NATIONAL: AGRICULTURE / VEGETABLES : ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR) helps Grow Multiple Vegetables in One Plant

 Imagine planting one plant and getting multiple vegetables from it for your kitchen needs.

Scientists at ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi are now working on a new single plant that will yield three vegetables simultaneously- brinjal, tomato and chilli.

The new plant is yet to be named.

The scientists had earlier developed ‘Pomato’ that yields potatoes and tomatoes on a single plant and ‘Brimato’ that yields brinjal and tomatoes together.

Using the grafting technique, the scientists at ICAR-IIVR, first developed ‘Pomato’.

Under the guidance of IIVR director Dr T.K. Behera, Dr Anant Bahadur, principal scientist (vegetable) and head division of crop production at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi is now working on developing this unique single plant to yield three veggies.

“The grafting of chilli and tomato plants has been done on the brinjal rootstock and the plant is growing well. We are quite hopeful that it will start yielding chilli, brinjal and tomatoes by the end of January 2024,” said Dr Bahadur.

He said that he would analyse the feasibility of its cultivation.

Speaking about ‘Pomato’, Dr Bahadur said, “Potato tubers were germinated. Then grafting of tomato plants was done on the germinated potato tubers. As per the need, the plant was irrigated from time to time. It grew well and bore tomatoes above ground and potatoes below the ground.”

‘Pomato’, as a single plate, yielded around three kg of tomatoes and around 1.25 kg of potatoes, he added.

Thereafter, in 2019, Dr Anant Bahadur with his team grafted both the brinjal and tomato hybrids on the Brinjal root stock tolerant to waterlogging and salinity.

In 2019, his team succeeded in getting the desired result. He said the ‘Brimato’ is capable of surviving in waterlogged conditions for four days, whereas a normal plant wilts and gets destroyed in such conditions within 24 hours.

In October, the plant was transplanted, and brinjals and tomatoes were harvested till March.

A single plant yields around 3 kg of tomatoes and 2.5 kgs of brinjals, said Dr Bahadur.

Dr Bahadur said, “The special plant, ‘Brimato’, yields tomatoes and brinjals. It can be grown in kitchen gardens, backyards and also in small fields.”

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INDIA IN THE WORLD: ‘Statue of Equality’: Tallest Statue of Ambedkar outside India unveiled in US

The statue has been made by renowned sculptor Ram Sutar, who also built the statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat.

The tallest statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of India’s Constitution, outside India was formally inaugurated in a Maryland suburb of the US capital here.

Amidst chants of “Jai Bhim”, more than 500 Indian-Americans from various parts of the United States and some from India and other countries attended the unveiling ceremony of the 19-feet tall “Statue of Equality”.

Heavy rain and drizzle did not deter the enthusiasm and energy of the participants, many of whom drove for as long as 10 hours to attend what they described as a historic event.

The statue has been made by renowned artist and sculptor Ram Sutar, who also built the statue of Sardar Patel, called as Statue of Unity, and installed on an island in Narmada, metres downstream of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat.

“We are calling it the Statue of Equality… this (inequality) is not only the problem in India, everywhere (in) different forms (it exists),” Ram Kumar, president of the Ambedkar International Center (AIC) told PTI after the statue unveiling ceremony.

Born on April 14, 1891, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar – popular among his followers as Babasaheb – was the chairman of the Constituent Assembly’s most crucial Drafting Committee that earned him the moniker Architect of the Indian Constitution.

Spread over 13 acres, the AIC in Accokeek township, some 22 miles south of the White House, would consist of a library, convention center, and Buddha Garden among others.

“This is a great occasion to participate in the unveiling ceremony of statue of Babasaheb. This is the tallest statue of Babasaheb in America. ..After 75 years of independence, the people are realizing the works done by Dr. Ambedkar and that’s the reason why day by day he’s getting the popularity, …people are now understanding him in a proper way.

“Earlier he was treated as a Dalit leader, but now the entire nation is recognizing his contribution of empowering the woman and for the marginalized society as well as the economic weaker sections,” Ravi Kumar Narra, national president of Dalit Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), told PTI.

Narra, who travelled from India to attend the ceremony, said now all the developed nations have realized and also underdeveloped nations are thinking of implementing Ambedkar’s ideology that a country cannot become rich and great unless each and every citizen gets empowered.

“The greatest economic policy advocated by Dr Ambedkar is now becoming the reality,” he said.

The “Statue of Equality” represents 1.4 billion Indians and 4.5 million Indian Americans, said Deelip Mhaske from New York who leads the Ambedkarite movement in the US.

