Think India Foundation

Mothers against flu

Actor Raveena Tandon launches Sanofi Pasteur’s social media initiative to bring about awareness of influenza

Off late many companies have decided to generate medical awareness through social networking sites and the latest to join in is Sanofi Pasteur, which launched their facebook page Mothers Against Flu. Joining them in their endeavour was actress Raveena Tandon.

This social media initiative, hopes to unite mothers from different parts of the country with a single objective – to protect their children from the flu virus by creating awareness about the steps they can take to protect against and prevent flu. Read more

  

 

Source : timeswellness.com

 

Cabinet shoots down bill to regulate sports bodies

NEW DELHI: A proposal to regulate national sports federations was overwhelmingly rejected by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday with several ministers criticizing the sports development bill as deeply flawed and designed to vest sweeping powers in the sports ministry.

The resistance to the bill moved by sports minister Ajay Maken was almost unanimous, with opponents citing reasons ranging from its provisions being too intrusive and omnibus to poor timing when a fresh government foray into the domain of sports bodies would not be appreciated. Read more

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

AP government owes Rs 228 crore to APSPDCL

TIRUPATI: The state government has to pay Rs 227.65 crore arrears to Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL ) as on July 31, 2011.

The power company, which never thinks twice before imposing fine and disconnecting power when the common man fails to pay the electricity bill has remained a mute spectator when the government departments fail to pay the bills. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Kohima woes! capital shift?

As one travel down town during peak hours from BOC to High school junction, the excruciating traffic woes (sum of all woes) amidst the horrific worn out road is too acquainted to elaborate further for anybody who visited Kohima which is not quite a sight to savor. But that is just one woes of Kohima known more for hard life it offers than a capital.

Kohima, a naturally beautiful god gifted piece of land would have been a slice of heaven on earth if equally reciprocated by human action. But unfortunately this is not so & Kohima could undoubtedly be the worst capital in the country with little or no town planning. Infact Kohima road is a perfect example of police state where roads are just enough for security personnel, ministers, VIPs, etc to pass through for defense and policing rather than for the welfare or convenience of the citizen. Monsoon comes & roads are washed away or ditched and potholed at every stretched, dry season arrive & its full of dust. Added to the woes are scarcity of water, housing, exorbitant cost of living, et.etc. the list go on. the only main lifeline, national highway could afford to be blocked not for week, but months together with no means to withstand the same at a time when people in other part of the world are contemplating of damming & diverting rivers like Brahmaputra unhindered by mountainous & rough terrain for thousand of Km. Living in a country of world 4th largest economy (India) yet with a capital so pathetic as Kohima is a narcissistic self pity. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

The great land rush

The Indian entrepreneurial and middle classes have fuelled a great land rush, even land grab, all over the country, causing acrimony and heartburn, at times even bloodshed. Over the past decade, farmers have been pressured to part with fertile multi-crop land for industrial, urban development and infrastructure projects, triggering fears that crony capitalism is becoming the virtual law of the land.

Special Economic Zones which gave promoters mega land banks for commercial profiteering were a scandal, but mercifully faltered before public wrath. In this writer’s view, agricultural land must never be alienated in the interests of the nation’s long-term food security. Contemporary market rates, however high, can never compensate for loss of fertile land for a factory that may shut down, while farmer families fritter their so-called gains on non-remunerative items. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

R&R burden on private builders will hit aam aadmi - CREDAI NCR

Strongly opposing the Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) burden on private builders, Mr. Pankaj Bajaj, President, CREDAI NCR today said that this will badly hurt the realty sector and urban development, apart from practically ending the dream of affordable housing, as the provisions of the Land Acquisition Bill will make homes for the common man much more costlier.

New Delhi, U.P. - Strongly opposing the Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) burden on private builders, Mr. Pankaj Bajaj, President, CREDAI NCR today said that this will badly hurt the realty sector and urban development, apart from practically ending the dream of affordable housing, as the provisions of the Land Acquisition Bill will make homes for the common man much more costlier.

