SIKKIM: Personality development workshop in Sikkim University
Posted by barunroy on June 20, 2009
FROM THE HINDU BUSINESS LINE
GANGTOK: The Sikkim University is holding a month-long workshop in collaboration with National School of Drama (NSD) to tune the students for attaining success in their careers and make positive contributions in the society, an SU official said here on S aturday.
The workshop, already underway in the university premises since June 11, would cater to the four aspects of the daily lives of the students – self, family, education and society – as part of their personality development, SU Executive Sangeeta Rasaily sa id in a release here.
At the workshop, the students are required to undergo physical and mental exercises like yoga, sports and creative activities during a five-hour session every day to understand their personality and strengthen it through introspection and positive thinki ng, she said.
The workshop is being conducted by noted Kathak dancer Purnima Kharga, who has conducted similar workshops in Japan and Europe for the university students. The concept of the workshop is based on National School of Drama (NSD) course known as “Theatre in Education” – PTI
Saturday, June 20, 2009
ANTI RAGGING HELPLINE- USE AND SAVE LIFE
Shri Kapil Sibal launches anti-ragging helpline
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17:51 IST 20 June 2009:
The toll-free, 24/7, nation-wide anti-ragging helpline was launched today by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sibal said that this is a historic moment as a concrete step has been taken against ragging. He stated that ragging is a national menace, demeaning and destructive for students. While thanking the Supreme Court for its judgment of 8th May, 2009, wherein the UGC had been directed by it to set up such a helpline with the help of the Ministry of Communications & IT, Shri Sibal pointed out that directions of the Supreme Court were now being implemented. He also pointed out that the students are now being protected by the stake holders in society.
The toll free No. of this helpline is 1800-180-5522, and the Email is helpline@antiragging.net. The other toll-free number 155222 is under implementation. The Call Centre is located at Delhi and the calls are responded to by professional manpower in English, Hindi and selected regional languages with call recording system.
When the complaint is registered, immediately it is given a unique number. Thereafter automatically, an acknowledgement receipt with all details is sent to the concerned authorities within 15 minutes of the receipt of the complaint. This number can be used as reference for all future communications and feedback. Once the grievance has been received by the Institution, the concerned officer looks into the merit of the complaint and forwards the same for action. Once the matter has been marked to the concerned officer for action, it is tracked till the necessary actions are taken. If the complaint is not acted upon within the specified timeframe, the senior officers get a reminder either by email or by phone calls. The level of reminders would be escalated at institutional as well as executive levels if required. This ensures the accountability of all authorities in the chain. After the necessary actions have been taken, the concerned student gets the call/email confirmation containing the details of the complaint and related actions taken.
MV/MDS
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17:51 IST 20 June 2009:
The toll-free, 24/7, nation-wide anti-ragging helpline was launched today by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sibal said that this is a historic moment as a concrete step has been taken against ragging. He stated that ragging is a national menace, demeaning and destructive for students. While thanking the Supreme Court for its judgment of 8th May, 2009, wherein the UGC had been directed by it to set up such a helpline with the help of the Ministry of Communications & IT, Shri Sibal pointed out that directions of the Supreme Court were now being implemented. He also pointed out that the students are now being protected by the stake holders in society.
The toll free No. of this helpline is 1800-180-5522, and the Email is helpline@antiragging.net. The other toll-free number 155222 is under implementation. The Call Centre is located at Delhi and the calls are responded to by professional manpower in English, Hindi and selected regional languages with call recording system.
When the complaint is registered, immediately it is given a unique number. Thereafter automatically, an acknowledgement receipt with all details is sent to the concerned authorities within 15 minutes of the receipt of the complaint. This number can be used as reference for all future communications and feedback. Once the grievance has been received by the Institution, the concerned officer looks into the merit of the complaint and forwards the same for action. Once the matter has been marked to the concerned officer for action, it is tracked till the necessary actions are taken. If the complaint is not acted upon within the specified timeframe, the senior officers get a reminder either by email or by phone calls. The level of reminders would be escalated at institutional as well as executive levels if required. This ensures the accountability of all authorities in the chain. After the necessary actions have been taken, the concerned student gets the call/email confirmation containing the details of the complaint and related actions taken.
MV/MDS
NEW BUSES ON GANGTOK ROADS BY SNT
New buses to hit Gangtok roads
GANGTOK, 19 JUNE: In an attempt to ensure better connectivity to Gangtok from the nearby areas, the state transport department is preparing to add 35 more buses in its fleet.
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) division which presently has 84 buses connecting various parts of the state and also Siliguri, would procure 35 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Mr LM Pradhan, general manager, SNT Division, said: “The 35 seater vehicles will connect Gangtok with the adjacent areas. Once the service kicks off, it would provide hassle free travel to the capital city”.
The service would connect Deorali, Sichey, Luing, Lingdok, Penlong, Marchak, Jalipool, Adampool, Rumtek, Pakyong airport, Tashiling Secretariate and Kanchanjunga National Park with Gangtok.
A detailed project report based on the guidelines of Central Institute of Road Transport, Pune, has been forwarded to the Union ministry of urban development, for approval.
According to Mr Pradhan, the state government would have 10 percent input in the Rs 5.4 crore project while the rest would be borne by the Union ministry of urban development. Interestingly, the move comes as part of the UPA government’s 100 days’ programme which aims to add 14,000 new buses across India.
Considering traffic congestion and steep gradient, the SNT has opted to procure 35 seater mini buses under this project. New drivers are likely to be recruited by the SNT to fulfill its requirements for the new buses that are to be added.
Proposed bus services to Kolkata, Patna , Kathmandu (Nepal) and Pheuntsoling (Indo-Bhutan border) is also under review by the SNT. “Extra buses would be available for packaged tours during the touring season” Mr Pradhan said.
GANGTOK, 19 JUNE: In an attempt to ensure better connectivity to Gangtok from the nearby areas, the state transport department is preparing to add 35 more buses in its fleet.
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) division which presently has 84 buses connecting various parts of the state and also Siliguri, would procure 35 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
Mr LM Pradhan, general manager, SNT Division, said: “The 35 seater vehicles will connect Gangtok with the adjacent areas. Once the service kicks off, it would provide hassle free travel to the capital city”.
