Terror strikes cripple Mumbai trade, commerce

Mumbai: Trade and commerce in India's commercial and entertainment capital came to a halt on Thursday with offices shut and trading suspended on all bourses after terror struck this metropolis since the previous night.

As terrorists took scores of domestic and overseas tourists hostage at two of the city's top luxury hotels, the state government declared a public holiday and asked people not to venture out, crippling commercial activity at this otherwise bustling city, reports IANS.

"Considering the prevailing abnormal situation and the government's advice to people to stay at home, it has been decided to keep the market closed for the day," said a notice issued by the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The expiry in futures and options, and settlement due today, stands postponed to the next working day; the exchange said.Similar notice was issued by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and most of the commodities and currency exchanges.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also said there would be no transactions and settlements in government securities, foreign exchange and money markets on Thursday.

"Settlement of all outstanding transactions will accordingly get postponed to the next working day, November 28, 2008," the RBI's advisory said.

"Last night's attack is a clear and unambiguous attack on the Indian economy and all its participants," a statement by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) said.

Even though air and train services resumed from this city, the travel trade industry reported scores of cancellations—not just for Thursday but also for the days ahead. Some countries also advised citizens not to travel to India.

"In view of the current situation, we have also beefed up security at all the stations across our network," SpiceJet Chief Executive Sanjay Aggarwal said.

Air India spokesperson Jitendra Bhargava said that both domestic and international flights were now running as scheduled from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Jet Airways asked its entire staff to report for duty in the morning, even if their duty hours were to begin later in the day.

Railway services, too, resumed normally from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus with the Mumbai-Patna Express departing at four in the morning, after trains were suspended for some six hours when the news of terror attacks started pouring in.

The main station, earlier called the Victoria Terminus, is the headquarters of Central Railway and was one of the seven landmarks that were the target of terrorists.

Risk of sudden cardiac death greatest within 30 days of heart attack

The risk of sudden cardiac death following a heart attack has dropped by more than 40% in the last 25 years, however new research suggests that heart attack patients are still at heightened risk of sudden cardiac death within the first 30 days after their heart attack.

The study of 2997 heart attack patients, of which 284 (24%) died from sudden cardiac death, revealed that the incidence of sudden cardiac death within the 30 days following heart attack is 1.2% - four times higher than expected. After 30 days, the risk of death from sudden cardiac death drops to just 1.2% per annum, which is actually lower than the incidence of sudden cardiac death in the general population.

Recurrent ischemia did not appear to affect risk of sudden cardiac death, however heart failure was found to markedly increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. The risk of sudden cardiac death among patients who developed heart failure was 2.5% both in the first 30 days following heart attack and for each subsequent year.

The authors concluded: “In the community, the risk of sudden cardiac death is the highest during the first month after myocardial infarction when it markedly exceeds the rate in the general population. Among 30-day survivors, the risk of sudden cardiac death declines rapidly but it is markedly increased by the occurrence of heart failure during follow-up. This underscores the importance of continued surveillance of patients after myocardial infarction and the dynamic nature of risk stratification.”

Adabag AS, Thernau TM, Gersh BJ, Weston SA, Roger VL. Sudden death after myocardial infarction. JAMA 2008;300:2022-2029.

5 infants perish in Punjab hospital incubator fire

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/5_infants_perish_in_Punjab_hospital_incubator_fire/articleshow/4056402.cms

PATIALA: Five new born babies were burnt alive and two others were seriously injured at a government hospital in the wee hours on Saturday when

the incubators they were kept in caught fire due to a suspected short circuit. ( Watch )

The incident occurred when an incubator, where all the five newly born children were kept, caught fire at 3:15am, Superintendent of Police Gurmit Singh said. It is suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit, he said, adding the identities of the children were not known immediately.

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered an magisterial inquiry in the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the families of the children killed in the mishap.

The hospital's medical superintendent, Surinder Kumar, said that the accident occurred after a tubelight in the photo-therapy ward of the hospital burst.

A total of 10 children undergoing treatment for jaundice at the hospital were kept in photo therapy units when the wires of the machine caught fire, charring five of them to death including three boys and two girls.

Photo therapy (light treatment) is used for the treatment of jaundice. Two other children were seriously injured while three others were rescued. The victims were in the age group of three to seven days.

"There was a short circuit in the tubes of the machines. The staff reacted immediately...but unfortunately five babies could not be saved," the SP was quoted as saying by a television channel.

Some hospital sources claimed that the machines were not well equipped. Parents of the children rushed to the ward on hearing a loud burst there and saw that the room was already in flames.

Pak moots joint mechanism to combat terrorism

New Delhi: Expressing shock and horror at the terror attacks in Mumbai, Pakistan has called for strengthening the joint anti—terror mechanism with India and offered to set up a hotline between intelligence chiefs of the two countries.

Pakistan, however, warned against making insinuations against each other in case of terror attacks and underlined the need for a cautious approach towards tackling the common scourge, reports IANS.

"I was shocked and horrified to hear about the barbaric incident that took place last night in Mumbai. I condemn this tragic incident in the strongest possible terms," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is in New Delhi on a four-day visit, said here.

Recalling his talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday, he suggested that both India and Pakistan strengthen the joint anti-terror mechanism to combat terrorism.

"I pointed out that both Pakistan and India are victims of terrorism and will have to further strengthen the joint anti-terror mechanism to deal with this scourge," he said.

"I also offered that there should be a direct contact and hotline established between the intelligence chiefs of the two countries, so that they can share information and cooperate with each other in a more effective manner," he said.

Condemning the blasts Qureshi underlined the need to respond to terrorism in a very measured, composed and determined manner.

"Pakistan offers complete support and cooperation to deal with this menace. We have to collectively fight extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he underlined.
Calling terrorism a global phenomenon he said all civilized societies will have to join hands and pool in their resources to deal with this menace.

India had blamed Pakistan-based terrorists for the deadly bomb attacks on commuter trains in Mumbai two years ago and offered to produce evidence to support the charge.

The suspicion over Pakistan's links to the Mumbai blasts froze the peace process for a few months and led to the setting up of a joint anti-terror mechanism in September 2006.

India and Pakistan held a special meeting of the joint anti-terror mechanism to address issues relating to the bombing of the July 7 Indian Mission in Kabul in which New Delhi says it sees the hand of Pakistan's spy agency ISI. Islamabad had hotly denied the charge.

Qureshi travelled to Chandigarh on Thursday to participate in an international conference on "Cooperative Development, Peace and Security in South Asia."

"Today you are victims. We are victims of terrorism on a daily basis. We must cooperate at this time instead of making insinuations against each other," Qureshi said in Chandigarh.

He further said that though it was a very sad incident, people should avoid jumping to conclusion and cut a sorry figure. "Let's show maturity. We will cooperate, I can assure you," he added.

Asked what he thought of Pakistan being blamed for the Mumbai attacks he said he had not heard anyone make any such remarks.

Now Haryana farmers to be free from moneylenders

Chandigarh: The Government of Haryana will set up land conciliation boards in various districts of the state to free farmers from the clutches of private moneylenders.

"All the farmers who have deposited double or more than the principal amount are eligible to apply for loan concession to the district level board. Such borrowers who are still not free will be helped by the board," an official said on Thursday.

He said the boards will be set up in 21 districts and will have the power to solve such cases.

A revenue officer, a representative of the leading bank and two non-official members will be appointed to each board. The Additional Deputy Commissioner in each district will head it.

Each board will hold monthly meetings to resolve the long overdue cases. Money-lending agencies and borrowers will be invited in the board meetings.

DISAPPEARING ACT:

DISAPPEARING ACT: 

Three world famous magicians were in the bar drinking and boasting about their achievements.  

The first one said," During my latest show, I made three women from the audience disappear, it was so convincing that their relatives started panicking, no one could find the trick."  

The second one said, " Hey, that is nothing, during one of my open air shows I made the Municipality building disappear and the entire town was searching for it."  

The third one sighed and said," Both of you are so local, I went to Paris and made the Eiffel Tower disappear for a full one hour, it was live on the TV, entire France was searching for the building & no one had a clue." 

Just then an Indian walked into the bar and the three magicians suddenly turned quiet, gave each other fugitive glances and started to slip towards the door.  

A Bartender watching this got curious and asked one of the magicians, "Hey what happened? Who is that guy?" 