"R&R for private companies should be done away with," he said, adding that the developers frequently acquire land on the outskirts of big cities without displacing anybody. The landowners willingly sell their land at a price, which is usually many times higher than the economic value of the mere agricultural land. Read more

Source : indiaprwire.com

Toilet queue starts women's day in Delhi slums

NEW DELHI (WOMENSENEWS)--Thousands of women living in resettlement colonies on the fringes of this global city start the day by trudging to the nearest water standpipe or going through a narrow, muddy lane to queue up for a filthy community toilet.

A woman gives a bath to her son in a bucket at a refugee camp in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar                        REUTERS/Parth Sanyal

It takes women in colonies such as Bawana and Bhalswa--formed by mass evictions of squatters from other parts of the city--an average 15 or 20 minutes to reach the convenience. Read more

Source : trust.org

West Bengal govt to spruce up drainage system

KOLKATA: Facing an upheal task this year to prevent waterlogging in the city following the incessant rains, the state urban development department has decided to prepare a masterplan on how to improve and develop the drainage system of the city and its suburbs picking up all the loopholes to effectively prevent waterlogging in the city and its adjoining areas from the next monsoons.

The two areas that has been particularly mentioned was Sector V and Howrah. It was noticed that large areas of Howrah and pockets of Sector V was waterlogged after a few splash of heavy rains. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Dussera : Quick face-lift for palace portion of Mysore city bus stand

Mysore - The 1.1-acre plot said to be belonging to the Palace Board within the premises of city bus stand is being temporarily given a face-lift in view of the ensuing Dasara.

The area is literally an eyesore beside the renovated premises as it is filled with potholes and old and broken bus platforms.

The controversy of ownership of the said land had made the KSRTC authorities to isolate the place when renovation of the city bus stand was taken up under JNNURM, leaving that portion in a shabby state. Read more

Source : starofmysore.com

K.R. Hospital at Mysore to be modernised at Rs. 15 cr.

Mysore - The Krishnarajendra Hospital, commonly known as Doddaspathre among the poor, will be undergoing a spate of modernisation with works to be taken up at a total cost of Rs. 15 crore.

This hospital, supposed to be a lifeline for the sick and ailing poor people not only of Mysore but also of neighbouring districts, is going to compete with the corporate hospitals by way of modern healthcare facilities, according to Dr. Geetha K. Avadhani, Director of Mysore Medical College & Researh Institute (MMC &RI), who is also the Medical Superintendent of KR Hospital. Read more

Source : starofmysore.com

New School in Kolkata Town

Kolkata: Charnock Hospital inaugurated Charnock School of Nursing, on August 27, at the Solitaire Building in Teghoria, Kolkata. This school, affiliated under Indian Nursing Council, New Delhi and West Bengal Nursing Council, will be offering the course – General Nursing and Midwife (GNM) Nursing. The occasion was graced by the presence of Saugata Roy, Union Minister of State for Urban Development; Purnendu Basu, minister, Department of Labour, Sabyasachi Dutta, member of legislative Assembly; Tapas Chatterjee, chairman, Rajarhat, Gopalpur Municipality and Rathin Ghosh, chairman, Madhyamgram Municipality.

The health sector of the country, more so, in the state of West Bengal, has a major dearth of well-trained and qualified nurses. Roughly 1600 odd nurses are produced every year, where the requirement is many times the number. Charnock Hospital will be helping this sector with their new nursing school, which is equipped with the best of equipments, laboratories and a library. The nursing school has a provision for 30 students at present. This number is expected to be incremented by 20 more seats in the near future. “Frankly, the status of our state’s health department is not very rosy. We do not have enough well trained nurses. Charnock is doing deed in this aspect by opening this nursing school,” said Purnendu Basu, the chief guest for the occasion. Read more

Source : educationtimes.com  

68 choking lakes around Bangalore get a new lease of life

Bengaluru : There’s fresh hope for 68 lakes around the city which are presently dying because of the sewage being let into them from the areas that were once part of the eight urban local bodies but are now merged with the BBMP. The BWSSB’s Greater Bengaluru underground drainage (UGD) programme could come to their rescue. Once completed in 2012, the scheme, which is part of the Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project (KMRP), will make sure that the around 400 million litres of sewage from these areas that is let into the city’s natural valleys at Koramangala and Chalaghatta, Hebbal and Vrishbhavathi, is diverted to treatment plants and not find its way to lakes eventually, as it does today.

