In a first for Karnataka, all gram panchayat govt facilities in Mangaluru to be mapped
In less than three months’ time, Mangaluru will be all set to become the first taluk in Karnataka to have its government facilities mapped in all its gram panchayats.
The project which has been undertaken by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat and Alva's Institute of Engineering & Technology (AIET) will list all the facilities like post offices, healthcare centres, banks, educational institutes, ATMs, sewage treatment plants and government offices of all the 55 villages on Bhuvan portal.
The Bhuvan Panchayat Project is aimed at providing geospatial information support and capacity building for an inclusive and participatory decentralized planning process. It helps in visualization of the selected area of interest by making available the high-resolution satellite imageries and the datasets.
“The Asset Directory will be a comprehensive compilation of different types of assets and resources created under various schemes to help the local population. This project is looking to fill the gap of spatial data at the panchayat level" said AT Jayaseelan of National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to the Deccan Chronicle.
This step was taken as a part of making local governance more effective and having a stronger decentralization process in place.
"All the 270 assets of each village, like the ATMs, bridges and so on will be mapped using this project. The information about the whole village will be made available in this map." said Vivek Alva, Managing Trustee, Alva Education Foundation.
When asked about how the people are going to benefit from it, he said that everything will be available online which is a huge advantage for the public. He added that it will help in making the government bodies stronger in terms of its planning and implementation process. The government authorities will be able to look into the matter and work on it if there is any deficiency in the different facilities available.
The mapping is being done by a mobile application developed by ISRO. The application has been developed to do the mapping directly from the field through geo-location as well as photographs. Five students have been identified from every village who will conduct cluster meetings along with the super moderators who have undergone training.
Even though the project is expected to be completed in three months, they are hoping to finish it much before, "within a month if possible" said Vivek.
http://www.thenewsminute.com/articl...yat-govt-facilities-mangaluru-be-mapped-60753
ISRO to launch five new satellites this year to raise capacity
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch an unprecedented number of five national communication spacecraft this year.
By launching these satellites, ISRO hopes to cut the gap in satellite capacity for different users.
According to a report in The Hindu, the first of these satellites, GSAT-9 or the South Asia Satellite, will be launched in the first half of April from the Sriharikota space station.
GSAT-9 will ride on the indigenously developed Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).
“This year we are launching with five more communication satellites. With all of them coming up, there will definitely be a drastic, perceptible change in satellite capacity. In a matter of one year, the scene should be much better than what it is,” ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told The Hindu.
Kumar further said that ISRO has been taking conscious action to improve its overall communication transponders capacity.
He also added that the new satellites that are constantly put up for approval could ease up the scene in the next two to three years.
http://m.indiatvnews.com/news/india...y-374713?utm_source=https://www.google.co.in/
India Moves On Without Pakistan With Disaster Relief Satellite Project
Calling it a “gift to India’s neighbors,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the South Asia Satellite during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in 2014. While Pakistan is not part of the project, India's other neighbor, Bangladesh joined it recently. The satellite will aid in disaster preparedness.The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch GSAT-9, the communication satellite, from its GSLV-09 rocket which will take off on May 5 from India’s Sriharikota spaceport. The satellite has a lift-off mass of 2,195 kg, and has 12 Ku-band transponders and is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.
"It’s going up in the first week of May. Pakistan is not included in that as they did not want to be part of the project,” PTI quoted ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar as saying. “That is why ISRO changed its name to South Asia satellite instead of the initial proposed SAARC satellite,” he added. The idea was first mooted by PM Modi during his campaign as part of his policy to promote bonhomie among South Asian neighbors. His inauguration ceremony in May 2014 was attended by the leaders of all SAARC member nations, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Pakistan’s non-participation in the project mainly stems from security reasons and avoiding data sharing with other countries, especially India. Islamabad’s non-participation in the project was confirmed by the spokesperson of India’s ministry of external affairs last year.
“Pakistan has decided to opt out of the satellite project. So it cannot be called a SAARC satellite. It will be a South Asia satellite,” Vikas Swarup, then MEA spokesperson, informed reporters during a regular media briefing last March.
