Madhya Pradesh Housing & Infrastructure Development Board: affordable housing via public–private partnership mode

The Madhya Pradesh Housing & Infrastructure Development Board (MPHIDB) is a state‐owned entity in Madhya Pradesh State of India with the mandate of providing housing for citizens, particularly for those in the low‐income segment. MPHIDB has been constructing houses on its own using the traditional engineering and procurement contract (EPC) model. In July 2015, it was exploring the possibility of creating affordable housing units via public–private partnership (PPP). The advantage of involving private sector is that MPHIDB can tap into creative energy and construction efficiency of the private sector and deliver the best results within the given set of time and resource constraints. The proposed structure of PPP is that the private partner will be given a portion of land in lieu of the affordable housing units that it will build and transfer to MPHIDB. However, there are trade‐offs involved in doing the project in PPP mode instead of EPC mode. The main advantages of a government body like MPHDIB doing the project on its own are as follows: (a) It is able to better manage regulatory risks in terms of getting clearances, land acquisition, and so forth; (b) it can raise finances at lower interest rates than what is charged for private sector entities; and (c) the entire land parcel is available to construct houses, and hence it can get more housing units per unit of land. The Commissioner (CEO) of MPHIDB had to decide whether to go for PPP or EPC model, and if he opted for PPP, how should the PPP be structured?     

Estimation of the age of an individual based on times of eruption of permanent teeth

This is a community based study of the times of eruption of permanent teeth to establish the age of an individual. The study is based on dental examination of 1008 subjects in the age group 5-14 years, residing in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. The median age of eruption was computed based on the concept of "Ex" which is defined as the age at which a specified percentage of individuals show eruption of a given permanent tooth. The median age "E50" was computed by transformation of percentages to probits and plotting a graph between age and probits. E50 was computed graphically corresponding to a probits value of 5.0 or 50%. A mathematical regression equation [Kusri's] was computed for each graph. The age of an individual can be computed based on the E50 value of the permanent tooth which erupted last. The probability of the given individual being above or below the assessed age can be estimated by referring to graph and probit transformation table.     

Assessing the Impact of Leather Industries on Groundwater Quality of Vellore District in South India Using a Geochemical Mixing Model

Abstract

Deterioration of groundwater quality is one of the most critical issues in twenty-first century. The direct relations of water with all the living beings make it an extremely important commodity. Sources of pollution may be of natural or anthropogenic origin. Nowadays anthropogenic sources of pollution are much more than natural sources. India has 1083 tanneries, in which 577 are in Tamil Nadu which accounts for 44% of the total production of India. Vellore district has an indispensable place in the list. Over the 30–40?years groundwater around tanneries has become seriously polluted.     

Variation in the perception of desired qualities of police officers among trainees and senior police officers. Insights into the process and efficacy of police training

Police training is the process of imparting knowledge, skills, and values to police personnel. The study analyses a survey data on the perception of trainees and senior experienced officers regarding desired professional qualities in police officers. There is a high degree of congruence, in the assessment of values which are important for police, among the two groups. There are also differences among the two groups regarding the evaluation of the importance of interpersonal skills and human qualities. The study attempts to explain the similarities and the differences in perception by examining the conservative and innovative nature of police training, and the role of experience in developing an appreciation of human qualities. The study underlines the importance of police training as a mechanism to maintain the stability of operations in the organisation and its pivotal role in bringing about change in the police.     

香港大律师公会主席林孟达致辞

今天各级司法人员，两大法律专业的成员，跟法律界在本地和海外的各方好友，在此齐首共聚一堂，我们正好趁着这个特别的场合，思考过去一年发生的事情和前瞻来年法律界、司法界将面对的挑战。去年，公会执行委员会比往常繁忙。公会就政府关於填补立法会因议员辞职的出缺安排的建议，五次发出声明，也对政府的谘询文件，提交了陈述书回应。     

SIACHEN GLACIER,THE FULCRUM OF THE GREAT GAME: COLONEL ‘BULL’ KUMAR’S PERSPECTIVES

This article, written by Prateek Joshi in close collaboration with Colonel Narender “Bull” Kumar, discusses the development of the conflict over the Siachen Glacier between India and Pakistan. It sets out the Siachen Conflict in the broad framework of the Great Game and explains the crucial role of Colonel Narender “Bull” Kumar's Siachen expeditions in rekindling this old flashpoint in High Asia. Based on Colonel Kumar's two expeditions to the Siachen Glacier region, namely the Teram Kangri expedition in 1978 and the Siachen expedition in 1981, it discusses the perspectives regarding the dispute and its relation to reviving a consciousness of the Great Game. The first perspective discusses Colonel Kumar's expeditions in light of the Indo-Pak conflict as these two visits became the precursor to Operation Meghdoot, following which the Indian Army occupied the Siachen Glacier in 1984. The second perspective discusses a crucial cartographic blank which was filled only after Colonel Kumar's Siachen expedition.     

Health of internal labour migrants in India: some reflections on the current situation and way forward

Social and development policies have not been successful so far in mainstreaming health issues of internal labour migrants in India. This opinion paper reflects on the current situation of migrants and puts forth some perspectives on the way forward. It suggests some avenues for further research and scaling up of migrant-friendly health programmes.     

Identification of the source of ivory idol by DNA analysis

In this study, we describe a forensic case dealing with the identification of the source of the processed ivory object by DNA analysis. Two pieces of Lord Krishna's idols from a shop were confiscated by an investigating agency of the Indian government and forwarded to us to identify the source of its origin. We succeeded in isolating DNA from both processed ivory idols by using the phenol/chloroform DNA extraction method. The extracted DNA was subjected to PCR amplification using an elephant-specific mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop marker. DNA sequence analysis of the amplified fragment of mtDNA D-loop region confirmed that the idols were consistent with Asian elephant with 99% similarity.     

Evaluation of two instrumental methods of comparing writing paper

An organization had approved the sample of writing paper, and accordingly the supplier had to execute the supply. The supply received was suspected to be of different quality from approved one. The organization sent the samples for comparison to the Forensic Science Laboratory. Both the approved and supplied samples were compared using Tensile Testing Method with the Material Testing Machine and Fluorescence and spectral analysis using the Video Spectral Comparator (VSC2000). The difference between the mean loads at peak before rupture in the tensile testing mode for the two samples was about 33%. The two samples differed significantly in terms of UV fluorescence, and there was about 5% average difference in the percentage of maximum reflected intensity in the wavelength region of 400-900 nm. It has been observed in this study that these two methods can adequately distinguish paper samples of different origin.