Govt. to promulgate fresh ordinance on Land Bill
Even as the opposition to the Land Acquisition Bill continues in different quarters, the NDA government is determined to bring to Parliament its amended Bill through a fresh Ordinance. The amended NDA
Hindu
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DDA to withdraw Yamuna zonal plan
The Delhi Development Authority has decided to withdraw the draft Yamuna River Zonal Plan dealing with 90 square kilometres of active flood plain of the river here.
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U.S. to shoot down defunct spy satellite
The Pentagon said on Thursday it plans to shoot down a defunct spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March, agencies reported. An option on the table is to use a sea-based missile to do the job, before the satellite falls into the Earth's atmosphere, Pentagon officials told reporters. Last month, Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the National Security Council said a defunct U.S. spy satellite is falling from orbit and could hit the Earth in late February or March. The satellite, which has lost power and propulsion, could contain hazardous materials, he said. Because the satellite could not be controlled any longer, it is unknown where the Earth it might hit. In 1979, Skylab, a 78-ton abandoned NASA space station fell from orbit in an uncontrolled manner. Its debris eventually dropped into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia harmlessly.
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Building on a solid foundation
In initialling an agreement on cooperation in setting up additional nuclear power plants, India and Russia got around a glitch that had affected the long-standing relationship. The two countries can now start drafting commercial contracts, and perhaps even undertake some preparatory work, for constructing two additional reactors at Koodankulam. However, India may not be able to take further steps to operationalise the deal before it concludes negotiations with the Internat ional Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. These negotiations being held under the terms of the 123 agreement with the United States could break down. New Delhi has of course been bending over backwards in its efforts to stay on the right side of Washington. It was for this reason that India refrained from signing the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement even when it was pressed to do so by Russia's President Vladimir Putin during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow in November 2007. With the initialling of the bilateral agreement during Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov's return visit earlier this week, Moscow has been provided some assurance that it will have the inside track when the scope for India-oriented nuclear commerce is widened. India and Russia were able to sort out differences over the utilisation of the rupee debt fund, placed at Rs.8,000 crore, during Dr. Singh's November visit. In New Delhi, Mr. Zubkov announced that the newly launched titanium project in Orissa had been identified as a target for this fund. Given the depth of the strategic relationship between the two countries, the lack of a substantial increase in bilateral trade is disappointing. Future prospects do not look bright either, since the two countries think they can at best increase commerce between them from $3 billion to $10 billion by 2010. Whether expectations will be exceeded after a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is finalised is an open question. Mr. Zubkov has responded positively to the proposals put forward by Petroleum Minister Murli Deora for cross-investments in the energy sector. India is particularly interested in acquiring a stake in the Sakhalin III and other major petroleum projects in far-east Russia. India's commercial and industrial enterprises perhaps need to be reminded that there can be destinations other than the West. The cultural shows to be organised during the current "Year of Russia in India' will, hopefully, serve this purpose.
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Five new cases of meningococcemia
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has recorded five new cases of meningococcemia in the city taking the total number of cases so far to 53. Eight deaths due to meningococcemia have been recorded so far this year. "We have recorded 29 cases from Delhi and 13 from Haryana; the rest have come in from other neighbouring States. The symptoms of meningococcemia include fever, rashes on the body, severe headache, stiff neck and nausea,' said an MCD official.
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Rashtrapati Bhavan to have a Palm Garden
The sprawling President's Estate that already boasts a Herbal Garden, a Nakshatra Garden, a Spiritual Garden and a Tactile Garden for the visually impaired will soon have a new patch of green -- a Palm Garden that will have on display an assortment of palm trees. The proposal has already been given the go-ahead by the President's Office and the garden staff is now working out the details of the garden that will be the newest attraction at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Palm Garden will be President Pratibha Patil's second gift to Rashtrapati Bhavan. She had planted a Jamun tree to inaugurate the Nakshatra Garden on her birthday this past December. According to sources, while the President -- who is fond of the fragrant "mogra' and the colour "basanti' -- has planted cypress (saru) and tulips, her husband Devisingh Shekhawat is interested in the Herbal Garden and has planted a "rudraksha' in the Spiritual Garden. Apart from increasing and maintaining the green cover at the President's House, efforts are also being made to make the place eco-friendly. "Steps will be taken to segregate waste generated inside Rashtrapati Bhavan and use of plastics will be greatly reduced. The President wants Rashtrapati Bhavan to be seen as an example of an eco-friendly unit. The residential units inside the estate would be encouraged to segregate their waste,' a Rashtrapati Bhavan source explained.
