Entity of the HPSEB to be upheld: Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal

Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, assured the employees of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) that the State Government would put its efforts to uphold the entity of the Board and take effective steps to implement the Electricity Act, 2003 in next six months. He was addressing 7th General Conference of the HPSEB Ministerial Employees Association here today.

Chief Minister said that the unbundling of the HPSEB under the provisions of Electricity Act, 2003, was inevitable and the State Government had carried exhaustive exercise to protect the interests of employees of the Board before issuing the notification. He said that the salary, allowances and pensionary benefits of the Board employees would not be affected in any manner and they will get all service benefits as being given at present. He said that all out efforts would be made not to permit privatisation of the Board and instead take effective steps to improve its functioning by bringing about efficiency in delivering services to the consumers, minimise transmission and distribution losses. He said that the Board had been recognised as role model in the entire country and endeavour will be now to achieve new heights in future also. He said that credit for this goes to the employees of the Board. He appealed them to deliver best of their services in the larger interest of the Board and the State so that their interests remain protected in all respects.

Prof. Dhumal said that the Board had done commendable job in bringing it to the present state which had delayed the unbundling process by six years after the passing of the Electricity Act, 2003, by the Parliament in year 2003. He said that this was due to the best performance of the Board that implementation of the Act was got extended for six years. He said that the Board would carry on with its regular operational and functional activities. He said that the State Government had always maintained cordial relations with its employees and given them benefits at its own.

Chief Minister gave clarion call to the employees of the Board to prove their mettle by putting best efforts. He said that there was need to inculcate work culture at all level of official functioning, carry self-introspection with regard to the work done and maintain self-discipline. He said that these were the basic ingredients for the success of any organisation. He complimented the Board employees for successfull launch of the ambitious Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna, delivering four CFL bulbs to each of the domestic consumer free of cost. He said that the impact was gradually becoming visible. He said that the power saved under the programme would be surplus and could be supplied to the needy states and generate revenue to the Board. He said that motive behind constitution of Boards and Corporation was to make such organisations self reliant, profit earning and commercially governed. He said that the State Government would be continuing with the power reforms in future as well so that maximum power was saved without causing any inconvenience to the consumers in the State.

Prof. Dhumal directed the Board Management to take effective steps for filling up of vacant posts and promotion of the employees. He said that effective steps would also be taken to decide the compassionate appointment cases on merit and regularise the services of work charged workers in a phased manner. He said that 1503 employees of different categories had been promoted in the Board since April, 2008 out of which 422 were ministerial employees. He also released souvenir of the Association.

Shri R.K.Jain, Chairman of the Board, informed the Chief Minister that the transmission and distribution losses had been reduced from 15 percent in year 2007-08 to 13.52 percent during previous year and aims at bringing down the same to single digit by the end of current financial year. He said that upto one MW power was available on demand.

Shri Sunil Grover, Superintending Engineer, apprised the audience of the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 and appreciated the stand of the State Government with regard to unbundling of the Board.

Shri Dev Raj Sharma, President of the Technical Employees Union of HPSEB and Shri Lekh Raj Parmar, President, HPSEB Ministerial Employees Association, welcomed the Chief Minister.Shri Suresh Bhardwaj, Shri Virender Kanwar, Shri Sukh Ram Chaudhary, all MLAs and Members and senior officers of the Board were present on the occasion among others.

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By :  News Team

Health Insurance Scheme to be implemented in all districts soon

A review meeting of the Health Department was held under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajeev Bindal, Health Minister here today. Dr. Rajeev Bindal reviewed the progress of various programmes being implemented by the Health Department and directed the officers to work sincerely so that best medical services could be provided to the people of the State. He said that efforts were afoot to start health insurance scheme for BPL families in the left out districts also and added that at present the scheme was being implemented in two districts of the State. He said that about 3 lacs families of the State would be covered under the scheme and added that BPL families have to pay Rs. 30 per year and they would be provided a smart card under which they can avail free treatment facilities upto Rs. 30,000 per year in case of hospitalization. He further said that the patients need not go to the company for the money and added that medicines would also be made available in the concerned hospital itself. He said that every effort would be made to issue the smart cards to families in the left out ten districts of the State during this financial year itself.

Dr. Bindal said that decision has been taken to start emergency medical services and a special network of ambulances would be available to cater to the victims of accidents and patients in emergent situations etc. He said that ambulances equipped with trained medical personnel would be made available at 100 places in the entire State who would help in bringing patients to hospitals within a specified time frame. He said that initially the scheme would be implemented at a cost of Rs. 20 crore and added that about Rs. 16 crore would be spent annually on this.

