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Sent via Nokia Email
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
What is commonbetween sakshi and namaste telangana?
ToI, Indian express , andhra jyothy etc brought Chandrababu Naidu case on front page today. It is top news in sakshi and namaste telangana
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
WTF : Economic Times thinks @rakeshjhunjhunwala is real one, publishes photo of billionaire!
Twitter account is fake jhunjhunwala!
----------Sent via Nokia Email
Thursday, December 1, 2011
consuming baked or broiled fish reduces the risk to Alzheimers disease by almost 'five fold'
NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES
The logjam in Parliament over the Government's decision to allow 51 percent FDI in multi brand retail, continues to make headlines. "House sees no work for 7th day running", is the headline in the Hindustan Times. The Indian Express reports that the UPA worked overtime to get its allies on board, to muster up numbers in case it came to voting in the House. The Hindu reports that the Confederation of All India Traders has called for a Bharat Vyapar bandh against FDI-today.
What shape the Lokpal Bill will ultimately take is extensively highlighted in the papers. "Entire bureaucracy to be under Lokpal Scanner", is the top headline in the Times of India. The Hindustan Times writes "Lokpal panel agrees on employees, split on PM".
"Pan India terror module busted; Six Indian Mujahideen men held", is the top headline in the Tribune, with the Delhi Police claiming to have smashed the terror module involved in nationwide blasts in Pune's Germany Bakery, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and Delhi's Jama Masjid.
Economic Times writes "Slowdown hits hard, as growth slumps to 6.9 percent". "Economy slumps to two-year low", highlights the Mail Today, adding that growth had been 8.4 percent in the corresponding quarter last year. "FDI could help revive economy", writes the Hindustan Times with economists saying that this is the time to ease norms for foreign investors, to attract global capital.
The Hindustan Times reports that the Union Cabinet is expected to decide on India's stance at the UN climate conference in Durban, with Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan suggesting adoption of a 'Hard Line' approach.
MPs wanting a ‘status upgrade’ are also covered by the Press. The Hindustan Times writes that a report placed before the Lok Sabha by the Committee of Privileges, recommends that MPs be permitted to flash red beacons on their vehicles and that their official status be brought on par with Chief Justices of High Courts.
AND FINALLY, Times of India writes that India's fish eating population has something to cheer about. A new research conducted in America says that consuming baked or broiled fish reduces the risk to Alzheimers disease by almost 'five fold'.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Bad editing!
The story on Antilia vastu includes a paragraph on e-books. Is it fault of times of India or nytimes?
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
For Your Kind attention
Dear AIR,
Your newspaper review has the following headline:-
The Times of India and the Hindu carry a fascinating story on the discovery of a new planet. The Times of India reports calls it "A key moment in history" reports the Hindu, adding that scientists are excited about the possibility of life on this newly discovered planet.
I think it is not a newsheadline but an
advertisement of Volkswagen. ADVT.
mentioned in the box.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
PM Chairs High Level Committee on Manufacturing
The draft National Manufacturing Policy was given in-principle approval at a meeting of the High Level Committee on Manufacturing, held under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister and attended by the Finance Minister, Commerce and Industries Minister, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Ministers for Environment and Forests, Corporate Affairs, and the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council.
Commerce and Industries Minister presented the draft Manufacturing Policy prepared by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, in consultation with the NMCC and the Planning Commission. This draft Policy has been finalized after stakeholder consultations with concerned Ministries, State governments and industry associations.
The Policy has, as its objectives, the increase in the sectoral share of manufacturing in GDP from the present 16% to at least 25% by 2025 and increase in the rate of job creation in manufacturing to create 100 million additional jobs by 2025.
The creation of National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs), as mega investment regions equipped with world-class infrastructure, has been proposed as a major policy instrument.
The Prime Minister observed that the policy measures proposed would reduce the compliance burden on industry. At the same time, these measures have to be formulated while adequately taking care of the environmental and labour welfare concerns. He directed that these issues may be further discussed at the Ministerial level. He further directed that this consultation process may be completed within one month, so that the National Manufacturing Policy can be brought before the Cabinet and the final Policy announced, which will send a positive message to the investing community.
Monday, May 16, 2011
PM's statement on India completing the process of ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
May 12, 2011
New Delhi
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh issued a statement in New Delhi this morning, before his departure for Kabul, on India completing the process of ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
The statement is as follows:
“I have been informed that India has completed the process of ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. The completion of this ratification process has been under active consideration since September 2010. A Group of Ministers has been overseeing the ratification process.
The ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption is a reaffirmation of our government's commitment to fight corruption and to undertake vigorously administrative and legal reforms to enable our law-enforcement agencies to recover the illicit assets stolen by corrupt practices.”
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Anna Hazare needs your support
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: prabeer sikdar>
Date: 7 April 2011 21:00
Subject: Anna needs your support
From: prabeer sikdar>
Date: 7 April 2011 21:00
Subject: Anna needs your support
This is a now and never battle for the betterment of democracy in India. Rise like the Egyptians to support Anna Hazare's fight against corruption, against misgovernance, against hoarding of black money in Swiss banks, against scams of different characteristics indulged in by our politicians and bureaucrats, who are misusing the taxes paid by us, every day and every moment to drain our motherland of her riches --- Prabeer Sikdar
.............Anna Hazare fasts unto death starting 5th April.
