Think India Foundation

Citizens urge PMC to save demand restoration of Devnadi

PUNE: Citizens of Baner and Balewadi led by the Baner Area Sabha, Aundh Vikas Manch, Bavdhan Area Sabha and Jal Biradari on Friday organised a candlelight march on Baner road -- from Ganraj Karyalaya (Devnadi) to Symantec (Ramnadi) -- demanding an end to the corruption of public utilities and exploitation of spaces in Baner and Balewadi. They demanded immediate implementation of all the resolutions that the Baner Area Sabha submitted to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) since August 2010, and immediate halt of all works on the Devnadi. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

Delhi will face water crisis during summer

 

WITH THE temperature rising, Delhi stares at a water crisis. Recently, a newspaper reported that water projects have got stuck, and Delhi would be facing yet another water crisis during summer. The capital city is entirely dependent upon its neighboring states for water.

 

Since the two projects may not be completed, officials have started advocating water conservation measures. Read more

Source: merinews.com

 

 

Howrah remains an area of darkness

Howrah is a crowd. Despite all the tall claims, all the real estate and all the thriving business, Howrah town remains the child of apathy. It's a wounded town. Despite being called twin cities and connected by four bridges, two of which are considered landmarks in engineering, Howrah is all but a cousin of Kolkata. The Howrah railway station, two national highways (NH 2 and NH 6) the Botanic Garden, Bengal Engineering and Science University et al have not been able to elevate the status of Howrah from town to a metropolis.

The town, which was once called the Sheffield of eastern India for its small-scale steel industries, especially the foundries, has lost that glory. All these factories were located on Belilious Road, Bantra, Bally, Liluah and Jagachha. But most of them wound up over the years and the workers shifted to other trades. Read more

Source: hindustantimes.com

Odisha Govt. to commission Infovalley project by 2012

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is going to set up a world class Infocity-II Project in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode at Pitapalli Near Khurda to be commissioned by December 2012.

The proposed Infocity-II is to be known as Infovalley would come up in 500 acres of land as an integrated knowledge township under SEZ regime for which serious promotional efforts are on to attract reputed IT companies, IT secretary, Pradeep Kumar Jena told reporters here on Friday. Read more

Source: orissadiary.com

Pratham Houston raises USD 700,000 for literacy in India

Pratham Houston, non-profit organisation in the US has raised USD 700,000 to help achieve its mission of providing universal quality education for the millions of children, still illiterate in India.

Around 750 Indian-Americans attended the Pratham Houston fundraising event in which the money was raised for its mission which is to "Imagine an India where every child can read". Read more

Source: indianexpress.com

 

Utility-scale solar driving demand for energy storage

The demand for high-energy-density batteries is expected to surge to meet the needs of the growing number of utility-scale solar plants, and revenues for high-energy-density batteries for solar power storage are expected to reach $763 million by 2016, according to a new report from NanoMarkets.

Solar power plants are already being heavily promoted by large solar panel firms in anticipation of lowered photovoltaic (PV) subsidies for consumers, the report says, and the solar energy industry is expected to use $953 million in energy-storage systems in 2016, rising to $1.5 billion in 2018. Read more

Source: renewgridmag.com

Low floor buses to ply in Gurgaon from April 30

GURGAON: Get ready to commute in swanky low-floor buses in Gurgaon from this weekend. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and transport department will start an inter-city bus service in Gurgaon. 

The bus-service will cover several HUDA sectors of the city. Earlier, the plan for a bus service was gathering dust in a government department even though the HUDA had shelled out Rs 6 crore to the transport department in 2007 to make this project a reality. After a delay of over four years, the project will finally roll out in the city from April 30. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Upwardly mobile plan for Gurgaon

Drawing inspiration from the national Capital, the integrated mobility plan prepared by the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for Gurgaon envisages a major shift to public transport by 2031, when the population is estimated to touch the 43-lakh mark. By the next decade, Gurgaon will have a ring road, outer ring road and 74 kms of bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor which is expected to be ready by 2016.

Keeping in tune with the growing population and traffic volume, the vision document plans a major revamp to strengthen the road network. Read more

Source: hindustantimes.com

 

DMRC MD inspects proposed Faridabad Metro corridor

New Delhi: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director E. Sreedharan Friday inspected the proposed alignment of the Metro line to connect the national capital with Faridabad in neighbouring Haryana, an official said.

