China's Solar Monopoly is dangerous: Dr Eicke R. Weber, a world-renowned Solar expert

The world must find a solution to China's Solar Monopoly

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

During my interaction with Dr Eicke R. Weber, a doctorate from Cologne University & Presently the Vice President of International Solar Energy Society, he explains the danger of China's monopoly mainly on PV cells especially when solar installations in the world would increase 10 times by 2050... the Interview appeared in The Statesman last year when he visited India to be the chief guest in International Solar exhibition in Greater Noida. I am reproducing the article as it is very relevant in the present context.

About Dr Eicke R Weber:

Dr Eicke R. Weber, a doctorate from Cologne University in defects in deformed silicon, has dedicated over four decades in silicon research and solar energy panels. He has been a professor in the University of California and Berkley for over twenty years and earned name in the field of silicon defects and III-V semiconductors. He mainly researched how metallurgical silicon with a certain amount of impurities could be used to produce high-efficiency solar cells.

Presently the Vice President of International Solar Energy Society, Dr Weber was also the Director of the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy—a world-renowned Solar Energy research institute. As a Director of the prestigious institute, he intensified networking between the University and with corporate world involved in the solar business. He was also involved in setting up a new Sustainability Center Freiburg between Fraunhofer and the University for Solar Energy promotion. Dr Weber spoke to Vijay Thakur, Special Representative the Statesman, on the future of solar energy and its necessity.

Excerpts of the Interview:

Question

What you think is the main challenge before the global solar industry. And how do you these challenges can be it can be tackled?.

Answer.

Though there are many challenges before the industry. But we know it is the future and will soon have some solutions. Among all challenges, the biggest challenge is global solar cell production is mostly in the hands of one country that is China. In the coming years, it can create global imbalance, which is not strategically good for any country.

Today China is probably the only country which is catering to most of the global PV cell demands. Their rate per watt is very low and frankly speaking there is hardly any country which can match Chinese price. And this is the problem strategically speaking is it advisable to give full business to China. So far we have not taken it seriously, but time has come to prevent the entire marketing getting dominated by one country only.

Today total annual solar installation around the world is around 500 GegaWatt, which would cross 3,000 to 5,000 GWatt by 2030 which means 10 times increase. By 2050 demand of solar panels would touch 50,000 Gwatt. By a simple calculations, solar panel demand would increase 100 times incoming thirty years.

It is time for our global political leaders to see if we can give the entire business to only one country. Strategically I would call it a blunder, and request big countries mainly India to venture out in solar cell productions. If this trend is not reversed, it would bring imbalance in the solar market, which is going to be the main source of energy in future.

 

Question:

How do you think we can meet this challenge?

 

Answer:

It is time for countries like India, USA and Germany to come forward and produce large scale solar cells at a very affordable price to meet China price. If we do not do now than we will miss the bus. Solar cells production is fully mechanized, and within a couple of years, we can meet the Chinese price in Germany as well as in India. Our leadership should show their will power in this direction, and that is the only solution.

Question:

India has set a great target for the use of solar energy. It is encouraging and subsidizing the solar industry. How do you see the future of the Indian solar industry and its role in the International solar market?

Answer:

No doubt India has done a great job in promoting the solar industry during the past couple of years. India has not only promoted the domestic solar industry, but It is also providing services to third world countries. Certainly India has a very important role to play in the global transformation process in renewable energy. After China, India has the biggest growing solar energy demand in the world. It has very ambitious targets to bring down CO2 emissions. Solar energy appears to be the only source for the whole of India. It can be harvested anywhere in the country at and at a very reasonable and affordable price. Solar energy production has come down as low as two to four cents a unit.

Now coming to India’s role in the international market, we must admit that India is going to lead the International market. I will not be surprised if I see India covering a solar market of developed countries.

 

Question:

One of the main problems in promoting the solar industry is that it cannot be stored and the present cost of storage cost is very high. You think when this problem would be over or when power storage would become pricewise competitive in India and abroad.

 

Answer.

