Category Archives: Science & Technology

First ever Online Elections by IIM-A to Elect Campus Student Body. July 2013 .

In a first for Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad ( IIM-A), a Premier Business School of India, conducted its first-ever online elections on July 31st, 2013 to elect Representatives for its first-year Student Body Polls.

The Poll was conducted by IIM-A’s elected student body, The Students’ Affairs Council (SAC). The elections involved first-year students voting to select candidates for various portfolios like Cultural representative, Batch representative and Sports representative.

The system was developed by the Computer Centre Committee (CCC) of IIM-A. This online platform was an unprecedented success with voter turnout of nearly 95% for first year elections.

” A unique feature of this system was that, using a secure online link, voters may cross verify whether their vote had been cast for the right candidate, after the voting process” said IIM-A Secretary for IT Infrastructure, Anil Vishwanadhula.

Until the previous election, IIM-A elections were conducted using the traditional pen-and-paper ballet method.

First Assistant Chief of Naval Staff ( Air Materiel ). July 2013 .

Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo assumed responsibility as the First Flag Officer of the newly created post of ‘ Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air Materiel)  [ACNS/AM] at the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) on Wednesday, July 17th, 2013.

This new post has been created with a single point responsibility for all matters related to aviation technical management of the rapidly growing air arm of the Indian Navy. He will have 3 sub-directorates looking at air logistics, plans/procurement and perspectives and systems engineering, as well as responsibilty for air technical manpower management.

Interestingly Rear Admiral Kanugo will report to the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Pradeep Chatterjee and not the Chief of Materiel, Vice Admiral N N Kumar. This is due to the inherently operational side imperative of air maintenance, which can present an operational tempo different to the other, more traditional arms of the Navy.

The air arm of the Indian Navy operates over 200 aircraft with over 20 different types including fighters, fixed wing maritime reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles etc.

New infrastructure needs of the Indian Navy which recently marked its Diamond Jubilee are being added with new air stations like INS Parundu in Ramnathapuram, INS Baaz in Campbell Bay and several other multiple enclaves across the country. The Air arm of the Indian Navy is growing at a fast pace and the Indian Navy is not restricted to just being a Green Water Navy. ( Green Water means the fleet comprises only battle ships while the Blue Water Navy includes the possession of aircraft as well ).

Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo grew up in Hyderabad and did his schooling in many places in the State including a local government school and in Nagarjunasagar. He pursued his Engineering in JNTU College of Engineering, Anantapur. He joined the Indian Navy via his selection to ‘Indian Navy’s University Entry Scheme’ wherein his final years fees was paid by the Navy. Commissioned in 1981 he opted for the aviation stream of the Indian Navy, while the other two streams being submarine and ships. He pursued his Masters from the Institute of Armament Technology, Pune

During his 32 years of commissioned services in the Indian Navy – Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo has been Director of the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology at Kochi. The Chief Controller of Naval Aeronautical Quality Assurance Service. He held the post of Commodore Superintendent Naval Aircraft Yard – Kochi. He was also the Chief Staff Officer(Technical)at the Headquarter Naval Aviation, and the Principal Director at the Directorate of Naval Air Materiel at the Head Quarter, Ministry of Defence(Navy).

He was awarded Vishist Sewa Medal (VSM) in 2013 for his outstanding service and contribution to the Indian Navy.

India’s First CRISIL ‘A’ Credit Rating for Solar Power Plant . July 2013.

Astonfield Renewables Resources Ltd., has been awarded the first ever solar power project in India, to receive an ‘A’ class credit rating ” CRISIL A-/Stable ” for its 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project based in Osiyan, the north western State of Rajasthan.

The project has been given the A credit rating based on its strong revenue visibility and long term loan facilities by Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL), a division of McGraw Hill Corporation and whose majority shareholder is Standard & Poor’s.

It is one of the first large-scale solar power projects to be operational in India. The project was implemented by renowned technology and services providers. It comprised of thin-film solar PV modules manufactured by T-Solar, while the engineering, procurement and construction(EPC) services were provided by Schneider Electric.