One of the magicians whispered, " He is the World's greatest magician, he has done the biggest disappearing trick of all times, we are all mere amateurs compared to what he has done.  

His name is Ramalinga Raju. He has made USD 1.5 billion disappear from his company's balance sheet in front of everyone's eyes, and the entire world is still looking for it."

Andhra police website hacked

Hyderabad: The website of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Andhra Pradesh police was hacked on Wednesday by a group of miscreants claiming to be from Pakistan.

Exposing flaws in the cyber security of a key department, a group called Zombie_KSA defaced the website and pasted offensive messages, reports IANS.

It claimed that its action was in response to the hacking of website of Pakistan's Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) by an Indian group HMG.

"You guys hacked Paki OGRA website. Don't hack small Paki sites," said the message. The group also claimed to have hacked the websites of a leading Indian bank and a television channel.

The hackers also tampered with the information about 10 most wanted criminals, which included some suspected terrorists. The site could not be restored till late in the evening.

The police clarified that CID had not lost any secret information. "It was all open information about crime and criminals. We have not lost any secret information," Additional Director General of Police (law and order) A K Khan said.

The police have ordered an inquiry as to how the hackers could break into the website. They are also in touch with a private firm, which hosts the CID website.

'Cultural sensitivity key to women's development'

New York: Many developmental projects focused on women would fail in poor countries if strategies are not more culturally sensitive to the promotion of human rights, especially women's rights, a new United Nations report finds.

The theme of cultural sensitivity is at the heart of this year's edition of The State of the World Population, an annual report released by the United Nations Population Fund which is this year subtitled, "Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights."

"Our 2008 report is sharing our experience of many years of working within culture and engaging culture as an agent of change in order to advance gender equality," UNFPA's Culture, Gender and Human Rights Branch Chief Aminata Touré told a press conference here.

"At UNFPA we use the term ‘culturally sensitive.' In concrete term it means using the language of culture, leveraging the positive value of the cultures to bring about change… in the end to achieve and sustain human rights," she said.

The 2008 report is based on the concept that the international human rights framework has universal validity, expressing values common to all cultures and protecting groups as well as individuals, marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The UNFPA report similarly reflects spirit of the commemoration, UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid noted, adding, "Cultures change, for better or worse, in good times and bad. The report is about promoting human rights in all circumstances."

Despite many declarations and affirmations in support of women's rights, the report argues, gender inequality is widespread and deep-rooted in many cultures.

Drawing on the example of female genital mutilation (FGM), Touré acknowledged that while most of the 28 countries where FGM is practised have enacted laws banning the custom, populations still do not abandon the practice as it is so deeply entrenched in cultural practices such as marriage.

"If we are to be more effective and if we want to accelerate progress, we have to engage the community at a deeper level, in order to facility change in the life of the individual, the family and communities," she said.

Such a deeper level of engagement has included working with religious leaders on issues such as HIV/AIDS, women's health and gender-based violence.

The importance of culturally sensitive approaches are framed as essential throughout the report for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at promoting gender equality and the improvement of maternal health.

"Culture is not a wall to tear down. It is a window to see through, a door to open to make greater progress for human rights," Obaid said.
—iGovernment Bureau

Government to provide unique identity numbers to all citizens

Beginning a gigantic task of providing a unique identity to every Indian, the government on Tuesday notified setting up of a national authority that will ensure that each of its over one billion citizens carry a permanent identifier from birth to death.

The project, which would cover even children, is aimed at establishing citizenship, reducing identity related frauds,
addressing security issues and preventing leakages in different government schemes, sources said.

The identification number will be provided by the National Authority for Unique Identify (UID), an entity under
the Planning Commission. It will work in coordination with the National Population Register of the Home Ministry through the Registrar General of the Census, in accordance with the Indian Citizenship Act.

The authority will work in cooperation with the similar bodies being set up at the state level, authoritative sources
told PTI.

In the beginning, the UID number will be assigned to all voters by building on current electoral roll data.

Progressively, other persons including those below 18 years of age will be added to the list.Photographs and biometric data will be added to make the identification foolproof, sources said, adding easy registration and information change procedures are also being envisaged for the benefit of the people.

The UID authority, which was earlier approved by the EGoM, will be responsible for creating and maintaining the
core database and laying down all necessary procedures for issuance and usage of UID including arrangements for
collection, validation and authentication of information, proper security of data and rules for sharing and access of
data.

An EGoM headed by the External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee [Images] in November last year had approved establishment of a Unique Identity Authority for all residents of the country.

The UID would facilitate people in availing basic government services like issuance of passports, driving
licenses, Electoral Identity Cards, etc. Backed by intensive use of technology, it is expected to facilitate easy verification of a person's identity and enable a single communication to trigger address changes in all relevant
agencies records.

Besides, it would also serve as the basis for many e-governance services incorporating on-line verification of a
person's identity. In addition, it would enable government to ensure that benefits under various welfare programmes reach the intended beneficiaries.

Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar, according to sources, had asked the Planning Commission officials to expedite setting-up of the authority.

SC seeks update on river-linking projects

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a detailed status report from the government on the implementation of five river-linking projects in southern, western and central India.

A bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan asked the central government to apprise it of the latest developments on the projects by the fourth week of January, reports IANS.

The bench, which also included Justice P Sathasivam and Justice JM Panchal, also asked Maharashtra and Gujarat to apprise the court of the reasons for the delay in signing a treaty between the two states for interlinking the Par, Tapti, Narmada, Daman Ganga and Pinjal rivers.

The bench also asked Tamil Nadu and Kerala to apprise the court of their differences in linking three rivers—Pamba, Achankoli and Vaippar—in their regions.

The apex court is seized of the issue since the very inception of the concept by erstwhile National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2000.

The bench of then Chief Justice YK Sabharwal had taken cognizance of the issue on its own and has been monitoring the implementation of the project since then.

It had been seeking status reports from the central government and various government agencies besides the state governments on river-linking and issuing directions to them to expedite the project.

The bench on Tuesday sought to examine the progress in implementing the five projects.

Besides examining the projects in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the other projects that the court sought to examine include those of interlinking the Ken and Betwa rivers in Madhya Pradesh.

The court also examined the progress in linking the Parbati, Kali Sindhu and Chambal rivers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The fifth project that the court sought to examine was related to the interlinking of the Godavari and Krishna rivers involving Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Karnataka Government doctors call off strike

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111450030100.htm

Bangalore: With the State Government promising to meet all demands of the striking doctors, the Karnataka State Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGOMA) called off its strike late in the evening on Thursday.

Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Madan Gopal told The Hindu that the doctors called off the strike after a marathon meeting with Health Minister B. Sriramulu and officials.

The Government had decided to regularise contract doctors who had completed three years of service by October 31, excluding those selected by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC). “We have also decided that henceforth doctors will not be appointed on contract basis,” he said.

Regarding the demand on protection for doctors against atrocities and assault, Mr. Gopal said a Bill in that regard had been approved by the Law Department. It would be placed before the Cabinet soon, he said.

A committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary would be set up to study the demand regarding the contract doctors’ pay parity with those in the Medical Education Department, and payment of allowances with retrospective effect from the date of joining, Mr. Gopal said. Apart from Mr. Sriramulu, Transport Minister R. Ashok, Home Minister V.S. Acharaya and Food and Civil Supplies Minister H. Halappa and top officials were present at the meeting.

High court questions NHRC's judicial power

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to review its order directing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to pay Rs 50,000 as damages to an accused in a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation case.

Justice Sunil Gaur asked the NHRC to examine its power to award damages and reconsider the order as he allowed a petition filed by the central government through the ED questioning the commission jurisdiction to pass an order on immediate relief, reports IANS.

In 2000, the NHRC directed ED to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to Prabhakar L Mehta on his complaint that he was being tortured by ED officials during raids at his residence in connection with an FERA violation by him in 1997.

According to the prosecution, in 1996 Mumbai-based Mehta illegally transferred foreign exchange worth more than Rs 4.60 billion from South Indian Bank, Mumbai, against a bogus import.

On Mehta's plea, the NHRC ordered an enquiry and following the enquiry report awarded an interim relief of Rs 50,000 to the victim. It asked the investigating agency to shell out the amount.

Himachal to launch helicopter taxi services

Shimla: The Government of Himachal Pradesh is introducing heli-taxi services in tribal areas of the state to tap high-spending adventure tourists, reports IANS.

