Twenty22-India on the move

Foreign investments in Infrastructure

2012-01-30T12:40:00.001+04:00

Pitching for foreign investment in the infrastructure sector which needs $1 trillion in the 12th Five Year Plan, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee asked US investors to access the Indian debt market via a mechanism of regulated entities with a sustained long term interest rate.
Meeting business leaders, he assured them that India has evolved a transparent and stable regulatory regime in sectors such as electricity, telecommunications, ports, airports, petroleum and natural gas, and a regulator for the coal sector is on the anvil.
He also said India recently liberalized foreign participation in the debt equity market by allowing foreign investors to invest in Indian equity directly.

Punjab, Uttarakhand go to the polls

2012-01-30T10:41:00.003+04:00

Punjab and Uttarakhand go to polls today to elect new assemblies with the Congress hoping to oust the Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine in the country’s grain bowl and the BJP in the hill state. According to the Election Commission, over 1.76 crore voters are eligible to vote in the 117 constituencies of Punjab in the second round of five state elections that began Saturday. The voter population is around 6.3 million in Uttarakhand, which has a 70-member house. Of the 1,078 candidates in the fray in Punjab, 417 are independents. There are 93 women candidates. The Election Commission has deployed around 200 companies of paramilitary forces to oversee the Punjab ballot. Nearly 71,000 security personnel will be on duty for the smooth conduct of elections. Many seats will see a triangular contest between the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, the Congress and the Sanjha Morcha, which includes the Left and newly-floated People’s Party of Punjab led by Manpreet Badal, a nephew of the chief minister who broke away from the Akali Dal. The main contestants include Badal (Lambi), Amarinder Singh (Patiala urban), Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal (Jalalabad), Manpreet Badal (Gidderbaha and Maur) and Amarinder's son Raninder Singh (Samana). Congress leader and former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has been fielded from Lehragaga. In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister B C Khanduri, who replaced Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank last year after corruption allegations, is trying to defend the turf for the BJP. Khanduri, a BJP candidate from Kotdwar, is pitted against Congress nominee Surendra Singh Negi. Dissent within BJP ranks could affect the party’s prospects, party sources admit. Manipur went to the polls Saturday. Uttar Pradesh will see a seven phase balloting from Feb 8 to March 3. Goa will see a one-day poll March 3. Votes in all five states will be counted March 6.

Somewhere in New Delhi....

2012-01-30T10:33:00.002+04:00

An illuminated Rashtrapati Bhawan after the Beating Retreat ceremony in New Delhi on Sunday. The ceremony is a culmination of Republic Day celebrations and dates back to the days when troops disengaged themselves from battle at sunset.

Somewhere in Kolkata....

2012-01-30T10:23:00.002+04:00

Underprivileged children dressed as Mahatma Gandhi take part during a walk for peace in Kolkata on Sunday. Sixty-four years after his death, Mahatma Gandhi’s name created a fresh world record in the Guinness Book when 485 boys dressed as ‘Bapu’ took part in the march.

Thane transportation bids

2012-01-30T09:46:00.002+04:00

Public transport systems are set to undergo a complete change in the next three years in Thane with international transportation leaders expressing interest to develop and operate a mass transit system using a mix of buses, monorails, tramways and even bicycles. Top multinational firms, including Veolia, Bombardier and Scomi, have teamed up with Indian infrastructure giants such as Patel Engineering and the Tata group to bid for the Thane corporation’s contract to create a intracity transport system. “The plan is to improve the mobility of the people, cut down on waiting time for transport and not add more vehicles.It will be an integrated model wherein the agency selected for the work will have to plan, build and operate the transport system which will run about 15 km and cover the entire city,” municipal commissioner R A Rajeev said. The global tenders floated by the TMC invited quick response from four firms---Patel Engineering, Scomi Rail Bhd, Reliance Infrastructure and Tata Realty and Infrastructure---who expressed interest in investing Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,00 crore for developing a mass transit system in Thane. Plans have been put on paper for a public-private-patnership approach, whereby the TMC expects to take advantage of the private partners’ technical know-how and financial resources to address any future challenges in public transportation systems. The TMC will provide the viability gap funding to support the project. “We are open to all options for a sustainable, cheaper and faster transport system. It could be a tramway, monorail, over-the-road coaches etc. The bidder will be expected to prepare a project report and submit a technically-sound project which will satisfy the needs of the citizens here who are otherwise compelled to buy vehicles for a regular commute into the city,’’ Rajeev said.

Navi Mumbai to get India's first cruiseliner port

2012-01-29T12:50:00.002+04:00

India’s first dedicated terminal for cruiseliners is all set to come up at Nhava hills, 60 km from Mumbai and next to India’s biggest container port at Nhava Sheva. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has accepted the state government’s request to build the state-of-the-art terminal that can accommodate at least three large cruise ships at the scenic 10 sq km Nhava Hills, which will also house a plush five-star hotel and world-class Coast Guard berthing facilities. The JNPT, which was already looking to develop Nhava for the extension of its cargo port facilities, has started preparing a detailed project report for the proposed terminal. JNPT’s deputy chairperson N N Kumar said, “The new terminal will have a large five-star hotel in its complex. We are planning to start catamaran services to immediately transport tourists at the terminal to the Gateway of India.” The terminal’s proximity to the proposed Navi Mumbai International airport and Sewree-Nhava Transharbour link will make it one of best and busiest cruise terminals in the region. Maharashtra Maritime Board has also been asked to explore the possibility of a Marina with a capacity for about 100 boats at Cuffe Parade. The costing of both projects are yet to be worked out. In India, Kumar said, cruiseliners do have docking facilities at Mumbai and Kochi. But both terminals are make-shift and lack even the most elementary facilities such as proper toilets. At Mumbai, the passengers alight at an old building next to the Naval Dockyard, which is shabby at best. The Union government had approved developing the building into a dedicated cruise line terminal, but the Navy shot down the plan as it was coming in its operational area, an IAS officer said. In fact, another project of a marina at Apollo Bunder by Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) ran aground for the same reason. The crumbling port infrastructure and lack of space in the city prompted the state government to look outside the city and Nhava hills became a logical choice. A fortnight ago, Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad conducted a meeting of senior state bureaucrats and decided to request JNPT for a cruise terminal at Nhava. Till a decade ago, poor facilities and strict taxation regime was forcing cruiseliners to look to other South Asian countries, which cashed in on the opportunity.

Pune BRTS snippets

2012-01-29T11:52:00.002+04:00

Inconsistencies in planning and implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad by both municipal corporations, has spurred the central government to push for a consistent and consolidated project for the Pune Metropolitan Region. The union urban development department has asked the Pune Municipal Corporation to take up works to connect two BRT routes – the first on the Aundh-Ravet corridor and the old Mumbai Pune highway. These two routes are being developed by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. The directions, which came at a high-level meeting attended by municipal commissioners Mahesh Pathak and Ashish Sharma, also said that the concept of a dedicated BRT should not be compromised at any cost. The ministry has suggested that the design of the existing corridor on the pilot route between Katraj-Swargate and Swargate-Hadapsar should be revised to include a fully segregated BRT. One of the important changes in the offing could be that bus stations will now be located in the median. About operations and planning, ministry officials have said that the BRT in the Pune metropolitan region should be closed-hybrid – that is only BRT buses can operate inside the dedicated lanes and no other buses should be allowed.

High Speed Rail

2012-01-28T13:45:00.002+04:00

India's dream of having its own bullet trains may yet become a reality, following Japan's offer of help during a visit of a delegation from that country earlier this month. Encouraged, the government wants to first set up a highspeed rail authority which will implement what will be a gigantic infrastructure project. “A note has been prepared and it will be submitted to the cabinet for approval,“ an official said.It is not known if the proposal will be included in the next rail budget. The government already has a plan to create six corridors for bullet trains that will run at 300 kmph, more than double the speed of the fastest Shatabdi and Rajdhani expresses. These are Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Howrah-Haldia, Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijayawada-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore-CoimbatoreErnakulam and Delhi-Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi-Patna.
A pre-feasibility study has already been done for Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, the first to be implemented. A similar study is on for Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar and Howrah-Haldia. Recently, a Japanese consortium bagged the contract for such a study for Hyderabad-Dornakal-Vijaywada-Chennai. A prefeasibility study is expected to be commissioned and awarded for Chennai-Bangalore-Ernakulam soon. A French consultancy, Systra, in its report to the railways on the Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, has suggested that the project be taken up on a “build, finance, operate and transfer” basis.
This implies public-private partnership. The project could cost Rs 50,000 crore, apart from Rs 7,000 crore needed for rolling stock. It works out to Rs 100 crore per km. The traffic projection is 26.6 million passengers in 2021,going up to 104 million in 2041. All bullet train corridors will be completely fenced elevated tracks.
Kerala also wants a highspeed rail link between Kasargode in the north to state capital Thiruvananthapuram in the south. The state government recently received the centre's nod for it. The 580 km link will cost Rs 1,00,000 crore and be a PPP project.It is not clear if it will be merged with the Chennai-Bangalore-Eranakulam bullet train corridor.

Motown exports firm up

2012-01-28T12:14:00.002+04:00

A weaker rupee has boosted the fortunes of Indian car makers, with some big-ticket export orders coming their way. Major players, such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Nissan, who have been battling sluggish demand at home, have their order books full for the next two months. Lured by higher export margins, Toyota Motors, world’s No. 2 car maker, also intends to foray into the export market. Hyundai Motor India which has primarily been exporting hatchbacks to Europe, Latin America and the West Asia, has seen car exports jump 16% to 501,794 units in 2011 over the previous year. While India has an advantage of lower labour cost, the rupee depreciation has further increased its bargaining power and volumes, he said. Maruti, which is recovering from the four-month industrial strike at its Manesar plant, has bagged orders for 4,500 more cars from its global distributors. Maruti has seen a major demand coming from new markets like Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan Brunei and South Africa in recent months. India’s largest car maker also plans to start CKD operations (cars shipped as loose components and assembled in the destination market) for the first time where it will export its yet-to-debut Ertiga multi-passenger vehicle to parent Suzuki Motors' global distribution channels. Besides, it will also start exporting the new DZire — an extended version of its popular New Swift —that would be launched next month. South Korean carmaker Hyundai, which is India's top exporter shipping about 40% of its production, has seen improved export demand for its i10 and Santro hatchbacks as well as Accent sedan. It has also started exporting Eon, which is pitted against Maruti’s Alto. Executives said they have been able to bargain better by offering lucrative margins to distributors because of the weaker rupee. Another Japanese carmaker Nissan will also begin exporting its C-segment Sunny Sedan from March, beginning with the West Asia. Its compact car Micra, produced only in India, is exported from its Chennai plant.

Of Gram Sabhas and the Lok Sabha

2012-01-28T12:00:00.001+04:00

Struggling to stay relevant amid signs of growing popular indifference, Team Anna chose Republic Day to advocate radical ideas like putting gram sabhas above the Lok Sabha and establishing a referendum commission along the lines of Election Commission. In a video message, activist Anna Hazare also praised the Lokayukta bill of Uttarakhand, in what may be seen as a surrogate campaign for the BJP in the state. He said the legislation drafted by the BJP government should be emulated by all states, something that endorses BJP’s claim to be sincere about fighting corruption under its chief ministerial candidate B C Khanduri. Hazare demanded that a law be brought to give financial and decision-making powers to gram sabhas and threatened to go on a Ramlila Maidan style agitation for it. He also chose to raise the contentious issue of land acquisition, demanding that no acquisition take place without gram sabha approval. "Lok Sabha thinks it is above everyone. This is wrong. People have made you. So they are above you... It is the sacred temple of democracy. In such a sacred place, what has happened in Rajya Sabha in the last day (of the winter session) on Lokpal bill. 550 people were giving their own suggestions. Nobody has asked people. So we need another law. Assemblies and Lok Sabha think that they are above gram sabhas. But gram sabhas are above you. We need a new law which gives such a power to gram sabhas," he said in his 30-minute address at a seminar on ‘Rebuilding the Republic’. Although Hazare’s romance for gram sabha is old, his pitch that the real power should be vested in lakhs of these bodies instead of Lok Sabha has been provoked by the resistance to his agenda in Parliament. The activist even acknowledged as much, criticizing the failure of Rajya Sabha to clear the Lokpal bill.

It's manifesto time in UP

2012-01-28T11:33:00.001+04:00

The BJP revived the Ayodhya issue promising to build a Ram temple but Congress came out with plans to create 20 lakh jobs for unemployed youth in their manifestos for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh where both the parties are trailing major players BSP and SP. BJP, which has been struggling hard to regain its preeminent position in the state, brought back the Ayodhya issue which had once propelled the party to the centre stage of national politics in the late 80s and through the nineties. “Construction of a grand temple is associated with the faith of crore of people of the country. Ram is the symbol of prestige, pride and dignity of the country. “Unfortunately due to pseudo-secularism and vote bank politics it is being opposed. BJP is committed to removing all the hurdles in the path of construction of Ram temple,” said the manifesto, released by a battery of leaders including Uma Bharati, the hindutva mascot.

Identities for all

2012-01-28T11:20:00.001+04:00

All 1.2 billion citizens of the country should have unique identity numbers by June, 2013, the Union Cabinet decided on Friday, seeking to cap a fractious internal debate on which agency should record and store biometric data. The Cabinet plumped for a complete rollout of the scheme, aiming to plug loopholes in welfare programmes where identifying beneficiaries and checking leakages is a major challenge. The government is keen to complete the UID registrations before the next general election. Under the compromise arrived at between the conflicting claims of the home ministry on one side and the Planning Commission and UID Authority on the other, it has been decided that both the Registrar General and the Authority will split collection of biometric data. RGI falls under the home ministry. The cabinet committee on UIDAI headed by PM Manmohan Singh ironed out differences between home minister P Chidambram and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and paved the way for UID authority receiving the mandate to enrol residents beyond the 200 million mark. Now, UIDAI will seek to enrol 600 million residents in 16 states and Union Territories where it is already at work. The remaining 600 million will be recorded by RGI as part of the National Population Register. Now, the two bodies will share information. On the home ministry’s concerns, UIDAI has been asked to review its data collection process to address security issues.

Mumbai's Harbour Line to get 12-coach trains

2012-01-28T10:53:00.002+04:00

In an important development, the cabinet subcommittee on infrastructure has cleared the proposal to convert all nine-car trains into 12-car ones on the Harbour line. This will increase the passenger-carrying capacity by 33%. A senior official said, “The cabinet sub-committee gave its approval a couple of days ago. It is a forward-moving development, considering that 12-car trains are going to become a necessity on the Harbour line. The project may find a mention in the railway budget.” According to estimates, passenger growth on the Harbour Line stood at 10% per annum as against 3% registered by the Main line of Central Railway as well as the Western Railway. The total number of services on CR is 1,573, which also includes 208 services on the Thane-Vashi-Nerul-Panvel- Trans-Harbour route. As many as 580 services are on Harbour line, of which 172 services operate between CST and Bandra, and CST and Andheri. As of now, all the 785 services on the Main line of the Central Railway havebeen converted into 12 cars. Western Railway has also assured that their services will be converted to 12 cars by March-April.” In anticipation of the project getting a mention in the railway budget, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has already begun preparing the layout of the stations whose platforms will have to undergo modification to accommodate 12-car trains. By carrying out the process at this stage, MRVC will be well-prepared to issue tenders as soon as the budgetary approval comes in. The process will be complete in less than two months.” MRVC expects to complete the project in three years once work begins on the ground. Total work on this project, including augmentation of the existing nine-car fleet to 12 cars, is estimated to cost Rs 800 crore. Apart from increasing the length of the platforms, the railway will also have to make changes in the location of signals, besides altering the overhead equipment.

