Think India Foundation

Maheshwari demands conservation of Rajsamand lake

Jaipur: Taking up the cause of world famous Rajsamand Lake, BJP MLA from Rajsamand, Kiran Maheshwari on Tuesday demanded the lake’s incorporation in National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP).

Raising the matter on the second day of state assembly’s budget session, Maheshwari also requested the government for construction of a Ring Road around the 18-km lake. Maheshwari, also requested including the lake, Dwarikadhish Temple and Nav Chowki among the tourist department’s list of prioritised hotspots. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

DMRC chief displeased with pace of Metro work

JAIPUR: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director Manghu Singh on his first inspection of Jaipur metro rail project on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work at the Mansarovar depot.

During his inspection, he asked the officers concerned to iron out the problems so that Jaipur Metro can run in the stipulated time. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Plan B for Victoria dock revamp

MUMBAI: If an experts' panel is to be believed, the new terminal meant for loading and offloading of containers, which is coming up near Victoria Dock, is a money-losing proposition. The Mumbai Docklands Regeneration Forum, a citizens' group comprising activists, urban planners and naval experts, has warned the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) that its on-going project at Mazgaon is bound to fail. The members met the port chairman Rajeev Gupta last week and offered an alternative concept plan, which envisages the use of the new jetty-being built for the terminal-for cruise liners and the adjoining areas to park private yachts and boats-usually left haphazardly off the Gateway of India-rather than using them for containers. Their arguments is that the topography of the area is such that even after dredging, a few monsoons later, the depth of the sea will decrease and that will ground the containers. 

However, port authorities have defended the project, stating it was an essential requirement to meet the infrastructure gap. Union shipping minister G K Vasan, in a letter to south Mumbai MP Milind Deora in 2009, had said the Prince's and Victoria docks had outlived their utility and were now suited only as a stack yard for containers for the proposed project. "The apprehension that it will lead to congestion in the city is unfounded as only 14% of the port's total cargo, more than half of which is for the city's consumption , use the city roads. Rest of the cargo is moved through pipelines, rail and waterways, without using the city infrastructure," he said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

Cost overruns dog central projects

Overshoot of Rs 1 lakh cr reported rlys, road transport & highways, shipping & power have most delays

New Delhi : Wondering why rail traffic congestion does not ease, power cuts are frequent or why mining continues to be a laggard despite investments? The answer to all such questions is cost overruns.

There has been a whopping Rs 1 lakh crore cost overrun in 583 projects, costing Rs 150 crore and above individually, that are being implemented now by the central government across 15 major sectors of the economy, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). About 40 per cent of these projects are facing delays ranging between a few months to as many as 17 years. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

JNNURM’s high-level panel all set to investigate 24X7 water supply project

NAGPUR: Finally, union urban development minister Kamal Nath has taken note of the demand made by AICC general secretary and city MP Vilas Muttemwar to investigate the 24X7 water supply project. A three-member high-level committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM) will come on March 1.

According to the letter received by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Tuesday, JNNURM's under secretary (N-1) Rajesh Kumar along with two other officials will arrive in the city and investigate the pilot project implemented in Dharampeth Zone. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

For Eve's daughters

We must evolve a gender discourse in Kashmir

At a time when Kashmir stands wounded with dreams of millions shattered, it is a great delight to find a new epilogue discussing to characterize the position of women in the region. Be it Insha Malik’s dissection of truth or Asha Kachru’s analysis of illusion or Professor Nyla Khans amazing clarity of expression on this issue, it is hard for the most determined dreamers to refute that the story of Kashmiri women represents untold misery. Kashmiri women are no doubt caught in between the violence committed by Indian army and by the militants.

Violence is the most hated institution whether committed with the obligation of protecting Indian might in the valley or with the intention of hailing a revolution. It is easier to chart the story of Kashmiri women by drawing misplaced analogies between British colonialism in India and the Kashmir’s linkages with the rest of India. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Educating a billion minds: is the right approach missing?