Shri Deepak Sanan, Principal Secretary, Health, Shri Rakesh Kanwar, Additional Secretary, Health, Dr. Sulakshana Puri, Director, Health Services and other senior officers of the Department were present in the meeting.
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By :  News Team

CM emphasises the importance of NCC

Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister emphasising the importance of NCC said that it help in inculcating the spirit of discipline and nationalism. He said that Girls Cadet should be the ambassador of peace, national integration. He was speaking on the occasion of flagging in ceremony of the Punjab Trek Expedition-2009, which culminated at Kalyani Helipad, Kufri, near Shimla today being attended by girl cadets from 13 states, which included Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. The Himachal Pradesh Headquarter of the NCC organized the expedition.

Chief Minister said that State was blessed with immense natural grandeur and was popularly known as ' Dev Bhumi' the land of Gods and Godesses. He said that additionally the State was also known as ' Vir Bhumi' the land of warriors, a reservoir for producing soldiers of par excellence, who brought laurels to the Nation and State with their exemplary bravery shown during difficult moments. He said that out of four Param Vir Chakra awarded during Operation Vijay in Kargil, the State was proud of getting two. He stressed for participation of NCC in social welfare activities, like tree plantation, blood donation and traffic control etc. were added experiences cadets get during their training period. He said that trekking expedition go a long way in inculcation of self-discipline, confidence and self-reliance amongst the young generation. He said that such expeditions also symbolise national integration and strengthen the bond of universal brotherhood. He appreciated the endeavour of the NCC authorities which had regularly been hosting the annual national level trekking expedition to the girls in the clean and serene environment of the State and providing cadets opportunity to experience close encounter with the nature, wild life, flora and fauna in the State.

Prof. Dhumal said that the girl cadets must have enjoyed the natural habitat during expedition which had been the basic ingredient for tourism of the State. He hoped that when they return home they would motivate people in their state to visit Himachal Pradesh and experience the nature at its best.

Shri Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Education Minister lauded the role of NCC in producing the disciplined and patriotic young citizens to shoulder the future responsibility. He said that with the young disciplined citizens the entire society would get disciplined thereby making India a strong nation in all respects. He said that the young people were the ambassadors who could create mass awareness about the inordinate exploitation of the natural resources and use the same with all precautions to save the same for future generations.

Col. Ram Avtar, Commandar NCC Group Shimla, welcomed the Chief Minister, and thanked him for gracing the occasion besides inspiring the young girls with his address. He detailed the itinerary of the expedition.

A variety cultural programme was presented by the cadets from different States.

Shri J.S.Rana, DC, Shri R.M.Sharma, SP, Dr. O.P.Sharma, Director of Higher Education, Col. Devinder Singh and Col. Shailesh Panchlotia, Officers Commanding, 1 HP (Girls) Battalion, NCC Solan, Wing Commander S.Dixit, Commanding Officer 1 HP Air Squadron Kullu, Col. R.M.Mittal, Commanding Officer 2 HP Battalion, Lt. Col, D.K.Sharma, Lt. Col. P.S. Sekhon, Lt. Col. J.S.Virk and other military and civil officers were present on the occasion.

 

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By :  News Team

Paradigm shift in India’s approach to Disaster management from relief centric to a holistic one: M.Ramachandran

India has brought about a paradigm shift from the relief centric approach to a holistic approach to the Disaster management in the country, said the Minister of State for Home Shri Mullappally Ramachandran. Speaking at the Conference "Progress towards achieving substantial reduction in Disaster Lossess: global & regional Perspectives" at Geneva last night.

The Minister said that India's developmental strategy has laid considerable emphasis on reducing the risks of disasters. He said that the Government of India took a defining step by enacting the Disaster Management Act in December 2005, ushering in a paradigm shift in disaster management.         

The other main points of Shri Ramachandran's address are:

 India has developed early warning systems for all major natural disasters, by harnessing our strength in Science & Technology and Information Technology in disaster risk reduction and preparedness. India has mainstreamed disaster risk reduction in our educational system and implemented the largest community based disaster preparedness program in the world, namely the GOI – UNDP Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Program. Under this DRM Program, about 176 multi-hazard prone districts are covered with about 6000 master trainers; orientation program organized for about 7000 nodal officers / senior officers; more than 13,000 Disaster Management Committee members trained; more than 100,000 teachers trained at district level; and over 13,000 Disaster Management Team members trained in Search & Rescue etc.

