Population Control Method

Family planning is the spacing or preventing the birth of children. Access to family planning services is a significant factor in limiting population growth and improving women’s health. Propaganda, free availability of contraceptives and tax disincentives for large families are some of the measures which can help population control.

Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793) stated that the number of people would increase faster than the food supply. Any further increase would result in a population crash caused by famine, disease and war. The preventive checks are better than the physical checks. For the sustainability of our resources, the world will have to control the rapid population increase.

Solar-powered ATMs by Vortex Engineering changing Rural Banking Experience

New Delhi: An Indian Innovator is catalyzing a quiet but impacting revolution by designing, developing and installing unique solar-powered ATMs in power less rural India. 

Initially 400 solar ATMs, aptly called Gramateller ('gram' means village), the world's largest order, tendered by leading lender of country State Bank of India (SBI). 

The ATMs were installed in 2010-11 across the states, usually within 20-50 km away from the district headquarters, Vijay Babu, CEO of Vortex Engineering, which makes these units is quite upbeat for the future prospects . 

Following the foot prints of  SBI the Catholic Syrian Bank has also placed an order for 50 Gramatellers and Indian Bank for 20, while 10 more have been ordered by other banks of country. 

Vijay Babu and Lakshminarayan Kannan, who led the foundation of Vortex Engineering , are the alumni of India’s premier engineering institute Indian Institute of Technology-Madras  (IIT-M) and the brains behind the Gramateller. 

"Our plans to operate ATMs on solar power were greeted with utter disbelief. We faced challenges in beginning in getting them adopted by our end users, the rural people, who are not particularly tech-savvy. But once they realized that they were getting control of their own money, they welcomed it wholeheartedly," said Vijay Babu in an interview. 

"The workload has increased with more and more people using these facilities which, in most cases, are the only ATMs within 20 km or more, thanks to the solar power backup," added Babu. 

The two innovative entrepreneurs took up the project in 2004-05 at IIT-M's suggestion, developing and fine-tuning the product until it became commercially viable by 2008-09. 

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras , which had been initially approached by the banks to develop such rural alternative to the existing ATMs, passed on the proposal to Vortex Engineering. Vijay Babu and Lakshminarayan Kannan have since inked a royalty agreement with their alma mater. 

"Conventional ATMs may not be viable in areas subject to 8 to 10 hours of power cuts which is the common condition in power hunger country like India, given their dependence on power generators and air-conditioning. But thanks to the rural Gramateller, villagers don't have to undertake time-consuming trips to cities or towns for money," said Lakshminarayan Kannan. 

Vortex Engineering is the only company in India making it to the Time magazine 2011 list of "10 start-ups that will change your life", selected out of 31 companies honored as "Technology Pioneers" by the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

Vortex Engineering was recently selected as the latest entrant to Business Call to Action (BCtA), a global initiative that encourages private sector efforts to fight poverty, supported by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), among others. 

"The 'no frills' Gramateller has a 12-hour strong power back-up, provided there is good sunlight at least for five hours daily. Solar panels convert these rays into electrical energy, storing them in a battery. A single unit saves more than 90 per cent of the yearly expenditure incurred on operating an ATM, which works out to Rs.1.44 lakh, half of the amount being accounted by air-conditioning," said Sabarinath Nair, marketing manager, Vortex Engineering. 

Gramateller comes with a biometric touch pad to restrict fraud and tell villagers that their money is always safe. It can also have capability to dispense soiled notes in the interiors where crisp currency notes are suspected of being fakes, Sabarinath Nair said.

Normal ATMs costs between Rs.3.5-5 lakh and another Rs.60,000 and Rs.80,000 for the UPS and AC. Gramatellers cost below Rs.3 lakh each, which included a built-in UPS and did not required AC, he said. 

Although solar panels for a unit needs an additional investment of Rs.1.5 lakh, but have no operational and maintenance cost unlike diesel power generators, these pay for themselves within 24 month. 

Given Gramateller's success in harnessing solar energy and its commercial feasibility, other developing countries from Africa and East Asia has shown their interest in the technology, said Babu.

http://goindocal.com/technologyrural-banking-revolution-ahead-with-unique-solar-powered%A0atms%A0go-3447.htm

Long Walk Ahead for applicants as Div. Bench of Patna High Court to hear BPSC,53-55th PT case on Jan,9

Chief Justice Miss Rekha Manharlal Doshit

Patna, Jan, 7: It seems that the legal web is not going to end soon for the aspirants of 53-55th Civil services examination conducted by BPSC as the applicants moved ahead with their LPA to the division bench of Patna High court that include Hon’ble Chief Justice Miss Rekha Manharlal Doshit and Justice B P Verma against the verdict given by Justice A K Tripathi on Wednesday.