He is demanding enactment of a strong anti-corruption law - Jan Lokpal Bill - to ensure swiftness and certainty of punishment to the corrupt.
Will his fast have any impact on the deaf Government of India?
Yes, it certainly would. Because, last time when Anna sat on fast -
• 6 corrupt ministers in Maharashtra had to resign
• 400 corrupt officers were dismissed from job
• 2002 - Maharashtra RTI Act was passed
• 2006 - Central Government withdrew its proposal to amend Central RTI Act
Now Anna is fasting to demand Jan Lokpal Bill.
JAN LOKPAL BILL will act as deterrent and instill fear in the minds of corrupt people.
"At 78, Anna is not fasting for himself, he is fasting for the future of my kid. I will myself fast on 5th April for a day and ask my 5 year daughter also to skip a meal on 5th April," Rakesh, a software engineer.
What can you do?
"Let the whole nation fast for a day on 5th April and pray for a corruption free India. Collective prayers are very powerful. Let the whole nation pray against corruption," appeals Anna Hazare.
"Lets reach Jantar Mantar in thousands, in lakhs from 5th April. I will be there - day and night - with Anna. We will all sleep on the roads of Jantar Mantar. Anna's fast can change India's history. Can't you take a few days off from your work and be a part of it?" Arvind Kejriwal
"Send us a missed call at 02261550789 to stay updated about this movement. Forward this mail to everyone," Kiran Bedi
Across India, join Sri Sri Ravishankar, Swami Agnivesh, Arch Bishop of Delhi Vincent Concessao, Mahmood A Madani, Kiran Bedi, J M Lyngdoh, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Mufti Shamoom Qasmi, Mallika Sarabhai, Arun Bhatia, Sunita Godara, Swami Ramdev, All India Bank Employees Federation, PAN IIT Alumni Association, Common Cause, Foundation for Restoration of National Values and many other prominent organizations and leaders, as India comes out on the streets!
200+ CITIES WILL RALLY BEHIND ANNA!
Salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill
Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal, this Bill has been refined on the basis of feedback received from public on website and after series of public consultations. It has also been vetted by and is supported by Shanti Bhushan, J M Lyngdoh, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare etc. It was sent to the PM and all CMs on 1st December.
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An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up
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Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
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Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
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The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
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How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.
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So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month’s time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.
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But won’t the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won’t be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.
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What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.
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What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.
PLS CIRCULATE THIS MAIL WIDELY
(This movement is neither affiliated nor aligned to any political party)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
India's 1st Youth Employability Skill Project Inaugurated in Manipur
The scheme has been launched keeping in view the Prime Minister’s vision to create 500 million certified and skilled persons by the year, 2022 throughout the Country.
Shri Ajay Maken, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports, inaugurated Youth Employability Skill (YES) Project at Imphal, Manipur, yesterday by enrolling 100 youths for skill development. Under the Project, skill relating training would be given to the youths in the North-Eastern Region to boost their chances of finding jobs or starting their own enterprises. About 8000 youths would be covered under this scheme in the North East.
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), which has been co-promoted by the Ministry of Finance to catalyze private sector involvement in skill development, would partner the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (M/oYAS) for the YES venture. The YES initiative would see training in employable skills being provided to unemployed youth in 59 districts of 8 North Eastern states.
Market mapping and skill gap analysis is being undertaken in North East before launching of the Project in other districts. The training duration is approximately for two to four months, depending upon the nature of the Vocational Training. The training will be through a class room, use of remote learning technologies (VSAT, IP based web conferencing etc).
The Project focuses on Youth who plan to seek jobs locally and also those who wish to migrate. The opportunities of self employment are also addressed in the Training Modules. Linkages with financial institutions and industry partners are the hall mark of this unique initiative for providing sustained livelihoods to the youths of the region.
During the day, while inaugurating the Board of Governors (BOG) meeting of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Shri Ajay Maken announced setting up of 10,000 Mentor Youth Club throughout the Country. It was mentioned that earlier approximately 3 lakhs Youth Clubs were set up, out of which only 1.25 lakh Youth Clubs are surviving. The details of these clubs, their social profile mapping has been completed which will be put on the website. Out of these Clubs, the Mentor Youth Clubs will be picked up. Local Member of Parliament will be a part of the selection Committee. These Mentor Clubs will be provided with tremendous back up and Master Trainers. They will be involved in the process of selecting other clubs and training the youths. Marketed as human resource pool, they can take up activities of other govt. departments/schemes and liaison with corporate sector, wherever required
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Chaturvedi committee to review the controversial Antrix-Devas deal submitted its report
The high-powered Chaturvedi committee, which was set up to review the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, has submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A PMO statement said last night that Dr Singh has asked Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekar to examine the report and make recommendations on the follow-up action within 15 days.
The two-member committee, comprising BK Chaturvedi and R. Narsimha, was constituted by the Prime Minister to review the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the deal. The panel had also been asked to suggest correctives and fix responsibility for lapses if any and recommend improvements and changes in processes and procedures followed by Antrix, ISRO and the Department of Space.
