>Praises role of Indian scientists in fight against Covid

> Says ‘Clean India Mission’ expanded, new innovations also added

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that women in India are reaching new heights in different fields and they are dispelling old myths.

Referring to the International Women’s Day on March 8, he said that the women in the country have taken the lead everywhere whether it is Skill India, Self Help Group, small or big industries.

“From Parliament to Panchayat, women are reaching newer heights in different fields. In the Army too, daughters are now taking responsibilities in new and bigger roles and are protecting the country,” he said in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’.

He also said that on Republic Day in January, the daughters were flying modern fighter planes. The country also lifted the restrictions on the admission of daughters in Sainik Schools, and daughters are taking admissions in those schools all over the country, he added.

Noting that in the recent years, thousands of new startups began in the country and about half of these startups have women in director roles. “In the recent past, decisions like increasing maternity leave for women have been taken. The country is trying to give equal rights to sons and daughters by fixing a common age for marriage,” Modi said further.

“All these major changes happened because of our social campaigns like the success of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’… today the sex ratio in the country has improved while the number of girls going to school has also improved and now it is our responsibility that our daughters do not drop out of school,” PM Modi said.

Similarly, women in the country have got freedom from open defecation under the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ while the social evil like triple talaq is also coming to an end, he further said.

“Ever since the law against triple talaq has come into being, there has been a reduction of 80 per cent in triple talaq cases in the country. This change is coming because women themselves are now leading the change and progressive efforts in our country,” Modi said.

‘Role of Indian scientists in Covid praiseworthy’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the role of Indian scientists in the fight against Covid-19 was praiseworthy and due to their hard work, it was possible to manufacture the ‘Made in India vaccine’.

“Today, I will like to praise the role of Indian scientists in the fight against Corona, and because of their hard work, the manufacturing of ‘Made in India vaccines’ was possible which gave a great relief to the world. This is the gift of science to humanity,” he said.

Talking about the ‘National Science Day’ on February 28, he said that this day is also known for the discovery of the Raman Effect. “Along with CV Raman ji, I pay my respectful tribute to all the scientists who have contributed significantly in enriching our scientific journey,” he said.

Modi also said technology has secured an important place in our lives in the realm of ease and simplicity. “Which technology is good and what is the better use of that technology, we are well acquainted with all these subjects. But, it is also true that the basis of that technology, the underlying science, is something that we neglect in conveying to the children in our families,” he said.

On this Science Day, I urge all the families to definitely start with small efforts to develop a scientific temperament in their children, the Prime Minister said.

“Now, for example — poor vision… after wearing glasses, vision improves with clarity… children can easily be explained on the science behind it. It’s not that one should restrict oneself to just looking at the glasses and enjoying. Now you can simply explain to the child on a small piece of paper,” he added.

Referring to the various mobile applications, he further said that nowadays, there are also many apps through which the children can locate the stars and planets, or can identify the star which is visible in the sky and can also know about it. “I will also tell our startups that you should employ your skills and scientific character in the work related to nation-building. This is also our collective scientific responsibility towards the country. Like, nowadays I see that our startups are doing very well in the world of virtual reality and in the era of virtual classes, one such virtual lab can be designed keeping children in mind.”

“We can also make children experience a chemistry lab sitting at home through virtual reality and request the teachers and parents to encourage all the students and children to ask questions and together with them find the right answers to those questions,” Modi added.

‘Clean India Mission expands manifolds, new innovations also added’

Prime Minister Modi said that the ‘Clean India Mission’ which was started eight years ago and with the passage of time has expanded manifold while new innovations were also added.

“Wherever you go in India, you will find that some effort is being made for cleanliness everywhere. I have come to know about one such attempt in Kokrajhar, Assam. Here a group of morning walkers have taken a very commendable initiative under the ‘Clean and Green Kokrajhar’ mission. All of them gave a motivational message of cleanliness by cleaning the three kilometre long road in the new flyover area,” he said.

He also said that under the ‘Clean India Campaign’ in Visakhapatnam, cloth bags are being promoted instead of polythene. People here are also campaigning against ‘Single Use Plastic products’ to keep the environment clean. Along with this, these people are also spreading awareness to segregate the waste at home. The students of Somaiya College in Mumbai have also included beautification in their campaign of cleanliness. They have decorated the walls of Kalyan railway station with beautiful paintings.