NEW DELHI — Indian culture is a rare manifestation of intense pride in knowledge. India’s historical fabric flaunts great works of knowledge that are not only an important part of India’s heritage, but the world’s heritage. Education has been the greatest leveler for the Indian society rife with divides between caste, regions and religions.

It not only enables social mobility but is also a crucial factor for financial success and status in India. Read more

Source : communities.washingtontimes.com

Army’s presence in Chhattisgarh may improve life for the locals

Within days of the arrival of the first Army unit landing in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region for the first time, to set up the training area there, on June 9, 2011, Maoists launched their most deadly attack in Dantewada district, using nearly a tonne of explosives — the highest ever — blowing up an anti-landmine vehicle and killing 10 policemen. Earlier the same day, the terrorists gunned down five policemen in Narayanpur district and in another raid later in Dantewada district, they attacked a CRPF camp killing three personnel. The forest where they gunned down five policemen in Narayanpur district is adjacent to the one allotted by Chattisgarh government to the Army as a training area.

While these attacks may well have been launched as what some media reports referred to as “taunts” for the Army, the Maoists seething over the Army’s presence there also planted posters saying “Laal Salaam (red salute) Army waapis jao (go back)” etc, may at some stage even attempt attacks on its detachments. The central and state governments need to be clear about the terms of engagement. The Army is there for training, but if attacked, it will have to respond appropriately. Read more

Source : asianage.com

Depts told to make action plan for vulnerable rivers

Bhubaneswar -- A high-level meeting at the State Secretariat on Tuesday decided to take various measures for maintaining the health of rivers in Odisha. Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, who chaired the meeting, reviewed the present scenario and advised the departments to make integrated efforts for preparation of a definite action plan for major rivers which are considered more vulnerable to pollution.

It was decided at the meeting to constitute one interdepartmental task force involving the departments of Water Resource, Housing and Urban Development, Steel and Mines, Industry and Pollution Control Board. The body is supposed to look into various aspects of river pollution and prepare a definite work plan with reference to sewerage treatment plant and solid waste management plant. Read more

Source : waste-management-world.com

Sustainable approaches to reducing food waste in India

This January, MIT graduate students Paul Artiuch and Samuel Kornstein traveled throughout India to identify challenges and inefficiencies in India's agricultural system that result in millions of tons of wasted food each year. In this report, Artiuch and Kornstein describe their journey and some of their findings.

As part of an MIT Public Service Center and International Development Initiative fellowship, we spent the past five months researching sustainable approaches to reducing agricultural food waste in India. We chose to tackle this issue as we both have an interest in waste reduction and prevention, and we saw a significant opportunity to make a difference in India: Reports indicate that as much as 20 to 40 percent of food grown in India spoils before reaching consumers. This translates to millions of tons of wasted food each year. Read more

Source : web.mit.edu

AP government enacts six legislations

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday night enacted six legislations in all, including one to curb corruption in development works in general and the MGNREGP works in particular, even as the Opposition parties raised objections to some bills.

The Andhra Pradesh Tax on Professions, Trades, Callings and Employments Amendment Bill 2011, Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Bill 2011, Andhra Pradesh Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Amendment Bill 2011, Andhra Pradesh Promotion of Social Audit and Prevention of Corrupt Practices Bill 2011, Andhra Pradesh University of Law (Amendment) Bill 2011 and Andhra Pradesh Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill 2011 were passed in the Assembly through a voice vote. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Should there be a super-rich tax?

New Delhi : Such a tax is vital to the objective of reducing inequity but it is unlikely to yield significantly higher revenues.

Medha Patkar
Activist, National Alliance of People’s Movements

“The maximum wealth in the country is confined to a handful of people. And yet, a super-rich tax from these people would yield many times more than what indirect taxes now yield” 

This year we have completed two decades of economic reforms. Even though there is growing unemployment, declining agricultural and industrial production, rising inflation, economic crisis and inequality as never before, a minority remains untouched by these problems. For this minority of affluent Indians, the country is on its way to double-digit growth and nothing else matters. In the past 20 years, a tiny minority has seen an explosion of choices of luxury and consumer goods, but the vast majority of the population – nearly 80 per cent – lives on less than Rs 20 a day. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Violence against women on the rise in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Crimes related to violence against women in Odisha increased during 2011, registering a 17 per cent rise in cases of rape in particular even as the chief minister said that various steps are afoot to curb the incidents.

