The environmental realm mourns the loss of notable environmentalist, Kamala Kasturi. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the 13th Sansad Ratna Awards. In other news, reports highlight vinyl chloride as a significant threat to human health in the wake of a train derailment in Ohio. Simultaneously, excitement mounds as India’s first hybrid rocket by private players takes to the skies.
The Life and Contributions of Kamala Kasturi
Environmental activist Kamala Kasturi sadly passed away recently. Known for her tireless efforts protecting our environment, Kasturi was the esteemed founder of the Environment Society in Chennai. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in various significant environmental protection projects, including the campaign to save the Cauvery River.
Kasturi’s commitment to the environment saw her successfully oppose several dyeing units situated on the river banks and initiated extensive cleanup operations. Apart from this, she was an active participant in multiple tree planting campaigns. Demonstrating her activism’s breadth, she also lodged a public interest litigation petition against constructing a slaughterhouse in Red Hills, Sengundram, Tamil Nadu.
The Sansad Ratna Awards to Celebrate 13th Edition
Scheduled for 25th March 2023, the 13th Sansad Ratna Awards will take place in New Delhi. The awards ceremony, suggested and inaugurated by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2010, recognizes outstanding parliamentarians. The upcoming event is set to make history, as it is poised to cross the 100-award threshold since inception. To date, the awards have honoured 90 high-performing Parliamentarians.
Vinyl Chloride: A Potent Threat to Human Health
Vinyl chloride, a chemical present in several derailed and burned train cars in East Palestine, Ohio, has been identified as a significant health hazard. The chemical is predominantly harmful to the human liver – the body’s primary toxicant filtering system. Specialized cells in the liver, termed hepatocytes, can reduce this chemical’s toxicity. Despite this, prolonged exposure to vinyl chloride can lead to liver cancer and a non-malignant liver disease known as TASH (toxicant-associated steatohepatitis). Vinyl chloride is primarily used to produce Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), a type of hard plastic found in pipes, packaging, coatings, and wires.
India’s First Hybrid Rocket Sees Launch
India recently saw the launch of its first hybrid-sounding rocket developed by private players from Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu. The launch was a collaborative venture involving Martin Foundation, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation, and Space Zone India, under the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission- 2023. Incredibly, 5,000 students were involved in designing and constructing the student satellite launch vehicle (rocket), alongside 150 PICO satellites. The rocket, suitable for conducting research on weather, atmospheric conditions, and radiation, uses propellants in different states – typically solid and liquid – for propulsion. In related news, Skyroot Aerospace, a space technology startup launched India’s first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S, in 2022. This solid-propellant rocket weighs roughly 545 kgs and is spin-stabilised.