General Anil Chauhan on Friday became India's new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) with a mandate to implement the ambitious theaterisation plan that seeks to ensure tri-services synergy and prepare the military for future security challenges.

General Chauhan, a former eastern Army commander, took charge as the country's senior-most military commander over nine months after first CDS General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

"I will try to fulfil expectations of the three services," General Chauhan said.

Known as an expert on China, his appointment to the top post comes amid the lingering border row between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh.

Sixty-one-year-old Chauhan will also function as secretary in the Department of Military Affairs.

He retired from service on May 31 last year when he was serving as the eastern Army commander. After his retirement, he was serving as the military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat headed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

Before assuming charge of the CDS, General Chauhan paid tributes to India's fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial in the India Gate complex.

He was also accorded a tri-services guard of honour at the lawns of the South Block in the Raisina Hills.

Born on May 18, 1961, General Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981.

As CDS, General Chauhan's primary task will be to implement the theaterisation model to bring in tri-services synergy by rolling out integrated military commands.

According to the theaterisation plan, each of the theatre commands will have units of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and all of them will work as a single entity looking after security challenges in a specified geographical territory under an operational commander.

At present, the three forces have a total of 17 commands. Initially, a plan was firmed up for the creation of an Air Defence Command and Maritime Theatre Command.

The Indian Air Force has some reservations about the proposed theatre commands.

In becoming the CDS, General Chauhan assumed the rank of the four-star General.

General Chauhan is the first retired three-star officer to return to service in a four-star rank.

Mumbai, (PTI) The Vande Bharat Superfast Express train which Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be flagging off on Friday morning will run six days a week between Mumbai Central and Gandhinagar stations, Western Railway said.

 

In a late evening release on Thursday, it said that Vande Bharat Superfast Express will run six days a week except Sundays.

The train will depart from Mumbai Central at 6.10 am and reach Gandhinagar at 12.30 pm.

It will depart from Gandhinagar at 2.05 pm and arrive at Mumbai Central at 8.35 pm, the release said.

It will halt at Surat, Vadodara and Ahmedabad stations in both directions.

The train comprises AC Chair Car and Executive Chair Car compartments and will offer facilities such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility and comfortable seats, the release said.

The fare for Mumbai-Ahmedabad journey by executive chair car will be Rs 2,505 while that for chair car will be Rs 1,385.

Western Railway has revised the schedule and destination of the Shatabdi Express to accommodate the new train.

Shatabdi Express will now depart from Mumbai Central at 06.20 am instead of 06.10 am. It will reach Ahmedabad at 12.45 pm instead of 12.25 pm, the release said. PTI 

Ahead of filing his nomination for the Congress presidential poll, party leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday met his colleagues Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal.

The details of the meetings were not known immediately.

Singh collected nomination papers for the party president election on Thursday, even as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race.

Kharge is also likely to enter the contest with the blessing of the Gandhi family.

There is speculation that Singh may replace Kharge as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha if the latter becomes the party chief.

The 'one man, one post' formula will apply to Kharge, as in the case of Gehlot, who was asked to quit as chief minister if he contested for the top party post.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor will also file his nomination papers on Friday.

A tent has been set up in the lawns of the AICC headquarters here and party leaders can file their nomination papers between 11 am and 3 pm.

Polling will take place on October 17 and the result will be announced on October 19.

Guwahati : Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati research team led by Dr. Nelson Muthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed new modelling methods to assess the probability of failure of composite materials. For this, the researchers have used a combination of Machine Learning tools and state-of-art sampling techniques, to model and predict the failure and other mechanical properties of composite materials used in the aerospace and automobile sector.

 

This combination of these tools is able to better predict the failure of these materials over the multiple probability technique such as Monte Carlo simulation. The results of the team’s latest work have been published in the prestigious journal, Composite Structures, in a paper co-authored by Dr. Muthu along with this research scholars: Mr. Paladugu Rakesh, Mr. Aditya More, and Mr. Munna Kumar.

 

Composite materials are made of two or more components and are extensively used in all kinds of aerospace, automobile and construction applications because of favorable properties such as excellent corrosion resistance, high strength and stiffness to weight ratios, durability, increased fatigue life, affordable cost, etc. The simplest type of composite is Fiber-reinforced-Plastics or FRP, which are widely used today.

Specialized fiber reinforced composites are used in aerospace, for making specialized aircraft structures. The fuselage, wings, tail, doors, and interior of aircraft, for example, are made of composite materials. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is 80% composite by volume, which reduces fuel use by 20-25% compared to its predecessors.

