Day: September 13, 2012

GUWAHATI, Sept 13 NNN: Perfume baron from Assam and supremo of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal’s alleged role in the recent communal clash in Assam will be probed.
After a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Subodhlal Kislari, the Gauhati High Court has sought a probe into the alleged role played by Badruddin Ajmal who is also a Member of Parliament, Lower House.
The central government as well as the Tarun Gogoi government have been directed to submit reports in connection with their findings in 30 days time by a division bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice N Koteswar Singh.
The perfume baron was also accused in the said PIL for the last month’s violence at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
On learning about the Gauhati High Court’s decision, the AIUDF’s supremo who is currently in the national capital has reportedly said he was never worried on the development saying he was innocent.
Few days ago, leaders of North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) had warned Badruddin Ajmal for his alleged role in the recent communal clashes in Assam. The perfume baron was reportedly in hiding after the warning.
It can be noted here that nearly 5 lakh people were displaced and 97 people got killed in the recent communal clashes in Assam.
Clashes between to communities in Assam started in the midddle of July which had resulted to the exodus of North East people residing in the mainland India mostly from southern cities.
The purported threats on the people of North East by certain groups of people propmted the former to flee their respective work places and study centres from Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and even from Mumbai.
This exodus episode had compelled the North East Students Organisation (NESO), an umbrella students’ bodies of the region to issue certain ultimatum to the Central government to be implemented.
Rallies and bandhs were called in the seven states of the region by various groups in protest against the alleged discrimination being meted out to the people hailing from this part of the country in mainland Indian cities.
The deputy chief minister of Karnataka had even visited Guwahati and Imphal as a good will mission appealing the people to return to their work places.
Meanwhile, in the last one week no cases of violence or threats were reported pertaining to the present issue anywhere in the country.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ajmals-role-in-riots-to-be-probed/

MNS:- Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has taken steps to strictly enforce latest Radiation standards in respect of Electro Magnetic Radiations (EMR) for Mobile Towers that came into effect from 1st September 2012. A high level delegation of DOT officers led by Advisor (Technology), DOT and officials from Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cell Unit in Mumbai visited a few Base Transmitting Stations (BTS) sites in Mumbai yesterday as part of random verification of compliance to the new Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) standards by the Telecom Service Providers(TSP). One of the sites located adjacent to Ekta CHS, Kanjur Marg (East) covering Saidham Building and Vighnaharta Building having 11 BTSs of Reliance Communications, TTML, Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Loop Telecom were found radiating beyond permissible limits of the new radiation norms when measurements were carried out in some houses facing nearby BTS antenna.
A meeting was organised by DOT officials with all the 11 licensed operators in Mumbai at short notice which was attended by 32 officials from the 11 operators. Pictures of the BTS antennas and other details were also shown to the operators and on the spot orders were issued to 7 operators to stop radiating from these BTSs with immediate effect. Functioning of BTSs may be resumed only after the sites are made compliant and compliance to that effect is verified by TERM Cell Mumbai.
All the TSPs were further directed to carry out a comprehensive exercise to identify all BTSs which are non-compliant as per latest radiation norms and ensure that they are either shut down or made compliant with respect to the radiation norms failing which penal action as per relevant provisions would be taken against delinquent operators.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/new-radiation-norms-orders-issued-against-eleven-btss-of-7-operators-in-mumbai/

MNS:- Institute of Hotel Management, Catering & Nutrition, Pusa, New Delhi under the Ministry of Tourism has successfully completed fifty years of its existence. The institute was setup in 1962 as an autonomous registered society under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.The Institute was started in the barracks in the Pusa complex in 1962 and shifted to the existing campus consisting of Teaching Block, Hostels and Staff Flats in 1967-68. The certification was done by Board of Technical Education, Delhi initially. Institute was transferred from Ministry of Agriculture to Ministry of Tourism in 1982..Affiliation from National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology was done in 1986.
Diploma in Hotel Management was converted into B.Sc. degree in Hospitality & Hotel Administration awarded jointly by Indira Gandhi National Open University and National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology in 2002.M.Sc. (Hospitality Administration) course was started in 2003. Institute started Certified Hospitality Trainer Programme in 2007.M.Sc. (Dietetics & Food Service Management) was started in 2008.Institute became the first and only HACCP certified Institute in country in 2009. It represented the country in World Skill Competition held at London in 2010.
Institute started Training Programmes of Hunar Se Rozgar under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in 2010.Training Programmes of “National Skill Certification” under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India were started in 2010. Presently the institute is conducting four Training Programmes of “Hunar Se Rozgar” and two Training Programmes of “National Skill Certification” and has trained 944 persons in Hunar Se Rozgar and 3480 persons in National Skill Certification.
The Institute has trained faculty and hotel executives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Republic of Syria under ITEC programme of Ministry of External Affairs. The faculty has had international exposure in USA, UK, France, Italy, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea, West Africa and Indonesia. The Institute was bestowed National Award for the Best Institute for Overall Performance for four consecutive years in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Institute was bestowed National Award of the Best Institute in Academics in 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, in Placement in 2007-08, in Implementing Central Schemes in 2008-09, 2009-10 and in Skill Certification Programme in 2008-09.Three faculty members have won “Hall of Fame” awards for winning the National Award of Excellence for the Best Teacher Awards three years in a row. One faculty members was bestowed the “Lady Chef of the Year-2011” for outstanding contribution by Indian Culinary Forum, Indian Federation Culinary Association and Worlds Association of Chef’s Society. Institute has adopted Red Fort, World Heritage Site of Delhi under “Campaign Clean India” of Ministry of Tourism in 2012.One faculty member was bestowed AAD Award by Association for Advancement of the Deprived, New Delhi for her work in Child Nutrition in 2012.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/institute-of-hotel-management-pusa-completes-fifty-years/

