Abdul Kalam also resigns from EMRI board

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HYDERABAD: In the wake of corporate scam in Satyam, former President A. P. J Abdul Kalam on Monday resigned from his position as Chairman Emeritus at the Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI) whose chairman was B. Ramalinga Raju.

With his decision to step down, the total number of those who have resigned from the 12-member board has gone up to seven. MD and CEO of ICICI Bank K. V. Kamath, former NASSCOM Chairman Kiran Karnik, CII Chief Mentor Tarun Das and Krishna Palepu of the Harvard Business School have already put in their papers apart from B. Ramalinga Raju and former Satyam Managing Director B. Rama Raju. The latter two resigned in the wake of the Rs. 7,100-crore scam in Satyam.

Ambulance service

EMRI has been running the ‘108’ ambulance service since 2005 as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative by members of Byrraju family, but the State government later entered the picture and now funds it to the extent of 95 per cent.

The remaining five per cent, which works out to about Rs. 8 crore a year for operations in Andhra Pradesh is met by members of the Byrraju family, according to EMRI CEO Venkat Changavalli.

The resignations will be submitted for acceptance at the next meeting of the Governing Board, to be held in 10 days.

However, Mr. Venkat said they would not impact ambulance services.

It is safe in the hands of professionals. The 1,534 EMRI ambulances handle an average of 8,000 emergencies in the eight States, he said.

MoU signed

Referring to the operations in States other than Andhra Pradesh, he said he had signed an MoU with Punjab on January 1 while the Uttar Pradesh government had evinced interest.

In the eight States where 108 service is in operation -- Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Assam – the people handling operations were not worried about the Satyam scam affecting operations, Mr. Venkat said.

“When we reach the 10,000-ambulance mark, which is our target, we will require a total of Rs. 1,500 crore.”

Farmers Around the World

Agartala, India 

As monsoon clouds loom over in the sky an Indian farmer works in a paddy field in the Montali area of Agartala, 26 June 2007.
 The monsoon season brings a mixture of both releif and extreme hardship as it makes its way across the Indian subcontinent



Sukkur, Pakistan 

Pakistani farmers dry fresh dates to preserve them during the July harvesting season in Sukkur, 480 km (300 miles) from 
Karachi, July 30, 2007. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan's economy, generating one-fourth of the gross domestic product and 
44 percent of the total employment in the country of more than 140 million people, according to the Agriculture Ministry.



Luxemburg, IA, USA

Iowa farmer Ernie "George" Goebel loads corn seeds into the tanks on a planter mounted behind his John Deere tractor on May 9, 2007
 near Luxemburg, Iowa. With the increase in demand for alternative energy some farmers have elected to switch to growing
 corn in order to produce the profitable ethanol fuel. In the nation approximately 90 million acres of corn are expected to be planted this season.



Jerez, Spain

a worker gathering grapes during the Spanish vintage in Jerez, southern Spain. EU farm ministers battled 16 July 2007 
over proposals to shake up Europe's wine sector by uprooting excess vines and launching an overseas marketing blitz



Jamasa City, Egypt 

Egyptian farmer Ahmed Sami, 25, shows a newborn chicken at a farm near Jamasa city, 170 kms north of Cairo, 28 April 2007. The highly pathogenic bird flu virus has killed 14 people out of 34 cases reported since the disease was first diagnosed in Egypt in February last year



Bakersfield, CA, USA

Dairy cattle are seen on a hot summer day as drought conditions worsen on June 25, 2007 near Bakersfield, California. Dairy farmers are still reeling from the 2006 heat wave and a hard freeze in January that devastated citrus and other crops. Little rain and a snow pack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that is only 29 percent of normal is bad news for area farmers. One farm north of Bakersfield has reportedly received only one inch of rain instead of the usual five making this the driest year since its records began in 1910. To the south, Los Angeles is experiencing the driest year since its records began in 1877, according to the National Weather Service.