Admitting the increase in total number of crimes of atrocity against women, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday informed the State Assembly in reply to an unstarred question by Congress member Sibaji Majhi that while atrocity cases were 9,659 in 2011, in 2010, the number of cases stood at 8,918. Read more

Source : orissadiary.com

Pitroda panel suggests Rs 822,671 crore modernisation plan for Railways

An expert group set up to suggest ways of modernising Indian Railways has proposed a `mission mode' approach to incorporating new technology and increasing sales, involving funding to the tune of Rs 822,671 crore over the next five years.

The expert group, constituted by the ministry of railways with Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister, as its chairman, presented its report to railway minister Dinesh Trivedi at a function in New Delhi yesterday. Read more

Source : domain-b.com

From one slum to another!

HYDERABAD : Poor maintenance turn JNNURM houses into ‘bhoot bungalows'

They moved out of their slums, paid up thousands and waited years for concrete homes. But, the State developed subsidised houses have come as an unfair deal for many among the urban poor.

Many houses constructed under JNNURM at Bansilapet are not fit for occupation.                            The Hindu

‘Rehabilitation' into houses plagued with problems has meant nothing for some. Built with unit cost of no more than Rs. 1 lakh over five years ago, these houses are part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Indore will have to endure open drains longer

Indore: City poor drainage system is likely to worsen in coming days because the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has not been able to get next installment for the project from the JNNRUM authorities. AN IMC delegation led by Commissioner Yogendra Sharma tried to meet JNNRUM officers to get next installment released in New Delhi on Friday but failed.

“We could not meet the JNNURM officials at Delhi. Therefore, project might get affected,” Sharma admitted. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

SC: Want to take action on Yamuna pollution now

New Delhi : Eighteen years after the Supreme Court took cognisance of a report published in HT on pollution in the Yamuna, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on Monday said it intended to pass orders to ensure that no person, industry or corporation discharged untreated effluent or sewage into the river. 

“This court is concerned with the pollution being caused to the Yamuna and complete deterioration in the quality of water in the said river, not only in Delhi, but also in the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” the bench, which also included Justice AK Patnaik and Justice Swanter Kumar, said. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Vetal Tekdi: Town planning dept submits suggestions

Pune : The Town Planning department has submitted objections and suggestions regarding change in reservation of 49 acres at Vetal Tekdi from hilltop/hill slopes zone to public/semi-public zone.

Town Planning Deputy Director Avinash Patil told The Indian Express that suggestions from the environment department too had been added and sent to the government. “The final decision rests with the government. I have sent all the suggestions as well as the objections, which had gone up to nearly 4,000 after giving all the cases a hearing,” said Patil. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Prepaid mobile payments unlock poor's buying power

Amid rising mobile penetration rates across many emerging countries, a growing segment of unbanked consumers with pent-up demand for online shopping experiences presents huge opportunities for telcos and credit card companies.

According to Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, there is a segment of poorer consumers with no bank accounts, much less hold credit cards. They are, however, increasingly able to visit Web sites through common-use computers in villages, schools, and community centers or Web-enabled low-cost mobile device but are unable to buy from these retailers, he noted. Read more

Source : zdnetasia.com

Bringing natural life into buildings

If eco-architect Dr Ken Yeang has his way, cities would please even the most ardent nature enthusiasts. 

 

Dr Yeang, who has been in the field for over four decades, wants to see more biodiversity integrated into buildings, where an ecosystem of plants, animals and their physical environment can mingle together. Read more

Source : eco-business.com

Children left behind in global city boom

More than one billion children now live in crowded cities around the world but too many are stuck among the poorest of the poor without electricity, water or education, a UN report says.