MNS:- The Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma has explained that the incentives enunciated in the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) can be availed of by any industrial cluster which is based on a model of self-regulation through a Special Purpose Vehicle. This should address the concerns of the States that are not in position to earmark the land needed for National Manufacturing and Investment Zones. The Government of India has already notified nine such Townships along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor with a minimum land area of 5,000 hectares after a strong demand from the concerned State Governments. “For the first time, an effective single window clearance mechanism has been established for this Policy which will enable industrial units to obtain, at one place, various regulatory clearances including those relating to labour and environment” said the minister, addressing the meeting of the State Chief Secretaries and Industry Secretaries on manufacturing here today. Referring to the social dimension of the Manufacturing Shri Sharma said that neither agriculture nor services sector will be able to grow at such a rapid pace to create newer job opportunities for the aspirational youth of India. The manufacturing sector alone holds this potential to create skilled jobs for the rural youth. National Manufacturing Policy announced in October last year aims to raise the share of manufacturing to 25% in the GDP and creating 100 million productive jobs in this sector within a decade.
Outlining the be benefits of the NMP, Shri Sharma said that “we have been able to persuade the Finance Ministry to allow, for the first time, capital gains tax concessions for investing the sale proceeds of a residential property into the productive activity of a small and medium enterprise. We are pushing for allowing these concessions for the sale of landed property also and not only for residential property.” Furthermore, this policy for the first time envisages creation of Technology Acquisition Development Fund which will serve as a patent pool in which industrial units will be able to seek license for a patented technology which will help them in manufacturing.
Expressing concerns on inadequate availability of skilled manpower Shri Sharma said that the manufacturing policy clearly addresses the gap by providing fiscal incentives for establishment of skill development institutions, it is and polytechnics by the private industry.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/anand-sharma-addresses-state-chief-secretaries-industry-secretaries-on-manufacturing/

MNS:- The Foundation-stone of Kochi Metro was laid by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh at Kochi, Kerala today. While speaking on the occasion Union Urban Development Minister, Shri Kamal Nath said that the Government of India has decided to support Metro Rails for all the cities of the country having a population of more than 2 Million. He said that efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain a high growth rate and alleviate poverty. To improve the current urban transport situation the Government is giving much attention to Metro projects. Metro projects are already under implementation across the country – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur.
Following is the text of the speech of Shri Kamal Nath at the Foundation-stone laying ceremony of Kochi Metro:
“It is a pleasure to be in the city of Kochi today for the laying of the foundation stone of the Kochi Metro Rail Project. This is a fitting tribute to the ongoing “Emerging Kerala” programme taking place in Kochi. With this, Kochi will join the select list of cities where Metro projects are under implementation. For this, I would like to thank the Hon’ble Prime Minister who has been a great champion of the Kochi Metro Rail project, the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Ministers from Kerala in the Govt. of India, who relentlessly pushed for this and Mr. A. K. Antony, the Hon’ble Defence Minister, who conceived and envisioned this project.
The Kochi Metro Rail Project from Alwaye to Petta (Tripunithura) of 25.3 km will be fully elevated and has a total completion cost of Rs. 5,181 crore. The project will be implemented through joint ownership SPV of Govt of India and Govt of Kerala and is scheduled to be completed in 4 yrs. This will have the most modern fourth generation technology, after the experience gained from Metro Projects in Delhi and Chennai. The implementation mode will be decided by the Center and State Government in a transparent manner. Kochi Metro is unique as it provides multi-modal integration with roads and water ways.
India is urbanising rapidly. India’s urban population has increased from 285 million in 2001 to 400 million in 2011 and by 2030 is likely to reach over 600 million. The number of towns has increased from 5161 in 2001 to 7935 in 2011. Even at this relatively low level of urbanization (31%), India has the second largest urban population in the world.
The urban centres have emerged as engines of economic activity. The urban sector contributes around 60% of GDP which is likely to further increase to over 70% in the next decade. Over 70% of the new jobs are expected to be created in the cities. Efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain a high growth rate and alleviate poverty. To improve the current urban transport situation the Government of India is giving much attention to Metro projects. Metro projects are already under implementation across the country – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur. The Government of India has decided to support DPR preparation for Metro Rails for all cities having a population of more than 2 Million.
Another mode of Mass Transport System that needs to be explored is Mono-rails. I am informed that Mono rails is ideal as a feeder system to larger metro networks as well as for stand-alone shorter networks in the densely populated pockets of cities. One Mono-rail corridor has already been identified in Delhi and work has been entrusted to DMRC. The cities of Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram are also keen on setting up Mono rails. Calicut proposes a Mono rail of 14 Km length at a cost of Rs.1600 crore and Thiruvananthapuram proposes to have a Mono rail of 24 Km at a cost of Rs. 2500 crore. In principal approval has already been accorded to Calicut Mono rail and I would urge the Chief Minister to take-up this Mono rail project on priority and entrust its implementation to Kochi Metro.
In order to make urban travel a more pleasant experience, Government of India sanctioned buses with superior specifications to cities. Kerala has been sanctioned 350 buses (200 for Kochi and 150 for Thiruvananthapuram) with a total project cost of Rs.124 crore. The Additional Central Assistance i.e. Govt. of India share is Rs.78.22 crore.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/centre-to-support-metro-rails-in-major-cities-kamal-nath/