The approach aims at sustainable development by integrating disaster mitigation with development process. A National Disaster Management framework has been drawn up, laying down a broad strategy and road map, covering institutional mechanisms, mitigation measures, legal and policy framework, early warning systems, preparedness and response, human resource development, training and capacity building.

To place an improved techno-legal regime, model building bye-laws, town and country planning legislation, zoning and development control regulations have been formulated.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), consisting of about 10,000 personnel is trained for emergency response purposes, with the state of the art equipment. Special Incident Management Teams are being developed with training in different aspects of the incident management: logistics, operations, planning, safety, media management etc.,

Different Ministries / Departments of the Central government have drawn up Emergency support function plans. The India Disaster Resource Network, a web enabled centralized data base has been operationalised.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) set up in 1998-99 at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India has developed into a World Class Premier Institution for the Tsunami Early Warning System with State of the Art equipment and won the prestigious Geospatial Excellence Award in 2008. INCOIS has facilities for Satellite based Disaster Management system; Location Specific Ocean State Forecast; Value added Ocean State Forecast Services for Maritime Board and improved delivery chain of Coastal Sea State forecast.

A National Disaster Communication Network is initiated for providing communication linkages with alternative back up among the national, state and district emergency operation centres as also the mobile emergency operation centres to be set up at the disaster site.

The Civil Defence set up in the country is being revamped to play a vital role in all facets of disaster management.

The Gujarat Emergency Earthquake Reconstruction Project has been  implemented successfully with World Bank/Asian Development Bank (ADB) assistance to a tune of US $ 1.76 Billion, between November 2003 and October 2008.Under this project, 125,291 houses have been reconstructed and 41,751 houses have been repaired.

The Government of India is implementing the Rs. 9870 Crore Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme in different states & Union territories, with World Bank / Asian Development Bank assistance. The Government of India has launched the Rs. 8000 Crore Flood Management Program during the XI Plan Period (2007-2012) with Central Assistance to the States for River Management Works; Flood Control Schemes; Anti-erosion works; Drainage Development Works & Schemes; Flood Proofing works and Anti – sea – erosion works.

During the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Government of India extended assistance to neighboring countries, which sought our help. Similarly, we have been quick to offer material and human resources in the case of other recent disasters in the region.           
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By :  News Team

RCF gets Golden Peacock Environment Management Award

In its pursuit to achieve excellence in Environment Management, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award – 2009 consecutively for 2nd year, which was received by Shri. Pradeep Kumar, General Manager, RCF from Dr. Madhav Mehra, President, World Council for Corporate Governance, U.K. in the "Global Convention of Climate Security" held at Palampur (Himachal Pradesh) from 12th June 2009 to 14th June 2009. This convention was organized by the World Environment Foundation. The award jury was chaired by Justice P.N.Bhagwati, former Chief Justice of India and Member, UN Human Rights Commission.

About 1000 organizations including big corporate houses of the country filed their nominations for Golden Peacock Awards. A paper was presented by RCF on the environmental measures being taken to save the natural resources and conservation of energy to make RCF Residential complex as a model township.

To conserve energy, 7000nos.of 40 watts tube lights have been replaced with 28 Watts energy saving fittings while 6000 nos. of 40/60/100 Watts lamps have been replaced with 5/11 Watt CFLs. The AC units of Air-conditioned coaches will now be provided with the latest R-407 refrigerants (Chloro-Floro Carbon free) for their environment friendliness. Solar energy is also being harnessed for certain applications. Besides this, manual timers have been replaced with Astro based digital timers for automatic switching ON and OFF of street lights depending upon sunset and sun rise timings. To recharge ground water, RCF has constructed 20 nos of bore wells and connected it with storm drainage system. Effluent treatment plant is being used for treating 7500 KL of water per day, a part of which is recycled for use in non-drinking and non-bathing activities like watering of lawns and grounds.

Measures have also been taken to improve the design of RCF built coaches to make them environmental friendly by using Control Discharge toilets system to eliminate filth from the station area as this system operates when the train picks up a speed of 30 kmph. Further to achieve Zero discharge of toilet waste, eco–friendly biological toilets have been put on trials. To eliminate the

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By :  News Team

Railway enquiry through ‘SMS’ on 139-‘Rail Sampark’

"139 – Rail Sampark", the authorized enquiry for Indian Railway has recently introduced the facility of Railway enquiry through SMS which is a premium service. The users can obtain information regarding PNR status, fare, seat availability and arrival/departure by sending SMS in the specified syntax to 139. The syntax for ticket status enquiry is –PNR10 digit PNR Number and SMS to 139 (for example PNR 1234567890). Details of the procedures for SMS can be accessed from the website www.indianrailways.gov.in or www.irctc.co.in .