"The Tourism Department will invite technical and financial bids for the introduction of tourist helicopter services in various tourist resorts," Tourism Secretary Manisha Nanda said on Thursday.

"The decision to start heli-taxi service in the state was taken at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Of course, this will attract adventure tourists, both domestic and foreigners," she added.

Travel agents are happy with the decision, saying poor air connectivity within the hilly Indian state is proving a deterrence to the tourism market.

Manali Hoteliers Association Secretary Anil Kumar said, "Tourist resort of Manali is facing a major slump as a large number of tourists prefer Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir after the introduction of heli-taxis."

Second, air travel cost between Delhi and Himachal Pradesh is also quite high as compared to Delhi-Leh (in Jammu and Kashmir).

"Once the runways at Shimla and Bhuntar airports are expanded, air connectivity will increase, reducing the airfares too," Nanda said.

Himachal Pradesh attracts tourists from around the world, especially from Israel, Germany, Britain and several other European countries, not only for nature-based activities but also for exploring historic and ancient monasteries.

Last year, more than 8.8 million tourists, including 3.39 lakh foreigners, visited the state. Kullu-Manali has emerged as a favourite tourist destination. Last year, around one lakh foreign tourists visited that area.

Malnutrition hampering India's economic growth: UN

New Delhi: India is progressing well in education and showing consistency in economic growth but its progress is getting downplayed due to poor child health conditions, a new United Nations report has said.

"In recent years, India has made impressive progress towards enrolment in primary schools. Progress in child health indicators is less impressive. Bangladesh and Nepal with lower levels of income and economic growth, have outperformed India on this indicator," said the Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report of the Unesco.

The report said that while India has sustained one of the world's highest economic growths for the last two decades, social indicators for child mortality, nutrition and child health lag far behind, reports IANS.

If India had reduced child mortality to Bangladesh levels, it would have had 200,000 fewer deaths in 2006, the report said.

"Rising average income has done little to enhance child nutrition," the report said quoting India's national family health survey which says percentage of underweight children (46 per cent) remained unchanged between 1998 and 2005.

Around 75 per cent of pre-school children in India suffer iron deficiency and 60 per cent have sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency.

"Health provisions are lacking in many areas. More than one quarter of children with diarrhoea are never treated. Around 45 per cent children do not receive the full DPT3 vaccination," the Unesco report said.

"The marked disconnect between success in the economy and failure in child nutrition is the product of deep inequalities linked to income, caste, gender and state," the report said.

The global education body has described the flagship Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) as a failure. "The programme fails to preferentially target girls, children from lower castes and the poor, all of whom face higher risk of malnutrition."

The report said that the Indian government had said that it would create a world-class education system but achieving the goal will require stronger political leadership and practical policies that link the education for all agenda with policies to improve public health and enhance equity.

Cost-effective 'Indus knee' patent granted to Pune doctor

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200811140313.htm

Pune (PTI): Noted city orthopaedician Dr K H Sancheti has been granted a patent by the Central Government for an indigenously designed artificial knee for total knee replacement surgery (TKR).

The cost-effective 'Indus knee', developed after an extensive research, was comparable with the best imported knee prosthesis in terms of mechanical qualities, Dr Sancheti told reporters here.

It would allow more than 130-135 degrees of knee bending, facilitating sitting on the floor and squatting, Sancheti said adding that the invention was "well suited for the Indian population".

"So far, more than 1000 patients have been operated and these requirements have been fulfilled", he said.

The surgeon, a recipient of Padma Bhushan, noted that the "indigenous development" of the joint at one-third the cost of the imported one could be a boon for the middle class and economically backward patients suffering from arthritis and in need of TKR.

SC asks CBI to prosecute Punjab Assembly speaker

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered prosecution of Punjab Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon for allegedly taking bribes as State Minister between 1997 and 2002.

A bench of Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice Aftab Alam ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to start prosecuting Kahlon in a verdict delivered on October 22. The ruling, however, was released later, reports IANS.

The bench ordered prosecution of the Speaker, dismissing his appeal against a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which had ordered the CBI to probe the allegations that Kahlon as Rural Development and Panchayat Minister in the Akali Dal-BJP government between 1997 and 2002, Kahlon had accepted bribes.

Kahlon had approached the Apex court in 2005 contending that the high court was not empowered to order the CBI to take up the probe of any criminal case unless the state government entrusts the task to it.

While taking up Kahlon's plea in 2005, the Apex court had ordered the CBI to continue probing the case.

The Apex court, however, on October 22 dismissed Kahlon's plea and ordered the CBI to file its probe report in the relevant trial court of Punjab as the CBI probe was over by then.

The high court had in May 2003 ordered the Punjab gopvernment to hand over the investigation of the case to the CBI. The case involved acceptance of graft and several other irregularities in selection of 909 Panchayat Secretaries by the Akali Dal-BJP government.

Indian PM calls for strengthening global FIs

New Delhi: Ahead of beginning his visit to Washington on Thursday, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the likely slowdown in the growth of developing countries due to the global financial meltdown and called for strengthening global financial institutions to avert such a crisis.

The Prime Minister underlined that India's efforts at the G20 conclave will be to ensure that the fallout of the global financial crisis on developing countries will be minimal, reports IANS.

"Our message to G20 will be that they will do everything in their power so that the implementation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by developing countries will not be affected," Singh said.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with leaders of other member-countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative of Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec)—a regional grouping comprising India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Thailand.

The Prime Minister will leave on a three-day visit to Washington on Thursday evening to attend the G20 conclave called by President George W Bush to discuss with leaders of developing countries how to address the global financial meltdown and reforms that could avert such crises in future.

"International financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and regional development banks should be strengthened so that the fallout of the global financial crisis on developing countries in minimal,” he said.

Though it originated in the US and Europe, we are affected but relatively less than the banking and financial sectors of developed countries, he said.

He underlined that the banks of developing countries in the region are better regulated and have healthy cash reserve ratios that could protect them from the meltdown.

"There is no threat to the financial health of region," the Prime Minister added. He, however, expressed concerns over the long-range effects of the ongoing meltdown.

"The growth rate in these countries is likely to be affected. That will affect exports of developing countries," he said.

International financial institutions are reluctant to lend and there may be difficulties in balance of payment for least developed countries, he added.

If the flow of funds from developed to developing countries is affected, it will affect the capacity of developing countries to implement the MDG, he said.

Meanwhile, the leaders attending the Bimstec summit expressed their satisfaction at the progress that has been made in the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in trade in goods and called for their early conclusion.

Expressing concern at the threat which terrorism poses to this region, they welcomed the establishment of the Centres for Energy and Weather and Climate in India and the Bimstec Cultural Observatory in Bhutan.

India for economic package to gear climate change

New Delhi: Stressing that it contributes much less to the global greenhouse emission, India has said that it would seek special financial package from developed countries to acquire cleaner technology and fight climate change at the upcoming climate change conference in Poland.

"India will demand financial architecture as deliberated during Bali Conference on climate change," Environment Secretary Vijay Sharma said.

He said there should be a special fund for developing nations, which should not be less than 0.5 per cent of the GNP.

Pointing that India shouldn't be blamed for greenhouse gas emission, the Secretary said the country's emission level is 1/15th of the European level, 1/12th of the Japanese level and 1/4th of the global level, reports IANS.

"India is looking at deep emission reduction commitment from the developed nations," Sharma told reporters here.

He said the climate change conference beginning December 1 at Poznan, Poland, will certainly focus on adoption of new technology, mitigation of global warming challenges, financial cooperation and international communication.

The conference will also analyse the fourth report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and contribution of civil aviation and marine sector to the existing problem.

Wanbury launches calcium tablet

Mumbai (PTI): Pharma company Wanbury today said it has launched Cdense, a tablet for osteoporosis and gynecology related calcium deficiency, for the Indian market.

Cdense would be a prescription-based product and would be targeted at patients with osteoporosis, low back pain, postmenopausal women and for calcium deficiency related to pregnancy, lactation and postpartum care, Wanbury said in a release.

"Wanbury's Cdense is once-a-day dosage product, which ensures 95 per cent absorption, powerful re-calcification of the bone, reverses bone loss, relieves pain and has gastro-intestinal tolerance leading to maximum patient compliance," Wanbury Director Rajaram Samant said.

The calcium market in India is estimated at Rs 266 crore and growing at 15 per cent per annum.