To a great extent, the present storage cost is high. But it is coming down year by year. At present, lithium-ion batteries are around USD 100 a KiloWatt Hour. We are expecting its prices to go down like PhotoVoltaic cells in a couple of years. If we see 20 years ago, PV cells were not a choice for a country like India, but today the prices have reduced several times. Today in India solar power from solar has become the cheapest source of energy. Similarly in the coming years, we will see prices of battery storage solutions to go down like PV cells. But at the same time, there are other ways of energy solutions. The excess electricity produced from the solar system can be used to separate hydrogen from water, which can be stored for a long time. We see the storage of solar energy by generating hydrogen.

Having said all that, we strongly believe that in the coming five years, prices of solar energy storage would come down to a level where a common man can afford it. But we will have to wait for a time when solar energy generation and storage would become cheaper than the existing grid system. I would not be surprised if the solar storage would become cheaper than the transmission and distribution cost and its losses.

 

Question:

International Solar Alliance (ISA), an alliance of 121 countries blessed with solar energy is headquartered in Gurgaon India. Indian leadership has shown its commitment to help third world countries to promote and install solar power projects. Do you think ISA would help India to emerge a global leader in developing countries?

Ans:

Yes, India has a real opportunity to be a leader in the global solar energy industry of the developing countries. ISA would, directly and indirectly, help India become a global leader. It can provide services to all developing countries particularly the continent like Africa. India can offer decentralized power supply to developing countries by designing mini-grids for off-grid solar solutions at a very affordable rate. African countries are really looking forward to India for affordable solar business solutions. India can train technicians of developing counties and provide them with utility items of the solar industry.

Question:

Now Electric Vehicles are coming in a big way in India. It is likely to penetrate deep into Indian cities and rural areas. You think the introduction of EVs would help the Indian solar industry?

 

Answer:

Certainly, I have very high hope from Electric Vehicles. The spread of electric vehicles would revolutionize the solar industry. It appears strange but true, electric vehicles and the solar industry have a very close link. One, we can now charge electric vehicles directly using PVs which would bring down carbon emission level and reduce dependence on fossil fuel. Since EV would be an organized industry, it would manufacture Lithium-Ion batteries in volume and ultimately bring down the prices good quality batteries for off-grid solutions.

And lastly, the average life of EV batteries is five years. After five years, its power rate becomes as low as 80% and cannot be used for electric vehicles. But for a home solar system, these batteries can be run for another five years. EVs would open a new market of used LiOn batteries for domestic usage. As a result, the cost of electric vehicles would come down as the used batteries will be used for home solar systems giving them a second life. Since its prices would be much less, those who cannot afford costly solar batteries would opt for second life LiOn battery. This way EV would not only promote solar power but would also bring down the storage system.

Vijay Thakur, The Statesman.

 

Ends.

 

 

Delhi's first dense 'urban forest' in the heart of polluted ITO

Delhi to have its first Dense 'Urban Forest' in the heart of Pollution at ITO

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

In a unique initiative to develop 'Super Dense' greenery in the heart of Delhi’s most polluted ITO area, Government has developed an amazing “Urban Forest” in the office complex of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that would not only act as an ‘Oxygen Bank’ but would also bring down the temperature of the complex by as low as 14 degree Celsius.

If Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadkar is to be believed the 'Super Dense' ‘Urban Forest’, 30 times dense than a normal forest, would need minimal maintenance and would be self-sustainable by October 2021. The forest will have 12,000 saplings of 59 native species in just one acre of land. The Minister further claimed that it could help in reducing the temperature by as much as 14 degrees and increase the moisture by more than 40%.

The samplings would be accommodated in such a small space through three dimensional, multi-layered plantations having 30 times the surface area of the greenery of single-layered lawns, the Environment Ministry claimed. It would also have 30 times more ability to protect against natural disasters to conserve the environment, the Minister claimed, the Ministry added.

The idea behind this dense urban forest was to create a natural Oxygen bank and Carbon Sink in areas where pollution has reached a dangerous level. The pollution level has already reached at the dangerous level at the ITO crossing, which is nearby to the CAG complex. Since there was hardly any space available for greenery, the government adopted the Miyawaki method of forest creation. The 92-year-old Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki had developed this technique in 1970 when he developed a first is a unique 'Super Dense Urban Forest' in Japan in which trees grew 10 times faster and 30 times denser than usual. As per his technique, within three years of little maintenance, the area can be converted into a ‘Super Dense Jungle’. Thereafter it would hardly need any maintenance except some brief spell of watering that too very rarely.

