Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' today announced that, to boost research in the country various amendments have been carried out in Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme.

He said that after the amendments, now for the students from any recognised institute/ university (other than IISc/ IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIEST/CF IIITs), the requirement of GATE Score is reduced to 650 from 750 apart from minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent.

The Minister also informed that now there will be two channels of entries, one direct entry and lateral entry. In lateral entry, the students, who are pursuing PhD in PMRF granting institutions (completed 12 months or 24 months as per certain requirements) can also apply to become fellow under the scheme as per new guidelines. Shri Pokhriyal further highlighted that NITs, which appear in top 25 institutions as per NIRF Ranking (overall) can also become PMRF Granting institution. The Minister hoped that the modifications will enable more students to avail of the benefit under the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme.

Minister has also informed that, to boost research a dedicated Division is being created in the ministry with the name of "Research and Innovation Division". This division will be headed by a director who will be coordinating research work of various institutions coming under MHRD.

Union Minister said that the Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme has been designed for improving the quality of research in various higher educational institutions in the country. With attractive fellowships, the scheme seeks to attract the best talent into research thereby realizing the vision of development through innovation. He added that the scheme was announced in the Budget 2018-19. The institutes which can offer PMRF include all the IITs, all the IISERs, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and some of the top Central Universities/NITs that offer science and/or technology degrees.

Shri Pokhriyal further said that the candidates will be selected through a rigorous selection process and their performance will be reviewed suitably through a national convention. Starting Academic Year 2020-21, candidates can apply for PMRF through either direct entry channel or lateral entry channel.

DIRECT ENTRY CHANNEL To apply for PMRF through this channel, the candidate must satisfy all of the following criteria:

In the preceding three years, the candidate should have either: (i) completed or be pursuing the final year of Bachelors or Masters degree in Science and Technology streams from any of the Institute/University recognized in India with CGPA of 8.0 or above and GATE score of 650 or above in the relevant subject (the GATE criteria is waived if the qualifying degree is from one of the centrally funded technical institutes), or, (ii) qualified GATE and completed or be pursuing M.Tech./MS by research at one of the PMRF Granting Institutes having a minimum CGPA of 8.0 or above at the end of the first semester with a minimum of four courses.

They apply and get selected in the Ph.D. programme in one of the PMRF granting institutes.

The PMRF granting institute, which has admitted the student in the Ph.D. programme through the regular selection process (interveiw), makes a strong recommendation for award of PMRF in view of his/her merit. The metrics on which the candidates will be judged will include (but not restricted to): research exposure, publications, performance in international academic competitions, grades and recommendation letters.

LATERAL ENTRY CHANNEL To apply for PMRF through this channel, the candidate must satisfy all of the following criteria:

The candidate should be pursuing Ph.D. in one of the PMRF granting institutions. Further, he/she should have completed at most 12 months in the PhD programme if he/she joined the programme with a Master’s degree; and should have completed at most 24 months in the PhD programme if he/she joined the PhD programme with a Bachelor’s degree. He/she should have completed at least four courses in the PhD programme with CGPA / CPI of 8.5 or above.

The PMRF Granting Institute, in which the student is enrolled, makes a strong recommendation for the candidate and uploads the relevant information on the PMRF web-portal, in view of his/her merit clearly demonstrated during the first 12-24 months (as relevant) of the program;

The metrics on which the candidates will be judged include (but not restricted to) a strong research proposal, publications record and grades. Due weightage should be given to publication in reputed journals/conferences.

It could help detect weak scattered light as an indication of unwanted activity The detector exhibits a rapid response of 40 microseconds and can detect low light intensities

The device covers a broad spectral range from Ultraviolet to Infrared Posted On: 07 MAY 2020 5:47PM by PIB Delhi

Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, have fabricated an economical and energy-efficient wafer-scale photodetector (thin slice-based) using gold – silicon interface, for security applications.It could help detect weak scattered light as an indication of unwanted activity.

Photodetectors are the heart of any optoelectronic circuit that can detect light and are employed for a wide variety of applications ranging from controlling automatic lighting in supermarkets to detecting radiation from outer galaxy as well as security-related applications. However, the material cost and the intricate fabrication processes involved in realizing high-performance detectors make them unaffordable for day to day applications.

The invention by JNCASR scientists,which was published in the journal Applied Electronic Materials of the American Chemical Society, provides a simple and cost-effective solution-based fabrication method for high-performance photodetector.

