PM Modi inaugurates Centre for Brain Research in Bengaluru
Bengaluru(PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) set up at a cost of Rs 280 crore at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus, the foundation stone of which was laid by himself.
During the Programme, the PM also laid the foundation stone for 832-bedded Bagchi Parthasarathy Multispeciality Hospital.
The CBR is developed as a one of its kind research facility and focuses on conducting vital research to provide evidence-based public health interventions to manage age-related brain disorders, officials said.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, co-founder of IT major Infosys S Gopalakrishnan and family were among those present at the event.
The Centre for Brain Research was established as an autonomous, non-profit research organization in the IISc, with the generous gift from Gopalakrishnan and his wife Sudha Gopalakrishnan, officials said.
CBR is funded by philanthropy and receives research grants for specific projects from several granting agencies, they said. Gopalakrishnan has also provided funds for the construction of the state-of-art building for use by CBR within IISc campus, and his philanthropic gift is the largest support provided by an individual for scientific research in the history of India.
The Bagchi Parthasarathy Multispeciality Hospital for which foundation was laid today will be developed in the campus of IISc Bengaluru and will help integrate science, engineering and medicine at the prestigious institute.
It will provide major fillip to clinical research in the country and will work towards finding innovative solutions that will help in improvement of healthcare services in the country, officials said.
IISc entered into a partnership with philanthropists Susmita and Subroto Bagchi, and Radha and N S Parthasarathy, in February to establish the Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital.
"The couples will collectively donate Rs 425 crore (equivalent to about USD 60 million) to help construct this 800-bed, not-for-profit, multi-speciality hospital. After its founding, this is the largest single private donation received by IISc", IISC Director Prof. Govindan Rangarajan had said.
Subroto Bagchi and N S Parthasarathy were co-founders of Mindtree, a Bengaluru-headquartered information technology services and consulting company.
"It is not about charity as much (as) it is about being charitable. The essence of being charitable is to build empathy for others. To feel for others. To be sensitive. These are values that were inculcated by parents on both sides of the family very early", Susmita had told PTI.
"We followed their footsteps in small ways all along. When we lived in the US in (the) 1990s, we were very touched by the way everyone in the community engages with issues. The way they volunteer and help. This helped us to get engaged with institutions upon our return to India", she added.
On what prompted the couple to do the big-ticket donation to IISc, Radha had said they had worked the hard way and now with the resources in their hands, they believed that these resources have reached them by destiny.
"We believe that these resources have been placed in our hands by destiny and it has to be used for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the common good of people. The pandemic pushed a sense of urgency. Our intention was to use these for education and/or healthcare", she told PTI.
The hospital is slated to be operational by the end of 2024.
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
