14 June:The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony today cautioned defence scientists and the Armed Forces to reduce their over-dependence on foreign countries and suppliers for ‘cutting edge technologies’. Inaugurating the new complex of the Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) in Bangalore, he said, ‘such a tendency may land the country and the Armed Forces in deep trouble in crucial times in the form of import restrictions, technology denial or even undue and unjustified delay in the delivery of already contracted systems or components.’ Shri Antony said the government will give all support to the scientists to achieve self-reliance in cutting edge technologies for the Armed Forces.
DARE, formerly known as Advanced System Integration and Evaluation Organisation(ASIEO) was formed in 1986 under the leadership of Dr KG Narayanan with a team of four scientists drawn from LRDE and DRDL and a couple of officers from Indian Air Force. It has achieved many milestones in the last two decades including equipping several squadrons of various types of IAF aircraft with Electronic Protection and Jamming System.
The Defence Minister asked DRDO scientists to ‘devise ways and means to utilise modern technology to further reduce the stress on our troops’. while the government will not allow resources to be a constraint, it must be ensured that the various resources – human, financial, technological are not frittered away.
Shri Antony complimented the scientists, engineers, technicians and other DRDO personnel for putting in hard work in developing critical and state-of-the-art technology systems, platforms and equipment in the last fifty years against heavy odds. However, he asked them to minimize time and cost over runs and satisfy the expectations of the Armed Forces.
‘Despite technology denials and restrictive exports regime, DRDO has been able to develop strategic systems and advanced missiles. The programmes and projects designed by DRDO have significantly enhanced the combat readiness of our Armed Forces. At the same time, the organisation needs to improve its track record on minimising the time and cost overruns and satisfaction levels of the end-user – that is, our Armed Forces’, Shri Antony said.
The Defence Minister said the nature and scope of the potential threats are changing constantly and the need of the hour is to develop innovative and indigenous defence systems’ to counter these challenges. He said, it is imperative that we achieve the goal of modernising and equipping our Defence Forces with cutting-edge technologies but with least dependence on foreign assistance.
Shri Antony said DARE has been entrusted with the task of delivering high precision systems to the Indian Air Force. DARE has developed numerous Electronic Warfare (EW) and avionics systems for airborne application for the Indian Air Force. However, he said, it must be borne in mind that ‘high-tech products need to be futuristic, as technology can never be static’.
The Defence Minister said all efforts must be made to retain our ‘precious wealth’ of human resources and to nourish them by suitably tailoring our work environment. ‘We must transform the work culture in such a way that working not only becomes more productive in professional terms, but is also relaxing and enjoyable,’ he said.
Speaking on the occasion, the DRDO Chief Shri M Natarajan said the shortcomings of certain products made by DRDO can be significantly improved to the total satisfaction of the user agencies with productionisation.
The Director of DARE Shri RP Ramalingam said the organization will be field testing fourth generation Electronic Warfare System for the MiG-27 and LCA in the next 18 months.
CHANDIGARH– June 14, 2008: A three-week Summer School in Science was inaugurated today by the Vice-Chairman, University Grants Commission, Prof. Mool Chand Sharma for 45 lecturers from the discipline of sciences from different institutes all over the region. Speaking on the occasion Prof. Mool Chand Sharma said that the higher education is facing great challenges. To meet them we need to empower teachers. The focus should shift from training to empowerment. The Academic Staff Colleges should become vibrant nodes of academic activities. He challenged the teachers to generate an academic chaos to churn up ideas, debates and arguments for new development in the society.
The Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, Prof. R..C. Sobti while interacting with the participants said that former President Kalam’s dream of India being a superpower can be achieved through empowering young teachers of the country.
Prof. S.K. Sharma, Director, Academic Staff College, Panjab University apprised the participants about the functional details of the programme. All the University Deans, Centre Directors and prominent faculty members were present during the programme according to S.K. Sharma, Honorary Director, Academic Staff College, Panjab University.
PGTI Announces PGTI Players Championship at Royal Calcutta Golf Club
New Delhi, June 14, 2008: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has announced the PGTI Players Championship at Royal Calcutta Golf Club which will be played in Kolkata from 18-21 June, 2008 with the Pro-Am event scheduled to be held on 22nd June. This event boasts of prize money of Rs. 30 lakh and is supported by the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, TaylorMade, Pepsico, Gatorade, Aquafina, Tropicana and Sport18.
The PGTI Players Championship at Royal Calcutta Golf Club promises to enthrall golf fans in Kolkata as all the prominent names of Indian professional golf will be vying for top honours at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club from 18th June, 2008. The stellar field includes leading Indian professionals such as SSP Chowrasia, Gaurav Ghei, Rahil Gangjee, Ashok Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Ganapathy, Harendra Gupta, Arjun Singh, Digvijay Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Feroz Ali Mollah to name a few. PGTI’s initiative has ensured that the sports-loving city of Kolkata hosts its first professional golf tournament in about two and a half years.
The world-renowned Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), the venue of the PGTI Players Championship, is steeped in history as it is the oldest golf club outside of the British Isles having been established in 1829. It is widely regarded as the founder of the game in the country and has staged some of the most prestigious tournaments on Indian soil, including the Indian Open and the All India Amateur Championship. The RCGC has also been one of the nurseries of Indian golf over the decades having produced top class professionals such as former Indian Open champions Arjun Atwal and Feroz Ali Mollah, reigning Emaar MGF Indian Masters champion SSP Chowrasia, Asian Tour regular Rahil Gangjee, the legendary Basad Ali and Indrajit Bhalotia to name a few.
Mr. Manmohan Singh, CEO, RCGC, said, “The course is in great condition and all the competing professionals will enjoy their outing at the RCGC. The handsome prize purse on offer will ensure there is stiff competition for the title."
Mr. Ajai Gupta, Tour Commissioner, PGTI, added, “Kolkata has a great golfing legacy and we’re delighted to be bringing the PGTI to this city for the first time with the PGTI Players Championship at Royal Calcutta Golf Club. We are grateful to the RCGC for partnering us in staging this tournament. PGTI members are excited about playing at one of India’s premier championship venues after a long gap of about two and a half years. This tournament is a result of our commitment to provide maximum playing opportunities to our players and promote golf across various regions of the country.”
The PGTI Players Championship at Royal Calcutta Golf Club comes close on the heels of the highly successful inaugural PGTI Players Championship played in Chandigarh which witnessed the first three-way playoff for a title on the PGTI. We can therefore expect another exciting finale in Kolkata as the country’s best golfing talents would be eager to make a mark on the challenging course of the historic RCGC.