“All the new areas generate over 400 MLD sewage every day which flows into open drains leading to lakes. At least 68 lakes are polluted as a result. Once the UGD project is completed, the areas will have a sewarage network in place and no more sewage will flow into the Koramangala and Chalaghatta, Hebbal and Vrushabhavathi valleys. This way all the lakes around the eight former urban local bodies of Byatarayanapura, Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Kengeri, K.R.Puram, Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwarinagara and Yelahanka will be saved,” explains a senior BWSSB officer. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

BBMP gets extra Rs 309 cr under JnNURM

Funds to be used for remodelling of stormwater drains in four valleys of the City

The fund-starved Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has something to cheer about. It has succeeded in availing an additional grant of about Rs 309 crore for remodelling of stormwater drains in the four valleys of the City under the Centre-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).

The Palike took up remodelling of stormwater drains six years ago. The initial outlay of Rs 460 crore soon went up to Rs 643 crore. However, the project ran into rough weather due to a deviation in the plan, which Palike claimed was mandatory. Read more

 

 

Source : deccanherald.com

Low cost and fast-track houses at Sathagalli in Mysore

Mysore - The houses built in Ambedkar Colony in Hanchya Sathagalli village, under the JNNURM's Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) is of a modern technology — low cost and fast-track (speedy construction).

The 448 houses on 5.20 acres plot of land, commissioned by Housing Minister V. Somanna on Friday, have been provided with all basic amenities like drinking water, underground drainage, storm water drain, street lights and a community hall. Read more

Source : starofmysore.com

Encroachments come in the way of nala repairs in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Faced with a crisis, be it inundation of lowlying areas or overflowing drains, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) promises to complete remodeling and widening of storm water drains (nalas) on a priority basis. Though the state government had sanctioned Rs 260 crore for widening of nalas and work contracts were awarded five years ago, the corporation could complete widening of only 13.52 kilometre of 60 km on 13 storm water drains.

Most of them could not be completed due to squatters. Of 1,357 encroachments on 13 drains that were taken up for widening, only 164 were removed in the past five years and over 1,100 encroachments are yet to be removed by the GHMC. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Watts From Waste

Desi Power provides off-grid electricity to villages using biomass as fuel.

Until some months ago, Shivnarayan Mondal used diesel to run the pumps that irrigate his farm at Baharbari village. It used to take an hour and a half each time. With electricity, Mondal says, pointing to the lush fields ahead, he finishes the job in just 30 minutes. That isn’t the only transformation power has wrought in this Bihar village close to the Nepal border. Now there are mobile phones and DTH connections. Mondal hires a television whenever he wants to catch a film since power is affordable: for lighting three CFL bulbs, he pays Rs 3 everyday. “We even go to the cinema hall now. Life has changed,” he smiles.

                                                                                                                        Soumik Kar

Tellingly—and perhaps unfortunately—none of this transformation can be credited to the government. The change at Baharbari is the work of a Bangalore-based company that builds and operates off-grid electric power plants using sustainable, renewable sources such as biomass, biofuel, hydro and solar power. Desi (Decentralised Energy Systems India) Power is the brainchild of HN Sharan, a well-known power engineer, and Ashok Khosla, a leading environment and sustainable development expert. Nearly 80, Sharan’s enthusiasm is still as strong as it was when he launched the company in 1996. Read more

Source : business.outlookindia.com

Reliance Power plans to invest Rs 8,000 crore to set up 500 MW solar power projects in Rajasthan

NEW DELHI: Reliance Power plans to invest Rs 8,000 crore to set up 500 MW solar power projects in Rajasthan over the next three years, sources close to the development said.