The Cabinet Committee on Security, the CCS, at a meeting on February the 17, had recommended scrapping of the controversial deal under which ISRO's commercial arm Antrix had agreed to lease 90 per cent of the scarce S-band space segment capacity on two satellites to private firm Devas for 12 years.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Review of the Economy 2010-11 - H I G H L I G H T S
- Economy expected to grow at 8.6 per cent in 2010-11 and 9.0 % in 2011-12
o Agriculture expected to grow at 5.4% in 2010-11 and 3.0% in 2011-12.
o Industry expected to grow at 8.1% in 2010-11 and 9.2% in 2011-12.
o Services expected to grow at 9.6% in 2010-11 and 10.3% in 2011-12.
- Slow recovery in global economic and financial situation.
- Rising domestic savings and investment chief engines of growth
o Investment rate expected to be 37.0% in 2010-11 and 37.5% in 2011-12.
o Domestic savings rate expected to be over 34% in 2010-11 and 34.7% in 2011-12.
- Current Account deficit estimated at 3.0% of GDP in 2010-11 and 2.8% of GDP in 2011-12
o Merchandise trade deficit projected to be $ 132.0 billion or 7.7% of the GDP in 2010-11 and $151.5 billion or 7.7% of GDP in 2011-12.
o Invisibles trade surplus projected to be $ 81.3 billion or 4.8% of the GDP in 2010-11 and $95.7 billion or 4.8% in 2011-12.
- Capital Flows can be readily absorbed by financing needs of the high growth of the Indian Economy.
o Against the level of $47.8 billion in 2009-10, the capital inflows projected to be $ 64.6 billion for 2010-11 and $76.0 billion for 2011-12.
o Against accretion to reserves of $13.4 billion in 2009-10, projected to be $12.1 billion in 2010-11 and $20.2 billion in 2011-12.
- Inflation rate projected at 7.0 % by March 2011
o The declining trend in food prices particularly that of the vegetables will result in lower food inflation.
o Manufactured goods inflation has remained low. Considerable care from the policy side has however to be taken to ensure that the manufactured goods inflation remains below 5 per cent in 2011/12.
- Monetary Policy to complete the process of exit and operate with bias toward tightening.
o Liquidity conditions are taut enough for monetary policy signals to be appropriately transmitted to the financial sector.
o Monetary and fiscal policies have to be appropriately tight to protect the economy from inflation.
o Monetary policy has an important role to play even in situations where inflation is triggered by supply constraints.
- Current year fiscal adjustment may not be a problem, the challenge is of adhering to the Finance Commission’s targets with credible expenditure management.
o Total Central revenues registering an increase of 62.9 per cent in (April –Dec) 2010-11 over the corresponding period last year.
o Capital Expenditure registered a sharp increase of 64.6 per cent (April –Dec) in 2010-11.
o Fiscal deficit outcome for 2010-11 could be marginally better than the budget estimates.
o The consolidated fiscal deficit is likely to be 7.5 to 8 per cent of GDP for 2010-11.
o There is considerable urgency in the implementation of goods and services tax (GST).
o Budgeted level of Fiscal Deficit and Revenue Deficit still beyond comfort zone.
- To sustain a growth rate of 9.0 per cent, steps required are:
o Containing inflation by focusing both on monetary and fiscal policies and supply side management.
o The pace of infrastructure creation has to be stepped up with renewed focus on the power sector.
o Continue efforts to contain Current Account Deficit (CAD) at 2-2.5 per cent of GDP and in parallel encourage flow of external investments into the country.
o Greater attention to agriculture including on seed development, management of water and soil fertility and improving delivery system.
http://pmindia.nic.in/EAC%20report%20Highlights%202010-11_feb.pdf
Sunday, February 13, 2011
First Ever Khadi Stamp on Mahatma Gandhi Released by India Post
India Post on the occassion of INDIPEX 2011 is bringing out a special stamp on Gandhi Ji to commemorate the event. The stamp will be unique as it will be printed on "Khadi", the handspun cotton material that Gandhi Ji held as the symbol of self determination and self reliance.
The Presentation Pack
The Khadi Stamp will be available during the exhibition at the venue, as a Presentation Pack which will also include aminiature sheet. The Presentation Pack is priced at Rs. 250 only (US$5 for International Buyers) and a maximum of 10 stamps can be ordered by a single person. Orders for this special stamps can be placed by writing directly to Mr A.S. Kala or pre-ordering them online. Outstation orders will be sent by Speedpost for which necessary charges will apply.
The deliveries would start from 12th February 2011.
Collect Your Copy at the Venue!
The Presentation Pack will be available at the venue, but its better to book your copy in advance. The order can be placed online and the Pack collected at the venue by making a direct payment. Simply fill the Pre-Order Form below and choose this as the Mode of Delivery. Carry the copy of the Confirmation Mail that you receive along with the full payment of the amount Rs 250/- only for eachPresentation Pack you order, and collect your Pack.
Get it Delivered by Post!
INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY
The Presentation Pack for the overseas buyers is priced at US$5 only. The Pack will be delivered via registered post at an additional fixed cost of US$2 only. The payment of US$7 for each Presentation Pack has to be made by electronic transfer to the India Post (Bank & Remittance Details). Please mail a copy of the payment-confirmation to us at wpe2011@indiapost.gov.in for the records.
