'Nature's gifts may be priced'

Dr Kakodkar delivers convocation address at 17th NLSIU convocation

“The rapidly depleting earth resources, the impending disaster due to climate change and such other phenomenon would soon lead to a shift in terms of things that we take for granted as free gifts of nature.

The day is not far off when water, air and so on will get priced,” Dr Kakodkar said while delivering the convocation address at the 17th annual convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), here on Sunday.

He then postulated that under such conditions, the plight of those who cannot pay will arise and pose a challenge to the legal fraternity, who then will be called upon to solve the grave threats of depleting natural resources.

“Other living species also need these resources. Depleting resources will leave us with the only option - the nuclear energy. This provides an option that addresses both the sustainability issue as well as the climate change issue. Nuclear energy can provide energy of the order of several magnitudes per unit mass of materials extracted from the earth without the risk of further degrading the global environment that threatens our very survival as a result of climate change," said Dr Kakodkar.

He further said that India has developed Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) to address the challenge of safety in nuclear reactors through use of passive systems and sustainability through thorium utilisation.

"The spent fuel from such reactors does not pose any proliferation risk as it cannot be used to produce weapon-use materials. While we would use plutonium as driver fuel for this reactor, we could also offer a low enriched uranium driver fuel, precluding diversion possibilities even in the case of spent fuel,” Dr Kakodkar, also Secretary to the Department of Atomic Energy added.

Chief Justice of India, Justice K G Balakrishnan, the Chancellor of NLSIU, gave away various degrees at the convocation. These included the five years BA (Hons), LLB course, LLM and MBL degrees of the university.

The students who received gold medals at the convocation were: P Sushila Rao (16) Sanhita Ambast (6), Sonam Kathuria, Suchita Saigal, Srijoni Sen, Ameya Kilara, Shivani Singhal, Raghavendra Kishore, Aditya Bandhopadhyay, Poongkhulali, S M Rakshithaa, Daniel Mathew, Priti Malik, Varghese Thekkel, Dhruv Nath and Sharada Kalamadi, all one each.

Tie-up with German varsities

The NLSIU, could soon have academic tie-ups with varsities in Germany disclosed its vice-chancellor R Venkata Rao here on Sunday.

Delivering the welcome address at the 17th annual convocation of the premier law varsity he said a visit to Germany was undertaken in June to facilitate an academic collaboration.

“The Freiburg University, Germany has offered a fellowship with full assistance to one student of the NLSIU. We have also been ranked number one among law schools in the country during 2008-09 by three reputed publications,” Rao said. He further said that the NLSIU students had proved themselves during global recession by securing 100 per cent placement in reputed firms.

“For the academic year 2008-09, five of our students were awarded Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Award and two secured admission in Ivy League institutions. The goal of NLSIU is not only to produce corporate lawyers but also litigation advocates in the league of Nani Palkhivala, Fali Nariman and Soli Sorabjee” the V-C said.