13/7 Mumbai blasts

2012-01-26T12:47:00.002+04:00

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Monday announced it has cracked the 13/7 blasts case, and arrested Delhi Police informer Naqui Ahmed and his aide Nadeem Shaikh for the conspiracy that led to 27 deaths. Naqui and Nadeem were in police custody since January 12 regarding the alleged fraudulent procurement of SIM cards. ATS said that Naqui and Nadeem had stolen two Activa scooters, which were fitted with explosives that went off in Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House. Naqui also helped Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal – the prime accused in the case - and his two aides find a house in the city from where the blasts were planned and executed, ATS said. The arrests have, however, thrown up more questions than answers, considering Naqui's association with Delhi Police. It was Naqui who helped the Central security agencies and Delhi Police's Special Cell in identifying the two Pakistanis – Waqas and Tabrez – suspected to have planted the explosives at Zaveri Bazar, Opera House and Kabutar Khana in Dadar. It was Naqui who told Delhi Police about the two Pakistanis' presence in the city even after the blasts. On Monday, ATS chief Rakesh Maria stuck to his stand that the two were not in Mumbai in the first week of January, as claimed by Delhi Police. He was in the custody of Delhi Police for at least three weeks. How come he didn’t tell them what ATS now claims he has revealed? While brushing aside competition with Delhi Police, ATS sources said that Naqui may have agreed to help the former by identifying the house in Byculla where Bhatkal and his aides resided, but he lied about his role in the 13/7 conspiracy. Besides Naqui and Nadeem, Mumbra resident Haroon Rashid Naik (33), who was arrested in a fake currency case last August, has been shown as the third suspect in the case. Besides Bhatkal, Maria said that there were two others who were the key conspirators, but refused to confirm whether they were Waqas and Tabrez. He just mentioned them as "A and B."
Maria said that Bhatkal and his two aides (A and B) planned the bombing, and assembled the explosives. Naqui was involved from the very beginning; it was he who collected Rs 1.5 lakh from Bhatkal, and delivered the money to A and B in Mumbai, ATS sources said. Nadeem, who was Naqui's friend in Delhi, and who resided in Antop Hill in Mumbai, went to Delhi on Bhatkal's instructions. There, he collected a packet containing explosives, detonators and timers, which he brought to Mumbai. Naqui also helped Bhatkal rent a one-room flat in Habib Building, Byculla. It was in this flat that the two Pakistanis resided for almost a year. Two to three apartments were rejected before finalising the Habib building quarters and Naqui paid for it, Maria said. "He (Naqui) aided and abetted in the conspiracy, and reports claiming his innocence are untrue," Maria said. ATS said that Naqui enrolled in a gymnasium at Kumbharwada in Kalbadevi, barely a km from Zaveri Bazar, to facilitate recee of the targeted sites. "His timings at the gymnasium, between 7 pm and 8 pm, coincided with the blasts' time," an ATS officer said. The two scooters Naqui allegedly stole – from Khadilkar Road in Girgaon and the other from the premises close to Hurkisondas Hospital in Charni Road – were used in the Zaveri Bazar and Opera House blasts, Maria said. “The signed helmet of one of the scooter owners was recovered from the Habib Building flat,” he said. ATS also found Naqui and Nadeem's clothes.
Maria said hours were spent going through every slide of CCTV footage captured on 180 cameras. Forty officers; and more than 100 men travelled to 18 states, examining 12,373 witnesses. They got a breakthrough in August, when ATS got a wind of the financial trail of the conspiracy. The trail led them to Haroon Naik, who confessed to a large amount of money that had reached Mumbai for the blast, ATS sources said. Another breakthrough was achieved in November, when ATS got hold of a photograph of a man suspected to have planted the explosives. The picture was circulated among informers in Mumbai, and one of them reported he had seen the suspect in Madanpura. That suspect was Naqui. On December 2, the cops reached Darbangha in Bihar, tracking him, where they came to know about Nadeem's role. The probe also busted a racket involving procurement of SIM cards using fake documents. ATS alleged that the SIM cards were passed on by Naqui and Nadeem to Bhatkal and the other two conspirators. ATS said in the first week of January, they came to know that Naqui had stolen four vehicles in Mumbai (two of which were used in the 13/7 blasts). “We recovered a helmet that belonged to one of the vehicle owners from the Habib Building flat, and also duplicate keys. In the second week of January, we recovered two motorbikes from Naqui's house in Darbangha. Both bikes were stolen from Dongri,” an ATS source said. Maria said that there was no truth whatsoever in the claims that Bhatkal and his two aides were in Mumbai after the blasts. “Yasin Bhatkal was in Mumbai in July, and has not returned since. The two conspirators escaped by November end, around the time seven Indian Mujahideen suspects were arrested by Delhi Police. Do you think the suspects would come to Mumbai to collect the lease deposit on the flat?” Maria asked. Refuting allegations that ATS botched up Delhi Police's operation to nab the two Pakistanis, Maria said there was no lack in coordination. “There will be competition among different teams, but that does not mean we have differences or we spoilt their operation,” he said.

Somewhere in Assam....

2012-01-26T12:11:00.002+04:00

Over 1,600 cadres of nine militant outfits of Assam surrendered on Tuesday before Union home minister P Chidambaram and chief minister Tarun Gogoi. A few remnant groups, including Ulfa hardliners led by Paresh Baruah, did not join the peace process. This is the biggest ever surrender of armed rebels. About 201 weapons were deposited by the rebel groups, including five Adivasi, three Kuki and a Hmar outfit. Chidambaram said, “We ask you all to join us in this glorious task of nation building. Not often do we see so many groups, which have taken the path of militancy, returning to the path of peace, reconciliation and brotherhood. We believe all differences can be settled through talks and consultations.” Gogoi appealed to Baruah and his group to join the peace process. In the past couple of years, the government has reached out to several outfits. “We have signed the suspension of operation agreement with Ulfa’s pro-talk faction, we have signed a memorandum of settlement with UPDS and negotiations with the DHD (J) are in the final stages. We expect a memorandum very soon,talks with DHD (N) are progressing well and talks with the NDFB (Progressive) will continue. Talks with the KLNLF are also progressing and the Ranjan Daimary faction of the NDFB has declared unilateral ceasefire,” said Chidambaram. The nine outfits — Kuki Revolutionary Army, United Kukigram Defence Army, Hmar People’s Convention (D), Kuki Liberation Army, Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam, Birsa Commando Force, Santhal Tiger Force, All Adivasi National Liberation Army and Adivasi People’s Army — had earlier declared a ceasefire.

The PM joins Twitter

2012-01-26T11:57:00.001+04:00

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has joined Twitter to capture the attention of young Indians and inform people about the work done by his office through 140 characters on the popular microblogging site. “The Prime Minister's Office is now on Twitter @PMOIndia. Thank you for your support,” Manmohan Singh’s newly appointed communications advisor Pankaj Pachauri said on his own Twitter account. Within hours of the account being opened late Monday, Manmohan Singh attracted nearly 10,000 followers with just three tweets till Tuesday afternoon. All the three were written Monday night.The account refers to the Prime Minister’s Office and it would be handled by his media team, PMO sources said. With this, Manmohan Singh has joined the elite club of world leaders on Twitter. US President Barack Obama was among the first to use Twitterto communicate with his electorate in 2008. His Twitter account @BarackObama, is among the most followed of all worldleader accounts, with more than 12 million followers. Among others on the Twitter include Australian prime minister @JuliaGillard, her New Zealand counterpart @JohnKeyPM, Israel's prime minister Benjamin @Netanyahu, and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum.

RBI cuts CRR

2012-01-26T11:46:00.002+04:00

The CRR, which is the level of deposits that banks have to mandatorily maintain with the RBI, was reduced to 5.5% from 6%. This marks the RBI’s first reduction in CRR since January 2009 when it had released funds to stimulate demand in the wake of the Lehman Brothers crisis. Bankers said that interest rates are headed down and it is a matter of time before lending rates also come down. The cut in CRR saw the sensex making sharp gains to go past the 17,000 level in intra-day trade on Tuesday. But the move led to a crash in government securities. The RBI’s decision resulted in the rupee going past the 50-mark against the dollar in intra-day trade on Tuesday for the first time in over two months. The Indian currency closed at 50.07.

Somewhere in Lucknow....

2012-01-26T11:38:00.002+04:00

A decked up Vidhan Bhawan on the eve of 63rd Republic Day .

Chennai Regional Development Authority

2012-01-26T11:25:00.002+04:00

The Tamil Nadu government is likely to expand the designated Chennai metropolitan area by almost seven times to include some key suburbs and industrial townships with the aim of strengthening their infrastructure. Once the proposal for the Chennai mega region gets official sanction, the state government will set up the Chennai Regional Development Authority (CRDA) to ensure balanced regional development of the area covering about 8,000sqkm, up from the existing 1,189sqkm. Senior state officials have proposed the inclusion of portions of three districts — Sriperumbudur in the west, Kancheepuram in the south and Tiruvallur in the north — in the Chennai metropolitan area. The provisional Census 2011 data shows that Chennai recorded a decennial growth of 7.7%, while the neighbouring Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts grew by 38.69% and 35.25% respectively, indicating a remarkable spurt in the growth of population in city’s suburbs. Officials say unscientific land use has restricted development of the urban area, while housing, transportation, drinking water supply and sewerage system remained below par. Low-cost land in the suburbs brought in many new housing colonies in the recent years. In the last decade, the population of Kancheepuram rose by 11 lakh, while in Tiruvallur it increased by 9.7 lakh, straining Chennai’s infrastructure. The present master plan says that the population of Chennai metropolitan area will touch 1.25 crore by 2026. Migration is the prime reason for the rise in population in Chennai’s neighbouring districts, say officials. People came, not just from the southern districts in search of jobs, but from other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Manipur for construction activities. The draft plan envisages CRDA as a statutory body. It will help develop urban settlements like satellite towns with adequate infrastructure, help evolve regional and sub-regional plans, and formulate policies for the Chennai mega region. It will promote projects for new growth centres; assign population and project infrastructure region-wise, besides preserving the agricultural characters of the region. CRDA will be the state’s equivalent to Delhi’s National Capital Regional Planning Board of the Union Ministry of Urban Development, Mumbai’s Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority. In 2008, Andhra Pradesh set up the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority by expanding its Urban Development Authority to cover 7,100 sqkm. The expanded limits of HUDA now extend to five districts, having nearly 900 villages.

Somewhere in Pune....

2012-01-26T10:58:00.002+04:00

Why this kolaveri di?

Damaged vehicles on Shankarsheth Road after Santosh Mane went on a murderous rage, killing eight people in Pune on Wednesday.

INS Chakra

2012-01-24T10:22:00.002+04:00

India’s long hunt for a nuclear submarine is finally over. But it will take the country another 10-12 months to get an operational nuclear weapon triad — the capability to fire nukes from land, air and sea. India on Monday became the world’s sixth country after the US, Russia, France, the UK and China to operate nuclearpowered submarines when the Russian Akula-II class submarine ‘K-152 Nerpa’ was commissioned into Indian Navy as INS Chakra on a 10-year lease under a secretive, almost $1-billion contract inked in 2004. “It will be deadly ‘hunterkiller’ of enemy submarines and warships, as also provide effective protection to a fleet at sea. It can also provide cover to the nuclear-armed INS Arihant if required. With a dived speed of 30-35 knots, INS Chakra will be able to outrun any current Pakistani or Chinese submarine,” said a source. The 8,140-tonne INS Chakra, however, is not armed with long-range nuclear missiles such as the Russian SS-N-21 cruise missiles with an over 2,500-km range due to international non-proliferation treaties. The Indian nuclear triad’s elusive underwater leg will only be complete when the home-grown nuclear submarine, the over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant equipped to carry a dozen K-15 (750-km) or four K-4 (3,500-km) ballistic missiles, becomes fully operational by early-2013. India has the land and air legs in the shape of the Agni series of missiles and fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Defence ministry sources said INS Chakra, commissioned at the Primorye region in far south-eastern Russia in aceremony attended by top Indian and Russian officials, would soon set sail for India. It will be based at Visakhapatnam, where INS Arihant is slated to begin extensive sea trials in February-March after the ongoing harbour-acceptance trials. Though it may not add to India’s nuclear deterrence posture, INS Chakra will give some much-needed muscle to India’s depleting underwater combat arm, which has only 14 ageing conventional submarines to brandish. India is in talks for the lease of another Akula-II class submarine from Russia, say sources. Nuclear-powered submarines are stealthy since they can operate underwater at long ranges for months unlike diesel-electric submarines that need to surface every few days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries and have limited endurance due to fuel requirements. INS Chakra will be armed with the 300-km range Klub-S land-attack cruise missiles, which India deploys on its Kilo-class conventional submarines. The Navy will also use INS Chakra to train sailors in the complex art of operating nuclear submarines. The ‘Charlie-I’ class N-submarine India had leased from Russia from 1988 to 1991 was also named INS Chakra but the expertise gained on it was lost since the Navy did not operate any nuclear submarine thereafter.

High Speed Rail

2012-01-23T16:12:00.001+04:00

Japan, a pioneer in bullet train operations, on Thursday committed to “work closely” with the Indian government in its proposed high speed projects in the country. An extensive deliberation was held in this regard between visiting Japanese minister for Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Takeshi Maeda and railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, according to railway sources.
Trivedi is understood to have said that there is an increasing demand for highspeed trains in the country in view of its growing economy as well as the demand from a larger section, which aspires such service.
The Japanese minister is believed to have assured his country's support and expressed desire to work closely with India, which has identified six high speed corridors in the country, sources said. Maede led a delegation, which included senior deputy DG of Japan's Railway Bureau Akhihiko Tamura, President, East Japan Railway Company Satoshi Seino, chairman of Kawasaki Heavy Industry Tadaharu Ohashi and Ambassador of Japan to India Akitaka Saiki among others.
Japan’s External Trade Organisation and Oriental Consultancy along with Parsons Brinkhoff India has bagged the contract to conduct pre-feasibility study of the Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Chennai corridor, one of the six corridors identified by Indian Railways for high speed train operations.
Railways has already announced to set up a National High Speed Rail Authority (NHSRA), the approval of which is expected to be placed before the Union Cabinet this year.

Startup Village

2012-01-23T15:30:00.002+04:00

India's first public-private partnership (PPP) telecom business incubator, ‘Startup Village’, is being set up on a 15,000 square feet space at the Kinfra Park in nearby Kalamassery and the first phase of the project will be inaugurated in February this year. An agreement in this regard was signed between MobME CEO Sanjay Vijayakumar and Kerala Infrastructure Development Authority (Kinfra) managing director S Ramanath.
Startup Village will focus primarily on student start-ups from college campuses and would be modelled on the technology incubators in Silicon Valley. Itaims to incubate 1,000 product start-ups over 10 years and start the search for a billion-dollar company from a college campus by the turn of the decade.
The National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), department of science and technology (DST), Technopark and MobME Wireless have joined hands to set up the country’s first telecom business incubator, Startup Village, an Indian telecom innovation hub, Kinfra said in a press release in Kochi. The village will create a vibrant ecosystem for start-ups to create breakthrough technologies for the global telecommunications industry. This would be made possible through association with leading companies in the telecom sector by setting up telecom innovation zones that bring the latest technology platforms and products to the start-ups in the incubator before their release in commercial markets, Ramanath said.
Sanjay Vijaykumar said they were planning to take in 10 start-ups under a first batch by April this year, with about 30 entrepreneurs. The incubator park will have a 4G network, advanced telecom labs and provide all services related to legal and intellectual property issues and accounting, besides full-furnished office spaces, video conference rooms, computers, phone lines, internet, server space and virtual office services required for a student to start a company even while in college, according to Startup Village CEO Sijo Kuruvilla.
“With this initiative, we aim to create a platform for the next generation of entrepreneurs to create enterprises and be job creators rather than job seekers.
We aim to market the Start-up Village aggressively to Non-Resident Keralites and high net worth individuals for extending their support to the start-up ecosystem in Kerala,” he added.
Infosys co-founder and cochairman Kris Gopalakrishnan is the chief mentor of the Telecom Innovation Hub and his mentoring would be the biggest value we can provide to budding entrepreneurs, who can interact with Kris to learn as well as imbibe the art of building a billion dollar enterprise, Sanjay Vijayakumar said.