This would be Delhi’s first dense urban forest with multiple tree layers including 12,000 saplings of 59 indigenous species in just 1 acre of size. Once this becomes a dense forest it would have its own ecosystem with the capacity to restore habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and microfauna. These are essential for pollination of crops and fruits and to help maintain a balanced ecosystem. The multi-layered forest has shrubs, small to medium-size trees and tall trees carefully arranged as peripheral and core plant communities. After it becomes a dense jungle, it would not need much maintenance.

Some of the rare native species planted here include Anogeissus pendula (Dhonk), Diospyros cordifolia (Bistendu), Ehretia laevis (chamrod), Wrightia tinctoria (Doodhi), Mitragyna parvifolia (Kaim), Butea monosperma (Palash), Prosopis cineraria (Khejri), Clerodendrum phlomidis(Arni), Grewia asiatica (Falsa), Phoenix sylvestris (Khajoor) and Helicteres isora (Marodphali). The species selected are part of Delhi’s potential natural vegetation and are best suited to the region’s terrain, climate and soil.

“The urban forest sends out and the action-oriented message of bringing back lost environmental protection forests. In-depth field surveys of potential natural vegetation, well-planned native species’ propagation and restoration projects like these are the need of the hour,” the Minister said. 

Urban Forest

An urban forest is the one that within a city or town, normally it include vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose ecosystems are also inherited from wilderness leftovers, urban forests often lack amenities like public bathrooms paved paths, or sometimes clear borders which are distinct features of parks.

Urban forests play an important role in the ecology of human habitats in many ways. Aside from the beautification of the urban environment, they offer many benefits like impacting climate and the economy while providing shelter to wildlife and recreational area for city dwellers

About: Akira Mayawaki

Akira Mayawaki, 92, is a Japanese botanist and expert in plant ecology. He is specialized in seeds and the study of natural forests. He is active worldwide as a specialist in the restoration of the natural vegetation on degraded land. Since 1993, he has been Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National University and Director of the Japanese Center for International Studies in Ecology. He received the Blue Planet award in 2006.

He studied the concept of potential natural vegetation (PNV) in Germany and developed a refined method of ecological engineering to restore natural forests from seeds of native trees in very degraded soils (with hardly has any humus). His method was praised world over and now known as the "Miyawaki method". Using ecological theories and the results of his experiments, he quickly and successfully restored, sometimes over large areas, protective forests (disaster-prevention, environment-conservation and water-source-protection forests) at over 1,700 sites in Japan and various tropical countries in the form of shelterbelts, woodlands and woodlots, including urban, port and industrial areas.

Although most experts believe that rapid restoration of a forest is impossible or very difficult on a laterized and desertified soil following the destruction of the rainforest, Miyawaki showed that rapid restoration of forest cover and restoration of soil was possible by using a judicious choice of pioneer and secondary indigenous species, densely planted and mycorrhized. After studying local plant ecology, he uses the species that have key and complementary roles in the normal tree community.

He alone has been involved in planting over 40 million native trees. The Miyawaki method of reconstitution of "indigenous forests by indigenous trees" produces a rich, dense and efficient protective pioneer forest in 20 to 30 years, whereas natural succession would need 200 years in temperate Japan and 300 to 500 years in the tropics.

Ends.

The IAS officer who quit IAS 46 years ago to serve poor and neglected people. Magsaysay award winner, Aruna Roy, cautions Modi govenrment to give "substansive" help to migratory workers

Modi's big announcement without substance not to help Poors: Aruna Roy 

My Interview with RTI activist Aruna Roy where she hit at Modi's big announcement without substance. She admits present economic package will do little to alleviate  people's suffering

About Aruna Roy

S

She quit IAS in 1974 after completing six years of her service to give more to society by working as a social activist rather than being in India’s most prestigious services IAS. She has always been at the forefront of running campaigns directed toward helping the poor and the marginalised. It was due to her Ramon Magsaysay award recipients in 2000 for Community leadership, Aruna Roy had quit the elite Indian Administrative Service in 1974 and rather opted to work at the grassroots level in remote villages of Rajasthan for the upliftment of poor and marginalised people. She and her team comprising Shankar Singh and Nikhil Day formed Majdoor Kisan Shakti Sangthan (MKSS) initially fought for fair wages of workers from a remote village Devdungri. Subsequently, her team exposed ‘organized corruption in government departments’ and started her three decades long battle for ‘Right to Information’ which actually proved a game-changer and made a major change in the functioning at the grassroots level.