The matter will be placed for hearing in front of division bench on Monday-Jan-9.Senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra will represent the case with the prayer that nine marks will be added in the marks of unsuccessful student and cut off will remain same as it is and then additional result will be declared.

Earlier single bench of Patna high Court headed by Justice Tripathi has directed the BPSC in his verdict that a fairer approach to the whole problem would be by permitting BPSC to carry out a fresh evaluation of all the answer sheets of the PT on the basis of their stand emerging from the opinion of the second expert group it will amount to a fair evaluation of all the candidates without giving any unfair advantage to either successful candidates or the unsuccessful ones because they will all be tested on a common platform.

In fact this is one of the reasons why this Court is not accepted the submission of some of the counsels that as many marks should be added to all the candidates treating them as correct answers to the incorrect questions. In the minds of court such an approach will make no difference to the final standing of the successful candidates whose results have been declared.

Justice Tripathi comes to a conclusion that the BPSC should now re-declare the result of the preliminary examination after a fresh evaluation on the basis of the recommendations of the second expert committee and that should form the basis for conduct of the mains examination which is yet to follow.

It is made clear that none of the successful candidates earlier declared successful on the basis of declaration of the result would be ousted from the list of such candidates who will be entitled to sit for the mains examination. If the exercise brings in more candidates within the zone of successful candidates by being permitted to sit for the mains examination, so be it, but the exercise shall not be done to the detriment of any of the successful candidates.

Court has also considered earlier judgment of various cases across the country in this context while pronouncing the verdict.

http://goindocal.com/education-%BB-exams-division-bench-of-patna-high-court-to-hear-bpsc%2C53-55th-pt-case-on-jan%2C9-go-3441.htm

Legal Battle moves next stage as students moves to division bench of Patna high court against the judgment in BPSC case

Patna, Jan, 6: It seems that the legal battle not going to end sooner for the aspirants of BPSC 53-55th Civil services examination as dissatisfied students approached with their LPA to the division bench comprising Hon’ble Chief Justice Miss Rekha Manharlal Doshit and Justice B P Verma against the judgment given by Justice A K Tripathi on Wednesday.

The matter will be listed in front of division bench on Jan-9.Students approached to bench through senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra with the prayer that nine marks will be added in the marks of unsuccessful student and cut off will remain same and then result will be published.

Earlier Justice Tripathi has directed the BPSC to exempt the successful candidate and evaluate the papers of students as per new model answer provided by the 2nd expert committee and publish some result.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Discloses his Assets

Patna, Jan,5: The leader hailed to be the top in  his governance  is now front runner for the prestigious Gates Innovation Award .

Bihar Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar has set the example as
he marched ahead with his transparency drive in Bihar politics. However, while accepting Mr.Kumar's efforts to be clean and progressive, it must be noted that India’s club of crorepati ministers is consistently becoming wider.

The recent information made in public domain on the wealth of ministers in Bihar, the number of crorepati ministers rises and it has reported more than doubled with respect to a year ago.

There were five crorepatis in 2010, the new list reveals that 12 out of 29 ministers in the Bihar cabinet have made it to the list of crorepati ministers this year.

Nitish Kumar’s call for transparency yet to impressed all as 130 MLAs did not meet the December 31 deadline made for revealing their assets.

 As per disclosure Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has Rs 6, 15,662 as bank balance, a flat worth Rs/40 lakh in New Delhi and a car as well. He also holds 30 tolas of gold and five kg silver utensils in addition to the declared two cows and three calves worth 83,000. His son Nishant Kumar has unveiled assets worth  Rs 7360126.28 and land worth Rs 42,69,404.Nitish Kumar and Nishant  Kumar total asset is worth  1,62,45,192, up from 1,50,64,199 last year.

 The Deputy CM of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi having wealth Rs 1,17,33,228 adding his wife’s and son’s assets. He was holding worth 1, 06, and 80,314 in 2010.

In December 2011 when Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan asked his ministers to disclose their assets, only 16 out of 40 ministers revealed their wealth details.

http://goindocal.com/india-%BB-general--nitish-kumar-declares-his-assets%2C-mls%92s-yet-to-followgo-3430.htm