Cement, Energy and Environment

}'- ' the Program, 20 meritorious students were provided scholarships covering tuition and stationary expenses for the first year of their graduation course. Additionally, training, projects and mentorship provided by Siemens would acquaint the students with the dynamics of the industry, thereby leading to their holistic development. In the first phase, Siemens reached out to all government engineering colleges of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Sunil Mathur, chief executive officer, Siemens India, said, "Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. However, in India, the limited availability of skilled workforce has been creating a roadblock in the adoption of newer technologies. As a responsible corporate citizen, Siemens India endeavors to support and promote technical education, leveraging its core competencies such as innovative technologies and know-how so as to produce 'industry ready' technicians and . . ' engmeers. The scholarships are aimed at supporting deserving candidates to pursue their education and launch a sustainable career in engineering, R&D or manufacturing. These students will be supported with a scholarship program throughout the four years of graduation. If your company supports programs for students in engineering, science and manufacturing fields, we'd like to hear more about them. Send your story to. Courtesy: Gear Technology India Volume 3, Issue 2, Bangalore, May 2014, Pg. No. 56 HIGHWAY PROJECTS WORTH RS 40,000 CR GET ROADMIN NOD In a boost to the infrastructure sector, the ministry of road transport and highways has approved highway projects worth over Rs 40,000 crore. These projects, to be implemented in the next couple of years, are in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Northeastern region. "We have approved projects worth R20,000 crore for Jammu & Kashmir. They incl~de 2-lanmg and 4-laning of National Highways m the state some roads projects in Leh and Ladakh and we will co-ordinate with the PWD (public works department) of the state for these projects," minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said. "•~/: . . , ···- International - Country Profile GLOWING TREES TO LIGHT UP ROADS? A small group of biotechnology entrepreneurs has started a project to develop plants that glow, potentially leading the way for trees that can replace electric streetlamps and potted flowers luminous enough to read by. The project, which will use a sophisticated form of genetic engineering called synthetic biology, is attracting attention. The glowing plant project is the brainchild of Evans, a technology entrepreneur in San Francisco, and Omri Amirav Drory, a biochemist. The project will likely result in widespread , random and uncontrolled release of bioengineered seeds and plants produced through the controversial and risky techniques of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology is a nebulous term and it is difficult to say how, if at all, it differs from genetic engineering. In its simplest form, genetic engineering involves sniping a gene out on one organism and pasting it into the DNA of another. Synthetic biology typically involves synthesizing the DNA to be inserted, providing flexibili ty to go beyond the genes found in nature. Courtesy: Built Environment (IBC) , May-June 2014, Pp 21 He said these projects will be complete in the coming two-and-a-half years and will encourage tourism in the state. The road ministry has also announced projects worth R15,000 crore in the north-eastern region comprising Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura. "Within three months, we will start work on those projects and preparation of DPRs (detailed project reports) has already started ," Gadkari said. In Uttarakhand which faced massive floods ' last year, the government has announced it would build a brand new road network. "We will set up a new highway network in the state and will invest R6,000 crore for that," he said. 37 -