Skip to main content

MANGALYAAN A BIG ACHIEVEMENT

The successful launch of Mars Orbiter Mission and power generation from Kudankulam nuclear power plant were some of the major achievements in the field of space and atomic energy in 2013. ISRO, which comes under the Department of Space (DoS), achieved a major feat by launching the Mars Mission in November, an exercise undertaken only by a handful countries. Launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, the MOM on December 4 escaped earth's sphere of influence and is now on a course to encounter Mars after a journey of about 300 days. The Rs 450-crore project would provide the scientific community better opportunities in planetary research. Apart from it, ISRO also launched oceanographic satellite SARAL, a joint Indo-French Satellite programme, advanced weather satellite INSAT-3D, advanced multi-band communication satellite, GSAT-7. However, a major setback for ISRO was calling off the launch of GSLV-D5 after a leak was observed in the UH25 fuel system of the liquid second stage just two hours before the scheduled lift-off. ISRO was criticised by many in the scientific community in India and abroad for prioritising MOM over GSLV-D5. The Department of Atomic Energy's pursuit in generating nuclear power got a boost when the first unit of Kudankulam plant started generating power in October. The 1000 MW unit 1 of KKNPP is currently the largest nuclear power generation plant in the country. 
On the other hand, agreement between Russia and India for building units 3 and 4 for Kudankulam plant could not be signed after Russia raised objections over the liability issue. The liability clause of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act 2010 proved to be a major hurdle with foreign collaborators raising concerns over it. During Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to US in September, an Early Works Agreement was also signed between US company Westinghouse Electric and DAE in order to push forward the Mithi Virdhi nuclear power plant project in Gujarat in which the company will provide AP-1000 reactors. Hectic negotiations between French company Areva and DAE over the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant project also hit hurdles with both parties disagreeing over the some clauses in the CLND Act 2010. The civil nuclear cooperation deal signed between India and Canada also came into force in September. However, despite several rounds of negotiations with Japan and Australia on cooperation in the field of civil nuclear technology, an agreement could not be signed with these countries. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GARBLED TEXT MESSAGE A SIGN OF STROKE

Difficulty or inability to write a coherent text message, even in people who have no problem speaking, may become a "vital" tool in diagnosing a type of crippling stroke, according to a new research. Scientists at Henry Ford Hospital focused on a 40-year-old man visiting the metro Detroit area on business who showed signs of "dystextia," a recently coined term for incoherent text messaging that can sometimes be confused with autocorrect garble. But in his case, the man saw nothing wrong with the garble. The patient had no problem with a routine bedside test of his language abilities - including fluency of speech, reading, writing, comprehension and other factors. However, when asked to type a simple text message, he not only produced garble, but he was unable to see it as such. Despite showing only slight facial asymmetry and no other symptoms, doctors determined the man had suffered an acute ischemic stroke, in which a clot or other blockage cuts off blood supply t...
Post a Comment
Read more

YOGA IN MID AIR

With the stage set for International Yoga Day this Sunday, yoga asanas were performed mid-air at 35,000 feet above the sea-level, arguably the first time ever! The asanas called Upayoga or useful yoga were performed as a trial-run aboard the Delhi-Guwahati and Guwahati-Delhi flights of budget airline SpiceJet with over 180 passengers and crew. The Gurgaon-based carrier has teamed up with Isha Foundation of Sadhguru to conduct mid-air yoga sessions on its select Boeing flights on Sunday, which is being observed as International Yoga Day. Talking about the yogic postures demonstrated, Gita, a teacher with the Isha Foundation said the session was designed to reduce stress for passengers who travel long hours. "These are safe, simple postures which can be done by anyone, and can be practiced anytime and anywhere. They help in relieving stress accumulated in the upper neck and spine region," Gita told PTI. The passengers on board, who had no clue about the onboard yoga demonstr...
Post a Comment
Read more

WILL NIFTY FALL BELOW 2000?

Correlating the ups and down in the Indian rupee with the stock market, Vijay Bhambwani, CEO, bsplindia.com, suggests that if the rupee continues with its downward fall, the Indian stock market may fall breach October lows and fall further. “If the rupee falls below the 53.0-53.50 mark vis-a-vis the USD, expect a mini meltdown atleast in the equity markets. In that case, the 2250 level (on Nifty) will be breached easily to form a new low. The possibility of that low being below the 2000 levels on the Nifty spot is fairly high,” he says. Bhambwani supports his outlook by comparing the value of rupee at the time of October lows. “The October 2008 lows were made with the INR at 51.20 - 51.40 band. The rupee has breached the 52 level since then. Clearly the nation’s ‘share price’ (currency) indicates weakness. The curency market is a far more accurate barometer of the nation’s health compared to the equity indices. Whether you like it or not, we are under siege. Had it not been March (NAV ...
Post a Comment
Read more