Panelists call for water harvesting
There is a need to prevent wastage of water and create a proper understanding among people about its conservation. This was the conclusion of a seminar held at the Municipal Corporation auditorium here today.While the experts from the Central Ground Water Board tried to explain the process of water harvesting …
MCD to conserve heritage structures
The MCD has identified 1200 buildings in the city as heritage structures. As per the DMC Act all these structures will be exempt from paying property tax. Apart from this, the corporation also plans to kickstart an agenda on conservation of such structures in association with other agencies like Intach, …
UP single window for tourism
The Uttar Pradesh Government will introduce a single window system for clearing investment proposals in tourism to promote private investment in the sector. Two committees would be set up, one at the divisional level and the other at the Chief Secretary level, for the clearances.
Nepal proposes electric rail till China
The King of Nepal has proposed building an electric railway line from the country's southern business hub to the Chinese border, a Nepalese government official has said. On Friday, King Gyanendra proposed building a railway line from Birganj, a commercial centre in southern Nepal, to Tatopani near the border with …
One stop e-services Bangalore One by April 1
Bangaloreans will be spared long queues for accessing government services. Starting April 1, the latest e-governance project Bangalore One promises to make lives easier. Using 15 such proposed centres in the city, citizens can interact with BCC, BWSSB, BESCOM, BSNL, RTO and other government departments. In a maximum of 15 …
Italian cooperation for Delhi Metro
A goodwill delegation from Italy today met Delhi government officials and offered cooperation and technical help for expansion of Delhi Metro to enable the government to provide a reliable and modern public transport system in Delhi.
India eyes World Bank aid for Bharat Nirman project
The country is eyeing World Bank assistance to part-finance its ambitious Bharat Nirman project, which has been conceived to improve basic infrastructure in rural areas. "We have mentioned that India could easily absorb something of the order of a billion dollar in the Bharat Nirman programme," the Planning Commission Deputy …
Improving urban public transport top priority: PM
The government announced plans to launch a programme to reverse the urban decay and make the country's major cities more livable. It has also said that improvement of urban public transport is a national priority. Speaking at the inaugural of the underground corridor of Delhi Metro here, Prime Minister Manmohan …
Housing policy ignores urban poor
The housing problem of urban poor, including the lower-middle class, has not been accorded a priority in the draft National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2005. The draft, prepared by Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, only cites statistics, but suggests no concrete solution to the problem of dwelling …
Welcome pragmatism
The government's new concession agreement for developers of highway projects is a huge improvement over the existing one, with a number of innovative features. However, considerable spadework will still have to be done to ensure successful implementation of projects. Else, it will meet the same fate that has befallen the …
Sustainable rural tourism can generate long-term benefits for villagers
Rural India has much to offer beyond agriculture. It has a great potentiality for different growing segments of tourism like eco tourism, adventure tourism, health tourism, farm tourism, endogenous tourism, nature tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism and the like. Worldwide rural tourism which offers these niche segments is a growing …
MoU for Smart City project in September
A memorandum of understanding for the implementation of the proposed Smart City Project in Kochi would be signed early September. The Dubai Internet City authorities have accepted the draft memorandum approved by the Cabinet a fortnight ago and invited State Chief Secretary Palatt Mohandas to sign the document in the …
Punjab ranks fifth in urbanised States
Punjab will be the fifth major urbanised state after Tamil Nadu, Maharashra, Gujarat and Karnataka, said State Labour and Empowement Minister Jagjit Singh, while inaugurating a national seminar on Capacity Building of Local Self-Government Institutions organised by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRID) in collabaration with …
Jaya unveils green Chennai
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday undertook a whirlwind tour of most parts of north and central Chennai and inaugurated many new and renovated parks besides enquiring about the supply of drinking water after the implementation of the Veeranam Project. She also inspected the ongoing developmental works in various parts …
New deal for highways
Taking a significant step forward, the empowered group on infrastructure approved a novel
Govt proposes new plan for relocating one lakh slums
With the 2010 Commonwealth Games approaching fast, Delhi Government has decided to relocate one lakh slum dwellings and is planning to relocate the inhabitants in multi-storeyed buildings. Under the proposed plan, the slum dwellers will be rehabilitated in one-room tenements, each costing Rs 1.55 lakh, of which Rs 40,000 will …
Cess on construction proposed
The draft National Housing and Habitat Policy said the cess would be levied on all construction projects except those undertaken on a self-help basis. It also proposed that the various training and skill enhancement schemes for workers could be clubbed to make the process more focussed. A cess on construction …
Manmohan focuses on aam aadmi
Exuding confidence of a 7 per cent growth this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said a focused approach on agriculture and infrastructure sectors was a must to sustain the
