Cabinet approves nine hydel projects
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet approved the floating of global tenders for implementation of nine hydro-elecric power projects, having generation capacity of 365 MW and he approximate investment of Rs. 2000 crore
Centre clears Rs. 425-cr drinking water project
Union Rural Development Ministry has cleared the Rs. 425-crore ambitious project of Haryana to provide drinking water on sustainable basis in Mewat area of the state. The state government was making efforts to get it funded through the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation. This was revealed at a review meeting …
DVD Block, Maibang working for sustainable devp of rural people
The Diyung Valley Development Block, Maibang in Assam, has implemented Sampurna Gramin Rojgar Yojana, for the year 2003. Under SGRY first stream, some of the schemes have been completed at an expenditure of Rs 131.80 lakh including the value of rice, a press release said. The works implemented include 18 …
Gender imbalance in West Bengal
The recent West Bengal Human Development Report (HDR) 2004 focuses on two major public initiatives that have characterised the state in the past 26 years: land reforms and decentralisation. While there is no separate chapter on gender, the attempt has been to incorporate a gender perspective on all issues considered …
Dodital lake to get facelift
Dodital is situated at a distance of 31 km from Uttarkashi, and is a popular spot for trekking. It is also one of the loveliest lakes in Uttaranchal from which Asi Ganga originates. To protect the existence of the Rainbow trout, angling has been strictly forbidden here. It is especially …
Devolution is bankrupt
A World Bank report on fiscal decentralisation to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) has reinforced the argument that decentralised governance in India will not work without genuine fiscal decentralisation. India: Fiscal Decentralisation to Rural Governments analysed fiscal decentralisation in Kerala and Karnataka
Women get help with globalisation
Acknowleding the negative impact of globalisation on women in small-scale industries, the government on Friday said it was focusing on creating more self-help groups and popularising micro-credit schemes to help women cope up with the opening up of the economy.
India to gain from EU expansion: IIFT study
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) from the existing 15-member countries to 25 countries with the accession of 10 new countries has major implications, particularly in the area of market access, for developing countries like India. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) director Prabir Sengupta said there is a …
Asim announces Rs 800-cr plan
The West Bengal government today promised to pump in more than Rs 800 crore for improvement of infrastructure with roads in focus and rural development. Finance minister Asim Dasgupta said at Writers' Buildings the state will borrow Rs 625 crore from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) …
Chhattisgarh Govt launches pro-poor schemes
The Raman Singh-led Chhattisgarh Government has decided to give a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 500 per head from April 1, 2004. The Government has also decided to write off loans of small and marginal farmers to the tune of about Rs 90 crore. Agricultural loan of at least Rs …
Apply tech power to agri, industry: Kalam
Application of knowledge-based technology in agriculture and industry could make India a developed nation by 2020 and improve the plight of the 240 million people below the poverty line, according to the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Inaugurating the annual convention of the Madras Management Association here on Wednesday, the …
Japanese knotweed threatens rare native plants
Fat, red-speckled shoots of Japanese knotweed, like a forest of blood-spattered asparagus spears, emerge each April from a mound of dead canes to form a jungle of 10-foot-tall plants. Their rhizomes spread underground 25 feet in all directions, sending up shoots tough enough to pop through pavement. If rhizomes reach …
Big plan for better rural roads drawn
Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh unveiled an elaborate plan to develop rural road connectivity and improve the rural road network in the country. To begin with, the Government is proposing to amend the Central Road Fund Act, 2000 as part of its efforts to raise funds for the rural …
$50-m plan to e-connect @frica
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam proposed a mammoth project to e-connect 53 nations of the African continent via satellite and fibre optic network to support tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance, e-commerce, infotainment and meteorological services in an effort to fight poverty and disease, the
Heavy economic agenda on the cards
A heavy economic agenda awaits Parliament when it reassembles for the second part of the Budget session. Apart from completing the budgetary exercise for fiscal 2004-05, Parliament is expected to consider as many as 38 pending bills. The most important agenda during the second session will be the passage of …
Jaya launches Namadhu Gramam scheme
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa launched the Namadhu Gramam (Our Village) scheme with an initial annual outlay of Rs 200 crore aimed at the overall development of villages in the state. Under the scheme, all children in villages will be compulsorily enrolled in schools and the school dropout rate …
Manmohan promises new deal for rural India
In his first address to the nation from Red Fort, PM Manmohan Singh promised a "new deal" for rural India. Referring to the "basics" outlined in the CMP, he said water utilisation, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, employment and urban renewal would be the thrust areas of the UPA government. "Today …
PM Chants Saat Sutras To Growth
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh placed before the country his seven-point approach to higher economic growth. In his maiden Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort, the Prime Minister dubbed these seven priority sectors the "saat sutras'
Transporters Urge Centre To Get Rid Of Service Tax
The local transporters are finding themselves in a piquant situation. Even before the Union government has passed the Budget, in which the government has proposed a 10 per cent service tax on transport industry, the state owned companies are flexing their muscles to pass on the effect of service tax …
FICCI frames agenda for development of Bengal
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has chalked out a six-point action plan agenda for West Bengal to climb the value chain rapidly, on the basis of a SWOT analysis prepared by the chamber's think-tank. The analysis is built on the premise that if other States, …