The scientists havefabricated gold (Au)– silicon (n-Si) interface, which showed high sensitivity towards light demonstrating the photodetection action. The Au–Si interface was brought about by galvanic deposition, a technique for electroplating of metals, wherein water-based solutions (electrolytes) are used, which contain the metals to be deposited as ions. In addition,a nanostructured Au film also was deposited on top of p-type silicide (having an excess of positive charges), which acts as a charge collector.

Being a solution-based technique, the method is highly economical and enabled large-area fabrication without compromising the detector response. The process is quick, taking only minutes to fabricate a detector of any arbitrary area. The metal nanostructures enhanced the performance of the fabricated detector through trapping the incoming light. This photodetector displayed long-term environmental stability.

The detector exhibits a rapid response of 40microseconds and can detect low light intensities. The device covers a broad spectral range from Ultraviolet to Infrared.Besides, it shows excellent uniformity throughout the entire active area with less than 5% variation in response. Notably, the detector operates in self-powered mode, which means the device does not require external power for its operation, thus making it energy efficient.

With a commonly available protective coating, excellent environmental stability is shown for the device under the harsh conditions for several days. The scientists also demonstrated the photodetector’s utility as a prototype imaging system, lux and power meter, and also as a tool for security applications.

Prototype security system In the prototype, inside the model house, a fabricated detector was mounted beside a high-value commercial detector for comparison and connected to same external circuit to trigger warning lights (blue lights in the image) and security buzzer.

The door is opened to allow only weak scattered light as a sign of unwanted activity. With such low level of lighting, not detectable by the human eye, the fabricated detector was activated, turning on the buzzer and the lights.

The judgment came in view of several conflicting decisions by high courts on the issues of: Whether the Co-operative banks can be called ‘Banks (financial Institution)’ under the Banking Regulation Act of 1949.

Whether the Parliament has legislative competence to regulate financial assets of cooperative banks formed under state law.

What has the Court said? A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said, The meaning of ‘banking’ cannot be confined to a particular definition, as given in the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949. The word ‘banking’ has been incorporated in Entry 45 of List I.

The decision in Rustom Cavasjee Cooper (1970 verdict) vividly leaves no room for doubt that banking done by the cooperative bank is covered within the ambit of Entry 45 of List I.

Therefore, cooperative banks come under the category of banks as defined under Section 2(1)(c) of the Sarfaesi Act, and the recovery procedures mentioned under that law apply to cooperative banks as well.

Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaesi) Act, 2002: It allows banks and financial institutions to auction properties (residential and commercial) when borrowers fail to repay their loans.

It enables banks to reduce their non-performing assets by adopting measures for recovery or reconstruction. It is effective only against secured loanswhere banks can enforce the underlying security. It promotes the setting up of asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) and asset securitization companies (SCs) to deal with NPAs accumulated with the banks and financial institutions.

Need for: According to an RBI report, there were 1,551 urban cooperative banks as on 31 March 2018, and 96,612 rural cooperative banks as on 31 March 2017, with the latter accounting for 65.8% of the total asset size of all cooperative banks.

The recent crisis surrounding Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank Ltd and other such lenders exposed the vulnerability of cooperative banks, after the central bank superseded the lenders’ boards after uncovering several irregularities.

Recognizing that cooperative banks can have Sarfaesi rights should enable cooperatives get better control over handling defaults and on the negotiation table with defaulters.

Long called the rial, Iran’s money will soon likely be called the Toman, and an impressive four zeros will be shaved off all denominations. What was previously 10,000 rials will become one Toman under the plans.

What’s the issue? Iran has seen the value of its national currency decline steadily since the Islamic Revolution brought the religious government to power in 1979. That drop has accelerated in recent years as harsh US sanctions battered the country’s economy.

The currency has been devalued 3,500 times since 1971. It declined steadily since the Iranian Revolution, 1979 brought the religious government to power.

The devaluation of the rial has been marked by four key turning points: The Islamic Revolution of 1979. When the government of the Western-allied Shah collapsed and an ideological cadre of mullahs took over, many entrepreneurs and business moguls left the country for fear of persecution, and they took their wealth with them.

The end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1989. It took Iran almost eight years to rebuild its shattered economy, during which time the rial lost almost 100% of its value compared to the US dollar thanks to rampant inflation and the unchecked printing of cash.

Last years of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tenure. Before he left power in 2013, Iran was slammed with severe international sanctions that saw the rial hemorrhage almost 400% more of its value on global currency markets.

The last major turning point, which is still playing out, came when President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal. It was like an electric shock that sizzled through every aspect of Iran’s already beleaguered economy. The rial’s plunge has continued, leaving it almost 600% weaker against the US dollar than it was before the Revolution.