The planned investment is the largest investment in solar projects in India and one of the largest in the world. The first phase of the project comprises setting up a 40 MW plant by 2012, for which the US Exim Bank has approved a loan for $84 million, and a 100 MW project in the following year. The rate of interest rate for the loan is 4-5% and the tenure would be 17 years. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

German govt funding for Chennai expansion

CHENNAI: The expansion of Chennai city will be done with German funding. A detailed feasibility report, to be prepared for a stormwater drain and solid waste management programme for the Greater Chennai corporation, will also receive funding from the same source.

A resolution was passed in the corporation council on Monday, permitting the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure and Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) to go ahead with preparing the report. The report and the expansion project will be funded by a loan from the German government-owned development bank KfW that had earlier financed environment infrastructure projects in the city. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Railways in charge of East-West Metro project in Kolkata

Kolkata: Agreeing to railways' proposal, the Urban Development Ministry on Monday decided to hand over the East-West Metro project in Kolkata to the railways for execution.

"Railways is taking over the East-West Metro project in Kolkata and modalities are being worked out for the handing over the project from the Urban Development Ministry to Railway Ministry,” Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy told reporters here after a high-level meeting between officials from both ministries. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

 

Infertility on rise, Himachal may face population decline

Shimla : Total fertility rate dips in state, most urban families not going for children

Himachal Pradesh’s early exuberance over 12.81 per cent decline in the population growth rate, especially in the urban towns like Shimla reflected in the 2011 census data is, turning out to be a warning signal for the hill state, where more and more men and women are becoming infertile.

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Himachal Pradesh has dipped down to 1.3 in urban towns as compared to 2.6 in India even as some of the states such as Bihar have TFR as high as 4 in its rural areas. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Trapping greenhouse gases

Schematic diagram of carbon capture and storage

Increasing global population, ongoing urbanisation, and humanity's growing dependence on science and technology are leading to a sharp increase in the demand for energy. Fossil fuels, being the core source, account for 75 - 80% of today's global energy use and three quarters of humanity's total carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of the emissions-- a global temperature rise and natural calamities leading to catastrophes. Millions of dollars are spent on research to surmount this change, either through efficiency improvement, fuel switch or the use of renewable energy. But with oil, coal and gas to remain the primary sources of energy for decades to come, besides renewable energy sources, a technology is to be thought of that strikes the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability. One such technology is Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS). What's striking about CCS technology is that it isolates CO2 from the atmosphere by providing long term storage options that are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable. Read more

Source : thedailystar.net

Realty swallows farm land

VISAKHAPATNAM: This is the harsh reality the 'City of Destiny' has to live with. A whopping 25,000 acres of farm land in and around the city has fallen into the hands of real estate businessmen in the past decade and a majority of the cultivable land has already been converted into housing plots or apartments. The lands where vegetables, paddy and other food crops were grown abundantly on the outskirts of Greater Vizag once, have now become big-time real estate hubs.

"The mad rush for housing has already gobbled up large tracts of arable land. The city is losing its charm and lush green cover thanks to the realty monster," rued retired state government employee M Sathya Raju. He, however, said it's difficult to stop the realty boom. "People's needs have increased and there's spurt in migrations to the city," he reasoned. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Train travel, passport fee, capitation fee may come under service tax net

NEW DELHI: Travel by train, passport fee, capitation fees to education institutions and non-compete fees given by companies may come under tax net as the government considers a 'negative list' model to tax services, which will boost its tax revenues significantly.

Most countries follow the negative list model-where a list of exempted services is specified and every other service is taxable-to tax services, but India follows a positive list model, or naming the services that are taxed. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Higher FSI to developers who build MHADA homes on their MMR land

Mumbai: The state Urban Development Department (UDD) has finally cleared the decks for the creation of lakhs of affordable houses on privately owned land in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Developers with sizable land holdings in areas outside Greater Mumbai will now be given a higher FSI of 2.5 if they are willing to use a portion of the land for public housing.

 The UDD has cleared the policy for Konkan division whereby through a joint venture with the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), budget homes will be built in areas such as Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Panvel and Raigad. Already, joint venture projects that will lead to the generation of 74,000 affordable houses have been given the letter of intent by MHADA. Once Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan gives his nod, these projects and several new ones are expected to take off immediately. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

MCD begins mammoth task of cleaning Ramlila Maidan

NEW DELHI: A day after Anna Hazare's anti-corruption rally was called-off, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) started the mammoth task of cleaning up the Ramlila Maidan.

