At meeting with Swaraj, Jaitley on Sikkim stand-off, members flag 2016 report on poor state of roads, lack of funds for BRO(Border Road Organisation )
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence last year had criticised the government for not utilising funds in the Defence budget, and under-allocating the budget for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) by more than Rs.1,000 crore of the amount requested.
Concluding that “to compete with our neighbouring countries, especially with China, India must have latest, state-of-the-art equipment with the Border Roads Organisation”.
The report had said there is an “acute shortage of manpower, both combatant and civilians put together, in the BRO,”
IISER Kolkata develops reretardant,
rust-resistant material
Now, paper or other materials
coated with a hydrophobic (water
hating) hybrid molecular material
synthesised by researchers at the
Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research (IISER) Kolkata
can behave like a lotus leaf and
keep the surface clean and waterproof
Besides increasing the mechanical
strength of the coated paper
1.5 times, the molecular material
can inhibit bacterial growth and
even render the coated material
such as paper or wood fire-proof.
The organic-inorganic hybrid
material was synthesised by combining
polyhedral oligomeric
silsesquioxane (POSS) and diphenylalanine.
The POSS molecule by
itself has unique properties such
as high thermal stability and fire
retarding ability. While both POSS
and diphenylalanine are naturally
water repelling, the hydrophobic
nature gets enhanced when they
are combined.
Corrosion resistance
Testing the hydrophobic nature of
the hybrid material and its ability
to prevent corrosion, the researchers
coated iron nails with the hybrid
molecular material and exposed
it to water. While the nails
that were not coated rusted, those
with the coating did not. Coating
one half of the nail with the hybrid
material, the team found the uncoated
portion of the nail rusted in
about 12 hours when treated with
water; the coated portion remained
rust-free.
The nails coated with hybrid solution were able to
resist corrosion even when treated
with an aqueous solution of sodium
chloride, potassium chloride,
sodium bromide and even hydrochloric
acid.
Fire-retardant property
Finally, the fire-retardant property
of matchsticks coated with the hybrid
material was tested. While
matchstick with no coating burnt
completely, those coated with only
POSS to more time to reach the
end of the matchstick. But matchsticks
coated with the hybrid material
were able to extinguish the
flame as soon as fire reached the
coated portion.
The peptide not
only retards the flame but also extinguishes
the fire
No substitute for mother’s milk
While scientists grapple to understand the complexity of humanmilk, policymakers in India are grappling with something much more elementary: the need to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers.
Currently, 38% of children are stunted and 35.7% are underweight in India.
Experts maintain that inappropriate complementary feeding practices are having a significant impact on the nutritional status of children
Despite that, we still see that rates of breastfeeding are going down in higher socio-economic group. This is partly because they can afford to buy alternative feeds and partly because most people don’t understand why it is important to breastfeed
The Rapid Survey on Children (Ministry of Women and Child Development, 2015) shows that only 45% infants are now being breastfed within an hour of birth in India and just 65% are being exclusively breastfed as per World Health Organization recommendations.
Further, the NFHS 4 (National Family Health Survey) data reveal that only 42.7% of children received complementary foods at the age of 6-8 months while only 9.6% children received an adequate diet.
Experts say ‘adequate diet’ for a baby of 6-8 months should involved four or more of the following food groups — grains; dairy products; meat; eggs; vitamin A-rich fruitsand vegetables.
The India Newborn Action Plan,developed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in 2014, is targeting a 75% rate of initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth by 2017 and 90% by 2025.
To achieve these rates, there is a need to understand the sophistication of human milk, and enable new mothers to make an informed choice about breastfeeding
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