"Sreedhran's inspection took place days after an empowered committee of the urban development ministry approved the project. The proposal now has to be approved by a empowered group of ministers," DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said. Read more

Source: mangalorean.com

 

Gujarat Govt. may set cut off date for regularizing buildings

AHMEDABAD: The impact fee for regularising illegal constructions is likely to be based on old jantri rates which were applicable before April 1 this year. Sources in the urban development department said that governor Dr Kamla wanted the state government to decide the cutoff date for regularizing illegal structures. The proposed bill allowed every illegal construction even in future to be regularized. 

"If this was what the governor suggests, then the bill will be tabled in the state assembly again and till then the sealing drive will continue", said a source. However officials in the department said that they were ready with the provisions. Once the bill was signed they would immediately bring out a notification and announce the specific rules. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Govt. land dearer in Gujarat

Buying government land has just became dearer in or around Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and other urban centres in the state, with the Revenue Department coming out with a new price fixation policy for its land or the land the state government intends to acquire.

A Government Resolution (GR) dated April 26, 2011 says that “in 2008, the government replaced the 2002 price fixation policy, which was mainly related to urban areas only. However, many discrepancies were spotted... and need was felt for a new policy for price fixation of the government land”. Read more

Source: indianexpress.com

 

Gujarat has highest Internet Common service centers

Gujarat is the leading state when it comes to rolling out new Common Service Centers, with as many as 13,695 CSCs being set-up as on February 2011, 100 percent roll out, and none of them shut down, MediaNama has learned via a Right To Information request filed with the Department of Information Technology. Trailing behind Gujarat were Uttar Pradesh with 9032 centers, albeit with only around half of the planned CSCs operational, and Madhya Pradesh with 8850, again with 95.86% rollout completed.

Common Service Centers, which are part of the government’s National e-governance plan allow citizens in rural areas to access e-governance services and more, including access and submit information such as birth certificate, Internet access, e-Learning, electricity bill collection, BSNL bill collection, mobile top ups, railway reservation, LIC premium collection, e-Commerce, etc. They are also acting as banking correspondents. Read more

Source: medianama.com

 

Passport rush at tier-2 cities

BANGALORE: It's a mad race out there for getting that coveted passport. And it's not just urban folk but citizens from tier-2 cities too who are flocking to passport offices. Sample this: Mangalore gets 375 applications per day while Hubli and Gulbarga together get around 300 applications a day. 

"We do not know the exact reasons. It could be because those from tier-2 cities now have more work opportunities abroad. Naturally, the requirement for skilled labour abroad, especially in the Middle East, will go up,'' regional passport officer N S Srinivasa told TOI. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pearl Paradise residents of Bangalore on sticky ground

The middle-class may be all out in support of the proposed Jan Lokpal Bill to curb corruption, but residents of Pearl Paradise layout, a much-favoured destination of city techies, would be at the receiving end of an inquiry by the Lokayukta. Lokayukta Justice N Santhosh Hegde has directed the urban development department/BDA to withdraw the approval of the Pearl Paradise layout in Kempapura. The Lokayukta, who had taken up an inquiry into alleged encroachments, has recently come out with a report that has put the town planning director in the dock for approving the layout despite violations. Read more

Source: bangaloremirror.com

Mumbai to get first stainless steel local

In 2002, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) toyed with the idea of a fully stainless steel train.

A tender was floated, but when Bombardier the only bidder submitted its quotation, the plan was shelved for being too costly. But the dream is finally back on track.

With its shell and floor made of stainless steel, the new train will be

corrosion free

Now about a decade later on April 27 MRVC managing director PC Sehgal visited the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai to iron out formalities for building Mumbai's first all-stainless steel train. Read more

Source: mumbaimirror.com

Mortgage fee on new projects may be scrapped in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: In what may come as a huge relief to city developers, the municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) department of Andhra Pradesh, in consent with the stamps & registrations department, has now proposed to scrap the one per cent mortgage fee levied on builders undertaking new projects. While an official announcement on the matter is still awaited, industry sources claim that revenue officials have decided to roll back the charges following repeated representations from local developers' associations. 

As per the existing norm, all builders developing properties are mandated to keep 10 per cent of their built up area as mortgage (this portion cannot be put up for sale) with the municipal body till the completion of the project. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian newlyweds offered cash to delay having children

SATARA - While countries like Japan, Canada and Australia hand out "baby bonuses" to encourage people to have children, couples in one part of India are getting cash to do just the opposite.