What else contributed to this crisis? Iran has faced a litany of financial disasters since 1979, including international sanctions that have severely limited its ability to sell oil, which in turn have all but dried up its primary source of revenue.

The government has also implemented strict rules on access to foreign currency, leading to a flourishing black market for non-Iranian cash inside the country and further eroding the value of the national currency.

The global pandemic has piled even more stress onto the lives of people already bludgeoned by a White House bent on ramping up maximum pressure on Iran.

Implications of the latest move: If implemented carefully and as part of wider financial reforms, redenomination would be a positive move but hardly an answer for all the country’s intertwined economic woes.

However, it was a necessary action to simplify financial transactions. It would vastly simplify financial calculations by eliminating the need for Iranian shoppers to carry loads of rials to make purchases, which they have to do because of inflation.

The annual tracking study; considered to be the currency for digital adoption in the country, gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity and device segments.

Key findings: Estimated at 574 million, the number of monthly active Internet users have registered an annual growth of 24% indicating an overall penetration of 41%.

The report projects 11% growth for 2020; estimates 639 million monthly active Internet users. All monthly active Internet users use a mobile phone as one of the devices to access the Internet.

About 84% of users access the Internet for entertainment purposes. At 38%, school-going children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown a promising growth on internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.

Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage. India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45% growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020.

Factors responsible for this growth: The convenience of content availability across devices and on the go low-cost Internet service resulted in a significant growth in the entertainment consumption in the last year. This is expected to continue in 2020 too, especially in view of the lockdown. Local language and video are the underlying factors for the internet boom in rural.

Way ahead: Children and housewives will be the new Internet adopters in the next year or two. Most of these users already have Internet at home, and it will be more about breaking the mindset barriers to access the web.

Video, Voice and Vernacular (3 Vs) will be significant usage factors for the Internet users. These will drive higher engagement and frequency of usage, thereby, helping the users mature in their Internet journey.

IOT and Smart Devices will make the internet as much a household phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon.

This report was prepared by an Expert agency PWC Ltd, who was engaged by Bureau of Energy efficiency (BEE) for an independent verification to assess the resultant annual savings in energy as well as CO2 emissions through various initiatives in India.

Background: Since 2017-18, every year Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) appoints an third party expert agency to conduct study for comparing the actual energy consumption due to different energy efficiency schemes, with the estimated energy consumption, had the current energy efficiency measures were not undertaken i.e. counterfactual.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance and impact of all the key energy efficiency programmes in India, in terms of total energy saved and the related reduction in the CO2 emissions. The study assesses the resultant impact of current schemes at national as well as state level for the FY 2018-19 and compares it with a situation where the same were not implemented.

Key findings: India has reduced the energy intensity by 20% compared to 2005 levels which is a very good performance indeed.

Implementation of various energy efficiency schemes have led to total electricity savings to the tune of 113.16 Billion Units in 2018-19, which is 9.39% of the net electricity consumption.

The study has identified following major programmes, Perform, Achieve and Trade Scheme, Standards &Labelling Programme, UJALA Programme, Municipal Demand Side Management Programme, etc.

Energy savings (electrical + thermal), achieved in the energy consuming sectors (i.e. Demand Side sectors) is to the tune of 16.54 Mtoe, which is 2.84% of the net total energy consumption (approx..581.60 Mtoe) in 2018-19.

These efforts have also contributed in reducing 151.74 Million Tonnes of CO2 emissions, whereas last year this number was 108 Million Tonnes of CO2.

Way ahead: India’s energy saving potential is estimated to be 86.9 Mtoe in case of a moderate implementation of energy efficiency programs and 129 Mtoe in case of an ambitious implementation of programs by the year 2031.

The source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG, located at RRV Puram near Gopalapatnam, about 15 kms from the coast city.

What is styrene? It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex.

It is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

What happens when exposed to styrene? Short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.

Long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy. It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms include headache, hearing loss, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in concentrating etc.

Animal studies, according to the EPA, have reported effects on the CNS, liver, kidney, and eye and nasal irritation from inhalation exposure to styrene.

‘Vesak’, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is being observed by United Nations on May 7, 2020. It is also known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day. The day commemorates birth, enlightenment and Death (or Parinirvana) of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, all of which is said to take have taken place on the same day.

Vesak, falls on the full moon day (Purnima) of the month Vaishakha (May), hence the occasion is referred to as Buddha Purnima in India.

Recognition by United Nations (UN):The General Assembly, by its resolution in 1999, recognized internationally the Day of Vesak. It was done to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism made to humanity.