"Wanbury is targeting Rs 15 crore in the first year of launch of Cdense and intend to make it among the top five brands by March 2009 in the calcium segment," he said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200811140312.htm

Asia must raise vehicle emission norms: ADB

Manila: In order to provide health and quality of life to the urban population, developing countries in Asia should raise their vehicle emission standards to the levels of Japan, Europe and the US and should use cleaner fuels, according to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

The report, 'A Road Map for Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles in Asia', calls for a multi-sector partnership promoting measures to improve air quality in the region.

The report, compiled by an expert team consisting of Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) and consultants, recommended steps to improve fuel quality and vehicle emissions for creating better air quality in the region.

With the rapidly increasing vehicle population in Asia, emissions in many countries in this region are expected to increase over the next few decades, posing a significant threat to the environment and lives in urban areas.

"Cleaner fuels will play an important role in reducing vehicle emissions and improving urban air quality in Asia," the report stated.

Fuel specifications influence emissions but they also influence driveability, engine-wear, and fuel efficiency, which are also important in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

The report further pointed out that reducing emissions from motor vehicles depends upon introducing cleaner fuels for the advanced emission control technologies that require these cleaner fuels.

The report recommended that sulfur in gasoline and diesel was reduced to enable the use of advanced emission control technologies, which will enable Asia to adopt vehicle emission standards similar to those in Japan, Europe and the US.

It also recommended that after the phase out of leaded gasoline, decision making on the use of additives to enhance octane levels in gasoline requires careful consideration.

The report concluded that there are no technical obstacles to producing cleaner fuels in Asia, and further argued that producing cleaner fuels is cost-effective and will have large economic benefits because of the health benefits associated with the positive impact of cleaner fuels on air quality.

The report explains how taxing policy and other incentives can be used to speed up the introduction of cleaner fuels, besides highlighting the importance of involvement of all stakeholders, and awareness raising on the benefits of cleaner fuels.

Single window system for Himachal power projects

Shimla: The Government of Himachal Pradesh is planning to set up a single-window clearance system for speedy sanctions of small hydropower projects in the state, reports IANS.

"To speed up the allotment process for small hydropower projects, we are planning to set up a single-window clearance system on the pattern of industry," Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said at the inauguration of the five MW Tosh mini-hydro project in Kullu district on Sunday.

The state government allotted 80 small hydro projects with a generation capacity of 190 MW in Kullu district this year, he said.

These days, the hydropower generation in the state has dipped by around 30 per cent after several water channels froze at high altitudes.

"During the past three years, the demand during the winter months (November to March) has increased from 2.8 billion units to five billion units," an official of the state electricity board said.

"Now, the total availability from the central government pool, the state's share in various projects and own generation will be around three billion units. This means the state is daily facing a shortage of two billion units during the winter months," the official added.

In 2006, the state government approved a hydropower policy that aims to make Himachal Pradesh the hydropower state of India. The government has allotted hundreds of micro and major hydro projects after that.

Local entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take up projects having 2-5 MW generation capacity. The state government has allotted projects above five MW through open bidding.

The Asian Development Bank last month announced US $800-million loan for the hill state for setting up hydro projects that will add 808 MW generation capacity.

India's inflation in single digit, slips to 8.98%

New Delhi: India's annual rate of inflation fell sharply to 8.98 per cent for the week ended November 1, from 10.72 per cent for the week before.

The rate, based on the official wholesale price index has come down to the single digit level after 21 weeks. The annual rate of inflation stood at 3.35 per cent during the corresponding week of last year, reports IANS.

The sharp fall in the inflation rate was the result of a 1.3 per cent drop in the official wholesale price index in a matter of just one week, notably due to a 3.4 per cent decline in the index for fuels and 0.7 per cent in manufactured products.

The statistics, released by the Commerce Ministry, also pointed out that primary articles, which have a weight of 22.02 per cent in the general index, also fell 0.4 per cent during the week under review.

The fresh statistics on inflation has come at a time when as many as six states go to the polls from November 14, for which opposition parties had made rising prices their main political plank against the government policies.

Yet, economists said they had predicted the inflation rate to fall because of a number of reasons, including the tight monetary policy adopted by the central banks in recent months and supply-factors.

"Single digit inflation was expected as agriculture production has started reaching the markets now. The reduction in some fuel prices have also helped controlling inflation," Delhi School of Economics' Commerce Department Head Ram Khanna said.

"But you can't expect retail prices of commodities to fall immediately because inflation has come down. That will take some time. Interest rates are still high at and purchasing power will increase only with increased consumer demand," Khanna said.

He expected the inflation rate to come down further by two percentage points by January and by five percentage points by April, when new crops arrive in the markets.

Kerala to unveil women's policy

Thiruvananathapuram: The Government of Kerala is set to unveil a women's policy whose highlight will be to campaign against atrocities against women by setting up a few select model villages and vigilance committees.

As the first step to implement the policy, the state government had earlier this week announced the formation of a gender board, which includes heads of 18 departments and a representative each from the state planning board, Women's Commission and five other nominated members, reports IANS.

The draft women's policy was released in March this year.

"The draft, after it was released, has been extensively discussed and we are now waiting for the state Social Welfare and Health Minister PK Sreemathi to unveil the policy," Gender Board member TN Seema said.

"The highlight of the policy is that we plan to set up a few model villages where there will be no atrocities on women because this is one of our main concerns. Several mechanisms have been included to see that no atrocities on women are committed and in the long run, we plan to replicate this model in other villages also," Seema said.

The policy is also to tackle atrocities against women through Jagrata Samithis (vigilance committees) that have already begun functioning in over 800 village bodies out of around 1,200 in the state.

"We already have many of these (vigilance committees) that function very effectively," she said.

Kerala has one of the highest sex ratios in the country at 1,000 men to 1,058 women. The national ratio is 1,000 men to 933 women.

The average life expectancy of Kerala women is 76 years, while the national average is 61.8 years.

A simple way to make a good impression.

Principle 1: Become genuinely interested in other people.


A simple way to make a good impression.
The expression one wears on one's face if far more important than the clothes one wears on one's back. Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, " I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you." You must have a good time meeting people i f you expect them to have a good time meeting you. You don't feel like smiling? Then what? Two things. First, force yourself to smile. If you are alone, force yourself to whistle or hum a tune or sing. Act as if you were already happy, and that will tend to make you happy. "Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not." -William James. Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions. It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it. "There is nothing either good or bad," said Shakespeare, "but thinking makes it so." Your smile is a messenger of your good will. Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds.


Principle 2: Smile.

If you don't do this, you are headed for trouble
The average person is more interested in his or her own name than all the other names on earth put together. Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it-and you have plac e yourself at a sharp disadvantage. Whenever you meet a new acquaintance, find out his or her complete name and some facts about his or her family, business or political opinions. Fix all these facts well in mind as part of the picture, and the next time you meet that person, even if it was a year later, you will be able to shake hands, inquire after the family, and ask about the hollyhocks in the backyard. Sometimes it is difficult to remember a name, particularly if it is hard to pronounce. Rather than even try to learn it, many people ignore it or call the person by an easy nickname. Most people don't remember names, for the simple reason that they don't take the time and energy necessary to concentrate and repeat and fix names indelibly in their minds. If you don't hear the name distinctly say excuse me I didn't get your name clearly. Then, if it is an unusual name, ask how it is spelled. Use the person's name several times in the conversation; try to associate it in your mind with the person's featur es, expression and general appearance. Then, when you are alone write the name down on a piece of paper, look at it, and concentrate on it, fix it securely in your mind, in this way you will gain an eye impression of the name as well as an ear impression.


Principle 3: Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

An easy way to become a good conversationalist
Listen intently; listen because you are genuinely interested. That kind of listening is one of the highest compliments we can pay anyone. The chronic kicker, even the most violent critic, will frequently soften and be subdued in the presence of a patient, sympathetic listener-a listener who will be silent with the irate fault-finger dilates like a king cobra and spews the poison out of his system. Be more eager to hear what a person has to say then even they are to tell it. Many people prefer good list eners to good talkers, but the ability to listen seems rarer than almost any other good trait. All we want when we are in trouble is a friendly, sympathetic listener to unburden yourself. That is frequently all the irritated customer wants, and the dissat isfied employee or the hurt friend. If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is the recipe: Never listen to anyone for long. Talk incessantly about yourself. If you have an idea while the other person is talking, don't wait for him or her to finish: bust right in and interrupt in the middle of a sentence. If you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments.