Children look out from a window of the house in

Shendurjane village, near the town of Wai in Satara

district, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from

Mumbai on January 11, 2011.

Photo courtesy: AFP

Maharashtra state is paying newlyweds a so-called "honeymoon" bonus to delay starting a family, with the twin aims of slowing population growth and improving women's health. Read more

Source: mysinchew.com

 

CRZ parameters of Kudankulam project to be reviewed

New Delhi: A day after a Government panel held back approval for four nuclear reactors to be set up in Tamil Nadu's Kudankulam, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said all the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) parameters of the project will be reviewed. "All CRZ parameters of the Kudankulam project will be reviewed," Ramesh said reacting to a question on the media reports that the Ministry panel has held back the approval saying disposing of water into the sea may affect marine life. According to the reports, the panel's decision was also influenced by the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan where the nuclear reactors have been affected due to an unprecedented tsunami preceded by high magnitude earthquake. Read more

Source: ibnlive.in.com

 

World's future is a crowded place

Later this year, the world will mark a population milestone with the birth of its 7 billionth citizen. Statistically, that baby is likely to be a boy, delivered in a rural area of India, the country with the highest number of births a year - about one in five of all arrivals.

The planet's population peak is still some way off; another 2 billion or even 3 billion will have been added by mid-century. However, the 9 billionth or 10 billionth person is more likely be born in a city, and in a very different world, although still in a developing country. These numbers raise many issues. The environment is already feeling the strain of global warming. With oil, gas and water pushed to their limits, and close to a billion people going hungry every day, the big question is how the planet will support these extra billions. Read more

Source: smh.com.au

India's mobile subscriber base touches 811.59 mn

Mumbai: The number of mobile phone subscribers in India rose to 811.59 million in March with the addition of 20.21 million connections, official data shows.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the wireless user base grew 2.55 percent, from 791.38 million in February.

While the share of urban subscribers declined to 66.30 percent from 66.36 percent, the share of rural subscribers increased from 33.64 percent to 33.70 percent, the report said Friday. Read more

Source: mangalorean.com

 

For sustainability, existing cities must forge their own green future

So the green city of the future already has a name: it's called Mumbai or London, New York or Lagos. And if we can't transform our existing urban areas into something approaching sustainability, then we are, frankly, stuffed. These don't have the luxury of starting from scratch – let alone doing so with a budget funded by years of oil revenue.

But there is a huge amount that can be done. A lot of this consists of boring old efficiency techniques, from lagging lofts to reusing greywater. These can save far more resources than can ever be generated by covering roofs in solar PV – sensible though that is. But there could be shiny new tech too – for example, laser-guided "shoals" of driverless travel pods, running on a fraction of the power used by today's electric vehicles, could replace the noisy chaos of traffic jammed streets. Read more

Source: guardian.co.uk

 

Obsession with physical appearance on rise amongst college going crowd

New Delhi: A study undertaken by the ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation (ASDF), has revealed that youngsters in the age group of 12-25 years are using diet pills, fat burners, fasting, resorting to self-induced vomiting etc. in order to stay slim and look attractive.
 
They are deeply influenced by modern lifestyles together with ubiquitous show of a perfect 10 figure and airbrushed faces in advertisements & pictures of ramp models, film/sports personalities etc. in newspapers, magazines etc, says ASSOCHAM study. Read more

Source: indiaeducationdiary.in

Land proves major roadblock in building transport infrastructure in Maharashtra

Acquiring land and resettling affected families are the major obstacles in building transport infrastructure in Maharashtra, a panel of experts opined on Thursday. Experts from the field of infrastructure and transport were speaking at the Golden Maharashtra Exhibition and Seminar that was inaugurated at the MMRDA grounds in Bandra-Kurla Complex.

According to them, transport infrastructure in Maharashtra will get a boost only if implementation of projects matches the need of the people. And for that quick solutions to hurdles must be found. "Several infrastructure projects such as roads in Nagpur, link roads in Mumbai and intercity road networks are being developed, but their implementation is so slow that it will become hard to attract investments," said panelist Susanto Sen, practice head, infrastructure, TATA Strategic Management Group. Read more

Source: hindustantimes.com

 

Decks cleared for Mumbai monorail car shed

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will change the horse tabela (stable) reservation at Mahalaxmi Racecourse for the construction of the underground metro and monorail parking shed at Mahalaxmi. The corporation will bring the change of reservation proposal in BMC’s improvements committee meeting soon.

