Sixty scientists, most of them from state-run research institutions, had written letters to the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, voicing concern over the quality of components and equipment used in the KNPP.

“The components and equipment installed in KNPP have undergone multi-stage quality checks… through well proven and approved chemical, mechanical, non-destructive testing techniques like radiography, ultrasonic testing etc. at various stages to assure meeting of quality and safety standards,” the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd said.

It said the KNPP units have appropriate design provisions for in-service inspection of the reactor pressure vessel during its operation.

Executive Director of NPCIL, Nalinish Nagaich made these clarifications in letters to each of the 60 scientists who had raised concerns over safety of the KNPP, which is set to be commissioned next month.

He said periodic inspection of the RPV and its internals and such other components during operation is a mandatory regulatory requirement and indeed, an internal part of plant operation.

“…And accordingly adequate and appropriate provisions to carry out the inspections using automatic and remotely operated specialised inspection tools have been ensured,” he said.

The scientists had contended that inspection of components housed inside the RPV would not be possible due to the high radiation field once the reactor is commissioned.

Mr. Nagaich said four faulty valves detected during the integrated commissioning tests have already been replaced.

“The inspection of the components and equipment in Kudankulam reactors, including that of the RPV and internals (components located inside the RPV) have been carried out for their quality and performance checks at various stages — from material selection, manufacturing, installation, and during commissioning tests — in line with the laid down quality checks and procedures,” he said.

The scientists had contended that the safety concerns regarding KNPP were compounded after Sergei Shutov, procurement director of Zio-Podolsk, was arrested by Russian authorities on corruption charges for having sourced cheaper sub-standard steel to manufacture components.

The petitioners include scientists from Indian Institute of Science, IIT Bombay and Madras, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and DAE-supported Harish-Chandra Research Institute among others.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/npcil-allays-scientists-fears-on-kudankulam-safety/article4730011.ece

“Till noon, 25 per cent of (the) 1.1 crore rural electorates have exercised their franchise with no reports of violence from any area,” State Election Commissioner S. S. Brar said in Chandigarh.

The polling is being held to elect 331 members of 22 Zila Parishads and 2,902 members of 146 Panchayat Samitis across rural Punjab.

At least 38,000 police personnel have been deployed at 19,350 polling booths, of which 2,650 are sensitive.

The elections are being held in 12,000 villages spread across the state. The counting of votes would be taken up on May 21.

In the run up to the polls, two persons died in a clash between Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress activists at Lopoke in Amritsar, one Congressman died at Patti and another at Bathinda district.

Opposition Congress has in a bid to take on the ruling SAD-BJP combine tied up with the People’s Party of Punjab and the Left parties in some areas this year.

Last time, these polls were swept by SAD-BJP, which was in power, and the Congress won in 2003, when it was ruling Punjab.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/punjab-panchayat-polls-underway/article4730027.ece

Mr. Li, accompanied by a senior-level delegation comprising government officials and businessmen, arrived around 3 p.m. and was received by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed and senior Ministry officials including Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai.

Shortly after his arrival on a three-day visit to India, which is his first overseas stop after assuming office in March, Mr. Li will be holding restricted talks with Dr. Singh, who will also host a dinner for the visiting dignitary at his official residence which will be attended by among others members of major political parties, including the BJP and the SP.

Ahead of his visit, Mr. Li had said the fond memories from the visit, which he made 27 years ago, also made him choose India for his first overseas visit.

Recalling his last visit to India, he said, “What I saw and felt during that trip, visiting the Taj Mahal and prestigious Indian universities, research institutes, and the warmth and hospitality of the Indian people, left a lasting impact on me.”

“In a few days’ time I will make India the first stop of my first overseas visit as a premier of China. I have made this decision not just because India is an important neighbour and one of the populous countries of the world but also because of the seeds of friendship sown during my own youth,” he had said.

Asserting that India thinks “very highly” of Li’s gesture of making the country his first overseas stop after assuming charge, spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin said such high-level exchanges are aimed at enhancing trust and understanding as well “exhibit sensitivity” to each other’s concerns.

On Monday, the two leaders, accompanied by high-level delegations, will hold comprehensive talks on key international, regional and bilateral issues.