Highlighting the importance of his research, Dr. Nelson Muthu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Despite their wide use, composite materials can fail due to problems such as fibre–matrix debonding, delamination, fiber misalignment, matrix cracking, density variation, broken fibres, impact damage, etc. We need to understand and predict such failures so the composite and the component can be designed accordingly and reduce the risk of failure.”

Computational modelling studies such as Monte Carlo simulations are often used to understand and predict failure of composite materials. However, these multiple probability methods consume a lot of computer time and memory because composite properties are affected by many factors such as the distribution of fibre and matrix characteristics (microscale), laminate bonding (mesoscale), and product macrolevel design (macroscale).

“Although computers are getting more powerful, it is still unrealistic to depend only on single simulation codes to predict properties that are dependent on multiple factors”, said the lead researcher.

The IIT Guwahati team developed a computationally efficient multiscale metamodel-based approach that combines machine learning tools like support vector machines, among others, and sampling tools, such as Latin hypercube, to assess the failure risk in composites with many sources of uncertainty.

While explaining the technicalities of his research, Dr Muthu explained, “We performed experiments to determine the uncertainties in the microscale and established the variation of the properties in the mesoscale using the computational homogenization technique within the finite element modelling framework. The uncertainty in the mesoscale was also estimated, and this information was transported to the macroscale simulations.”

The metamodeling approach reduced the computational effort by about 95% compared to the Monte Carlo simulation. This was also a significant improvement in determining the risk associated with the design and development process.

Apart from this research on the fracture and failure modelling of composites, Dr Muthu’s group also works on biomedical device innovation. The researchers routinely collaborate with industry partners like VSSC-ISRO, TATA Steel (TSAMRC), SABIC and Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited and work towards solving practical problems in the industry

 New Delhi, (PTI) The Popular Front of India (PFI) has been extensively using social media for recruiting youths for anti-national activities and one of the modules of the now-banned outfit even had prepared to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, officials said.

According to an investigation carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the module comprising about 15 youths and their associates from southern states, mostly PFI members or those attracted to the global terror group ISIS, had also conspired to attack high court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to Ahmediya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India.

The module had allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy to wage a war against the government by collecting explosives and other offensive materials to target important persons and places of public importance, the officials said.

The module — Ansar-ul-Khilafa Kerala — was also indulged in a secret campaign of recruiting, motivating and radicalizing Muslim youths to join ISIS/ISIL, they said, adding the associates used various internet based platforms (both surface and deep web) for propagating ISIS ideology.

Active surveillance mounted by the investigators found five suspects namely Manseed, Swalith Mohammed, Rashid Ali Safvan and Jasim NK, and they were arrested from Kannur district in Kerala on October 2, 2016 while they were holding a conspiracy meeting as part of their preparation to allegedly wage a war against the government.

Later, searches were conducted at the residence of the accused and materials, including digital devices and documents, were seized. Custodial interrogation revealed that the accused had communicated with co-conspirator within and outside India over social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, etc to allegedly wage a war against the government, the officials said.

One of the accused, Swalith Mohammed, disclosed about the receipt of funds from his associates in the UAE for funding their activities.

The accused had conspired and propagated ISIS ideology directly and through social media and recruiting members for anti-national activities. They had created various Telegram groups like ‘The Gate’, ‘Bab Al Noor’, ‘Play Ground’, etc, the officials said.

Investigation has established that the accused had knowingly and intentionally conspired and conducted preparation to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal near Kodaikanal, to attack prominent political leaders at Kozhikode, Kerala, and to attack a programme of Jamaat-e-Islami at Kochi, the officials said.

Vattakkanal is a small scenic hill station in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district where every year hundreds of Israeli youths arrive for vacation after their compulsory military service in Israel.

The NIA investigations have also found that one Shajahan, a Kerala resident, who was working on ISIS terror network in India, had earlier visited Turkey/Syria for allegedly carrying out terror activities and was deported from there.

The NIA also found that Shajahan had joined the National Democratic Front, which was the earlier avatar of the PFI, and gradually got indoctrinated by its leaders.

He came in contact with PFI leaders namely Haris, Shabeer, Manaf, Mustafa, Sadik, Shajil and others.

He used to attend all PFI meetings in 2008 where the discussions were made on atrocities committed on the Muslims by the “non-believers” in India and other parts of the world, the officials said, adding that particularly, Shameer, the then divisional president of the PFI’s Valapattanam unit, indoctrinated Shajahan with the ISIS ideology.

After the declaration of Caliphate by Abu Bakar Bagdadi of the ISIS, Shameer motivated Shajahan to go for ‘hijra’ as per Hadis and Quran for waging jihad.