According to senior civic officials, the state government’s urban development department has written to the BMC asking to clear all hurdles pertaining to the metro and monorail projects for its early execution. “The MMRDA has asked us to waive the octroi and property tax, and clear illegal construction on the land where the metro route will come up,” he said. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

SPARC of hope for Mumbai airport rehabilitation plan

The state government’s ambitious claim that the rehabilitation of slumdwellers squatting on airport land will be underway in 2011 is now not only set to keel over, but the project is also returning to the starting line. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has now roped in an NGO to restart the process of enumerating slumdwellers.

MMRDA officials confirmed that the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), earlier involved in the rehabilitation and resettlement component of the World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), will soon deploy its team to identify, record and enumerate the estimated 80,000 families squatting on 276 acres of the severely land-starved Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). Read more

Source: indianexpress.com

 

US firm to design Pune convention centre

An agreement has been signed between the Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre (PIECC) management and an American architecture firm, Alliance-BBG, on Wednesday at Mumbai to design the Rs 600 crore PIECC project.

The agreement was signed during a meeting involving the divisional commissioner and Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA) president Dilip Band, chief executive officer of PCNTDA Suhas Divase, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Ashish Sharma and officials of the state urban department. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

Gardanibagh in Bihar likely to be redeveloped

PATNA: The Planning Commission has okayed the proposal to redevelop the state capital's oldest government residential colony - Gardanibagh - which covers an area of 276 acres. Bihar's building construction department has already got a re-development plan prepared. The redevelopment plan would be executed in public private partnership (PPP) mode. 

Currently most of the single-storied government bungalows in the area are in bad shape. A large number of bungalows are illegally occupied. These government bungalows are mainly meant for class two and three government employees. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Innovative power generation methods

A LEAFY VILLAGE in Kerala, Pathanpara, never found access to India’s electricity grid. That is why for the last several years, this village has been generating its own electricity.

Raju, a dhoti-clad cashew nut farmer, operates Pathanpara’s five kilowatt (KW) micro hydropower plant. He lives in the village and earns a salary of Rs 2,250, paid by the People’s Electricity Committee (PEC). The power generated is shared equally by the village, following a code of conduct laid down by the PEC. 

Further north, in Bihar’s Tanuka village, the midnight kerosene lamps have been replaced by fluorescent light bulbs. This became possible when a start-up that calls itself Husk Power Systems designed a technology to generate power using rice husk, available in abundance in the village and usually discarded after rice is harvested. When heated, the rice husk releases gas that can be used to power electric generators. Read more

Source: tehelka.com

 

AP CM says funds no problem for education

Hyderabad: The Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that funds will not be a problem as far as education is concerned. He asked the officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for the funds requirement for school buildings, toilet blocks and other infrastructure and said that necessary funds will be mobilized and released on a priority basis. He asked the Education Department, primary, secondary and Intermediate to take immediate steps to recruit teachers wherever necessary.

He said recruitment of teachers should be speeded up by all agencies. He has also positively responded for lifting the ban on recruitment of teachers in aided colleges under certain norms and conditions. Read more

Source: indiaeducationdiary.in

JK CM visits Jagti township

Jammu – J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today visited Jagti Township to take stock of the shifting of migrant families to the newly constructed complex.

Minister for Revenue, Raman Bhalla, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Nasir Aslam Wani, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Commissioner Secretary Revenue, Ajaz Iqbal, Relief Commissioner, Vinod Koul were present on the occasion. Read more

Source: groundreport.com

 

Concrete roadmap on urban infrastructure to come up

NEW DELHI: Urban Development minister Kamal Nath has asked the expert group on urban infrastructure and services led by economist Isher Ahluwalia to revisit its report and come up with a concrete roadmap to help the government implement its recommendations. 

Though the ministry appreciates the committee's new ideas - such as allowing some 'exclusive' taxes to be collected by urban bodies and encouraging smaller cities to raise finances in a pooled manner - it would like ground-level action plans for translating them into reality. Read more

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Birds flew away from Pashan lake due to human interference

PUNE: Till five years ago, around this time, thousands of water birds, including migratory birds, would flock to Pashan lake. But today, the number of visitors has come down to a few hundreds.

Ornithologists and experts attribute this change to human interference that has been taking place around the lake over the years. Besides, the lake, at present, is covered with Pistia or Water Lettuce, an invasive exotic aquatic plant, indicating pollution in water body. Read more

Source: articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

Mumbai's morning walkers take to the mall

MUMBAI - It's 6:30 am and the Inorbit shopping mall in Mumbai has already been open for an hour and a half. But it's not shoppers who are using the deserted aisles and the empty car park outside.

