On February 28th, India celebrates the annual National Science Day commemorating Indian physicist C V Raman’s discovery in 1928 of the Raman effect, the scattering of photons or light particles by matter.

India has registered notable advances in the missile, space technology, medicine, IT and many other fields with this former British colony now emerging as a leading country in the comity of nations.

This is a moment to celebrate the progress that India has made in science and technology research, thanks to its science policies.

Science and technology has assumed great significance and the theme for the current year is : Future of STI-Impacts on Education, Skill and Work”.

The event is now organized with seminars, conferences, public debates and discussions in schools, colleges, universities and other academic, scientific, technical, medical and research institutions all over the country.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, a top scientist who had served as the 11th President of India in his book “India 2020” had strongly advocated for an Action Plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and developed nation.

He had worked on high positions in DRDO, ISRO and was popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology as also India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998.

India is on the right tract of science and technology highway and it must now go with quick and sure steps.

Key to Advancement The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been underscoring the role of scientific knowledge, technology and innovations through bold initiatives for overall speed development so that India emerges as a safe and super strong nation.

Some positive signals are emerging with leading advanced educational and other institutions already in place coupled with lot of promise, scope and talent .

India has made tangible strides it has still to move forward for transformation of society to attain the status of super power with a mission of working for peace, progress and spiritual enlightenment for humanity.

The report published by the National Science Foundation of the U.S. in December 2019, India was the third largest publisher of peer-reviewed science and engineering journal articles and conference papers, with 135,788 articles in 2018.

This milestone was achieved through an average yearly growth rate of 10.73% from 2008, which was greater than China’s 7.81%.

However, China and the United States had about thrice and twice the number, respectively, of India’s publications.

According to Stanford ranking, hope for Indian science The not-so-good news is that publications from India are not impactful.

For those living in landlocked countries especially in Africa may never understand the dangers of living in countries that kiss the sea. The sea can turn deadly when wind and the high waters disagree.

Several kilometers away, Typhoon Vamco has thrashed into Thailand killing nearly 67 people in a single hit while displacing millions. This makes it country’s deadliest storm this year.

Philippines coast guard and disaster agencies scrambled on Saturday to rescue thousands in a northern province after the 21st cyclone to hit the Philippines this year tore through the main island of Luzon late on Wednesday and early Thursday. On Sunday, 21 people were injured and 12 were missing.

More than 25,000 houses have been damaged and $9.7 million (469.7 million Philippine peso) worth of infrastructure has been destroyed, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesman Mark Timbal said Sunday.

Another $24.7 million worth of agriculture has been damaged by the flooding and landslides caused by heavy rainfall and strong winds brought by Typhoon Vamco.

In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, houses are submerged in flooded areas in Cagayan valley region, northern Philippines on Friday Nov. 13, 2020. Thick mud and debris coated many villages around the Philippine capital Friday after Typhoon Vamco caused extensive flooding that sent residents fleeing to their roofs and killing dozens of people. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

The storm is now reportedly speeding to Vietnam with wind speed of up to 150 kph (93 mph), Vamco hit Vietnam’s coast roughly 100km (62 miles) northwest of Da Nang Sunday local time.

“This is a very strong typhoon,” said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, before the storm hit as he warned provinces in Vamco’s projected path to prepare for its impact.

The provinces planned to evacuate 468,000 people by the end of Saturday, according to state media citing the government’s disaster management authority.

Residents affected by floods from Typhoon Vamco are rescued on a boat, at Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines, November 12, 2020. 

Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline. Vamco is the 13th storm to hit the Southeast Asian country this year, where more than 160 people have been killed in natural disasters triggered by a series of storms since early October.

“There has been no respite for more than eight million people living in central Vietnam,” said Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, president of the Vietnam Red Cross Society. “Each time they start rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, they are pummeled by yet another storm.”

wirestory

Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday sought to rock the boat for the JD(U)-BJP alliance in Bihar, claiming that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will stand “with hands folded and head bowed” before the RJD leadership for another shot at power despite his party’s poor show in the assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference here barely a few hours before the campaign for the final phase of the elections came to a close, Paswan reiterated that the LJP will do well despite having gone solo in the elections and asserted, “We will help the BJP form the next government.”

“You all must have seen photographs of Kumar standing in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at rallies, with hands folded and head bowed. So much bitterness he had for Modi just a few years back, He has sought to swallow it all because of lust for power,” Paswan said.

Jagat Prakash Nadda the National President of Bharatiya Janata Party. Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha).

The LJP chief, who has of late been claiming that the JD(U) boss was poised for another volte-face, said, “This lust for power is not going to leave him. He will not easily give up the chief minister’s chair though his party is bound to be drubbed.”

“So, what we may witness, after the results are out, is Nitish Kumar standing before Tejashwi Yadav just like he is doing now before Modi. If needs be, he will go to Ranchi and seek blessings of the party supremo Lalu Prasad with bowed head and folded hands,” Paswan said.

The LJP chief, who was suspected of enjoying the tacit support from the BJP until the party disowned him in the wake of his brinkmanship, insisted, “Let the results be out. A new government headed by the BJP with LJP as its junior partner will be there for all to see.”

Asked who according to him could be the next chief minister, Paswan quipped, “Two-three names are doing the rounds. It would not be proper for me to make this public at this juncture.”

The state BJP declined to comment on Paswan’s latest averments but a party leader on condition of anonymity said, “All top leaders, including the prime minister, have gone on record saying Nitish Kumar will be the next chief minister. So, that is the party’s official stand.”

The JD(U), which has been at the receiving end of Paswan’s pungent attacks, reacted testily.

“The NDA’s storm has extinguished the lantern (RJD’s poll symbol), what is the standing of a chirag (small earthen lamp)?” JD(U) leader and state IPRD minister Neeraj Kumar tweeted.

“Chirag Paswan seems to have been left with no choice except chanting Tejashwi Yadav Zindabad. Let us see, after the polls, whether he goes back to Delhi or returns to the make-believe world of movies where he made a failed attempt before dabbling in politics,” Kumar had said referring to the Jamui MP