Besides the Ramon Magsaysay award, she was also awarded the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in persistence and hard work that the Right to Information, the Right to Work (the NREGA), and the Right to Food Acts were passed. In an interview to Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, the Statesman, Aruna Roy spoke large scale migration of labours in wake of Covid-19 and the inhuman treatment given to them. Excerpts:

Question:

What is your assessment of the coronavirus lockdown being enforced across the country since 25 March?

Ans:

China told the world about the SARS-CoV-2 virus on 31 December last year. India has its first COVID-19 case on 30 January. The lockdown was enforced more than 50 days later on 25 March. The Union government had a lot of time to prepare much better for this than it has. The lockdown was announced in haste without adequate time and notice given to people and the effects are plainly visible for all to see. It seems to have inflicted far more pain and suffering on the population than the virus and disease have. One only has to contrast the actions of the central government with the way that Kerala, which incidentally had the first case in India, has managed the situation to see how planning and foresight could have easily made the lockdown far less tragic than it has, very unfortunately, been. A lack of sensitivity to the plight of the vulnerable people in India has been patently visible.

Question:

The lockdown has triggered an unprecedented mass exodus of migrant labourers and the destitute and their families across the country. Many of them lost their lives in the course of their perilous journeys. How could this epic human tragedy been prevented?

Answer:

While one certainly has the benefit of hindsight now, the most obvious thing to have done to prevent this tragedy would have been to prepare better and given Indians more notice before announcing the lockdown. The Prime Minister's announcement at 8:00 pm on 24 March had nothing to say about offering basic amenities and services to the nation's marginalised. The absence of assurances from the Prime Minister and the way that we have seen a substantial outsourcing of relief measures in cities to civil society conveys the apathy of the government towards migrant labourers. This has to be contrasted with the reported shrinking of funds to NGOs, as companies are under directive to divert CSR money to GOI. Government has failed to ensure that each person was fed and given an allowance to tide over the crisis.

Question:

What is your take on the roles of the Centre and state governments in handling this colossal  crisis, especially with regard to its devastating impacts on the poor and vulnerable people?

Answer:

Different states governments have handled the crisis differently. Some, like Kerala, have done very well. Bihar offered Rs. 1000 to workers who had migrated out from the state. This was a very good measure and other states could have also taken.

The lack of financial support from the centre to the state governments, like the delays in the GST payments to states put paid to all the tall claims by the union government of cooperative federalism.

Some common characteristics that one has seen across many states with regard to migrant workers has been the way that most states treated them as step children when it came to offering them aid. Now, however, they are reluctant to let them go since these workers are the real drivers of the economy. That some states to which these workers want to return to have been reluctant to take them back for fear of spread of the virus has also been very sad to see. While all states seem to want workers to revive their economies, at the time they are viewed as people who will spread the disease. In a sense, migrant labour are only seen has beasts of burden for the sake of the economy who are otherwise abandoned by both their home states and host states.

Question:

And what do you think of the judiciary’s role in this entire episode?

Answer:

Barring some High Courts, the Higher Judiciary has largely been missing in action and has abdicated its constitutional responsibility to uphold the rights of citizens. A real test of a democracy is its adherence to constitutional values when the going is hard and in times of crisis. By not addressing critical issues hands-on, despite wide media coverage of the tragedy unfolding across the country, is to be mourned.

Question:

The Union government recently announced a seemingly massive economic package involving a slew of welfare measures for migrants, street vendors and small farmers. You think is it sufficient or mere an eyewash?