Indian woman walks across the car parking area

of the Inorbit Mall early morning in Mumbai.

Photo courtesy: AFP

Every morning, groups of walkers and even the occasional runner descend on the 364,000 square feet (34,000 square metre) centre in the northern suburb of Malad to exercise before the rest of the city wakes up. Read more

Source: mysinchew.com

 

UP ready with draft plan on climate change

The Uttar Pradesh government is ready with its draft action plan on climate change. A German government-owned corporation, GTZ, has formulated the draft plan and submitted it to the state’s Environment Department.

After approval from the chief secretary, the draft plan will be finalised and sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Environment officials said the action plan will be executed in the next 10 to 15 years under eight missions set by the Prime Minister. These missions include National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Water Mission, National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, National Mission for a Green India, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge. Read more

Source: indianexpress.com

 

Bill regularising illegal buildings awaits Gujarat Governor's nod

The impact fee revenues generated by regularising unauthorised constructions will be used for infrastructure development in the state, a senior government functionary said on Wednesday. He also said that the bill for regularising such constructions was awaiting the nod of the governor.

"The Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Bill, 2011, which will pave the way for regularisation of lakhs of unauthorised constructions, has been sent to the governor for her approval," urban development minister Nitin Patel told reporters. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

Carbon dioxide emissions from cell towers up by 52% since 1994

The burning issue of cellphone radiation that poses health hazards seems not to have caught the attention of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). For, a proposed policy report by the regulator just focuses on reducing CO2 emissions.

The report recommends going green and targets reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from telecom towers that contribute to more than 1% of the country’s total CO2 emissions. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

Urban complex has HUDA hooked

PANCHKULA: After the success story of Aerocity, Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) is now busy demarcating three sectors under the upcoming project of Kalka-Pinjore Urban Complex. The layout of sectors 27, 28, 30 will be completed by May end. After this, HUDA will invite applications for residential, commercial and institutional plots. 

Earlier, HUDA had reportedly targeted to launch the plot scheme in March, but it could not make it as litigation was going on over a number of land pieces. HUDA has already taken possession of 465 acres of land where the new sectors would be developed. A team ' comprising estate officer, chief town and country planning officer, architects and engineers ' is working on the project. Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

66% in Delhi's slums malnourished

NEW DELHI: Beyond the glitz and glamour of the nation's capital, there's a dark underbelly - where thousands of children go to sleep hungry everyday. Statistics show that at least two-thirds children under the age of six in Delhi's slums are malnourished - the shocking reality of a nation growing at the rate of 8%. And according to the Situational Analysis of Young Children in Delhi Report, 2010, 66% children under six in Delhi's slums barely surive on crumbs. 

The condition of these kids has further worsened with poor facilities provided by government-funded schemes like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Read more

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Families with low salaries have malnourished children: CRY

New Delhi : Malnourishment and poverty are two inter-related phenomenon hampering India's growth and a majority of families with malnourished children do not earn basic minimum wages, according to a report by NGO Child Rights and You (CRY).

"The families which have malnourished children are mostly those which do not earn minimum wages," CRY director Yogita Verma said here Thursday.

A study by CRY and its partner organisations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, shows that most malnourishment cases occur among the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes. Read more

Source: twocircles.net

 

Realtors find help on pruning clearances

Union minister for urban development Kamal Nath on Thursday said the number of approvals a developer has to get will have to be cut down for faster and more efficient property development in the country.

Speaking at the inaugural session of Credai’s (Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India) 11th Natcon (National Convention) summit here, he welcomed the apex body’s new initiative, ‘Mission Transparency’, which among other things calls for a single window clearance for real estate projects. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

Earth Infra to invest Rs. 750 cr in Haryana

Earth Infrastructures Ltd has announced its entry in Gurgaon, Haryana with an investment of Rs. 750 Crores in the residential and commercial projects. Gurgaon now has undoubtedly and increasingly the most affluent and educated segment of people moving into the city. This is the company's first project in the state. This upcoming project in Gurgaon is a symbol of lifestyle statement which is creating a paradise for modern living. It is designed by the Spanish architect firm, Cervera & Pioz.