Principle 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves...

How to interest people
The royal road to a person's heart is to talk about the things he or she treasures most. Make an effort to find out what interests the person then get them talking about it. Talking in terms of the other person's interests pays off for both parties. When asked what reward he got from it, Mr. Herzig responded that he not only received a different reward from each person but that in general the reward had been an enlargement of his life each time he spoke to someone.


Principle 5: Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

How to make people like you instantly.
Ask yourself " What is there about him or her that I can honestly admire?" That is sometimes a hard question to answer, especially with strangers. You want approval of those with whom you come in contact. You want recognition of your true worth. You want a feeling that your are important in our little world. You don't want to listen to cheap, insincere flattery, but you do crave sincere appreciation. So let's obey the Golden Rule, and give unto others what we would have others give unto us. How? When? Where? The answer is all the time, everywhere. Use little phrases such as "I'm sorry to trouble you, ___." "Would you please ___?" "Won't you please?" "Would you mind?" "Thank you." The unvarnished truth is that almost all the people you meet feel themselves superior to you in some way, and a sure way to their hearts is to let them realize in some subtle way that you recognize their importance, and recognize it sincerely. Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours.


Principle 6: Make the other person feel important-and do it sincerely.

In a Nutshell: Six ways to make people like you Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
Make the other person feel important-and do it sincerely.

Ensure rural job scheme success: CJI to judiciary

Bangalore: Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan has called upon the judiciary to ensure the successful implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) for empowering the rural people and bridging the rich-poor gap.

"As the right to employment has been made a fundamental right of the citizen under the directive principles of the state, the judiciary has the legal and moral obligation to ensure the proper implementation of the NREGS Act for guaranteeing livelihood of the rural folk," Balakrishnan said.

Inaugurating the first two-day regional conference of southern states on 'Initiative on supporting the NREGS through state legal services authorities', Balakrishnan said that the scheme was one of the most progressive social welfare measures in the country to tackle chronic rural poverty, reports IANS.

"The onus is on the judiciary to intervene and assist the state governments through local bodies for effective implementation of the scheme, launched by the central government in 2005 with huge budgetary support every year," the Chief Justice pointed out.

The scheme, a flagship initiative of the Manmohan Singh government, ensures 100 days of employment in a year for one adult from each rural household.

It seeks to ensure livelihood security and improve the purchasing power of rural households through the payment of statutory minimum wages for the work undertaken.

The scheme is also intended to check rural-urban migration and utilise the labour for building public works such as bridges, water-flow channels well, rainwater harvesting units, roads, schools, health centres and granaries.

The potential of the scheme remains only partially fulfilled even three years after its launch. Though there are reports of its success in limiting distress migration in some districts, systemic problems have been coming in the way of realising its full potential in other districts. Implementing agencies, civil societies and the legal system have to be involved to address the issues.

"The primary problem is corruption, lack of transparency in maintaining muster rolls and records of payment of wages. The unholy nexus between local contractors and governmental officials is complicated by social realities such as exploitation of illiterate workers, particularly those belonging to vulnerable sections such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women," the Chief Justice lamented.

Referring to media reports and complaints by NGOs on manipulation of wage payment records, Balakrishnan decried the tendency of contractors to not allow workers or social activists access to muster rolls.

The Chief Justice advised state legal services authorities to generate awareness about the scheme through legal literacy camps and provide a grievance redressal mechanism in the form of Lok Adalats (people's court) to hear and decide complaints related to the scheme.

The success of a scheme like the NREGS lies on the initiative and efforts of the local community. It is important for individuals to be aware of their entitlements under the scheme and participate in the social audits concerned with the implementation of the same.

"Social audits are not only a method to gauge the implementation of the scheme, but also provide a forum for the beneficiaries to interact with the implementing agencies on the working conditions and the nature of projects to be undertaken. In this way, the government's role of guaranteeing the employment can act as a precursor to wholesome rural development," Balakrishnan added.

On this occasion, the Chief Justice unveiled a specially designed bus, which serves as a court room to conduct the Lok Adalat and take justice and legal literacy to the doorsteps of the people across Karnataka.

Christened 'Mobile Lok Adalat and Legal Literacy Chariot', the bus has been designed like a mini-court room with enough space to seat litigants and their lawyers. The Lok Adalat comprises a judicial officer and a conciliator.

Besides solving small and petty cases, the mobile court will help in spreading legal awareness among the masses.

Look at the picture; make a wish, then read the prayer.

Hi - I am picking 17 people who have touched my life and who I think would want to receive this. Please send it back to me (You'll see why).

In case you are not aware, Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways, meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is represented by roses. May everyone who receives this message be blessed.

Theresa's Prayer cannot be deleted. REMEMBER to make a wish before you read the prayer . That's all you have to do.
There is nothing attached. Just share this with people and see what happens on the fourth day.
Sorry you have to forward the message, but try not to break this, please.
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. Read the prayer below.












Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilitie s that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Now, send this to 17 people within the next 15 minutes. And remember to send this back. I count as 1...you'll see why.

Three super speciality hospital in Bihar soon

Patna: In an attempt to further improve the health services in Bihar, the state government has decided to confer super speciality status to three of the state-run hospitals in Patna.

As part of this exercise, Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan hospital will be developed as super speciality hospital for neuro and orthopaedic disease, while Rajendra Nagar and Gardener Road Government hospitals would be converted into eye and nephro-diabetic speciality hospitals, respectively.

"Specialist doctors would appointed on contractual basis in these three hospitals," a Health Department official said.

At present Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology is the only super speciality government hospital in Bihar which is catering to the needs of 900 million people.

There are six medical college and hospitals, 25 sadar (district) hospitals, 23 sub-divisional hospitals, 70 referral hospitals, 397 primary health centres (PHC), 1,330 additional PHCs and 7,024 health sub centres in the state, which is far less than the national average.

Health sector in this state is in poor conditions. According to the economic survey of Bihar, 2008, about 95 per cent of the patients go to the private clinics and hospitals and only five per cent, who does not have any other option, goes to government hospitals. For instance, only 39 patients went to the out patient department (OPD) of government hospitals in January 2006.

In previous financial year, the government has spent RS 220 crore to strengthen the health sector infrastructure, but with no tangible success.

Are You Able!

The sons answered, "You will have glory {in your kingdom}.
Let one of us sit at your right, and let one of us sit at
your left." Jesus said, "You don't understand what you are
asking. Can you accept the kind of suffering that I must
have? Can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that
I must have?"

-- Mark 10:37-38 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Before we overestimate what we would actually do to serve the Lord, we
had better look at some who failed him miserably. This is not to
discourage us, but to humble us and remind us of how difficult it is to
let faith triumph over fear and trust win over trial. We will not make
it on our own, but with the help of the Lord and the encouragement of
each other, by God's grace we can remain faithful even unto the point
of death.


TODAY'S PRAYER:
O God, I confess that I cannot do it alone. My strength is not
sufficient. Even looking at the great heroes of faith who have paid the
ultimate price before me, I'm sure that I don't have the strength to
pay the ultimate price on my own. So, dear Father, I turn to you and
the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain me. I ask that the
encouragement and support of your people can uphold me. I promise to do
my best, but I also know that without your grace, my best is not
sufficient. So please strengthen my courage and inspire my strength. In
Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Only God Decides

The sons answered, "Yes, we can!" Jesus said to the sons,
"You will suffer the same things that I will suffer. And you
will be baptized with the same baptism that I must have. But
I cannot choose the person that will sit at my right or my
left. There are some people that will have those places.
Those places are prepared for them."

-- Mark 10:39-40 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
God the Father holds some things in his hands alone. The Son, in his
earthly ministry, will not decide the importance or place of his
followers before their lives are done. Only God will. The point from
this seems to be that we are not to live for the place of honor, but
for the person of honor -- Jesus, the Son of God.


TODAY'S PRAYER:
God, calm my restless and selfish spirit of striving. To be loved,
honored, and welcomed by you and to know that you will dry every tear
from my eyes and give me a home with you are far more than I can
rightfully ask. Calm me, O Lord, and help me trust that your place for
me will be far more glorious than I have a right to expect because your
grace is more than sufficient for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Heart Surgery for Children Free of Cost

Himachal to be open defecation free by 2010: CM

Shimla: Calling every citizen to actively involve in achieving total sanitation, the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal announced that the state will be open defecation free (ODF) by 2010 in order to save the fragile ecology of the hilly Indian state.