The South Asia satellite will provide communication and disaster support and improve connectivity among SAARC countries that are part of the project. Each participating country can use a dedicated transponder with a capacity of 36 to 54 Mhz for its own use. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have shown particular interest.
Disaster preparedness is an area of major concern in the region. South Asia accounted for a staggering 64 percent of total global fatalities, according to the World Meteorological Organization data.
Whether it was the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, which annihilated more than 8,000 people or the devastating floods in Chennai in late 2015 or the annual flood cycle in Bangladesh, the region requires advance warning and monitoring systems. And only India has the capability to launch a cost-efficient satellite in the region.
In another development, ISRO chief reiterated the space agency's vision to rope in the private sector to offload its burden, boost innovation and create an expanding space industry for job creation.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201704191052780883-india-pakistan-satellite-project/
National Fertilizers to set up dinitrogen tetroxide plant for ISRO
National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) will set up a production plant for dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) at its Vijaipur (Guna, Madhya Pradesh) site for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) with an investment of Rs 350 crores. The company has received a letter of intent (LoI) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC-SHAR) for establishing the plant on build, own, operate & supply model. ISRO had invited tenders for establishing the dinitrogen tetroxide plant in August 2016.
Nitrogen tetroxide is used as oxidiser in specific stages of rocket launch vehicles launched by ISRO and also used for ground testing of specific engines and stages of launch vehicles.
Debt-ridden public sector undertaking (PSU) Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL) is the sole producer of N2O4 for ISRO. With N2O4 production continuing intermittently at HOCL, experts believe ISRO has been looking at setting up a new plant for assured supply of this key chemical.
As per the LoI, National Fertilizers’ N2O4 plant will have capacity of around 1095 MT per annum (or 3 tonnes per day). The company plans to start construction work for the project in July 2017, with commissioning expected in the next 18 months. NFL will supply the product exclusively to SDSC-SHAR under long term agreement for 25 years period.
http://www.business-standard.com/co...-tetroxide-plant-for-isro-117041900348_1.html
Govt geo-tags 10 million assets built under NREGS scheme
The ministry of rural development, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation’s National Remote Sensing Centre, has geo-tagged 10 million assets and listed them publicly in a bid to silence criticism that the national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGS) does not produce durable assets.
“The scale of rural assets created under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) is very large. Since the inception of the programme in financial year 2006-07, about 2.82 crore assets have been created under the programme,” a rural development ministry statement said.
“On an average, about 30 lakh assets are created annually which includes a variety of works such as water harvesting structures, plantations, rural infrastructure, flood control measures, individual assets for sustainable livelihood, community infrastructure and so on. The process of geo-tagging is going on and all assets under MGNREGS will be geo-tagged. Special focus is being given to geo-tag Natural Resource Management works especially the water related works,” the statement said.
Launched in 2006, the rural employment programme has been a key source of livelihood for millions of rural households. It guarantees up to 100 days of unskilled work in a year to one member of every rural household and was credited with raising rural household incomes. The programme which saw a record spending of Rs58,000 crores in 2016-17, has been allocated Rs 48,000 crores in the 2017-18 budget by finance minister Arun Jaitley.
One of the criticisms against the programme, which has been largely lauded for reducing poverty and providing jobs to unskilled labour, is that it has created assets like village ponds that have no durability.
Geotagging the assets i.e. identifying via satellite technology the check dams, village ponds and other such assets created under the programme provides for credible verification of the work done under the MGNREGA. One of the perennial complaints against the programme has been that the work done under the MGNREGA does not result in durable assets being created.
“GeoMGNREGA is a unique endeavor of the Ministry of Rural Development in association with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO and National Informatics Centre. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Ministry of Rural Development with NRSC on 24th June 2016 for geo-tagging the assets created under MGNREGS in each gram panchayat. Strength of Space technology has been leveraged,” the rural development ministry statement said.