Astonfield, a provider of affordable renewable engery has a total of 4 Solar PV projects in the country with a combined generation capacity of 20.5 MW .

www.astonfield.com

First Commercial order for Polaris India’s ATV’s from Gujarat Police . July 2013 .

Polaris India Pvt.Ltd has bagged its first commercial order in India from Gujarat Police for its model Ranger RZR S 800 All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV).

The RZR S 800 is specifically designed to take on off-road terrain. It has a high revving 760cc fuel injected petrol twin-cylinder engine that puts out 54 bhp. The ATV can catapult the Ranger RZR S from 0-100 Km/h in about 5.4 seconds which is sports/race car category.

The scope of the contract includes on and offsite training, maintenance and after sales support. The vehicle will help Gujarat Police in areas like routine patrols in inaccessible terrains, coastal patrol, rapid pursuit operations, maintaining vigil around sensitive and hi-security zones to name a few.

Speaking on the development Mr. Pankaj Dubey, MD, Polaris India said ” ATV’s are used by Police forces across the globe. This is for the first time that our ATV’s will be used by the police in India. Polaris has demonstrated All- Terrain Vehicles (ATV) to the Defence, Police and Para Military forces, as these can be used in beach patrolling, dense forest, marshy land, rocky and rough terrain “. Polaris India is a fully owned subsidiary of Polaris Industries Inc., a world leader in off-road and  All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV).

India’s First Private Shipyard to receive Warship Production Licence. October 2010 .

Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering Company Ltd. became the first Indian private shipyard in the country to receive a Warship production licence and contract to build warships and other naval assets for the Indian Navy from the Indian Government.It is promoted by the SKIL Group. Ocotber 2010.

Pipavav has India’s largest shipyard at the Gulf of Cambay, Pipavav, Rajula in Gujarat on the West Coast. It has India’s largest Dry Dock (662m x 65m) and the Worlds 2nd largest and is capable of accomodating ships of upto 400,000 DWT. Pipavav has India’s largest shipyard cranes. It is in the process of adding another Dry Dock adjacent to the existing facility on the South Western coast of Gujarat.

It is also the first Private company to form a joint-venture with the State owned naval defence major Mazagon Dock Limited. This joint-venture will bid for orders with other private companies from Indian Navy and the Coast Guard.

Pipavav has won many awards

http://www.pipavavshipyard.com

India’s first Technical University for Women . June 2013 .

The country’s first Tech University ‘The Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University (IGDTU) exclusively for women was inaugrated by the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, at Kashmere Gate based campus in North Delhi on Thursday, June 13th, 2013.

The Chief Minister released the admission brochure and the Delhi Education Minister A.K. Walia launched its website .

The IGDTU, a state university has now been upgraded from the existing Indira Gandhi Insititute of Technology which was set up as the very first Engineering College for Women in 1998 by the Directorate of Training and Technical Education, Government of N.C.T. Delhi.

The Indira Gandhi Delhi Technological University (IGDTU) is a non-affiliated, teaching and research University catering to women desiring higher education in technology & research , presently administered by the Vice Chancellor Nupur Prakash. The University offers 4 B.Tech courses and 5 M.Tech programmes.

India’s first NCE (new chemical entity) discovery drug. June 2013 .

India’s first new chemical entity (NCE) Lipaglyn (Saroglitazar) is discovered and developed indigenously by an Indian Pharmaceutical Company …Zydus Cadilla.

Zydus Cadilla announced a breakthrough in its research effots with Lipaglyn, a drug targeted at bridging a hitherto unmet healtcare need for treating diabetic dyslipidemia or hypertriglyceridemia in Type II diabetes, not controlled by statins.

Lipaglyn is the world’s first drug for treating diabetic dyslipdemia and combines lipid-and glucose-lowering effects in a single molecule. Lipaglyn has an active ingredient Saroglitazar and is the world’s first glitazar to be approved anywhere in the world.

Discovered by Zydus Research Centre, the dedicated NCE research arm of Zydus Cadilla – the Ahmedabad headquartered group.

The drug has been approved for launch in India by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)and is expected to be in the market by 2014.