The architects Maria Rosa Cervera and Javier G. Pioz have won the international Golden Global Award, granted by a panel of twenty-five renowned architects and academics from India and Southeast Asia. They are the first Spaniards to win this award for their research in Bionics and its application in international architecture. Read more

Source: constructionweekonline.in

1,500 kids in Mankhurd, Govandi slums are drug addicts

Mumbai: This is just a glimpse of the city’s ugly underbelly. A civic body survey of the slums in Govandi and Mankhurd, where almost 90 per cent of slum dwellers are rehabilitated, reveal children there start smoking, consuming alcohol and sniffing glue and drugs by the time they are seven.

A team of 12 doctors from civic hospitals interviewed 1,500 children from around 300 families. Almost every kid indulged in substance abuse, and suffered various ailments. Read more

Source: mumbaimirror.com

TRAI's latest proposals may lower call rates

NEW DELHI: Telecom regulator TRAI has fired the starting gun on radical changes in the mobile sector by proposing deep cuts in charges paid by operators to each other, a move that could lower tariffs for consumers but worsen the rancour in a deeply divided industry. 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Thursday set the ball rolling on its review of so-called "interconnect charges", seeking views from mobile operators on a range of proposals that even include the possibility of doing away with call termination charges. Read more

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Cabinet approves Rs. 417 cr. for malaria control in NE India

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs - Thursday approved an intensified malaria control project at an estimated cost of Rs.417.22 crore - for seven northeast states in the country.

The CCEA cleared the health ministry proposal for Intensified Malaria Control Project-II - for seven northeast states - under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme - with support from Global Fund for AIDS, TB and malaria. Read more

Source: nerve.in

UP clears Phase II of Yamuna E-way

Pushing ahead with its largest urbanisation project, the UP government has given the go-ahead for development planning of Phase II of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. Final touches are being given to the conceptual draft plan of Phase I.

Bangalore-based Groupe SCE India Pvt Ltd, which made the plan for Phase I, has been hired as consultant for Phase II as well. Read more

Source: indianexpress.com

 

Disaster body cautions Haryana Govt.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asked the Haryana government to carry out all construction projects as per its guidelines. The state government should have its website where useful information related to disaster management must be uploaded for the general public, the NDMA joint secretary Amit Jha said at a workshop held at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) in Gurgaon on Wednesday.

It was only recently that the state government issued the first Draft Disaster Manage-ment Plan - 30 years after urbanisation started. Gurgaon has about 1,000 high-rise towers, the highest being 90-metre tall with 25 floors. Read more

Source: hindustantimes.com

 

Sex-selective abortions rise in India

For centuries, sons have been preferred over daughters in India. But now the desire for a boy coupled with medical technology has led to a rise in illegal sex-selective abortions.

India's 2011 census shows that the gender ratio of children younger than 6 has declined to 914 girls for every 1,000 boys as compared to 927 in 2001.

The decline in the number of girls is the steepest since India gained independence in 1947. Read more

Source: aolnews.com

Indian children are sleep-deprived

Children in India are deprived of at least three to four hours of sleep daily, when compared to their Caucasian counterparts, according to a recent sleep analysis conducted in Delhi urban by Asia Pacific Paediatric Sleep Alliance (APPSA).

Experts say that in Bangalore alone, about 25% of the children are deprived of a proper sleep, in comparison to those from the rest of the country. Read more

Source: dnaindia.com

 

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation fund bold ideas to improve lives

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced 88 new winners ofUS$100,000 each to support innovative research that has the potential to dramatically improve lives in some of the world's poorest countries. The funding, made possible through the Grand Challenges Exploration (GCE) program, will enable researchers worldwide to test unorthodox ideas that address persistent health and development challenges.

"One bold idea is all it takes to catalyze new approaches to global health and development," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of Global Health at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  "Despite the progress in global health and development, we vitally need creative ideas to discover and deliver life-saving vaccines, eradicate the next disease or slow the spread of preventable diseases," he continued. Read more

Source: prnewswire.com

 

A $300 idea that is priceless

Last year Vijay Govindarajan, of Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, along with Christian Sarkar, a marketing expert, issued a challenge in a Harvard Business Reviewblog: why not apply the world’s best business thinking to housing the poor? Why not replace the shacks that blight the lives of so many poor people, thrown together out of cardboard and mud, and prone to collapsing or catching fire, with more durable structures? They laid down a few simple guidelines. The houses should be built of mass-produced materials tough enough to protect their inhabitants from a hostile world. They should be equipped with the basics of civilised life, including water filters and solar panels. They should be “improvable”, so that families can adapt them to their needs. And they should cost no more than $300. Read more

Source: economist.com