DELIVERY WITHIN INDIA
The Presentation Pack can be delivered via Speedpost at an additional fixed cost of Rs.25 only. Simply fill the Pre-Order Formbelow and choose this as the Mode of Delivery. Send a copy of the Confirmation Mail that you receive along with a Demand Draft of the amount Rs 275/- for each Presentation Pack you order, made in favour of World Philatelic Exhibition/Indipex-2011 to the following address:
Mr. A.S. Kala
INDIPEX 2011 Secretariat
Room 523 B, Dak Bhawan
Sansad Marg, New Delhi-110001
The President of India Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil inaugurated the World Philatelic Exhibition - INDIPEX 2011 by issuing a special limited edition “Khadi” Stamp here today. In her inaugural address, the President said that Stamps tell the story of their own evolution, as well as of important occurrences and personalities in the lives of nations, since they are a significant mode of commemorating, celebrating and promoting national heritage and events. Underlining the importance and role of stamps, the President said, “Stamps are usually printed on paper. For the first time in history, a special Khadi Stamp is being issued which is on Mahatma Gandhi, the Apostle of non-Violence.” She further said that letters by post have seen a decline. We should not lose the art of letter writing. While technological advancements may have provided many faster modes of communication, the intimacy of the letter and the legend of the stamp cannot be matched.
Earlier speaking on the occasion the Union Minister for communications and Information Technology Shri Kapil Sibal said that India Post is also celebrating the centenary of the World’s official airmail flight. On 18th February 1911, a French Pilot, Henri Pequet flew a small Sommer biplane carrying 6,500 letters from Allahabad to Naini. The Journey was brief and lasted just thirteen minutes. To commemorate the occasion a set of stamps on aero philately is being issued at Allahabad today. The historic flight is also being re-enacted, courtesy Indian Air Force, he added. Referring to “My Stamp”, the exciting offer at INDIPEX 2011, he said this customized and personalized stamp is being introduced by India Post for the first time. One can have photographs of oneself on a stamp sheet which can be used to send out greetings or preserved as a unique philatelic memento.
The Minister said that to commemorate INDIPEX 2011,India Post has brought out two sets of stamps in 2010,one on Heritage post Offices and one on old pre independence era stamps of India States. A set of six stamps on six legendry actresses of Indian Cinema will also be issued during this exhibition.
Secretary Department of Post Smt. Radhika Doraiswamy and other senior officers of the Department were also present.
Later Minister of State for C&IT Shri Gurudas Kamat presented gold plated ingot with various stamps embossed on it to the President. The other MoS Shri Sachin Pilot presented the first sheet of “My Stamp” to the President.
The aim of the exhibition is to promote philately and provide a forum for interaction between philatelic stakeholder’s viz. collectors, dealers, stamp designers and printers and postal administrations. The exhibition will showcase some of the best collection of stamps, stationary and philatelic literature from all over the world in different categories. There are 595 collectors from 70 countries who will be participating in the exhibition apart from 28 philatelic dealers and 31 postal administrations.
Among the rare stamps on display is the most expensive Indian stamp, the “Inverted Head Four Annas” issued in 1854.
INDIPEX 2011 has been organized by India Post at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 12th to 18th February, 2011 after a gap of thirteen years. It is being organized in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India under the auspices of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately. This is the sixth time that such an exhibition is being held in India. India first held such an exhibition in 1954 and the last one in 1997.
The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil launching the postal stamp on Khadi at the inauguration of the INDIPEX-2011, World Philatelic Exhibition, in New Delhi on February 12, 2011. The Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications and Information Technology, Shri Kapil Sibal, the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Shri Sachin Pilot and the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Gurdas Kamat are also seen
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Very Good Article on--Working Late! By Narayan Murthy, Infosys
Very Good Article on--Working Late!
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Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff: It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on...
PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing...
And who's at work? Most of them??? Take a closer look... All or most specimens are ??
Something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!!
Any guesses???
Let's ask one of them...
Here's what he says... 'What's there 2 do after going home...Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late...Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!' This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors 'Passing-Time' during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do...
Now what r the consequences... 'Working' (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those 'working' late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!).
They aren't helping things too... To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between 'sitting' late and 'working' late!!! Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and
That's when the problem starts... b'coz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier 'hardworking' guy suddenly seems to become a 'early leaver' even if u leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work. People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers... Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as 'not up to it'. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on 'working' not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time. So what's the moral of the story??
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!
* Never put in extra time ' unless really needed '
* Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening.. Learn music... Learn a foreign language... Try a sport... TT, cricket......... Importantly,get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town... * And for heaven's sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change. Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: *'Life's calling, where are you??'* Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!! IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC. PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON'T KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE ! Regards,
NARAYAN MURTHY.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
National Knowledge Network Launched web site launched, NKN to Propel India in to a Knowledge Society
National Knowledge Network (NKN) is a revolutionary step towards creating aknowledge society without boundaries.
It will provide unprecedented benefits to theknowledge community and mankind at large. The purpose of such a knowledge network goes to the very core of the country’s quest for building quality institutions with requisite research facilities and creates a pool of highly trained professionals. The NKN is a state-of-the-art Pan-India network. It will facilitate the development of India's information infrastructure, stimulate research, and create next generation applications and services. NKN is designed to provide high availability, Quality of Service, security and reliability
National Knowledge Network (NKN) project is aimed at establishing a strong and robust internal Indian network which will be capable of providing secure and reliable connectivity. bring together all the stakeholders from science, technology, higher education, healthcare, agriculture and governance to a common platform.