The service has been launched by Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of railways. This Railway enquiry service operates on the number 139 which can be dialed from the landline/mobile phones all over the country without prefixing the STD code. The service has become highly popular with the Railway users. As on date more than 7.5 lakh calls per day are being received on 139 from all across the country. The idea of 139 is to connect with masses, a service that is meant for all and is effectively and easily available. Round the clock call centre support is available in eleven regional languages across India.

The Services include enquiries pertaining to arrival/departure of trains, PNR reservation of berth status and fare enquiry. Apart from these, the number 139 can also be accessed to book a train ticket where payment is made through a cash card over phone and the ticket is delivered/emailed to the user.

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By :  News Team

FRANCE TRANSPORT MINISTER TO TAKE UP ISSUE OF TREATMENT OF INDIANS AT FRENCH AIRPORT

The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel held talks with the French Transport Minister, Mr. Dominique Brussereau today. In the meeting, France agreed to be a partner country in India Aviation Air Show 2010 to be held at Hyderabad in March, 2010.

The French Minister has also assured Mr. Patel that he will take up the issue of the discriminatory treatment of Indian nationals in transit at the Charles De Gaulle Airport, with the French Interior Ministry. He has assured that systems and processes would be evolved in consultation with other concerned department of the French government so that no Indian passenger is put to any inconvenience.

The two governments have also decided to work closer in the air safety programme. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India and its counterpart the DGAC of France, the two safety regulators will work closely towards this.

Mr. Patel had on Tuesday attended the Paris Air Show and held important meetings with CMDs and CEOs of Airbus, Eurocopter, Bombardier, Augusta Westland, Roles Royce and Air France. He impressed upon them the growing importance of India in the Civil Aviation Sector. He said that the growth in the Civil Aviation Sector in India will not lose momentum. He stressed upon the vast potential of the Indian civil aviation market in areas such as assembling of aircrafts, training of personnel and the overall market size which is provided by India's huge geography and population.

All the companies have expressed common interest in the future activities of the aviation sector and have assured partnership in different ventures like developing assembly line in manufacturing helicopters. They have also expressed willingness in investment for training of personnel. The Hyderabad Air show 2008 was also appreciated by these companies. They have also affirmed their participation in Hyderabad Air show 2010.

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By :  News Team

Update on influenza a [H1N1] as on 17th JUNE, 2009

World Health Organization has reported 35928 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from76 countries as on 15th June 2009. There have been 163 deaths (no further update is available).

Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 International airports. 40815 passengers have been screened on 16.6.2009. Around 24584 passengers were from affected countries. 221 doctors and 111 paramedics have been deployed to man 76 counters at the above airports. A cumulative total of 2007408 passengers have been screened.

Among the 31 school children in Jalandhar, that returned from USA, 14 children continues to be under medication. They have responded to treatment. The remaining children and about 296 contacts are under chemoprophylaxis. As of now, no case has been reported among the contacts.

Four new cases have been reported from Delhi. All are presently undergoing treatment in the isolation facility. A 17 year old male travelled from Washington to New Delhi transiting Doha reached Delhi on 14.06.09. He self reported with symptoms on 16th to identified health facility. Another 10 year old boy travelled from Canada transiting Amsterdam reached Delhi on 14.06.09 and reported to Identified health facility on 16.06. 09. Two others, mother (35 years) and son (6 years), travelled from Chicago to Delhi in AI flight 126 on 11.06.09 reported to health facility on 15.6.09. All of them have tested positive. They have been put under medication and responding to treatment. Their contacts are being traced and put on chemoprophylaxis.

So far samples of 329 persons have been tested of which thirty-five have been tested positive for novel Influenza A [H1N1]. Of these, only two are indigenous cases who got the infection from the positive cases traveled from abroad. The rest of the samples have been found negative for the novel virus. Among the 329 tested, 109 were identified through health screening at International Airports, 14 identified through contact tracing and the rest were samples from persons who have self reported.

Of the 35 cases, twelve have been discharged. Rests of the passengers are all stable and remain admitted to the identified health facility.

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By :  News Team

Union Tourism Minister Meets Industry Stakeholders to set Future Roadmap for the Tourism Sector

The Union Minister for Tourism, Kumari Selja today held an interaction with the captains of the tourism industry in the country. She highlighted the proactive role of the Ministry in order to counter the negative impact of the global recession as well as to achieve the desired growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals into the country. The Minister also elicited the views of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry regarding the measures to be taken to achieve these goals.

