Dynamic Indian of the Decade Awards by KG Foundation

Six persons who have made a mark in their respective fields on Sunday laid stress on human values, creation of a corruption-free society and investment in human capital. They provided the insight while being conferred the Dynamic Indian of the Decade Award by the K.G. Foundation, Coimbatore.


The Awarded Poeples are,
1. Law Commission Chairman A.R. Lakshmanan
2. Co-chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited Nandan M. Nilekani
3. Founder and Chancellor of the Vellore Institute of Technology G. Viswanathan
4. Executive Secretary of the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya B.K. Mruthyunjaya
5. Head of the IT and ITES services of Robert Bosch India K. Swaminathan
6. President of Best Medical International Krishnan Suthanthiran.


Chairman of the K.G. Foundation G. Bakthavathsalam said India was a great country with diversity. Yet, one of the ills plaguing the country was corruption.

Mr. Justice Lakshmanan asked the youth to develop the habit of saving a portion of their income, spending time with family after work and contributing to social cause.

Mr. Nilekani said that 27 years ago, India had mainly three types of companies, large multinational companies, family-owned firms and public sector companies. Infosys was then started by a group of professionals. Its turnover today was close to $4.5 billion. “We had a vision to create a global and globally competitive company that would last for a long time.”


Mr. Viswanathan said that with a population of 1.1 billion, higher education should be accessible to all.

New Administrative Building At Kongunadu Arts Collage

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Subbulakshmi Jagadeeshan on Tuesday exhorted students to take up research to find ways and means to combat natural disasters and calamities. With scientists predicting natural disasters striking various parts of the world in another 10 years, it would be better for the students to prepare themselves and indulge in research activities, to prevent disasters to save society, Subbulakshmi said.

Speaking after inaugurating a new administrative building at the Kongunadu Arts and Science college here, she said that there were growing incidents of terrorism, violence and caste and creed clashes across the World, including India. The students should stay away from such activities and concentrate only on their academic career, so that it could benefit the society, she said.

Expressing concern about the state of elders in society, Subbulakshmi said that her ministry was getting many letters from aged persons, who were neglected by their relatives, seeking help.Students should learn how to respect the elders, who were treasures of knowledge and experience, the minister said.

International Conference On “Sensors, Security, Software & Intelligent Systems”

Vice-president of Robert Bosch Sudhakar Kunte releasing proceedings of the conference in Coimbatore on Thursday. (From left) principal of CIT R. Prabhakar; Head of School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at OSU Keith A.Teague; Correspondent of CIT S.R.K.Prasad; Dean of College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at OSU Karl N .Reid; and Regents Professor at OSU R.Ramakumar are in the picture. Thanks to globalisation, driven by modern communication and other advances, workers in virtually every sector must now face competitors who live just a mouse-click away. They might be in Ireland, Finland, China, India, or in a dozen other nations whose economies are growing,” Karl N. Reid, Dean, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, Oklahoma State University (OSU), the U.S., said here on Thursday.

Inaugurating a three-day international conference on “Sensors, Security, Software and Intelligent Systems” at the Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT), he said companies like Toyota, Samsung, Intel, Microsoft, etc., had captured the world markets. “We have seen centres of excellence come up in all parts of the world, including in countries that have been defined as underdeveloped.”

Giving Taiwan and India, he said that there had been remarkable changes from 1969 to 2001 in these countries. From martial law in 1969 Taiwan had undergone an economic miracle. “Today, it is a country that has become a major player in the world market, in select areas. It has developed science parks that serve as models for the world,” Mr. Reid said. In the case of India, he said students no longer had to leave the country for higher education. “Very fine institutions of higher learning in engineering and science and other fields have come up in the last 30 years.”

S.R.K. Prasad, Correspondent, CIT, said with China coming up with engineering colleges on a par with the standard of Indian Institutes of Technology and setting up of export zones for Information Technology (IT) with phenomenal infrastructure, India would find it difficult to continue to revel in the pride of being an IT giant.

“The recent scam in the IT sector is very sad for a sector which is already suffering. South East Asian countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are coming up in a big way as lower end IT service providers. Without good technology, Indian IT companies cannot survive, ” Mr. Prasad said. Sudhakar Kunte, vice-president, Robert Bosch, Engineering and Business Solutions Limited, India, R. Ramakumar, Regents Professor, OSU, and R. Prabhakar, Principal CIT, spoke.

Workshop On Capacity Building Of Women Managers

Anandavalli Mahadevan, Vice-Chancellor, Karpagam University, speaking at a workshop organised by the Centre for Women’s Studies of Avinashilingam University for Women in Coimbatore on Monday. Very few women make it to top administrative positions not because they lack the potential but because they choose not to, Anandavalli Mahadevan, Vice-Chancellor, Karpagam University, said here on Monday.

Inaugurating a workshop on “Capacity Building of Women Managers in Higher Education” at Avinashilingam University for Women, she said that as administrative responsibilities required longer working hours and overall attention, most women tended to believe that they would not be able to balance work and their responsibilities at home. One of the most prominent reasons why women shied away from shouldering top administrative posts was society’s attitude towards women’s leadership.

The opportunities given to men and women were unequal even in this day and age. Lack of facilities for child care and old age care were also factors that prevented women from realising their full potential on the work front. There was a need to build confidence among women that if they tried well enough, they could achieve both professional as well as personal goals, she said. It had been proved several times through surveys and studies that women were more democratic and inclusive in the decision-making process. They also scored better than men in effectiveness as an administrator.

An individual’s success at work depended on a combination of his or her intellectual as well as emotional quotients. Women depended on 80 per cent of their emotional quotient and 20 per cent on their intellectual quotient, which helped them in building interpersonal relations and excellent communication abilities. They also had better skills in motivating others when compared with men. They were flexible too. But, women either had no access to education, credit, health facilities and employment or were not aware of their ability to perform, Ms.Anadavalli said.

Emerging technology had enabled the concept of working from anywhere. These empowered working women to a large extent. And, when coupled with pro-women policies, society could create an upward mobility for women. However, in order to achieve their full potential, women needed to develop their communication skills, creative thinking abilities, build their confidence and hone their decision-making skills. Also, the society in general should be sensitised to gender equality and women as leaders, she said.

K.Hemalatha, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Anna University and Regional Co-ordinator of the programme, said the University Grants Commission had granted Rs.20 crore towards this programme, which was aimed at empowering women managers. Four workshops had been conducted throughout the State. Vice-Chancellor of Avinashilingam University Saroja Prabhakaran and Director of Centre for Women’s Studies, K.C.Leelavathy, took part.

Seminar At Rathinam College

“Teachers should generate students who not only ask “Why ?”, but also “Why Not ?” Being updated is very important for teachers. We have kids who are heavily reliant on audio-visuals and teachers who are only teaching by way of lectures. We have a case of visual kids versus verbal teachers,” Anandavalli Mahadevan, Vice-Chancellor, Karpagam University, said here recently. She was speaking at a seminar on “IQAC – Defining Parameters for Promoting Quality in Higher Education” at Rathinam College of Arts and Science.

She expressed concern that institutions only disseminated knowledge, but did not create knowledge. “We are only touching upon superficial change. What we need is radical change. The main concerns in higher education in India are over-centralisation, market mismatch, little knowledge creation, difficulties in recruitment and retention of teachers. The future challenges will include commercial influence on academic culture,” she said. Ms. Mahadevan said that education was seen as a source of information.

“But mere information is not understanding. Understanding is not critical thinking. Critical thinking is not societally connected thinking. Hence, education should address all these aspects,” she asserted. S. Senthilnathan, Deputy Co-ordinator, University Grants Commission-Special Assistance Programme, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi, said that the vital question to be addressed in the Indian context was whether and how the use of Information Communication Technologies in academics by higher education institutions was contributing to the development of an Information Society.

He lamented that only a few institutions of higher learning were investing in the implementation of virtual learning environments. There was tremendous pressure on an educational system to be independent of time and place and be globally accepted. Madhan A. Sendhil, Chairman of the Rathinam Group, said teaching should not be an isolated component. “We are pathetically on a wrong track. There is no industry and research component in our teaching. Research degrees are for the sake of gaining one. Whether education should be perceived as a charity or a commercial venture and whether teachers can be appointed based on industry experience in the absence of suitable qualification are issues that will decide the future of higher education,” he said.

Kiran Bedi's Lecture

Former Delhi Police Commissioner Kiran Bedi delivering a lecture on ‘Domestic Violence’ in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Dependence and lack of empowerment led to women experiencing domestic violence.

To overcome the menace, they should know the legal provisions of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 2005 for prevention if not for punishment, said Kiran Bedi, a former Indian Police Service officer. She was delivering a lecture ‘Domestic Violence in India’ at a function organised by the Coimbatore Advocates Association and Rotary Coimbatore Spectrum. A PhD scholar who had done her thesis on ‘Domestic Violence, Drug Abuse and Alcoholism’, Ms.Kiran Bedi said that emotional, physical, biological, psychological and financial dependence of women had turned women gullible victims of domestic violence.

The earlier legal provisions such as Section 498 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) served the needs of women going through agony and torture it never helped in combating the problem completely. In fact, in the north there were more women accused in domestic violence against women, i.e., daughters-in-law being harassed by mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Procedural hitches such as delayed trials, police investigation procedures, false complaints and packed prisons were the outcome of the IPC provision. The emergence of Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 2005 shifted the cases from the criminal domain to the civil domain, eliminating the role for police. The act also very clearly defined cruelty. Slapping a woman, preventing a woman from visiting her parents’ place, denial of income, use of abusive language for reasons such as not giving birth to a male baby amounted to domestic violence.

In this act, the complainant has to be a woman and it could be against a woman also. The law simplified the procedures such as eliminating the need for a counsel, need for going through the police and courts’ attention could be drawn through an ordinary petition. Under this act, the court could appoint civilian protection officers to visit the petitioner regularly and ensure her protection and compliance with the directions.

Conference On “World Population Day”

As a fallout of the increasing population, the natural resources were being destroyed resulting in area under cultivation coming down by 20,000 acres, said Coimbatore District Collector V. Palanikumar on Wednesday. Speaking at a conference on “World Population Day” organised at Avanashilingam University by the Department of Public Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Palanikumar said that the area under cultivation in the district had come down by 20,000 acres from 4 lakh acres. This was resulting in a fall in food production.

Mr. Palanikumar said that India accounted for 113 crore of the world population, of which Tamil Nadu accounted for 6.6 crore and Coimbatore’s share was 44.2 lakh. Population explosion was resulting in food insecurity besides a plethora of problems such as inability to ensure basic infrastructure and employment.

The first casualty in population explosion was women.He called for exhaustive use of 4,000 education institutions in the district to ensure better human resource development. The thought should be that “it is better not to have been born rather than being an illiterate.” Chancellor of the University T.K. Shanmuganandam and Vice-Chancellor Saroja Prabhkaran, Deputy Director of Public Health and Family Welfare T. Karunanidhi attended.

DRDO's Chief Controller At Coimbatore

W. Selvamurthy, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller, DRDO, delivering the Evangeline Endowment Lecture at Karunya University in Coimbatore on Wednesday. The organisation that started with a mission to advise the services in defence technologies, has today evolved to ensure strategic defence as well as provide state-of-the-art tactical weapon systems, said W. Selvamurthy, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller (Life Sciences and Human Resources) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

He was delivering the Evangeline Memorial Endowment Lecture at the Karunya University, here on Wednesday. With its constant research and development efforts, the DRDO had gained the confidence of public sector units, industry, business leaders and the Armed Forces. It had emerged as a strong science and technology force. It was also increasingly involving the scientific and academic community in its indigenous research and development efforts.

“India, though low in the Human Development Index, has the unenviable position of being one of the world’s largest weapon purchasers, importing defence equipment worth more than Rs. 40,000 crore annually. The imported technologies are not really designed for us. Moreover, no country will ever offer the latest technologies to us. Given our vast borders, stringent climatic conditions, large capital acquisitions and immense costs, it is imperative that we look towards home-grown technologies,” Mr. Selvamurthy said. He said the DRDO had achieved an appreciable level of self reliance in NBC defence technologies and large quantities of these products were already delivered to the defence forces. Life support technologies and products developed by DRDO had significantly enhanced the health and operational efficiency of soldiers operating in extremes of environmental and operational conditions.

“It is high time that we as a nation switched roles from being a purchaser to a seller of Defence equipment. It will substantially boost our Gross Domestic Product. Our dependence on the developed countries for uninterrupted supply of critical accessories, spares and life cycle support, can only then be minimised,” he asserted. Mr. Selvamurthy said the DRDO was responsible for generating a large pool of dedicated trained manpower.

“Our scientists are contributing a good number of national and international patents, Intellectual Property Rights, copyrights, designs, trademarks, etc. Thereby, DRDO has been a true “knowledge bank” for the nation and holder of vast intellectual property.” Chancellor Paul Dhinakaran, Vice-Chancellor Paul P. Appasamy, and Registrar Anne Mary Fernandez, spoke.

Conference On ‘Digital Factory’

M.P. Chandrasekharan, Dean, Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai, speaking at an international conference on ‘Digital Factory’ at the Coimbatore Institute of Technology in Coimbatore on Monday. The role and future of the concept of digital factory in various engineering fields is full of potential and possibilities when it is used with quality software. This is the observation made by all the experts who spoke at the international conference on “Digital Factory” held at the Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) here on Monday.

The four-day conference was organised jointly with Business Innovation Research Centre (BIRC), Charlton College of Business, University of Massachusetts, the U.S., in collaboration with five international scientific journals. S.R.K. Prasad, Director of CIT, said the concept of digital factory meant a workplace being fully computerised. “It means factories or industries can be operated on remote. A factory in India can be operated from the U.S. through the Internet or Web, without people.”

“If India has to make a mark in the Information Technology sector, it has to shift its focus towards product development. This is possible only with a digital factory,” Mr. Prasad said.M.P. Chandrasekharan, Dean, Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai, too endorsed the opinion of Mr. Prasad and said: “Flexibility, accessibility and opportunity for designing a product is possible only with the concept of a digital factory. It becomes very simple when new quality softwares are made available.”

Delegates from across the world are participating. More than 350 papers are expected to be presented. The five international scientific journals that are collaborating for the conference are tracking the conference. “Best papers presented in this conference will find a place in the journals,” Mr. Prasad said.

Seminar On “Good Governance”

Good governance should ensure peace and prosperity, Prasanna Venkatachariar Chaturvedi, Managing Trustee of Sri Ramanuja Mission Trust, said. Speaking at a seminar on “Good Governance” organised by the Forum of Scientists Aiming at Peace and Harmony, he said governance involved identifying national resources, distributing them wisely and sustaining them. The resources could be classified into outer and the inner-most.

While the raw materials comprised outer resources, the power of intellect was the inner-most resource. He urged the youth of the country to join the movement, “Ritual for Social Renaissance.”A.Kalanidhi former Vice Chancellor of Anna University Chennai, said universities played an important role in shaping individuals. Universities should never give in to political pressures and should retain their sanctity, he said. A book, ‘Sandror Aatchi,’ authored by P.V.Sankareshwaran and translated by R.K.Moorthy, was released by P.Kanagasabhapathy, Director of Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies, Coimbatore.

Annual Day Of AJK Arts Collage

Justice E. Dharma Rao, judge of the Madras High Court (second left), releasing the college magazine at the annual day of the AJK College of Arts and Science near Coimbatore. It is only tyrants and bad rulers who are afraid of providing education and imparting knowledge to the deprived.

Ignorance and poverty, the major speed-breakers in the development of any country, could easily be overcome with education

A true democracy is where education is universal, Justice E. Dharma Rao, judge of Madras High Court, said here on Saturday. Delivering the college day address of the AJK College of Arts and Science, Navakarai, he said that such an education made people understand what was good for them and the nation and also gave them knowledge to govern themselves.

“Articles 45, 46 and 41 of the Constitution are designed to achieve the said goals, among others.”“It was B.R. Ambedkar who wanted to make elementary education free and compulsory for children below the age of 14 that paved the way for the induction of Article 45 in the Constitution. Based on this, the Government of Tamil Nadu enacted the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Elementary Education Act in 1994,” the judge said.

Mr. Justice Rao said that ignorance and poverty, the major speed-breakers in the development of any country, could easily be overcome with education. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi he said that education without courage was like a wax statue – beautiful to look at, but, bound to melt at the first touch of anything hot.

Similarly, education that failed to teach respect for others’ feelings, decency and discipline, was incomplete. “It is not about getting a degree. It becomes meaningful only if it moulds a person to have a broad outlook and show respect for all human beings,” he said. The judge distributed awards to meritorious students. R.S. Lal Mohan, Trustee, and Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Secretary and Managing Trustee, of the college, spoke.

Workshop To Increase Pulse Productivity

For quality seed production and ensuring seed availability, appropriate combination of formal and informal channels of seed production is required, Masood Ali, Director, Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, said here recently. Speaking at a workshop on “Strategies to Increase Pulse Productivity in Tamil Nadu”, conducted by the Water Technology Centre of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, he said a mission mode approach that would increase pulses production was necessary. He elaborated on the strategies and action plans that could be implemented.

Pulses grown in variable environments like irrigated, rainfed and rice fallow should be treated as separate entities and recommendations should be situation-specific

“Key inputs like development of specific varieties for rice fallows and varieties resistant to powdery mildew and yellow mosaic virus and changing the management technologies like increased seed rate for rice fallow pulses, seed priming and use of seed drills for irrigated crops are part of the mission mode approach,” Mr. Ali said.

Vice-Chancellor C. Ramasamy said that to alleviate protein hunger crops like pulses should be given adequate importance.“Pulses grown in variable environments like irrigated, rainfed and rice fallow should be treated as separate entities and recommendations should be situation-specific,” the Vice-Chancellor said. The workshop was held under the aegis of the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Bodies Restoration and Management project.

World Health Day Celebrations

The younger generation should take extra care in minimising the use of fossil fuels and thereby do their bit in reducing pollution, said V.Janardhanam, Managing Director, KTVR Group Hospital and president, Coimbatore Environmental Society.

The World Health Day celebration at the university coincided with the birth anniversary of former Vice-Chancellor of the university, Rajammal P.Devadas.

Delivering the special address at the World Health Day celebrations at Avinashilingam University, he asked students to exercise restraint in the use of non-renewable resources. Climate changes could affect human health, he said. If nothing was done to curb pollution, the aftermath of global warming and green house effect would be terrible, he observed.

The World Health Day celebration at the university coincided with the birth anniversary of former Vice-Chancellor of the university, Rajammal P.Devadas. Usha Chandrasekhar, former dean, faculty of home science, Avinashilingam University, said Rajammal P.Devadas had introduced the concept of need-based projects for the welfare of society, to the university. Most of her work was targeted towards the eradication of malnutrition in society. Addressing students, T.K.Shanmuganandam, Chancellor of the university, said that it was imperative to focus on taking nutritious food and encourage healthy food habits among the youth. A poster competition was also held in connection with the World Health Day for the students.

RVS Collage Convocation

A student receiving a certificate from Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy (second left) at the convocation of the RVS College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore recently. “Today our country competes with others in the field of education and technology. Technical knowledge of our students is so strong that it is greatly utilised by the developed countries,” Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy said here recently.

He lauded the Central and State Governments for providing a conducive atmosphere for students to pursue higher education in India

Delivering the graduation address at the RVS College of Arts and Science, he lauded the Central and State Governments for providing a conducive atmosphere for students to pursue higher education in India. “Both the Governments have provided for educational grants and loans for the benefit of economically backward and middle-class students to pursue higher education. They have to use this rare opportunity to equip themselves with quality education,” the Minister said.

In spite of the various measures taken by Government and private agencies to promote higher education, he said that the number of candidates opting for higher education was deplorable. “Though there are many loans being given for development of research, we still do not have enough scientists. The present scenario warrants producing world-class scientists for solving global problems,” Mr. Palanisamy said.

Park Collage's Graduation Day

G. Elangovan, Outstanding Scientist and Chief Controller of Research and Development of the Ministry of Defence giving away degree certificate to a student at the Graduation Day of the Park College of Engineering and Tekhnology. India has about 500 million youth in the age group of 25 and it is the most valuable resource that the nation possesses and there is a pertinent need to nurture this resource, observed G. Elangovan, Scientist and Chief Controller of Research and Development (Resource and Management) – Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Government of India.

World were carrying out advanced researches whereas India was actually lagging behind

He was delivering the seventh graduation day address of the Park College of Engineering and Tekhnology recently. Graduation, a memorable milestone in every one’s life ushers in the beginning of an exciting journey for each one of you with many challenges and opportunities at every step that you take in the future. Knowledge earned in the form of formal education would help the graduates in every opportunity as well as to negotiate every challenge. Mr. Elangovan stressed the importance of directed research with specific missions to achieve.

A number of universities in the world were carrying out advanced researches whereas India was actually lagging behind, he said. Technology is a grand platform for bringing out inherent creativity. He exhorted the need for tapping the expertise available. With proper focus, India could take advantage of the knowledge era and can become a super power. Technology has become the most important instrument of economic growth and development.

Technology today dictated the means through which one could apply science and achieve everything faster, cheaper and better. Exhorting the passing out graduates to take up a carrier in Defence Research and Development Organisation, Department of Space, Atomic Energy, Science and Technology he said that creating own Intellectual Property (IP) instead of doing outsourced work was the only way for India to create “knowledge wealth”. Chief Executive of the Institutions Anusha R. Mahesh; Principal G. Mohan Kumar; Chairman P.V. Ravi; Vice-Chairperson Prema Ravi and others took part.

Ramakrishna Mission's Graduation Celebration

M.S. Ananth, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, delivering the graduation address at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, near Coimbatore, on Saturday. “Gurukul system and the joint family system helped a lot in the inculcation of moral values. Today’s teachers should help students acquire values and help build a new India full of peace and happiness,” M.S. Ananth, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, said here on Saturday.

Gurukul system and the joint family system helped a lot in the inculcation of moral values.

Delivering the graduation day address of the combined graduation of the Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Vidyalaya College of Education and Maruthi College of Physical Education of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University at Perianaickenpalayam, he said that the country needed dedicated and committed teachers who could inspire and mould students to meet the demands of time. “Mere academic knowledge is not sufficient. Character building should be a vital component of education. Without this, education will become meaningless. As graduates, take up your responsibility in your career and gain experience. You should try to acquire sound knowledge in your chosen field,” Mr. Ananth said.

Expressing happiness that India had rich deposits of thorium, he said that it would not have the need to depend on others for uranium. “We have reason to be proud of not only our cultural heritage but also the advancement in science and technology and atomic power. For maintaining this we need more scientists,” he said. He urged the graduates to take interest in scientific research and new discoveries to take the country to new heights.

Swami Atmaramananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, underlined the importance of co-operation and team work. “More than expertise, the spirit of co-operation is the need of the hour.” He urged the graduates not to lose their ethical principles to succeed in the face of competition. V. Chinnusamy, Principal, Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Swami Anuragananda, Secretary, Maruthi College of Physical Education and S. Alagesan, Principal, Maruthi College of Physical Education, were present.

COCENA Annual Convention

Associations of civil engineers should contribute to society, especially in times of calamities, with their engineering knowledge and skill, Umesh B Rao, chairman of the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India), said here on Sunday. At the annual convention of the Coimbatore Civil Engineers’ Association (COCENA), he said engineers were instrumental for various development projects such as power and sewage treatment. They should also contribute jointly to society with their analytical capabilities.

In a release, the COCENA said that it planned to form a federation of all civil engineers’ associations in the State.

Further, the engineers should continuously educate the workforce and upgrade their skills. The associations should chalk out action plans for such activities, he said. Collaborative efforts were needed to bring in new concepts in any field and a competitor in the same profession should be ready to cooperate to bring in new practices and concepts, he said. In a release, the COCENA said that it planned to form a federation of all civil engineers’ associations in the State. The association felicitated engineers M. Raja, L.S. Jayagopal, G. Mounasamy and G. Srinivasan at the meeting.

Office-bearers :The office-bearers of COCENA for 2008 are: K. Ragavan (president), P.K. Rajasekar (vice-president), R. Saravanaraja (secretary) and A. Manoharan (treasurer).

World Health Day Programme

About 100 women in K.K. Pudur attended an interactive programme on “Healthy Living for Peaceful life” organised by the Field Publicity Office along with All India Mahila Sangh, Coimbatore Unit, in connection with World Health Day. A short film show on healthy living was also held.

Climatic changes too contributed to causing diseases, prevention acquires greater importance

K.Parameswaran, Field Publicity Officer, Kovai, Erode and the Nilgiris districts, said healthy living was all about being aware of health problems and taking steps to prevent them. “In this day and age when climatic changes too contributed to causing diseases, prevention acquires greater importance,” he said. The World Health Organisation had chosen “Climatic Changes and Health” as the theme for this year’s World Health Day celebrations, he added. Ms. Lakshmi, Retired Sales Tax Officer and social worker presided over the function. S.R Chandrashekharan, and S.Veeramani gave interactive presentations on various aspects of public health and rural sanitation.

Lecture On “Nano-science and Technology"

B.Viswanathan,Vice-Chancellor, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya University, Kanchipuram, delivering the G.R. Damodaran Endowment Lecture at the G.R. Damodaran College of Science in Coimbatore recently. The current age is characterised by innovative technological development and nano technology is advancing at an extraordinary pace. At present nano technology extends several hundred different commercial applications, B. Viswanathan, Vice-Chancellor, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya University, Kanchipuram, said here on Wednesday.

Nano-related products and consumer services could be a $ 1 trillion market by 2015

Delivering the G.R. Damodaran Endowment Lecture on “Nano-science and Technology – A Journey into the Big World of Small Things” at the G.R. Damodaran College of Science, he said the National Science Foundation of the United States predicted that nano-related products and consumer services could be a $ 1 trillion market by 2015.

“In the Indian scenario, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has launched a nano-mission initiative in 2007 with more than 300 students engaged in nano-science research, 10 joint projects funded by the DST and three nano-science institutes are on the anvil,” Mr. Viswanathan said. Pointing out the various applications that nano materials have found, for instance in catalysts, cosmetics, surface coatings and paints, food packaging, disinfectants, bandages, vapour sensors, etc., he said that many nano-particles were being used in various applications because bio-molecular and metallic components.

“Medical applications of nano-biotechnology are termed as nano-medicine. A futuristic proposal is for a molecular positional device in nano-surgery. Disease and illness are caused largely by damage at the molecular and cellular level. Tools that are molecular both in size and precision with a computer to guide these tools are required to combat them.

Food Minister In Coimbatore

Food Minister E.V. Velu (second right) chairing a meeting of police officers and civil supplies authorities on Wednesday at the City Police Office.Minister for Food E.V. Velu on Wednesday called for stepping up vigil in districts that shared borders with Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to prevent smuggling of rice and other commodities.

There was a pertinent need for stepping up vigil round-the-clock

He addressed a meeting convened to review the security arrangements and functioning of check-posts and flying squads in Kanyakumari, Coimbatore, Theni, Thiruvallur, Krishnagiri and Vellore districts that shared borders with neighbouring States. The meeting was attended by Secretary to Government for Co-operation, Food and Consumer Protection, K. Shanmugam, Inspector-General of Police, Civil Supplies CID (CS-CID), Ashish Bengra, City Police Commissioner C.K. Gandhirajan, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Coimbatore Range, Seema Agrawal, Superintendents of Police, Coimbatore, G. Karthikeyan and N. Mayilvahanan of CS-CID and DSPs of sub-divisions that shared borders with neighbouring districts.

Mr. Velu said the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) was all set to release 1,64,000 metric tonnes of rice before March-end for distribution under PDS and food for employment scheme. Hence, there was a pertinent need for stepping up vigil round-the-clock.Mr. Velu said that as ordered by the Chief Minister, the trucks should be seized besides cancellation of the permit and driving licence.The public could inform the control rooms being set up at the office of the Minister and at the office of the Inspector-General of Police and Civil Supplies-CID regarding smuggling activity or about those holding bogus family cards.

The control rooms could be accessed either by a voice call or by fax at 95-44-25670204 (Minister’s office during working hours) and 95-44-24338974 (IGP’s office round-the-clock).He exhorted the officials to file fool-proof case against those nabbed under the Prevention of Black Marketing Act so that they were not released by the State Advisory Boards. Criminal proceedings should be initiated against those who were enlarged through habeas corpus petitions before the High Court. Cases should be registered against offenders under the above Act under sections 7 (1) (a) (ii) and charge-sheets should be filed within the stipulated time to ensure that they were awarded seven years rigorous imprisonment.

Any lapse on this count would be viewed seriously and the officials concerned would be taken to task, he cautioned.The enforcement machinery had so far registered 148 cases and arrested 76 persons under sections 6 (a) of the Essential Commodities Act of 1955. Exhorting the officials to nab those smuggling rice in buses and trains, Mr. Velu called for initiating action against all those abetting them.He congratulated the officials for arresting and initiating stringent action against seven persons who were into smuggling of rice since 2004. In 2007 alone, the enforcement machinery had arrested 1,621 persons and 892 vehicles were seized and 59 persons had been detained.During the current year in the last two months, 340 persons had been arrested, 155 vehicles seized and 20 persons had been detained, he added.