Using NKN, all vibrant institutions with vision and passion will be able to transcend space and time limitations in accessing information and knowledge and derive the associated benefits for themselves and for the society. Establishing NKN is a significant step towards ushering in a knowledge revolution in the country with connectivity to 1500+ institutions. NKN is intended to connect all the knowledge and research institutions in the country using high bandwidth / low latency network.
Globally, frontier research and innovation are shifting towards multidisciplinary and collaborative paradigm and require substantial communication and computational power. In India, NKN with its multi-gigabit capability aims to connect all universities, research institutions, libraries, laboratories, healthcare and agricultural institutions across the country to address such paradigm shift. The leading mission oriented agencies in the fields of nuclear, space and defence research are also part of NKN. By facilitating the flow of information and knowledge, the network addresses the critical issue of access and create a new paradigm of collaboration to enrich the research efforts in the country. The network design is based on a proactive approach that takes into account the future requirements and new possibilities that this infrastructure may unfold, both in terms of usage and perceived benefits. This will bring about a knowledge revolution that will be instrumental in transforming society and promoting inclusive growth.
Background
The idea of setting up the NKN was deliberated & finalised at the office of Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI) and the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) after a collaborative engagement with the key stakeholders including experts, potential users, telecom service providers, educational and research institutions. The discussions resulted in a consensus for an optimal approach to be adopted for setting up such a network, to provide a unified backbone for all the sectors.
Government of India has constituted a High Level Committee (HLC) for establishment of NKN, under the Chairmanship of the PSA to GoI. National Informatics Centre has been designated as implementing agency for NKN. The vision of NKN has been translated into an action plan by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) set up by the HLC.
NKN was approved in March 2010 by the Cabinet with an outlay of Rs 5990 Crores. As a forerunner of NKN Initial phase has been successfully executed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Highlights
The architecture of NKN has been designed for reliability, availability & scalability. The network consists of an ultra-high speed core, starting with multiple 2.5/10 G and progressively moving towards 40/100 Gigabits per Second (Gbps). The core is complimented with a distribution layer covering all districts at appropriate speeds.
The participating institutions at the edge would seamlessly connect to NKN at gigabit speed. The NKN shall be a critical information infrastructure for India to evolve as a knowledge society. NKN is a significant step which will enable scientists, researchers and students from across the country to work together for advancing human development in critical and emerging areas.
- Establishing a high-speed backbone connectivity which will enable knowledge and information sharing.
- Enabling collaborative research, development and Innovation
- Facilitating advanced distance education in specialized fields such as engineering, science, medicine etc.
- Facilitating an ultra high speed backbone for e-Governance
- Facilitating integration of different sectoral networks in the field of research, education, health, commerce and governance.
Connectivity
The backbone of the network starts from 2.5 Gbps and progressively moves onto 10 Gbps connectivity between 7 Supercore (fully meshed) locations pan India. The network is further spread out through 26 Core locations with multiple of 2.5/10 Gbps partially meshed connectivity with Supercore locations. The distribution layer connects entire country to the core of the network using multiple links at speeds of 2.5/10 Gbps. The end users are being connected upto a speed of 1 Gbps.
The network architecture and governance structure allows users with options to connect to the distribution layer as well.NKN enables creation of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) as well for special interest groups.
NKN provides international connectivity to its users for global collaborative research. Presently, NKN is connected to Trans Eurasia Information Network (TEIN3). Similar connectivity to GLORIAD network is in the pipeline.
Applications
Countrywide Virtual Classroom
The NKN is a platform for delivering effective distance education where teachers and students can interact in real time. This is especially significant in a country like India where access to education is limited by factors such as geography, lack of infrastructure facilities etc. The network enables co-sharing of information such as classroom lectures, presentations and handouts among different institutions.
Collaborative Research
The NKN enables collaboration among researchers from different entities like GLORIAD, TEIN3, GARUDA, CERN etc. NKN also enables sharing of scientific databases and remote access to advanced research facilities.
Virtual Library
The Virtual Library involving sharing of journals, books and research papers across different institutions, is a natural application for NKN.
Sharing of Computing Resources
High-performance computing is critical for national security, industrial productivity, and advances in science and engineering. The network enables a large number of institutions to access high-performance computing to conduct advanced research in areas such as weather monitoring, earthquake engineering and other computationally intensive fields.
Grid Computing
The NKN has the capability to handle high bandwidth with low latency and provision to overlay grid computing. Some of the grid based applications are climate change/global warming, science projects like Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and ITER. The NKN can be the platform to realize many such innovative applications. The Garuda Grid has enhanced its power and stability by migrating to NKN.
Network Technology Test-bed
NKN provides test-bed for testing and validation of services before they are made available to the production network. NKN also provides an opportunity to test new hardware & software, vendor interoperability etc.
National Knowledge Network (NKN) is a significant step towards ushering a knowledge revolution in the country and poses a challenge to the ways we think and work. Technology is enabler but efforts beyond that are required to inform, educate and empower people of the country. This was stated by Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology (C&IT) at the launching of Logo and Website of the NKN here today. He said we need to work even harder to reap the benefits of this kind of network and put it to the use of the children and people in the remote parts of India.