UN report: More than one billion children live in crowded cities (ThinkStock)

"Urbanisation leaves hundreds of millions of children in cities and towns excluded from vital services," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. Read more

Source : news.msn.co.nz

Urbanisation depletes groundwater table

Groundwater levels at different places in the City and Ranga Reddy district are depleting at an alarming pace, even as the people are fearing frequent power cuts in the scorching summer.

The inability of Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is forcing thousands of residents to depend on the private water mafia to meet their daily needs. Read more

Source : postnoon.com

Hospitals should be granted infrastructure status: Amit Mookim

The Indian healthcare sector has witnessed a significant growth in the past few years in terms of size as well as research and development activities (R&D). Industry reports suggest that about 150,000 medical tourist visit India every year and medical tourism in India is expected to bring revenue of USD 2 billion by 2012. Areas like cardiology, cancer treatment and organ transplants are the main drivers for growth in medical tourism in India. Also, leading Indian healthcare firms are expecting an 80% increase in the number of foreign patient arrivals this year. There would, therefore , be an urgent need to improve the quality of treatment. This would also incur the use of new and advanced equipments which would require a large capital outlay.

``As the investment in R&D is one of the major concern along with the infrastructure, it raises hopes of the healthcare sector getting the necessary attention in this budget 2012. Further, the Budget should also look forward for streamlining policies and tax holidays to boost healthcare facilities across the country i.e. in tier 2 and tier 3 cities,`` said Amit Mookim, Head, Healthcare, KPMG. Read more

Source : myiris.com

Bike travel actually cheaper than autos

MBA student conducts case study, comes up with stats based on a person travelling a minimum 10 km/day to back his claim

It is common for MBA students to come up with case studies as part of their course. But, here is a student who has done a case study on himself. Aniket Jha, a final semester MBA (marketing and advertising) student from Manipal University, Bangalore had trouble with the autowallahs. Hence, he bought a scooter and in two years, he realised he had not only saved himself from harassment, but also a lot of money.

And he had statistics to prove it. His calculations are based on a student/ working personnel travelling a minimum 10 km per day (to and fro) by an autorickshaw assuming the minimum fare is revised to Rs 24 and Rs 12 for every additional km. Read more

Source : bangaloremirror.com

For cyclists, it's a battle for space in Bangalore

BANGALORE : What does it take for an avid cyclist — who took cycling beyond recreation to his primary mode of transport to work for over six years — to give up cycling to work altogether?

Only two per cent of the city’s population cycles regularly to work. File photo : K.Gopinathan

For software engineer Ravi Ranjan Kumar, cycling the distance of around 21 km from his house on Sarjapur Road to his office in Whitefield, became unbearable after the construction of flyovers began on this stretch. “The roads are bad, and there is a lot of dust from the construction. At these points, the traffic piles up and a cyclist is just breathing exhaust fumes at these junctions,” said the 34-year-old. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Illegal trade driving Munias towards extinction?

BANGALORE: The Bangalore urban and forest mobile squad, North Division arrested a Krishnagiri-based Hakkipikki tribal, Venkatesk aka Kumar, while he was trying to sell 200 black-headed Munias, a rare breed of birds usually seen moving in groups on agricultural land. Following a tip off from an NGO, the forest squad, in the guise of customers, landed in Attibele near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Kumar was arrested when he was trying to sell the birds.

He has been booked under Wildlife Protection Act. As per the Act, the accused will undergo 3 to 7 years of imprisonment apart from paying fine, said Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) C Manjunath. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

India acquiring weather re-connaissance aircraft for better cyclone forecasting: NDMA

New Delhi (ANI): National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Vice Chairman Shashidhar Reddy on Tuesday informed that India is acquiring weather re-connaissance aircraft to ensure better cyclone forecasting. 

Reddy stated that one of the major recommendations made by NDMA in the national guidelines of management of cyclones was the establishment of the aircraft probing of cyclones facility to significantly reduce errors to the extent of 30 percent in terms of landfall, intensity and storm surge. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Lessons for the revamp

Panchayats should first be provided financial and technical support to develop a holistic sanitation plan, including solid and liquid waste management for their regions

Budget 2012 is set to give rural sanitation a much-needed impetus. Rural development and drinking water and sanitation minister Jairam Ramesh, who rather appropriately characterized the total sanitation campaign (TSC), the country’s flagship rural sanitation programme, as a “failure that is...neither total nor sanitation nor a campaign,” is now seeking to revamp the scheme with an enhanced budgetary allocation of approximately Rs 6,700 crore.