Answer:

The economic package is certainly not sufficient. Certain measures like expanding rations or increased financial allocations for MGNREGA are welcome. But this is far from enough. The government is offering loans to street vendors and small farmers when they need immediate cash transfers as relief. Even corporates have criticised measures like the dilution of labour laws and protection. Having gone through all the measures of the economic package, if one were to ask how much of this will provide immediate relief to the migrant workers trying to reach their homes, there is very little indeed. The government has to do a lot more, especially for the poor and those who are affected most acutely by economic distress. Big announcements without much substance will do very little to alleviate the suffering that people are facing.

 Ends.

 

Can Giloy (गिलोय) cure COVID-19 ?

Can Giloy (गिलोय) cure Covid-19?

We all know that there is no medicine for COVID 19 cure. But at the same time, we can prevent diseases by improving immunity. Here is a wonder herb Giloy (गिलोय), Guduchi or Tinospora Cordifolia cure COVID-19 being used to improve our immunity system.

It has been used for centuries in Indian Ayurvedic medicines mainly for the treatment of fever, jaundice, chronic diarrhoea, cancer, dysentery, bone fracture, pain, asthma, skin disease, poisonous insect, snake bite, eye disorders and has shown very positive results. No doubt, this herb has the miraculous power to improve immunity.

A variety of active components derived from the plant like alkaloids, steroids, diterpenoid lactones, aliphatics, and glycosides (Ref-1) have great medicinal properties like anti-diabetic, anti-periodic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, anti-stress, anti-leprotic, anti-malarial, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and anti-neoplastic activities.

In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for in the treatment of fever, jaundice, chronic diarrhoea, cancer, dysentery, bone fracture, pain, asthma, skin disease, poisonous insect, snake bite, eye disorders and has shown very positive results. This herb has a miraculous power to improve immunity.

I will take up one by one few of the researches results conducted by doctors and scientists in the recent past but First I will discuss

Can we take it for COVID-19:

 Yes but only as a supplement. Giloy (Tinospora Cordifolia) is known for improving our immunity, has, anti-oxidant, anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. It also corrects several disorders in our body. So if we take it would certainly help us in fighting Covid-19.

What Dose Should we take:

Please note we should not take it in excess or religiously on a regular basis. After all, it contains active chemicals, which are bound to have side effects if taken in excess. But it can never be your main line of treatment. Best is to consult your doctor who would suggest you doses depending upon your weight, age, height, medical background (etcs). Regular Self-medication in excess even in case of Ayurvedic medicines may harm your body.

Should we take leaf, stem, roots, or consume it in powder and tablet form:

(A): No doubt, best is if you take leaf or stem and chew it (this would give you the best results as when we convert it into a काढ़ा (potion) many of its chemicals evaporates or lowers its medical property. However, if you cannot take it raw, you may prepare a काढ़ा (potion) and drink it (result certainly would not be as effective).

(B): And in case you do not have Giloy plant nearby, you have no option but to rely on its power/tablet form. Please take advice from an Ayurvedic doctor or as prescribed by the manufacturer. Note: Do not take it on a regular basis for a long without consulting a doctor…Just forget that medicinal plants do not have any side effects. Medicinal plants have chemicals and excess of it is bound to have side effects. Your family physician can advise you the best.

A variety of active components derived from the plant like alkaloids, steroids, diterpenoid lactones, aliphatics, and glycosides (Ref-1) have great medicinal properties like anti-diabetic, anti-periodic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, anti-stress, anti-leprotic, anti-malarial, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and anti-neoplastic activities.

In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for in the treatment of fever, jaundice, chronic diarrhoea, cancer, dysentery, bone fracture, pain, asthma, skin disease, poisonous insect, snake bite, eye disorders and has shown very positive results. This herb has a miraculous power to improve immunity.

Now I am going to discuss a few of the scientific studies conducted so far. I am not a doctor, and the source of these research papers is credible medical journals. I do not claim its authenticity and since I am not a doctor there might be some inadvertent typographical errors or in understanding its observations. My Purpose is to help you understand this plant and take its advantage in the curing/preventing Covid-19 (if at all it is useful).  