Speaking from Chicago through video conferencing, Shri Sam Pitroda, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations appreciated and thanked the entire team for making the NKN possible in a very short period. He emphasised the need to take fibre based connectivity to all the 2,50,000 panchayats and all the municipalities in the country.
Later speaking on the occasion, Shri Sachin Pilot MoS for C&IT said in this era of Information Communication Technology (ICT) influencing every life NKN will enable Indians to reach new heights. The Government’s endeavour is that with best IT infrastructure India must keep an edge over the world to be the super power in the field of Information Technology. This NKN will equip young Indians to face the global challenges in the times to come.
Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Chairperson of the NKN High Level Committee made an interactive presentation demonstrating how the NKN will connect various stakeholders. Representatives from IIT Indore, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Guwahati, IIT Madras, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, CSIR , Ministry of Earth Sciences and BARC participated in the live interaction .
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary, Shri S.K. Sharma, Department of Information Technology said that the NKN will transform the knowledge landscape of the country.
National Knowledge Network (NKN) envisages connecting all higher centres of learning and research by bringing together all stakeholders from science, technology, higher education, healthcare, agriculture and governance to a common platform. Initially, the decision to set up NKN was announced in 2008-09 with an allocation of Rs.100 crore to the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and IT. Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil inaugurated the NKN on 9th April, 2009. Since then this vision has translated into a concrete implementation plan with approval form Cabinet in March, 2010. An outlay of Rs. 5,990 Crore has been approved for this project and it shall be implemented by NIC over a period of next two years and operated for over next 10 years.
The implementation of NKN is currently underway and aims to accomplish connectivity to approximately 550+ institutions across the country by March, 2011.
In Phase-I, the Service Providers are connecting the NKN Points of Presence (PoPs) with 2.5Gigabits bandwidth links. The bandwidth of these PoP’s shall be enhanced from 2.5G to 10G in the next year. So far, 76 links for the creation of the backbone for NKN project have been established. Also, connectivity with 200 edge links for various institutions has been accomplished.
The Union Minister for Human Resource Development and Communications and Information Technology, Shri Kapil Sibal launching the website & logo of National Knowledge Network, in New Delhi on February 05, 2011. The Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Shri Sachin Pilot is also seen.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
India's per capita income has grown up to Rs. 46,492 from Rs. 40,605 in 2009-10
According to the government announcement, India's per capita income has grown up to Rs. 46,492 from Rs. 40,605 in 2009-10. As per the revised data the per capita income rose about 14.5 per cent.
Output of the six core infrastructure industries grew by a healthy 6.6 per cent in December, 2010, an indicator that the Indian economy is on a firm wicket. The data released by the Industry Ministry today revealed that the six core sectors -- crude oil, petroleum refinery products, coal, electricity, cement and finished steel -- expanded by 6.2 per cent in December, 2009. The 6.6 per cent growth charted in December, 2010, is significantly higher than the 3 per cent expansion recorded in the previous month and it is all set to lift the index of industrial production or IIP numbers for December. Industrial output, as measured by the IIP, had sunk to an 18-month low of 2.7 per cent in November, 2010. These core industries account for 26.68 per cent of the country's total industrial output. Petroleum refinery output grew by 8.3 per cent, while production of coal registered 3 per cent growth in December, 2010.
However, growth in cement production slowed to 2.2 per cent in December, 2010, compared to 11 per cent expansion in December, 2009. Finished steel production grew by 11.2 per cent in December, 2010, from 9.6 per cent in the comparable period a year ago.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Jaipur Literature Festival
Asia’s leading literature event Jaipur Literature Festival is being organized here in Jaipur, since 21 st January.
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the 5 day mega event. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and many other national and international writers encompassed a range of activities including readings, talks, literary lunches, debates, performances, film, music and theatre, children’s workshops and interactive activities during the festival. Noted writers including Jerry Pinto, Javed Akhtar, Gulzar, Muriza Shamsee, PrasoonJoshi, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Mridula Garg participated in literary talks. The subjects of talks varied from literature, language, story telling, women empowerment to recitation. This festival provides a chance for readers to interact with their writers.
Noted lyricist Gulzaar, Javed Akhtar along with Prasoon Joshi talked about the language the present scenario of Indian Songs while John Le Endersn and David Finkle discussed about the reporting of occupation. Hundreds of writers are enthusiastically participating in the festival.
In the festival South Asia Literary award worth Fifty thousand US Dollar was accorded to the noted Pakistani Writer H.M.Naquvi for his book "Home Boys". This book features the story of three friends who faced the problems of their identity after the attack of 9/11.
The Jaipur Literature Festival was originally an initiative of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, an NGO that works with Rajasthan’s musicians and craftspeople to preserve skills and promote economic livelihoods while protecting heritage. The fest opened with bracing Rajasthani folk tunes as writers from India and various parts of the sub-continent and the world gathered in Jaipur to participate in the lit fete.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
China's GDP up by 10.3% in 2010
China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew a faster-than-expected 10.3 per cent in 2010, official statistics show. GDP figures for the fourth quarter also defied expectations of a slowdown, with an increase to 9.8 per cent from 9.6 per cent recorded. But inflation eased to 4.6 per cent in December from a 28-month high of 5.1 per cent the previous month, as food price pressures eased. Inflation for 2010 was 3.3 per cent.
