lifetime Achievement award at Jagran Fest

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor was on 5 October 2015 honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award during the closing ceremony of the 6th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai.
The 77-year-old actor, who is wheelchair bound, received the award from filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

List of winners at the Jagran Fest includes
• Best Director: Shoojit Sircar for his film Piku
• Best Feature Film: Kaushik Ganguly's Bengali film Chotoder Chobi
• Best Actor (male): Dulal Sarkar for an outstanding performance in Chotoder Chobi
• Best Actor (female): Bhumi Pednekar for her portrayal of Sandhya in Dum Laga Ke Haisha
• Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema: Veteran make-up artiste Pandhari Juker
• Best Debut Director: Ghaywan for his maiden attempt in the internationally acclaimed film Masaan
• Best Screenplay: Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
• Best Editing: Pooja Ladha Surti for Badlapur
• Best Background Score: Sanjay Wandrekar & Atul Raninga for PK
• Best Sound Design: Anish John for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labor of Love)
• Best Cinematography: Pankaj Kumar for Haider
• Best Singer Female: Jyoti Nooran for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
• Best Singer Male: Sukhwinder for Haider
• Best Music Director: Vishal Bharadwaj for Haider
• Best Female Supporting Actor: Tabu for Haider
• Best Male Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra for Masaan
• Best Set Design: Vandana Kataria for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
• Special Jury Awards: Vicky Kaushal for his performance in Masaan and Gajendra Ahire for his film Postcard
Director Sachin Kundalkar's Hindi family drama "Rajwade and Sons" was the closing film of the festival.
The 2015 edition of the festival travelled from Delhi to Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Dehradun, Hisar, Ludhiana, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Indore, and Bhopal before ending in Mumbai.

Growth of eight core sectors increased by 2.6 percent in August 2015

The Index of Eight Core Industries with base year 2004-05 was released on 30 September 2015 by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
As per official figures released on 30 September 2015, growth of eight core sectors grew by 2.6 percent in August 2015, as compared to the August 2014. The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stands at 169.6 in August 2015. Its cumulative growth during April to August, 2015-16 was 2.2 percent.

Growth in Core Sectors in August 2015 compared to August 2014

Core Sectors	Weight in IIP	Growth in August 2015	Cumulative Growth April-August 2015
Coal	4.38 %	0.4 %	4.6 %
Crude Oil	5.22 %	5.6 %	0.5 %
Natural Gas	1.71 %	3.7 %	Declined by 2.7 %
Refinery Products (93% of Crude Throughput)	5.94%	5.8 %	4.3 %
Fertilizers	1.25%	12.6 %	5.9 %
Steel (Alloy + Non-Alloy)	6.68%	Declined by 5.9 %	Declined by 0.03 %
Cement	2.41%	5.4 %	1.8 %
Electricity	10.32%	5.6 %	2.8 %

Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by Santosh Singh released

Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar: Santosh Singh
The book titled Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by the Assistant Editor of the Indian Express’ Santosh Singh was released in last week of September 2015.

The book Ruled or Misruled offers a 360 degree journey of Bihar politics since Independence, especially since the Congress’ downfall in 1990. An out and out reporter’s book, tells an interesting and tumultuous journey of the post-1990 legends of Bihar politics - Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi with the legendary clash between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi - with the untold version on the 2010 dinner cancellation and Nitish’s ambition, providing the third angle.
The book also narrates the stories of repair, hope and construction under Nitish Kumar, disillusionment and new political realignment after the 2013 NDA split. It highlights the coming together of Nitish and Lalu after two.

Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by Santosh Singh released

Islamic State destroyed Arch of Triumph in Palmyra

Terror outfit ISIS on 4 October 2015 destroyed the 2000-year-old Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.

The iconic Arch of Triumph was situated at the entrance to Palmyra’s historic colonnaded street which linked the Roman Empire to Persia. The Arch is the latest victim in a series of destruction of historical ruins since Iraq and Syria have come under the control of IS.

ISIS militants seized control of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding area from Syrian government forces in May 2015. Since then, the terror group has been on a mission to destroy the historical architectures of the city.

Destruction of cultural heritage in Palmyra by ISIS

• On 27 June 2015, Islamic State demolished the ancient Lion of Al-lāt statue.

• On 23 August 2015, it blew up the 1st-century Temple of Baalshamin.

• On 30 August 2015, it demolished the Temple of Bel with explosives.

• Between 27 August 2015 and 2 September 2015, it destroyed the 2nd-century AD Tower of Elahbel.