The service would connect Deorali, Sichey, Luing, Lingdok, Penlong, Marchak, Jalipool, Adampool, Rumtek, Pakyong airport, Tashiling Secretariate and Kanchanjunga National Park with Gangtok.
A detailed project report based on the guidelines of Central Institute of Road Transport, Pune, has been forwarded to the Union ministry of urban development, for approval.
According to Mr Pradhan, the state government would have 10 percent input in the Rs 5.4 crore project while the rest would be borne by the Union ministry of urban development. Interestingly, the move comes as part of the UPA government’s 100 days’ programme which aims to add 14,000 new buses across India.
Considering traffic congestion and steep gradient, the SNT has opted to procure 35 seater mini buses under this project. New drivers are likely to be recruited by the SNT to fulfill its requirements for the new buses that are to be added.
Proposed bus services to Kolkata, Patna , Kathmandu (Nepal) and Pheuntsoling (Indo-Bhutan border) is also under review by the SNT. “Extra buses would be available for packaged tours during the touring season” Mr Pradhan said.
Friday, June 19, 2009
DRUK AIR FLIGHTS VIA BAGDOGRA STARTS
BAGDOGRA: Drukair lands at Bagdogra airport – Fly to paro in 30 minutes for rs 1500
Posted by barunroy on June 19, 2009
FROM THE TELEGRAPH
The crew of the flight and the officials of the airline being welcomed at Bagdogra Airport on Thursday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo
Bagdogra, June 18: Drukair, the Royal Bhutan Airlines, became the first commercial international flight to land in Bagdogra today, when it launched its service from Paro to Bangkok.
Around 11am, an Airbus 319 arrived at Bagdogra carrying officials of Drukair and 79 passengers flying to Bangkok from Paro in Bhutan. The flight was flagged off at Paro by S.M. Krishna, the Indian external affairs minister, and his Bhutanese counterpart Ugen Tshering.
“The flight from Bhutan to the Thai capital will have a stopover at Bagdogra. The service will further strengthen the excellent relationship between India and Bhutan and promote people-to-people contact,” Tshering Penjore, the general manager and head of ground operations, Drukair, said at a media conference at the airport here.
The official said the flight to Bangkok would arrive at Bagdogra twice a week — on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Conversely, the flight bound for Paro from Bangkok will land at Bagdogra on Wednesdays and Sundays.
“We plan to operate the planes in the morning, preferably between 8am and 9am. The exact timings will be finalised in the next few days. In-flight services will be of international standards with varieties of food on menu,” said Penjore.
He said the airline was offering promotional fares for the residents of this region. “We do not promote mass tourism. Our target is to get around 40,0000-50,000 visitors a year,” he said. “Our focus is on north Bengal and we want people in the region to visit our country located so close. Now that the air service has been introduced, we look forward to welcoming more people from the region.”
As of now, Drukair will charge Rs 1,500 for the Bagdogra-Paro trip and Rs 6,500 for a Bagdogra-Bangkok journey. “The fare for Bagdogra-Bangkok-Bagdogra will be Rs 10,000,” said the Drukair official. While it will take around 30 minutes to reach Paro from Bagdogra, the journey to Bangkok is two-hour long.
“We find that people from north Bengal go to Bhutan for one purpose or the other on a regular basis by road. Our plan is to tap around 40 per cent of them, who can avail of the air service now,” said Penjore.
Another factor, he said, that had led to introduction of the service was the refuelling of the aircraft. Air Turbine Fuel costs much in Bhutan, the reason being the higher transportation charge of carrying it to the country from India.
K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director here, appreciated the initiative of Drukair and said Bagdogra was ready with infrastructure to operate international flights.
“We are consistently upgrading the infrastructure and once the apron is extended, at least five-six aircraft can be accommodated,” he said.
Posted by barunroy on June 19, 2009
FROM THE TELEGRAPH
The crew of the flight and the officials of the airline being welcomed at Bagdogra Airport on Thursday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo
Bagdogra, June 18: Drukair, the Royal Bhutan Airlines, became the first commercial international flight to land in Bagdogra today, when it launched its service from Paro to Bangkok.
Around 11am, an Airbus 319 arrived at Bagdogra carrying officials of Drukair and 79 passengers flying to Bangkok from Paro in Bhutan. The flight was flagged off at Paro by S.M. Krishna, the Indian external affairs minister, and his Bhutanese counterpart Ugen Tshering.
“The flight from Bhutan to the Thai capital will have a stopover at Bagdogra. The service will further strengthen the excellent relationship between India and Bhutan and promote people-to-people contact,” Tshering Penjore, the general manager and head of ground operations, Drukair, said at a media conference at the airport here.
The official said the flight to Bangkok would arrive at Bagdogra twice a week — on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Conversely, the flight bound for Paro from Bangkok will land at Bagdogra on Wednesdays and Sundays.
“We plan to operate the planes in the morning, preferably between 8am and 9am. The exact timings will be finalised in the next few days. In-flight services will be of international standards with varieties of food on menu,” said Penjore.
He said the airline was offering promotional fares for the residents of this region. “We do not promote mass tourism. Our target is to get around 40,0000-50,000 visitors a year,” he said. “Our focus is on north Bengal and we want people in the region to visit our country located so close. Now that the air service has been introduced, we look forward to welcoming more people from the region.”
As of now, Drukair will charge Rs 1,500 for the Bagdogra-Paro trip and Rs 6,500 for a Bagdogra-Bangkok journey. “The fare for Bagdogra-Bangkok-Bagdogra will be Rs 10,000,” said the Drukair official. While it will take around 30 minutes to reach Paro from Bagdogra, the journey to Bangkok is two-hour long.
“We find that people from north Bengal go to Bhutan for one purpose or the other on a regular basis by road. Our plan is to tap around 40 per cent of them, who can avail of the air service now,” said Penjore.
Another factor, he said, that had led to introduction of the service was the refuelling of the aircraft. Air Turbine Fuel costs much in Bhutan, the reason being the higher transportation charge of carrying it to the country from India.
K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director here, appreciated the initiative of Drukair and said Bagdogra was ready with infrastructure to operate international flights.