Heddon-on-the- Wall, England

Government Officials Prepare To Incinerate Cattle And Pigs Believed To Have Been Infected With The Foot-And-Mouth Disease At A Farm In Heddon-On-The- Wall, Northern England on February 28, 2001. It has been confirmed that a farm near Guildford in Surrey has cattle which have tested positive for foot and mouth disease on August 3, 2007. A 3km protection zone has been imposed around the farm, supported by a 10km survellience



Luzon, Philippines

A farmer prepares to plant rice seedlings on a paddy field in Sison town, northern Pangasinan province 03 August 2007. Farmers complain that rice seedlings are smaller due to lack of rainfall in the northern Philippine island of Luzon. Worsening dry spell in parts of the Philippines is destroying crops and hampering power generation, causing price rises that have hit the poor and sparked inflation fears, 08 August. More than 127,000 hectares (314,000 acres) of farmland have withered in the northern third of the country after lower than normal rainfall in June and July, the civil defence office said



Chongqing, China 

CHONGQING, CHINA - JULY 10: A veterinarian injects medicine preventing the blue-ear disease to a pig in a pig farm on July 10, 2007 in Chongqing Municipality, China. According to the veterinary bureau affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture, the highly pathogenic blue-ear disease, also known as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), hit 22 provinces during the first five months of this year, killing 18,597 pigs. The disease was found in over 45,000 pigs, leading to the culling of 5,778.



Reut, Israel

Ultra-Orthodox Jews harvest wheat with a hand sickle in obediance of an ancient biblical command May 30, 2007 near the central Israeli town of Reut. He will store the wheat for almost a year and then grind it into flour to make unleavened bread for the week-long Passover festival.



Cajlane, Macedonia

A 73 year-old farmer Vejsel Sabani looks as a forest fire spreads towards his village Cajlane, 16 kms (10 miles)
 west of Macedonia's capital Skopje, Tuesday July 17, 2007. High temperatures, reaching over 40 degrees Celsius 
(104 Fahrenheit), are believed to have caused most of a dozen current forest fires in Macedonia.



Wenzhou, China 

A worker checks bananas at a warehouse June 11, 2007 in Wenzhou of Zhejiang Province, China. Prices in China have dropped sharply after a rumour that bananas grown in country's southern island province of Hainan contain a virus similar to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). China's Ministry of Agriculture has dismissed the claims, which reports say were distributed via mobile phone text messages. The output of bananas in Hainan province accounts for one sixth of the country's total, with the negative publicity causing losses of as much as U.S.2.6 million per day, according to state media.



Aibonito, Puerto Rico

A rooster, specially bred for fighting, stands in his cage, at a breeding farm in Aibonito, central Puerto Rico, Saturday, 
Oct. 21, 2006. Unlike in most of the US, cockfighting is legal in Puerto Rico, where it has been popular since the 18th century.



Scharpitz, Germany

A grapevine snail moves across the fencing of a snail farm as the farmers look on in Scharpitz on the north-eastern German island 
of Ruegen 06 August 2007. The wet weather has been advantageous for the snail’s growth this year. The snails will eventually 
be sold to French and Italian restaurants when they have reached a weight of 15 grams



Chongqing, China 

 A farm worker displays the fruit picked from a Chinese prickly ash plant on July 5, 2007 in the Xianfeng Township of Jiangjin District in Chongqing Municipality, China. Jiangjin District, known as the hometown of Chinese prickly ash, is the world's largest Chinese prickly ash production base. There are currently over 80,000 acres of Chinese prickly ash crops planted in the region and the all-year output for 2007 is expected to reach 150,000 tons. The outer pod of the small fruit of Chinese prickly ash, also known as Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum sp) is widely used as a spice in Asia.



Hangzhou, China 

a Chinese farmer with his harvest of catfish which he bred on his farm in the outskirts of Hangzhou in China's eastern province of Zhejiang. The United States added farm-raised fish and shrimp to a growing list of Chinese products deemed unsafe for US consumers, regulators said 28 June 2007. The US Food and Drug Administration said it would block the import of farmed Chinese seafood until importers could prove the shipments were free of unsafe contaminants. The move comes just days after lawmakers urged a recall of up to 450,000 Chinese tires because of safety defects and weeks after thousands of cats and dogs died because of tainted Chinese pet food



Chiapas, Mexico

A man holds a 70 cm mushroom and 20 kg weight,
 21 June 2007 in a coffe farm of Chiapas state in the border with Guatemala. The mushroom was discovered by researchers of the Colegio de la Frontera Sur



Tokyo, Japan 

A worker looks at a tomato growing under artificial lights at Pasona O2, an underground farming facility in Tokyo July 25, 2007. The company hopes the facility will promote interest in agricultural work and demonstrate modern and alternative farming technology to city dwellers.



