NCLA-2011 begins at RSU

Seven scientists deliver lectures on different subjects on first day

Raipur, February 07, 2011

The three day National conference on Luminescence and its Applications-2011 (NCLA-2011) commenced at Pt Ravishankar Shukla University (RSU) on Monday. About seven scientists delivered lectures on different subjects and five research scholars presented their papers on the first day.

The conference hosted by RSU and jointly organised by the varsity’s School of Physics and Astrophysics (SOSPA) along with Luminescence Society of India’s (LSI) and Disha Institute of Management and Technology (DIMAT) was inaugurated by former scientist of National Physical Laboratory New Delhi and expert member from Department of Science and Technology New Delhi R Bhattacharya.

The first technical session commenced with the lecture of Dr BN Jagtap from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai who spoke on laser induced luminescence. Then, Dr V Shankar from National Physical Laboratory New Delhi delivered lecture on luminescent materials and their applications. The last speaker in the session was Professor G Mularidharan who spoke on rare earth metals and alkali halides phosphors.

The second technical session started with the lecture of Dr MK Bhede from BARC Mumbai who spoke on luminescence and electron spin resonance. The next lecture was by Dr RS Kher from Government PG College Bilaspur who spoke on mechano-luminescent materials. The Dr SJ Dhoble from Nagpur University spoke on phosphors luminescent materials.

In the last session, Dr MP Chougaonkar from BARC Mumbai spoke on radiation dosimetry using luminescent technology – requirements and properties. Later, Professor N Veeraiah and Professor BP Chandra from DIMAT gave special talks on luminescence during concluding session.

In the conference, the LSI is represented by its secretary Dr KVR Murthy who hails from Baroda (Gujarat) and is senior teaching faculty at Sayajirao University of Baroda.

The invited experts in the conference are from 16 different fields of luminescence that are -  photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence & ionoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, ML, EL and LL chemiluminescence, bioluminescence / sensors, theoretical aspects of luminescence, nanophosphors: physics and materials, luminescence dating, industrial application of phosphors, thermo luminescence: radiation effects and dosimetry, organic luminescence and OLEDs, luminescence in amorphous materials, low temperature luminescence, luminescence in gemstones and diamonds, luminescence instrumentation and role of luminescence in allied applications.

Mayor responsible for tax hike: BJP

Raipur, February 07, 2011

A day after Congress decided to launch statewide campaign holding the state government responsible for hike in water tax in the civic bodies, the BJP on Monday shifted the blame on Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak. “The government has nothing to do with the RMC water tax and it was sole decision of the Congress-led RMC led by Nayak that decided to impose hiked water tax on the people,” said BJP corporators’ whip Sunil Bandre at the municipal.

“In fact, Nayak had hiked different types of municipal taxes in past one year and completely ignored the development programmes for public,” he said.

“She took the decision after all the mayors expressed their concern over apathetic conditions of their respective municipal corporation in the absence of adequate fund during the meeting convened by the Urban Administration Department and demanded hike in different taxes. Considering this, the government gave its approval to hike the taxes but the revenue goes in the exchequer of municipal corporations,” he said.

“The RMC has increased property tax and is recovering Rs 600 from the taxpayers and Rs 300 from non-taxpayers. Similarly, the licence fee has been hiked by 25 percent and the shopkeepers have been threatened to either pay the fee or their shops would be sealed. The parking fee in public places, rents of vegetable markets and development fee too have been increased by threefold. The municipal has not even spared the empty plots from tax net,” he said.

Bandre said against Nayak’s Rs six crore-demand from the government for development of the city, the Chief Minister Raman Singh announced Rs 500 crore package while Urban Administration Minister Rajesh Munat sanctioned Rs 30 lakh for each ward. “In this scenario, the Congress should change its plan and protest against their mayor,” he added.

“If Congress really wants rollback in tax hike then it should pressurise mayor to amend tax rates through Mayor-in-Council (MiC) meet and general body meeting so that a proposal seeking reduced tax rates could be sent to the state government for approval,” he said.