“We are consistently upgrading the infrastructure and once the apron is extended, at least five-six aircraft can be accommodated,” he said.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
water sector
Service in the water sector is the service to the nation: Umesh Narayan Panjiar
Investment potential in the water sector is manifold; the Water Summit 2009 calls for PPCP and knowledge sharing
[New Delhi, 11 June 2009] Service in the water sector is the service to the nation, and private enterprises should actively consider this as a part of CSR initiatives. The industry should share nation's idea for enhancing water availability and utility backed with a strong technology base, opined Mr. Umesh Narayan Panjiar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India.
He was speaking at Water Summit 2009, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The summit themed on 'Catalysing Investments in Water Sector' reflected upon the investment potential in the sector, scope of public-private community partnership (PPCP) schemes and active sharing knowledge about best technological and industrial practices. The event marked the release of an education kit for children, aimed at educating them about water conservation and capturing it as a positive influence on parents.
Delivering the keynote address, he further stated that the private sector can be an active counterpart in collection of tariffs, stoppage of waste, desalination technologies, participatory management, achieving water positive / water neutral status etc. R&D is the key for maintaining efficiency in water usage for agricultural and industrial sectors. In addition the industry should take up water audits, budgeting, which will help in assessing its water inputs.
He added, since the agricultural sector accounts for maximum water consumption in the country, the private sector should also come up to enlighten the farmers about efficient irrigation and agricultural practices.
Mr. Ramesh Negi, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) expressed concern about non-equitable water distribution in the capital. He said more than 45% of the city of unplanned, and due to excessive unplanned urbanization, the consumers often face water shortage problem. As DJB does not have sufficient water inventory, the present norm of 450 / 350 litre per head per day for Hospitals and Hotel's will soon go down to 200 litres. Hotel and hospitals share the concerns and will recycle the remaining as per their needs.
He further highlighted that DJB spends Rs. 1,500 crore annually in the sector, this has to be augmented with the private sector's participation. Pointing out that the investment opportunities in the sector are going up manifolds, he suggested a PPP model in which the government will provide the land and the private counterpart does water recycling. DJB will soon contract leakage management for the city to private enterprises, to minimise unaccounted for water.
Mr. N K Ranganath, Chairman Water Management Council, CII - Godrej Green Business Centre apprised the delegates about Indian Business Alliance of Water which is a partnership between WEF and CII. 25 PPCP projects are under the umbrella of this alliance. The alliance formed Rajasthan Community Business Alliance on water that will be replicated in the cities of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Orissa.
Mr. Francios E Binder, Country Director & Counsellor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland suggested that the water sector in India has to adhere to appropriate regulatory framework which incorporates consumer protection, environmental standards, pricing mechanism and enhancing sustainability. He added that the sector has to introduce accountability amongst stakeholders.
Sharing an international perspective, Mr. Tan Thai Pin, Director, PUB, Singapore endorsed 3P approach for water conservation that divides the onus on people, public and partners. He said Singapore's water conservation programme focuses on water catchment, high-grade reclaimed water desalination - NEWater, Deep Tunnel Sewage System and Active Beautiful and Clean (ABC) water program. The vibrant water industry shares the vision to make Singapore into a city of gardens and water, he added.
Earlier in the welcome address, Mr. Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, Core Group on Water, CII (NR) & MD & CEO, JCB India Limited, stated spending in the water sector will increase to US$ 180 billion in the coming 20-22 years, from the present amount of US$ 80 billion. The sector thus has to attract investments, which may emerge from the interplay of ideas amongst stakeholders.
Investment potential in the water sector is manifold; the Water Summit 2009 calls for PPCP and knowledge sharing
[New Delhi, 11 June 2009] Service in the water sector is the service to the nation, and private enterprises should actively consider this as a part of CSR initiatives. The industry should share nation's idea for enhancing water availability and utility backed with a strong technology base, opined Mr. Umesh Narayan Panjiar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India.
He was speaking at Water Summit 2009, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The summit themed on 'Catalysing Investments in Water Sector' reflected upon the investment potential in the sector, scope of public-private community partnership (PPCP) schemes and active sharing knowledge about best technological and industrial practices. The event marked the release of an education kit for children, aimed at educating them about water conservation and capturing it as a positive influence on parents.
Delivering the keynote address, he further stated that the private sector can be an active counterpart in collection of tariffs, stoppage of waste, desalination technologies, participatory management, achieving water positive / water neutral status etc. R&D is the key for maintaining efficiency in water usage for agricultural and industrial sectors. In addition the industry should take up water audits, budgeting, which will help in assessing its water inputs.
He added, since the agricultural sector accounts for maximum water consumption in the country, the private sector should also come up to enlighten the farmers about efficient irrigation and agricultural practices.
Mr. Ramesh Negi, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) expressed concern about non-equitable water distribution in the capital. He said more than 45% of the city of unplanned, and due to excessive unplanned urbanization, the consumers often face water shortage problem. As DJB does not have sufficient water inventory, the present norm of 450 / 350 litre per head per day for Hospitals and Hotel's will soon go down to 200 litres. Hotel and hospitals share the concerns and will recycle the remaining as per their needs.
He further highlighted that DJB spends Rs. 1,500 crore annually in the sector, this has to be augmented with the private sector's participation. Pointing out that the investment opportunities in the sector are going up manifolds, he suggested a PPP model in which the government will provide the land and the private counterpart does water recycling. DJB will soon contract leakage management for the city to private enterprises, to minimise unaccounted for water.
Mr. N K Ranganath, Chairman Water Management Council, CII - Godrej Green Business Centre apprised the delegates about Indian Business Alliance of Water which is a partnership between WEF and CII. 25 PPCP projects are under the umbrella of this alliance. The alliance formed Rajasthan Community Business Alliance on water that will be replicated in the cities of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Orissa.
Mr. Francios E Binder, Country Director & Counsellor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland suggested that the water sector in India has to adhere to appropriate regulatory framework which incorporates consumer protection, environmental standards, pricing mechanism and enhancing sustainability. He added that the sector has to introduce accountability amongst stakeholders.
Sharing an international perspective, Mr. Tan Thai Pin, Director, PUB, Singapore endorsed 3P approach for water conservation that divides the onus on people, public and partners. He said Singapore's water conservation programme focuses on water catchment, high-grade reclaimed water desalination - NEWater, Deep Tunnel Sewage System and Active Beautiful and Clean (ABC) water program. The vibrant water industry shares the vision to make Singapore into a city of gardens and water, he added.