Bati Kot, Afghanistan

An Afghan farmer youth collects resin from poppies on a opium poppy field in Bati Kot district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, April 24, 2007. NATO said Wednesday that it has withdrawn a radio message telling Afghan farmers that its troops will not destroy their opium fields, following complaints that the alliance appeared to condone the illicit crop. The advertisement was paid for by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and aired on radio stations in Helmand province, the largest opium-producing area in the world and the focus of NATO's biggest ever anti-Taliban offensive.Howerver previously super powers were backing Afghani people to grow opium.



Roi Et, Thailand

A farmer in the Thai northeastern province of Roi Et, 560 km (348 miles) from Bangkok, walks his cattle back home as the sun set on Agst2007. Government officials are increasing efforts to woo people to vote at the country's first constitutional referendum on Sunday, setting a vote turnout target at 60 percent.

 

India's manned moon mission by 2020: ISRO

Salem (TN) (PTI): The ISRO proposed to undertake the country's first manned moon mission by 2020 following the success of Chandrayaan-I, project director of Chandrayaan-I M Annadurai has said.

The successful launch of Chandrayaan-I in October last year has given space scientists the confidence to undertake manned mission to moon, Annadurai told reporters here on Sunday.

The Chandrayaan-II mission is expected to be undertaken within a couple of years followed by Chandrayaan-III, he said.

The Chandrayaan-I mission has been sending considerable amount of data and scientists are busy analysing it, he said.

Several countries have approached India to set up a common lunar research centre for conducting various studies, the director added.

India's manned moon mission by 2020: ISRO

Salem (TN) (PTI): The ISRO proposed to undertake the country's first manned moon mission by 2020 following the success of Chandrayaan-I, project director of Chandrayaan-I M Annadurai has said.

The successful launch of Chandrayaan-I in October last year has given space scientists the confidence to undertake manned mission to moon, Annadurai told reporters here on Sunday.

The Chandrayaan-II mission is expected to be undertaken within a couple of years followed by Chandrayaan-III, he said.

The Chandrayaan-I mission has been sending considerable amount of data and scientists are busy analysing it, he said.

Several countries have approached India to set up a common lunar research centre for conducting various studies, the director added.

How to say "Happy Birthday"