“Everything is on the table,” Joint Secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale said when asked about the issues to be discussed between the leaders of the two countries, which are witnessing differences on various crucial matters including boundary, waters and on market access under economic ties.

“The two Prime Ministers would talk about these subjects. Since it (incursion) being the recent occurrence(will be discussed),” Mr. Bambawale said.

Asked if there was any progress made on the Chinese proposal on Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, to which India has also submitted a counter proposal, Mr. Bambawale said, these proposals were currently being discussed but refused to divulge further details.

On the economic front, Mr. Bambawale said India will continue to press for access to the Chinese market.

In 2012, bilateral trade was $66 billion, a decline over the $74 billion in 2011. The two countries have set a target of $100 billion by 2015 for bilateral trade.

India faces a growing trade deficit vis-à-vis China. By end 2011, India’s trade deficit was $27 billion. According to Chinese trade figures released in January 2013, the figure expanded to $29 billion by 2012.

Apart from trade, India is also the largest market for project exports from China. As per Chinese figures, cumulative Chinese investments into India till December 2011 stood at $575.70 million while Indian investments into China were $441.70 million.

Another issue which will be raised by India is expected to be its concern over the Chinese proposal to construct three more dams across the Brahmaputra river which originates in Tibet.

India has been pressing China to have either a water commission or an inter-governmental dialogue to deal with water issues as under the current Expert Level Mechanism (ELM), the two countries only share hydrological information.

On his second-leg of journey to Mumbai, officials said Mr. Li will attend a meeting with business leaders and visit Tata Consultancy Services facility.

The Chinese Premier will also meet family members of late Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis, an Indian physician dispatched to China to provide medical assistance during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/li-arrives-border-water-disputes-on-agenda/article4730042.ece

“Two years is not a big time to evaluate a new government. It has on its head the legacy of 34-year rule of the previous regime, a huge debt burden of more than Rs. 2 lakh crore and completely crippled and demoralised government machinery,” Ms. Banerjee said in a Facebook post.

The new government, headed by Mamata Banerjee, was sworn to power on May 20, 2011.

Outlining her government’s achievements in the past two years “despite severe financial crunch”, Ms. Banerjee said, West Bengal had exceeded the national average in some key performance parameters.

She gave examples of the GDP, agriculture and allied sectors, industry and services, saying that the state had grown faster than India as a whole in the period under review. “While the country registered growth in GDP by 4.96 per cent, agriculture 1.79 per cent, industry 3.12 per cent and services 6.59 per cent, Bengal recorded 7.6 per cent, 2.56 per cent, 6.24 per cent and 9.48 per cent growth in the sectors respectively,” Ms. Banerjee claimed.

She also claimed that revenue collection during 2012 – 13 fiscal exceeded the previous financial year’s figure by nearly 30 per cent. “Our revenue collection of Rs. 32,000 crore during 2012 – 13 exceeded that of the previous financial year by nearly 30 per cent, which is a record,” Ms. Banerjee said.

She then lapsed into her oft-repeated grouse that the entire amount could not be used for development work as the central government deducted Rs. 26,000 crore from this by way of repayment of debts incurred by the previous government.

Underlining the achievements in the rural sector, Ms. Banerjee claimed that Bengal currently ranked number one in ensuring 100 days’ work under the NREGA scheme. “In NREGA (100-days work), we are number 1 in the country in terms of expenditure (107 per cent) vis-a-vis funds received in 2012 – 13. In the previous regime this position varied between 17 and 23,” she revealed.

The Chief Minister, however, refrained from saying anything on the Saradha group chit fund mess that her government found itself in and which threatens to dent her massive rural support base.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/two-years-not-enough-to-judge-new-govt-mamata/article4730112.ece

I don’t know why CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan is attacking me. The truth behind the murder of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan cannot be concealed. He should take the initiative to book the conspirators in the case, said Mullappally. 

Article source: http://www.kaumudiglobal.com/innerpage1.php?newsid=36352

He said this while talking to reporters after visiting V M Sudheeran undergoing treatment in Bangalore.
Chennithala said that he is least interested in joining the cabinet. I’m not behind a ministerial post.