Earlier in the welcome address, Mr. Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, Core Group on Water, CII (NR) & MD & CEO, JCB India Limited, stated spending in the water sector will increase to US$ 180 billion in the coming 20-22 years, from the present amount of US$ 80 billion. The sector thus has to attract investments, which may emerge from the interplay of ideas amongst stakeholders.
NEW SITUATION NEEDS NEW SOLUTIONS- AZIM PREMJI
"Shake off complacency to go forward" Azim Premji at the Fifth India Innovation Summit
New Situations need New Solutions
[Bangalore, 12 June 2009] The Fifth India Innovation Summit by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) opened to a packed audience here today. The summit was organised with the intention of emphasising the importance of innovation in an economic downturn and India's key role as a flag bearer of innovation for economic development. The summit also took a close look at the preparedness of India Inc. in challenging times and its ability to leverage on current market opportunities innovatively. Kris Gopalakrishnan, MD & CEO, Infosys, chaired the summit and Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd delivered the keynote address.
Welcoming all delegates and participants T. Parabrahman, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council said, "This summit has grown in stature, quality and number of participants over the years. Innovation will be pertinent everywhere; in business processes, to deliver value more efficiently, in customer intimacy, to increase the utility of goods and services, and in business models, to extract new sources of value from networks and information flows."
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Fifth India Innovation Summit and MD & CEO, Infosys congratulated CII on taking the lead and for the continued success of all summits organised till now. "Innovation is a cycle from generation to growth, boom, bust, and creation of a new normal. For any country in the world, India is of primary interest and there is a lot of focus on India now", said Kris Gopalakrishnan.
Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd said, "Creativity is thinking up new things and innovation is about doing new things; so basically innovation is just applied creativity. It need not be restricted to products and can be about quality, productivity and most importantly in fundamental business models." The current complacency of the industry is worrying because the competition is growing at a faster pace, e.g. the BPO export of Philippines now is almost equal to India while 5 years ago it was just 10%. The actual India advantage is our family culture that supports engineers. India still generates more engineers than it needs while the western world still does not have enough to meet their own requirements. "We need to have recruitment in diversity, particularly in the mass recruitment or else it will lead to recruitment of clones. You should get those who are different, who will bring in new views, ideas and a new way of doing things. Only this shall bring in innovation," said Mr. Premji. He also stressed on the need to allow creative failures. Companies should identify, prioritize and allocate resources so as not to dilute the innovation efforts. While summing up his address, Azim Premji stated that "Innovation is about the sprit that engages the body, mind and heart and the excitement of thinking and the courage of doing things different, about creating a better tomorrow than today and outcome based for our country."
The first session of the summit concentrated on economic cycles and innovations. Economic downturns are hotspots for innovation, and several great companies today are products of previous economic downturns. Sahana Sarma, Partner, McKinsey & Company highlighted that the current downturn is indeed a structural break and is the time to ask 'What is the new normal?' "Indian innovation is among the fastest growing in the world, but however with a low level of diversification. India's young population can be a critical asset over the next few decades," said Sahana Sarma. The potential areas to drive innovation in India are mobile services, building management systems and solutions that are applicable to local as well as international market. The industry should also focus on improving talent base and enabling entrepreneurial culture.
Amit Kalyani, Executive Director, Bharat Forge Ltd said "Companies that continue to invest in innovation shall come out of recession much stronger and are able to convert adversity into opportunity." Innovative cost effective measures are bringing down cost through focus on cash conservation, product quality and speed to market. Companies should concentrate on bringing even the lowest denomination employee into the game and eliminate waste processes. Girish Wardadkar, President & Executive Director, KPIT Cummins stated that "Digital manufacturing is a tool & process to validate and establish proof of concept for a new product and associated infrastructure."
"There is a need to assess the situation and develop scenarios. There are opportunities even in this downturn and hence the need for cherry picking our strategy and establish the mood accordingly" said Bhaskar Bhatt, MD, Titan Industries Ltd. He was opening the session on the current downturn and innovative solutions to the dominant concern.
"The global gems and jewellery industry is on a progressive note. The market for branded jewellery in India is growing at a fast pace and is expected to be at $2.2bn by 2010" stated Ganesh Narayan, Executive Director, C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons.
Hameed Bhombal, Senior President & CTO, Aditya Birla Group opined that innovation is questioning and challenging the existence for something better, more exciting and more rewarding. From an online industry perspective Jawahar Malhotra, CTO & VP - Consumer Platforms, Yahoo! India R&D said that a confluence of imperatives - dreams of the people, population growth, global warming leading to a low carbon economy - is leading to a huge opportunity. The current challenges are tight budgets, glut of a low priced page inventory and online user expectancy.
The day saw practitioners of innovation coming together to share their experiences and do case studies on how they implemented their innovative ideas. It also helped in creating and expanding a network of such companies through periodic interaction.
"CII Innovation Summit is not only a premium event, but an excellent opportunity for organizations across industries to come together to discuss and showcase the spirit of innovation in the country," said Bina Raj-Debur, Director, Corporate Marketing, HP India. "The world is observing India with great interest, and innovation in the areas of environment, resource conservation and energy efficiency will help sustain our competitiveness in the current economic scenario," she added.
New Situations need New Solutions
[Bangalore, 12 June 2009] The Fifth India Innovation Summit by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) opened to a packed audience here today. The summit was organised with the intention of emphasising the importance of innovation in an economic downturn and India's key role as a flag bearer of innovation for economic development. The summit also took a close look at the preparedness of India Inc. in challenging times and its ability to leverage on current market opportunities innovatively. Kris Gopalakrishnan, MD & CEO, Infosys, chaired the summit and Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd delivered the keynote address.
Welcoming all delegates and participants T. Parabrahman, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council said, "This summit has grown in stature, quality and number of participants over the years. Innovation will be pertinent everywhere; in business processes, to deliver value more efficiently, in customer intimacy, to increase the utility of goods and services, and in business models, to extract new sources of value from networks and information flows."
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of Fifth India Innovation Summit and MD & CEO, Infosys congratulated CII on taking the lead and for the continued success of all summits organised till now. "Innovation is a cycle from generation to growth, boom, bust, and creation of a new normal. For any country in the world, India is of primary interest and there is a lot of focus on India now", said Kris Gopalakrishnan.
Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd said, "Creativity is thinking up new things and innovation is about doing new things; so basically innovation is just applied creativity. It need not be restricted to products and can be about quality, productivity and most importantly in fundamental business models." The current complacency of the industry is worrying because the competition is growing at a faster pace, e.g. the BPO export of Philippines now is almost equal to India while 5 years ago it was just 10%. The actual India advantage is our family culture that supports engineers. India still generates more engineers than it needs while the western world still does not have enough to meet their own requirements. "We need to have recruitment in diversity, particularly in the mass recruitment or else it will lead to recruitment of clones. You should get those who are different, who will bring in new views, ideas and a new way of doing things. Only this shall bring in innovation," said Mr. Premji. He also stressed on the need to allow creative failures. Companies should identify, prioritize and allocate resources so as not to dilute the innovation efforts. While summing up his address, Azim Premji stated that "Innovation is about the sprit that engages the body, mind and heart and the excitement of thinking and the courage of doing things different, about creating a better tomorrow than today and outcome based for our country."
The first session of the summit concentrated on economic cycles and innovations. Economic downturns are hotspots for innovation, and several great companies today are products of previous economic downturns. Sahana Sarma, Partner, McKinsey & Company highlighted that the current downturn is indeed a structural break and is the time to ask 'What is the new normal?' "Indian innovation is among the fastest growing in the world, but however with a low level of diversification. India's young population can be a critical asset over the next few decades," said Sahana Sarma. The potential areas to drive innovation in India are mobile services, building management systems and solutions that are applicable to local as well as international market. The industry should also focus on improving talent base and enabling entrepreneurial culture.
Amit Kalyani, Executive Director, Bharat Forge Ltd said "Companies that continue to invest in innovation shall come out of recession much stronger and are able to convert adversity into opportunity." Innovative cost effective measures are bringing down cost through focus on cash conservation, product quality and speed to market. Companies should concentrate on bringing even the lowest denomination employee into the game and eliminate waste processes. Girish Wardadkar, President & Executive Director, KPIT Cummins stated that "Digital manufacturing is a tool & process to validate and establish proof of concept for a new product and associated infrastructure."
"There is a need to assess the situation and develop scenarios. There are opportunities even in this downturn and hence the need for cherry picking our strategy and establish the mood accordingly" said Bhaskar Bhatt, MD, Titan Industries Ltd. He was opening the session on the current downturn and innovative solutions to the dominant concern.
"The global gems and jewellery industry is on a progressive note. The market for branded jewellery in India is growing at a fast pace and is expected to be at $2.2bn by 2010" stated Ganesh Narayan, Executive Director, C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons.
Hameed Bhombal, Senior President & CTO, Aditya Birla Group opined that innovation is questioning and challenging the existence for something better, more exciting and more rewarding. From an online industry perspective Jawahar Malhotra, CTO & VP - Consumer Platforms, Yahoo! India R&D said that a confluence of imperatives - dreams of the people, population growth, global warming leading to a low carbon economy - is leading to a huge opportunity. The current challenges are tight budgets, glut of a low priced page inventory and online user expectancy.
The day saw practitioners of innovation coming together to share their experiences and do case studies on how they implemented their innovative ideas. It also helped in creating and expanding a network of such companies through periodic interaction.
"CII Innovation Summit is not only a premium event, but an excellent opportunity for organizations across industries to come together to discuss and showcase the spirit of innovation in the country," said Bina Raj-Debur, Director, Corporate Marketing, HP India. "The world is observing India with great interest, and innovation in the areas of environment, resource conservation and energy efficiency will help sustain our competitiveness in the current economic scenario," she added.
COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE- A N KHAN
Your Planet Needs You : Unite to Combat Climate Change
A.N.Khan**
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Climate change is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security and other dimensions. Mexico city, the capital of Mexico will serve as the International host city for this year’s World Environment Day (WED), with the theme ‘Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change’, which seeks to propel nations to reach agreement on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December 2009. Mexico has seized the opportunities of the carbon markets and has become second only to Brazil in terms of wind, solar, biogas and other Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in the region.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has now launched a new and more ambitious phase – the ‘Seven Billon Tree Campaign’. This aims to see more than one new tree planted for every person alive by the Copenhagen meeting.
The highlight of this year’s WED is the launch of the ‘Climate Heroes’, which support individuals who are undertaking exceptional personal feats, high profile expeditions, and other acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness for one simple idea : Your Plant Needs You! These projects focus on environmental ‘hot topics’ like CO2 output, finding smart solutions to beat waste and tree planting.
UNEP has collaborated with these Climate Heroes to help inspire and motivate people to unite to combat climate change. The Climate Heroes call on individual to do what they can : from adopting the simplest habits like turning off running water when one is brushing teeth, to organizing a public event for WED. They also outline how individuals can cut down by half their climate footprint by quite simple daily chores. For example, jogging around the park rather than on an electric powered treadmill will cut your daily emission by 1 Kg. Around 80% of freshwater is used for irrigation – simple technique like drip irrigation could dramatically cut this use.
Every year over 60 billion tons of plastic are produced, much of it for one time use and less than 5 per cent of the world’s plastics are recycled. National Geographic estimates that over 85 million plastic bottles are used every three minutes. Much of plastic waste that is not incinerated or land-filled, makes its way to the oceans. As the waste breakdown, it is mistaken for food, kills hundreds of thousands of birds and marine life, and is now making its way into our food chain. Project Kaisel consists of a team of scientists and environmentalists who have come together with a common purpose to study how to capture plastic waste in the ocean, detoxify and recycle it into diesel fuel.
Climate change represents a challenge that recognizes no national boundaries. There are countries that have pledged to become zero emission economies not just in terms of CO2, but also in terms of other greenhouse gases. For example Norway’s challenge is oil and gas production, whereas New Zealand’s is livestock methane emissions. Almost 100% of Iceland’s electricity is generated by geothermal heat, but it faces challenges in terms of transport.
The old energy inefficient electric bulb date back to almost two centuries. People are now switching over to the energy saving ones. The World is already glimpsing a Green Economy – from the 300 financial institutions with $ 13 trillion of assets who are signatories to UNEP and the UN’s Global Compact Principles for Responsible Investment to the $ 160 billion boom in renewable energy transactions. And it is not just in developed countries, two of the biggest wind power companies are based in China and India respectively.
