A novel scheme aimed at providing social security to agricultural labourers has been launched by the Union Labour Ministry in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Udaipur is one of the 50 districts in the country, and the first in this State, where this scheme has been initiated. The scheme was formally launched recently with a representative of "Krishi Samooh" (agricultural group) of Gudel village in Salumbar Panchayat Samiti presenting the first premium amount of Rs. 7,300 to the Udaipur District Collector. A group of at least 20 agricultural labourers would be formed in each village panchayat for extending the scheme’s benefits. Each labourer will be contributing a premium of Rs. 365 and the Central Government will contribute Rs.730 every year as its share.

Government is setting up a highly specialized trauma centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Jai Prakash Narain Trauma Centre, under AIIMS, would come up as a comprehensive multi-disciplinary facility which would function as a referral and nodal agency through a process of networking among the hospitals under various agencies in the Capital. This will include the hospitals of MCD, NDMC, Railways, Armed Forces Hospitals and central and Delhi Government hospitals. To be built at a cost of Rs.55 crore, the centre will have a 140-bed trauma care hospital with state-of-the-art facilities and would serve as a role model for future trauma centers in different parts of the country.

The up-rated version of the engine developed a chamber pressure of 58.5 bar against 52.5 bar in the current version. This new engine uses UH25 (a mixture of unsymmetrical di-methyl hydrazine hydrate) as fuel and nitrogen tetroxide as oxidiser. A number of short-duration tests of the up-rated version was conducted in the past few months to check the inter-play of various parameters to ensure a stable combustion before conducting the test. In addition to verification of performance of the engine for full duration, the test validated the silica-phenolic throat for the extended duration of burning time.

the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) in Gwalior, will degrade human waste at extreme low temperatures inside bio-digesters. The bio-digester essentially consists of three concentric cylinder chambers. The faecal matter in put inside it for decomposition along with the bacteria. Scientists at DRDE developed the bio-digesters of 2,000 –litre capacity that will have an inside temperature of 5 degree centigrade. A single bio-digester can decompose wastes from 50 people for more than 10 years.

in a Major policy decision, Union Toursim and Culture Minister has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for setting up the Uday Shankar Centre for Dance and Music in the picturesque Almora region in Uttaranchal. The government will also develop Almora as a heritage site, which would place it on the international tourist map. The new Centre would not only recapture the cultural milieu of Uday Shankar’s times but also become a nerve centre for fresh artistic creativity in the backdrop of the breathtaking view of the Himalayan peaks, pine forests and curving valleys. Shankar had experimented with all sorts of dance forms and had gathered around him a galaxy of maestros like Ustad Allauddin Khan, Guru Shankaran Nambudri, Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar.

Universities in Madhya Pradesh would now be permitted to collaborate with any institution outside the State or abroad for carrying out their teaching or research activities. The Madhya Pradesh University (Amended) Act has been approved by the State Governor and already been published in the gazette. Territorial jurisdiction of universities has outlived its relevance in modern times. The amended Act provides for setting up of educational centres by universities (in the State) within the State and the Country as well as abroad. The abolition of territorial jurisdiction of universities will facilitate them to expand their services and the facilities of teaching of any particular subject can be started in any institution.

enable the residents of far-off villages to convey their grievance. and send applications to the authorities in no time through computer. As par of the project, computers will be installed in the offices of all District Collectors and a time-frame will be fixed for disposing of the applications and grievances received through the computer. This will bring the much-needed succour to villagers who at present have to do the rounds of tehsil and district offices for their works. The novel project would help bridge the gap between the administration and the people and solve various problem of villagers.

The extended version of the surface-to-surface Prithvi missile developed for the Indian Air Force was successfully test-fired from the Interim Test Range at Chandipur-on-Sea. The missile has a range of 250 km. The missile used liquid propellant. Its flight was controlled by an onboard computer, advanced inertia and navigation systems. The launch weight of the missile was 4.6 tonnes, which included one tonne of conventional payload. Prithvi is one of the five indigenously developed missiles under the Integrated Missile Development Programme.

reforms packages announced from time to time. Launching ‘tradeportalindia.com’, the Minister said this is an important step in India’s efforts towards e-commerce as it would help in boosting exports and improving competitiveness through greater efficiency in responses and trade transaction.

basis of chassis number, colour and model of the vehicle. The Appeal and Alert Section is aimed to post the requisite information by the police to the citizens routinely and will work as a communication channel between the Police Department and an individual. The official directory will allow access to information pertaining to the ministers, secretaries and the police officers. Another feature is the Automatic Press Information System where each Superintendent of Police can issue press releases to various newspaper agencies and publishing houses.

therapy, which targets brain cells that have become dormant due to lack of oxygen (caused usually be reduced blood flow or swelling of brain tissue). The HBO therapy reduces the swelling of the brain tissues by constricting blood vessels and also increasing the amount of oxygen at the cellular level with the potential of reviving dormant, oxygen-starved areas of the brain. Apart from cerebral palsy, HBO therapy, beneficial to patients with acute traumatic wounds and crush injuries. Thermal burns, gas gangrene and compartment syndrome are other indications where the addition of HBO therapy to conventional treatment may be life and limb saving.

The Government will launch two new contraceptives for women in the national family welfare programme. The new contraceptives – Emergency Contraceptive (EC) Pill and the Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) 380 A – will be available on prescription from April 2002. This is happening after a gap of 15 years. Mala-D was the last contraceptive pill introduces for women in 1985 under the population stabilisation programme. Emergency Contraception is a hormonal method of contraception that can be used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or sexual abuse, rather than resorting to (unsafe) abortion later on. It also gives a women a second chance to avoid pregnancy if the traditional contraceptive method failed for some reason.

Category – III-A Instrument Landing System (ILS) which will enable pilots to land at a runway visibility range of 200 metres during fog conditions was made operational at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The system will enable aircraft which are equipped with trained pilots and a synchronised system to land at a visibility range of 200 metres and a decision height of 50 feet as compared to the existing visibility range of 350 metres and a decision height of 100 feet for the Category – II ILS system. The system would have avoided flight delays and diversions this winter.

India’s defence scientists have come up with a herbal drink that they say is a rich source of vitamins and does not freeze even at temperatures as low as minus 22 degree centigrade. Developed specially for soldiers serving in high-altitude areas, the Defence Research Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Multivit drink is based on extracts of the fruits of the Seabuckthorn plant. The drink, developed by a team of scientists at the Field Research Laboratory (FRL) at Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, is a rich sources of vitamins A,B,C,E and K. During trials conducted at Siachen, the worlds highest and coldest battlefield and other high-altitude stations, Multivit was rated an excellent drink. It doesn’t freeze even at temperatures of minus 22 degree centigrade.