K B Ganesh Kumar’s re-induction into the cabinet has not been discussed, he said.

Article source: http://www.kaumudiglobal.com/innerpage1.php?newsid=36357

The three — Sunil Bhatia, 44, Kiran Dole, 43, and Manish Gudewa, 32 — were arrested from Aurangabad in Maharashtra early Sunday and are “fixers” who used to mediate between the bookies and the players.

“These three are fixers who fixed the meeting between the bookies and players and did the on-spot fixing during the match,” a Delhi Police official said.

Police added that Gudewa was a Ranji level cricket player and played for Vidarbha team between 2003-05. The three were arrested after their phones were put on surveillance by police.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/sport/ipl2013/3-more-arrests-in-ipl-spotfixing-case/article4730120.ece

While Mr. Chinchansur was elected from Gurmitkal in Yadgir district in the Assembly elections, Mr. Tangadagi won from Kanakagiri in Koppal district.

The Lokayukta police had raided the houses, educational institution, and business premises of Mr. Chinchansur after the Lokayukta court admitted a private complaint against him.

Including Mr. Chinchansur in the Ministry while overlooking the claims of the former Minister A.B. Maalakaraddy (Yadgir) and Raja Venkatappa Naik, three-time MLA for Surpur in Yadgir district, has surprised many.

Besides, Mr. Chinchansur is considered an outsider by party workers as he is from Gulbarga district.

The factor that worked in favour of Mr. Chinchansur was that he is only Congress MLA of the Kabbaliga community to get elected.

Congress workers ransacked the district party office in Yadgir and set the furniture afire in protest against the non-inclusion of Dr. Maalakaraddy in the Ministry.

Similarly, the inclusion of Mr. Tangadagi in the Ministry while ignoring the claims of senior party leaders, including Basavaraj Rayaraddi, elected from Yelburga, has not gone well with the Congress workers in the district.

Congress leaders in the district point out that Mr. Tangadagi, who was with the BJP, joined the party just before the Assembly elections. He should not have been preferred as he was also responsible for the BJP forming the government in 2008.

Mr. Tangadagi contested as a Congress rebel in 2008 Assembly elections and was Minister in the B.S. Yeddyurappa Cabinet.

Preferring him over Mr. Rayaraddi has not gone down well with the party workers in the district.

Also, none from Raichur and Bidar made it to the Ministry.

There were expectations that four-time MP Venkatesh Naik, elected to the Assembly from Deodurg in Raichur district, and three-time MLA Rajashekar Patil, elected from Humnabad in Bidar district, would make it to the Ministry.

Leaving out six-time MLA Malikayya Guttedar, considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also caused surprise. However, the inclusion of three-time MLA Sharanprakash Patil and Qamar-ul Islam has warmed the hearts of Congress workers in Gulbarga district.

In the BJP government, there was only one representation from Gulbarga district, while Bidar and Raichur went unrepresented in the Ministry.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/choice-of-chinchansur-tangadagi-raises-eyebrows/article4729652.ece

After the swearing in of 28 Ministers, he chaired a Cabinet meeting.

Of the 28 inducted into the Ministry, 20 are of Cabinet-rank and the rest Ministers of State.

Speaking to presspersons after the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said: “the legislature session will, most likely, be from May 29.”

He said veteran Congress leader from Shimoga and former Minister Kagodu Thimmappa would be elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Thimmappa got elected from Sagar constituency in Shimoga district.

The Cabinet, which met for about 45 minutes, authorised the Chief Minister to take decisions on administrative matters and the holding of the legislature session.

In reply to a question on non-inclusion of any MLC in the Council of Ministers, Mr. Siddaramaiah said one of them would be inducted into the Cabinet.

Generally, the leader of the Upper House should be a member of that House and Minister, he said.

On the non-inclusion in the Ministry of persons facing charges, the Chief Minister said the list was approved by the party high command and he had no role in the formation of the Ministry.

Soon after the Cabinet meeting, several Ministers expressed happiness over their selection.

The Ministers said they would be happy with any portfolio allocated to them by the Chief Minister.