As directed by Shameer who was already in Syria, Shajahan along with his wife and two sons went to Malaysia in October 2016 enroute to his final destination Syria, the officials said.

In Malaysia, Shajahan was met by one Rasheed and they moved to Iran from Malaysia. In Iran, Shajil and his family and Midlaj joined this group via Mangalore-Dubai-Iran, then further proceeded to Istanbul, Turkey, they said.

This group was joined by Abdul Manaf PP in Turkey. In February 2017, when Shajahan and Abdul Manaf PP along with their families attempted to cross over to Syria, law enforcement agencies of Turkey apprehended Shajahan and deported to India on February 10, 2017.

However, Abdul Manaf managed to cross the border. After his earlier failed attempt, Shajahan again planned to go to Syria for ‘hijra’ in March 2017. He acquired Indian passport on forged identity of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen with the help of one travel agent Mustafa, the officials said. This time Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Razak also planned to go to Syria with Shajahan for ‘hijra’. Shajahan had reached Iran from Bangkok, they said.

While Khayoom managed to cross over to Syria, Shajahan and Razak were apprehended again in Turkey and deported to India on July 1, 2017, the officials said. PTI 

New Delhi,(PTI) K.N. Shanth Kumar was re-elected as the vice-chairman and L. Adimoolam was appointed a director of the Press Trust of India’s Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting held on Thursday.

Shanth Kumar, who is the vice-chairman of The Printers (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd, was elected for a second one-year term. Printers Mysore publishes Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Sudha and Mayura newspapers from its headquarters in Bengaluru.

The 16-member Board of Directors is headed by Chairman Aveek Sarkar, who was elected in 2021 for a two-year term. Other directors on the Board include top publishers from across the country as well as eminent, independent personalities.

Adimoolam is the Publisher of Dinamalar daily’s Coimbatore edition and is also its business and technical head. An engineering graduate from the prestigious Regional Engineering College in Trichy, Adimoolam has been part of the senior management of Dinamalar for the last 37 years, handling both technical and marketing arenas.

He was instrumental in bringing the latest upgrades in printing, pre-press processes, distribution and web-media. He is also the secretary of RL Institute of Nautical Sciences, Madurai and Managing Director of RL Clean Power Pvt Ltd., the first solar power plant commissioned in Tamil Nadu.

Adimoolam is the immediate past president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), and a special invitee in the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) Management Council in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Shanth Kumar has been involved in the management of Printers Mysore in various roles since 1983. He was also chairman of the ABC, a member of the Executive Committee of INS for more than 20 years and a past chairman of the Board of Press Trust of India.

Shanth Kumar has a keen interest in sports and photography. He has covered several Olympic Games since 1988 as an accredited photographer, besides several other sporting events.

Press Trust of India is the country’s largest and oldest private news agency, founded soon after Independence in 1947 by a group of newspapers, which also own it. The shareholders, however, receive no part of the company’s profits, which go back towards the development and modernisation of the news agency. PTI 

New Delhi, (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday announced that he will not contest the Congress presidential polls as he took moral responsibility for the political crisis in his state.

After meeting party president Sonia Gandhi, Gehlot told reporters that he apologised to her for the developments on Sunday when MLAs supporting him defied the central observers and thwarted their move to hold a meeting of party legislators.

Instead, they held a parallel meet to pitch for Gehlot’s continuation or the guarantee that his bete noire Sachin Pilot does not replace him.

Gehlot, a three-time state chief minister, described himself as a disciplined soldier of the party and expressed his sadness over the turn of affairs in the state.

Asked if he will continue as chief minister, Gehlot said Gandhi will decide on the issue. PTI

 Almost five lakh Indians face organ failure every year with only 2-3 per cent receiving life-saving transplant, according to data shared during a programme hosted in Delhi to raise awareness on organ donation.

At the event hosted on the occasion of World Heart Day by a leading private hospital in association with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) and another association, doctors urged people to pledge their organs for donation.

''It is extremely unfortunate that 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant in our country. Unfortunately, the organ donation rate in India is very low (0.26 per million population) as compared to many other countries, despite a sound regulatory and streamlined legal framework,'' Dr Rajneesh Sahai, Director, NOTTO, was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the hospital.

As per NOTTO, five lakh people in India need organ donation every year, which is why, there is an urgent need to increase organ donation within the country to save as many lives as possible, he said.

''It is estimated that almost five lakh Indians face organ failure every year and only 2-3 per cent receive a life-saving transplant,'' Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) said in the statement.

As per data by NOTTO, in 2022, eleven cadaver donations have taken place with successful retrieval of 30 organs in Delhi, it added.

Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgery (IACTS) was also a partner in the programme that was held to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and the urgent need to increase the number of organ donors in India to save lives.

''A heart transplant can only happen when a healthy heart is available from a donor. Nowadays, heart failure is very common among Indians and there are approximately one million cases of heart failure annually.

''A large number of patients are admitted with advanced heart failure, but very few are able to get a heart transplant due to the limited number of organ donors. Thus, it is crucial to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation, so that more and more people are encouraged to pledge their organs,'' said Dr Z S Meharwal, executive director and head, adult cardiac surgery, heart transplant and VAD programme at FEHI.

Every year, people die in India, waiting for an organ transplant. Due to lack of awareness and misconceptions, there is a ''shortage of organ donors'', and with each passing year, the gap between the number of organs donated and the people waiting for transplant, is ''growing wider,'' the statement said. ''Timely cadaveric organ donation can save many lives and more people would come forth and pledge their organs if they receive more information and are educated on the benefits of organ donation,'' it added.

Dr Milind Hotte, professor of cardiac surgery and transplant surgeon, AIIMS, Delhi and many other cardiac specialists from Delhi and neighbouring cities, along with other NOTTO representatives and a few organ donation beneficiaries also attended the event, the statement said.

New Delhi: From suspending a district supply officer publicly for alleged negligence in the delivery of the Ujjwala scheme, to dialling the police chief to suspend the Jhabua SP, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has apparently been shedding his amiable persona for that of a hard taskmaster in the past few weeks.

Fondly called Mama (uncle), the chief minister is going all out — often publicly — against those civil servants and police officers who are accused of not delivering services, especially if these are public welfare schemes.

Consider this: On Wednesday morning during his review meeting of Sheopur district, he reportedly warned the district collector that he had received complaints regarding the delivery of foodgrains at the doorstep in villages. The collector informed him that 11 FIRs had been lodged and four arrests made.

Chouhan told the collector and the district superintendent of police to act against those allegedly involved in irregularities. “I will not spare anyone who is effecting corruption in the distribution of rations,” he said, adding that the district supply officer (DSO) was presenting an incorrect picture. The CM went on to suspend the latter midway through the meeting.

On 24 September, Chouhan reportedly asked Collector Ratnakar Jha about progress in the delivery of central schemes at a meeting with officials and the public in Dindori district, held as part of a programme called the Mukhyamantri Jan Seva Abhiyan. “The last date [of the programme] is 31 October. If anyone is left in your district, I will not hesitate to suspend you,” he warned.

The CM also called Dindori DSO T. R. Ahirwar onto the dais and sought explanation for why the target of enrolling 70,000 people under the Ujjwala scheme from January to September was not met. Unsatisfied with the answer, he suspended the DSO right on the dais in front of thousands of people present at the meeting. Chouhan scolded the officer to a huge round of applause by those present at the rally.

Launched on 17 September, the Jan Seva Abhiyan aims to facilitate the enrolment of beneficiaries under two dozen schemes and to plug loopholes in their delivery.

Another DSO met with the same fate at a Jan Seva Abhiyan event in Jhabua district on 25 September. DSO M. K. Tyagi was summarily suspended after many people complained that they were not getting rations in their villages.

In Chhindwara, Chouhan warned the DM and the district health officer on 23 September to identify every eligible beneficiary for the Ayushman Bharat to ensure their e-health card, “otherwise I will not hesitate to take action”.

Jhabua SP Arvind Tiwari also faced heat after a video went viral in which he purportedly abused polytechnic students who had sought protection after a brawl in their hostel. When the video came to his notice, Chouhan on 19 September asked Director General of Police (DGP) Vivek Johri to suspend him.

In Panna district, the CM told the district magistrate at a review meeting last month that “either you don’t know facts or you are misleading me”. He was upset about the district not achieving the target set for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

However, Congress spokesperson K. K. Mishra questioned Chouhan’s actions against officials, which he said was for the purpose of “maintaining” the CM’s public image. “Who appointed these officials? Now that the election is approaching, he is holding public trials of officials. It shows Chouhan himself doesn’t want to share accountability for corruption and is shifting the blame to officers,” 

New Delhi: Karnataka has seen the steepest fall in sex ratio at birth (SRB) among big states in the past 10 years while Punjab has improved the most on this front, according to an analysis of the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) data by ThePrint.

The southern state saw its SRB — number of boys born alive per 100 girls born alive — come down from 944 in 2008-10 (three-year average) to 916 in 2018-20, which translates to 28 less female births for every 1,000 male births than what the state reported a decade ago.