NIMZ

2012-01-23T15:17:00.001+04:00

The Centre has identified four states that will lead the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) project, which is part of the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), announced in 2011. “We are working towards implementation of NMP and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is a significant part of it. States of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat are working hard on the NIMZ project and we hope to make an announcement in this regard soon,” commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma said while addressing the 84th annual general meeting of Ficci.
NMP envisages setting up seven world-class urban centres that will be hub of manufacturing activity in the country and will help to increase the share of manufacturing from 16 per cent of the GDP to 25 per cent. “As soon as forthcoming assembly elections are concluded and their results declared, the commerce and industry ministry will declare comprehensive details of the proposed zones in consultation with the state concerned, one by one or even simultaneously,” Sharma added.
Meanwhile, Ficci has launched the nationwide Empowering India project on Wednesday by releasing a report that says Andhra Pradesh, with its timebound single-window mechanism, supported by legislation, has considerably eased the burden of businesses in the state while Tamil Nadu leads in the promotion of industrial clusters as is demonstrated by its large automotive cluster, one of the top 10 in the world.
“In the next phase we hope to expand our coverage to the remaining major states as well, and thereafter bring the entire country under the project fold,“ Harsh Mariwala, president of Ficci added.

Gadkari backs NaMo

2012-01-23T11:05:00.001+04:00

BJP president Nitin Gadkari has endorsed Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for the top posts of prime minister and party head, stirring a fresh debate among GenNext leaders positioning themselves for the 2014 sweepstakes. In an interview to a TV channel, Gadkari ruled himself out of the race for the PM’s post and said he would not seek an extension as party chief after his tenure ends in December. “I will never be a candidate for PM nor will I topple anybody. Modi has good potential to be BJP president and PM,” he said, adding, “I am ready to work as an ordinary party worker. I will support Narendra Modi to take over the mantle.” While he parried queries on the BJP’s choice for the PM’s post, saying the party would make the decision at an appropriate time, his firm endorsement of the Gujarat CM is likely to renew questions about the party’s future leadership. The Hindutva strongman is seen to be a polarising figure who many feel could be an impediment in BJP attracting allies with “secular” claims. The hostility of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to Modi is known and picking the Gujarat leader could hamper alliance making, thereby negatively impacting the party’s poll prospects. This is said to be the main handicap for the leader appreciated for “good governance”. The key issue will be the organizational leadership if Gadkari refuses a second term as BJP helmsman. The party will face the question much sooner than it has to decide about elections and the PM candidate. Modi is popular with the saffron cadre and is also seen by a section as the panacea for organizational weaknesses which have hobbled the BJP in comparison to Congress. Though the decision on who should head the BJP may be an internal issue, its tricky nature stems from the fact that BJP chief would automatically get projected as the party’s PM candidate.

Gagan

2012-01-23T10:45:00.003+04:00

Flights over the country and the Indian Ocean, from East Africa to Australia, will soon be safer, more economical and environment friendly with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) moving a step closer to installing a GPS-aided geo-augmented navigation system (Gagan) for commercial aircraft. Once the system is operational, by late 2013 or early 2014, it will plug a hole in the global satellite-based aircraft navigation umbrella over a vast expanse through which aircraft had to fly with navigational coordinates and no real time geo-positioning. The 800-crore project, taken up by AAI, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and Raytheon, will take India into an exclusive club whose members possess the advanced system including the US, Japan and Europe. “Fifeteen reference and ground stations, including one at Port Blair, have been established and networked using high performance communication circuits. Signals from the satellite are being used to test for availability of standbys and other features,” said D Devaraj, southern regional executive director, AAI. Standby testing, or redundancy testing in aviation parlance, is crucial because at least three ground locations will be required to position an aircraft and at least two ground locations will be used to route an aircraft when it is in Indian airspace. “We are now waiting for Isro to launch its next geo satellite, which is expected in March, to take the next step in setting up the system,” he added. Isro is scheduled to launch GSAT-10 spacecraft that will carry 12 C Band and 12 Extended C Band transponders and a second Gagan payload after subsystem fabrication and testing are completed. A third satellite with another Gagan payload, for back up functions, will be launched sometime next year. Gagan’s geosatellites will use the C band, normally used for long-distance telecommunication, and the L band, also used by EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system. Gagan will help aircraft take the shortest possible routes, saving fuel and time, with GPS data provided by the satellites. Aircraft will not need to depend on groundbased navigational aids like VOR (VHF omni-directional range) or NDB (non-directional beacon). Multiple satellites and ground stations will track an aircraft’s speed, altitude, position and route and cross check for accuracy. Gagan comprises three geo stationary satellites, 15 reference stations, two master control stations and three uplink stations. One geo stationary satellite (GSAT 8) was launched from South America in May 2011. The satellite has started to send signals to ground stations across the country. Raytheon has installed ground stations for the system and has, in association with Isro, completed development of systems to provide aircraft with satellite-based navigation and weather information, said Robert Meyers, director, business development, Network Centric System, Raytheon. “We are currently working on the impact atmospheric flares can have on GPS data. This was a problem in the US,” Meyers said. AAI is already in the process of upgrading its ground systems to integrate them with Gagan when the system is operational. Air traffic control has been automated at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. AAI is currently implementing a Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) to help pilots locate and land at a runway and taxi to parking bays with inputs f ro m G P S satellites.

Anna now writes to all

2012-01-23T10:21:00.000+04:00

In a bid to project a non-partisan face, Anna Hazare and his team on Sunday shot off a series of letters to leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Nitin Gadkari, trying to put them on the mat for the Lokpal issue. UP Chief Minister Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were the other recipients of letters signed by Hazare and his team members Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi. While in the letter to Singh, signed only by Hazare, the Prime Minister is asked to show some courage to withdraw the “weak” Lokpal Bill and bring a stronger one, the one to Gandhi asked the Congress leader whether his party will dare bring a law on the lines of “strong” Lokayukta law in Uttarakhand. Gadkari was questioned as to why his party did not insist on Nitish Kumar government in Bihar in which it is a partner bringing a strong Lokayukta law like the one passed by BJP government in Uttarakhand. He was also asked why BJP changed tracks on bringing Lokayuktas through Lokpal bill.

Urban infrastructure

2012-01-22T17:34:00.001+04:00

The government is committed to allot 0.25% of India's gross domestic product, or $4.2 billion (Rs.21,265 crore), in the 12th Five Year Plan to bridge the urban infrastructure gap, Kamal Nath, minister of urban development, told delegates from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
The funds will be allocated under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), for which Rs.50,000 crore was earmarked in the seven year period starting in 2005.
According to Amitabh Kundu, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, only the 65 mission cities under JNNURM benefit from the funds, while the 2,800 new towns identified by Census 2011 languish due to a lack of funds.
“For a stabilized urban infrastructure growth there should be a parallel structure to channelize funds to smaller towns. Unless this is done, the inequality between urban and semi urban cities will keep growing,“ he said.
Pointing to rapid urbanization, Nath said 53 Indian cities have a population of over a million each and by 2030 there will be 68 such cities. According to ministry estimates, India requires an investment of $1.2 trillion in the urban sector over the next 20 years.The government also plans to enhance the role of public-private partnerships in the infrastructure development sector to attract private capital, the minister said.

Of internet & GDP

2012-01-22T17:08:00.003+04:00

Every 10% increase in Internet and broadband penetration in the country could potentially lead to the addition of $17 billion (around Rs.85,500 crore), or 1.08%, to India's gross domestic product (GDP), said a report released on Thursday.
An additional $87 billion of GDP can be generated in 2012-14 if targets in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai's) National Broadband Plan are met, according to the report prepared by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, the department of information technology and the Internet and Mobile Association of India. Trai's plan envisages 160 million households with broadband connections by 2014.
Missing previous broadband roll-out targets has cost India about $100 billion of GDP, said the India: The impact of Internet report. It lists various policy recommendations to increase Internet usage in the country, which is low at just above 100 million users (compared with more than 800 million mobile connections). Delay could cost the nation millions of dollars in foregone income,“ the report said.
The impact on GDP will be different at various levels, said Rajat Kathuria, professor at the Inter national Management Institute and co-author of the report. “The impact in the beginning will be low, but as the penetration ramps up and reaches a critical mass, say 20-30%, the impact will be subsequently larger then.“ The report says it's the first to quantify the impact of the Internet on GDP specifically for India.
New Internet users in India will log on mostly via their mobile phones, the report said.“Mobile Internet will also be cheaper and more convenient than any other option,“ it said.
However, it said the policy for the Net and broadband will have to be carefully drafted unlike for mobile telephony, as just creating “enabling conditions on the supply side worked well for mo- bile telephony“ and also, in certain cases, the mobile paid for itself in terms of revenue generation for its users, but “demonstration of such benefits is a lot more challenging for Internet“.
The report has recommended a phased approach to wiring up the country. It said Trai aims to connect all areas with a population of 500 and above with an optical fibre network, but “it will be ill-advised to create this simultaneously in all areas“. It also said it will be too expensive to build the entire network from scratch and that the existing optical fibre network of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd can be utilized.
Several recommendations of the report have already been put into effect and Rs.20,000 crore will be spent to connect 250,000 gram panchayats across the country, said R. Chandrashekhar, secretary, department of telecommunications and DIT. “India will have 175 million broadband connections by 2014.“
The supply of broadband is not likely to create its own demand and there is “a need to push services, applications and usage“, the report said.
It added that affordability was the key to adoption, and based on the prior experience of cable TV and mobile phones, a price point of around Rs.200 per month can trigger brisk demand-side expansion of Internet services in India. The report called on the regulator to mandate all service providers to offer a basic Internet package at this rate.

The largest biometric id system

2012-01-22T12:52:00.002+04:00

The Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) hit a mile stone this week when it crossed close to 120 million enrollments to become the largest biometric identification system in the world.
This means the UIDAI database will now be bigger than the FBI database and the US visa entry system--the two largest biometric databases in the world.
This has been possible due to the ecosystem of partners, he added. Currently, UIDAI has nearly 95,924 operators and 20,000 agencies working with UIDAI for the enrollment of 200 million people. The UIDAI also released preliminary figures from a study to ascertain the rate of failure to enroll. After conducting a study on a database of 84 million, this was estimated at just 0.14%. 99.86% of the population can be uniquely identified by our biometric system and even the remaining 0.14% of the population can be enrolled by demographic deduplication and manual inspection. The study also showed impressive results for the failure to identify duplicate or fake enrollments--only 0.035% of duplicates are not correctly identified.

Somewhere in Jharkhand....

2012-01-22T11:19:00.001+04:00

In yet another gruesome operation, Maoists on Saturday triggered a landmine blast in which 13 state policemen were killed near Garhwa district’s Lalmatia village, about 250km from Ranchi, on Jharkhand’ border with Chhattisgarh. This is the second big attack since last November’s killing of Maoist ideologue and chief spokesman Kishenji in Bengal’s Jangalmahal area. Eleven security personnel were killed in a blast that targeted the cavalcade of Independent Lok Sabha MP Inder Singh Namdhari in Latehar in December. The Lalmatia blast, that hit an anti-landmine vehicle carrying the cops around 11.15am, was so powerful that the impact threw the armoured vehicle several feet into the air and it was badly mangled as it crashed back on the ground. The sound of explosion echoed as far as Bhandaria village, 4km away. As if to prove again that they had a free run of the place, Maoist guerillas kept local newsmen in captivity for two hours after the blast and even held a press conference. All the combatants involved in Saturday’s attack came without their faces covered, as they usually do during an operation. Eyewitnesses said these men, numbering 30 to 40, were all in their 20s and wore military fatigues. They said police should stop Operation Green Hunt, the multi-force operation against Naxals in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Maoists also demanded an end to what they called assassinations of “revolutionary leaders” in fake encounters. The guerillas took away all the arms and ammunition the cops were carrying.

Pakistan & MFN

2012-01-22T11:08:00.001+04:00

Pakistan commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim has said Islamabad can grant “full” Most Favoured Nation-status to India only after a “negative list” trade regime between the countries is phased out. The two countries are currently moving from a “positive list” regime to a “negative list” regime but even the “negative list” goes against the non-discriminatory trade that MFN status demands, Fahim said .

Of Pakistan & Bollywood

2012-01-22T11:01:00.002+04:00

The three Khans of Bollywood not only rule the Indian box-office, they are also the kings of Pakistan. Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots collected Rs 5 crore across the border and the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer My Name Is Khan raked in Rs 5.25 crore. The Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard outdid them both by earning Rs 6 crore. Another Shah Rukh-starrer, Don 2, meanwhile, is expected to pull in Rs 7.25 crore. In fact, some experts say Pakistan is now one of Bollywood’s top five overseas markets and could soon rival the business done in Australia. The ban on Indian films was lifted across the border in 2006, but things began really hotting up a year later. After the ban on Indian films was lifted in Pakistan, two older films—Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Awarapan’ and Sunny Deol’s ‘Kaafila’ —were symbolically released there. The John Abraham-starrer ‘Goal’ was the first new Indian release to open there in November 2007. It released with seven prints, but within two years the print run of Hindi films multiplied thrice over. ‘3 Idiots’, released in 2009, was shown on 22 screens. ‘Don 2’, released in 2011, had 38 screens. Now, there are about 80 cinemas there and trade pundits say another 20 could be added in two years. About 50 Hindi films release in Pakistan now every year and the big ones have the ability to do business of US $1 million (Rs 4 crore to 5 crore) or more, said Pakistani sources. All the top Khan films are sold for $200,000 to $300,000 (Rs 1 crore to 1.5 crore). Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar films go for $75,000 to $150,000 (Rs 37.5 lakh to 75 lakh), said experts. Bollywood can’t ignore Pakistan now as an overseas market. Trade pundits said the business pattern in Pakistan is similar to that of the Punjab territory in India.

Visa on arrival

2012-01-22T10:52:00.002+04:00

The number of nations whose citizens are eligible for visas on arrival (VoA) in India is likely to be expanded to include 13 countries largely from Europe, south-east and central Asia after a review convened by the PMO felt security conditions need not be a hurdle to promoting tourism. Countries that could be offered VoA include Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Brazil and South Africa. At the meeting, which was also attended by officials from other ministries like culture and environment, it was made clear that security cannot be invoked to strike down important government initiatives. At present, nationals of 13 countries can avail a visa on arrival, but list excludes most Asean countries VoA to be extended to Hyderabad, Goa, Kochi and Bengaluru airports The Union home ministry has been asked to work on details of the proposed new visa regime in a manner that factors in security concerns by utilizing information-sharing agreements with Asean and the European Union while ensuring that travel to India becomes hassle-free. Ramping up tourist numbers is seen as a significant revenue earner with six lakh foreign visitors a year being a miniscule proportion of global tourism. With timely intervention, the sector can grow much faster than the 24 million jobs currently targeted in the 12th Plan. So far, the VoA scheme has registered modest success with over 10,000 visas issued last year. At present, 13 countries whose nationals can avail of a visa on arrival include Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar. The list excludes more populous nations even in the Asean, which can be tapped for a much larger tourist footfall. The government is also drawing lessons from European countries that have leveraged tourism to tide over financial woes.