The Chief Minister said that the state government had launched the ambitious Total Sanitation Campaign in the hilly Indian state to make the it completely ODF.

Stating that environment protection had emerged top priority with every government all-over the world, he urged people participation in the Total Sanitation Campaign to help achieve its objective.

"If remedial steps were initiated well in time the coming generations would be in precarious conditions," the Chief Minister apprehended.

Urging to protect natural resources for bonafide purposes, Dhumal said that the young generation needed to be groomed as awakened citizens so that they knew the future problems before hand.

Graphite-based chip promises huge storage capacity

New York: A hardy, heat-resistant, graphite-based memory device holds the potential of making massive amounts of storage available for computers, handheld media players, cell phones and cameras.

Rice University researchers, who are currently developing the device, said the solid-state device takes advantage of the conducting properties of graphene and would have many advantages over today's state-of-the-art flash memory and other new technologies, reports IANS.

Graphene memory would increase the amount of storage in a two-dimensional array by a factor of five, said James Tour, who led the research team.

This is so because individual bits could be made smaller than 10 nanometres, compared to the 45-nanometre circuitry in today's flash memory chips.

Findings of the new research have been published online in the journal Nature Materials.

Being essentially a mechanical device, such chips will consume virtually no power while keeping data intact—much the same way today's e-book readers keep the image of a page visible even when the power is off.

What distinguishes graphene from other next-generation memories is the on-off power ratio—the amount of power a circuit holds when it's on, as opposed to off.

"It's huge—a million-to-one," Tour said, adding, "Phase change memory, the other thing the industry is considering, runs at 10-to-1. That means the 'off' state holds, say, one-tenth the amount of electrical current than the 'on' state."

Current tends to leak from an 'off' that's holding a charge. "That means in a 10-by-10 grid, 10 'offs' would leak enough to look like they were 'on.' With our method, it would take a million 'offs' in a line to look like 'on'," he said. "So this is big. It allows us to make a much larger array."

While generating little heat itself, graphene memory seems impervious to a wide temperature range, having been tested from minus 75 to more than 200 degrees Celsius with no discernable effect, Tour said.

That allows graphene memory to work in close proximity to hot processors. Better still, tests show it to be impervious to radiation, making it suitable for extreme environments.

Tour said the new switches are faster than his lab's current testing systems can measure. And they're robust. "We've tested it in the lab 20,000 times with no degradation," Tour said. "It's lifetime is going to be huge, much better than flash memory."

Best of all, the raw material is far from exotic. Graphene is a form of carbon. In a clump it's called graphite, which you spread on paper every time you use a pencil.

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You Will Share My Cup!

The sons answered, "Yes, we can!" Jesus said to the sons,
"You will suffer the same things that I will suffer. And you
will be baptized with the same baptism that I must have."

-- Mark 10:39 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
James and John both paid huge prices for their faith in Jesus. James
was martyred early in the history of the church. John, on the other
hand, was exiled to the Island of Patmos where he saw visions of what
lay ahead for the church in Asia Minor -- a time of persecution,
apostasy, and challenge. Each gave his life in a different way to
follow the Master who saw greatness in sacrifice and not in human
success. O that we might have the courage to do as they both did,
faithfully serving the Lord no matter what challenges face us in our
lives.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
O God, you are worthy of my life. You gave it to me at my conception. I
pray that you will use it to your glory. And I trust, dear Father, that
you will keep it for eternity. In Jesus' name I confess my trust in
you. Amen.

Jharkhand RC on central deputation, to join MoEF

New Delhi: Delhi Resident Commissioner (RC) with the Jharkhand government Rajiv Gauba has moved on central deputation and has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

He is Jharkhand cadre IAS officer of the 1982 batch and has been well versed with the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Gauba was earlier Private Secretary to the Minster of State (Independent Charge), Forest and Environment during 95-96 and later also served as Director in the same Ministry.

Before returning to his parent cadre in 2005, he was Technical Assistant to the Executive Director in the Indian Embassy in Washington in the Disinvestment department.

Jharkhand opens pilot training centre in Dumka

Ranchi: Cherished dreams of Jharkhand youths to fly high came true with the state government opening the first aviation academy, Sona-Sobran National Flying Institute, today at Dumka to train aspirating pilots.

Chief Minister Shibu Soren inaugurated the Rs 500-crore training centre named after his father. Four training aircrafts carried out air-show at the time of inauguration of the project, which was actually conceived by former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi.

It is, though, another matter that Soren took the project serious and helped it become a reality for people of the second capital, from where Soren represents in the Lok Sabha.

"We pay a hefty amount to other aviation companies to train students from tribal communities. Now the students will be trained here," Soren said on the occasion.

At present, the state government spends nearly Rs 7 crore a year on training tribal students to become pilots. The new centre will initially train a batch of 30 tribal students from the state. As the academy expands, it will admit non-tribal students from across the country and abroad.

"The institute would charge Rs 35 lakh from international students, whereas training would be offered to those within the country at the cost of Rs 25 lakh. Many foreign countries have shown interest in getting their students enrolled in the aviation academy," an official of the Jharkhand Civil Aviation Department said.

UP Chief Secretary calls for more teeth to RTI

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta, who insists that the state government is 'ready to part with all information', has joined rights activists in their demand for the Right to Information (RTI) Act to be made more powerful.

Speaking on the concluding day of a two-day seminar on the RTI Act, Gupta on Sunday called for 'sharpening of the RTI Act' and said the state government was 'ready to part with all information', reports IANS.

"I have advised all government departments to keep their doors open to anyone seeking information under the RTI Act, which is a law to protect the interests of common people.

"People in the government must realise that they will also be like common citizens once they retire from their jobs. Therefore, they must put themselves in the shoes of the common man while dealing with RTI requests," he said.

Admitting that the disposal of RTI applications was slow, Gupta said, "I will now start monitoring how many applications are received by different principal information officers over a particular period and how many are disposed off."

He was also receptive to a demand by participants, which included activists and lawyers, for a government sponsored call centre for filing RTI requests over the telephone.

"It is not within my domain to take a decision on setting up a call centre for purposes of RTI, but I will do the needful from my end to promote such an idea," Gupta said.

Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, who was the chief guest at the seminar, attributed the tendency among officials to conceal information to the British Raj mindset.

He said it was understandable for officials not to divulge information during the British regime, but the same approach was not acceptable anymore.

"The Official Secrets Act took birth under a regime that needed to shield itself from the people. But today, we have a people's government," he added.

India's first monorail to run in Mumbai

Mumbai: An Indian-Malaysian consortium led by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) will construct the India's first monorail system here, it was announced on Monday.

The L&T-led consortium, which includes Scomi Engineering Bhd of Malaysia, will implement the Rs 2,460 crore project for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The contract involves design, construction, installation, commissioning and integrated testing of the 20-km-long monorail project, reports IANS.

In the first phase, an 11-km monorail line will be constructed from Jacob Circle in south-central Mumbai to Wadala. In the second phase, a nine-km line will be built to link Chembur in north-east Mumbai with Wadala.

The project, with 18 stations en route, will be completed in 30 months. It is expected to ease the congestion in the highly crowded Jacob Circle, Wadala and Chembur areas, apart from providing inter-connectivity to the suburban railways network and the forthcoming Metro railway as part of the multi-modal transport system being envisioned by MMRDA.

Malaysia's Scomi ranks among the world's top three monorail manufacturers, offering urban transportation solutions by providing latest monorail electro-mechanical systems and rolling stock.

L&T, a leader in technology, engineering and construction, launched a dedicated railway business unit last year to address various rail-related business projects in the country.

Confession tribunal opens up after 830 years

http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/16/stories/2009011656622200.htm

ROME: One of the Vatican’s most secrecy-shrouded tribunals, which handles confessions of sins so grave only the Pope can grant absolution, is giving the faithful a peek into its workings — for the first time in its 830-year history.

The so-called “tribunal of conscience” invited the public into the frescoed halls of its imposing 16th-century palazzo for a two-day conference that ended on Wednesday. The aim was to explain what the Apostolic Penitentiary actually does, and thereby encourage more of the faithful to go to confession, said Monsignor Gianfranco Girotti, the tribunal’s No. 2 official.