Language	How to say "Happy Birthday"
Afrikaans	Veels geluk met jou verjaarsdag!
Albanian	Urime ditelindjen!
Alsatian	Gueter geburtsdaa!
Amharic	Melkam lidet!
Arabic	Eid milaad saeed! or Kul sana wa inta/i tayeb/a! (masculine/feminine)
Armenian	Taredartzet shnorhavor! or Tsenund shnorhavor!
Assyrian	Eida D'moladukh Hawee Brikha!
Austrian-Viennese	Ois guade winsch i dia zum Gbuadsdog!
Aymara (Bolivia)	Suma Urupnaya Cchuru Uromankja!
Azerbaijani	Ad gununuz mubarek! -- for people older than you Ad gunun mubarek! -- for people younger than you
Basque	Zorionak!
Belauan-Micronesian	Ungil el cherellem!
Bengali (Bangladesh/India)	Shuvo Jonmodin!
Bicol (Philippines)	Maogmang Pagkamundag!
Bislama (Vanuatu)	Hapi betde! or Yumi selebretem de blong bon blong yu!
Brazil	ParabŽns a voc ! ParabŽns a voc ,  nesta data querida muitas felicidades e muitos anos de vida.
Breton	Deiz-ha-bloaz laouen deoc'h!
Bulgarian	Chestit Rojden Den!
Cambodian	Som owie nek mein aryouk yrinyu!
Catalan	Per molts anys! or Bon aniversari! or Moltes Felicitats!
Chamorro	Biba Kumplianos!
Chinese-Cantonese	Sun Yat Fai Lok!
Chinese Fuzhou	San Ni Kuai Lo!
Chiness-Hakka	Sang Ngit Fai Lok!
Chinese-Mandarin	qu ni sheng er kuai le
Chinese-Shanghaiese	San ruit kua lok!
Chinese-Tiociu	Se Jit khuai lak!
Chronia Polla	NA ZHSHS
Croatian	Sretan Rodendan!
Czech	Vsechno nejlepsi k Tvym narozeninam!!
Danish	Tillykke med fodselsdagen!
Dutch-Antwerps	Ne gelukkege verjoardach!
Dutch-Bilzers	Ne geleukkege verjoardoag!
Dutch-Drents	Fellisiteert!
Dutch-Flemish	Gelukkige verjaardag! or Prettige verjaardag!
Dutch-Frisian	Fan herte lokwinske!
Dutch-Limburgs	Proficiat! or Perfisia!
Dutch-Spouwers	Ne geleukkege verjeurdoag!
Dutch-Twents	Gefeliciteard met oen'n verjoardag!
Dutch	Hartelijk gefeliciteerd! or Van harte gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!
English	Happy Birthday!
Esperanto	Felichan Naskightagon!
Estonian	Palju onne sunnipaevaks!
Euskera	Zorionak zure urtebetetze egunean!
Faroes ( Faroe island )	Tillukku vid fodingardegnum!
Farsi	Tavalodet Mobarak!
Finnish	Hyvaa syntymapaivaa!
French (Canada)	Bonne Fete!
French	Joyeux Anniversaire!
Frisian	Lokkiche jierdei!
Gaelic (Irish)	L‡ breithe mhaith agat!
Gaelic (Scottish)	Co` latha breith sona dhuibh!
Galician (Spain)	Ledicia no teu cumpreanos!
Georgian	Gilotcav dabadebis dges!
German-Badisch	Allis Guedi zu dim Fescht!
German-Bavarian	Ois Guade zu Deim Geburdstog!
German-Berlinisch	Allet Jute ooch zum Jeburtstach! or Ick wuensch da allet Jute zum Jeburtstach!
German-Bernese	Es Muentschi zum Geburri!
German-Camelottisch	Ewllews Gewtew zewm Gewbewrtstewg. Mew!
German-Frankonian	Allmecht! Iich wuensch Dir aan guuadn Gebuardsdooch!
German-Lichtenstein	Haerzliche Glueckwuensche zum Geburtstag!
German-Moselfraenkisch	Haezzlische Glickwunsch zem Gebordsdach!
German-Plattdeutsch	Ick wuensch Di allns Gode ton Geburtsdach!
German-Rhoihessisch	Ich gratelier Dir aach zum Geburtstag!
German-Ruhr	Allet Gute zum Gebuatstach!
German-Saarlaendisch	Alles Gudde for dei Gebordsdaach!
German-Saechsisch	Herzlischen Gliggwunsch zum Geburdsdaach!
German-Schwaebisch	Aelles Guade zom Gebordzdag!
German-Wienerisch	Ois Guade zum Geburdsdog!
German	Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Greek	Eytyxismena Genethlia! or Chronia Pola!
Greenlandic	Inuuinni pilluarit!
Gronings (Netherlands)	Fielsteerd mit joen verjoardag!
Gujarati (India)	Janma Divas Mubarak!
Gujrati (Pakistan)	Saal Mubarak!
Guarani (Paraguay Indian)]	Vy-Apave Nde Arambotyre!
Hawaiian	Hau`oli la hanau!
Hebrew	Yom Huledet Same'ach!
Hiligaynon (Philippines)	Masadya gid nga adlaw sa imo pagkatawo!