‘Some are disappointed’

Minister R.V. Deshpande said some of his party colleagues were unhappy over not being included in the Ministry.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/house-session-likely-from-may-29-siddaramaiah/article4729653.ece

Although the computerised ball trajectory tracking system, familiar to cricket fans as Hawk-Eye, has been around for a while, its full potential remains untapped in the IPL, for what would appear to be good cricketing reasons.

View from Hawk-Eye

The tracking system, or the set of simulations that project the likely trajectory of the ball after it leaves the bowler’s hand till it reaches the other end of the pitch, has become not just a tool of decision-making for umpires, but also for cricket coaches. It is also a source of heightened interest among cricket-crazy fans.

“Hawk-Eye replays add more detail and helps one understand certain nuances of the game, which otherwise would go unnoticed such as when Malinga delivers his yorkers at 140 kmph,” says Harsha Bhaskar, an ardent Mumbai Indians fan.

Two components

Named after the company that supplies the simulation solutions to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Hawk-Eye has appended itself in cricketing parlance.

Hawk-Eye, in fact, has two components. The first part is when it does a ‘retrospective reconstruction’, an actual reconstruction of the trajectory of the ball till it is either played, missed or hits the stumps.

The second, and perhaps more entertaining aspect of its role, pertains to the use of statistical probability; models that enable it to predict what could have happened after the ball’s impact with either the bat or any other part of the batsman’s armour.

Six cameras

Six cameras placed at different locations on the periphery of the playing area constantly track the ball, from the time a ball is delivered by a bowler until the end of that delivery. Advanced forms of popularly used pattern recognition algorithms process the images from multiple cameras, locate the movement of the ball in relation to the critical elements in the playing context — the stumps, the batsman’s pads, the location on the pitch and so on. A central computer program aggregates and consolidates these inputs from different Hawk-Eye cameras to rebuild the trajectory of the ball.

Factors, such as the height at which the ball was delivered, the point at which it pitches and the point of impact on the bat where the ball hits it, are assimilated to generate a high-fidelity reconstruction of the path taken by the ball.

In cases where the LBW decisions are to be reviewed, the ball’s trajectory is statistically computed and the possible path the ball would have taken in relation to the position of the stumps is calculated and visualised.

Based on the ‘reconstruction’, an extrapolation of the path is performed to predict its trajectory towards the stumps. This is the only portion that is simulated per se.

Technology vs. umpires

With the use of technology such as high-resolution cameras, many contentious decisions have been avoided in cases of run-outs and stumpings.

Technology such as Hawk Eye has, to a great extent, improved the quality of decisions, but can it replace umpires or make their decades of expertise redundant?

Not infallible

Hawk-Eye is not infallible. Even the official claim is that the simulations are accurate 99 per cent of the time, whereas many researchers think this is an exaggerated claim.

Many factors such as the nature and surface of the pitch, weather characteristics, specific characteristics of the bowler (such as Malinga, or the giant West Indian fast bowler Joel Garner) and even the condition of the ball are not accounted for in the simulation of deliveries. If not the best, Hawk-Eye is the closest aid umpires can have in a cricket match. So, it appears prudent to use it as an appendage to the accumulated wisdom of human umpires, rather than as a quick fix.

Hawk-Eye verdict

Viewers now expect Hawk-Eye’s verdict on lbw ‘shouts’. Fans no longer consider all sixes equal; one is better than the other because it has travelled farther. So they want to know how far the ball actually travelled.

Similarly, they want to know who bowled the fastest ball in a match. All this and more can be done by Hawk-Eye.

Nuanced analysis

Hawk-Eye’s other great impact has been in the way it enables a more nuanced and detailed analysis of a game, even as it is being played.

Its Wagon Wheel, for instance, shows the trajectory of every shot played by a batsman in an innings. Its Pitch Map shows the constellation of spots where a bowler had pitched, and Beehives depict the batsman’s encounter with the ball, how he handled each delivery, and what happened as a result.

Although purists wring their hands in despair at the growing commercialisation of the game, even they cannot deny that they now know much more about the game than ever before.

Article source: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/to-have-hawkeye-or-not-thats-the-question/article4728023.ece