Confessions of even the most heinous of crimes and sins — such as genocide or mass murder — are handled at the local level by priests and their bishops and are not heard by the tribunal. Its work involves those sins that are reserved for the Pope — considered so serious that a local priest or bishop is not qualified to grant absolution, said Cardinal James Francis Stafford, an American who heads the Apostolic Penitentiary.

These include defiling the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the body and blood of Christ. Cardinal Stafford said this offence is occurring with more and more frequency, not just in satanic rites but by ordinary faithful who receive Communion and then remove the host from their mouths and spit it out or otherwise desecrate it.

Others include a priest breaking the seal of the confessional by revealing the nature of the sin and the person who sought penance, or a priest who has sexual relations with someone and then offered forgiveness for the act. A fourth type of case that comes to the tribunal involves a man who directly caused an abortion — such as by paying for it — who then seeks to become a priest or deacon, Cardinal Stafford said. — AP

Punjab to set up nine govt colleges soon

Chandigarh: The Government of Punjab has decided to set up nine government colleges in educationally backward districts of the northern Indian state.

"One such college for girls would be opened in Amritsar," Punjab Education and Civil Aviation Minister Upinderjit Kaur said at a formal interaction with mediapersons on the sidelines of the concluding function of Punjabi Week by the Punjab Languages Department.

The state government had also decided to set up Indian School of Business in private collaboration at Mohali, which would have an institute of health sciences and manufacturing.

Meanwhile, with a view to filling up vacant posts in rural government schools, the Minister said that a massive rationalisation exercise had been undertaken under which 4,000 surplus teachers from urban schools had been shifted to rural schools.

She said the government had decided to fill up on priority basis the vacant posts of school teachers in mathematics, science, English and computers.

Kaur further said that the process of promotion of teachers which had been held up for a long time had already been initiated.

MCD giving shape to e-Gov plan

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has geared up to implement its e-Governance project in all its 35 departments.

"Soon many MCD offices will become paperless, common man's crowd will thin out and people will avail MCD services at home," an MCD official said.

The project aimed at abolishing 'Inspector Raj' and bringing transparency will be completed by September next year.

Standing Committee Chairman Vijendra Gupta said IT major Wipro has been engaged as consultant for the project.

Six major firms have applied for completing the project and work would allotted to them soon.

Once the project is completed revenue to MCD from wealth tax, licensing, and building departments will increase substantially.

Wealth Tax Department has been fully computerised and by December licensing department will also go online, Gupta said.

People can apply online for new licenses or for renewal sitting at home.

Development work will get momentum after the computerisation of the Engineering Department where e-tendering and e-payment would be facilitated.

People can also see status reports of their application online after the project is fully implemented, the Standing Committee Chairman said.

Video conferencing between Punjab jails, courts

Chandigarh: Punjab would soon introduce video-conferencing facility between various jails in the state and courts in those areas, a minister said here on Tuesday.

The move follows the assent to an amendment in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) by the President of India under which people in judicial custody could be produced before the courts either in person or through the medium of video linkage.

Punjab Minister for Jails and Justice Hira Singh Gabria said here on Tuesday that the move to have video-conferencing facility will save time and resources for the police as they will not be required to transport under-trials to courts for every hearing.

"We have been sent a communication by the central government saying that the President has given her assent to the amendment that will enable the video-conferencing facility to be used between jails and courts. This will save money and time for the police and make judicial system more efficient," he said.

The video-conferencing facility would shortly start between the jails and the courts, reports IANS quoting Gabria.

The Punjab assembly had in December last year passed the bill for the amendment of the CrPC and it had been sent for presidential assent.

Himachal to extend health insurance in 10 districts

Shimla: The Government of Himachal Pradesh has decided to extend the Health Insurance Scheme, launched in Kangra and Shimla districts for the below poverty line (BPL) families, to the remaining 10 districts in the hilly Indian state.

Announcing this at the third Annual Conference of the State chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) at Una, state Health Minister Rajiv Bindal said that the scheme would be extended the above poverty line (APL) families as well.

"Under the scheme, the families would be entitled to a health insurance cover up to Rs 1.4 lakh and that the APL families can avail of the facility at a nominal charge of Rs 830," Bindal said.

A total of three lakh BPL families besides voluntary APL families would be benefitted by the scheme.

The Health Minister advised the managements of all private hospitals in the state, desirous of participating in the scheme, to get themselves empanelled by the Health Department.

CSF to monitor terror activities in northeast

Agartala: The Government of India has decided to set up an effective intelligence gathering mechanism for the north-eastern states by forming a body called the Common Surveillance Facilities (CSF), officials said here on Sunday.

"The senior most Additional Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) would be the head of the proposed CSF, whose independent officials would work in each of the eight north eastern states and gather intelligence about militants' activities in the region and across the border," Tripura Chief Secretary Sashi Prakash said.

The CSF would institutionalise all intelligence inputs and general information and put them into action at the ground level, besides alerting the state governments, reports IANS.

The formation of the CSF and several other decisions were taken at a crucial meeting in New Delhi last week. Chief Secretaries and the Director General of all the north-eastern states, Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekar, top officials of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), chiefs of various central paramilitary forces, Director General of Military Operations and civil and intelligence officials attended the meet chaired by National Security Adviser MK Narayanan.

"Security along the international borders with the northeast, especially with Bangladesh, would be further tightened to prevent cross-border movement of militants, besides shipping of arms and explosives," Prakash said.

He said the central government has agreed to provide more funds to all the northeast states for modernisation of security forces, necessary training of state police personnel by the National Security Guards (NSG) and equipping the state forces to deal with the prevailing tensions.

The meet was called on the request of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

What Obama presidency means for India

New Delhi: With Democrat Barack Obama winning the White House, India is hopeful that its multi-faceted ties with the US, revolutionised by a landmark nuclear deal during the Bush tenure, will acquire new force.

"The real strategic partnership between India and the US will begin with a new government in Washington and New Delhi next year," Lalit Mansingh, former ambassador of India to the US, said soon after it became clear that Obama had rewritten American history by becoming the first African American to win the White House.

Trade and investment, defence and agriculture—all those areas which were sidetracked by nuclear deal would now come to the fore, Mansingh said.

"Indians should celebrate change in the political structure of the US. Obama's presidency begins a new chapter in America's political history, a new chapter in America's engagement with the world and a great opportunity for India to combat terrorism in its region," said Chintamani Mahapatra, professor of American studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"I visualise a very bright future for India-US relations. He would be the first Democratic president in the White House after Bill Clinton who began the path-breaking turnaround in India-US ties during his visit to India in 2000. He will build upon that legacy," Mahapatra said.

Less than a fortnight ago, the 47-year-old Obama had promised to make strong strategic partnership with India a 'top priority' of his presidency and described New Delhi as a natural strategic partner for Washington in the 21st century.

Obama, who liked to keep Mahatma Gandhi's portrait in his Senate office, is also known among Indian Americans for his fondness for Indian dal.

Experts and diplomats see Obama's promise to restore America's moral standing in the world, especially in the Muslim world, that was damaged by military intervention in Iraq and his more nuanced policy on combating terrorism working to the advantage of India in the region. This will deflect some of the hostility the US attracts among India's 140 million Muslims.

"Bush was more muscular in his approach to what he called the Global War on Terror. Obama is likely to broaden the alliance against terror and use a combination of diplomacy and force that may be better suited for India's interests in the region," Mahapatra said.

Mansingh agreed, "Obama believes in exercising smart power. Obama will be less inclined to use military force."

The 94-page Democratic Party document entitled 'Renewing America's Promise' adopted at its convention in Denver eschews using the phrase 'Global War on Terror' and focuses on ending the war in Iraq, stabilising Afghanistan and combating violent extremism.

Obama has, in fact, accused Pakistan of misusing funds for the war against terror and allegedly using it to fund militancy against India—remarks which were hailed in India's diplomatic and strategic circles.

With the global financial crisis affecting emerging economies like India, Obama's advocacy of a stricter oversight on the financial institutions and greater state interventionism also inspires greater confidence in this country, Mahapatra said.

Not all are so enthusiastic about the Obama presidency in India though. The diplomatic establishment and strategic circles are treading cautiously, especially after Obama's recent remarks on Kashmir, which they see as a throwback to American postures 10 years ago.

In an interview to MSNBC last week, Obama had said, "We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis so that they can stay focused not on India, but on the situation with those militants."