Pawan Hans

2012-01-22T10:18:00.001+04:00

It’s a project that would straightaway double the number of helicopters in the country. The government-owned Pawan Hans has submitted a Rs 10,030-crore proposal to four central ministries seeking the purchase of 249 helicopters and 10 sea planes and the construction of 180 helipads across India. The aircraft and helipads would aid tourism, of course. But, more significantly, they would transform aerial surveillance, law-and-order monitoring and India’s response to medical emergencies and natural disasters. They would also make at least 30% of India’s districts and many remote areas more accessible. The project, split into four categories, would be funded with budgetary support from the four ministries. The major portion, a Rs 7,760-crore proposal, has been submitted to the Union ministry of home affairs. The other initiatives include a Rs 1,010-crore proposal sent to the Union ministry of civil aviation, a Rs 1,020-crore proposal sent to the Union ministry of development of the northeastern region and a Rs 240-crore proposal sent to the Union ministry of tourism. Once a ministry passes its respective proposal, it would then be included in its 2012-2017 five-year plan and implementation could begin, said an official at Pawan Hans. Of the new choppers, 178 would be for disaster management, medical emergencies and law enforcement, another 20 would be specially equipped for air surveillance, 20 would be for tourism and 21 for the North-East. The 10 sea planes would help connect Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

ID projects

2012-01-21T11:46:00.001+04:00

A governmental group is looking at how to converge two major national identification projects, Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), said on Friday. The two projects are the unique identification project, which Nilekani leads and comes under the Planning Commission, and the National Population Register project, being undertaken by the registrar-general of India that comes under the home ministry. Both initiatives, in many ways, duplicate each other’s work. Home minister P Chidambaram has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to instruct the Planning Commission to bring a note to the cabinet on the status of UIDAI, so that there is clarity on which agency will perform the task of capturing the population’s biometric data. Nilekani declined to say anything on the controversy, other than that the Centre is discussing the various issues raised, both by the home ministry and the parliamentary standing committee on finance.

SC verdict on Vodafone

2012-01-21T10:23:00.001+04:00

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the income tax department’s claim of Rs 11,000 crore in capital gains tax from Vodafone, holding that the telecom giant’s acquisition of Hutchison Telecom was “offshore” in character and outside the jurisdiction of Indian authorities. Setting aside the Bombay High Court’s September 2010 judgment, a bench comprising CJI S H Kapadia and Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar asked the I-T department to refund within two months Rs 2,500 crore, with 4% interest, to Vodafone. Earlier, the court had asked Vodafone to deposit the amount and also give bank guarantees for Rs 8,500 crore. “Applying the ‘look at’ test in order to ascertain the true nature and character of the transaction, we hold that the offshore transaction herein is a bona fide structured foreign direct investment (FDI) into India which fell outside India’s territorial tax jurisdiction, hence not taxable,” the bench said. The verdict in the $11.08 billion deal has implications for foreign companies that have acquired stakes in entities that have assets or operations in India. The order offers clarity on tax treatment for global M&A deals and may boost investor sentiment in the country.

Global Hunger Index

2012-01-19T17:42:00.001+04:00

With 21% of its population undernourished, nearly 44% of under-5 children underweight and 7% of them dying before they reach five years, India is firmly established among the world’s most hunger-ridden countries. The situation is better than only Congo, Chad, Ethiopia or Burundi, but it is worse than Sudan, North Korea, Pakistan or Nepal. This is according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) which combines the above three indicators to give us a Global Hunger Index (GHI) according to which India is 67th among the worst 80 countries in terms of malnourishment. That’s not all. Data collected by GHI researchers shows that while there has been some improvement in children’s malnutrition and early deaths since 1990, the proportion of hungry in the population has actually gone up. Today India has 213 million hungry and malnourished people by GHI estimates although the UN agency Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) puts the figure at around 230 million. The difference is because FAO uses only the standard calorie intake formula for measuring sufficiency of food while the Hunger Index is based on broader criteria. Whichever way you slice it and dice it, the shameful reality is inescapable – India is home to the largest number of hungry people, about a quarter of the estimated 820 million in the whole world. The National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), last carried out in 2004-05, had shown that 23% of married men, 52% of married women and a chilling 72% of infants were anemic – a sure sign that a shockingly large number of families werecaught in a downward spiral of slow starvation. Global research has now firmly established that depriving the fetus of essential nutrients – as will happen in an under-nourished pregnant woman – seals the fate of the baby once it is born. It is likely to suffer from susceptibility to diseases and physical retardation, as also to mental faculties getting compromised. So, continuing to allow people to go hungry and malnourished, is not just more misery for them: it is the fate of future generations of Indians in balance.

Delhi Monorail

2012-01-19T16:42:00.002+04:00

The monorail is all set to come to the crowded east Delhi. In an attempt to decongest the city and get more people to use public transport, the Delhi government has given an in-principle approval to a 10.8km elevated monorail link between Shastri Park Metro station and Trilokpuri via Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi. This is the first such link in the capital, which is expected to be functional by 2017. In the years to come, the monorail will also roll out in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Jalandhar in Punjab. The monorail is most successful in Japan. Malaysia and the United States of America, too, use monorail extensively in the crowded areas. After giving the in-principle approval, chief minister Sheila Dikshit has now asked the Delhi State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation to prepare a proposal to be tabled in the cabinet for a formal approval. To be developed at a cost of approximately Rs 1,655 crore, the route will have 12 stations and passengers will be able to interchange for three Metro lines. Delhiites will be able to interchange at Shatri Park Metro station for the Dilshad Garden- Rithala line; at Nirman Vihar Metro station for the Anand Vihar-Dwarka line, and at Trilokpuri Metro station for the under-construction Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar line. It is estimated that in 2017, the link will cater to a daily ridership of about 1.5 lakh. The fare structure has been proposed keeping in mind the cost of Metro tickets. For now, the fare is likely to be Rs 2.50 per kilometre. A state-of-the-art, automatic fare collection system will be introduced with ticket vending and smart token systems. Citing the monorail as a viable solution to decongest crowded areas, a statement from the chief minister’s office on Tuesday stated that the monorail has also been recommended as a mass transit in MPD 2021. The CM’s statement goes on to add that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has favoured introduction of the monorail in such congested areas where Delhi Metro services are not feasible. It has also been pointed out that laying of the monorail lines is cheaper as compared to Metro lines. The proposed monorail will be a straddle-type, elevated line that will be able to negotiate sharp curves and high gradient above the narrow roads. Light structures and columns can be placed in the limited median of roads. The rail can be located in crowded streets as it generates very little sound and is environment friendly. An alignment of the proposed route was also discussed in the meeting chaired by the CM on Tuesday. The route will start from Shastri Park Metro station passing through Yamuna Pushta Road, Rajaram Kohli Marg, Geeta Colony, Patparganj Road, Nirman Vihar Metro station on Vikas Marg, Ganesh Nagar, New Patparganj Road, Sanjay Lake to terminate parallel to connect proposed Trilokpuri Metro station.

An Autobahn to BIA

2012-01-19T16:27:00.002+04:00

The ride towards Bengaluru International Airport and beyond will soon become a minutesonly affair with work under way to upgrade Bellary Road (NH 7) into an 18-lane autobahn with a high speed rail link (HSRL) embedded in it. The Rs 680-crore upgradation involves a 22.12-km stretch of the road beginning from Hebbal flyover up to Bachchalli railway gate, beyond the Trumpet Interchange leading to the airport. The autobahn will be 65 metres wide and have three-lane service roads on either side of the six-lane highway, besides the nation's first-ever six-lane elevated corridor running along the highway. On stretches where the elevated corridor is absent, it will be a 12-lane expressway. Work began in September 2010 and is expected to be completed by May 2013. Currently, properties adjoining the road on either side of the road have been notified for acquisition. Land up to a width of 5 metres will be acquired on either side of the road leading towards the airport. There have also been instances of land up to 15 metres wide being proposed for acquisition along some parts of the stretch. Each threelane service road will be 10.5 metres wide, while the existing main carriageway is about 25.5 metres wide. A 5-metre corridor between the carriageway and service road on the side of Esteem Mall will be earmarked for HSRL. NHAI authorities said pavements and drains will be accommodated in the 65-metre autobahn. NHAI has already released a compensation package of Rs450 crore to the state revenue department for payment towards properties to be acquired for the project. About 45 hectares of land will be acquired in all for the project.

Larger role for Priyanka ?

2012-01-19T16:20:00.001+04:00

Long considered Congress’s star vote-catcher, Priyanka Vadra told reporters she would step out of the family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli and campaign in the rest of Uttar Pradesh if her brother and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi asked her to. “I will do anything for my brother,” she said.

Nariman Point - Malad Freeway

2012-01-19T16:08:00.003+04:00

An 11-member expert technical committee submitted its final report on the coastal road plan to the Maharashtra chief minister. The coastal freeway will comprise a combination of coastal road based on reclamation, bridge, elevated roads and tunnels as well as roads on existing lands and stilts. At the starting point will be a reclaimed road between Manora MLA hostel up to NCPA. From NCPA, there will be a tunnel going up to Marine Drive. It will continue further as a tunnel under Malabar Hill and exit beyond Priyadarshini Park at Nepean Sea Road. From here till Haji Ali, it will continue on a reclaimed road. A connecting bridge between NSCI at Worli and Baroda Palace will be again on a reclaimed road connecting up to the Bandra-Worli Sealink. Another reclaimed road will start from the north end of the sealink, skirt the Bandra Fort and stretch along Bandra Bandstand, Chimbai village and Carter Road. An elevated road skirting the Khar-Danda village will go underground at Juhu airport. The tunnel would exit at Ritambhara College in Juhu and run as a reclaimed road up to Nana Nani Park. From there, an elevated road takes it to the New Fisheries Institute at Versova, branching into two directions—one arm of it will be a reclaimed road right up to Mindspace in Malad. The other arm extends up to Versova village jetty. From the junction of the road leading to Goregaon Sports Club, the freeway will be on elevated over the creek at Malad Marve Road and join Link Road. The committee recommended two options for the project. The first involves a reclaimed road in mangrove areas with bridges and culverts to allow free movement of water. “It’s a less expensive option and easy to implement with reduced time for construction. Although this option entails short-term environmental issues arising out of compensatory mangrove plantations, no long-term damage to the environment is expected.” The second option envisages about 8 km of stilted or elevated roads. However, this would enhance the cost by about Rs 1,000 crore and will be more difficult to maintain. The cost will reduce by Rs 1,000 crore if the tunnel proposed between NCPA and Marine Drive is omitted. “The committee considers reclamation as a highly cost-effective option and one that also entails other benefits through creation of large open spaces to citizens,” said the report. It suggested a non-stop electronic toll collection for every entry into the freeway. “The committee also stresses the importance of maintenance and asset management and recommends that these aspects along with construction be entrusted to a professional agency on the lines of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation,’’ it said. “Completion of this project would mean a quantum leap towards enhancing the quality of life in the city. The added advantage is that it involves no land acquisition and virtually no resettlement component.’’

FDI in Airlines

2012-01-19T15:53:00.002+04:00

In a major relief to financially distressed Indian carriers, the government said foreign airlines would soon be allowed to acquire up to 49% stake in them. After being debated for years, new aviation minister Ajit Singh announced this move following a meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the backdrop of at least two big airlines struggling to avoid a shutdown due to financial troubles and others desperately looking for funds. The aviation ministry was initially in favour of a 24% cap which was later relaxed to 26% to attract foreign airlines as this would give them some say in running of theairline. However, the sheer scale of financial stress forced the government to raise the cap to 49%. The same reason also led to the sidelining of old security fears that such a move would only bring money from airlines in the Gulf and China which had till now held up clearing of this move. Indian carriers face an accumulated debt of $16 billion (over 80,000 crore) on top of cumulative losses of $6 billion (over 30,000 crore). By the end of March 2012, losses are expected to mount to $8.5 billion (over 43,000 crore). The debt is projected to rise by another $3-4 billion (up to 22,000 crore) if Air India goes ahead with its Boeing 787 order
Airline promoters like Vijay Mallya, chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, have supported 49% FDI for foreign carriers. Sebi has also expressed its reluctance to relax the takeover code guidelines to permit foreign carriers to acquire shares from the public through an open offer for an additional 26%. By seeking an exemption, the government had hoped to stay within the sectoral FDI cap. Kingfisher and AI are struggling to survive and other carriers remain under-capitalized. Ajit Singh said FDI was among the important things required by airlines to survive financial turbulence. Indian carriers can expect investment from foreign airlines after a gap of 16 years. The policy was reversed in 1996 when Tata-Singapore Airlines planned a foray into the Indian airspace via ajoint venture. At that point, Naresh Goyal-owned Jet Airways had to buy back its 40% stake held equally by Gulf Air and Kuwait Airlines. CAPA India head Kapil Kaul expects cashrich Gulf carriers and Singapore Airlines to be among those looking to invest in India, apart from British Airways that has already declared its intent to put money in where opportunity exists. There are indications that BA might bail out Kingfisher through FDI and Mallya’s troubled airline is set to join BA-led OneWorld alliance next month.

Somewhere in Andhra Pradesh....

2012-01-19T15:26:00.002+04:00

In a major fire, 100 two-wheelers, 20 four-wheelers and 33 autos parked in Goshamahal stadium’s parking lot were gutted on Wednesday morning. About 400 two-wheelers were also partially damaged in the fire. The parking lot, which is outside the compound wall of the stadium, contained over 1,000 vehicles that the Goshamahal police had seized. The incident occurred at around 9am on Wednesday. Fire department officials said that about 500 vehicles were partially burnt-.While the cause of fire has not been determined, officials from Gowliguda fire station said that the blaze could have been started by a cigarette butt that had not been put out properly. Vehicles seized by the police in the city and those involved in any kind of accident litigation are housed at this parking lot, which is police property. Unclaimed items like furniture are also dumped at this parking lot.

World Bank pegs India's growth at 6.8%

2012-01-19T15:20:00.002+04:00

The World Bank on Wednesday said the Indian economy is expected to grow by 6.8%, compared to PM Manmohan Singh’s 7% projection and the 8.5% expansion witnessed in 2010-11. In addition, it warned that the 8% mark is unlikely to be regained anytime before 2013-14 due to moderation in demand, a deceleration in investment and heightened uncertainty in the wake of the global economic environment. Local factors such “policy uncertainty, stalled reforms, and deteriorating political and security conditions” are making things worse in South Asia, the multilateral agency said in the latest Global Economic Prospects. “Developing countries should prepare for further downside risks, as Euro Area debt problems and weakening growth in several big emerging economies are dimming global growth prospects.” The growth moderation in developing countries such as India is also expected to take a toll on the global economy, it added. The report said that a deterioration in the international bank funding conditions and the impact on local stock markets has caused a sharp depreciation in local currencies, such as the rupee, against the dollar in the second half of 2011. Although inflationary pressures are expected to ease, the depreciation is not helping the price situation ease the way it should. It also warned of weaker exports — something that was already visible — and moderation in worker remittances from overseas as well as capital flows due to the Euro Area crisis and problems in West Asia. In case of India, the World Bank said that household spending had been curbed due to persistently rising prices, that ate into real income and higher borrowing costs also affected demand. It, however, warned that there was limited space to introduce fiscal stimulus measures, similar to 2008-09, as the government was running a large fiscal deficit. Besides, monetary easing through lower policy rates may fuel inflation and impact the economy, especially the poor. In these circumstances, expenditure rationalization may help the government, especially to protect critical social schemes, the World Bank said.

UIDAI snippets

2012-01-19T11:24:00.002+04:00

The Centre has taken a concrete step to empower IT czar Nandan Nilekani-headed Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in its bid to draft a fresh legislation to give legal sanctity to the authority. Sources said that the draft to legalize UIDAI is at a conceptualization stage, and once the legislation gets the Parliament’s nod it will get legal status, ensuring it can enrol and provide unique number to all residents across the country. UIDAI, which is mandated to enrol 200 million residents by March, is also likelyto get an independent status. Now, it is under the Planning Commission. The voluntary facility will ensure that thousands of crores worth of welfare schemes reach the aam admi by helping the poor to open their bank accounts, avail of rural job schemes and food security programmes. It is expected to make dispensation of government services more efficient. The government’s fresh move comes in the backdrop of the Parliamentary standing committee on finance ridiculing the UIDAI, and the home ministry also raising objections on the authority’s mandate. The home ministry had joined issue with UIDAI, saying the Registrar General of India (RGI) akin to the Authority was compiling biometric details to build a National Population Register (NPR). Though the UIDAI was asked to collect biometric details of up to 20 crore citizens till March, the arrangement was that the same data can be used by the RGI for preparing NPR. But, now RGI is refusing to use the data collected by UIDAI, claiming it was not foolproof. The reason: the Authority’s methodology raised security concern and it did not meet the Union Cabinet’s approval. It was argued that RGI was the only authority legally empowered to enumerate data on the population. Earlier, the Planning Commission had suggested rules be amended so that all data, collected by the Authority, can be used by RGI.

