Another research body to come up in Hyderabad

Hyderabad (PTI): Yet another world-class research institution will come up in Andhra Pradesh in the next three years.

The Institute of Translational Research (ITR), an autonomous body being "facilitated" by city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), will be set up on a 184 -acre site at Rangapur village in Bibinagar mandal near here.

The state government has allotted the site to CCMB for establishing the Rs 1,000-crore institute that will focus on various areas of biological research like cell biology, developmental biology, stem-cell biology and cancer biology.

The ITR's objective will be to carry the research results directly to the (patient's) bed, CCMB sources said.

The proposed body, for which the Planning Commission has given in principle nod, will collaborate with city-based Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) to carry the research results from "the bench to the bed," they said.

The NIMS is shortly opening its second campus at Bibinagar and it will be tied-up with the ITR, the sources said. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has also approved the ITR project. CCMB is one of the laboratories of the CSIR, a premier government agency.

The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 360 crore towards, what CCMB Director Lalji Singh described a `mega project'. "The institute will give a boost to India's image as an emerging hub of biotech and pharma research," he told PTI.

"India has over 4,694 anthropologically well-defined populations. We need to leverage this as it can provide access to vital research for studying gene-environment interactions in relation to a disease and developing personalised medicine."

ITR is a totally "new concept," according to Singh. "The modern institution and the associated medical school will anchor the application of knowledge of modern biology into clinical care."

It will also take up collection and analysis of large amounts of clinical data, development of personalised medicine, cultivation of stem cell populations, molecular diagnostics and design and development of targeted delivery systems.

On the laboratory front, the institute will match its counterparts in the US, CCMB sources said. It will have the latest tools of Rs 300 crore plus, and hospital equipment worth another Rs 300 crore.

The ITR will offer challenging opportunities for about 1,000 scientists and staff besides about 500 students, the sources added.

As many internationally-reputed pharmaceutical and biotech companies are located in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh Government pushed for the ITR project and succeeded in bagging it, beating Bihar in the race.

"The presence of ITR will attract multi-national companies engaged in clinical and genomic research to the state," a top official in the Chief Minister's Office said.

With the required land in place, the "first hurdle" for the prestigious project has been cleared. Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy is now using his good offices in New Delhi to get other clearances for the project and speed up its establishment, the official added.

Azim Premji Chairman, Wipro Corporation on The Changing World

Prelude

A very inspiring, interesting and thought provoking speech by Shri Azim Premji at the 37th Annual Convocation 2002, IIM, Ahmedabad “While change and uncertainty have always been a part of life, what has been shocking over the last year has been both the quantum and suddenness of change. For many people who were cruising along on placid waters, the wind was knocked out of their sails. The entire logic of doing business was turned on its head. Not only business, but also every aspect of human life has been impacted by the change. What lies ahead is even more dynamic and uncertain. I would like to use this opportunity to share with you some of our own guiding principles of staying afloat in a changing world. This is based on our experience in Wipro. I hope you find them useful.”

LESSON 1

“Be alert for the first signs of change.” Change descends on every One equally; it is just that some realize it faster. Some changes are sudden but many others are gradual.While sudden changes get attention because they are dramatic, it is the gradual changes that are ignored till it is too late. You must have all heard of story of the frog in boiling water. If the temperature of the water is suddenly increased, the frog realizes it and jumps out of the water. But if the temperature is very slowly increased, one degree at a time, the frog does not realize it till it boils to death. You must develop your own early warning system, which warns you of changes and calls your attention to it. In the case of change, being forewarned is being forearmed.

LESSON 2

“Anticipate change even when things are going right." Most people wait for something to go wrong before they think of change. It is like going to the doctor for a check up only when you are seriously sick or thinking of maintaining your vehicle only when it breaks down. The biggest enemy of future success is past success. When you succeed, you feel that you must be doing something right for it to happen. But when the parameters for success change, doing the same things may or may not continue to lead to success. Guard against complacency all the time. Complacency makes you blind to the early signals from the environment that something is going wrong.

LESSON 3

“Always look at the opportunities that change represents.” Managing change has a lot to go with our own attitude towards it. It is proverbial half-full or half empty glass approach. For every problem that change represents, there is an opportunity lurking in disguise somewhere. It is up to you to spot it before someone else does.

LESSON 4

"Managing change has a lot to go with our own attitude towards it. It is proverbial half-full or half empty glass approach. For every problem that change represents, there is an opportunity lurking in disguise somewhere. It is up to you to spot it before someone else does. For many of us the routine. We have got accustomed to obstructs change. Routines represent our own zones of comfort. There is a sense of predictability about them. They have structured our time and even our thought in a certain way. While routines are useful, do not let them enslave you. Deliberately break out of them from time to time.

LESSON 5

“Realize that fear of the unknown is natural.” With change comes a feeling of insecurity. Many people believe that brave people are not afflicted by this malady. The truth is different. Every one feels the fear of unknown. Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to manage fear without getting paralyzed. Feel the fear, but move on regardless.

