Teen Glides to Fame

 

Drigansh Kumar, a 15 year-old Delhi boy, has made a mark in the world of skating.

While most youngsters cannot get over their fascination for popular sports like cricket, tennis or football, here is one teenager who is determined to make a career in the lesser-known sport of skating.

Drigansh Kumar, who bagged a bronze medal at the National Skating Championship held this year in Kolkata.  He is a 16-year-old boy, studying in Appejay School and a resident of Surajmal Vihar.  He likes spins and jumps and an atmosphere full of smile and laughter.  Started at the age of eight years and skated for the first time and ended up injuring himself but never quit training since he is loving sliding and speed skating.

A talented boy who has a dream to represent the country in skating, has won accolades a number of times.  Took part in various skating championship at different levels in many spheres, like the school level, inter-state, CBSE Nationals and Federation Nationals.

His strenuous training schedule reflects the amount of hardship and discipline this sport requires.  His practice starts in the morning and in the afternoon where he skates for 500 km at regular intervals and does his own secret practice before the competition.

Perceptibly, skating is an expensive sport and to buy a pair of skates worth Rs 9000.  Basically, the international skate range costs around Rs 20,000.  He is rigorously training at Yamuna Sports Complex comes to Rs 500 per month.

While his coach is optimistic under whom this boy is training can do wonder and bring laurels for the country. Skating is a great aerobic exercise and needs a perfect body that allows for speedy movement is a positive sign for this kind of sport and he has all that ingredients. 

Drigansh is now aiming for the World Championship which will be held in Belgium every year.  No doubt, it demands highest performance and under the guidance of his coach, both have collaborated to develop a work ethic and set goals and focussing how to win the Belgium World Championship.

Obviously, a proud father watching his son skating brings special pleasure to him. 

He is quite determined to make it to the world skating championship one day.  His inspiration from no less than Chad Hedrick [an American inline and ice speed skater and five time US Winter Olympics medalist].  Generally, Hedrick revolutionised the inline speed skating world with his unique technique called the DP [double push].   

Drigansh is quite look forward to getting a break in the world championship which will be held in Belgium, still so far as no one can reach that level, and he is resolute to make a dent but before that to win the gold medal in the national levels is now the prime focus.

On-the-spot Challan

The main objective to kick-start of Yamuna Express Highway is to decongest the older Delhi-Agra national highway or Mathura Road which is always congested.   

One can call Yamuna Expressway or Taj Expressway, which is a 6-lane, 165 long, access controlled expressway connecting Greater Noida with Agra in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh.  It is to be considered India's longest six-lane [extendable to 8 lane] controlled-access expressway stretches and aimed to be two popular international tourist destinations connecting  Delhi [national capital city] and Agra [famous Taj Mahal]. 

Generally, Yamuna expressway emanates as a boon and it helps to reduce traffic on National Highway 2 which is earlier used to handle all the traffic directed towards Agra from Delhi and NCR (near capital regions including Noida) and areas like Faridabad and Palwal. 

Keeping in mind to control the illegal run of speed demons and curb the spate of accidents, Gautam Budh Nagar traffic police, in association with the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), soon will start issuing on-the-spot challans against vehicles caught violating traffic rules on the Yamuna Expressway. Anyone caught speeding over 100 km/h will be handed a challan at the Jewar toll plaza.

 

Aside from, Jaypee Infratech will come into fore to install streetlights on the 165 km stretch of the expressway and it has also been directed to take measure to curb the number of accidents on the e-way.  It has been observed that though challans are sent by the police via post office usually go undelivered to the vehicle owners, and hence the outdated method has been replaced by on-the-spot challan and with the help of Google map, a vehicle owner will get warning signals if s/he crosses the speed limit of 100 km per hour on the e-way.

Besides, the Jaypee Infratech and the operator -- have come up with an idea to put streetlights on 165 km stretch of the e-way and also install crash barrier in phases for the safety of commuters and certainly this step will further ensure a reduction in rising accidents on the Delhi-Agra highway. 

In August 2012, the Yamuna Expressway was opened to the public and since then has witnessed over 4,900 accidents [till April 2018].

 

After gauging the situation and keeping the relevance of international tourist destination the Supreme Court has ordered UP Government to increase the safety of motorists on the Expressway following which YEIDA, Jaypee Group and Police are all come in consonance to take effective measures to reduce the accidents. 

No doubt, the alarming number of fatal road accidents on the Yamuna Expressway has caused widespread concern, with this Supreme Court’s intervention at an apt time may curb the number of accidents on the Yamuna Expressway.

 

Invisible Light Slay COVID-19

 

As everyone is gripped with coronavirus for almost a six month and to find out an effective vaccine to get rid of the novel coronavirus is a bit challenge.  Right now the world is in a rush and especially the scientists and doctors will try innovative methods to come up and discover roots of the vaccine, which has attacked countries across the globe.