File photo of narrow lanes at Kathputli Nagar, New Delhi. Photo by Ankit Agrawal

This revamp has been a long time coming. Data on rural sanitation in India is rather depressing. In 2008, Unicef estimated a mere 21% of rural India was using improved sanitation compared with 52% of rural Bangladesh. No surprise then that India contributes 58% of the world’s population defecating in the open. Now, as the government proposes to expand its sanitation programmes and revamp implementation, it is worth analysing some of the factors that contributed to TSC’s failure to ensure that mistakes are not repeated and the enhanced allocations translate into improved outcomes. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Why do we find ourselves in such a jam today?

BANGALORE : Congestion fee, expensive parking must to make the roads less insane

Haven't you noticed how increasingly difficult it is to cross the road? And aren't you taking longer and longer to reach work or home or your friend's wedding or wherever you're headed to?

The Bangalorean's road woes are increasing day by day with an average of 25,000 new vehicles rolling on the over-burdened city's roads each month. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Decks clear for 84-km Indore ring roads

Indore: National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has paved the way to float tenders for the ambitious 84-km outer ring road following submission of a detailed project report (DPR). The report was submitted to NHAI, deputy general manager, Indore region.

NHAI project director Shravankumar Singh said with submission of DPR, decks have been cleared for tendering process. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Girls’ education must to tackle malnutrition, say experts

New Delhi : As many as 92% mothers either don’t know of the term ‘malnutrition’, or are unaware of the fact that poor nutrition causes more than 50% deaths of children below five years of age in the country.

Education of girls/ women so that they can make good health and nutrition choices for their families is key to tackling the problem of malnutrition in India, said experts at the country’s first-ever International Symposium on Access at Base of Pyramid on Tuesday. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Chennai Corporation search on for technology to close dump yards

CHENNAI : The Chennai Corporation has intensified its search for technology for remediation and scientific closure of the Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards. This action comes in the wake of the National Green Tribunal setting aside the environmental clearance granted by the Tamil Nadu government to the integrated solid waste management facility at Perungudi.

Apart from the initiative of reversing the environmental damage in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur, the civic body on Monday invited expression of interest for two more solid waste management initiatives from multinational companies. This includes the design of a scalable and modular plant with a future capacity of processing 10,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Despite govt support, Goa far from Chaka Chak

PANAJI: The capital city started a 'binless city' campaign almost a decade ago, and achieved success in door-to-door collection of garbage.

Thanks to Corporation of the city of Panaji (CCP), the sight of overspilling garbage bins full of rotting wastes became a thing of the past. This is just one of a few initiatives, and the first in Goa, which produced replicable models for other civic bodies and panchayats to take up. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Deonar dump smoke chokes neighbourhood

Mankhurd resident Akhilesh Dhoval has temporarily moved to his relatives ' place in Bandra. The asthma patient had trouble breathing in his house thanks to the smoke emanating from the Deonar dumping ground fire. 

Labourers have allegedly refused to put out a fire raging for four days at the Deonar dump after a row over non-payment of wages. But its casualties are thousands of people in and around Deonar. "There was smoke all around on Saturday. Most of my neighbours too shifted to the western suburbs and Navi Mumbai," said Dhoval. His friend Amitesh Pradhan, a Ghatkopar resident, has shifted his elderly mother to his brother's Thane residence. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Urban youths take a U-turn towards farming

NAGPUR: They are young, educated and urbanites, but are not working in an MNC or living a plush lifestyle. They are the new generation of farmers, preferring to be called agriculturists and planters. It's a job they have chosen for themselves driven by the love for farming.

While celebrating its silver jubilee year, National Research Centre for Citrus ( NRCC) felicitated many farmers and scientists for their contributions in citrus cultivation. It was a pleasant change to find out that many of these farmers were well educated and made good use of the scientific advances to their advantage. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Migration must stop to improve nutrition level’

New Delhi, DHNS : High migration to Delhi from rural India is hampering efforts to contain low nutritional levels among children and women. 