"It is ill-advised and outdated and reflects his advisers have not kept up with the times," said Arundhati Ghose, a former Indian diplomat who represented India in the UN, while advising a wait and watch policy towards the Obama administration.

K Subrahmanyam, however, counselled that India should not overreact. "Obama is a flexible intellectual. Let's wait and watch," he added.

Another issue that is causing concern in India is Obama's incentives to American companies who don't outsource jobs. "This is certainly going to affect us if Obama's policies turn protectionist. Given the financial meltdown, there is a greater likelihood of protectionism," Ghosh said.

Mansingh also sees a potential pitfall in Obama's strong views on non-proliferation and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. "India will be under enormous pressure to sign the CTBT," Mansingh pointed out.

Ghose, however, thinks India need not worry much on this count as the nuclear deal has been sealed and New Delhi will not mind coming on board after the US and China does so.

Reacting to the Obama win, the Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) Chairman RK Pachauri said, "In respect of policies related to climate change, there was obviously a major divergence between the position of the Federal Government and that of the people at large, state governments and the cities in the US."

"Obama has not only been very clear in emphasising the need for the US to engage in global solutions to meet the challenge of climate change but also in respect of bringing about a major shift in US energy policy," Pachauri said.

The US now has a unique opportunity to assume leadership in meeting the threat of climate change, and it would help greatly if the new President were to announce a coherent and forward looking policy soon after he takes office, the Teri Chairman said.

Congratulating Senator Barack Obama on his historic victory, the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said that it is looking forward to this opportunity of working with the President-elect and his administration on mutually beneficial policies that will boost both the economies.

"With the global economy stressed, it is more important than ever that India and the US find ways to partner together to spur innovation, foster economic growth, develop an educated and skilled workforce and create jobs for the modern global marketplace, thereby finding solutions to balance the current situation," the industry lobby said.

Nasscom supports expanding the H1B visa programme so that highly skilled workers can help companies lead the way on innovation and contribute additional jobs and economic growth in the US.

DHL help to reduce child mortality in Maharashtra

New Delhi: Leading courier company DHL on Tuesday partnered with United Nations Children's Education Fund (Unicef) and gave a grant of US $650,000 to reduce child mortality in 1,000 villages of Maharashtra.

The company, in alliance with Unicef and the central government, will empower communities to improve child survival over a period of three years in Nadurbar district, reports IANS.

Unicef will use the fund to strengthen health infrastructure, which includes educating villagers on the prevention and treatment of common communicable diseases, providing immunisation, and micronutrients to infants and young children.

The grant will also be used for setting up village information posts, training midwives and setting up computer equipment for staff training and support.

"The partnership with DHL is a good example of the private sector taking the initiative to champion developmental concerns in rural India complementing the government's commitment to 'inclusive growth," Maharashtra's Women and Child Development Secretary Vijay Satbir Singh said.

The target for 2009 is to raise sufficient funds to vaccinate 50,000 children against the six major preventable child killer diseases like pneumonia and diarrohea.

In India, funding by DHL will help accelerate Unicef's work with the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce the district's under five mortality rate to 41 per 1,000 live births by 2015. Currently the child mortality rate is nearly 60 per 1,000 live births.

In Nadurbar the situation is worse with at least 68 of every 1,000 children are loosing their battle against life before attending their fifth birthday.

"This Asia partnership reinforces our commitment to support Unicef's efforts by facilitating access to health services," DHL Global Forwarding South Asia Chief Executive A Diallo said.

Unicef aims to reduce malnutrition among children below three years of age from 58 per cent to 30 per cent. Similarly, the project aims at reducing infant mortality to 30 per 1,000 live births.

Cisco solutions to enhance public safety

California: Cisco has announced a new set of solutions that will modernise the major functions of public safety, including headquarters and operations, field operations and patrol, emergency communication and incident command and response.

Built on Cisco's open network platform, the new solutions would help public safety providers to transform their current operations, to meet future needs and to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their agency, and provide effective governance, operations and reliable communications to first responders.

"Cisco has brought top public safety companies together, under one portfolio, to address these significant tasks that lay ahead," Cisco Systems' Public Safety and Homeland Security Global Industry Solutions Manager Morgan Wright said.

The company announced a collaboration with IBM, BearingPoint and other industry leading companies to deliver new public safety solutions that help transform how public safety agencies secure and protect their communities.

Cisco's safety and security solution portfolio offers public safety organisations the ability to securely and effectively protect persons and assets with a scalable, reliable and open platform that can be rapidly deployed and customised to meet the unique needs of our communities.

The solutions include CAD sensor and video integration, emergency communication and collaboration (EC3), comprehensive voice interoperability, gunshot location and detection, alerting and notification, video surveillance and analytics, automated license plate recognition, mobile computing (rugged handhelds), in-car video, incident command and response, and tactical and command vehicle communications.

The Cisco and IBM command, control and collaboration solution modernises group efforts within and among law enforcement and public safety agencies.

It offers unified communications solutions that help connect people directly with one another while providing secure access to crucial real-time information anytime, anywhere.
—iGovernment Bureau

IIM-Calcutta launches financial research lab

Kolkata: The Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) on Tuesday launched a financial research and trading laboratory, the first of its kind in India.

"Budgeted at Rs 1 crore, this is the first financial research and trading lab in India," Rediff.com Chief Executive Officer and IIM-C Board Chairman Ajit Balakrishnan told reporters here.

"It will help students to test financial models with live market information from all major sources across the world, including the NSE, BSE and Bloomberg," he added.

Asked if this was the right time to launch the project, Balakrishnan said it was. "The global financial meltdown has highlighted the need to create a new breed of finance experts who will be adept at creating and managing risks of innovative financial products such as derivatives," he said.

The laboratory with 51 terminals will have trading stimulator and data from NSE Cash, NSE Futures and Options (F&O), BSE Cash, NCDEX and MCX, as well as one Bloomberg terminal, reports IANS.

"We are planning to include real-time data of other financial markets like Money and Currency Market, and some more software like Revenpack, NewsAnalytics, Optirisk and Optimisation Suite," IIM-C Director Shekhar Chaudhuri said.

Rs 2,000 Cr CESC plan to upgrade power network

Kolkata: Power utility Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) plans to spend Rs 2,000 crore over the next three to five years to strengthen its distribution network, a top company official said here on Monday.

"We will source the fund through internal accruals," CESC Vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka said.

The company will utilise the fund for network augmentation and setting up of more control systems, reports IANS quoting Goenka.

CESC on Monday signed an agreement with SP Global Solutions (SPGS), a subsidiary of Singapore Power, one of Asia Pacific's leading energy utilities, for consultancy support to improve power distribution in the CESC licensed area.

CESC is the flagship company of RPG Enterprises and supplies electricity to Kolkata and suburbs. It will pay an annual fee of Rs 6 crore to SPGS for its consultancy service.

"This is mostly a technology transfer agreement," Goenka said, adding that the company expected to cut down on power disruption through the tie-up.

Climate change reduces ice at Himalayan glaciers

Washington: The absence of radioactive signals from all the three ice core drilled in a Himalayan glacier bodes ill for half billion people living downstream in India. They indicate that high-altitude glaciers are no longer accumulating ice due to climate change. This could hit future water supplies.

These missing markers of radiation are remnants from atomic bomb tests a half-century ago, as in the Naimona'nyi glacier in Tibet.

Seasonal runoff from glaciers like Naimona'nyi feeds the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra rivers.

In some places, for some months each year, those rivers are severely depleted now, researchers said. The absence of new ice accumulating on the glaciers will only worsen that problem.

Lonnie Thompson, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University (OSU), feared that other high altitude glaciers like the 6,050-metre-high Naimona'nyi glacier may be facing similar problems, reports IANS.

"I think that this has tremendous implications for future water supplies in the Andes, as well as the Himalayas, and for people living in those regions."

"When you think about the millions of people over there who depend on the water locked in that ice, if they don't have it available in the future, that will be a serious problem," he said.

"The current models that predict river flow in the region have taken recent glacial 'retreat' into account," said Natalie Kehrwald, doctoral student at OSU and co-author of the paper. "But they haven't considered that some of these glaciers are actually thinning."

The researchers' recent work has shown similar thinning on glaciers in Africa and South America in the past few years, according to an OSU release.

Working on the project with Thompson and Kehrwald were professor of geography Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Mary Davis, and Yao Tandong, of the Institute for Tibetan Plateau Research with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

These findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters.