Reacting in time on sea crucial: official

Education, Science & Technology
Director of Centreal Institute of Fisheries Nautical & Engineering Training R.C. Sinha and his colleagues of CIFNET Visakhapatnam at the conclusion of training programme for inspectors of Marine Police of the State in Visakhapatnam on Friday. / Photo: C. V. Subramanyam / The Hindu
Director of Centreal Institute of Fisheries Nautical & Engineering Training R.C. Sinha and his colleagues of CIFNET Visakhapatnam at the conclusion of training programme for inspectors of Marine Police of the State in Visakhapatnam on Friday. / Photo: C. V. Subramanyam / The Hindu

Marine Police undergo training in vessel navigation

Sea conditions change drastically but the training provided to senior officers -Inspectors – of the AP Marine Police by the Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET) would keep them in good stead and help tackle the difficult conditions, CIFNET Director R.C. Sinha said at the valedictory function of the training programme here on Friday.

Maintaining security was one aspect and reacting in time on the sea was another. Sea was not like a road on which one could stop or start easily and this required the right people with good training, Mr. Sinha told the police officers. Everyone in the Marine Police must be on the sea for at least 10 days in a month, he said.

Referring to the Marine Police, he suggested that some of its boats could be kept with CIFNET by turns for maintenance and training since maintenance was a difficult job.

Fifteen Inspectors of the Marine Police from different police stations along the AP coast received certificates after completing their short-term training programme on vessel navigation and engineering.

Surveyor in-charge cum DDG (tech) of Mercantile Marine Department Jayant Mukhopadhaya wanted the Marine Police to also take up protection of marine life as they were also responsible for taking action against polluting vessels.

Chief Technical Officer of Coast Guard Commandant Manish Bahl professional excellence was required more while discharging duty on the sea. Head of Office of CIFNET’s Visakhapatnam unit A.K. Choudhury said this was one of the best courses designed by his organisation and set a benchmark. Home Guards and some constable attended the training in the first batch. The present batch of police officers evinced keen interest and came up with good queries, he said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police of Marine Police K.V.R. Prasad said 15 Marine Police stations became operational from October last year and the force has now 500 personnel drawn from the civil police. Retired Navy and Coast Guard personnel were recruited as the crew and IG of Marine Police Srinivasa Reddy was planning to take in CIFNET trained youngsters, Mr. Prasad said.

He also said some of the Home Guards trained in the earlier batch had recently caught Sri Lankan fishermen along with their boat off AP coast for illegally entering the Indian waters.

One of the trainees Rudrasekhar said the training helped them understand more about navigation and marine engineering.

Senior Instructors H. Bisoyi and S.B. Rangari and Instructor M. Rangaraju also spoke about the training programme.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakahapatnam – December 07th, 2013

They Said What? Mirza on Men

Sports, World Opinion
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

“When I was growing up I would go to tennis and people would come up to my parents and they would ridicule them and say she’s a girl from Hyderabad, you think she is going to play Wimbledon? But obviously my parents didn’t care.”— Sania Mirza, to NDTV , while discussing the high rate of female infanticide in her native India.

Mirza, now 27, is the best female player India has ever produced. She was ranked as high as No. 27 in singles (one career WTA title) and No. 7 in doubles. She’s the first Indian woman to have won a Grand Slam title (mixed doubles, at the Australian and French Opens). She’s also been relatively flamboyant and outspoken for a young Muslim lady from India.

She made her comments above during an interview in which one of the topics was the high rate of female infanticide in India—according to the United Nations, 12 million girls were aborted in India in the past two years, often because they were viewed as potential financial burdens.

Mirza went on to say, “For everything we achieve, why do we need a guy? . . . it’s our responsibility to try and educate people in India that having a girl is plus not a minus.”

Whatever the intent, her comment about not needing “a guy” surely got some people’s noses out of joint. But it wouldn’t be the first time her independent thoughts and actions stirred controversy.

In 2005, a Muslim scholar issued a fatwa regarding the skimpy tennis clothing Mirza (and all her peers) wear, saying it was not suited to Islam. She also faced prosecution under India’s Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act a few years ago, when she was photographed at the Hopman Cup resting her feet—and showing their soles—above an Indian flag. Her comments on safe sex once created a stir (she clarified her stance when the controversy erupted).

In fact, the collision of values was so strong at times that Mirza declared in 2008 that she would stop appearing in tournaments in India. If nothing else, security officials probably heaved a great sigh of relief; this was, after all, a Muslim woman who had played mixed doubles with a Jew, Shahar Peer. (Mirza returned to competition in India in 2010.)

India has provided tennis with a host of interesting characters, starting with Ramanathan Krishnan. He was a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist (1960 and ’61), and his son, Ramesh, was an ATP staple and three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist in the 1980s. Vijay Amritraj (who had two brothers who also played professionally) won 16 singles titles and posted a career-high ranking of No. 16 in 1980. Then there’s pugnacious doubles genius Leander Paes, an eight-time Grand Slam men’s doubles winner.

All of them, and others, were more successful than Mirza. But none have been as colorful or controversial. Even Mirza’s wedding in 2010 caused a national uproar when it was confirmed shortly before her great day that her fiancé (Shoaib Malik) was already married. Malik obtained a divorce and wed Mirza five days later.

Like the lady said, who needs guys?

source: http://www.tennis.com / Tennis / Home> Pro Game> Commentary / by Peter Bodo / Friday – December 06th, 2013

Hyderabad lad wins hackathon

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

 Hyderabad :

Rayaprolu Krishnachaitanya of Hyderabad emerged winner in the all-India EMC Defenders League that tested 4,000 contestants nationwide for their cyber security skills.

Krishnachaitanya, an ethical hacker, walked away with a prize of Rs 5 lakh, beating about 30 short-listed participants.

“After three weeks of intense online challenges, the event culminated in a faceoff. The 30 finalists were a mix of experienced developers and students from the industry. All the finalists received an iPad Mini tablet each,” an EMC statement said. Krishnachaitanya has worked as a vulnerability research analyst.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Info-Tech / by The Hindu Bureau / Hyderabad – December 06th, 2013

Vakalapudi gearing up for ‘beach festival’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
First round of the festival was a grand success, says District collector Neetu Prasad / The Hindu
First round of the festival was a grand success, says District collector Neetu Prasad / The Hindu

Collector holds review meet on the three-day celebrations

East Godavari district administration is making arrangements for the celebration of three-day ‘beach festival’ at Vakalapudi beach for the second consecutive year from January 10.

Addressing a review meeting with the officials of various departments here on Wednesday, Collector Neetu Prasad said that the State government allocated Rs.12 lakh for the last festival, while the sponsors had come out with another Rs. 40 lakh. She said that efforts were on to get more funds from the government for this year event as the first round of beach festival was a grand success.

Recalling the traffic congestion on the Beach Road during the last festival, the Collector asked the police to identify alternative routes to avoid traffic jams.

Different committees were appointed to ensure peaceful conduct of the festival and the convener of each committee was directly answerable to the Collector. Similarly, a sponsors’ meet would be conducted in which the hoteliers and tour operators would be invited. Ms. Neetu asked the officials to arrange a photo exhibition that would depict the places of importance in the district.

She also suggested arrangement of stalls in the exhibition by the government departments.

Cultural performances would be arranged on all the three days for providing entertainment to the audience, she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu /Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Kakinada – December 12th, 2013

GRAB YOUR GRUB : Breaking bread

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

From artisan breads to scones, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, Griffin has something in store for everyone

Fancy some sourdough bread or maybe some ciabatta? You could try Griffin- The Artisan Bread Store in Madhapur, which promises to dish out fresh breads of various kinds. Fairly new, this store was the brain child of Mohd. Mujahid, who wanted to give the city a taste of different breads. The store, which is already a hit with the expat crowd in the area, also offers a variety of short eats for gastronomes.