Due to incessant rains, water had collected in patches, leaving the ground slushy and uneven. The civic agency said the ground will be ready to host the next event, which will be a protest rally by Bharat Mukti Morcha on September 1. From September 6, Ramlila performances will be staged here. However, India Against Corruption, organizer of the Anna rally, is yet to handover the ground to MCD as it had booked it until August 31. that it will level the ground before the next rally.Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Collectors to discuss development programmes of Orissa

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has convened two-day collectors’ conference from September 6 to mainly discuss implementation of different development programmes. It has assumed significance ahead of the panchayat polls in February next year.

The Government has drawn flak from the Opposition parties over the implementation of welfare programmes. The State Government has launched schemes like rice at ` 2 a kg, Madhubabu Pension Scheme, Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana, Biju Kandhamal, Biju Gajapati schemes and Biju Gramin Vidyutkaran programmes have also not achieved the target. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Collectors keep Orissa government in dark

BHUBANESWAR: Taking exception to jatropha plantation by Nandan Biomatrix Limited (NBL), a Hyderabad-based company, in seven districts under MGNREGS, the State Government has sought clarification from the district collectors.

Keeping the Government in dark, the district collectors of Angul, Balangir, Boudh, Dhenkanal, Jharsuguda, Khurda and Sambalpur have allowed NBL for jatropha plantation over an area of 2,100 acres of degraded land. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Maoist killing slows down development work in Bolangir

Bolangir (Orissa) : The killing of a local BJD leader by Maoists in Orissa's Bolangir district recently has slowed down developmental work in the area as panicked villagers were not venturing out."Fear-struck people in the area cannot muster courage to venture out after sunset. Developmental work undertaken by the government under various schemes have come to a standstill," Bipra Charan Bisi, Sarpanch of Telenpalli gram panchayat, said here.

About 60 Maoists, including women cadres, had raided the house of Rajkishore Panda (50) at Telenpalli in the Khaprakhol police station area on August 14 and shot him dead suspecting him to be a police informer.Panda was under the target of Maoists for some time after a Maoist cadre was inadvertently beaten up by a few villagers. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Tata BP Solar commissions 1 MW solar power plant in Orissa

Tata BP Solar India has commissioned its first 1 MW solar photovoltaic power plant in Orissa

Mumbai: Tata BP Solar India, a joint venture of Tata Power​ and BP Solar, on Monday, said it has commissioned its first 1 megawatt (mw) solar photovoltaic power plant in Orissa under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).

The project, owned and developed by S. N. Mohanty at Cuttack in Orissa, was synchronized to the grid on 23 August, the company said in a statement issued here. “Tata BP Solar as an engineering, procurement and construction contractor in association with S. N. Mohanty is very proud in bringing about this first solar photovoltaic plant in Orissa,” the company’s chief executive officer, K. Subramanya, said. Read more

Source : livemint.com

JNPT plans Rs 2,260 crore road to ease traffic

Mumbai : Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, India’s busiest container port, is planning to award Rs2,260 crore road project on build, operate and transfer basis to improve connectivity between the port and the national highways.

Port officials are confident that the contract would be awarded by November and the project would be completed in three years after that. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Now, solar power plant on Narmada branch canal near Sanand

Mumbai/ Ahmedabad : Better known as the new home to Tata Nano project and an emerging auto-hub of Gujarat with Ford India deciding to park its second plant, Sanand seems to be also gaining preference for unique projects. Even as plans are afoot to develop the exact replicas of 'Seven Wonders of the World" in the area, the erstwhile sleepy town is now gearing up to house yet another first-of-its-kind project - a solar power plant to be built on Narmada branch canal passing through Sanand.

