Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Vol. 01, Issue No. 06 October 13, 2017.
India in Vancouver Weekly Newsletter
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Vol. 01, Issue. 06, October 13, 2017.
Consulate News
Consul General had a meeting with Langara College’s senior leadership [President, Dr. Lane Trotter; Vice President, Mr. Ajay Patel; Board Chair, Mr. Jas Sandhu] on 11 October 2017. Academic Deans, members of their International Education Team and some Indian student representatives were also present during the meeting and gave presentations relating to their respective areas of work. More than 3000 Indian students are currently studying in Langara. After the meeting, CG was given a tour of the College; its new Science Building and its various facilities.
RE-INVEST 2017 [7-9 December 2017]
The 2nd Edition of the Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST 2017) will be held in India Expo Mart, Greater Noida from 7th to 9th December 2017.
RE-INVEST 2017 aims at accelerating the global efforts towards Renewable Energy. The event will enable the global investment
community to connect with Renewable Energy stakeholders. The activities in the event include series of seminars covering different
themes of renewables, conferences and exhibition of manufacturers, project developers, investors and other players in the renewable
energy space to showcase manufacturing capabilities, latest technologies, financing options and investment opportunities. The RE-
INVEST 2017 is expected to be attended by Heads of the State or Ministers from various countries, more than 600 global leaders and investors and 10,000 delegates from world over. The detailed Agenda/Programme of RE-INVEST 2017 is available at ( https://re-invest.in/# ).
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Vol. 01, Issue. 06, October 13, 2017.
International Solar Alliance Founding Conference - 8th December 2017 The Founding Conference of International Solar Alliance (ISA) is going to be held on 8 th December 2017 in Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. It will be graced by the Prime Minister of India, the President of French Republic and Heads and Ministers from prospective ISA member countries. International Solar Alliance (ISA) was jointly launched on 30th November 2015 by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France in the presence of H.E. Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of United Nations at the Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris. The ISA has been conceived as a unique international platform for cooperation among 121 solar resource nations, with the aim to massively ramp up solar energy by aggregating markets, and taking solar power applications to scale to improve energy access. The ISA creates an economically conducive environment which would lead to job creation, investments resulting in profitability, competitiveness among various sectors, filling up the gaps in power supply, enhancement of manufacturing sector, all this whilst protecting the environment and ultimately making solar a buyers’ market. The ISA is considered a significant step in making solar resource rich countries self-reliant in energy. The ISA Event will witness a series of activities, not only conferences and exhibition, but actual projects and agreements signing, thereby walking the talk. ISA Pavilion is being put up to showcase new inventions and technologies; Models and statistics of irrigation pumps, drinking water pumps and mini grids. A dedicated space would be allocated in the Pavilion for B2B meetings. The detailed Agenda/Programme of the Foundation Ceremony is available at http://isolaralliance.org/.
Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), will be organizing the 3rd edition of International Exhibition & Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Industry – INDIA PHARMA 2018 & INDIA MEDICAL DEVICE 2018 - at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 15-17, 2018. 2. The events would comprise of an International Exhibition and a Conference along with a series of concurrent events, such as CEOs Forum, Investors Meets, International Drugs Regulatory Meet, Buyer-Seller Meet, etc. 3. The 2nd edition of the event held in February 2017 witnessed over 275 exhibitors from the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device sectors and hosted Buyers from over 24 countries. International Drug Regulators from 8 Countries and 29 Embassy/High Commission officials apart from 10,000 Business Visitors visited the event during the 3 days. Government of Karnataka participated as the Host State while the Government of Chhattisgarh was the Partner State in the last event 4. The 3rd edition will have the following components: • Exhibition • Conference • Reverse Buyer Seller Meet • International Regulators Meet • Investors Meet • CEO’s Forum with the Hon’ble Minister • India Pharma & India Medical Device Awards For further information on the events, you may refer to event website: http://www.indiapharmaexpo.in and http://www.indiamediexpo.in/ 2|P a g e
Vol. 01, Issue. 06, October 13, 2017.