Telangana government announced 50 percent subsidy on purchase of seeds

To reduce input costs for farmers in the Rabi season in view of the Kharif failure, the Telangana Government on 4 October 2015 announced 50 percent subsidy on purchase of seeds.
The decision was made during the high level review meeting held in Hyderabad. The meeting was held after several farmers committed suicide due to crop failure in Kharif season.

As per the decision, groundnut and Bengal gram seeds will be supplied to farmers at 50 percent subsidy. Benefits for farmers as per the decision
• 30 kilogram bag of groundnut seeds will be sold at 1400 rupees
• 25 kilogram bag of Bengal Gram seeds will be sold at for 800 rupees
The Government also asked officials to monitor supply of seeds, fertilisers and power on a day-to-day basis and Bankers to issue fresh loans for Rabi season.

Amo doli programme launched by Odisha government in naxal-affected Rayagada district

To help patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach nearest hospital, the state government of Odisha on 4 September 2015 launched a healthcare programme named ‘Amo doli programme’. The programme was launched in naxal-affected Rayagada district of the state and will benefit people of 183 remote villages to reach the hospital.

Under the Amo Doli programme, a stretcher has been designed as a sling to carry patients smoothly and with less effort. Each sling costs around 9000 rupees and the programme is being funded under the Integrated Action Plan which is meant for Maoist-affected districts.
Benefits of Amo doli programme
• It will help the patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach their nearest hospital or motorable road.
• After reaching the nearest motorable point, the villagers can call ambulance by dialing 102 for pregnant women or 108 for emergency services to shift a patient to the nearest hospital.
The slings will be kept either at village welfare committees or with ASHA workers. The programme aims at helping people residing in hilly areas where no approach road to a village exists.
This specially-designed sling will replace the traditional method in which people residing in remote and tribal areas of the state used to carry a patient to hospitals by converting a bed into a sling by tying rope on its both ends.

World Habitat Day observed across the world

First Monday of October: World Habitat Day
The World Habitat Day was on 5 October 2015 observed across the world with the theme Public Spaces for All. The 2015 World Habitat Day campaign aims to recognize the challenges and issues around Public Spaces.

The origin of World Habitat Day dates back to 17 December 1985, when the UN General Assembly designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day through its resolution. It was first celebrated in 1986.
Objectives of World Habitat Day 2015

Raise awareness about the need for well designed and managed public spaces and streets.
Develop processes and tools to promote ensure public spaces are conducive and safe for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
Enhance community cohesion and safety for all citizens through activity and events held in public spaces and streets.
Contribute to a policy dialogue that focuses on the broad range of issues related to integration public spaces and streets into city planning.
Identify policy formulation and capacity development issues in which the UN system, in particular UN-Habitat, can offer significant contributions.
Identify key stakeholders in urban areas and actively engaging them in discussions that offer solutions to sustainable development, especially regarding the topic of Public Spaces and streets
Contribute to implementation of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 11 Target 7.

Maintenance of Public Spaces
Public spaces are places which are accessible and enjoyable by all without a profit motive and take on various spatial forms, including parks, streets, sidewalks, markets and playgrounds. These public spaces have often been overlooked and undervalued, but are increasingly being considered as the backbone of cities.
Good public spaces enhance community cohesion and promote health, happiness, and well-being for all citizens as well as fostering investment, economic development and environmental sustainability.
Well designed and managed public spaces and streets are a key asset for a city’s livability and economy, as they:

Increase property values
Multiply retail activity
Enhance safety
Foster social cohesion and equality
Improve health and well-being
Improve the environment
Make the city more attractive
Promote more effective and efficient transportation and mobility

Second phase of Mission Indradhanush launched in 352 districts

The Union Government on 5 October 2015 launched second phase of the immunisation programme, Mission Indradhanush, focusing on 352 districts.

The second phase of the programme aims at achieving more than 90 per cent full immunization in the country by 2020. The mission targets to cover all children below 2 years of age and pregnant women with full immunization against seven vaccine preventable diseases.

The second phase will watch over 352 districts including 279 mid priority districts, 33 from the North East states and 40 districts from phase one where large number of missed out children were detected.

The second phase will last for a week starting from 7 October 2015. It will be followed by weeklong intensified immunization drives for three consecutive months, starting from 7 November 2015 and 7 December 2015 and 7 January 2016.

First phase of Mission Indradhanush

The Union Government launched Mission Indradhanush on 25 December 2014 to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough (Pertussis), tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B by 2020.