Kumari Selja reiterated that the thrust area for the Government will be creation and improvement of Tourism Infrastructure, promotion and publicity of India as a preferred tourism destination in overseas markets, promotion of Domestic Tourism, development of Human Resource through skill development, skill certification and broad basing the hospitality education and most importantly employment generation . She reiterated that tourism should result in sustainable and equitable growth.

She unveiled the slew of measures for tackling various developmental and promotional matters which include :

>> Strengthening the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme

>> Organizing Familiarization Tours for Overseas Media and Travel Trade Representatives

>> Subsidy for the trade and State Governments for participation in international travel fairs and exhibitions

>> Extending the benefit of the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme to active Members of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)

>> Organization of Travel Marts in association with the State Governments and other stakeholders like the Great India Travel Bazaar in Jaipur.

>> Promotion of 2009 as Visit India Year for which attractive incentives are being worked out.

>> Promotion of Medical Tourism and linking support through the Market Development Assistant (MDA) Scheme.

>>Support for Road Shows for Domestic Tourism .

While speaking about the initiatives of Ministry of Tourism in developing tourism infrastructure in the country the Minister said that of the 28 circuits/destinations identified earlier for mega tourism destination development, 20 mega projects have been sanctioned.

Kumari Selja also shared with the Industry Captains the promotional plans for the forthcoming months in the overseas markets, which include:

1. Road Shows with PATA India Chapter in Scandinavia (Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo) in August 2009 (25th to 28th)

2. Adventure Tourism Road Shows in collaboration with Adventure Tour Operators Association of India in Australia and New Zealand (Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington) in September 2009.

3. Road Shows in Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), including Indian Food Festivals, Cultural Programmes and Business Sessions in September 2009.

4. " India Calling" a custom Live Performance Event at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles showcasing India's rich diversity in September 2009

5. Road Shows with IATO in West Asia (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar) in October 2009.

The Minister also announced the organization of the Overseas Marketing Meet during first week of August 2009 to enable the industry stakeholders to meet with the officers posted overseas. The Minister urged the industry to promote Medical and wellness tourism and rural tourism products and use the Common Wealth Games as new launching pad for the Indian tourism in the coming year.

Speaking on the occasion the Minister of State for Tourism Shri. Sultan Ahmed said, tourism can play as a catalyst for development in the rural sector .He said a " Rural Tourism Scheme" has been announced for positioning the rural tourism product of the country as a unique visitor needs to Aam Admi.

Secretary, Tourism Shri. Sujit Banerjee and senior officials were also present in the meeting.

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By :  News Team

Shri Jaiswal announces coal sector action plan for 100 days

Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Coal(IC) announced here today the action plan for his Ministry during the first 100 days of the present Government. Speaking to media at a Press interaction here today, he said, "in view of increasing demand of coal in the country, it is imperative that coal production should be increased beyond the set target.

The Minister said, "it is a fact that during monsoons, it is not possible to increase production". However, this period will be utilized in making action plans for augmenting production from different projects in the coal subsidiaries. Minister of State (Coal) will personally visit Coal Companies to discuss strategies for augmenting coal production so that once the monsoons are over efforts shall be initiated in right earnest to meet the enhanced targets.

(i) Commencement of 'Forward e-auction' for actual consumers for meeting their long term requirement.

As per the New Coal Distribution Policy (NCDP), Coal India Ltd.(CIL) and Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. (SCCL) are required to offer 10% of their coal production for distribution/sale through e-auction. CIL and SCCL have already introduced "spot e-auction" which can be availed by actual consumers as well as traders. It was also decided to introduce "Forward e-auction" for actual consumers of coal only in order to ensure that certainty of availability of coal to the actual coal consumers for a reasonable period time at a competitive price. Under "Forward e-auction" only actual consumers can bid for their requirement ranging from one quarter (3 months) to the maximum of 4 quarter and the deliveries will be made accordingly to successful two highest bidders. CIL is in the process of launching this scheme after completing the registration and verification of actual consumers intending to avail this scheme.

(ii) Publishing guidelines for Mine Closure for adoption by coal companies.Decommissioning and closure of mines is an important area at the end of mining activity from environmental and socio-economic points of view. As such there are no specified guidelines for taking up closure of mines although it is mandatory under Mineral Concession Rules, 1960. Therefore, it is proposed to publish appropriate guidelines to enable coal companies to adopt the same for closure of mines.