Analysts say the apparent easing of inflation reflected a relatively low base the year before, and that the government needs to do more. The huge sums of money pumped into the world's second largest economy by state-run banks are hindering moves to bring inflation under control, they add.
January 25 will be National Voters Day
25th January will be declared as National Voters Day. The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal in this regard. Speaking to reporters after Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said that the Election Commission has decided to take up a vigorous exercise to identify all eligible voters attaining the age of 18 years on the first of January every year. Beginning this year, eligible voters will be handed over their electoral Photo Identity Card on the 25th of January every year. They will be handed over a badge with the logo and slogan "proud to be a voter, ready to Vote "at a felicitation function to be organised in each of the polling station areas. Mrs Soni said that this is expected to give the youth a sense of responsibility. Empowerment, pride and a sense of participation as well inspire them to exercise to cast their vote.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thrissur revenue district of Kerala will become the second totally electrified district in India on Jan 22.
Thrissur revenue district of Kerala will become the second totally electrified district in the country on the 22nd of this month.
Kerala is fast progressing towards the land mark achievement in total electrification. After declaring Palakkad as the first ever totally electrified district in India a few month ago, now it is the turn of Trissur district to earn the coveted achievement on 22nd of this month. Inaccessible tribal households will be electrified through solar energy. Close to eighteen crore has been spent on war footing for total electrification of Thrissur. By next month, Kerala will have the unique distinction of four districts completely electrified. Efforts are underway to declare Kerala as totally electrified state within six months.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Indirect tax collection up by 42 pc in first three quarters
Indirect taxes grew by over 42 percent in the first three quarters of this fiscal compared to the previous fiscal year. According to an official release, over two lakh thirty seven thousand crore rupees were collected as indirect taxes till December. With this 75.7 percent of the Budget estimates for this fiscal have been achieved. Custom collections increased by over 68 percent while central excise collection grew by over 33 percent. Apart from customs and central excise duty indirect taxes also include service tax.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
India Unveils First Ever Defence Production Policy- Domestic Entities to get Preference in Defence Procurement
With a view to achieve substantive self reliance in design, development and production of defence equipment, weapon systems and platforms, the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony unveiled the first ever Defence Production Policy (DPrP) here today. The policy also aims at creating conditions conducive for the private industries to play an active role to achieve the objective. DPrP will act as a catalyst to enhance potential of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for indigenisation as also for broadening the defence research and development base of the country.
Releasing the document, Shri Antony said the Policy aims to achieve maximum synergy among the Armed Forces, DPSUs, OFBs, Indian Industry and Research and Development institutions. The function was attended among others by the Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju, Defence Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kumar, Secretary Defence Production, Shri Raj Kumar Singh and the DG Acquisition Shri Vivek Rae. The Defence Production Policy has been prepared after extensive consultations with various stakeholders such as the three Services, Coast Guard, Integrated Defence Staff, DRDO and Indian Industry Associations – CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM etc.
Under the new Defence Production Policy, coming into force with immediate effect, preference will be given to indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Therefore, wherever the required arms, ammunition and equipment are possible to be made by the Indian industry within the time lines required by the Services, the procurement will be made from the indigenous sources. Whenever the Indian industry is not in a position to make and deliver the equipments as per the SQRs in the requisite time frame, procurement from foreign sources would be resorted to, as per Defence Procurement Procedure. While examining procurement cases, the time taken in the procurement and delivery from foreign sources vis-a-vis the time required for making it in the country, along with the urgency and criticality of the requirement, will be examined as per the Defence Procurement Procedure before deciding to proceed with procurement from foreign sources.
Based on the approved Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), equipment, weapon system and platforms required ten years and further down the line will by and large be developed within the country. Sub-systems that are not economically viable or practical to be made within the country may be imported, ensuring their availability at all times. However, as far as possible, the design and integration of the platforms and systems will be undertaken within the country.
The government will endeavour to build a robust indigenous defence industrial base by proactively encouraging larger involvement of the Indian private sector in design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Towards this end, efforts would be made to progressively identifying and address any issue which impacts or which has potential of impacting the competitiveness of the Indian Defence Industry in comparison to foreign companies.
To synergise and enhance the national competence in producing state of the art defence product within the price lines and time lines that are globally competitive, all viable approaches such as formation of consortia, joint venture and public private partnerships etc. within the government approved framework will be undertaken. The academia, research and development institutions as well as technical and scientific organisations of repute will be involved for achieving this objective.
The government will further simplify the procedure under the “MAKE” category of DPP in such a manner that it enables indigenous design and development of the required defence products by both public and private industries in a faster time frame.
Service Headquarters while laying down the qualitative requirements for defence products will exercise due diligence at all times to keep in view feasibility and practicability of the QRs. However, it will be ensured that the defence products developed in the country provide a competitive edge to our services vis-a-vis potential adversaries.
The Defence Production Policy recognises that development of complex systems is a stage process with incremental changes progressing from Mk-1 and Mk-2 and so on. The stage process will be followed. However, at every review of such developmental projects by the Defence Production Board or Defence R&D Board, as the case may be, it will be ensured that our equipment, weapons systems and platforms are such that they provide an edge to our forces over our potential adversaries. In case of delays in the realization of the projects, the corresponding proposal will be processed as per the Defence Procurement Procedure and the option of “BUY” shall be followed for the necessary numbers till indigenous production capability is established where after indigenous systems shall be procured.