Lets see how it works in our body:

Different parts of the plant contain A myriad of biologically active compounds, including alkaloids, diterpenoid lactones, glycosides, steroids, sesquiterpenoid, phenolics, aliphatic compounds, and polysaccharides. Its extracts are extensively used in various herbal preparations for the treatment of different ailments for its anti-periodic, anti-spasmodic, anti-microbial, anti-osteoporotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-allergic, and anti-diabetic properties (Ref 2).All these compounds have different biological roles in our body. But in nutshell, it helps to remove toxins, purifies blood, fights bacteria and virus that causes diseases, combats liver diseases and urinary tract infections, and corrects several disorders in our body. I am trying to take its medical properties one by one.

 

How it improves our immunity:

 

Active compounds 11-hydroxymustakone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-formylannonain, cordifolioside A, magnoflorine, tinocordiside and syringing. It boost the phagocytic activity of macrophages, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human neutrophil cells.  It also have potential to improve our immunidy and and cytotoxic effects (which helps in destroying cancer cells or recover our body from its effect).

Anti-diabetes property:

It has been reported to mediate its anti-diabetic potential through mitigating oxidative stress (OS), promoting insulin secretion and also by inhibiting gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, thereby regulating blood glucose. (Ref 3) Alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, and steroids as the major phytoconstituents (Ref 4) of Tinospora cordifolia have been reported to play an anti-diabetic role.

The isoquinoline alkaloid rich fraction from the stem, including, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, and magnoflorine have been reported for insulin-mimicking and insulin-releasing effect both in vitro and in vivo.(Ref 5) Oral treatments of root extracts have been reported to regulate blood glucose levels, enhance insulin secretion and suppress OS markers.

The root extract has been reported to decrease the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, hydroperoxides, ceruloplasmin and vitamin E diabetic rats (Ref 6).

Anti Toxis Property:

Tinospora cordifolia extracts have been reported to scavenge free radicals generated during aflatoxicosis. (Ref 7) It exhibited protective effects by lowering thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels and enhancing the GSH, ascorbic acid, protein, and the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes viz., SOD, CAT, GPx, Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) in kidney. Alkaloids such as a choline, tinosporin, isocolumbin, palmatine, tetrahydropalmatine, and magnoflorine from Tinospora cordifolia showed protection against aflatoxin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Anti-arthritic, anti-osteoporotic Property:

Tinospora cordifolia have been reported to affect the proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of bone like matrix on osteoblast model systems in vitro and hence finds potential application as an anti-osteoporotic agent. Alcoholic extract of Tinospora cordifolia have been shown to stimulate the growth of osteoblasts, increasing the differentiation of cells into osteoblastic lineage and also increasing the mineralization of bone like matrix. (Ref 8)

Anti HIV and Anti Cancer Property:

Tinospora cordifolia   has been shown to demonstrate a decrease in the recurrent resistance of HIV virus thus improving the therapeutic outcome.Anti-HIV effects of TCE was revealed by a reduction in eosinophil count, stimulation of B lymphocytes, macrophages and polymorphonuclear leucocytes and hemoglobin percentage thus, revealing its promising role of application in management of the disease.

he anti-cancer effects of Tinospora cordifolia are mostly studied in animal models. It reported to have a radioprotective role by significantly increase in body weight, tissue weight, testes-body weight ratio and tubular diameter and inhibit the harmful effects of sub-lethal gamma radiation on testes in male Swiss albino mice. In pre-irradiating mice, TCE significantly affected radiation induced rise in lipid peroxidation and resulted in the decline of GSH concentration in testes.(Ref 9) Pre-treatment of HeLa cells by TCE have been shown to decrease the cell viability, increase LDH and decrease in GSH S-transferase activity.

Anti microbial and Anti-Oxident Property:

The methanol extracts of Tinospora cordifolia have been reported to have potential against microbial infections. (Ref 10) The anti-bacterial activity of Tinospora cordifolia extracts has been assayed against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella paratyphi, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogene, and Serratia marcesenses (Gram-positive bacteria).