(iii) Commissioning of First Unit (125 MW) of the Barsingsar Mine-cum-Thermal Power project of NLC in Rajasthan. Barsingsar Lignite mine (2.10 MTPA) cum Power Plant (2x125 MW) was approved earlier by Government in December 2004 for a capital investment of Rs.1368.25 crore (lignite mine for Rs.254.07 crore and Thermal Power Station for Rs.1114.18 crore). The mining project is to be commissioned in June 2009 and the project is on schedule. The TPS got delayed due to the delay on the part of contractors, M/s. BHEL. Unit-I is presently scheduled for commissioning in October 2009 and Unit-II in January 2010. However, steps have been taken to commission Unit-I by August 2009.

(iv) Securing CCEA approval for setting up of Empowered Committee of Secretaries to consider the proposals of Coal India Limited for investment abroad which are beyond its financial powers of Rs.1000 crore.

The government is considering the proposal to set up an Empowered Committee of Secretaries constituted on the lines of the one set up for the consortium of SAIL, NTPC, CIL, RINL and NMDC to consider the overseas investment proposals of CIL, which are beyond CIL's financial powers of Rs. 1,000 crore. The Committee of Secretaries has recommended the proposal. In this regard the comments of all the concerned Ministries/Departments on the draft CCEA Note has been received which are being examined by the Ministry and will be posed for seeking CCEA approval.

(v) Publishing guidelines for Underground Coal gasification projects.

Government has notified coal gasification (both surface and underground) as end use under captive mining policy for allotment of blocks to potential entrepreneurs. This being a new activity/ technology, operational guidelines are required to be framed for proper exploitation. Keeping this in view, it is proposed to bring out appropriate guidelines for implementing underground coal gasification projects in the country.

(vi) Satellite imagery based reports on land restoration/reclamation – posting on website (for 35 projects).

In order to increase awareness about environmental consciousness in the coal sector, satellite imagery based reports depicting the status of restoration and reclamation of mined-out areas in respect of 35 projects to start with, would be released and posted on the website. Since it is thereafter proposed to follow these up with Annual updates, this would provide a mechanism for proper monitoring of the mined out areas.

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By :  News Team

India signs MoU on Labour and Manpower Development with Bahrain

India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Labour and Manpower Development with Bahrain. The MoU was signed by Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and Dr. Majeed Bin Muhsin Al Alawi, Minister of Labour of Bahrain today in Bahrain. Shri Vayalar Ravi is on a three-day visit to Oman and Bahrain. The salient features of the MoU are:

(i) Facilitation of employment of workers between the two countries;

(ii) Broad procedure for employment of workers;

(iii) Responsibilities of the employers and workers;

(iv) Bilateral co-operation to facilitate the mobilization and recruitment of manpower and exchange of expertise, knowledge and experience in job creation and generation of employment opportunity;

(v) Protection and welfare of all categories of workers under the labour laws and other relevant laws of the host country;

(vi) Constitution of a Joint Committee to implement the MoU in general and to perform the following functions in particular;

(a) to review employment opportunities and availability of corresponding skills in both countries.

(b) To co-ordinate between the two States in the implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding and take such further action as may be found necessary;

(c) To interpret the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding in case of any dispute in this regard and to settle the difficulties that might arise in the implementation;

(d) To propose review or amendment of any of the Articles of this Memorandum of Understanding whenever necessary.

Bahrain is an important destination country for Indian workers. There are an estimated 1.5 lakh Indian emigrant workers in Bahrain, out of nearly 2.70 lakh foreigners in Bahrain. Most of the Indian workers work in Industries, in construction and household sectors. During 2008, about 31,924 workers emigrated to Bahrain on ECR passports. The MoU lays down a framework for bilateral co-operation for the promotion of employment and for the protection and welfare of Indian workers.

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By :  News Team

DRIVE TO REMOVE ENCROACHMENTS BY THE CHANDIGARH ADMINISTRATION

It has been the endeavor of the administration that no encroachments and unauthorized constructions on the government land come up in UT, Chandigarh. Under the provisions of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952 and the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952, notices are issued to the violators and encroachments are removed. The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and the Hon'ble High Courts in their various pronouncements have also taken a very serious view over the illegal constructions by the builders/promoters and encroachment upon public-property by the unscrupulous elements.

          As per the survey conducted by the Administration in 2006, there are 396 religious structures in the City, out of which only 92 have been allotted by the Chandigarh Administration.  Rest of the structures have come up unauthorizedly on the government land.