The current food crisis is predominantly one about prices rather than about supply. In many countries in the past 50 years or so the emphasis has been on hiking up production at the expense of all else. The emergence of marine ‘dead zones’ – deoxygenated areas of sea in which fish and other marine life-forms have either died or fled – are in part linked with the misuse of artificial fertilizers.
Shifting weather patterns threaten food production through increased unpredictability of precipitation, rising sea levels contaminate coastal freshwater reserves and increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, and a warming atmosphere aids the pole-ward spread of pests and disease once limited to the tropics. Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforests and the Arctic tundra, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying. Mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months will have repercussions that transcend generations. The most dangerous climate changes may still be avoided if we transform our hydrocarbon-based energy systems.
Some people may consider a tropical forest merely a collection of trees worth more as logs and timber exports. Although, these trees absorb the carbon emission of the developed countries – a service that might be worth billions of dollars a year, if only we factored them into a more intelligent economic system that included the GDP generated by nature, and not just GDP based on making cars, TVs and microwaves. Climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5 per cent of global GDP each year. In other words, a failure to act will lead to a significant disruption of the global economy – the recessions of the past and the present will be as nothing to those of the future. Conversely the Intergovernmental Panel to Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that combating climate change may cost as little as 0.1 – 0.2 per cent of global GDP a year over 30 years.
*Freelance Writer
A.N.Khan**
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Climate change is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security and other dimensions. Mexico city, the capital of Mexico will serve as the International host city for this year’s World Environment Day (WED), with the theme ‘Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change’, which seeks to propel nations to reach agreement on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December 2009. Mexico has seized the opportunities of the carbon markets and has become second only to Brazil in terms of wind, solar, biogas and other Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in the region.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has now launched a new and more ambitious phase – the ‘Seven Billon Tree Campaign’. This aims to see more than one new tree planted for every person alive by the Copenhagen meeting.
The highlight of this year’s WED is the launch of the ‘Climate Heroes’, which support individuals who are undertaking exceptional personal feats, high profile expeditions, and other acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness for one simple idea : Your Plant Needs You! These projects focus on environmental ‘hot topics’ like CO2 output, finding smart solutions to beat waste and tree planting.
UNEP has collaborated with these Climate Heroes to help inspire and motivate people to unite to combat climate change. The Climate Heroes call on individual to do what they can : from adopting the simplest habits like turning off running water when one is brushing teeth, to organizing a public event for WED. They also outline how individuals can cut down by half their climate footprint by quite simple daily chores. For example, jogging around the park rather than on an electric powered treadmill will cut your daily emission by 1 Kg. Around 80% of freshwater is used for irrigation – simple technique like drip irrigation could dramatically cut this use.
Every year over 60 billion tons of plastic are produced, much of it for one time use and less than 5 per cent of the world’s plastics are recycled. National Geographic estimates that over 85 million plastic bottles are used every three minutes. Much of plastic waste that is not incinerated or land-filled, makes its way to the oceans. As the waste breakdown, it is mistaken for food, kills hundreds of thousands of birds and marine life, and is now making its way into our food chain. Project Kaisel consists of a team of scientists and environmentalists who have come together with a common purpose to study how to capture plastic waste in the ocean, detoxify and recycle it into diesel fuel.
Climate change represents a challenge that recognizes no national boundaries. There are countries that have pledged to become zero emission economies not just in terms of CO2, but also in terms of other greenhouse gases. For example Norway’s challenge is oil and gas production, whereas New Zealand’s is livestock methane emissions. Almost 100% of Iceland’s electricity is generated by geothermal heat, but it faces challenges in terms of transport.
The old energy inefficient electric bulb date back to almost two centuries. People are now switching over to the energy saving ones. The World is already glimpsing a Green Economy – from the 300 financial institutions with $ 13 trillion of assets who are signatories to UNEP and the UN’s Global Compact Principles for Responsible Investment to the $ 160 billion boom in renewable energy transactions. And it is not just in developed countries, two of the biggest wind power companies are based in China and India respectively.
The current food crisis is predominantly one about prices rather than about supply. In many countries in the past 50 years or so the emphasis has been on hiking up production at the expense of all else. The emergence of marine ‘dead zones’ – deoxygenated areas of sea in which fish and other marine life-forms have either died or fled – are in part linked with the misuse of artificial fertilizers.
Shifting weather patterns threaten food production through increased unpredictability of precipitation, rising sea levels contaminate coastal freshwater reserves and increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, and a warming atmosphere aids the pole-ward spread of pests and disease once limited to the tropics. Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforests and the Arctic tundra, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying. Mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months will have repercussions that transcend generations. The most dangerous climate changes may still be avoided if we transform our hydrocarbon-based energy systems.
Some people may consider a tropical forest merely a collection of trees worth more as logs and timber exports. Although, these trees absorb the carbon emission of the developed countries – a service that might be worth billions of dollars a year, if only we factored them into a more intelligent economic system that included the GDP generated by nature, and not just GDP based on making cars, TVs and microwaves. Climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5 per cent of global GDP each year. In other words, a failure to act will lead to a significant disruption of the global economy – the recessions of the past and the present will be as nothing to those of the future. Conversely the Intergovernmental Panel to Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that combating climate change may cost as little as 0.1 – 0.2 per cent of global GDP a year over 30 years.
*Freelance Writer
HCM SIKKIM MEETS PRESIDENT OF INDIA
SIKKIM: CM briefs President Patil about Sikkim’s contribution towards nation’s integrity
FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS
GANGTOK: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today highlighted the contributions made by Sikkim towards the integrity and nation before the President, Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
The Chief Minister had called on the President at New Delhi where he informed about the recent very peaceful elections in Sikkim, which was unprecedented in the nation.
An official release informs that Mr. Chamling briefed the President about the range of development activities undertaken in sectors like hydel power, floriculture, horticulture, tourism, education and health.
Talking about the rapid progress in all sectors, the Chief Minister informed the President that Sikkim will earn the unique distinction to secure the highest per capita income among its citizens by 2014.
Highlighting the strategic location of Sikkim, the Chief Minister said that the State has three international borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan which is further compounded by Maoist problem in Nepal, insurgencies in the NE region and unrest in neighbouring West Bengal.