The first round of the first phase started from 7 April 2015 which focused on 201 districts in 28 states. It was followed by three rounds of more than a week in the months of April 2015, May 2015, June 2015 and July 2015, starting from 7th of each month.

During the four rounds of Mission Indradhanush, 9.4 lakh sessions were held, during which about 2 crore vaccines were administered to the children and pregnant women.

India, Germany signed 18 MoUs in various sector to strengthen bilateral relations

India and Germany on 5 October 2015 signed 18 MoUs in various sector including renewable energy, skill development and culture. The MoUs were signed at the end of third Indo-German Inter-governmental Consultations in New Delhi.
The meeting was co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel co-chaired the meeting.

List of Agreements/MoU’s signed
• Promotion of Languages: Joint Declaration of Intent signed between Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The agreement seeks to promote German as a foreign language in India and the promote Modern Indian Languages in Germany.
• Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership: MoU between the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding the Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership.
• Security Cooperation: MoU was inked between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany.
• Aviation Security: MoU was inked between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• Cooperation in the Field of Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training: A Joint MoU was inked between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, on one hand, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, on the other hand.
• Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Management: The Joint Declaration of Intent was inked by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany.
• For extension of tenure of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC): Announced as a Joint Declaration by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany.
• Indo-German Partnerships in Higher Education (IGP): MoU was inked between University Grants Commission (UGC) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Germany.
• Plant Protection Products: Joint Declaration of Intent was inked by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, (MoA&FW) and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), Germany.
• Cooperation in the Field of Railways: to further develop the cooperation in the field of railways a Joint Declaration of Intent was inked between the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Germany and the Ministry of Railways.
• Cooperation in the Field of Manufacturing: MoU was inked between the Department of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises of India and Fraunhofer Society of Germany.
• Fast-Track system for German companies in India: Joint Announcement was made.
• Cooperation in the Field of Advanced Training of Corporate Executives and Junior Executives from India: Joint Declaration to continue the cooperation was inked between the two nations.
• Cooperation in Food Safety: Joint Statement of Intent was inked between the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Cooperation in Food Safety: Joint Statement of Intent was inked between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL).
• Cooperation in Agricultural Studies: MoU inked between German Agribusiness Alliance and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI).
• Supporting participation of Indian Young Scientists in Natural Sciences for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings: Letter of Intent was inked between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of India, the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Council), and the Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Foundation).
• Summary Record of the Negotiations on Development Cooperation: Inked between the Union Government and the Government of Germany.
The first Indo-German Inter-governmental Consultations took place in India in 2011 and in 2013, Germany hosted the second round. Since taking up this format of cooperation, Indo-German relations have been on a steady upswing.

US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries signed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement

The United States (US), Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries on 5 October 2015 signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to lower trade barriers, bolster worker protections and set standards for a raft of other industries.

The TPP is designed to facilitate trade among the US and a host of other countries scattered across both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
The 10 other countries of the Pacific Rim which signed the agreement are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. China, the world's second-largest economy, is not part of the agreement.
This TPP agreement encompassing nearly 40 percent of the world economy will now have to be ratified by the lawmakers of each country.
What will TPP do?
• It cuts trade tariffs and sets common standards in trade for 12 Pacific-rim countries, including the US and Japan.
• The partnership eliminates more than 18000 taxes that various countries put on made-in-America goods; this will level the playing field for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers.
• The TPP deal also sets minimum standards on issues ranging from workers’ rights to environmental protection.
• It also sets up dispute settlement guidelines between governments and foreign investors separate from national courts.
• Unfortunately, the TPP will not create jobs. While the administration touts the TPP as a job-creating, wage-raising enterprise, but it has not made public any employment or sectoral impacts study.

Overall Benefits of TPP
• Includes the Strongest Worker Protections of Any Trade Agreement in History
• Includes the Strongest Environmental Protections of Any Trade Agreement in History
• Helps Small Businesses Benefit from Global Trade
• Promotes E-Commerce, Protects Digital Freedom, and Preserves an Open Internet
• Levels the Playing Field for US Workers by Disciplining State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
• Prioritizes Good Governance and Fighting Corruption
• Includes First Ever Development Chapter
• Capitalizes on America’s Position as the World Leader in Services Exports

How TPP Upgrades NAFTA?
The past trade deals including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have not always lived up to the expectations. The TPP improves substantially on NAFTA’s shortcomings, it delivers on that promise. TPP upgrades existing standards and sets new standards that reflect today’s economic realities:
• It adopts highest environmental standards of any trade agreement.
• It adopts the highest labor standards, including fully-enforceable requirements to protect the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively.
• It includes the first-ever measures to ensure that state-owned enterprises compete on a commercial basis.
• It sets the standards to protect digital freedom, by preserving the free flow of information across borders.
• It improves protections for 40 million American workers whose jobs depend on innovation.