As part of a novel concept mooted by the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, the Gujarat government has decided to install solar power panels on one km stretch of Narmada branch canal near Sanand. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

New Water Policy

Due to rapid growth in population and urbanization, the demand of water in the country has increased significantly, creating a water stress situation. Therefore, Government of India has undertaken review of National Water Policy to ensure sustainable and equitable development.

National Water Policy was first formulated in 1987, which was subsequently reviewed and a revised National Water Policy was adopted by National Water Resources Council in the year 2002. In pursuance, the State Governments have been asked to formulate State Water Policies in line with the provisions of National Water Policy, backed with an operational action plan in a time bound manner. Central Government provides technical and financial assistance to the State Governments with a view to encourage sustainable development and efficient management of water resources through various schemes and programmes. Read more

Source : pib.nic.in

Cashing in on celebrations

Are Indian festivals losing their original significance and fervour?

Now that the festival season is commencing, one can’t help but notice that celebrations today are very different from what they used to be.

Most significantly, these occasions are now much heavier on the wallet than they were before. At the same time, people seem to be forgetting the original meaning behind these festivals as well. Read more

 

 

Source : deccanherald.com

No drainage facilities for new housing projects in Bangalore

Bangalore : New housing projects in the state will not get any drainage facilities from the state because the government is expecting the developers to set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to reuse treated water.

Stating that the state will soon introduce a rule in this regard, minister for environment, ecology and ports Krishna Palemar said that all new housing colonies, gated communities and high-rises built on over 50,000 sq ft of carpet area will have to install their own STPs. He said that the government could not go on creating streams of sewage flowing out of every city and village. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Indian puts solar power technology in hands of poor

“Do not look at the poor as the bottom of the pyramid market from where you can extract money. How do you help them? How do you help them create assets?”

These questions had nagged Harish Hande, one of this year’s recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, since completing energy engineering studies in the United States.

In 1995, Hande established a company in his Bangalore hometown in India and started producing solar PV lighting systems, water heating systems and cooking stoves to meet the needs of the rural poor. Read more

Source : newsinfo.inquirer.net

Job scenario improves in India on high industrial growth: RBI

 Chennai : The employment situation in the country has improved in the recent years due to high industrial growth on the back of robust economy.

“High growth rate along with subdued or marginal increase in employment generation has been a pressing concern in the post-reform period. Available data provides evidence of creation of additional employment opportunities, though at a slower pace when compared with the high economic growth experienced in recent years,” according to the latest annual report of Reserve Bank of India. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

Uttar Pradesh still a poor earner

LUCKNOW: Despite measures to bring down inter-state income disparity, UP is still among the bottom two in the country on per capita income parameters. Only Bihar's performance on the income front remains lower than UP's.

According to the latest data released by the government of India, per capita income of Delhi is nearly seven times higher than Bihar and over five times that of Uttar Pradesh. At current prices, while Bihar's per capita income in 2010-11 was Rs 20,069, UP was marginally better at Rs 26,051. Delhi, on the other hand, recorded per capita income of Rs 1,35,814, also the highest in the country. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Maruti on water-saving drive at Gurgaon plant

Car maker has achieved zero-waste discharge; all water used at plant is cleaned and pumped back into the system

New Delhi: In the battle against India’s worsening water shortage, Indian industries have begun to transform the way they use and reuse their own water supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A water treatment plant at the Maruti factory in Gurgaon

They are responding to increasing pressure from water experts. At the 2011 Water India forum in New Delhi, Arjun Thapan, special senior adviser on water and infrastructure to the Asian Development Bank, called the situation in India “unremittingly bleak”, telling the representatives of industry gathered before him that they must change the way they use water if they want to avoid a “train wreck”. Read more

 Source : livemint.com

PHED team inspects damaged pipe line at Dimapur

Dimapur : The damaged water supply main pipe line to Dimapur town was inspected by the Chief Engineer PHED Nagaland, Kohima, Mhondamo Ovung along with Executive Engineer PHED Urban Division Dimapur T. Imtiakum other department officers on August 29.

(LEFT) PHED team inspects damaged water supply main pipe line to Dimapur town (Right) One of the damaged pipe line (circled).