“The geo-tagging exercise started from 1st September, 2016. One crore assets have been geo-tagged and put in public domain in the last seven months. It is expected that the exercise will lead to greater transparency and ensure accountability at field level,” the statement added.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/eE...-million-assets-built-under-NREGS-scheme.html
ISRO, BHEL tie-up for lithium-ion batteries to have buyback agreements
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is finalising a memorandum of understanding with BHEL to help develop low-cost lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles, also envisages a buyback commitment for such batteries.The move is expected to take care of concerns on managing the waste generated at the end of battery life. According to the MoU, BHEL will set up a production plant, while ISRO will provide support for scale-up, joint effort in cost optimisation, research and development for alternate chemistry and buyback commitment, according to sources.
BHEL will develop the battery for commercial applications. This is part of India’s plan to promote low-cost electric vehicles with the use of lithium-ion batteries.
Thiruvanathapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has developed four types of lithium-ion batteries — 1.5 Ampere (Ah), 5Ah, 50 Ah and 100 Ah. Of these, 1.5 Ah and 50 Ah have been used for space applications and 5Ah and 100 Ah are ready for use in space applications.
Use in two-wheelers
On use in vehicles, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has successfully tried using these batteries in two- and -four wheelers, sources said.
It has demonstrated use of 50 Ah cells in two-wheelers that can run up to 98 km with a two-hour charge, with speeds of up to 40-50 kmph. It is now trying the feasibility of 100 Ah batteries to demonstrate electric vehicle operations, which use lower-cost indigenous material. Initial tests show that the 100 Ah batteries are more efficient at lower temperatures. BHEL has expressed interest in the transfer of technology from VSSC to produce lithium-ion batteries to meet the requirements of ISRO as well as electric vehicles. ISRO, on its part, has identified areas for cost reduction, which can be transferred to BHEL for production of low-cost Li-ion batteries. They include bulk procurement of raw material.
There is scope to indigenise components of the fuel cell by using graphite (from Himadri Chemical), aluminium foil from Hindalco or Nalco, copper foil or sheet from Cubex. These companies have expressed interest in lithium-ion batteries.
VSSC has initiated in-house development of the 50 Ah and 100 Ah cells.
“While BHEL is interested, the technology should also be transferred to private, public and other joint venture firms for commercial production,” said a source. Other corporate majors that have expressed interest include Mahindra Renault, Hyundai, Nissan, Tata Motors, High Energy Batteries (India) Ltd, BHEL and Indian Oil Corporation. Representatives of the companies participated in a meeting chaired by the Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on promoting commercial production of lithium-ion batteries for use in electric motor vehicles. India needs to promote commercial production of lithium ion batteries for use in electric motor vehicles.
The meeting was also attended by the Cabinet Secretary, Secretary-Road Transport and Highways, Director from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and Director, ARAI. The Cabinet Secretary pointed out the need to bring all issues related to non-polluting vehicles under one roof.
Last week, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Toshiba Corporation and Denso Corporation entered into an agreement to manufacture lithium-ion battery packs in India.
http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/isro-bhel-lithium-ion-batteries/article9644713.ece
ISRO gears up for Venus odyssey
Nearly three years after India’s Mars orbiter reached the red planet successfully on its first attempt, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is planning to undertake a similar mission to planet Venus.
Isro has invited proposals from scientists for space-based experiments to be carried out in the Venus mission, thus making a formal announcement of its intention to study the earth’s twin sister. The planned mission will carry scientific instruments weighing around 175 kg which is 10 times more than the scientific payload carried by the MOM. Mars orbiter’s payload weighed only 15 kg.
“This is still a preliminary step. We are looking at the kind of payloads for the Venus mission,” said Isro chairman A.S.Kiran Kumar.
The proposed orbit is expected to be around 500 x 60,000 km around Venus and is likely to be reduced gradually over several months to orbit closer to the planet.
When asked whether Isro has finalised its next interplanetary mission to Venus, he said, “We are working on the possibilities of many missions and Venus is also one of them.” He added, “It takes many years to complete the payloads and finalise the mission. We will do a Venus mission for sure. But we are yet to decide other details like when the mission will be sent and the payloads. At present, we want to know about areas that our scientific community is interested in studying on Venus,” Mr.Kiran Kumar said. Isro is likely to undertake the Venus mission either in 2021 or 2022.