Mumbai roadlinks planned

2012-01-19T10:06:00.003+04:00

The Maharashtra government is looking beyond its proposed coastal road plan to develop a comprehensive network of urban freeways and highways connecting the financial capital of the country to major satellite townships. The 1,740-km highway corridor will be developed by 2030. This has been recommended by the 11-member joint technical expert committee, which submitted its final report to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday. The panel, headed by municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar, has drawn the idea from a Comprehensive Transport Strategy prepared by consultants Lea Associates for the MMRDA in 2009. The committee acknowledged that even though the share of public transport in Mumbai and surrounding areas is already high, the roads are badly congested and the government needs to substantially invest in road transport infrastructure. This could be done in the form of rings, radials, urban freeways and a well-developed and connected network of highways. High-quality transport network consisting of urban freeways and different types of transit system is the need of the hour, the panel has said. The highway network would connect to a ring road that would be constructed around Mumbai. Beginning from Nariman Point in South Mumbai and connecting to Versova will be the Western Freeway. Similarly, an Eastern Freeway will run along the Eastern Coast of the Island City and connect to Chembur, further merging with the Eastern Express Highway at Ghatkopar. The proposed Sewri-Nhava Trans Harbour Link will secure connectivity between Sewri and Nhava. The MTHL and the Virar-Alibag corridor will complete the ring road around Mumbai. While the overall cost estimate has not been arrived at, the ring road could be around 58 kms and cost Rs 32,000 crore, said estimates. Of the total network of Highway Corridor, nearly 539 kms will be newly developed, another 782 kms of existing arterial road will be upgraded or extended, arterial corridors and links to the length of 420 km will be constructed. The proposed Highway Corridor will include Eastern Freeway, Sewri-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (from Sewree to Kharkopar, Rave), inner ring roads connecting Kaman, Bhiwandi, Panvel and Dronagiri, Middle Ring Road connecting Bhiwandi, Nandivali, Narthengaon, Panvel and Kharkopar). An Outer Ring Road connecting Khopoli, Jite and Rewas Port will complete the ring. This apart, there will be eight radials connecting NH-8, parts of NH-3, Bhiwandi Bypass, Nahur, Airoli, Nilaje, Badlapur, Chembur, Mankhurd, Vashi, Taloja, Belapur, Kalamboli, Uran, Pen and New Airport. The corridor will be completed by extending Western Coastal Freeway in the south and north up to Virar.

Andhra makes a pitch

2012-01-13T15:56:00.002+04:00

Some CM's assets

2012-01-13T15:55:00.002+04:00

CMs of the poll bound states reveal their assets

UP Polls

2012-01-13T15:53:00.003+04:00

On th GST trail

2012-01-13T15:47:00.002+04:00

Elephant Corridors

2012-01-13T15:45:00.002+04:00

Economix

2012-01-13T15:22:00.016+04:00

Some bright spots have appeared....

Of malnutrition....

2012-01-13T15:21:00.000+04:00

Ganga Expressway update

2012-01-13T11:12:00.000+04:00

The Jaypee group has reportedly pulled out of the 1,047km-long Ganga Expressway project after withdrawing the Rs 1,000 crore bank guarantee. Sources in the developer group said that the government had failed to provide environmental clearance for the project and it was in no position to invest a huge amount in it. The fate of the Rs 40,000-crore project went under a cloud since May 2009, when the Allahabad High Court restrained from proceeding with the project.

Infrastructure projects

2012-01-13T10:10:00.002+04:00

Indian infrastructure firms started 2012 on a celebratory mode with new order flows bucking last year’s sluggish trend. Infra majors like L&T, HCC, Reliance Infrastructure, IVRCL, Ramky, JK Infra among others have already bagged orders worth $1 billion within the first week of 2012 and expect the momentum to accelerate after the state elections. This year, infrastructure firms are bullish on $12 billion road projects from NHAI, the $2-billion Navi Mumbai International Airport and the $2- billion Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. “We expect more orders from the government this year. About 60,000 crore of road projects are to be awarded this year. We are keen on bidding for mega highways and the JNPT Pune National Highway no-4,” said Sudhir Hosing, head of road projects at Reliance Infrastructure, which commenced operation of its fifth road project in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Among the ones which have had an early start this year, infrastructure major L&T bagged new orders worth Rs 2,056 crore across various business segments. Similarly, Ramky Infrastructure has bagged new orders aggregating to Rs 1,052 crore from its road, industrial, water, power, irrigation and building verticals. IVRCL has started the year with Rs 732 crore worth new orders.

The Bangalore - Chennai Expressway

2012-01-13T09:59:00.001+04:00

The proposed 250-km Bangalore-Chennai expressway, to be built at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore on a new alignment, could come up as a pilot project involving Japanese expressway majors. The Japanese government, which made this proposal to the highways ministry on Thursday, has been asked to submit a detailed framework. The corridor is likely to reduce travel time between the two cities to two hours. The expressway will have a design speed of 120 kmph. On Thursday, a delegation, led by Japanese transport and tourism minister Takeshi Maeda, met highways minister C P Joshi to discuss the project. “We are preparing a detailed project report and it will be complete by March. They have huge interest to develop this stretch since there is a considerable concentration of Japanese firms in that region. We have told the group that highway projects in India are awarded through open bidding and 100% FDI is allowed in this sector,” Joshi said. He added that the two governments could take a decision mutually in case they agree to take up this project on the basis of government-to-government understanding. “But that deprives private players of participating in bidding of this project.” Joshi said other models like floating a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with investment from stakeholders, including from Japan, could also be an option.

Factory output in November

2012-01-13T09:53:00.002+04:00

The New Year seems to be bringing some cheer with the emergence of green shoots in the economy. Industrial production rose by 5.9%, the fastest pace of expansion in five months, on account of a better performance by the manufacturing and electricity sectors. What’s more, it reversed sentiments, which fell to new lows following a 5.1% dip in factory output in October when the government released the data last month. Those numbers have now been revised to a 4.7% contraction. In November 2010, the index of industrial production had grown by 6.4%.

HC warns Facebook, Google

2012-01-13T09:19:00.001+04:00

Refusing to stay criminal proceedings against internet majors Google and Facebook, the Delhi High Court on Thursday warned they might be “blocked” if they fail to devise a mechanism to check and remove objectionable contents from the web pages. “Like China, we can block all such websites,” Justice Suresh Kait remarked at the fag end of the hearing. The counsel for both Google and Facebook harped on their global policy of non-interference even if contents posted on their web pages are found to be obscene or objectionable. The HC emphasized that the internet companies, while doing business in India, must develop a mechanism to keep a check and remove “offensive and objectionable” material from their web pages. Though the HC didn’t stay proceedings against the two companies before a magistrate’s court, it agreed with the lawyers’ plea that they would not press for an effective hearing in the trial court slated for Friday.

Jaitapur snippets

2012-01-13T09:14:00.001+04:00

Validating what environmentalists have feared all along, a US geologist has said in his paper that an earthquake of magnitude 6 plus on the Richter scale can occur in Jaitapur. A paper co-authored by geologists Roger Bilham of University of Colarado and Vinod Gaur of Indian Institute of Astrophysics presented the possible dangers, warning that these be taken into account while constructing a nuclear power plant. The paper was published in Current Science, an Indian journal published by Current Science Association and the Indian Academy of Sciences.

The NCTC

2012-01-13T08:29:00.002+04:00

The government on Thursday finally gave its approval to set up a ‘specialized’ anti-terror body, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which will work as a single-window entity to pool together and collate terror-related intelligence inputs, draw plans to neutralize terror modules and coordinate action among different terror agencies to defuse threats. A core team, comprising the body’s director and other top officials, will be put in place by end-March or early April, completing the counter-terror institutional architecture. Union home minister P Chidambaram had planned the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a counter-terror entity, after the26/11 strikes. Although the NCTC will work as an “integral” part of the Intelligence Bureau, it will be exclusively focused on counter-terrorism on the lines of specialized anti-terror agencies in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, China and Japan. As part of the Centre’s post-26/11 blueprint, National Investigation Agency, National Intelligence Grid and NSG hubs designed to facilitate spreading of commandos across the country, have been setup.The NCTC, the remaining piece, was held up because of reservations among certain quarters of the government over its scope. The final design has accommodated the concerns of various wings of the government that were stakeholders in the decision. Asked whether the proposed setup for the NCTC reflected a dilution of his earlier plans, Chidambaram said, “It’s not a comedown. This is a beginning. Eventually, based on our experience, based on what we find our shortcomings, deficiencies or the safeguard that has to be built,it will eventually grow into a kind of organization that I envisaged.” Talking to reporters after the Cabinet Committee on Security gave “in-principle” clearance to the NCTC, the home minister said its function will include drawing up of plans and coordinating all actions, particularly counter terrorism and integrating all the intelligence pertaining to counter terrorism. Chidambaram, who had been pitching for such an agency for about three years, said the core team will be the “nucleus” around which the NCTC will be built.After obtaining the necessary approvals from the department of expenditure and the DoPT, we will begin work on appointing the core team,he said. Spelling out the brief for the NCTC, Chidambaram said the agency will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice, besides maintaining comprehensive database of terrorists, their associates and supporters. “It will ensure that all agencies have access and receive all intelligence support,” he said, adding it will be under the Intelligence Bureau and report to its director, Union home secretary and the home minister. Chidambaram,however, did not disclose finer details of its functioning. At present, the IB’s anti-terror function is being looked after by the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) that will be subsumed into the NCTC. Sources said that though this anti-terror body would not have an exclusive ‘operation’ wing, it will enroll adequate trained personnel—drawn from NSG, paramilitary forces and state police on deputation—to assist state police in operations against terrorists. In other countries, such a specialized body also carries out ‘covert’ operationsin neutralizing terror modules.
NCTC to be 4th pillar of anti-terror architecture alongside NIA, NSG hubs and Natgrid created after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
Single window for all terror-related intelligence inputs. Will collate inputs, pass them on as alerts to central\state agencies
NCTC will be an integral part of IB. Headed by senior IPS officer of additional DG or above rank who’ll report to IB chief Director, core team members to be appointed by early April
NCTC won’t have its own investigation wing. Probe into terror-related cases will be done by NIA or state police It won’t have ‘agents’ to collect intelligence on ground. Will depend on IB, RAW, NTRO, MI and state intelligence agencies

India's tallest ATC

2012-01-13T08:16:00.004+04:00

Chindia 2012

2012-01-12T08:30:00.001+04:00

Despite slowing down, China and India continue to contribute more than half of the world’s economic growth, a new report by an investment management and advisory services firm has claimed. The report by BlackRock Investment Institute’s (BII), ‘The Year of Living Divergently’, says 2012 will offer investors a slow growth world in which the United States will face headwinds, yet still achieve positive economic growth, and Europe will likely slip into recession while avoiding more dire financial contagion. Robert C Doll, chief equity strategist for fundamental equities at BlackRock, said growth will continue to be hampered by the lingering effects of the global “credit bust”, including ongoing deleveraging partially offset by the forces of accommodative monetary policy in much of the world. According to the report, emerging market economic growth continues to be a critical part of global growth in both the short and long-term. “China and India are especially important given both their size and growth rates. And while growth in both countries is likely to be slower in 2012 than it was in 2011, together these two countries will account for more than half of 2012 global growth,” it said. “We expect China will account for more than 40% of global growth, with India and the US accounting for about 15% each. Until recently, increasing inflation in emerging markets has caused policymakers to raise interest rates and/ or reserve requirements in an attempt to slow inflation, with the effort of dampening growth. We expect that process will begin to reverse itself sometime in 2012,” it further said. According to Doll, the most significant global risk remains the financial breakdown in Europe, which would tip the entire developed world, if not the emerging world, into a new recession. “In 2012, the big swing factor for the world economy will be the success of the continuing effort to fix Europe’s debt and credit issues,” Doll said. “At the same time, we don’t need Europe to solve all of its problems in 2012 for the world to achieve an ‘okay’ year,” Doll said. “Since there is already such a significant ‘crisis premium’ baked into the markets, just avoiding disaster could be enough,” he said. In addition to movement in Europe toward resolution of its debt crisis, Doll’s “what can go right” list for 2012 includes the US heading toward fiscal responsibility, the emergence of a US manufacturing renaissance, a housing recovery and/or an increase in confidence. On his list of key downside concerns are a systemic banking crisis in Europe, a true double-dip recession in the US, a hard landing in China, a break-out of class warfare in the US and a Middle East flareup resulting in a $150-per-barrel oil price.

Motown snippets

2012-01-11T11:14:00.003+04:00

The Indian car industry is headed to report flat growth this financial year, after being the world’s second-fastest growing market behind China in the last two years when sales zoomed 26%- 30%. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) cut car sales growth forecast for 2011-12 for the third time to 0%-2% on Tuesday, down from a bullish 14%-16% estimate at the start of the year in April last. Car sales declined 2.2% to 13.78 lakh units in the first nine months of this fiscal in spite of a 8.5% jump in December on the back of high discounts and freebies offered by carmakers.

BJP's fiasco

2012-01-11T11:00:00.002+04:00

Of Frenemies & barking dogs....

2012-01-11T10:52:00.005+04:00

After taking a day’s break from bashing her ally, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was back in action on Tuesday. At a programme organized by the West Bengal Minorities Development and Financial Corporation at Netaji Indoor Stadium, the Trinamool Congress chief again took a swipe at Congress and CPM. Alleging that the two parties were trying to derail her effort to put the state back on tracks, she said, “Babu chale bazar, kutta bhowke hazar. Keep shouting on television, I will keep working — nothing bothers me,” she said. Referring to the Raiganj face-off between Congress and Trinamool, Mamata said, “A small thing committed by some youngsters spurred some people to question whether this is the change they’d wanted. Change means development. Only those against it are refusing to see that.” Referring to Congress without naming it, she said some parties along with CPM are making an issue of Nazrul Academy.

Somewhere in UP....

2012-01-11T10:41:00.004+04:00

All wrapped up...and not because of the cold....an EC diktat.

A Japanese township in TN

2012-01-11T10:32:00.001+04:00

The Tamil Nadu government has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Japanese consortium and real estate developer Ascendas to build a 1,500-acre integrated township with residential and industrial facilities for Japanese investors. It will come up 50km south of Chennai along Old Mahabalipuram Road. Chief minister J Jayalalithaa signed the MoU on Tuesday with the Ascendas Development Trust (AIDT), which has built an IT park in Taramani, and a consortium comprising corporate finance provider Mizuho Corporate Bank and JGC Corporation, a programme management contractor and investment partner. Ascendas Group president Chong Siak Ching said, “We are happy to have the support of the government of Tamil Nadu and to work with Japan’s leading companies Mizuho and JGC.” The government has promised collaboration with local government agencies for the project’s implementation. The township is expected to have lifestyle amenities for up to 40,000 people,” Ascendas officials said. “The infrastructure will be ecofriendly.” Shinya Fujii, director general of the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) said the township would house industries from the manufacturing sector. 400 acres to be set aside for industries “We are expecting mostly automotive industries to be set up shop in that township,” he said. “To my knowledge, around 400 acres of the township will be set aside for industries and the remaining 1,000 acres will be developed for residential and recreational facilities.” Fujii added that this would add impetus to the growing number of Japanese business enterprises in the city. “In 2011 alone, we got 700 business enquiries from Japan and many of them enquired about industrial parks,” he said. “The Japanese community here (in the state) is also quickly growing. In 2008, there were only 77 Japanese in the city. Now, it has quadrupled to 300.”