Nevertheless, we have kept Sikkim immune from all these disturbances and maintained complete peace and harmony in the State, said Mr. Chamling to the President. This is the greatest contribution made by the people of Sikkim towards the integrity and sovereignty of the nation which can be replicated in other parts of the country, he pointed out.
Further highlighting other socio-cultural measures, the Chief Minister said that Sikkim is the No. 1 State in the context of gender equity and where people live on the principle of mutual co-existence and brotherhood.
The President gave a patient hearing to the Chief Minister and thanked him for the visit.
The Chief Minister also extended an invitation to the President to visit Sikkim preferably in the month of March/April.
The President has requested the Chief Minister to file a detailed program for the proposed visit to Sikkim, the release informs.
FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS
GANGTOK: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today highlighted the contributions made by Sikkim towards the integrity and nation before the President, Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
The Chief Minister had called on the President at New Delhi where he informed about the recent very peaceful elections in Sikkim, which was unprecedented in the nation.
An official release informs that Mr. Chamling briefed the President about the range of development activities undertaken in sectors like hydel power, floriculture, horticulture, tourism, education and health.
Talking about the rapid progress in all sectors, the Chief Minister informed the President that Sikkim will earn the unique distinction to secure the highest per capita income among its citizens by 2014.
Highlighting the strategic location of Sikkim, the Chief Minister said that the State has three international borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan which is further compounded by Maoist problem in Nepal, insurgencies in the NE region and unrest in neighbouring West Bengal.
Nevertheless, we have kept Sikkim immune from all these disturbances and maintained complete peace and harmony in the State, said Mr. Chamling to the President. This is the greatest contribution made by the people of Sikkim towards the integrity and sovereignty of the nation which can be replicated in other parts of the country, he pointed out.
Further highlighting other socio-cultural measures, the Chief Minister said that Sikkim is the No. 1 State in the context of gender equity and where people live on the principle of mutual co-existence and brotherhood.
The President gave a patient hearing to the Chief Minister and thanked him for the visit.
The Chief Minister also extended an invitation to the President to visit Sikkim preferably in the month of March/April.
The President has requested the Chief Minister to file a detailed program for the proposed visit to Sikkim, the release informs.
BPO CENTRES IN RURAL INDIA
F or H.N. Punyavathi, a 30-year-old resident of Bagepalli, a small town around 100km from Bangalore, securing a project associate’s job at a rural business process outsourcing, or BPO, firm around four months back was a turning point in her life
The college dropout had to face tough times recently when her husband lost his job and the couple was expecting a child
“I am very satisfied and happy now,” she says, speaking about her Rs4,000 per month job at RuralShores Business Services Pvt. Ltd, which she joined in March
“People at Bagepalli are very lucky—we have a BPO centre in our town.” Her husband, too, is earning again—he has started a coconut wholesale business, and the couple can dare to dream once more
At a time when BPO units in urban centres have put on hold hiring plans, rural BPO centres seem to be sprouting at various locations, offering jobs to young people from tier II and tier III towns who would otherwise have been forced to migrate to the bigger cities for employment
RuralShores is one compa- ny which has set up its first centre in Bagepalli with 45 project associates. The Bangalore-based company, which has HDFC Bank Ltd as a strategic investor, is now in the process of getting two more centres operational in Tamil Nadu and Bihar
Murali Vullaganti, chief ex- ecutive officer, RuralShores, says: “(We have started losing) the advantages of the offshore BPO model that were there 15 years ago in terms of cost, quality, scale and speed (and) control to other countries like China. For the industry to find the next edge, the only way to do (it) is (to) take it to the rural areas.” The company plans to set up 100 centres in the next three years in various parts of the country, with the tally going up to 500 in seven years
“There is no point in setting up one centre here and the other centre there, the idea is that there should be a huge impact in the rural areas,” says Vullaganti. Each centre will have around 100 seats and can run two shifts; this would increase the employee strength to 200
For positions such as those of team leaders, the company depends on employees who have studied in the metros but who have rural roots
Since these employees have a
rural base, they are agreeable to a rural posting, according to Sreenath N.R., head of human resources at RuralShores
N. Karthik is one of those who has returned home to take up a job at a rural centre
Karthik was working with an insurance company in Bangalore and found the work pressure there too great
So when he heard about RuralShores setting up a centre in his hometown, he joined as a project associate
“There were a lot of family problems at home and this job gave me an opportunity to stay back and work,” he says
Raju Bhatnagar, vice-presi- dent, BPO and government relations, National Association of Software and Services Companies, or Nasscom, puts the average salary levels at these rural centres at Rs6,500-7,000 a month
Moving up the career lad- der is not an impossibility for young project associates. According to Sreenath, project associates can become team
leaders in two-six years, depending on performance
Other companies such as Adventity BPO India Pvt. Ltd, Tata Business Support Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Ltd, and HDFC Bank have set up rural BPO centres too and are looking at similar ventures in more locations
For example, Tata Business Support Services has set up a BPO centre in Mithapur in Gujarat, near the manufacturing unit of Tata Chemicals Ltd, while HDFC Bank has set up a BPO centre in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to handle some of the lender’s processing activities. It currently employs around 600 and has a capacity to employ 1,800
Most of the employees at these rural BPOs have studied till class XII, the minimum educational qualification these centres seek, with a few of them being college dropouts
The rural BPOs train them in English-speaking skills, soft skills and processes for six-eight weeks, following
which they are ready to take up assignments
“More than 50% of the em- ployees at the rural centre are women. Working at the centre helps the employees save money for their marriage, pay off debts, buy sewing machines and cows and buffaloes for their families. We do not spend money on retraining, which is the biggest advantage,” says A. Rajan, country head, operations, HDFC Bank. Due to the commitment of employees, Rajan expects the centre to break even in “six months to a year”
HDFC Bank has tied up with the employment generation and marketing mission of the department of rural development in Andhra Pradesh to identify young people who could be trained and employed by the Tirupati centre
The employees there engage in processing the non-core activities of the bank, such as data-capturing details of customers who have opened accounts with the bank
RuralShores runs its own centre in Bagepalli and plans to do so in Vellore in Tamil Nadu too. However, it plans to tie up with local entrepreneurs for its other centres, so that each centre would be a “separate legal entity”. The company is in talks with a “major steel manufacturing plant” to set up BPO centres near all the manufacturing facilities of the company. Vullaganti refused to divulge the identity of the company as talks are in the initial stage
While RuralShores would provide the technology and training inputs for the centre, the local partner would provide the physical infrastructure
These rural centres face quite a few challenges
Among the bigger challenges Rajan has faced are “getting (broadband) connectivity in place” and “supply of electricity”, besides moving engineers from the city to service the hardware components installed
Commenting on the busi- ness model of a rural BPO centre, Bhatnagar says: “It has to be a hard-core business proposition. The approach and rigour should be no different than for a revenue-generating model.”