The department in a press release informed that the main pipe line has been damaged at eleven (11) areas which are of serious nature. The total length of the damaged pipe lines of 300 mm diameter are 154 mtrs and the cost of infrastructural damage pipe lines of 300 mm diameter are 154 mtrs and the total cost of infrastructural damage has been assessed at Rs. 22 lakhs. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

Sibal for replication of telecom success story in rural India

Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today asked private telecom operators to replicate the success story of telecom revolution -- witnessed in urban India-- in rural areas as well.

"The fact that rural teledensity stands at 36% against the urban teledensity of 163% shows that the telecom revolution has not reached the people who really need to be benefited. Read more

 

 

Kapil Sibal

Source : business-standard.com

RBI sets Rs 500 cr as minimum capital for new banks

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday unveiled the draft guidelines on new banking licences, pegging the minimum required capital to set up a bank by a corporate at Rs 500 crore while limiting the foreign shareholding at 49 per cent.

"The minimum capital requirement will be Rs 500 crore. Subject to this, the actual capital to be brought in will depend on the business plan of promoters," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its draft guidelines on new banking licences. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Centre to launch a pilot project for skill development in North East

Kolkata/ Guwahati : To impart job skills suited for the international job market, the Centre has come up with a skill development programme project, developed by the Union Ministry for Overseas India Affairs (MOIA), for the eight North Eastern states.

The project aims at putting systems, processes and infrastructure in place for standardised training, testing and internationally acceptable certification to enhance the employability of the people of North Eastern Region of India. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Construction of film institute at Guwahati delayed

BAIHATA CHARIALI – The future of the students of Jyoti Chitraban Film and Television Institute, the only film institute of Northeast India, is going to be dark due to inactivity of Cultural Affairs Minister Pranati Phukan.

Based at Kahilipara, Guwahati, the students of the film institute now have to face a lot of problems though they had a number of colourful dreams before gaining admission into the institute to become skilled persons in their respective technical fields. But due to lack of modern facilities available in the institute the students of the institute have been deprived of the use and learning of modern technical education from long time. On the other hand the students of the institute alleged that the age-old instruments including cameras were also not in good condition for which they have been badly affected. Read more

Source : assamtribune.com

Housing project for SC families contemplated in Puducherry

Puducherry : The Puducherry government has drawn up a Rs 142.63 crore housing project for the benefit of Scheduled Caste families in rural areas. Welfare Minister P Rajavelu stated this during question time in the Assembly today in response to a query from P Karthikeyan (All India NR Congress) and said the government would get the loan for the project from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). He said as many as 2161 dilapidated houses would be taken up under the scheme for the beneficiaries in 37 villages.

Chief Minister N Rangasamy told A M H Nazeem (DMK) that under HUDCO's Temple Town Development scheme, Rs 132.58 crore had been sought for developing amenities and infrastructure in the temple town of Tirunallar in Karaikal. Education Minister P M L Kalyanasundaram told T Thiagarajan (AINRC) that the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor stadium at Uppalam would be refurbished at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore. He said works had been assigned to a contractor and assured the member and others that work would be completed by this year end. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

One Man’s Junk...

Tables out of old cycle rims and penstands from used colouring pens—who’da thunk it?

                                                                                                                                                        Nilotpal Baruah

He doesn’t look old enough to be out of high school, and in true schoolboy-fashion, he’s loves getting his hands dirty and mucking around in trash. But there’s nothing kiddish about Suren Vikhash U’s interests. Rather, his two-year-old company Thunk In India is a great example of how one man’s junk can be made into another man’s treasure, that too for a profit: it takes everyday waste materials—juice cartons, biscuit and chips packets and soft drink caps, among others—and transforms them innovatively into things like CD cases, rugs and handbags.