Literacy, gender inequality and poor living conditions cannot be tackled when a large population is in flux, said experts on Monday. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Milk adulteration: Samples from Rajasthan dangerous

Jaipur: It’s now official that milk adulteration is a big problem in Rajasthan. The state government has recently submitted before the Rajasthan High Court the real magnitude of the problem.

Eight per cent of milk samples tested during the month-long period from January 20 to February 20 at laboratories of the state dairy department have been found adulterated. Out of 60,439 milk samples collected from across the state, as many as 4,755 samples were found adulterated. Milk samples from Jhalawar were found the most adulterated, while samples from Dholpur were pure. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Huda to construct footpath along Palam Vihar Road

Gurgaon : Commuters will soon have a smooth ride along the busy Palam Vihar Road which connects sectors 4 and 5 of Gurgaon. The poor condition of the 3 km stretch had cost the job of Huda’s  superintending engineer VK Ghai in January. Ghai lost the job when  SS Dhillon, financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary, town and country planning inspected the area and found that the road’s width had been reduced to 14 metre from its actual width of 30 metre. 

Dhillon had pulled up Huda officials for use of poor quality of construction materials, absence of pavements, streetlights, and central verge. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

‘Shock-wells’ to help recharge water table in Gurgaon

GURGAON: The city's dependence on groundwater to meet its daily demand has prompted the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to dig 'shock-wells' in parks, green belts and community buildings in the city. These wells will collect the run-off rainwater and will help recharge the water table.

A HUDA spokesman said that the decision taken recently would be implemented in the entire city. He said that as per the laid norms, it is mandatory for the buildings having rooftop area of 100 square metres or more to have a rainwater harvesting structure. This is a pre-requisite condition before getting a completion certificate from the development authority. "Now, HUDA is enforcing this strictly in its area and no completion certificate is given for new constructions if there is no water harvesting system. Even after issuing the certificate, if any house owner violates the provisions and sandfills the harvesting bore, then the completion certificate can be withdrawn," an official statement said. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Centre could bear 15% of Metro project cost in Mumbai

Mumbai : In an important step towards the proposed fully-underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro rail corridor, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials held a meeting with the Central government officials on Monday to finalise the project plan and finances.

An in-principle approval was given for a loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for funding a part of the project and the Central government tentatively agreed to contribute 15 per cent of the total project cost. Representatives from the Planning Commission, department of economic affairs, railways and the department of urban development were present at the meeting along with MMRDA officials. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Barring Mumbai city, rest of Maharashtra to face power cuts

Mumbai : While Mumbaiites are expected to get uninterrupted power in peak summer, their counterparts in rest of the state will continue to face prolonged power cuts.

The power crisis in Maharashtra, barring Mumbai, may not be as severe as it was five years ago because of certain measures that the state-owned distribution company Mahavitaran has taken. However, the unavailability of power in peak summer would force the company to enforce power cuts in rural and urban areas. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Go take a bus

Jaaga, an NGO in Bangalore has partnered with Max Mueller Bhavan and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation to bring five graffiti artists from Germany and five from India to paint on government buses

A pink bus with an image of a tiger painted on it… No it’s not an exhibit in a gallery, but an artist’s work on wheels. Jaaga, an NGO in Bangalore has partnered with Max Mueller Bhavan and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to bring five graffiti artists from Germany and five from India to paint on government buses.

Jan paints buses at the Wilson Garden bus workshop. Photo by Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint

This is part of a larger project by Jaaga called the Urban Avante-Garde which also includes graffiti painting in public space, experimental dance performance, sound installations and music. “Our intention was to create public engagement and participatory means where the public would take ownership of the neighbourhood, keep it clean, maintain it and personalize it,” says Archana Prasad on why she brought together graffiti artists to create murals and paint buses. Read more

Source : livemint.com

J&K generates Rs 7,506 cr revenue from fruits in 2 yrs

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir has earned Rs 7,506 crore in the last two years from fruits. 