The little bread store-cum-café has an interesting array of baked goodies that are perfect for those long conversations over a cup of coffee. You could take your pick from their cookies, scones, donuts, croissants, muffins, cheesecakes or tarts. Priced at around Rs. 50 each, they hardly burn a hole in your pocket.

Griffin can also be a pit-stop for a quick lunch or casual dinner with its selection of pizzas, sandwiches and pastas. You could choose from their delicious pastas in an array of sauces like arrabiata, pesto, alfredo or a juicy sandwich with some smoked or grilled meat or roasted veggies of your choice. You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. “I started this store mainly so I could introduce people to different varieties of breads. The idea behind serving sandwiches in different kinds of breads is to give our clients an idea of the kinds of breads we offer and how they can use them in different ways,” says Mujahid.

The café section of this bread store is also a good place to spend an afternoon just reading or browsing the internet with a free wi-fi connection available to patrons. For the coffee lovers there are a variety of coffees to choose from while those watching their weight can pick a salad of their choice.

Griffin also has a bread shelf with different breads like sourdough, ciabatta, bagels and baguettes among others that you can choose from. The breads that are baked in two batches a day are brought in from the Griffin factory in Shamshabad. “We want to keep the products as fresh as possible,” explains Mujahid. The breads like the items on the menu are priced affordably with a whole wheat bread costing as less as Rs.50, while a sourdough could go up to Rs.100 The ciabatta and panini cost around Rs. 30, while a Scottish Bap comes for around Rs. 20.

 

Griffin – The Artisan Bread Store

Where: Kavuri Hills, Phase-1, Madhapur

When: 7.30 a.m. to 11p.m.

Contact: 040-30512844 ext:454

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Ranjani Rajendra / Hyderabad – December 12th, 2013

Visakhapatnam lawyers’ commemorate original craftsman of the Indian Constitution

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

Visakhapatnam :

With the state bifurcation issue prompting a demand for constitutional amendment, civil servant, diplomat and statesman Sir Benegal Narsing Rau, who made the first draft of the Indian Constitution, was commemorated by the city lawyers on his 60th death anniversary (November 30). Besides being the Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir princely state in British India, Rau was also a permanent judge of UN International Court of Justice.

The lawyers spoke about the constitutional functionalist who worked in the erstwhile Madras presidency, of which Vizag was a part, and was the key person behind drafting India’s Constitution besides BR Ambedkar and others.

Speaking at a meeting organised by the Forum of Legal Professionals (FLP) to mark the 60 death anniversary of the chief adviser to the Constituent Assembly, Prof Y Satyanarayana, director, Gitam Law University, said, “The Constitution of India is a unique document because of the craftsmanship of B N Rau and the vision of B R Ambedkar in securing social justice.”

“The services of B N Rau in drafting the Indian constitution and his sense of erudition were appreciated by India’s first president Babu Rajendra Prasad. Dr Ambedkar had also given the credit of drafting the constitution to B N Rau,” he added.

Speaking on the need for constitutional reforms, Dr Y Satyanarayana said that the process of bifurcation is still in its infancy and nothing much has been done and any unlawful action on the part of the central government would be struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional and illegal.

Presiding over the function, senior advocate and president of FLP Kuppili Muralidhar said, public audit and accountability is a must to ensure transparency in the political system. “The office of comptroller and auditor general must have fixed tenure of five years and age of retirement must be 65 years and states must also have auditor general on the lines of CAG,” he said.