Why was the TPP deal controversial?
The TPP deal has been controversial because of the secret negotiations that have shaped it over the past five years and the perceived threat to an array of interest groups from Mexican auto workers to Canadian dairy farmers.
Although the complex deal sets tariff reduction schedules on hundreds of imported items from pork and beef in Japan to pickup trucks in the United States, one issue that has been controversial is the minimum period of protection of the rights to data used to make biological drugs by companies.
A politically charged set of issues surrounding protections for dairy farmers was also addressed. New Zealand, home to the world’s biggest dairy exporter wanted increased access to US, Canadian and Japanese markets.
Separately, the United States, Mexico, Canada and Japan also agreed rules governing the auto trade that dictate how much of a vehicle must be made within the TPP region in order to qualify for duty-free status.

UCO Bank registered highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets

UCO Bank on 4 October 2015 registered the highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in percentage terms against total loans in the 2014-15 fiscal year. With this, UCO Bank became the worst performer among the other public sector banks.

The Gross NPA to gross advances ratio of UCO Bank increased to 8.05 percent at the end of March 2015 from 4.47 percent, accretion of 3.58 on an annual basis.
The UCO Bank was followed by Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) with their gross NPA rising to 8.30 percent and 6.18 percent respectively at the end of March 2015. Besides, the gross NPA of Dena Bank increased from 3.33 percent to 5.29 percent at the end of 2014-15.
At the same time, Corporation Bank's gross NPA level rose from 3.42 percent to 4.80 per cent at the end of March 2015, showing an accretion of 1.38 over the previous fiscal.
Rising NPA has hit the bottom-line of banks and to strengthen their balance-sheet the government is providing 25000 rupees capital support in the current fiscal.
About Non Performing Assets
Banks usually classify any commercial loans as Non-Performing Assets which are overdue for more than 90 days and any consumer loans which are overdue for more than 180 days. More generally, NPA are those assets that are not producing any income.

Central Government launched KISAN Project and Hailstorm App for crop damage

The Union Government on 5 October 2015 unveiled KISAN Project [C(K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoiNformatics] of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

The project will use satellite and drone-based imaging and other geospatial technology to get timely and precise data on crop yields.

The pilot study will be carried out in one district each of Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra during Kharif season of 2015 and two districts each of these states during Rabi season of 2015-2016.

The programme will be jointly implemented by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), an attached Office of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & FW, ISRO Centres (Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad & National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad), India Meteorological Department, CCAFS, State Agriculture Departments and State Remote Sensing Centres.

In addition, the government also launched an Android-based app, developed by ISRO, for collection of data of hailstorm to access large-scale damage to standing crops. The data collected by the app will greatly help the Union Agriculture Ministry in making quick assessment of damage to crops because of hailstorm.

Renowned Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell died

Renowned and best seller Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell died on 5 October 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden due to lung cancer. He was 67.

He was best known for creating his most famous character, Swedish police inspector Kurt Wallander, on whom he based a series of mystery novels between 1991 and 2009. He introduced Wallander in 1997 in his famous novel, Faceless Killers.

He was also a noted children's author and dramatist.

Henning Mankell was born on 3 February 1948 in Stockholm, Sweden. He started his career at the age of 20 as an author and assistant director at the Riksteater in Stockholm.

He has won many awards and honour including Swedish Crime Writers' Academy, Best Swedish Crime Novel Award for Faceless Killers in 1991, Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Sidetracked in 2001 and Corine Literature Prize for the German Audiobook, The Man from Beijing in 2008.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry inaugurated Advantage Healthcare India 2015

Ministry of Commerce & Industry on 5 October 2015 inaugurated an international summit on Medical Value Travel, Advantage Health Care India, 2015. The summit aims at promoting healthcare services exports from India.

The summit is organised by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) from 5 October to 7 October 2015 in New Delhi.

The international summit was inaugurated in India with a purpose to reach out to countries and people in various regions of the world for collaborations and capacity-building in the healthcare sector.