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is inviting the Overseas Indian community to be the Ambassadors for Indian Tourism! Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with other Central Ministries, State Governments and Stakeholders, is organizing a “Paryatan Parv” across the country from the 5th to 25th October 2017. The programme is being organized with the objective of drawing focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of "Tourism for All". Paryatan Parv will have three main components: 1. Dekho Apna Desh: To encourage Indians to visit their own country. This will include Video, Photograph and Blog Competitions of sites visited during the Event, Stories of India through Travelers’ Eyes, on Social Media, Tourism related Quiz, Essay, Debate and Painting Competitions for Students, Television Campaigns to promote travel to J&K and N.E. States. 2. Tourism for All: Tourism Events at thirty sites across States in the country. The activities at these sites will include illumination in and around the Sites, Cultural Programmes of Dance, Music, Theatre, Story Telling, Sensitisation Programmes for Stakeholders around the Sites, Tourism Exhibitions, Showcasing Culture, Cuisine and Handicrafts / Handlooms, Guided Heritage Walks, etc. These will be “People’s Events” with large scale public participation. 3. Tourism & Governance: Interactive Sessions & Workshops with Stakeholders on following themes: •
Skill Development in Tourism Sector
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Innovation in Tourism
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For inducting Ex-servicemen as service providers for Taxi Operation
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Developing Rural Tourism in locations near established Destinations
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Community Sensitisation Workshops on Home stay and B&B Opportunities
The Parv will be inaugurated at the Humayun’s Tomb on 5 th October 2017. Heritage Walks are being organized at the monument from 8 AM to 4 PM along with a Painting Competition for students. The formal inauguration of the event will be held at 5:30 PM at the venue which will include a cultural programme with Meera Bhajans by Vidya Shah and Dastan-e-Amir Khusrau presented by Dr. Syeda Hameed, Zakia Zaheer & Rene Singh. The Paryatan Parv will culminate in a 3 days event in New Delhi from the 23 rd to 25th October 2017 which will showcase the cultural diversity of the country, with cultural performances, crafts bazaar, food court showcasing folk and classical dance & music, handicrafts & handlooms and cuisine from all regions and States of the country. Please visit http://tourism.gov.in/paryatan-parv-5th-25th-october-2017 for more details. 3|P a g e
Vol. 01, Issue. 06, October 13, 2017.
News from India 1. Amazing! Rajasthan Has Provided Free Heart Surgeries For 1,002 Kids Over 3 Years! If it wasn’t for Rajasthan’s health department, 1,002 children from poor families diagnosed with a heart defect would not have survived. From 2014 till now, 1,002 children were provided free heart surgery in the state. Most of these children had parents who couldn’t afford to pay for their surgery. Earlier, the department used to provide ₹60,000 to ₹1.6 lakh per surgery in private hospitals under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). Only two government hospitals in the state have conducted surgeries for children with heart defects, which is why the health department has empaneled private hospitals. There are now total of 15 private hospitals that conduct such surgeries – eight in Jaipur, two each in Bharatpur and Udaipur, and one each in Jodhpur, Kota and Ajmer, reports TOI. The health department conducts regular screening of children in government schools, anganwadis and madrasas, to see if they have any disorder. They identify those that might have a heart defect and conduct diagnostic tests. The department then helps those diagnosed with a disease in getting free treatment at the hospital. (Deepika Bhardwaj, The Better India, Tue, 10 Oct, 02:31pm)
2. Meet 3-time National Bodybuilding Championship winner Sarita Devi A mother of two, 30-year-old Thingbaijam Sarita Devi is the country’s first woman to win the National Bodybuilding Championship for three consecutive years. She has also made the country proud by excelling consistently in international competitions. What is even more commendable is achieving this feat in sport women still hesitate to be a part of. Despite the enthusiastic participation seen in the ‘Fitness Model’ category of the bodybuilding championship, the number of women participating in this sport is still low. However, Sarita disproves all the gender stereotypes associated with women, including the traditional idea of ‘feminine’ beauty. Hailing from Manipur, Sarita was born on February 1, 1986. Sports is an integral part of Manipur, which is evident from the sporting activities that take place during the festival of Holi. Sarita’s family encouraged her to participate in the sporting events and motivated her further after realizing her potential in bodybuilding. After receiving