“Although this is completely done through community contributions, we received congratulatory messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stating ‘Ambedkarite has put the foundation of Unified India in the USA and globally’,” he said.

“This statue will not just inspire millions of Indians residing in the US but all communities including Black, Hispanic and others!” Mhaske said. “This is a historic step towards unifying the Indian-American diaspora and working towards making India a superpower not just in technology but also in social justice,” he said.

Mahindra Rajwade, who drove for more than 10 hours from Kentucky to attend the statue unveiling ceremony, said this is a proud moment for all followers of Dr Ambedkar. “This is for the first time in the world that we are having such a tall statue of Babasaheb outside India”.

The unveiling ceremony was followed by cultural performances by Indian-Americans from various parts of the country.

Elisha B. Pulivarti, president and CEO for US India SME Council, presented the US President’s Lifetime Achievement Award to DICCI president Narra in recognition of his community service.

Post-Independence, Ambedkar was also the Minister of Law and Justice in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s first Cabinet. Ambedkar played a key role in social movements that fought for the rights of Dalits and untouchables.

Ambedkar died on December 6, 1956, months after he embraced Buddhism on October 14 that year, the date coinciding with the unveiling of the statue in Maryland. October 14 is celebrated as Dhamma Chakra Parivartan Din by Ambedkarites.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

WORLD / NATIONAL: WORLD RECORD SPORTS : Sibling Sisters, 10-year old Ovee Malve and Ruchi Malve from Bengaluru become World’s Youngest Certified Scuba Diver Sisters

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving.

A day after turning 10, Bengaluru-based Ovee Malve set a world record of becoming the youngest certified scuba diver.

With this, both Ovee and her sister Ruchi, daughters of Bangalore Mountaineering Club founder Neeraj Malve, have become the youngest certified scuba diver siblings in the world. Neeraj himself has been a scuba diver for 16 years now. Ovee achieved the feat in Puducherry at 7.18 am on October 11, becoming the youngest Professional Association of Diving Instructors-certified open water diver. 

Elated and proud, Neeraj said he understands that adventure sports are not easy, especially at a young age. He never pressured his children and ensured that they underwent proper training. The daughters were water babies since they were little and were fascinated with his scuba diving videos.

Their interest in scuba diving stemmed from those videos and they started swimming and later training for scuba diving, he said. Ovee enrolled for a junior open water diver course at Temple Adventures, Puducherry and trained under coach Shreya Mehta. 

Her sister Ruchi (14) trained under Shaurya Tarni of Dive Goa in Goa. Ruchi enrolled for the Junior Open Water Diver certification course on October 27, 2022 and received the Scuba Schools International certificate on October 30, 2022. At the age of 10 and 13, both Malve sisters have become the world’s youngest scuba diver sisters.

Previously, a Mumbai-based boy, Dwit Nandu, at age 10 set the world record around 8 am on August 25, 2023.

Both the sisters underwent two-day rigorous training which included a 200-metre nonstop swimming and floating for 10 minutes without any support. 

They studied five chapters of theory about performing underwater skills in confined waters, passed a written exam and successfully performed four dives in open water up to 18-metre depth to earn their open water diver certification.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES: IIT Madras develops Steam-based method to Sterilise Medical Equipment

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed a solar-thermal steam-based system that can help sterilise medical equipment in remote and rural areas, where access to electricity and water could be an issue.

The project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, uses portable steam cylinders charged by renewable energy-based stations (like solar energy) that are placed strategically in rural areas for power generation, steam generation and other uses.

The team also designed special sterilisation chambers to utilise such portably stored steam and effectively sterilise the tools.

“A portable steam storage canister can be a great contribution by facilitating minor medical interventions in the developing world by sterilising surgical instruments and combating infections in rural areas,” said Prof. Sathyan Subbiah, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, in a statement.

“The portable canister is developed with multi-layer insulation, which can retain useful heat of steam, generated via solar plants for longer duration thus making it a viable option to sterilise equipment in remote areas. The steam that is produced in the solar plant or any other means can be stored in the portable canister which can be transported to remote locations to carry out the sterilisation activities,” he added.

Safe sterilisation of surgical instruments and other medical tools are important aspects in the health care sector. It involves cleaning and disinfecting the previously-used contaminated surgical tools before subsequent use. Steam sterilisation is one of the best disinfecting methods.

Currently, doctors carry with them a set of sterilised tools, which limits the number of patients they can see at the camp.

The project was demonstrated during a medical camp at IIT Madras campus on October 14, and is all set for further trials, following which it is intended to be deployed in the field.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)