          Despite several meetings and persuasions by the Administration,  the managements of these illegal religious  places have not removed their illegal structures. In fact, it seems that the construction of a religious place has become a convenient modus-operandi for many people to illegally encroach government land in the name of religion.

Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Civil Writ Petition No. 318/2002 – Mahesh Prasad Gupta versus R.G. Jharkhand High Court and others has issued directions in respect of encroachments in the name of religion as under:- 

"Usurpation of public property in the name of religion and construction of religious places without permission from the Municipal Authorities cannot be permitted.  The modus-operandi of grabbing of public land and erecting buildings illegally primarily for the benefit of the perpetuator has to come down with a heavy hand……" 

In view of the provisions of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952 and the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952 and verdicts of the Hon'ble Court of the Law, .all unauthorized structures are to be demolished.

          The Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration had recently constituted a core committee comprising of the officers of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh Housing Board, Estate Office and the Engineering Department who have been made responsible for ensuring removal of encroachments/unauthorized constructions under  their respective jurisdictions. Field officers have been assigned specific areas and they will be held responsible and stern disciplinary action will be taken against them, if any unauthorized structures/encroachments come up under their areas.  It has also been decided to institute criminal proceedings by filing FIR against such persons, who indulge in such unlawful activities.  A review meeting was taken by the Home Secretary today, where the progress of removal of encroachments was reviewed.

A survey conducted after the recent Parliamentary Elections have revealed that a number of encroachments have been made by unscrupulous elements/land mafia on the government land.  It was felt that during the elections, majority of the enforcement staff was deputed for enforcing Model Code of Conduct and other election related duty, as a result of which there had not been close monitoring over the encroachments/unauthorized constructions.  A glaring instance of one of such encroachments came to the notice of the Administration recently, where 26  jhuggies were unauthorisedly constructed in Sector 25, Chandigarh this week.  The Administration swang into action and removed all these constructions and booked certain persons for unlawfully occupying government land.  Shri Jaswinder Sharma, Junior Engineer, Roads, Division No.1, MC was held responsible for not stopping the construction of unauthorized jhuggies under his beat and, he has been placed under suspension with immediate effect.  The Administration has chalked out a plan, under which all the unauthorized structures, which have come up after the bio-metric survey will be demolished in a systematic way.

It has also been noticed that a number of bhawans have also encroached upon the adjoining government land by constructing pucca structures.  It has also been decided to carry out a drive to remove all such unauthorized structures.  Certain allottees adjoining government and MC parks have also made unauthorized backdoor opening in their courtyard, so as to have unauthorized direct access to the public parks.  Such allottees are being issued resumption notices for violating building bye-laws.

Directions have been issued to carry out a comprehensive enforcement drive to remove all such illegal structures in the city.  There will be zero tolerance on the part of the Administration regarding encroachments/unauthorized constructions. The Chandigarh Administration appeals to the people of Chandigarh not to raise illegal structures or encroach government land and to cooperate with the Administration, so as to keep the City clean and beautiful.
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By :  News Team

Human rights violations in J&K will be dealt with firmly: PM

18 June : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that his government is committed to 'zero tolerance' against rights violations and effective action will be taken in such cases.Responding to a question on the Shopian rape case, Dr. Singh said it was "very unfortunate" that such incidents have taken place.

"If there is any violation of human rights, we will take effective action," he told journalists. The government was committed to 'zero tolerance' to rights violations, he added.

Dr. Singh, who was speaking while returning from his three-day visit to Yekaterinburg in Russia, said he has promised the state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that once the new central government settles down, it would take a fresh look at the problems on account of development.

He said the reconstruction and development plan would be upgraded.On the political aspect of Jammu and Kashmir, he said he stands ready to engage in dialogue with any group, including those who are not in political mainstream, an apparent reference to separatist Hurriyat Conference.

Recalling that he had two rounds of talks with Hurriyat Conference, the Prime Minister said they had promised to send proposals on resolution of Kashmir issue but never sent those.

They had also said that too many people had been detained without any reason, Dr. Singh said, adding when asked for the list, they never gave one.At the same time, he said, "I am not complaining. We are willing to engage in dialogue with anyone who is ready to shun violence."

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By :  News Team

Blue Carpet gives Rashpal the makeover she always dreamed about!!!

Bindass gets all set to roll out the Blue Carpet this week for a very special participant Rashpal Kaur. A contestant in Dance India Dance and a martial arts expert –.Rashpal is truly inspiring because despite being blind her disability did not come in way of achieving what she set her mind on. Rashpal wanted to get a completely new look, one that made her feel confident and beautiful; so what better platform than Bindass Blue Carpet to help her achieve her dream? Hakim, Imam and Archana along with one of the country's best make-up artist Cory Walia got together yet again and did what they do best - give Rashpal the makeover she always dreamed about.