Other states that recorded a significant fall in SRB are Gujarat, with 27 fewer female births, followed by Bihar (22), Chhattisgarh (22), Delhi (22) and Maharashtra (20).

The northern states — often perceived as being more patriarchal — have shown a marked improvement. With an SRB of 897 in 2018-20, Punjab leads the list with 61 more female births per 1,000 male births than it did in 2008-10 (836). Jammu Kashmir (51), Rajasthan (36), Uttar Pradesh (31) and Haryana (21) were other states that improved on this indicator.

Overall, India has seen a marginal improvement over the past decade — from 905 in 2008-10 to 907 in 2018-20.

Experts take data with pinch of salt

While the numbers are alarming for the southern state, experts assert that Karnataka’s data, or for that matter a drastic change in numbers for any other state, have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

“The SRS used the population metrics using the 2001 frame till 2013 and the 2011 Census after that period. Why this matters is because this defines the boundaries of urban versus rural areas. Our research showed that increasing urban class size corresponded to a higher preference for sons, implying bigger cities having a skewed SRB, hence, the SRB deterioration. So far, we know that rural areas generally have better sex ratio than urban areas. Preference for small family size in urban areas with at least one son may be one of the factors behind declining sex ratio at birth,” Debolina Kundu of Delhi-based Indian Institute of Urban Affairs told ThePrint.

The root cause behind extreme effects in SRB builds the case for more detailed qualitative and quantitative research, she said.

“In the past two decades, Karnataka has seen a mass migration of youngsters coming from northern parts of the country. As they move in search of better opportunities, the culture of strong preference for sons also travels with them,” Kundu said, adding that the role of migration in Karnataka’s declining sex ratio needs more research.

Conducted by the Registrar General of India, the 2020 SRS data covered over 8.4 million people. Unlike the Census or the National Family Health Survey — which map quality attributes such as income group, migration status or societal changes — the primary objective of the SRS survey is to calculate demographic indicators like fertility rates, birth and death rates.

“There could be statistical shocks, or changes in the sample population picked up for data collection — that question needs to be answered by the SRS. The difference between two different points of time may not provide a complete picture sans the confidence interval of the trends,” said Prof. Chander Shekhar, department of fertility studies, International Institute for Population Sciences.

“The SRS gives the data, but we need more quality attributes to understand why a state is moving in which direction. Whether it’s migrants who are pushing down Karnataka’s sex ratio at birth, or has there been a change in social systems within the natives, needs more than mere indicators. Both are visible on the ground, but only sophisticated research can reveal who is contributing how much in the trajectory,” Shekhar explained.

Urban India leading the change  

While SRS data is available separately for rural and urban areas, it shows that the trend in urban areas is defining India’s overall curve.

In 2008-10, urban India’s sex ratio at birth was 898 which rose to 906 by 2011-13. The ratio then fell in the succeeding years to settle at 888 by 2014-16. Since then, it has improved to outstrip rural India in the period of 2017-19.

The hinterland, too, had a similar trajectory, but the numbers did not disperse as wide as its urban counterparts.

In 2008-10, Karnataka’s urban sex ratio at birth was 934, which dropped to 871 in 2018-20. This means that on average, 63 fewer females were born per 1,000 males compared to a decade ago.

Even urban areas of lesser developed states like Bihar (897), Rajasthan (901), Odisha (907), Chhattisgarh (910) and Jharkhand (910), which were behind Karnataka 10 years ago, fared better than the southern state.

Overall, urban India saw the ratio rise from 898 to 910 in the same period.

Link between urbanisation & SRB

Is there a relationship between rising urbanisation and deterioration in sex ratio at birth? Yes, say Kundu and her peers.

In an article, ‘Sex Ratio at Birth in Urban India’, published in Economy and Political Weekly (EPW), the authors mentioned that urbanisation and sex ratio at birth were negatively related to each other.

“An exploration of the trends and patterns of sex ratio at birth in urban India and the processes behind son preference suggests a systematic worsening of SRB with increasing urban district size classes,” the article states.

Until 2011-13, the Sample Registration System survey was using urban boundaries as mapped in the 2001 Census. As more and more villages urbanised and appeared in the 2011 Census, there was a drastic fall in the sex ratio at birth in several states, especially from 2012-14 onwards. In Karnataka’s case, the urban SRB plunged from 942 in 2011-13 to 887 in 2012-14.

The relationship between sex ratio at birth and urbanisation needs to be read in context with declining fertility, said Prof. R. Nagarajan of Department of Population and Development at Mumbai’s International Institute for Population Sciences.