 

Recently a study claimed by the US that ultraviolet (UV) radiation can effectively kill the virus that causes COVID-19.  The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control. It suggests that Ultraviolet-C (UVC) light can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus, without infiltrate the human skin.

Ultraviolet, or UV light is a potent factor to defy COVID-19 and it has a potential solution -- specifically, a type of UV light called UVC, which has extra-short wavelengths and enough energy to alter the DNA and RNA of organic cells, which stops them from reproducing.

This UVC light has its proven history as a disinfectant chiefly at places like laboratories, hospitals, airlines, hotels and retail spaces have been relying on the invisible light more than ever in 2020.

 Whilst, it is of the opinion that the invisible light can kill viruses like the one that causes COVID-19, but experts are raising alarms about the potential safety risks.  Since UVC light is a known carcinogen, and even a few moments of direct exposure can be hazardous to the eyes and skin.

                                              

It has been accentuated that one should know the aspects and cannot ignore – the science, the safety risks and experts say before bringing any UVC-powered light source into the home and specially these considerations should be taken into account, otherwise can be harmful.

 At the first instance, a study revealed with adequate proof that a safer UV light effectively kills virus causing COVID-19. 

 

Hiroshima University researchers conducted a study and found that using Ultraviolet C light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers [a nanometer is equivalent to one billionth of a meter] is safer for the humans and effectively kills SARS-CoV-2.         

According to the researchers comparing wavelength of 222 nm UVC and 254 nm UVC -- 222 nm UVC is quite safe but wavelength of 254 nm UVC can harm the human tissues though it can be used only to sanitize the empty rooms. 

 However, the researchers say their findings demonstrate the need for further investigation to find out the efficacy of UVC light as early indications are promising but they are more prone to find out its potential to combat COVID-19.

Can imagine without a visa 16 countries will welcome you

 

If one has an Indian Passport can avail the benefit of visiting 16 countries even without a visa, recently announced by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. 

So one can easily plan the much-awaited trip to the favourite tourist sport once the Corona be gone.  It is not only give a respite  for the travel freaky but also on the business front.

Indian passport holders can now enter 16 countries, visa-free. These countries include:

1.      Barbados

2.      Nepal

3.      Bhutan

4.      Mauritius

5.      Haiti

6.      Hong Kong SAR

7.      Maldives

8.      Senegal

9.      Serbia

10.  Trinidad and Tobago

11.  Grenada

12.  Dominica

13.  Samoa

14.  Senegal

15.  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

16.  Niue Island and Montserrat

 

The main perspective of issuance visa-free for Indian national is to allow travellers to go on international travel with ease and taken up regularly the bilateral meetings and forums with foreign countries.  So one has to speculate where to go without a visa, here the answer is. 

 Further, it has been illuminated that the Government is making constant endeavour to further increase the number of countries to offer visa-free travel.

 

Obviously this information would give a sigh of relief to those people who want to travel without any worries about getting a visa and facilely be heading for a trip and enriching the experience post Covid-19.

Canon Software meander into a Web Camera

 

While most of the gens are Working from Home (WFH), during the pandemic ‘Canon’ has comes with a bang and revealed the EOS [Electro-Optical System] EOS Webcam Utility software for Windows.  Customarily, free software allows Canon cameras to double–up as Web cameras and enhances the nature of video broadcast, which is a worth experience for people with the crisp details.

Amidst video conferencing people will handily be able to record high-quality video files on the memory card in their camera simply by pressing the record button on their camera.  Besides, the cameras have to offer high resolutions output, even in low-light indoor environments.

It has been underlined that a total of 42 EOS interchangeable lens cameras and Power Shot Cameras are now congruent with the software, including the newly launched EOS R5 and EOS R6.

The most striking part is that this Software has been certified to work with namely 13 video conferencing appositeness as well as streaming applications which are quite prevalent like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Skype, Google Meet, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Live, You Tube Live, Discord, Stream labs, Open Broadcaster Software and Slack.

One can facilely transfigure the Canon Camera into a high-quality webcam with EOS and the vantage point of Canon’s software is that people can easily connect, setup and start using their existing Canon cameras chiefly for video chatting, web conferencing and live streaming.

iPhone 12 series

Everyone knows about Apple’s iPhone and it is the most important brand in recent times and launched of iPhone 12 series with 5G connectivity, is relevant for the much-awaited customers and perceptibly the timing of launch is super critical.

Apple iPhone12 has been boiling among top search keywords for a while.  The launch event seems to be quite delay but if one is curious about the iPhone 12 line-up, here is all relevant information garnered about this iPhone.

 

                 iPhone 12                 iPhone 12              iPhone 12Pro        iPhone12ProMax

                 5.4” OLED 5G        6.1” OLED 5G          6.1” OLED 5G       6.7” OLED 5G

Models

Possibly launch is in four models instead of three.  The iPhone 12 Max and 12 Pro will both have 6.1 inch display and the iPhone and the top-end iPhone 12 Pro Max will have a gargantuan 6.7-inch display.  