Of Bharuch and Ankleshwar

2012-01-11T09:59:00.004+04:00

The twin townships of Bharuch and Ankleshwar took a step towards fusion as one city with the formation of the much-awaited Bharuch Ankleshwar Urban Development Authority (Bauda). The combined population of the two townships and the 94 surrounding villages is 3.6 lakh (of which 1.4 lakh are migrants) and the projected population by 2025 by is 8 lakh. The two industrial townships, 8 km apart, are separated by the Narmada and have their own nagarpalikas. The two local civic bodies had their own urban development authorities which will now be dissolved. The 58 villages of Bharuch taluka and 36 villages of Ankleshwar taluka, including Bharuch and Ankleshwar cities, will now be under the jurisdiction of Bauda. Observers say that it may take a year or so before the two nagarpalikas are merged into one municipal corporation. The twin townships are strategically located between Vadodara (80 km to the north) and Surat (60 km to the south). They are also the chemical hub on the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

Moody's ups foreign currency ratings

2012-01-11T09:35:00.001+04:00

Credit rating agency Moody’s has upgraded India’s rating of short- term foreign currency bank deposits from speculative to investment grade. The move is expected to help local banks access more deposits from overseas and ease the pressure on the rupee which weakened against the dollar in recent weeks.

100% FDI in single brand retail

2012-01-11T09:31:00.002+04:00

The government on Tuesday notified the rules allowing 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in singlebrand retail paving the way for international furniture maker Ikea and several fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton to set up stores in the country and also boost sourcing from local manufacturers. At present, 51% FDI is permitted in this segment of retailing which was opened to foreign players almost six years ago. Apart from the entry of new players into the market, the decision is also expected to result in several existing players who are operating via tie-ups with Indian companies to convert their existing ventures into wholly-owned subsidiaries. On Tuesday, the government said that the Foreign Investment Promotion Board(FIPB) had cleared French retailer Christian Louboutin’s proposal to set up retail chains in the country. Several global brands such as Mothercare and Marks & Spencer are already in India through the joint venture route. The notification comes six weeks after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal and almost four weeks after the Manmohan Singh government was forced to put its plans to allow global retail chains such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour on hold in the wake of opposition from allies, opposition as well as Congress leaders. Foreign retailers that want to invest beyond 51% will need to source 30% of their goods from “Indian” small, village and cottage industries and artisans. Small industries have been defined as those where investment in plant and machinery is up to $1 million (around Rs 5 crore). “The compliance of this condition will be ensured through self-certification by the company, to be subsequently checked, by statutory auditors, from the duly certified accounts, which the company will be required to maintain,” the department of industrial policy and promotion said in a two-page note. The rules also stipulate that these investments would need to be approved by FIPB. “This step (30% sourcing) will provide stimulus to domestic manufacturing value addition and help in technical upgradation of our local small industry,” commerce & industry minister Anand Sharma said in a statement. While India Inc seemed to agree with this view, they demanded speedier implementation of the decision to allow 51% FDI in multi-brand, something that has been in the pipeline for over a decade. Sources in the government said that the UPA leadership was trying to evolve a consensus on multi-brand retail and a call on going ahead with the Cabinet decision is expected to be taken after the assembly elections.

Delhi Metro Phase IV

2012-01-10T08:23:00.002+04:00

While work has begun on the third phase of the Metro network, the Delhi government has started finalizing the corridors for Phase IV. Sources said the government is considering the corridors suggested by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The network being envisaged for Phase IV covers more than 115km and will connect far-flung areas of the city to the existing network. Sources said the idea was to connect outer Delhi to the heart of the city in the fourth phase. “While Phase III will make the Metro network denser and bring NCR closer to Delhi; in the fourth phase, we are hoping to connect the corners of the city to the Metro network,” an official said. A letter detailing the corridor alignment and their length was sent to the transport department on November 2, 2011, said sources. Some of the corridors, like Lajpat Nagar-Madangir (7.33km) or Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar-Dilshad Garden (17.54km) will also connect commercial hubs with areas having poor surface connectivity. However, most of the corridors being studied would connect the far corners of Delhi to the city centre. These include the Yamuna Bank-Loni Border (11.97km), Rithala-Bawana (12.50km), Kirti Nagar-Dwarka Sector 28 (18.17km), Azadpur-RK Ashram (8.90km) and Badarpur-Delhi Aerocity/NH8 corridor (20.79km). There will also be a corridor connecting Janakpuri (west) to Mukundpur (18.74km), both of which are terminating stations for corridors in the third phase. Once the corridors are approved by the Delhi government, DMRC will be asked to conduct a detailed project report (DPR) on the corridors, identifying the actual alignment of the corridors, as well as carry out a ridership study. Officials said the final network for Phase IV would be decided only after another traffic study is conducted and the network’s economic viability vetted. RITES will be engaged to do the ridership demand study, said the official. DPRs of three new corridors — Yamuna Vihar to Shiv Vihar (3km), Dwarka to Najafgarh (5.5km) and Mundka to Tikri Border (6.31km) — are ready and are expected to be included in Phase III.

The Mini is here

2012-01-07T09:49:00.003+04:00

Forest cover

2012-01-07T08:11:00.002+04:00

India’s forest cover has declined by 367 sq km between 2007 and 2009. While the figure may not seem alarming, it runs counter to the impression that afforestation and conservation programmes are yielding results. The largest dip in forest cover was in the northeast which lost 550 sq km. This loss was very partially made up elsewhere, even as there was an overall negative growth in green cover. There was better news from states like Punjab, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan where social forestry projects seem to have worked to some extent. The 2011 report of the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India has been submitted to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and is to be released soon. The news for Delhiites is not encouraging. There has been no change in the forest cover although Delhi government has been repeatedly claiming that forest areas are increasing. With civic agencies pointing to unchecked encroachments in the Ridge, the FSI report is not a surprise. Maximum reduction in forest cover has been reported from insurgency-hit Manipur, totaling 190 sq km. Nagaland comes next with at least 146 sq km forest being lost between 2006 and 2008. The trend is equally worrying in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. The last FSI report in 2009 showed forest cover in the northeast had increased from 1,69,825 sq km in 2005 to 1,70,423 sq km in 2007 -- an annual increase of 299 sq km over two years. Citing reasons behind the sharp fall in forest cover, a retired conservator of forests said some forest areas in the region were inhabited by tribals and locals practised Jhum cultivation by clearing out huge swathes of forest areas. There was also the threat of organized wood smugglers and mafia. But there have been some positive indicators elsewhere. Forest cover has increased by 100 sq km during these two years in Punjab, sources in the FSI said Forest cover in 2008 (Oct) was 6,92,027 sqkm against 6,92,394 sqkm in 2006, marking a drop of 367 sqkm Major loss reported in Manipur (190 sqkm), Nagaland (146), Arunachal (74), Mizoram (66), Meghalaya (46) Major gains in Punjab (100 sqkm), Jharkhand (83), Tamil Nadu (74), Andaman and Nicober (62) and Rajasthan (51) Figures in sq km

Somewhere in Amritsar....

2012-01-06T15:42:00.002+04:00

Team Anna denied any involvement in the black flag protest outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Sunday morning when the PM Manmohan Singh was visiting.

The Rupee has a torrid year

2012-01-06T15:04:00.001+04:00

The rupee completed its first annual loss since 2008 as Europe’s debt crisis threatened to derail global economic growth and hurt demand for financial assets in developing nations. The currency weakened the most in Asia this year, touching a record low of 54.305 per dollar on December 15, as foreign funds cut holdings of Indian stocks by $380 million, exchange data show. The $1.7 trillion economy may miss the central bank’s growth estimate of 7.6% for the 12 months ending March 31, Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said December 22. Sovereign bonds completed a third annual decline on speculation the government will boost its debt-sale plan from a record. The rupee slid 15.8% in 2011 and 0.2% this week to 53.0650 per dollar in Mumbai, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was little changed on Friday. The currency may slide to 60 per dollar next year, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB predicted this month. Rupee also underperformed those of the largest emerging markets this year. Brazil’s real lost 11% to 1.8657 per dollar and the Russian ruble fell 5.4% to 32.2669. The Chinese yuan appreciated 4.7% to 6.2940.Three-month offshore forwards were at 54.53 to the dollar, compared with 54.81 on Thursday. Non-deliverable contracts are settled in dollars. The BSE sensitive index of shares lost 25% in 2011.

Foreigners get easy access to Dalal Street

2012-01-06T14:47:00.001+04:00

India has allowed foreign individual investors, pension funds and trusts to directly invest in equities, in an attempt to shore up investor confidence and attract money from overseas to bridge widening current account deficit. Measures that boost capital inflows are high on the government’s agenda as the global downturn led by the Euro zone crisis has led to investors pulling money out of Indian equities. For India, the problem has been compounded by a slump in investor confidence because of policy inaction leading to a sharp fall in new projects. The finance ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the measures were intended to widen the investor class, attract more foreign funds, reduce market volatility and deepen the Indian capital market. The statement described the new category of investors as qualified foreign investors, or QFIs. The BSE Sensex shed close to 25% in 2011, making it the worst-performing major equity market in 2011. Record inflows — $29 billion in 2010 — turned into outflows as foreign investors sold shares.

Kolkata Metro snippets

2012-01-06T13:04:00.001+04:00

RITES, the Railways PSU, is surveying 16 new routes for the expansion of Metro routes in and around Kolkata. In the last Railway Budget, the then railways minister Mamata Banerjee kept the provision of carrying out extensive studies for expansion in the new routes. If the plan is implemented, the entire greater Kolkata will be linked by Metro and the oldest Metro would be biggest rail rapid transit network in the country. RITES will prepare the detailed project report of the alignments, which might be implemented in phases. The new alignments that will be surveyed by RITES include Metro double-corridor line from Santragachhi to Shalimar along Kona Expressway, Bally Halt to Chandernagore, Joka to Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) via Thakurpukur Cancer Hospital. RITES will also carry out survey for an alignment from Joka to Diamond Harbour along Diamond Harbour Road and the double-line corridor Madhyamgram to Barrackpore along Sodepur Road and Kalyani Expressway. There will be another alignment from Barasat to Barrackpore along the state highway-II linking Barrackpore. Mamata Banerjee, in her last Railway Budget speech, blessed Kolkata with seven brand new route surveys for extension of the city's Metro services, along with a new coach factory, dedicated exclusively to the Metro. Besides, there will be surveys on alignments from Howrah Maidan to Srirampur via Dankuni and Singur, Howrah Maidan-Belur, Howrah Maidan-Santragachhi-Dhulagarh, Joka to Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Barrackpore to Kalyani. “The surveys are likely to be conducted keeping in mind the links would be on viaducts and not underground since it would save cost. Two other important aspects plaguing Kolkata Metro are the shortage of coaches and rakes to run the current service and the lack of a coach mid-life habilitation unit. One such unit has been sanctioned close to the present Noapara carshed, but that will only cater to the coaches running at present. Infrastructure has to be augmented before any additional route is sanctioned,” a former senior official of Kolkata Metro said. The Railways has already set up a core committee of senior Railways officials to closely monitor the progress of all ongoing works of Kolkata Metro and for speedier completion of the planned sections, namely Noapara-Barasat via Bimanbandar, Baranagar to Barrackpore and Baranagar to Dakshineswar, Dum-Dum Airport to New Garia via Rajarhat and Joka to BBD Bag via Majerhat. As railways minister, Mamata had sanctioned Rs 11,000 crores for Kolkata Metro when she upgraded it to a full-fledged railway zone on December 29, 2010. The Railways have already agreed in principle to take over the East-West Metro project from the state government. Railways authorities had also stated that discussions with all stakeholders of the project would be carried out soon and had asked the state government as well as the managing authority of the link to keep the Railways appraised of all important decisions regarding the project.

India, Pak swap lists of nuke sites

2012-01-06T12:52:00.000+04:00

India and Pakistan on Sunday exchanged through diplomatic channels the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the two-decade pact called Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between arch rivals India and Pakistan. The agreement, which was signed in 1988 and entered into force three years later, provides that the two countries inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the pact on the first of January of every calendar year. This was the 21st consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries, the first one having taken place on January 1, 1992. This time though the exchange of lists comes a week after the two sides held a two day expert-level meeting on conventional and nuclear Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). With Pakistan's nuclear arsenal a matter of growing global concern, India had — at the expert-level meeting held in Islamabad December 26 and 27, 2011 — pressed Pakistan to enunciate its nuclear doctrine and asked it to join global efforts for concluding the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). India also did not show much enthusiasm for Pakistan's proposal for bilateral cooperation on nuclear safety and peaceful uses of nuclear energy maintaining that the two countries need to first establish adequate trust and confidence between them.

INS Arihant

2012-01-06T11:03:00.001+04:00

India will take a big step towards achieving a credible nuclear weapon triad in February when its first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant begins sea trials off Visakhapatnam. Top defence ministry sources say the “sea-acceptance trials” (SATS) of INS Arihant are slated to begin “towards end-February” after the completion of its ongoing harbour-acceptance trials (HATS). “It will take at least six months of extensive SATS and missile trials before the boat is ready for commissioning into the Navy,” said a source. With INS Arihant’s induction, India for the first time will brandish the most effective third leg of the nuclear triad — the ability to fire nukes from land, air and sea. The first two legs revolve around the Agni family of ballistic missiles and fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs and Mirage-2000s jury-rigged to deliver nuclear warheads. Only the Big-5 has nuclear triads till now, with a total of over 140 nuclear-powered submarines. America leads the pack with 71, followed by Russia with about 40, while China, the UK and France have around 10-12 each. India did get delivery of INS Chakra, the rechristened Akula-II class nuclear-powered submarine ‘K-152 Nerpa’, from Russia on a 10-year lease last week. But while it will bolster the country’s underwater firepower, it will not be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles due to international treatises. India’s nuclear triad will be in place, as Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has declared, once INS Arihant is out at sea on “deterrent patrols”. It has been a long journey for INS Arihant since it was “launched” at Vizag in July, 2009, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself in attendance. Each and every sub-system was checked and re-checked, along with high-pressure steam trials of all the pipelines, before the miniature 83 MW pressurized light-water reactor, fitted in a containment vessel on board the over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, went “critical” last year, said sources. Simultaneously, fabrication work on the three followon SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear ballistic missiles), dubbed S-2, S-3 and S-4, is in full swing under the over Rs 30,000-crore advanced technology vessel programme. The second SSBN after INS Arihant is to be named INS Aridhaman, both of which loosely mean “potent destroyer of enemies”. They are to be armed first with the 750-km K-15 and, at a later stage, with the under-development 3,500-km K-4 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles).

Infrastructure Fund Plan

2012-01-06T10:50:00.002+04:00

The government has finalized the contours of a $10-billion (over Rs 50,000 crore) infrastructure debt fund (IDF) with 50% participation from a foreign bank and a multilateral agency, while the rest of the corpus will be contributed by stateowned financial institutions. Government officials and bankers said India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL), Life Insurance Corporation and IDBI Bank along with Asian Development Bank and HSBC are joining hands to set up a non-banking finance company (NBFC) that will manage the fund. The initial corpus of the fund will be $1 billion (over Rs 5,000 crore) with 50% coming from the three state-run agencies and HSBC and ADB contributing the rest. A request to get ADB to pitch in has been sent to the finance ministry. Sources indicated that the day-to-day operations of NBFC will be with HSBC asthere was a view that private players were better equipped to handle the fund. While companies have the option to set up a fund in the form of a mutual fund, the government has opted for the NBFC route. IDBI Bank was keen to go for the MF option as IIFCL has the mandate to provide funds for projects set up under the public-private partnership (PPP) route. A formal announcement is expected to be made in the Budget as the government is keen to announce a series of measures to spur infrastructure development — seen to be the biggest roadblock in recent times. Although the IDF structure was announced in the last Budget, only smaller players have come forward to set up the fund. Bankers as well as companies in the infrastructure space are, however,critical of the fact that more than funds it is the absence of projects and supply of inputs that is holding up development. IDFC had stopped lending to thermal power projects due to uncertainty in the sector. Several coal-based power projects have been held up the failure of the government to ensure adequate supply of fuel. There are others that have suffered delays on account of land acquisition or environmental clearances. These factors have also prompted the government, which is battling a series of corruption scandals, to go slow on award of new contracts. Contracts have been scarce in other infrastructure sectors like ports. Roads was the only shining light in terms of contracts awarded.