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Rs. 1,000 MSP for paddy recommended
Political parties have been demanding parity with wheat for kharif season NEW DELHI: The Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices has recommended that the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy be fixed at Rs. 1,000 a quintal for the common variety and at Rs. 1,050 a quintal for the A grade variety for the 2008-09 kharif marketing season. Several political parties have been demanding that the support price for paddy be raised to Rs. 1,000 a quintal to bring it on a par with wheat. The support price for wheat this rabi is Rs. 1,000 a quintal as against Rs. 850 a quintal last year. The MSP for paddy at present is Rs. 745 a quintal for the common variety and Rs. 775 a quintal for the A grade. This included a bonus of Rs. 100 a quintal announced by the Central government after several political parties exerted pressure to raise it. The Commission said the estimated costs of paddy production put out by State governments were "much higher' than those estimated under the Comprehensive Scheme of the Directorate of Economic and Statistics. It, however, warned of an overall increase in the price of essential commodities in 2008-09 due to the "tight supply position.' The CACP suggested that the MSP for jowar be fixed at Rs. 840 (hybrid) and Rs. 840 (maldandi). For maize and and bajra, it recommended a support price of Rs. 840. It said the MSP for tur (arhar) could be Rs. 2,000, moong Rs. 2,520 and urad Rs. 3,520. The MSP it recommended for groundnut was Rs. 2,100, soyabean (black) Rs. 1,350 and soyabean (yellow) Rs. 1,390. The MSP for sunflower should be Rs. 2,215, nigerseed Rs. 2,405 and sesamum Rs. 2,750, it said. It recommended that the support price for cotton be Rs. 2,500 for a staple length of 24.5-25.5 mm and Rs. 3,000 for a staple length of 29.5-30.5 mm. In its recommendation to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Commission said it had taken into account the cost of inputs for all crops based on consultations with all stakeholders including State governments, scientists, farmers, millers and traders. The Ministry will take a view on the Commission's recommendations before placing them in the Union Cabinet for approval.
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IGL to take gas to Ghaziabad
The company will begin with Piped Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas NEW DELHI: The State-owned Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) is all set to extend its operations beyond Delhi. To begin with, it will launch supplies of the eco-friendly Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for the residents of Ghaziabad in the next financial year. Reliable sources revealed that IGL, which has the licence to develop gas distribution in Ghaziabad, bordering Delhi, is expected to start operations from the first week of April. Sources said IGL Managing Director Om Narayan had written to the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry seeking allocation of 0.2 million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of natural gas for meeting the PNG and CNG needs of Ghaziabad. Joint venture A joint venture of the Gas Authority of Indian Limited and the Delhi Government, IGL owns a city-wide gas pipeline network of 1,250 km in the Capital. It has 145 CNG stations. The No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Limited now entitles IGL to develop, finance, operate, own and maintain natural gas distribution system to supply gas to domestic, commercial, industrial and CNG for the automotive sector. IGL has carried out the route survey for laying the pipeline network and permissions have been applied for. The Ghaziabad Development Authority has also cleared allotment of land for setting up CNG stations in the city. The decision to opt for CNG and PNG follows the decision of the Supreme Court to curb pollution levels in cities. IGL had carried out a detailed feasibility report for implementation of city gas distribution project in the cities of National Capital Region, including Ghaziabad. It has assured the UP Government that the gas pipeline distribution network will be so designed that at least 25 per cent of the capacity can be utilised for other supply companies.
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RIL's new gas find in KG basin
Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) on Wednesday announced discovery of gas reserves for the first time in the deep sea block in the Krishna Godavari basin off East Coast. According to an official spokesman here, the discovery was made in block KG-DWN-2003/1, lying about 50 km from Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The block was awarded to RIL in the fifth round of auction under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). Dhirubhai-39
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TVS Motor launches electric scooter
TVS Motor Company on Wednesday launched its first electric scooter
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India in the grip of a smoking epidemic: study
Likely to cause nearly a million deaths a year by 2010; more than half of these among poor and illiterate people India is in the grip of a smoking epidemic likely to cause nearly a million deaths a year by 2010, according to a study released on Thursday. One in five of all male deaths and one in 20 of all female deaths between the ages of 30 and 69 will be caused by smoking, said the study. It was conducted by a team of doctors and scientists from India, Canada and Britain and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.