The 25-year-old Suren has been elbow-deep in dirt for some years now. His graduation project at Bangalore’s Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology was on creatively addressing waste management. Apart from interacting with waste experts in the city, he also interned with Daily Dump, a local company that helps households manage their waste by converting it to high-quality compost. The project and the internship were “eye-openers”, says Suren. “When I visited land fills, I realised that basic segregation between dry and wet garbage doesn’t actually take place. The whole process of the life of a waste material was also a revelation,” he recalls. A lot of the waste that ends up in landfills isn’t biodegradable, which means it spends years leaching chemicals and harmful substances into the soil before finally decomposing. Plastic bags, drink cartons and bottles remain the biggest concern. “These have a very long life,” explains Suren. His brainwave: use the residual life of this trash in a creative way. “There was a lot that could be done with the waste—but wasn’t being done. This made it a big business opportunity,” he says. Read more

Source : business.outlookindia.com

Branding Greens

KNIDS Green helps farmers brand veggies and builds recall value for their produce.

On Sunday mornings, when most of his peers from IIM are relaxing in their urban homes, Kaushlendra leaves Patna on his weekly trip to the villages around Nalanda in Bihar. He covers 40-80 km on his travels, meeting and urging an average 150-200 farmers to band together and sell their produce in urban centres via Knids Green, his commercial enterprise of noble objectives. So far, Kaushlendra has been able to convince 3,000 farmers to sell their vegetables in Patna under the aegis of Knids Green. Direct linkages with the growers fetch higher profits for them; the consumers benefit from cheaper prices.

Here’s how Knids Green works—small farmers are grouped together at the village level. One among them is chosen to lead the effort, collect vegetables on a daily basis and send them to Knids Green’s processing centre in Patna. At this centre, vegetables are sorted, graded and packaged with a bar code et al, and then sold under the brand name Samriddhii. Read more

Source : business.outlookindia.com

109 points of stagnation and growing in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad’s storm water (SW) drain system dates back to the Nizam’s period.

The situation has not changed for six decades.The drain network laid by engineers then catered to a city of about five lakh. It now serves a city of over 8 million. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Growth Potion

Gram Mooligai has helped group medicinal plant gatherers in Tamil Nadu into a corporate structure.

About 40 km out of Madurai and on the road to Tuticorin lies Sevaiyoor. It looks like any village in Tamil Nadu—large, green fields edged by trees and many, many farmers. Life has a certain level of tranquillity and there is not very much to complain about. The name Sevaiyoor (meaning place of service) isn’t very old, but then the village itself isn’t very old. Until not too long ago, this land was classified as waste. “We have created a manmade forest on a 200-acre area. We also gave it a name,” says a proud N Muthu Velayutham, Founder, Covenant Centre for Development (CCD).

                                                                                                                                                              RA Chandroo

The forest and the farmlands inside it are at the heart of three initiatives started by CCD—Aharam, Adharam and Gram Mooligai. While CCD is a not-for-profit organisation, Gram Mooligai (GMCL) is a public limited entity whose shares are owned by the primary producer groups of medicinal plant gatherers and cultivators who work out of Sevaiyoor. “We have a variety of herbs being cultivated in this farm,” says Velayutham as he bends to examine a stack of dried leaves of Eclipta prostrata (commonly known as bhringraj or false daisy). “We produce 55 tonnes of this each year here,” he adds. What the 11-year-old GMCL does is simple: it provides assured market support to its shareholders by taking orders for medicinal herbs from ayurvedic companies, extract makers and the like and passing them onto the primary producer groups. They grow the herbs and send them off after sorting, drying, crushing and packing them properly. Read more

Source : business.outlookindia.com

UP signboards blame Centre for bumpy ride

Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh is trying to corner the Centre on damaged national highways in the state, putting up signboards telling people to blame the Union government for the bumpy rides. The state public works department (PWD) has so far placed 43 such signboards along damaged portions of the highways that are under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). According to state government officials, 315 km of national highways are in a poor shape and Rs 266 crore will be needed for relaying and repairs.

Of the 6,681 km highways in the state, the NHAI manages 3,503 km and the PWD 3,178 km. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Public transport on NH-215 comes to a halt

ROURKELA: With the NH-215 road stretch passing through the mineral-rich Koida block of Sundargarh district developing huge potholes, the public transport system has been badly hit.

Owing to the public inconvenience, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has come under severe criticism by industries and the CPM. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com