Hindi (India)	Janam Din ki badhai! or Janam Din ki shubkamnaayein!
Hungarian	Boldog szuletesnapot! or Isten eltessen!
Icelandic	Til hamingju med afmaelisdaginn!
Indonesian	Selamat Ulang Tahun!
Irish-gaelic	La-breithe mhaith agat! or Co` latha breith sona dhut! Or Breithla Shona Dhuit!
Italian	Buon Compleanno!
Italian (Piedmont)	Bun Cumpleani!
Italian (Romagna)	At faz tent avguri ad bon cumplean!
Japanese	Otanjou-bi Omedetou Gozaimasu!
Javaans-Indonesia	Slamet Ulang Taunmoe!
Jerriais	Bouon Anniversaithe!
Kannada (India)	Huttida Habba Subashayagalu!
Kapangpangan (Philippines)	Mayap a Kebaitan
Kashmiri (India)	Voharvod Mubarak Chuy!
Kazakh (Kazakstan)	Tughan kuninmen!
Klingon	Quchjaj qoSlIj!
Korean	Saeng il chuk ha ham ni da!
Kurdish	Rojbun a te piroz be!
Kyrgyz	Tulgan kunum menen!
Latin	Fortuna dies natalis!
Latvian	Daudz laimes dzimsanas diena!
Lithuanian	Sveikinu su gimtadieniu! or Geriausi linkejimaigimtadienio progal
Luganda	Nkwagaliza amazalibwa go amalungi!
Luxembourgeois	Vill Gleck fir daei Geburtsdaag!
Macedonian	Sreken roden den!
Malayalam (India)	Pirannal Aasamsakal! or Janmadinasamsakal!
Malaysian	Selamat Hari Jadi!
Maltese	Nifrahlek ghal gheluq sninek!
Maori	Kia huritau ki a koe!
Marathi (India)	Wadhdiwasachya Shubhechha!
Mauritian Kreol	mo swet u en bonlaniverser!
Mbula (Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea)	Leleng ambai pa mbeng ku taipet i!
Mongolian	Torson odriin mend hurgee!
Navajo	bil hoozho bi'dizhchi-neeji' 'aneilkaah!
Niederdeutsch (North Germany)	Ick gratuleer di scheun!
Nepali	Janma dhin ko Subha kamana!
Norwegian	Gratulerer med dagen!
Oriya (India)	Janmadina Abhinandan!
Papiamento (lower Dutch Antilles)	Masha Pabien I hopi aña mas!
Pashto (Afganistan)	Padayish rawaz day unbaraksha!
Persian	Tavalodet Mobarak!
Pinoy (Philippines)	Maligayang kaarawan sa iyo!
Polish	Wszystkiego Najlepszego! or Wszystkiego najlepszego zokazji urodzin!  wszystkiego najlepszego z okazji urodzin
Portuguese (Brazil)	Parabens pelo seu aniversario! or Parabenspara voce! or Parabens e muitas felicidades!
Portuguese	Feliz Aniversario! or Parabens!
Punjabi (India)	Janam din diyan wadhayian!
Rajasthani (India)	Janam ghaanth ri badhai, khoob jeeyo!
Romanian	La Multi Ani!
Rosarino Basico (Argentina)	Feneligiz Cunumplegeanagonos!
Russian	S dniom razhdjenia! or Pazdravliayu s dniom razhdjenia!
Sami/Lappish	Lihkos Riegadanbeaivvis!
Samoan	Manuia lou aso fanau!
Sanskrit (India)	Ravihi janmadinam aacharati!
Sardinian (Italy)	Achent'annos! Achent'annos!
Schwyzerduetsch (Swiss German)	Vill Glück zum Geburri!
Serbian	Srecan Rodjendan!
Slovak	Vsetko najlepsie k narodeninam!
Slovene	Vse najboljse za rojstni dan!
Sotho	Masego motsatsing la psalo!
Spanish	Feliz Cumplea–os!
Sri Lankan	Suba Upan dinayak vewa!
Sundanese	Wilujeng Tepang Taun!
Surinamese	Mi fresteri ju!
Swahili	Hongera! or Heri ya Siku kuu!
Swedish	Grattis pŒ fšdelsedagen
Syriac	Tahnyotho or brigo!
Tagalog (Philippines)	Maligayang Bati Sa Iyong Kaarawan!
Taiwanese	San leaz quiet lo!
Tamil (India)	Piranda naal vaazhthukkal!
Telugu (India)	Janmadina subha kankshalu!
Telugu	Puttina Roju Shubakanksalu!
Thai	Suk San Wan Keut!
Tibetan	Droonkher Tashi Delek!
Tulu(Karnataka - India)	Putudina dina saukhya!
Turkish	Dogum gunun kutlu olsun!
Ukrainian	Mnohiya lita! or Z dnem narodjennia!
Urdu (India)	Janam Din Mubarak
Urdu (Pakistan)	Saalgirah Mubarak!
Vietnamese	Chuc Mung Sinh Nhat!
Visayan (Philippines)	Malipayong adlaw nga natawhan!
Welsh	Penblwydd Hapus i Chi!
Xhosa (South Afican)	Imini emandi kuwe!
Yiddish	A Freilekhn Gebortstog!
Yoruba (Nigeria)	Eku Ojobi!
Zulu (South Afican)	Ilanga elimndandi kuwe!