Principal senior civil judge and secretary, district legal service authority, T Venugopal Rao stressed the need for creating legal awareness and said that regular laws, which are useful in day-to-day life must be assimilated by everyone. “The Constitution of India has unique features and credit for preparing such a great piece of document that has stood the test of time goes to the makers of Constitution like Sir B N Rau who as adviser to Constituent Assembly gave sound suggestions to make the Constitution a living document. Free legal aid to the poor under article 39A under, which the legal services authority is provided, freedom of speech and expression is enshrined under the Constitution is the result of efforts of the founding fathers of the our Constitution,” said Venugopal Rao.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam> Death Anniversary / TNN / December 01st, 2013

Women’s NGOs in Vijayawada set out to achieve quota Bill

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Uncategorized
Former MP Chennupati Vidya addressing the all-women's meeting organised to chalk out an action plan for achievement of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies, in Vijayawada on Thursday. Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala are also seen./ The Hindu
Former MP Chennupati Vidya addressing the all-women’s meeting organised to chalk out an action plan for achievement of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies, in Vijayawada on Thursday. Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala are also seen./ The Hindu

Representatives of various women’s organisations have come on to a common platform to build pressure on the UPA Government in support of their demand that the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill be passed in the winter session of Parliament.

At a meeting initiated by the city-based NGO Vasavya Mahila Mandali (VMM), women representatives of various political parties, voluntary organisations and service organisations unanimously resolved to work relentlessly for achievement of 33 per cent quota for women in legislative bodies.

Former MP Chennupati Vidya, who is also VMM president, said that it was time the ruling party proved its commitment to women’s rights and gender equality by passing the Bill in the winter session.

“The Bill has gained acceptance in Rajya Sabha and awaits approval of the Lok Sabha.

In the wake of the alarming increase in atrocities against the fairer sex, it is imperative to make women’s voice heard in Parliament. Various organisations have set out on the task of mobilising support for the Bill at the district, State and at national-level,” said Ms. Vidya.

She also churned out statistics of women’s representation in both the Houses of Parliament over the years to prove her point that the fairer sex had not been given what was due to her.

The NGO general secretary G. Rashmi spelled out an action plan drawn to spread awareness on the need to bring in the proposed law.

Signature campaign

She said that members of this conglomeration of organisations would fan out across the district and educate various sections of the society on all aspects related to the proposed Bill.

A signature campaign would be followed by a massive rally culminating into a public meeting on December 10, coinciding with International Human Rights Day.

Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala, president of Mahila Samakhya P. Durga Bhavani, Lok Satta president Sarala Kumari, BJP’s mahila wing national president M. Revathi, YSR Congress Party city convenor Suneetha, Lion’s Club former district governor Vidyawathi, Inner Wheel Club district unit chairperson Prameela Rani, Vasavi Club past governor T. Gayathri, Bezawada Bar Association secretary D. Sujatha, Indira Kranthi Padhakam additional project director Kalika Devi, Arthika Samatha Mandali secretary Nou among others pledged their support to what they called a crusade to achieve 33 per cent quota for women in legislative bodies.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – December 01st, 2013

UoH Graduate Develops Coin-operated Laundry

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology
The affordable laundry system, made of three washing machines and coin acceptors from China on display at the University of Hyderabad campus on Monday. (Inset) Surendra Kesana | EXPRESS PHOTO
The affordable laundry system, made of three washing machines and coin acceptors from China on display at the University of Hyderabad campus on Monday. (Inset) Surendra Kesana | EXPRESS PHOTO

Tired of washing your own clothes? One would probably think of buying a washing machine. For 25-year-old Surendra Kesana, an MBA graduate from University of Hyderabad, this was a business opportunity. He developed a coin-operated laundry system, which provides laundry services at affordable rates and is reliable too.

A native of Vijayawada, Surendra developed the unique laundry system as part of his major project in MBA. Making use of his technical expertise of electronics and instrumentation engineering from his B. Tech days and management skills acquired during the MBA course at UoH, Surendra set out to achieve his aim of becoming an entrepreneur. In September, he opened his first coin-operated laundry outlet in the university and proudly claims a customer base of over 1,000 users till date.  “What I have done is basically to indigenise similar systems available abroad. But, what makes my system different is the cost involved and the fact that I was able to convert a domestic washing machine for commercial purposes,” says Surendra who graduated from university in 2013. While a laundry system used commercially would cost anywhere between `3 -4 lakh, Surendra’s systems come for a mere `20,000.