“An inspiring example from Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan has also come to my notice. The youth here have started a campaign named ‘Mission Beat Plastic’ in Ranthambore, in which plastic and polythene have been removed from the forests of Ranthambore,” Modi said, adding that this spirit of ‘Sabka Prayas, (everyone’s efforts)’ strengthens public participation in the country and when there is public participation, even the biggest goals are definitely met.

Talking about the ‘Mission Jal Thal’ which aims to clean up the water bodies in Srinagar in Kashmir, he said that this was a unique effort to clean the lakes and ponds of Srinagar and restore their old glory.

The focus of ‘Mission Jal Thal’ is on ‘Kushal Saar’ and ‘Gil Saar’, he said.

The Prime Minister also said that along with public participation, a lot of help of technology is also being taken in this, and to detect the encroachments, a formal survey of this area was carried out. “Along with this, a campaign to remove plastic waste and clean up the waste was also launched. In the second phase of the mission, a lot of effort was also made to restore the old water channels and 19 springs filling the lake,” Modi said, adding that in this ‘Restoration Project’ the local people and youth were also made Water Ambassadors. (IANS)

Srinagar: Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on mentioning ‘Mission Jal Thal’

“Grateful to the PM Narendra Modi Ji for highlighting Srinagar’s ‘Mission Jal Thal’.Our beautiful lakes are inextricably linked with history, culture &customs of the country.Excellent work by @AsadamAijaz & other depts for reversing degradation of natural inheritance,” he said in a tweet.

Opens 2-day National Conference on IAST-SF at MAM College

Jammu: Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Rohit Kansal Sunday said that our education system has to reorient itself to impart skills to students that are in consonance with modern day requirements.

While opening the 2-day National Conference on ‘Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for Sustainable Future (IAST-SF 2022)’ here at MAM College, he maintained that the lower level cognitive jobs that are repetitive in nature had turned obsolete and were being replaced by jobs that required a different set of skills. He called for moulding the educational curriculum to impart the skills that are needed in the workplace of the future.

The national conference is being organized in hybrid mode and has received papers and presentations from scholars across 20 states and UTs besides participation from 5 foreign countries. Besides papers from renowned scientists, the conference would also provide a unique opportunity to a number of students to pitch up their startup ideas in a special session on Monday.

Speaking on the age of technology and innovation, Kansal said that the challenge for scientists is to amalgamate technology with sustainability. The Principal Secretary further remarked that science and technology has an added challenge of creating a fair, just and equitable world order. He said that technology with disparity in terms of environmental or human hazards is not recommended anymore.

He asked for creating solutions that are based on justice, parity and sustainability to benefit not just 1.4 billion Indians but the 7 billion people inhabiting the planet.

He stated that India needs to become a US $10 trillion economy in the next decade and a half, grow by 8-9% annually and create 10-12 million jobs annually. He said that education, skills and innovation were a critical determinant to the success of this endeavour.

He cited the examples of use of drone technology in agriculture and public health, electric mobility and decentralized clean energy as some of the ways forward.

He complimented the college management for hosting the conference in collaboration with Degree College, Ukhral. He said that senior colleges need to involve newer colleges and guide and handhold them. He added that such collaboration in academics and research is important for new colleges in order to raise standards to get the necessary accreditation. He asked other colleges too to follow the suit.

He also announced that MAM College Jammu would be developed as innovation hub and given support under NEP 2020.

In her key note address, Dr Sulekha Chattopadhyay, Senior Analyst, California Public Utility Commission said that we have to break this huge problem of environmental degradation into smaller ones to tackle one by each. She said that by addressing the transportation system she wants to contribute her bit.

She said that electric vehicles are future transportation solutions and have great commercial value in terms of their sale and least maintenance requirements. She said that India by virtue of its greater size and longer coastline has an enhanced potential both in terms of solar and wind power. She advised the local stakeholders to work for tapping this potential for reaping sustainable benefits.

Prof JS Tara, Convenor Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), Jammu Chapter gave a brief overview of the history and working of ISCA. He encouraged all the budding scientists to be part of this association to bring greater scientific understanding among the masses in the country.

Principal MAM College, Prof GS Rakwal in his welcome address said that the conference is an endeavour to bring together innovators, academia, industry, researchers, scholars to exchange ideas and share experiences for sustainable development of our societies. He said that it would encourage the use of innovative and unique features of the scientific knowledge to effect change in the way people use resources and technology.

