Cabinet okays major package for states
In an attempt to repair the moribund finances of the states and release them from a debt trap, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted in toto the recommendations of the 12th Finance Commission, which will transfer massive resources from the Centre to the states, provide debt relief and waivers, and …
Saarc summit postponed after India retracts
A South Asian summit at which the prime ministers of India and Pakistan were set to meet has been postponed after India's Manmohan Singh pulled out, Pakistan said on Wednesday. Pakistan, current chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), questioned Singh's decision not to attend the February …
Punjab Annual Plan fixed at Rs 3,550 cr
The Annual Plan of Punjab for 2005-06 has been fixed at Rs 3,550 crore. This was a decided at a meeting here between Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Deputy Chairperson of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.Capt Singh said the fiscal reforms initiated by the state government need to be …
Drive against polluting vehicles a non-starter
The much touted drive announced by the Transport Department of Delhi Government against polluting vehicles entering the Capital proved to be a non-starter today as the teams supposed to be "guarding" the 10 boundaries of Delhi and also manning 70 points in other parts of the Capital remained largely conspicuous …
SEZ Bill likely to be introduced
The Commerce ministry is planning to introduce Special Economic Zone Bill in the forthcoming budget session of Parliament. This was announced today by S N Menon, secretary, commerce and industry. Delivering a keynote address at Assocham here today, Mr Menon said the government had finalised almost all details of the …
World Bank asked to avoid direct funding to provinces and districts
The government asked the World Bank to avoid direct funding at provincial and district levels, which is creating financial indiscipline and misunderstanding. According to a press release, quality of data and project implementation also suffers in case of direct allocation. The request was made by federal Health minister Muhammad Nasir …
No consensus over water availability, reservoirs
Consensus has not yet been developed among various stakeholders over the water availability and construction of future reservoirs and Sindh's aversion against the Kalabagh dam still persists, an official source told Business Recorder. So far, Sindh contested water availability figures provided by Wapda and Punjab for future reservoirs, the source …
Canada unveils debt relief initiative for worlds poorest countries
'86'86 Canada will contribute 172 million dollars (138 million US dollars) over the next five years to ease the debt load of 19 of the world's poorest countries, officials in Ottawa announced, urging other nations to follow their lead. '86'86 The money will be divided among the 15 countries that …
Mystery water in Andhra wells
The unexplained appearance of water in long dried-up wells and arid wastelands in far-flung pockets of Andhra Pradesh has created a flutter, coming close as it does on the heels of the tsunami disaster. The strange phenomenon, along with a sudden rise in ground water levels at some places in …
GDP growth for 2003-04 revised upwards to 8.5 pc
The Government revised upwards the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for 2003-04, with the latest 'quick estimate' putting the figure at 8.5 per cent, as against the earlier 'revised estimate' of 8.2 per cent released on June 30 last year. The upward revision has been on account of …
`Ladakh Vision-2020` document unveiled
After six months of brainstorming on developing a 'Vision Document' for future Ladakh, the committee set up in this regard has finally come up with the ideas for a 'prosperous, healthy and harmonious Ladakh by 2020.' Half of this documented future strategy was placed before the public representatives today, at …
Indo-Lanka project likely to explore Antarctica
Inhospitable it may be, but the vast white expanse of Antarctica may soon see a joint Indo-Lanka project as the island nation has expressed interest in joining hands with India for future explorations of this land of the Midnight Sun. To this end Sri Lanka has already contacted the National …
GCDA holds talks with Russian agency
GCDA chairman Antony Isaac held a meeting with Alex M. - the Indian representative of Federal Agency for Atomic Energy for The Russian Federation (FAAERF) - for setting up a desalination plant at Chellanam, Kerala. FAAERF, State-owned department of the Russian Government, is an agency which has done largescale desalination …
``Economic cooperation agreement will bring India, Singapore closer``
The ''Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)'', which Singapore is currently ''negotiating'' with India, ''will bring our economies closer together'', said Lee Hsien Loong, the City-State's Prime Minister, on Saturday.Responding to felicitations from the Singapore-Indian community over his recent assumption of office as Prime Minister, Mr. Lee said: ''Singapore seeks to …
Globalization activists debate IMF, World Bank
Participating in the World Social Forum for the first time, the IMF and World Bank promised social and leftist activists on Saturday that they are increasingly heeding calls for a more aggressive fight against poverty. The groups' pledge to the gathering in this southern Brazilian city was a significant step …
India asks UN to play its role in global economic agenda
Expressing serious concern over diminishing development activities and increasing regulatory and punitive aspects in the United Nations, India has asked the world body to play a central role in setting the global economic agenda, a role which it played till mid 1970. "We firmly believe that development is required not …
Redefine property rights for ground water: Montek
Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has called for redefining of property rights related to ground water in order to check misuse and over-exploitation the country's water resources. Speaking at an international conference on soil, water and environment quality organised by the Pusa Institute, Mr Ahluwalia said that water …
TN to build check dams to save water
In order to allay the fears of farmers and local residents about the possible depletion of ground water in their region after the implementation of the New Veeranam and its extension project, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday announced new water conservation measures like construction of check dams …
Ethanol blending in petrol: taskforce set up
The government has constituted a task force to go into implementation of the mandatory blending of ethanol in petrol after poor sugarcane crops derailed the programme that was aimed at cutting India's crude oil import dependency. Poor sugarcane availability had forced the government to notify in October that sale of …
Rs 1400-cr budget for 2010 C`wealth Games
In order to enable Delhi to meet the international expectations in view of Commonwealth Games 2010, the City Government has estimated a whopping Rs 1400 crore budget for the mega event. A major chunk of the budget would go into the infrastructure upgradation on all fronts - from civic amenities …
