New toilets in Indian trains no better than septic tanks, reveals IIT study

A new kind of toilet using bacteria to break down human excreta has been deployed in Indian trains over four years to 2017, at a cost of Rs 1,305 crore, but this toilet is no better than a septic tank, the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has concluded after a two-year long study.

As many as 93,537 “bio-digesters”–as the toilets are called–have been installed in mainline express and mail trains by the Indian Railways. These are small-scale sewage-treatment systems beneath the toilet seat: Bacteria in a compost chamber digest human excreta, leaving behind water and methane. Only the water, disinfected later, is let out on the tracks.

That is how it is supposed to work.

However, sanitation experts and various studies–including commissioned by the railways–have pointed out that most of the new “bio-toilets” on Indian trains are ineffective or ill-maintained and the water discharged no better than raw sewage.

“Our tests have found that the organic matter (human waste) collecting in the bio-digesters do not undergo any kind of treatment,” IIT professor Ligy Philip, who headed the latest study, told IndiaSpend. “Like in the septic tanks, these bio-digesters accumulate slush (human excreta mixed with water).”
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Rajnath urges Gates foundation to build "Model Villages" in India

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday requested Microsoft founder and head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, to concentrate on making "Model Villages" to inspire the local people.

Singh, who met Gates here today, had requested him to initiate health awareness programmes in the country.

The home minister suggested that the Foundation should concentrate on developing villages and make them model ones.

He also appreciated various welfare works being undertaken by the Gates foundation in India.

Gates explained the various technologies being adopted by them in the field of agriculture and sanitation.

He also assured the home minister that the Foundation will offer constructive support to India.
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Satya Nadella pens book on Microsoft's inside story, future tech challenges

Satya Nadella, one of the most celebrated Indians in the global tech sector, has penned the inside story of his journey of becoming the CEO of software giant Microsoft, offering rare insights into his personal and professional life.

The book, titled 'Hit Refresh' and co-authored by Greg Shaw and Jill Tracie Nichols, will go on sale globally on September 26. It also includes a foreword by Microsoft co- founder Bill Gates.

Nadella, in a blog on LinkedIn, said it was about two years ago when he set out to "tell the story of Microsoft's quest to rediscover its soul and imagine a better future for everyone".

The title draws inspiration from the digital world where the screen is refreshed by hitting the function 'F5' key.

"We believed hit refresh was the perfect metaphor for all three storylines of the book - my personal journey so far, the company's ongoing transformation, and the coming wave of technological and economic change," said Nadella.

Nadella, who took over the reins of Microsoft in February 2014 from Steve Ballmer, goes on to stress that the book is no "victory lap or a how-to manual" but a set of reflections, ideas and principles on transformation.
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Bill Gates, Donald Trump to discuss global health, domestic education

Tech billionaire Bill Gates is meeting President Donald Trump to discuss progress in programs for global health and development as well as domestic education.

Gates, who as the co-founder of Microsoft is the world's wealthiest man, will highlight the "indispensable role that the United States has played in achieving these gains," his foundation said in a statement.

Monday's meeting comes just days after the administration submitted a budget blueprint that cuts foreign aid.

The Trump administration's budget message said it was time "to prioritise the security and well-being of Americans" and "ask the rest of the world to step up and pay its fair share. (READ MORE)