Dimapur (PTI): Centering on his pet subject of igniting minds, former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Sunday asked the youth not to bother much about the

Dimapur (PTI): Centering on his pet subject of igniting minds, former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Sunday asked the youth not to bother much about the future even as the present economic slowdown has hit employment prospects in the country.

Describing the current job strains as a temporary feature, Dr Kalam asserted that after a decade, the country would emerge as a strong entity in every field and termed the youth as the power of the nation.

Stating that the presence of youth in politics gives the system a good direction, he asked them to join politics like any other profession saying they can immensely contribute towards developmental politics.

Reiterating his idea of development politics, the former President asserted, there were "only political politics and developmental politics, but there cannot be dirty politics.

Interacting with students at the 16th National Students Science Congress hereKalam expressed the hope that by 2020 the urban-rural divide would come down substantially and villages would turn into major economic entities providing employment to millions of youth.

He also pointed out that Nagaland with its rich biodiversity can be a role model in exploring immense potential in agriculture, horticulture and its handloom and handicrafts by infusing appropriate technologies and the Naga youth can take a lead on this aspect.

source:http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200812281610.htm

ISRO to launch ‘Megha Tropiques’

BANGALORE: Megha Tropiques, a satellite devoted to atmospheric and climate research in the tropics will be launched in December 2009, announced ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair.Delivering the KEB Engineers Association’s 22nd Silver Jubilee Commemoration lecture, Nair said that Megha Tropiques (‘Megha’ in Sanskrit means clouds and ‘Tropiques’ is the French word for tropics), a joint venture between ISRO and CNES (French Space Agency), will be launched using ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota range.

The satellite would carry multi-frequency microwave and optical sensors to provide information on water vapour and rainfall characteristics over ocean and land surfaces, monsoon radiation budget etc.

The 500 kg satellite will have a unique 20 degree inclined orbit of 867 km so as to provide maximum coverage of the tropical region of interest. “Changes in energy and water budget of the land-ocean-atmosphere systems in the tropics influence the global climate to a great extent and Megha Tropiques could provide the answer,” Nair expressed confidence.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ISRO and CNES was singed in 2001 for the design of a joint satellite mission.

On India’s maiden mission to the moon Chandrayaan-1, Nair said that the satellite payloads have already captured 35,000 scenes and also found traces of minerals like iron and calcium.

“Yes there are traces of minerals, but to say that conclusively, a session will be held in Bangalore in the last week of January 2009 where scientists will discuss and the preliminary analysis of data will be carried out,” he disclosed.

Nair said that the Chandrayaan- 1 was sending signals to the ground stations and in the next six months to one year, the findings will be put on public domain.

On India’s first manned mission to space he said by 2015, India will be able to send a man to space and bring him back by 2015 and following that in next 6-7 years it will be able to send a manned mission to the moon.  

source:http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=ISRO+to+launch+‘Megha+Tropiques’&artid=iCLrYLasMBM=&SectionID=7GUA38txp3s=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=zkvyRoWGpmWSxZV2TGM5XQ==&SEO=

ISRO to develop vigilance satellite

CHENNAI: Plans are afoot to develop a low-cost satellite to monitor ships and small fishing vessels in Indian waters. The  developed by the shipping ministry in partnership with the developed by the shipping ministry in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation, a top official of the shipping ministry said on Tuesday. 

Speaking at a seminar on MaritimeSecurity -- Issues and Challenges', organised by the directorate general of shipping and the Indian port associations, A P V N Sarma, secretary, shipping, said the department was in talks with ISRO for developing the satellite. 

Sarma also said the ministry was planning to form a special commando force specifically for the ports to counter any threats from the sea. He said fishing harbours located near the ports were an area of concern as they posed threats to vessels that entered the ports and it was necessary to keep these small fishing harbours away from the ports. The state governments should participate in the separation plan, he said, adding that the ministry had constituted a group to study the issue. 

Deputy national security advisor Shekhar Dutt, in his address, said there was a need to integrate land and maritime concerns. "We are looking at a plan for integrating maritime intelligence, an operation plan for responding to maritime threats, a strategy that could outreach and coordinate with international and regional maritime initiatives," he said. He added that this would encompass detection, detention, investigation and prosecution. 

"There is a need to make a distinction between a legitimate and illegitimate presence at sea and has to be done in real time," Dutt said. This, he said, would entail isolation of a suspected vessel, identification of its exact location and taking action. "To make this possible, we have to link inputs of Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system through satellite based identification. "An Automatic Identification System is therefore an essential step," he said.

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/ISRO_to_develop_vigilance_satellite/articleshow/3915741.cms