Venus is often described as the twin sister of Earth because of the similarity in size, mass, density, bulk composition and gravity. Venus is closer to the sun as compared to Earth, resulting in much higher solar flux. The exploration of Venus began in the early 1960s with Soviet Union’s Venera missions. Since then Venus has been explored by flyby, orbiter, a few lander missions and atmospheric probes by various countries.
Isro has announced that the last date to receive the proposals from scientists is May 19.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/science/science/220417/isro-gears-up-for-venus-odyssey.html
ISRO, DKZP to map assets of gram panchayats
Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat (DKZP), in association with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and the Moodbidri-based Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology, have come forward to map the assets of all the gram panchayats of Mangaluru taluk.
Speaking at a workshop to create awareness on this initiative among panchayat-level officers, MR Ravi, Chief Executive Officer of DKZP, said that Mangaluru taluk will be the first one in the state to be part of the Bhuvan Panchayat project of the Centre.
Around 270 public assets of 56 gram panchayats of Mangaluru taluk will be spatially mapped by the representatives of panchayat raj institutions under this project.
Stating that planning for the development of the villages requires proper understanding of the local context, including resources and assets, he said the asset directory compiles different types of assets and resources available in the village and helps in facilitating various schemes of the government to the villagers.
Ravi said that every planner will be equipped with the requirements of the village with this project. This can help the planners plan accordingly.
Vivek Alva, Trustee of Alva’s Education Trust, said that Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology is one among the 10 colleges in India associated with ISRO for Bhuvan Panchayat project. The spatial mapping of the assets in gram panchayats of Mangaluru taluk will help in meticulous planning of the gram panchayats in future, he said.Though the spatial mapping of the public assets at village level needs to be completed in three months, the DKZP and Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology are targeting to complete it in a month, he said.
http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/n...-assets-of-gram-panchayats/article9650547.ece
After Mars, ISRO turns eye on Venus
It’s official. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has invited scientists to suggest studies for a potential orbiter mission to Venus - somewhat similar to the one that landed in Mars in 2013.
ISRO plans to send a spacecraft that will initially go around Venus in an elliptical orbit (500 km x 60,000 km) before getting closer to the ‘Yellow Planet’. The spacecraft will carry a set of instruments weighing 175 kg and using 500W of power. The scientific community has been given a month’s time to suggest space-based studies by May 19.
"The Announcement of Opportunity [AO] is just the beginning. The studies must be finalised, a project report would have to be presented and approved. A formal mission may not happen before 2020," a senior ISRO official told The Hindu.
A mission must be approved by ISRO's Advisory Committee on Space Sciences, then the Space Commission and later by the government.
Venus, the second planet from the Sun, comes closest to Earth roughly every 583 days, or about 19 months.
Venus, our closest planetary neighbour, is similar to Earth in many aspects. However, it takes only 225 days to revolve around the Sun. Secondly, the surface is very hot due to nearness to the Sun.
India's previous and second planetary outing, the record-setting ₹450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) of 2013, continues to impress. The orbiter is going round the Red Planet even as you read this — well beyond its planned life of six months.
An orbiter sent to the Moon in 2008 was delivering data until about three months before its estimated life span came to an end. A second Moon landing mission is planned in early 2018.
MOM was sent on the light-lift PSLV launch vehicle. The more powerful GSLV rocket has started transporting regular communication satellites and may be an option for the Venus mission.
Why Venus?
The AO says the planet, described as Earth's twin sister, is similar to our planet in size, mass, density, gravity and is also believed to be around 4.5 billion years old. Yet, "There still exist gaps in our basic understanding about surface features and processes, and the super rotation of the Venusian atmosphere," etc.
Ever since the then USSR sent the Venera mission to Venus in February 1961, there have been close to 30 missions to the planet, the last one being Japan’s Akatsuki in 2010. These comprised orbiters, landers, atmospheric probes and fly-bys.
The erstwhile Soviet Union tops the list with 16 Veneras and two Vegas. The US had Mariner, Pioneer and Magellan missions. New missions are in the pipeline.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...ye-on-venus/article18161738.ece?homepage=true