Jack Dorsey appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter

Popular micro-blogging site Twitter on 5 October 2015 announced Jack Dorsey as its permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The appointment of Dorsey, who is also the CEO of mobile payments company Square, marks his second stretch as Twitter’s CEO. He will handle both the jobs at once.

Dorsey has served as interim CEO of Twitter since former CEO Dick Costolo stepped down on 1 July 2015.

About Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey was born on 19 November 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. By professional qualifications, he is a programmer and businessman.

Dorsey along with Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams founded the famous micro-blogging site Twitter, Inc. in March 2006.

In 2008, Dorsey was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35. He was also awarded with Innovator of the Year Award for technology by the Wall Street Journal in 2012.

California signed Right to Die Bill for terminally ill people into a Law

California on 5 October 2015 allowed terminally ill patients to legally end their lives under a doctor’s supervision after state governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law.
With this signing of the bill, California became the fifth state in United States to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.
The other four states that allow such assisted suicides to terminally ill people are Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana.

The bill is partially inspired by the case of a terminally ill Californian woman who moved to Oregon to end her life and is modeled on the lines of Oregon’s assisted suicide system.
Oregon approved the assisted suicide system for the first time in 1994, however, it said that before receiving life-ending drugs, patients need two physicians to say that they have less than six months to live and are mentally fit to make the decision.
The right-to-die bill was introduced by the California lawmakers in 2015 for the first time since 2007. The lawmakers cited increased attention to end-of-life issues after the highly publicized case of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old San Francisco Bay Area woman with terminal brain cancer who moved to Oregon to legally kill herself in 2014.

Arthur B McDonald and Takaaki Kajita shared 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics

Japan's Takaaki Kajita and American Arthur B. McDonald on 6 October 2015 jointly won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass. Takaaki Kajita belongs to the University of Tokyo while McDonald is from Queen's University, Canada.

Both the winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor prize money with one half going to McDonand and the other half to Kajita. Each winner will also get a diploma and a gold medal at the annual award ceremony on 10 December 2015, the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel.

The Discovery of Neutrino Oscillations
Takaaki Kajita presented the discovery that neutrinos from the atmosphere switch between two identities on their way to the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan.
While, the research group in Canada led by Arthur B. McDonald demonstrated that the neutrinos from the Sun were not disappearing on their way to Earth. Instead they were captured with a different identity when arriving to the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.
Their experiments demonstrated that neutrinos change identities. This metamorphosis requires that neutrinos have mass. The discovery has changed understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to view of the universe.
With this, a neutrino puzzle that physicists had wrestled with for decades, had been resolved. Compared to theoretical calculations of the number of neutrinos, up to two thirds of the neutrinos were missing in measurements performed on Earth. Now, these two experiments discovered that the neutrinos had changed identities.
The discovery led to the far-reaching conclusion that neutrinos, which for a long time were considered mass-less, must have some mass, however small.

Department of Biotechnology tied-up with Prakash Lab to distribute Foldscope to students

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) on 5 October 2015 tied-up with US firm Prakash Lab to provide the Prakash Lab’s low cost paper folding-microscope, the Foldscope to students in India. Foldscope will be used as an educational tool to understand physics, chemistry, biology and instrumentation.

The Foldscope was developed by Dr Manu Prakash, an Indian-origin Assistant Professor at Stanford University.
In this regard, the Letter of Intent was exchanged between DBT and the Prakash Lab in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Silicon Valley in USA in September 2015. Prakash Lab is a research group at Stanford University working in the field of engineering and physical biology.
Highlights of the Tie-up
• Prakash Lab will source Foldscope to DBT and its constituents.
• The DBT will ensure that the Foldscope is provided to students of the Star College scheme in each identified college.
• Workshops and training programmes will be run by Prakash Lab in collaboration with Indian institutions. The nascent Local Foldscope community based in India will also be involved in training.
• After this initial pilot program, the collaboration with Prakash Lab will be expanded to setting up of joint research for explorations of other low cost instrumentation in colleges as deemed mutually appropriate.
About Foldscope
• The Foldscope is torchlight in the hands of human curiosity that allows each and every one to explore the planet at the microscopic level, just as the telescope allows us to explore the stars.
• Foldscope is provided as a kit where the student starts by first building the actual unit from the kit and explores curiosity driven questions surrounding the microscopic world in physics, chemistry and biology.
• The users of Foldscope also build an online community and share insights, projects, questions and scientific discoveries with the community at Foldscope online platform.