The anti-oxidant capacity of Tinospora cordifolia stem methanol extracts administered orally increased the erythrocytes membrane lipid peroxide and catalase activity. It also decreased the activities of SOD, GPx in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Tinospora cordifolia Willd.(Menispermaceae) extracts possess possible inhibitors of aldose reductase and anti-oxidant agents Ref (11) thereby reducing chemotoxicity induced by free radicals

Tinospora cordifolia has the ability to scavenge free radicals generated during aflatoxicosis. Tinospora cordifolia showed protection against aflatoxin-induced nephrotoxicity due to the presence of alkaloids such as a choline, tinosporin, isocolumbin, palmatine, tetrahydropalmatine, and magnoflorine.

 

Ref 1): Upadhyay AK, Kumar K, Kumar A, Mishra HS. Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. f. and Thoms. (Guduchi)-validation of the Ayurvedic pharmacology through experimental and clinical studies. Int J Ayurveda Res. 2010;1:112–21.

Ref 2): Sharma U, Bala M, Kumar N, Singh B, Munshi RK, Bhalerao S. Immunomodulatory active compounds from Tinospora cordifolia. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012;141:918–26.

Ref 3):  Sangeetha MK, Raghavendran Balaji HR, Gayathri V, Vasanthi HR. Tinospora cordifolia attenuates oxidative stress and distorted carbohydrate metabolism in experimentally induced type 2 diabetes in rats. J Nat Med. 2011;65:544–50.

Ref 4): P S, Zinjarde SS, Bhargava SY, Kumar AR. Potent α-amylase inhibitory activity of Indian Ayurvedic medicinal plants. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2011;11:5.

Ref (5)  Patel MB, Mishra S. Hypoglycemic activity of alkaloidal fraction of Tinospora cordifolia. Phytomedicine. 2011;18:1045–52.

Ref (6) Umamaheswari S, Prince Mainzen PS. Antihyperglycaemic effect of ‘Ilogen-Excel’, an ayurvedic herbal formulation in streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus. Acta Pol Pharm. 2007;64:53–61.

Ref (7) Gupta R, Sharma V. Ameliorative effects of Tinospora cordifolia root extract on histopathological and biochemical changes induced by aflatoxin-b (1) in mice kidney. Toxicol Int. 2011;18:94–8. 

Ref (8) Chopra A, Saluja M, Tillu G, Venugopalan A, Narsimulu G, Handa R, et al. Comparable efficacy of standardized ayurveda formulation and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQS) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA): A randomized investigator-blind controlled study. Clin Rheumatol. 2012;31:259–69.

Ref (9): Sharma P, Parmar J, Sharma P, Verma P, Goyal PK. Radiation-Induced Testicular Injury and Its Amelioration by Tinospora cordifolia (An Indian Medicinal Plant) Extract. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:643847.

Ref (10): Narayanan AS, Raja SS, Ponmurugan K, Kandekar SC, Natarajaseenivasan K, Maripandi A, et al. Antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants against multiple antibiotic resistant uropathogens: A study from Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Benef Microbes. 2011;2:235–43.

Ref (11):  Gacche RN, Dhole NA. Profile of aldose reductase inhibition, anti-cataract and free radical scavenging activity of selected medicinal plants: An attempt to standardize the botanicals for amelioration of diabetes complications. Food Chem Toxicol. 2011;49:1806–13. And  Rawal A, Muddeshwar M, Biswas S. Effect of rubia cordifolia, Fagonia cretica linn, and Tinospora cordifolia on free radical generation and lipid peroxidation during oxygen-glucose deprivation in rat hippocampal slices. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2004;324:588–96.

DISCLAIMER:

Frankly speaking, I have collected so much material on this that I can write a book on it. But my purpose is not to become a researcher or to make you all a doctor. The idea is only to tell you the medicinal properties of the plant and to help you understand when to take it and when not to take it in power/tablets form . The above information is sourced from various credible websites (mostly government) or the research book of established doctors/researchers. Collected it clubbed it and presented it in a possible simpler and interesting form. ENDS.

By Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman

Bamboo to revive North East Economy from Covid-19, Claims a State Minister in the Prime Minister Office

Will Green Gold from North East would revive North East Economy

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

The centre is eying on Bamboos to revive North Eastern Economy and seeing it as “an important vehicle of trade” in the post Covid-19 era.

The bamboo sector would propel the Atam Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan in North Eastern Region claimed the Union Minister of State for DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Jitendra Singh here on Tuesday. He is also a Minister of State in the Prime Minister Office.

