Cyber bus to rural Himalayas
For all those children who had only heard of computers but never seen them, leave alone running their fingers on the keyboard, a new bus now promises a free ride into the cyber world. Launched by software giant Intel India in collaboration with the National Sciene Centre here, the "cyber …
'Transparency mela' goes to the village
In a rare initiative towards ensuring transparency in its functioning, the Social Action for Rural Advancement(SARA) - a Non-Government Organisation working with rural communities in Danta Ramgarh tehsil of Sikar district - has offered the documents of financial expenditure incurred on implementing its programmes during the ten years of its …
India to seek review of TRIPS at WTO meet
India will press for a review of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement in order to facilitate transfer of technology at fair and reasonably costs to developing countries at the third ministerial conference of the WTO to be held in Seattle later this year. For this, harmonisation of …
U.S. and Tibetans fails to block loan to China
The World Bank has overruled the United States and approved a $160 million anti-poverty loan for China. It agreed, however, to delay financing for the resettlement of 58,000 farmers in a traditionally ethnic Tibetan area until an independent review board determined whether the program met the bank's environmental and resettlement. …
Europe and Latin America look to trade accord
European and Latin American heads of state will make a little history-and probably some progress on an ambitious new trans-Atlantic trade accord-during their two day summit meeting. Under roof for the first time will be all 33 Latin American heads of state and 13 from the European Union, led by …
National debate on WTO issues mooted
The Commerce Minister, Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde, has said that the Government is keen to promote a national debate on various issues relating to the World Trade Organisation(WTO), particularly in the context of the issues likely to come up at the third Ministerial conference of the WTO scheduled to be held …
New criteria for better use of funds to poor
The new guidelines drafted by the Government for implementation of the Jawahar Gram Samridhi essentially lays down the criteria and procedure for allocation and release of resources. It has now been decided that the central assistance would be allocated to the States/UTs on the basis of proportion of rural poor …
No to a China loan
The World Bank's board of executive directors ought to reject a loan to China that would be used to relocate 58,000 impoverished Chinese and Hui Muslim farmers to a remote area on the Tibetan plateau traditionally inhabited by Tibetans and Mongolians. In the past, China has used migration policies to …
Jawahar Yojna restructured
The Jawahar Rozgar Yojna of the Union Ministry of Rural Development has been streamlined and restructured. The new programme, Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna, will be decicated entirely to the development of rural infrastructure at the village level and will be implemented by the village panchayats.
Survey on rural development
The Scientists Community Consortium for Sustainable Rural Development (SCCFSRD), a national-level nongovernmental organisation based in New Delhi and having a branch at Rohtak, will conduct a three-month research-cum-survey in collaboration with the University of Salford, London , from June 25.
River draining works in full swing
With the south-west monsoon having already hit the region, including Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, parts of Haryana and Punjab , the Drainage Department and the district administration at Ludhiana are working round-the-clock to finish off the river draining works along the entire 92km of the left side of the Sutlej in …
China seeks $ 89 m World Bank aid
China has asked the World Bank (WB) to fund a controversial $89 million poverty alleviation programme to move poor peasants into Tibetan lands, rejecting charges that it will assimilate Tibetans. Even as the bank is scheduled to meet tomorrow to consider the funding programme, Chinese Vice-Minister of Finance Jin Liqun …
India unable to reduce poverty level
India has been unable to reduce the level of absolute poverty as per international standards, as the benefits of the development programmes taken up by it do not reach the poor, a senior World Bank official has said.
India wins WTO case against Turkey
A World Trade Organisation(WTO) panel has ruled in India's favour in a case against Turkey for imposing quantitative restrictions on imports of 19 categores of textiles.The Dispute Settlement Panel (DSP) of WTO held that the measures adopted by Turkey were inconsistent with the provision of GATT and asked Turkey to …
Teesta project to resume generation
The 67.5 mw Teesta canal fall project - the largest hydel station in West Bengal - will resume generation shortly, after a six-month shutdown. The station last generated power on November 29 following which the water flow problem forced the West Bengal State Electricity Board(WBSEB) to keep the power houses …
Maheshwar Hydel Corp refutes NBA allegations
The Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporation yesterday refuted allegations by the Narmada Bachao ANdolan(NBA) of illegal acquisition of land at the project site for the work and said the Andolan was trying to revive the "malicious campaign" against it.
MP affected by acute water shortage
Madhya Pradesh is currently reeling under an unprecedented water crisis with ground water table plummeting to alarmingly low levels in several parts of the state. There are reports of severe drinking water shortage this summer from virtually every region of the state including Malwa, Bundelkhand, Gwalior-Chambal and Chhattisgarh.
WB recommends AP model for development
A senior economist with the World Bank, Dr Fahrettin Yagci, has suggested that the reform strategy of Andhra Pradesh could be the model for an overall development strateg aimed at accelerating growth in India's poorest five states which had 50 per cent of the population. He was speaking at a …
NIRD launches information kiosks
The National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) has launched a project called Public Information Kiosks to promote greater participation of people in developmental activities and to increase their decision-making abilities.Conceived by the Development Communication Group and Centre on Rural Development, the kiosks are to be set up in Tenali and …
Plan on Godavari waters for centre
The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, has said that the Government will shortly send proposals to the Centre for the optimum utilisation of the Godavari waters. He has said that he is grateful to the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, for taking the initiative in seeking proposals from the …