Trade snippets

2012-01-06T10:45:00.000+04:00

With slowdown in key markets like Europe and the US hitting demand, India’s exports grew at their slowest pace in two years in November 2011. According to data released by the commerce and industry ministry, exports grew 3.8% to $22.3 billion in November against $21.49 billion in the same year-ago month. Imports were up 24.5% at $35.92 billion compared to $28.84 billion in November 2010. Officials say exports for the current fiscal will be around $280 billion although Europe is a cause for concern.

India's solar capital

2012-01-06T09:14:00.000+04:00

Gujarat has taken a step forward to become India’s solar capital. The state, which has signed power purchase agreements for 1,000 MW of solar energy, has become home to nation’s largest solar power plant. Ahmedabad-based infrastructure major Adani group on Thursday commissioned a 40 MW solar plant in Kutch. Its capacity will be expanded up to 100 MW. Gujarat has inked pacts with companies like Lanco Infratech, Tata Power and GMR Infrastructure among others to generate solar power. Gujarat is also luring solar power equipment makers to set up shop – China’s TBEA recently announced to invest Rs 500 crore as part of setting up a Rs 2,500 crore Green Energy Park near Vadodara.

Audi's fastest growing market

2012-01-06T08:56:00.002+04:00

German carmaker Audi is upbeat on India. The last to enter among the luxury makers, Audi has tasted quick success in the market and has seen India emerge as its fastest growing market in the world, ahead of big markets like China, Russia, Japan and France. And now, as the company gears up to launch the Q3 mini SUV at the bottom-end of the luxury market, it has set its eyes on being numero uno in India. The Q3 will be the company’s entry-level SUV in India and will compete with BMW’s X1 mini SUV, which is one of the largest-selling luxury model in the country. While Mercedes Benz has been in India for more than a decade, Audi entered in 2007, a little later than BMW. And just like BMW, the company is picking pace since its debut and is perilously close to changing leadership dynamics. While small on volumes,India’s growth was higher than Audi’s growth in markets like China (35%), Russia (26%), Japan (22%) and France (18%). Schwarzenbauer said India’s fast-growing luxury market would mean that Audi’s volumes would also pick up in the coming years. Audi hopes that its volumes in India will grow to a massive 50,000 units by 2020. The company, however, will have to boost production at its assembly facility at Aurangabad that it shares with group company Skoda. At present, Audi assembles sedans A4 and A6 and SUV Q5 at the plant. It will start assembling Q7 SUV too by this year-end and the Q3 may be brought through the same route.

Omar completes 3 years as J&K CM

2012-01-06T08:42:00.004+04:00

Somewhere in Jaipur....

2012-01-06T08:38:00.002+04:00

Jaipur’s iconic Hawa Mahal, which was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, received its first bath in 213 years on Tuesday. The monument, built in 1799, was washed by fire tenders in preparation for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012.

Food inflation turns negative

2012-01-06T08:18:00.002+04:00

Food inflation turned negative for the first time in nearly six years in late December as prices of vegetables, potato, onion and some cereals fell sharply, prompting analysts to say the data provided headroom for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut interest rates and support growth. Data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Thursday showed food inflation, as measured by the wholesale price index, fell by 3.36%—sharply lower than the previous week’s 0.42%. It stood at 20.84% in the same year-ago period. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said there was substantial improvement in the food inflation situation. “Food inflation has turned negative for the first time in the recent memory,” he told reporters. Thursday’s data for food inflation showed vegetable prices fell by 50.22% year-on-year while potato prices declined an annual 34.01%. Onion prices which had shot up last year fell by 73.74% year-on-year. Wheat prices declined an annual 3.41%. But price of pulses firmed up an annual 13.85% during the week under review. Policymakers have been wrong-footed several times in the past two years while predicting the inflation trend. Economists said the decline in food inflation was largely due to a statistical base effect but also showed that supplies had improved significantly.

Bajaj's RE60

2012-01-05T15:23:00.003+04:00

Bajaj Auto on Tuesday added a steering wheel to its core business of two- and three-wheelers, unveiling the RE60 — which it termed a “public passenger carrier” rather than a car. The price will be announced at the formal launch, which is a few months away. Bajaj Auto was believed to be working on a rival to the Tata Nano. However, it seems to be positioning the RE60 as a suitable replacement for lakhs of threewheelers, while offering a safer and more stable urban mobility option. The company’s managing director, Rajiv Bajaj, himself said it did not wish to make a car. “Certainly this is a product for which core customers are those who use a three-wheeler,” he said. The RE60 base model comes with an integrated digital fare meter in the dashboard. “This vehicle has been designed for intra-city passenger transport keeping in mind intra-city duty cycles and safety requirements,” said Bajaj. Bajaj Auto spent nearly four years in developing the RE60, that has a top speed of 70kmph, said company MD Rajiv Bajaj on Tuesday. The RE60 sports a rear-mounted 200cc petrol engine, boasts a mileage of 35 km to a litre of petrol and low carbon dioxide emission (60gm/km). “We are very excited with the outcome of our efforts and, in the RE60, we believe we have an excellent solution for the mobility challenges arising from the rapid urbanisation of India,” Rajiv Bajaj said. The vehicle, which has a seating capacity of four (2+2 or 1+3), may also attract individual buyers at the lower end of the market. But it is not clear how strong a competitor it can be to the Tata Nano that has a more powerful 623cc engine. Bajaj said the company wanted to target the three-wheeler segment in India, while also looking for opportunities overseas. “We make about 5.20 lakh three-wheelers a year of which only 2 lakh are sold in India and the rest exported. So we see markets like Sri Lanka, which could be the first export market, as having huge potential for RE60.” Though the company is tight-lipped about the pricing, it could be around that of a three-wheeler. A threewheeler powered by 150cc engines costs under Rs 1.5 lakh. But while the RE60 is a vehicle that has commercial application in passenger transport, Bajaj appears to have moved away from the initial plan of developing an ultra low-cost car in partnership with Renault-Nissan. Bajaj said if the Renault-Nissan alliance wanted, they could choose the RE60 which can be manufactured with design modifications to sell under their brand. “They have not seen the product yet. They have seen only on virtual media. They will see it in the Auto Expo. If they are disinterested, they are free to walk away.”

Of Bangladesh's SEZ

2012-01-05T15:09:00.001+04:00

Bangladesh is offering an exclusive export processing zone for Indian companies to garner investment from its giant neighbour. Amid signs of rapidly rising trade between the two neighbours, sources said, Indian companies are looking to step up investment too. To sweeten the deal, tax holidays for three to 10 years are on offer. “There are 10-12 export processing zones in Bangladesh and we expect Indian companies to come. Trade relations are improving and we have said we can allow Indian companies to take over some of the EPZs,” said a senior Bangladesh government official. Indian investments in Bangladesh add up to about $600 million (over Rs 3,000 crore), and this is expected to go up substantially as economic ties deepen between the two neighbours. “There is an export processing zone (EPZ) exclusively for Korean firms and we can do the same for Indian companies,” the official said adding that they expect a robust response from Indian firms. After a rush of investment in SEZs in India, flow of projects has dried up after the government announced its intent to withdraw tax concessions and several of the large projects ran into land acquisition hurdles. The official said several Indian textile firms are setting up base in Bangladesh taking advantage of the cheap labour costs and tariff concessions on offer in developed countries. “Some companies are manufacturing in Bangladesh and exporting from there while some Indian buying houses have started operations and are sourcing material from there,” the official said. Trade ties between the two countries have shown steady improvement as political engagement between New Delhi and Dhaka has gathered pace. According to the latest available Indian government data, imports from Bangladesh have shot up 85% to nearly $300 million during April-September, 2011. Within this it is textiles and raw jute imports that have seen a steep rise. Raw jute imports from Bangladesh rose over 500% to $54 million, while readymade garment imports rose nearly three-fold from $8 million in the first half of 2010-11 to $22 million during April-September, 2011. Import of made-up of textiles also increased to $27 million. India had offered tariff concessions as well as duty-free import quotas to Bangladesh to boost trade ties. India’s exports to Bangladesh have, however, remained stagnant at around $1.4 billion during the first half of the current fiscal.

Bangalore Metro Phase II

2012-01-05T14:53:00.001+04:00

The cabinet on Tuesday approved two new lines -- RV Road to Bommasandra and Gottigere-IIM-B to Nagavara -- under Phase 2 of the Metro project. The RV Road to Bommasandra line, on the outskirts of the city, will have 16 stations -- RV Road, Ragigudda temple, Jayadeva Hospital, BTM Layout, Silk Board Junction, HSR Layout, Oxford College, Muneshwara Block, Chikkabegur, Basapura Road, Hosur Road, Electronic City-1, Electronic City-2, Huskur Road, Hebbagodi and Bommasandra. The cost of this route is pegged at Rs 5,744 crore. The one between Gottigere-IIMB and Nagavara will have 18 stations with six elevated and 12 underground stations. The elevated stations include Gottigere, Hulimavu, IIM-B, JP Nagar 4th Phase, Jayadeva Hospital and Swagath Road Cross. The 12 underground stations will be constructed near Dairy Circle, Mico Bosch, Langford Town, Vellara Junction, MG Road, Shivajinagar, Cantonment railway station, Pottery Town, Tannery Road, Venkateshpura, Arabic College and Nagavara. The estimated cost of this corridor is Rs 11,014 crore. Phase 2 of the Metro project will cover 72.09 km with 61 stations and bring connectivity to Electronic City. The cost is estimated to be Rs 26,405.14 crore. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has already prepared the detailed project reports (DPRs) for four extensions and two new lines. The high power committee (HPC), in July 2011, gave in-principle clearance to proceed with all six phases of Phase 2 Metro corridors. Phase 2 will become operational in 2017.
FOUR EXTENSIONS TO EXISTING LINES
Byappanahalli to International Technology Park Ltd -- Whitefield (extension of east-west line). This corridor has 14 stations --Jyothipuram, KR Puram, Narayanapura, Mahadevapura, Garudacharpalya, Doddanakundi, Visvesvaraya Industrial Estate, Kundalahalli, Vaidehi Hospital, Satyasai Medical Institute, ITPL, Kadugodi, Ujwala Vidyalaya and Whitefield
Mysore Road terminal to Kengeri (extension of east-west line). This corridor has five stations. Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore University Cross, RV College of Engineering and Kengeri Hesaraghatta Cross to Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumkur Road (extension of northsouth line). This has three stations. Manjunathanagar, Jindal and BIEC terminal. The BMRC has asked BIEC to share the cost as it would be the main beneficiary of this extension Puttenahalli Cross to Anjanapura township, up to NICE crossing (extension of north-south line). This corridor has five stations. Anjanapura Road Cross, Krishnaleela Park (Iskcon), Vajarahalli, Talaghattapura and Anjana township

Dharavi redevelopment update

2012-01-05T14:06:00.002+04:00

The long-delayed Dharavi Redevelopment Project could finally get a massive push forward. The state government on Tuesday approved the Development Control Rules (DCR) for redevelopment of Dharavi, Asia’s second-largest slum, just ahead of the civic polls. Announcing the decision at a press conference hurriedly called before the code of conduct comes in force, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, “Under the new DCR, the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (Mhada) or any other public sector undertaking will act as a nodal agency for the Dharavi redevelopment project (DRP). Floor space index of 4 will be given for redevelopment which includes rehabilitating eligible slum dwellers in 300 sq ft flats free of cost,’’ said Chavan. The new DCR interestingly, does not put any restrictions on the number of storeys constructed for the slum dwellers. This is surprising as differences on the issue between the stateappointed expert committee headed by former chief secretary D M Sukhankar and project management consultant Mukesh Mehta delayed implementation of the DRP. “The committee wanted rehab buildings to be of only seven storeys as it felt the livelihood of slum dwellers would be affected if they reside in multi-storey buildings. Why has the government removed the height restriction?’’ said an activist. Mhada vice-president Satish Gavai said livelihoods would be taken care of when approving layouts. “Being the nodal agency for DRP, layout plans require our nod,’’ said Gavai. The decision has given a major impetus to expedite implementation of the Rs 9,000-crore redevelopment of Sector 5 of the Dharavi slum project being redeveloped by Mhada. The agency will float tenders inviting contractors for Sector 5. In May 2011, the government decided to form a special cell of Mhada to undertake the Rs 2,000-crore redevelopment of Dharavi’s Sector 5, a 23-hectare sprawl adjoining the Mahim Nature Park. A new consultant will be appointed soon for the sector. The redevelopment of Sector 5 is expected to generate about 5,000 affordable homes for Mhada, which barely has any land bank in Mumbai.
What The New DCR Says
For The Slum Eligible slum dwellers will get 269 sq ft carpet area flats
One can avail of additional area on payment of cost of construction
FSI of 4 will be provided for redevelopment
No height restrictions or the number of storeys for rehabilitating slum dwellers
A 10-year corpus fund will be set up for maintenance of buildings
Transfer fee of approximately Rs 25,000 will be levied to regularise ineligible slum dwellers residing in structures protected under the January 1, 1995, cut off date (This is subject to issuance of final notification of the amendment to the Slums Act, 1971).
60,000 families will benefit

Maharashtra Municipal elections

2012-01-05T13:50:00.002+04:00

Mumbai will vote on February 16 to give itself a new civic board amid unprecedented public anger and civic activism directed at the “failure” of the current set-up to provide quality services. Residents of nine other municipal corporations, including Thane, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, will also vote the same day to elect new boards. Twenty-seven zilla parishads across the state will exercise their franchise on February 7. This round of civic polls, being the last major elections before the assembly polls due in 2014, is crucial for all the state’s major parties. For Mumbai, this election is significant for some other reasons. This is the first time people will vote after the strong public display of disaffection against the deteriorating quality of civic services, especially in the area of roads and the quality and quantity of water flowing from the tap. The Congress and the NCP, the opposition in the BMC, are aware of the disenchantment. “We discussed seat-sharing but the meeting remained inconclusive. We will meet again on Wednesday and reach an agreement,” Mumbai Congress president Kripashankar Singh said after a huddle at NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s residence. Sources said the NCP had asked for 65 seats, a demand the Congress found “too much”. “The dispute will be placed before CM Prithviraj Chavan and deputy CM Ajit Pawar,” a senior leader said, adding that the parties could dislodge the saffron combine if they got together.
Party position in some poll-bound corporations
Thane: Shiv Sena-BJP
Ulhasnagar: Shiv Sena & local front
Pune: NCP-Congress
Pimpri-Chinchwad: NCP
Nagpur: BJP-Shiv Sena

Somewhere in Paschimbanga....