Policies will also be put in place to encourage the DPSUs, OFB and the private sector to strengthen their research and development wings so that constant upgradation and improvement in systems under manufacture is possible. The government will set up a separate fund to provide necessary resources to public and private sector including SMEs as well as academic and scientific institutions to support research and development of defence products.
The Defence Minister will hold an annual review of the progress in self reliance that has been achieved during the year.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=69048
The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony formally released the Defence Procurement Procedure-2011 at a function here today. Presenting the first copy of the document to the Director General Acquisition Shri Vivek Rae, Shri Antony said the intent of the revised Defence Procurement Procedure is to expand our defence industrial base, encourage indigenous defence production and reduce defence imports. “The changes aim at simplification of procedures, speeding up of procurement and enhanced benefits to the Indian defence industry. Keeping in view the strategic importance of the ship building sector, seminal policy changes have been incorporated in the ship building procedure. Our singular objective is to provide a level-playing field to the DPSUs, shipyards and private sector, as well as promote indigenization”, Shri Antony said.
Referring to the changes in the offsets provisions, Shri Antony said ‘our offsets policy is still in the process of evolution, based on our experiences in its implementation in various stages’.
The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) is the defining document published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to enable decisions regarding defence capital acquisition for the Armed Forces to be made in a cost effective, timely and transparent manner.
The scope of the DPP has been enlarged gradually through amendments in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009. The categorization of defence procurement proposals also been expanded over the last decade from “ Buy” to “Buy and Make”. “Buy and Make Indian” and “Make” procedures. The basic thrust of the enlargement has been to promote development of indigenenous defence industry. The procedures have also been made more transparent and effective.
DPP-2011 incorporates further refinements based on the experience of the procurement agencies and feedback from the defence industry bothIndia and foreign. The highlights of the DPP-2011 that will encourage Indian Industry are:
(i) In an effort to ensure that Indian Industry is placed at par with the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUS), the Exchange Rate Variation clause has now been made applicable to all Indian vendors when they compete with their foreign counterparts under the “Buy Global” category.
(ii) Bank Guarantees under the Integrity Pact have now been linked to the validity of the Commerical Offer submitted by vendors and are, therefore, no longer open ended.
(iii) The requirement of furnishing two separate financial bonds for performance of contract and warranty of equipment has now been amalgamated into a single Performance-cum-Warranty Bond. This will ease the administrative and financial burden on Indian defence manufacturers.
(iv) The stringent clause for blacklisting vendors for delay in delivery of equipment, in fast track procurement cases has been removed. However, the liquidated Damages have been marginally enhanced to ensure greater accountability by vendors.
Shipbuilding Procedure
The existing Chapter-III on “Ship Building” in DPP has been comprehensively revised to include guidelines for shipbuilding on competitive basis. This revision has been based on inputs provided by all stakeholders, including the shipbuilding industry. These changes will provide a level playing field to the DPSU Shipyards and Private Sector and promote indigenization for induction of the ships, submarines and yard craft for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.
The revised procedure lays down the procedure for shipbuilding on competitive basis as well as on nomination basis. Besides clearly articulating the step by step acquisition process, various clauses for strengthening of the contracting mechanisms, linking payments to stages of construction for ships/yard craft, including modular construction have been included.
The new guidelines will encourage healthy competition between the Private and Public Sector Shipyards and improve delivery indices. The initiative will enable the Government, to harness national shipbuilding capacities, leading to development of a strong Defence Industrial base and self-reliance in warship building.
Offset Policy Guidelines
The scope of Offset Policy Guidelines is being expanded to include “civil aerospace”, “internal security” and “training” within the ambit of eligible products and services for discharge of offset obligations. The list of eligible offsets will now cover most aspects of civil aerospace, including aircraft, both fixed wing and rotary, air frames, air engines, aircraft components, avionics, aircraft design and engineering services, aircraft material, technical publications, flying training institutions and technical training institutions. A wide range of weapons and services for counter terrorism have been included in the list of products under “internal security”. These changes will provide a wider range of offset opportunities to vendors participating in defence procurements and encourage building up of indigenous manufacturing capability in crucial areas.
An Infantry soldier slithering from a helicopter, during the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command Parade & Investiture Ceremony, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011.
A Dare Devils motorcycle display during the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command Parade & Investiture Ceremony, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011.
A Dare Devils motorcycle display during the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command Parade & Investiture Ceremony, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011.
The GOC-in-C Western Command, Lt. Gen. S.R. Ghosh, reviewing the Parade, at the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command Parade & Investiture Ceremony, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011.
The Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony unveils the Defence Procurement Procedure - 2011, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju is also seen.
The Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony unveils the first ever Defence Production Policy (DPrP), in New Delhi on January 13, 2011. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju and the Secretary Defence Production, Shri Raj Kumar Singh are also seen.
The Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony addressing a Press Conference after releasing the Defence Procurement Procedure - 2011 (DPP-2011) and the first ever Defence Production Policy (DPrP), at a function, in New Delhi on January 13, 2011. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju and the Secretary Defence Production, Shri Raj Kumar Singh are also seen.
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