encouragement from her trainers, husband, and in-laws, Sarita participated in a state-level competition where she even won the silver medal. She has won a series of titles, one after the other, in the past few years. In 2014, she decided to participate in competitions at the national and international levels. Sarita represented India at the Asian Championship held in Macau, China, in 2014, and ranked fifth. When India hosted the World Championship for the first time, she ranked fifth yet again. In the Satish Sugar Classic National Competition held in Bengaluru in 2015, she won the title of ‘Champion’, and in the same year won silver at the 49th Asian Bodybuilding Championship hosted by Uzbekistan. She also won bronze at the 2016 World Championship held in Bangkok and gold at the National Championship. With the rising awareness and interest of many women in this sport, Sarita Devi’s achievements come as an inspiration. (Your Story, Wed, 11 Oct, 04:30pm)
3. Indian educational organizations recognized at HundrEd 2017 Innovation Summit Six projects and educational organizations from India have been recognized by HundrED -- a global education non-profit based in Finland -- to bring to fore 100 of the most inspiring innovations in education. Vega School, Project DEFY, Design for Change, Self-Organized Learning Environments, The Museum School and THINK Global School were recognized at the annual HundrEd 2017 Innovation Summit event held here, for their efforts in path-breaking ideas to bring about a revolution in the education space. Vega School, which was announced as one of the 100 unique innovations in K-12 education space across the world, was chosen because of its thoughtfully designed "Project-Based Learning" that is based on flat leadership, collaboration and international sharing. The learners of this programme have the freedom to pursue personal interests, behavior -- and attitudes towards learning are intrinsically motivated and more positive. HundrED's mission is to help schools change by seeking and sharing inspiring innovations in K12 education. It aims that, by 2020, the world of education will be full of innovations that travel across borders, from continent to continent. (IANS, Economic Times, Mon, 09 Oct, 01:07pm)
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Vol. 01, Issue. 06, October 13, 2017. 4. IISc team develops novel method to deliver pain-killing aspirin An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has come up with a novel chemical compound made of a sugar molecule — xylitol — that can be tailored to release aspirin, which is known to reduce fever and pain, over a desired duration in the body. This unique drug delivery system that can carry a large amount of drug is not only harmless to living cells but can also be easily injected. While commonly used pills or patches have aspirin trapped inside a capsule or a mesh, the new compound has aspirin built directly into the backbone of a long polymer chain based on xylitol that is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, and is used as a sweetener. "Unlike your pill which will release all the drug at the same time, this would allow the molecule to circulate longer and have a more prolonged effect," Kaushik Chatterjee, associate professor at Department of Materials Engineering, one of the authors of the paper published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, said. Researchers have also found that this can lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by preventing clots in blood vessels as is done by aspirin. Also, a gradual release of aspirin via novel chemical compound instead of a rapid initial burst through pills can stave off unwanted side effects. Queeny Dasgupta, another researcher and a PhD scholar at the Centre for Biosystems Science and Engineering said: "Another major advantage is that it is entirely biodegradable. In the current study, the researchers modified the reaction conditions in such a way that xylitol was forced to form a long, straight chain that can easily be dissolved into a gel and injected. "The linear chain is important because only then can you inject it. Once it forms a network, it becomes a solid lump that is implantable but not injectable," said Chatterjee. The linear polymerization was achieved using a novel technique. The researchers found that their compound was able to release about 8% of the drug in the first week, 13% in the second and 20% by four weeks. When tested with blood cells in the lab, the released drug was able to reduce inflammation — a key reaction in reducing pain — as expected. By tweaking the type of chemical bonds and number of free sites that the compound has, the timing and dose of drug delivery can be adjusted, the researchers said. "If you want low doses of aspirin over sustained periods, say weeks, then you may want to have more such bonds that would not degrade so easily," said Chatterjee. The technique can also be used to develop similar delivery vehicles for other drugs with sustained and tunable release. (Sreemoyee Chatterjee, Times of India, Thu, 12 Oct, 04:38pm)
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