2012-01-05T13:32:00.001+04:00

In Bengal, farmers have always been plagued by the issue of land acquisition. Villagers of Tentulia in Murshidabad, about 250 km from Kolkata, however, set an example by donating 5 acres of agricultural land to build a road. The road will connect Mahalandi with Tentulia. Villagers who do not possess land are trying to help by providing labour. Tentulia village under Mahalandi in Kandi was disconnected from the mainland because there was no road. Such was the situation, that during the rainy season, students of Mahalandi High School could not go to school because of the mud. “After repeated meeting with villagers for a year, everybody realized that if they donate some land, that would be better for the future generation. We called an all-party meeting and both Congress and Trinamool supporters took an initiative for the cause,” said Abu Siddiqui, CPM panchayat member. “We have become old and we have been facing communication problems since our childhood. We used to go to Mahalandi through Santhalpara, Giakhardaha and Ghatingdanga, which is about 10 km. Now, this road would be shortened to 6 km. So, I donated about 7 shatak land,” said Alauddin Sheikh, owner of 17 bighas of land. Small landowners also extended help in building the muchawaited road. Despite having only one bigha of land, Sarifa Bewa, a widow, donated 2 shatak land for the road. Small landowners Lalbabu Sheikh, Putan Sheikh and Rokina Bibi followed suit. Abu Bakkar Siddiqui, panchayat pradhan, Mahalandi-I, said, “We have decided upon one project for the road under NREGA. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 5.6 lakh.” Daily labourers Bulbuli Das and Matiur Rahman said, “We have no land to donate. So, we are donating labour. If poor and small farmers can donate land why we would be miserly to donate our efforts? So we joined.” Arjian Khatun, a Class-XII student of Mahalandi GC High School said, “In the rainy season we could not attend classes due to Tentulia’s location. After this road, everybody would be benefitted.”

The Kudankulam N-plant

2012-01-05T11:37:00.001+04:00

The Department of Atomic Energy has incurred a huge financial loss due to the delay in commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear power project. Apart from technical steps which have to be undertaken again due to stoppage of the work following protests by anti-nuclear activists at Idinthakkarai near Kudankulam, the department has incurred a huge loss, including interest on an investment of Rs 13,000 crore over the years, said DAE chairman Srikumar Banerjee, speaking to reporters at the 99th Science Congress in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Head of the DAE’s public awareness division S K Malhotra said, “Though the Fukushima disaster happened in March, hardly any protest was seen in the villages and the surrounding places, but a loud noise created by steam being ejected during the hot run changed the scenario and villagers panicked. But we almost convinced the villagers that the noise would be there only during trial run and once the project is commissioned, there will not be any noise at all. But slowly politics took over and the protesters gained an upper hand.” Since October, when the protests started, the plant has been incurring a loss of around Rs 4 crore a day because of non-operation of the plant, which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 14,000 crore. “Unit 1 of the plant would have become operational from December 2011 in the normal course and the plant would have started generating income by selling electricity. The plant is paying a huge amount towards interest and the total costs, including maintenance, comes to around Rs 4 crore a day,” said Malhotra. Banerjee said Kudankulam would eventually become another Tarapur in Maharashtra, which has emerged as an industrial hub after the country’s first nuclear reactor was set up in the fishing village. “Over a period of 40 years, Tarapur has emerged as an industrial hub and nuclear power has acted as a catalyst for the development of the entire area,” Banerjee said.

Cabinet clears missile deal

2012-01-05T10:56:00.000+04:00

India has cleared the Rs 6,600 crore acquisition of 490 French advanced missile systems to arm the Mirage-2000 fighter jets, which are being upgraded under a separate Rs 10,947 crore programme finalized in July, 2010. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cleared the contract for the fire-and-forget MICA (interception and aerial combat missiles) with French armament major MBDA on Wednesday. Sources say another major defence deal, the acquisition of 75 Swiss turboprop aircraft to train IAF rookie pilots for over Rs 3,000 crore, is likely to be cleared next week. IAF wants to induct the 75 Pilatus PC-7 basic trainers by 2013-14 since its 114 piston-engine HPT-32 aircraft have been grounded since August,2009 due to repeated engine failures, leading to training of pilots being truncated. The overall Mirage upgrade project cost will cross Rs 20,000 crore, and it will take over a decade to be completed. This has led to some criticism that it would probably have been better to go in for new fighters. Down to just 33-34 fighter squadrons (each has 16 to 18 jets) from a ‘sanctioned strength’ of 39.5, IAF is going for a mix of new inductions and upgrades to retain its operational readiness even as it phases out older MiG variants. Besides, India plans to induct 250-300 stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft co-developed with Russia from 2020 onwards, in what will be its biggest-ever defence project at around $ 35 billion.

Jana Gana Mana turns 100

2011-12-28T11:21:00.001+04:00

‘Jana Gana Mana’, the country’s national anthem penned by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, turned 100 on Tuesday as it was first sung on this day a century ago at the 1911 Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. Written in highly Sanskritised Bengali in 1911 by one of the greatest poets of the 21st century, the song has fired patriotism in every Indian during the Independence movement. The song was adopted as the country’s national anthem by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950. The anthem was first performed on December 27, 1911 at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta when the outfit was associated with the country’s independence movement. Rabindranath Tagore translated ‘Jana Gana Mana’ from Bengali to English in 1911 and also set it to music in Madanapalle, a small town in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army adopted Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem, while Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi had in 1946 said the “the song has found a place in our national life.” The song was selected as the national anthem of India in 1950

PM's statement on Lokpal

2011-12-28T10:33:00.001+04:00

“There are some very special moments in the life of a nation. This is one such moment. The nation awaits with bated breath how the collective wisdom of this House will be reflected in the vote at the end of the debate on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011.
The broad provisions of this Bill have been vigorously debated both in the public domain and by political parties. It is my honest belief that the Bill that is now before the House lives up to the promise that members of this House collectively made to the people of this country by way of the sense of the House at the end of the debate on 27th August, 2011. The task of legislation is very serious business and must eventually be performed by all of us who have been constitutionally assigned this duty. Others can persuade and have their voices heard. But the decision must rest with us. At the same time we must keep in mind the fact that corruption and its consequences eat into the body politic. We have seen how public anger has manifested itself in the last one year. Let us, therefore, endorse this Bill as proposed. In drafting this legislation we have had a wide range of consultations. We have been enriched by the wisdom of political parties and all shades of opinion have been taken into account.I wish to state that when my government was elected, we wanted our policies to be people-centric. We believe in transparent, open governance and the well-being of the aam aadmi is central to all our policy prescriptions. Our ideological commitment to ‘open governance’ led us to bring the Right to Information Act in 2005. To further our people-centric policies, we enacted the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, is evidence of our desire to empower the disadvantaged and marginalized. The National Rural Health Mission addresses the health concerns of the poor in the rural areas. We have attempted to rejuvenate our cities through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Rajiv Awas Yojana aims to provide housing to the poor and homeless in cities. The introduction of the National Food Security Bill, 2011, is yet another step to secure the poor and malnourished from the consequences of hunger and deprivation. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 seeks equity for the farmer and those deprived of livelihoods. We have tried to create a more egalitarian and inclusive India delivering the fruits of growth to the less privileged. That is and shall continue to be my government’s mission.
On corruption, our government like none before has taken decisive steps. In the last one year, we have been working on certain landmark legislations. The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011, is before this House. The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill, 2011, and the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, awaits your approval. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010, has already been cleared by the Standing Committee and awaits government’s consideration. The Electronic Delivery of Services Bill, 2011, is being introduced which will ensure that essential public services are electronically delivered at the doorstep of the citizen. These are landmark and unprecedented legislations. On the administrative side, our government seeks to streamline decision making consistent with the principles of transparency and accountability. We are formulating public policy measures on procurement. A Group of Ministers has recommended elimination of discretion in administrative matters where possible. This is work in progress. We began with the Right to Information Act. We will not end the fight against corruption with the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill.
We must embrace a holistic approach in our fight against corruption. Our laws must be all pervasive if we are genuine in our endeavour. Legal sophistry cannot be used to argue that State Legislatures must not adopt the model law proposed or delay its enforcement. Corruption is corruption whether in the Union or in the States. It has no legislative colour. I urge leaders of all parties to rise above partisan politics to demonstrate to the people of India that this House means business in its effort to combat corruption. All of us are party to the resolution reflecting the sense of the House in which we committed to establish Lokayuktas in the States along with the Lokpal. We would be in breach of the promise that this House made to the nation if we do not provide for the mechanism of the Lokayuktas by taking recourse to citing articles of the Constitution as impediments. Such a course of action should not derail the sense of the House. I urge my colleagues in Parliament to rise to the occasion and look beyond politics to pass this law.
The Central Government is responsible for providing a limited number of public services directly to the citizen. The real problem lies in the domain of State Governments where theaam aadmi feels the pinch of petty corruption on a daily basis. It is for this reason that Group C and Group D employees have been brought within the ambit of Lokayuktas in States. Local as well as State authorities are charged with providing essential services to the common man. It is here that the bane of corruption needs to be combated. Water, electricity, municipal services, land records, policing, transport, ration shops are but a few examples of essential services provided by State and Local authorities that affect the life of the aam aadmi. Setting up of Lokayuktas in States will go a long way in addressing the sense of frustration that is reflected in the anger that we see around us.
Even the major flagship schemes of the Central government are implemented by public functionaries working under the state government. Everyday in this and the other House, Members express their disillusionment with the way our Central schemes are implemented by States. We need to remedy this. Unless Lokayuktas are put in place, the cancer of corruption will spread. Let us not delay the issue any further. Federalism cannot be an impediment in the war against corruption.
We believe that the CBI should function without interference through any government dictat. But no institution and no individual, howsoever high he may be, should be free from accountability. All institutional structures must be consistent with our Constitution. Today we are given to believe that a Government that is directly elected by the people and accountable to it cannot be trusted but a body that will not derive its legitimacy from the people directly or be accountable to it could be trusted to wield its immense powers with honour and trust. No entity should be created inconsistent with our constitutional framework and charged with onerous executive responsibilities without any accountability. In the ultimate analysis, all institutions within the framework of the Constitution are accountable to Parliament and Parliament alone. In our enthusiasm to enact this law we must not falter. I believe that the CBI should function independently of the Lokpal. I also believe that the CBI should function independently of the Government. But independence does not mean absence of accountability. We have, therefore, proposed a process of appointment of the CBI Director which involves the prime minister, the Chief Justice of India or his nominee and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. None should have doubts about the integrity of this process. As far as the issue of CBI functioning under the Lokpal is concerned, my Government believes that this would create an executive structure outside Parliament which is accountable to none. This is anathema to sound constitutional principles. I believe that the Bill which is now before the House contains a judicious blend of functional autonomy and accountability of the CBI. I am sure that the wisdom of this House will rise to support my government’s proposal as reflected in this Bill.
In the course of this debate, the bureaucracy has been at the receiving end. While I agree that public functionaries must be above board and that delinquents must be dealt with expeditiously and decisively, I must express my deep appreciation for many a public servant who have shown exemplary integrity in discharging their functions in an environment of distrust. I don’t think all public functionaries need to be painted with the same brush just as all politicians should not be presumed to be corrupt. We must not throw the baby out with the bath water. Without a functional, efficient administrative system, no government can deliver for its people. Let us not supplant the system with one in which the public servants will hesitate to fearlessly record what they think and in that process endanger the very soul of good governance. In judging the conduct of public servants, we must not lose sight of the need to distinguish genuine and honest mistakes in the discharge of their duties from patently illegal acts. Very often our public servants have to take decisions under conditions of uncertainty. The future being inherently uncertain, it is possible that an action which ex ante appears to be rational may ex post turn out to be faulty. Our systems of reward and punishment must not lose sight of this fact.
All systems of governance must be based on trust. It is the people’s trust that we in government reflect and protect. Rampant distrust of all authority imperils the foundations of democracy. Our polity with its enormous size and diversity can only be held together when we put our faith and trust in institutions that we have carefully built over the years. The power of the electorate is the ultimate authority which brings accountability to our democratic institutions. In endangering democracy, we will only be unleashing the forces of chaos where reason will give way to emotion.
We are creating something for the future in response to the inadequacies of the present. We have to be mindful of the pitfalls when we look into the future. Let us not create something that will destroy all that we cherish – all in the name of combating corruption. Let us remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
We, as the representatives of the people, must act now to start yet another journey to rebuild the trust that is essential for a strong and vibrant India.”

Lok Sabha passes Lokpal bill

2011-12-28T10:10:00.002+04:00

After a wait of 43 years and an intense 11 hour debate that lasted almost till the stroke of the midnight hour, the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill was passed by Lok Sabha by a voice vote after government agreed to 10 amendments. It also secured passage of the Whistleblowers Bill. But a legislation designed to confer constitutional status on the anti- corruption watchdog fell through, as the government failed to secure two-thirds support for it – prompting finance minister Pranab Mukheree to lament “a sad day for India, a sad day for democracy”. At least 15 Congress members and close to a dozen belonging to UPA allies were not present at the time of voting, contributing to the defeat of the idea first proposed by Rahul Gandhi—who had termed it a “game-changer”—in August. The government needed an aye vote from 288 out of the 432 members present in the House. It could manage only 249, though there were 275 members present in the Lok Sabha in the morning. The defeat led BJP leader Yashwant Sinha to demand that the government quit as it had lost moral authority. “Say bye, not aye,’’ he quipped. The government was able to get the bill itself through thanks to its accommodative stance and the surprise decision of BSP, Samajwadi Party and RJD not to participate in voting: something which brought down the effective strength of the House and eased the task of the government’s managers to rustle up the necessary numbers. The Constitution (116th Amendment ) Bill, 2011 was crafted to give effect to Rahul Gandhi’s proposal that the proposed ombudsman should have a constitutional status. The Congress general secretary’s suggestion had led Parliament’s standing committee to recommend it although the issue was not on Team Anna’s “wish list”.
KEY AMENDMENTS
Lokayuktas in states will not be notified without the consent of state assemblies
Instead of three-fourths of the nine-member Lokpal needing to approve an inquiry against PM, the approval of twothirds will now be required.
Approval made less stringent
Armed Forces excluded from purview of Lokpal. They are covered under specific statutes as also civilian and criminal laws
Parts of Section 24 giving presiding officers of legislatures power to act against members on the basis of a Lokpal or Lokayukta report for corruption deleted. This means action cannot be taken before trial

Core grows 6.8% in November

2011-12-27T10:41:00.002+04:00

The infrastructure sector has provided a rare sonorous note in a cacophony of mostly grim recent official data releases, expanding by a higher-than-expected 6.8% in November and boosting hopes that industrial production may bounce back from the sharp contraction in October. The combined output rise of eight core industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — was the highest in four months, and also sharply higher than the annual growth of 3.7% in November last year, data released on Monday showed. Industrial production growth in October fell 5.1%, the lowest in 31 months, and triggered a raft of GDP downgrades, with some forecasters going as far as lowering their growth estimates for fiscal year 2011-12 to less than 7%.

India & Japan

2011-12-27T10:21:00.002+04:00

India remains uncertain about the resumption of its own negotiations for civil nuclear cooperation with Tokyo. Ahead of Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda’s visit to India on Tuesday for the 6th annual India-Japan summit, officials said the issue would be taken up in Noda’s meeting with his counterpart Manmohan Singh. India had held three rounds of negotiations with Japan for civil nuclear cooperation but these were suspended after the Fukushima disaster. The last time India and Japan held discussions for civil nuclear agreement was in November, 2010. India-Japan civil nuclear cooperation is important also for the US as it would lift nuclear and high-tech export controls and enable major US suppliers like GE and Westinghouse, who have either Japanese owners or partners, to carry out nuclear commerce with India. In December, Diet approved bilateral agreements for civil nuclear cooperation with four countries – Russia,South Korea, China and Vietnam. While this is being looked upon a positive sign, there are still doubts over whether this would translate into renewal of negotiations with India, a non-NPT signatory. The Japanese would critically examine whether India had fulfilled all its commitments made before NSG in September, 2008, that helped it acquire a waiver for carrying out nuclear commerce. Indian officials are hoping that Noda’s enthusiasm, despite public criticism, in overturning his predecessor Naoto Kan's policy to discourage nuclear exports after Fukushima would also translate into renewal of civil nuclear talks with New Delhi. Japanese foreign minister Koichiro Gemba said in a statement before the foreign affairs committee of Diet’s House of Representatives that Japan was also looking at finalizing similar agreements with India and four other countries — Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and UAE.