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indianexpress:  Multiple nations should bring together their core competences to evolve a ‘World Knowledge Platform’ capable of application for global problems in all walks of life, said former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, addressing students and faculty at the foundation day of the Symbiosis Interanational University (SIU) on Wednesday.

Kalam cited examples of the BrahMo supersonic cruise missiles that were produced as a result of integrating the core competency of both India and Russia, and of the proposed e-network project in Africa using Indian technology, which would connect 53 African nations electronically to facilitate tele-medicine, distance education and overall administration. He said that such integration of competences of different nations can help develop “unique systems for global application”.

“The missions of such a knowledge platform could be to benefit fields like desalination of salt water, protective vaccines against diseases like HIV, increased production of foodgrain, improved transportation systems, knowledge products, disaster prediction and management,” said Kalam.

In his trademark interactive manner, Kalam urged the students to acquire knowledge, which comprised righteousness, creativity and courage. “Such knowledge makes you great. If you can acquire this knowledge, it is better than a Ph.D,” he said. Kalam later administered a seven-point oath of contributing to the vision of a developed India by the year 2020.

indianexpress:  The district officials have flagged off a Rs 100-crore integrated farm developmental model to help farmers adopt new and more sophisticated farming methods. According to the plan, three farmers from each of the 1,800 villages will be inducted. Officers at various levels have been identified to help in the process.

District collector Prabhakar Deshmukh, who attended the one-day meet at Agriculture College on Wednesday, confirmed that they have already trained over 5,000 block level officers. Deshmukh will now arrange a meeting for farmers, agriculture and bank officers as well as block level officers at the earliest. More such workshops for officers are expected in the near future.

The project will see one farmer in each village getting loans ranging from Rs five to Rs 10 lakh. The farmers will then be trained in a model that will integrate sugarcane farming, horticulture, drip irrigation methods, cereals, vegetables, diary, fishery or even sericulture as per the soil structure. Training will be imparted with the help of the agriculture department.

“Training of officers from five blocks — Haveli, Bhor, Velhe, Maval and Mulshi — have already begun,” said Deshmukh. “We are focusing on capacity building of these officers.”

The workshop will also give the officers technical expertise into the various models designed by Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, and how they could be implemented. The project is aimed at making farming economically viable, since traditional methods and a one-crop system have become increasingly risky, financially. This model is expected to go a long way in underlining the economic viability of farming as a livelihood means.

indianexpress: The annual chief engineers’ conference of the Border Roads Organisation commenced at GREF Centre on Wednesday. Director General Border Roads, Lt Gen AK Nanda, opened the conference with a welcome address to all chief engineers of BRO, referring to the respect gained by border roads for its contribution to the country, especially in insurgency and naxal prone environment.

Nanda also emphasised the importance of quality of work, timely completion of work, upgrade the specifications wherever possible and update the technical knowledge continuously and to increase technical expertise through regular training.

Referring to the progress in the bridges built by the BRO, Nanda enlisted the work on Rang Rang Bridge, Bansoi Bridge, Dhansiri and Chenab Bridge among the commendable achievements by the organisation this year and also stressed upon the importance of tunneling in hill roads. He also described that BRO’s progress in bridging was increasing in geometric progression every year.

Till 2003-04 the average of 1,200-1,400 m was being achieved which increased to 1,800 m in 2005-06, 2,500 m to 2006-07 and will cross 3,500 m mark in 2007-08. The 281m long Chenab bridge also has the largest prestressed span of 160 m between supports, said Nanda.

indianexpress: Internationally-acclaimed mathematicians will converge at the University of Pune (UoP) from December 27-30 as part of the 73rd annual conference of the Indian Mathematical Society (IMS), which is celebrating its centenary year this year. The conference, which is being jointly hosted by the UoP Mathematics Department along with the Government College of Engineering and Fergusson College, will be inaugurated by Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.
 