LESSON 6

“Keep renewing yourself.” This prepares you to anticipate change and be ready for it when it comes. Constantly ask yourself what new skills and competencies will be needed. Begin working on them before it becomes necessary and you will have a natural advantage. The greatest benefit of your education lies not only in what you have learnt, but in working how to learn. Formal education is the beginning of the journey of learning. Yet I do meet youngsters who feel that they have already learnt all there is to learn. You have to constantly learn about people and how to interact effectively with them. In the world of tomorrow, only those individuals and organizations will succeed who have mastered the art of rapid and on-going learning.

LESSON 7

“Surround yourself with people who are open to change." If you are always in the company of cynics, you will soon find yourself becoming like them. A cynic knows all the reasons why something cannot be done. Instead, spend time with people who have a "can-do" approach. Choose your advisors and mentors correctly. Pessimism is contagious, but then so is enthusiasm. In fact, reasonable optimism can be an amazing force multiplier.

LESSON 8

“Play to win..!!" I have said this many times in the past. Playing to win is not the same as cutting corners. When you play to win, you stretch yourself to your maximum and use all your potential. It also helps you to concentrate your energy on what you can influence instead of getting bogged down with the worry of what you cannot change. Do your best and leave the rest.

LESSON 9

“Respect yourself. The world will reward you on your successes." Success requires no explanation and failure permits none. But you need to respect yourself enough so that your self-confidence remains intact whether you succeed or fail. If you succeed 90 per cent of the time, you are doing fine. If you are succeeding all the time, you should ask yourself if you are taking enough risks. If you do not take enough risks, you may also be losing out on many opportunities. Think through but take the plunge. If some things do go wrong, learn from them. I came across this interesting story some time ago:

Story

“One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and begin to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that fell on his back, the donkey was doing some thing amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and totted off ! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick is too not to get bogged down by it. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping. And by never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up !”

LESSON 10

“Never change: your core values."“Never change: your core values." In spite of all the change around you, decide upon what you will never change: your core values. Take your time to decide what they are but once you do, do not compromise on them for any reason. Integrity is one such value.

LESSON 11

“We must remember that succeeding in a changing world is beyond just surviving.”changing world is beyond just surviving.” It is our responsibility to create and contribute something to the world that has given us so much. We must remember that many have contributed to our success, including our parents and others from our society. All of us have a responsibility to utilize our potential for making our nation a better place for others, who may not be as well endowed as us, or as fortunate in having the opportunities that we have got. Let us do our bit, because doing one good deed can have multiple benefits not only for us but also for many others. Let me end my talk with a small story I came across some time back, which illustrates this very well.

Story

“This is a story of a poor Scottish farmer whose name was Fleming. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby dog. He dropped his tools and ran to the dog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the boy from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you“ said the nobleman. " Yes," the farmer replied proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me take your son and give him a good education. If he's anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of you." And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St.Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known through-out the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the Nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. This is not the end. The nobleman's son also made a great contribution to society. For the nobleman was non other than Lord Randolph Churchill. and his son's name was Winston Churchill. Let us use all our talent, competence and energy for creating peace and happiness for the nation.” “Change is the Only thing that“Change is the Only thing that will Never change. So betterwill Never change. So better adapt to it."adapt to it." “Change is Universal… Change is Permanent…. Be ever willing to Change….. For, change alone leads you to success and happiness!!!” “If one desires a change, one must be that change before that change can take place”

BEST PRACTICES

In lay men’s language a Best Practice is the improvement in efficiency of management systems for the delivery of basic services. These are the examples of actions which could serve as useful models from which others could learn and adopt to their own situations. A common man treats a practice best which provides utmost comfort in his day to day life.

The UN defines that Best Practices are outstanding contributions for improving the living environment. They are defined and considered by the International Committee at large as successful initiatives which

- Have a demonstrable and tangible impact on improving people’s quality of life;

- Are the result of effective partnerships between the public, private and civic sectors of society;

- Are socially, culturally, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Best Practices are promoted and used by the United Nations and the international community as a means of

- Improving public policy based on what works;

- Raising awareness of decision-makers at all levels and of the public of potential solutions to common social, economic and environmental problems.

- Sharing and transferring knowledge, expertise and experience through networking and peer-to-peer learning.

Modification in Rate of Daily Allowance on tour-GOI OM Dated 22/01/2009

Expiry Date of LPG Cylinders

The procedure for checking the expiry of LPG cylinders is as stated below:
(a) On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically as follows A or B or C or D and some two digit number following this e.g. D06.
The alphabets stand for quarters -
(i) A for March (First Qtr)
(ii) B for June (Second Qtr)
(iii) C for Sept (Third Qtr)
(iv) D for December (Fourth Qtr
(b) The digits stand for the year till it is valid. Hence D06 would mean December qtr of 2006 and D12 means that the cylinder can be used until Dec 2012.