Design

Likely to come with a display notch, but it is to be smaller than the iPhone 11’s.  There has been hearsay that it has been a flatter edges like iPad Pro and it might replace the Midnight Green with a brand new Dark Blue colour. 

Hardware

1. OLED

All four models are come with a display of OLED.  Apple will also bring a retro aura to the iPhone 12 series.

 2. Chipset

The upcoming iPhones should be powered by the new A14 chipset.  Based on the reports, the new chipset’s CPU will have a 40 per cent more advanced performance while GPU will be 50 per cent more powerful than that of A13 and also the battery life of iPhone 12 could also be enhanced because the size of the chipset which is reduced from7nm to just 5nm.

3.LIDAR Scanner

iPhone 12 Pro could feature triple cameras at back while the standard iPhone 12 rendition might only have two.  The significance of the LIDAR scanner is that it allows the phone to measure the actual distance to encompassing objects within 5 meters.

 4.No Charger and Ear Pods

There has been a fabrication that Apple might not offer a pair of Ear Pods and a charger on all models in the upcoming iPhone series. 

Price

According to the reports, the iPhone 12 price could have been more economical which is $ 649 (around Rs 47,800) while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be reportedly be bartered @ $999 (around Rs 73,500) and $1099 (around Rs 81,000) respectively.

Now Apple’s first 5G iPhones seems to be landing soon and is expected to be launched in a separate event in October, but hopefully not later than that.

Post Office Five Star Village Yojana

Recently, the post office has launched Five Star Village Scheme especially in rural areas of India and aiming for speedily expansion of the scheme so that people resides in the village can avail the benefit of government schemes.  

Under the Five Star Village scheme, all post office products and services will be available, marketed & promoted at the rural level and in order to facilitate the post office will work as a One-Stop-Shop.

 

The salient features and benefit of the Five Star Village Scheme: 

§  Saved bank accounts, recurring deposit accounts, NSC or KVP certificates.

§  Sukanya Samriddhi accounts or PPF accounts.

§  Financing Post Office Savings Account Indian Postal Payment Bank Account

§  Postal Life Insurance Policy or Grameen Postal Life Insurance Policy.

§  Prime Minister Suraksha Bima Yojana Account or Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.

What is more interesting is that these 5 schemes are more beneficial than Fixed Deposit (FD), will get more return in less investment.

Under the Five Star scheme, if a village participates in any of the four products in the aforesaid list, then that village will be given Four-Star status. Subsequently, if a village participates in three schemes, it will be given Three-Star status.

Additionally, a village will be assigned to a team of five Gramin Dak Sevaks and their chief responsibility is to sell all products, savings and insurance schemes in the villages. Relevant training and infrastructure will be provided to all branch offices in identified villages. The team will be headed by the branch postmaster of the branch office concerned.

It has been observed that there are many remote villages in the country, where post office services are not available. The offices in these areas will serve as a one-stop-shop mainly to cater and address all the concerned needs of the villagers.

The Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Communications Sanjay Dhotre from Maharashtra has launched the scheme. Based on the experience here, it will be implemented across the country.

The main priority of the scheme is to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages.

Armed with Fortitude

Physically-challenged Abida, who has shown exceptional courage in the face of adversity, is desperately seeking state patronage

Abida Rani  lives in Janta Mazdoor Colony, a dingy slum near Welcome Colony.  Like everyone else living there, she has to struggle for a livelihood.  However, unlike others, Abida has to work doubly hard due to a physical handicap.  She has lost both her hands in an accident but never lost the courage to overcome the stumbling blocks that clogged her path.

Though her hands are no more in working condition, she can write.  She writes with her legs and has cleared the Class IX examination by sheer dint of hard work.  She knows Hindi, English and Urdu and can also operate a computer with her feet!

Known to the slum-dwellers as ‘Abi’ she is a well-known face in the neighbourhood.  Her father is dead and she lives with her mother and four siblings.  She is the sole bread-earner in this family of six.  She gives tuitions, knits and sells papers to provide two square meals to her family.

She has also been doing voluntarily work for the Leprosy Mission Hospital for the last one year and has been active worker in this field.  Mainly her job is advocacy and spread awareness about the rights and duties of a disabled person.  The year, 2001 was special for Abida when she stood first in an examination conducted by the Urdu Academy and also won an award from Delhi the then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for her special ability to writer with her feet.  Now Abida wants to appear for the Board Examinations, but cannot fill up the form because of monetary constraints.  She is running from pillar-to-post, but nobody has come forward to help her financially and support her dream of studying further and becoming a lawyer.

Though a social worker of the association come forward and try to help her in whatever respect feasible.  Ms Zamin Begum, her mother says, “Our family is totally dependent on her”.

The award, which was given by the then Chief Minister, is now lying in a battered state in one of the corners of her room.  “I look at the half-broken award everyday and derive inspiration,” avers Abida.

It is obvious that in the absence of government patronage, her energy and talent remain supressed.