The IMS was established at the Fergusson College in 1907, with a view to establishing a forum for eminent mathematicians in India and abroad, and also inspire young mathematicians and researchers. Former university vice-chancellor Wrangler RP Paranjape served as the society’s first librarian. RB Bapat of the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, currently holds the post of president. Of the 73 annual IMS conferences hosted across India so far, Maharashtra has hosted 14, with Pune being the venue for five such conferences. The conference will consist of an academic programme, wherein eminent mathematicians will conduct plenary sessions. Among those scheduled to take part in the conference are Fields medalist ST Yau from Harvard University, R Hamilton from USA’s Colombia University, and Abel Prize awardee from the Courant Institute USA. Apart from the award lectures, there will be some invited talks, symposia, and paper presentations on various mathematics-related topics.

indianexpress: A day after being booked by the Wanworie police for allegedly sexually assaulting an 17-year-old girl, actor Ramesh was granted anticipatory interim bail this afternoon. Three other accused, Ravi Naidu, and girl’s uncle Dilip and aunt Jayshree Kavre, have also been granted bail.

Additional sessions judge V V Virkar granted bail till January 5 to the four accused, while the other two accused including, Bhagwan Vairat and Ashok Londhe, did not appear in court.

Advocates Sanjay Nahar and Sudhir Shah who represented Bhatkar argued in the court that the allegations levelled against him were “totally false and baseless.” They said Bhatkar knew Naidu as he rented his bungalow for film shooting. They said Bhatkar was never concerned with production, direction or casting and he was in no position to give the girl any role in the movie as was alleged in the complaint.

The lawyers said that the offence had been registered with an “ulterior motive,” to humiliate and malign Bhatkar’s reputation and is politically motivated. “The girl has accused Naidu of rape while Bhatkar has been booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code which relates to outraging modesty,” said Shah. Bhatkar made a brief appearence in the court. He left before the order was delivered.

Speaking to mediapersons after getting bail, an agitated Ravi Naidu denied the charges levelled against him, accusing the complainant and her mother of conspiring against him. Medha Mandke, who represented the Kavres and Naidu, said that the complainant’s mother was herself an accused in several cases. “A couple of months back, Dilip Kavre who is the complainant’s maternal uncle had filed a complaint with the police about his sister, Reshma’s, involvement in prostitution business, in a bid to prevent his niece from getting embroiled in it as well. Naidu who is a businessman and a social worker had offered help for the girl’s welfare,” said advocate Mandke.

indianexpress: Dheeraj Balasaheb Desai (25), an indutrialist from Pimpri-Chinchwad-Bhosari industtrial belt, has lost Rs 50,000 to a cyber racket operated by foreign nationals. The fraud came to light after the Mumbai police arrested a Nigerian national Emake Ogbu alias Adam Smith (25) in connection with the case, on Monday.

According to the police, Desai is the owner of Natraj Enterprises in Bhosari. He received an email from “Dr Tom Williams” on November 20. Williams mentioned that he was interested in investing 1.2 million dollars in Desai’s business. When Desai accepted the offer, Williams asked him to contact Silver Benjamin in Mumbai. Williams provided her mobile number and email address.

Benjamin called Desai to a hotel near Mumbai airport for collecting his parcel of 1.2 million dollars. She said that parcel will come by a plane and he will have to pay a custom duty of Rs 2.65 lakh for collecting it.

When Desai went to the Mumbai airport, Benjamin sent a man for helping him out. The man asked Desai to give the money and wait till he comes back with the parcel. Desai however maintained that he would collect the parcel himself. So the man left the airport and after sometime Benjamin called Desai saying that he should trust them if he wants the investment. She then gave an ICICI bank account number and asked Desai to transfer the money in it.

indianexpress: The anti-encroachment department of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) on Monday initiated a drive to clear up the encroachments along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes on Satara Road as well as the Hadapsar Road.

Officials from the encroachment department said that on Satara BRT route, three truck-full of furniture, which belonged to the furniture traders, was confiscated. The department also removed two stalls near Adinath Society. In Dhankawadi area, the 22 fruit vendors were removed. Similar action was taken in Balajinagar area.

In Hadapsar, the anti-encroachment department took action against the unauthorised vendors sitting along the roadside. During the action about 28 handcarts and 12 stalls were removed