The Principal of GDC, Ukhral, Prof Ranvijay Singh presented vote of thanks to all the participants in the first session and said that at the end of 2 days we all would have greater understanding of the subject than we currently have.

Dr Vishal Sharma, Convener of the conference also spoke on the occasion.

PM Modi congratulates, says her success will inspire budding athletes

My dream is to represent country, win gold for JK, India in Olympics: Sadia

Srinagar: India’s star Wushu player Sadia Tariq has made the entire nation proud especially Jammu and Kashmir by winning gold medal in the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship held in the Russian capital from February 22 to 28.

Sadia is receiving appreciation from one and all for her brilliant achievement in the world of sports.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi also took to social media to wish the young Wushu champion. “Congratulations to Sadia Tariq on winning the Gold medal at the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship. Her success will inspire many budding athletes. Wishing her the very best for her future endeavours”, PM Modi said in a tweet.

Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha, also wished the player for her brilliant success. “Congratulations to Sadia Tariq from Srinagar on winning Gold in this International championship. She exhibited great discipline, dedication, talent and mental strength making India proud with her significant accomplishment. She is an inspiration for budding sportspersons of the UT. I wish Sadia more success in future”, Lieutenant Governor said in a tweet.

Sadia Tariq, who hailed from Bemina, Srinagar, has consecutively bagged gold medals in 19th and 20th Junior National Championship held in Haryana and Jalandhar respectively. In the Moscow Wushu Stars Championship, Sadia won the gold medal by defeating a local favourite at the event.

Sadia, who came into sports at a young age, did his schooling from Presentation Convent Srinagar and started playing in school events when she was in her first grade. “When I was in my first grade our fitness teacher came to our class and announced about the sports tourney in our school, I was the first one to register for the event”, Sadia said.

Appreciating her parents support from the very young age, Sadia elatedly said, “I remember my Father just told me if I am interested in sports, he will always support me. I was very happy and choose taekwondo as the game and from the very next day I started my training”.

After training for a year, Sadia started to participate in district and division level sports events. “I went for my first competition from school level which was organized by Indian Army at Bandipora district and I won bronze medal. I started getting appreciation from my coaches and school administration which kept my morale high in this field”, said Sadia.

After her success in local events, the star Wushu player started to participate in national level events. “After winning bronze medal in local events, my coaches appreciated me and encouraged me to participate in national level events and the same year I went to New Delhi for participation in 3rd open India taekwondo championship and won bronze medal”, a happy Sadia remarked.

Sadia then started to play on regular basis and featured in many events like sub-juniors National Taekwondo championship where she won her first gold medal. In 2018, Sadia won bronze medal in Hyderabad for International Junior Taekwondo Championship and also participated in Imphal, Nagaland for 64th National school games.

Sadia’s career took a turn when she decided to switch from Taekwondo to Wushu sport. “Our Kashmir Wushu Chief Executive Officer and Chief coach of India, Kuldeep Handoo, encouraged me to switch over from taekwondo to Wushu which was hard for me but I took it as a challenge and started training for Wushu”, Sadia said. After proper training, Sadia started to participate in professional Wushu events and earned her name.

“I participated in National Level Wushu championship held at Kolkata and won bronze medal which motivated me and earned my love for this sport”, Sadia maintained.

Sadia’s elder sister also joined sports and is professional Martial Arts player. “In March 2021, I won gold medal at 2nd Junior National Championship at Haryana in which my sister also participated. She has also played for National level championship in Gujarat and state level championships and won few gold medals”, Sadia said.

Sadia has dedicatedly chosen sports as her career and wants to make her country proud by getting more medals. “I don’t want to be a doctor or an engineer, my dream is to represent country at International events and win gold for J&K and country in Olympics”, Sadia remarked with confidence.

Sadia said that sports keeps us away from mental agonies like anxiety, stress and depression and all the parents in the valley should encourage their wards to take an active part in sports. She added that it was her mother’s and her own dream to represent herself at international platform and her dream came true by bagging gold medal at the International platform. She hoped that the government will extend every support to female sportspersons and provide them a platform to showcase their unique talent.

The star Wushu player also made a fervent appeal to all parents of J&K to support and encourage their wards particularly girls in sports.