To encourage Rashpal on the show was Naseer, the first blind actor who has bagged a lead role in Bollywood. His film titled 'Shadow - The dark side of truth' is set to release in July '09. Naseer is also the producer of this movie and he plans to a lunch a music album as well as a satellite channel. Apart from Naseer, Saroj Khan was also on the show to cheer on Rashpal as she considered Saroj as her guru when it comes to dancing.

While sharing her emotions on her experience in Blue Carpet, Rashpal said, "It's been a long-pending dream to get a makeover – something that not only changed my looks, but also gave me confidence; and Bindass Blue Carpet fulfilled that dream for me. The experience was life changing and I got to meet Saroj Khan, my idol.. Even though I'm blind and can't see my new look myself, but the responses from my family and friends have added immense happiness to my life. Being an ordinary person I didn't expect people would even notice me, but Bindass Blue Carpet gave me the chance to be on the show and made me more beautiful than I have ever felt in my entire life."

Speaking on his experience about giving a makeover to Rashpal, Hakim said, "I've done a series of makeovers for various participants on Blue Carpet, but my experience while working with Rashpal is enriching. Being a part of the makeover for such an inspiring person like Rashpal was very exciting. Her disability doesn't hamper her aspirations to look and feel good. She a very beautiful person and the makeover only brought it out even further."

Watch out how Bindass Blue Carpet changes Rashpal's life! How will her friends and family react to this makeover?? To see this and more tune in Bindass Blue carpet only on Bindass , Friday 7 PM.Join the Blue Carpet team as they work their magic and fulfill Rashpal's dream!!

Bindass Blue Carpet in association with Sunsilk is a makeover and personality grooming reality show where three of the top stylists Aalim Hakim and Imam Siddique and host VJ Archana, who transform a plane janes to a stunning divas. Watch them give a few deserving girls a complete makeover and confidence boost as they the girls enjoy their new found inner and external self . The girls get to build their confidence levels with interesting line up of tasks they perform at which is a part of their makeover. With this new attitude and outlook towards life watch the newly found divas ultimately grace the BLUE CARPET.
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By :  News Team

Claudia Ciesla prays at Hanuman Temple for the success of her new movie

Claudia Ciesla, 22 years old German actress-supermodel-singer, recently reportedly visited Hanuman Temple in India's capital New Delhi to pray for the success of her new film.Lauding her prayer visit, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has urged Ciesla to further explore Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, which is rich in philosophical thought. 

In a statement in Nevada (USA) today, Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that if she needed any help in her Hinduism study, he or other Hindu leaders would gladly provide.Ciesla plays Linda in the new movie Karma, a crime thriller based on reincarnation. She has also acted in Italian television sitcom "Outsiders in Palermo".

 

Lord Hanuman is greatly revered and his worship is very popular among Hindus. Son of wind-god, besides incredible strength and changing shape at will and flying, he is believed to be a perfect grammarian, great scholar and excelled in all the sciences. According to a legend, even while he was still an infant, he intimidated the sun. In Mahabharata war, flag on Arjuna's chariot driven by Lord Krishna displayed Lord Hanuman. According to a belief, all the planets are under his control.
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By :  News Team

Obama unveils biggest regulatory overhaul since 1930s

 US President Barack Obama proposed the most "sweeping" regulatory overhaul since the 1930s, vowing to stop future meltdowns in a financial system humbled by lax oversight, greed and huge debts.The reforms, which must be approved by Congress, will inject the government deeper into financial markets and industries in a bid to tame the recklessness which saw a mortgage meltdown tip the world into deep economic crisis. 

"We did not choose how this crisis began. But we do have a choice in the legacy this crisis leaves behind," Obama said in remarks released by the White House ahead of his formal announcement of the reforms later in the day. 

"So today, my administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the financial regulatory system, a transformation on a scale not seen since the reforms that followed the Great Depression."Some Obama critics, hoping for a top-to-bottom reconstruction of the greed-laced financial system, have

complained the overhaul did not go far enough, but he argued his action would restore the power of the market.Obama blamed a "culture of irresponsibility" a Great Depression-era regulatory system, reckless executive

compensation, excessive debt and markets awash in new and risky financial products for sparking the crisis."An absence of oversight engendered systematic, and systemic, abuse," Obama said.
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By :  News Team