He bought three 4 kg washing machines on EMIs and used his savings to set up laundrette – his outlet in the university. “We  got the coin acceptors from China as they are not available in India and assembled the systems. We use a custom made copper coin for each cycle of 4 kg of clothes,” he said. He charges `50 per cycle.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / December 17th, 2013

Hyderabad Biotechnologist in Marquis Who’s Who

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Zahoorullah S MD, assistant professor of biotechnology at JBR Engineering College, showing the letter received from Marquis Who’s Who in the World informing him of his name’s inclusion in the 2014 edition of the book at a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday. | RVK Rao
Zahoorullah S MD, assistant professor of biotechnology at JBR Engineering College, showing the letter received from Marquis Who’s Who in the World informing him of his name’s inclusion in the 2014 edition of the book at a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday. | RVK Rao

City-based biotechnologist and scientist Zahoorullah Shaikh Mohammed’s biography has been selected and enlisted for publication by Marquis Who’s Who in the World for year 2014.

The 29-year old is currently working as an assistant professor of biotechnology at Joginpally BR Engineering College here. A resident of Aziz Bagh Colony in Tolichowki, Zahoorullah has taught 27 subjects in engineering, presented 20 national and international research papers, attended 20 workshops and authored seven books. His lectures are available on the Internet and are being shared by many foreign universities, according to a press release issued here on Monday.

Marquis Who’s Who, established in 1899, is a renowned American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies of individuals who are achievers in their respective fields. A subsidiary of News Communications Inc, the books are usually titled, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in American Politics, etc.

An M.Tech and Ph.D in biotechnology, Zahoorullah became an assistant professor at a young age of 23 and his appointment was ratified by JNTUH. He was also a teacher certified by Dale Carnegie Training Institute, USA in high-impact teaching skills.

He sent his biography in January and, after several stages of screening, its enlistment has been confirmed recently. “I want to become a very well-known scientist and motivate youngsters towards research. Despite having several good laboratories, our students are lagging behind in research. My only aim is to establish myself through innovation in science and engineering, and motivate others,” Zahoorullah told Express.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / December 03rd, 2013

Indian Navy to set up more facilities at Kakinada port

Business & Economy

Visakhapatnam : 

The Indian Navy is planning to set up more facilities at Kakinada port to safeguard the country’s maritime interests, according to Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command.

He told reporters here on board stealth frigate INS Sahyadri on Tuesday that a base would be set up at Kakinada, deploying some high speed boats to protect the offshore assets and strengthen the defence capabilities in the region.

He said the Navy would be establishing a jetty at Kakinada port along with the Coast Guard for their operations. It is also establishing its amphibious warfare training school at Kakinada.

Naval air enclaves

As part of strengthening the operations on the east coast, the Navy would establish naval air enclaves at Tuticorin, Bhubaneswar and Behala in Kolkata. It is already operating an air station in Meenambakkam.

The Navy is in the process of acquiring land and developing it at a number of places in the State. The Eastern Naval Command is looking at developing an airstrip near Bobilli in Vizianagaram district that was used during the Second World War as an alternative landing station to INS Dega.

The indigenously built nuclear submarine INS Arihant has successfully completed its harbour acceptance trials and would be soon be embarking on sea acceptance trials.

Once commissioned, INS Arihant along with INS Chakra would be a force multiplier and help the Indian Navy become a true blue sea navy, he said.

He said: “It is a matter of great pride that all the new ships that are being commissioned are indigenously built.’’ Three more Shivalik class stealth frigates would be joining service soon.

He said the proposal to purchase four landing platform docks from Hindustan Shipyard Ltd here awaits the Government approval, and it may come soon.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Logistics / by Ch. R.S. Sarma    sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in  / Visakhapatnam – December 03rd, 2013