During a review meeting through video the conference, in which senior officers from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) and North Eastern Council (NEC) Shillong participated, the Minister said Bamboo is not only vital to India's Post- COVID economy but it would also herald a new momentum for Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call of “Vocal for Local”.

He said that the sensitivity with which the Centre views the importance of the promotion of Bamboo is evident from the fact that even during the lockdown period, the Ministry of Home Affairs allowed the functioning of bamboo related activities like planting, process.

Bamboo is also called Poor man’s timber and no doubt has great potential to the rural economy of India. It is one of the most abundant and environment-friendly resources available in rural India. In India, it accounts for 12.8 % of forest cover in about 14 million hectares of land. India is the second only to China in Bamboo production and it is immensely popular in the northeastern region. Because of its role in NE Economy, people in NE also call it ‘Green Gold’.  

Dense bamboos are found mostly in Arunachal Pradesh followed by Mizoram and Manipur. Mizoram occupies the largest forest area under different bamboo species, followed by Meghalaya. As this region is the largest reservoir of bamboo resource in India, screening is required to identify the most delicate bamboo species the development of the package of practices for their mass multiplication. Four States of Northeast i.e. Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland have formulated their own policies for the development of Bamboo and conservation of Bamboo forests.

 

Ends.

India presses helicopters services to control 'टिड्डी - Terror attack'

India presses helicopters to control 'Locust- Terror attack'

BY Vijay Thakur, Special Representative, The Statesman, vijaythakurx@gmail.com

Union Agriculture Ministry has pressed Helicopter services to control Locust attack in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which are going to be most affected by the desert locust swarms coming from Somalia.

The Bell choppers took his first flight on July 5 from Jaisalmer base and spray chemicals in Rajasthan to control the further spread of Locust swarms.

The helicopters would be initially stationed at Air Force Station at Uttarlai, Barmer to cover the Jodhpur Division in Rajasthan where the Locust swarms would come from Somalia would come to lay eggs and breed to produce the third generation locusts. If these swarms if not destroyed in time would flew to Haryana, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.

In case the winds are strong they might reach Nepal, Bihar or the bordering areas of West Bengal, locust experts told the Agriculture Ministry. The single-pilot helicopter Bell 206-B3 can carry 250 litres of pesticide in one trip and would cover 25 to 50 hectare in one flight. Though the use of a helicopter is common in African or Middle East countries, it is for the first time that India is using the helicopter to spray locusts.

India is still waiting for 5 aerial spraying machines, which it had ordered to the UK based company. Once it received those sophisticated machines, it would be deployed in an Indian Air Force helicopter and pressed into operation for Locust control.

So far operation conducted by the centre and state governments have controlled locust in nearly 2.33 lakh hectares in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar.

“Except Rajasthan, no significant crop losses have been reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana” said a senior officer of the Agriculture Ministry.

The Locust warning team of UN Food and Agriculture Organization has informed India that swarms from northern Somalia are likely to migrate across the Indian Ocean to the breeding areas along the Indo-Pakistan border. In Pakistan, swarms have already started laying eggs in Sindh and swarms are present in the Indus Valley.

Operation till JULY 5

·        Presently 60 control teams with spray vehicles are deputed /deployed in State of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations. Further, 5 companies with 12 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides. India is the first Country who is using drones for locust control

·        On 21^st May, 2020 MoCA granted conditional exemption to the Government Entity for use of remotely Piloted Air Craft System for anti-locust operations subject to various terms and conditions. Further, on 27th June, 2020, MoCA further relaxed the terms and conditions and permitted the use of engine-powered drone up to 50kg and use of drones during night times also for anti-locust operations

·        As per the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Locust Status Update of 03.07,2020, many of the spring-bred swarms that migrated to Indo-Pak border before the monsoon rains, some continued east to northern states of India and a few groups reached Nepal. The forecast is that these swarms will return to Rajasthan with the start of the monsoon in the coming days to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from The Horn of Africa in about mid-July. Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pak border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August

·        Weekly virtual meeting on Desert Locust of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) is being organised by FAO. 15 virtual meetings of the technical officers of South-West Asian countries have taken place so far

 

Ends.