The state has generated an income of Rs 7,506 crore by fruit production and its dispatches during last two years, the Minister for Horticulture and Floriculture Sham Lal Sharma said while replying to a question by PDP member Abdul Rehman Veeri in Legislative Assembly today. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Rural Gujarat to get more job opportunities

Ahmedabad : Students from reputed institutes in urban areas have always had an edge over their rural counterparts when it comes to getting picked for jobs at prestigious companies with lucrative pay packages. However, this is all set to change.

Thanks to the placement cell of Gujarat Technology University (GTU), lucrative job offers from companies will depend on the merit of students from the 495 colleges affiliated to the varsity. The new system- merit based placement- is a part of Integrated Training and Placement Cell (ITPC) at the GTU. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

ADB loan to improve power distribution in India

NEW DELHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Monday offered a $350 million loan to improve the power distribution system in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Assam.

The Manila-headquartered ADB signed three agreements with the Indian government and the respective state governments to provide the loan which has a maturity period of up to 25 years with a grace period of five years. The ADB will provide $200 million in loans to support the "provision of reliable, 24-hour electricity to rural households in Madhya Pradesh", the finance ministry said in a statement. Read more

Source : punjabnewsline.com

Haryana has not submitted UCs worth Rs 4,705 cr: CAG

Chandigarh : The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has found that the Haryana government has not submited utilisation certificates for a whopping Rs 4,705.32 crore disbursed to various departments over the past several years. Raising a question over proper utilisation of money, the CAG said that non-submission of UCs not only indicated a lack of control of the administrative department but also showed tendency on part of the state government to disburse fresh grants without ascertaining proper utilisation of earlier grants. 

A Utilisation Certificate (UC) is issued by respective departments to Accountant General to authenticate utilisation of money for which it was disbursed. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Only 10% of pet dog owners in Nashik city register with civic body: Officials

NASHIK: Only about 10% of pet dogs in the city are registered with the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), according to the corporation's officials.

The Nashik Municipal Corporation's (NMC) drive to register pet dogs has received very lukewarm response from families that own pet dogs. From April 2011, the NMC has been appealing to people to register their pet dogs with it and acquire a license that declares that they are rearing pet dogs. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Green makeover for Kolkata's high-speed corridors

KOLKATA: The state government's beautification committee is chalking out plans to turn the city's high-speed corridors such as VIP Road, EM Bypass, Salt Lake Bypass and Rajarhat's main arterial road into green corridors. A meeting was held recently.The committee recently held another meeting to discuss the issue.

Officials said that the beautification plan aims will seek to add an aesthetic, clean and green look to these high-speed corridors that are currently marred with excessive number of hoardings and billboards. Apart from installation of new streetlights, the roadsides will be decorated and street furniture will be installed on pavements. The plan is being chalked out. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Let residents decide their welfare needs in Noida

New Delhi : Voters and politicians seldom speak in the same voice. The Hindustan Times conclave held in Noida last week witnessed such a rare moment when we couldn't have them agree more on how they don't get heard in a bureaucratic silence zone. Local candidates contesting the UP Assembly polls, residents and neighbourhood associations were unanimous in their demand for "democratisation" of the Noida Authority Board, now an all-babu set-up. 

In Noida, like in the rest of the National Capital Region, community participation in civic affairs is serious business. It may not yet have a formal government-citizen Bhagidari (partnership) mechanism like Delhi has now for a decade, but the RWAs in Noida do get the Authority's funds for housekeeping jobs such as managing parks, community centres and sanitation work. But they do not have any access to the government machinery, no say in the planning and execution of projects, which are run unilaterally by the Authority without consulting even the local MLAs and MPs. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Delays can cost babus dear in Karnataka

BANGALORE: Tired of running from pillar to post to get a learner's licence or pursuing police to complete verification of credentials for your passport? Don't fret. There is some hope now.

Come April 2, government servants in Karnataka will be bound by a time schedule to deliver services to citizens, or pay a hefty fine. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com