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The college dropout had to face tough times recently when her husband lost his job and the couple was expecting a child
“I am very satisfied and happy now,” she says, speaking about her Rs4,000 per month job at RuralShores Business Services Pvt. Ltd, which she joined in March
“People at Bagepalli are very lucky—we have a BPO centre in our town.” Her husband, too, is earning again—he has started a coconut wholesale business, and the couple can dare to dream once more
At a time when BPO units in urban centres have put on hold hiring plans, rural BPO centres seem to be sprouting at various locations, offering jobs to young people from tier II and tier III towns who would otherwise have been forced to migrate to the bigger cities for employment
RuralShores is one compa- ny which has set up its first centre in Bagepalli with 45 project associates. The Bangalore-based company, which has HDFC Bank Ltd as a strategic investor, is now in the process of getting two more centres operational in Tamil Nadu and Bihar
Murali Vullaganti, chief ex- ecutive officer, RuralShores, says: “(We have started losing) the advantages of the offshore BPO model that were there 15 years ago in terms of cost, quality, scale and speed (and) control to other countries like China. For the industry to find the next edge, the only way to do (it) is (to) take it to the rural areas.” The company plans to set up 100 centres in the next three years in various parts of the country, with the tally going up to 500 in seven years
“There is no point in setting up one centre here and the other centre there, the idea is that there should be a huge impact in the rural areas,” says Vullaganti. Each centre will have around 100 seats and can run two shifts; this would increase the employee strength to 200
For positions such as those of team leaders, the company depends on employees who have studied in the metros but who have rural roots
Since these employees have a
rural base, they are agreeable to a rural posting, according to Sreenath N.R., head of human resources at RuralShores
N. Karthik is one of those who has returned home to take up a job at a rural centre
Karthik was working with an insurance company in Bangalore and found the work pressure there too great
So when he heard about RuralShores setting up a centre in his hometown, he joined as a project associate
“There were a lot of family problems at home and this job gave me an opportunity to stay back and work,” he says
Raju Bhatnagar, vice-presi- dent, BPO and government relations, National Association of Software and Services Companies, or Nasscom, puts the average salary levels at these rural centres at Rs6,500-7,000 a month
Moving up the career lad- der is not an impossibility for young project associates. According to Sreenath, project associates can become team
leaders in two-six years, depending on performance
Other companies such as Adventity BPO India Pvt. Ltd, Tata Business Support Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Ltd, and HDFC Bank have set up rural BPO centres too and are looking at similar ventures in more locations
For example, Tata Business Support Services has set up a BPO centre in Mithapur in Gujarat, near the manufacturing unit of Tata Chemicals Ltd, while HDFC Bank has set up a BPO centre in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to handle some of the lender’s processing activities. It currently employs around 600 and has a capacity to employ 1,800
Most of the employees at these rural BPOs have studied till class XII, the minimum educational qualification these centres seek, with a few of them being college dropouts
The rural BPOs train them in English-speaking skills, soft skills and processes for six-eight weeks, following
which they are ready to take up assignments
“More than 50% of the em- ployees at the rural centre are women. Working at the centre helps the employees save money for their marriage, pay off debts, buy sewing machines and cows and buffaloes for their families. We do not spend money on retraining, which is the biggest advantage,” says A. Rajan, country head, operations, HDFC Bank. Due to the commitment of employees, Rajan expects the centre to break even in “six months to a year”
HDFC Bank has tied up with the employment generation and marketing mission of the department of rural development in Andhra Pradesh to identify young people who could be trained and employed by the Tirupati centre
The employees there engage in processing the non-core activities of the bank, such as data-capturing details of customers who have opened accounts with the bank
RuralShores runs its own centre in Bagepalli and plans to do so in Vellore in Tamil Nadu too. However, it plans to tie up with local entrepreneurs for its other centres, so that each centre would be a “separate legal entity”. The company is in talks with a “major steel manufacturing plant” to set up BPO centres near all the manufacturing facilities of the company. Vullaganti refused to divulge the identity of the company as talks are in the initial stage
While RuralShores would provide the technology and training inputs for the centre, the local partner would provide the physical infrastructure
These rural centres face quite a few challenges
Among the bigger challenges Rajan has faced are “getting (broadband) connectivity in place” and “supply of electricity”, besides moving engineers from the city to service the hardware components installed
Commenting on the busi- ness model of a rural BPO centre, Bhatnagar says: “It has to be a hard-core business proposition. The approach and rigour should be no different than for a revenue-generating model.”
GST- A WRITE UP PART -I
T he replacement of state sales tax by the value-added tax (VAT) in 2005 was considered a significant step forward in the reform of domestic trade taxes in India
The state VAT design was based largely on the recommendations of the 1994 report of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, led by the late Amaresh Bagchi. In recommending a state VAT, the Bagchi committee report recognized that it was not a perfect solution but was a feasible option within the framework of the Constitution and would lay the foundation for an even more rational regime in future
The Centre and states have now embarked on implementing this more rational regime, in the form of a dual goods and services tax (GST), to be levied concurrently by both levels of government
A dual structure would mean that there would be a central GST and a state GST, each levied on a comprehensive base comprising both goods and services. Thus, a transaction would attract both taxes
Ideally, both taxes should have been merged into a single national GST, with an appropriate sharing of revenues between the Centre and states. However, given the federal structure of the Constitution, a dual GST is a political necessity
It is essential that the GST laws are harmonized between the Centre and states, and among states. This will simplify compliance, reduce administration costs and improve revenue collections: a win-win for governments and taxpayers
There are several dimen- sions to harmonization—tax base and rates, tax administration and tax legislation, and rules and procedures
It is essential that the base for the tax covers both goods and services in a seamless manner and is uniform throughout the country
Under the best international models, GST is levied on all
supplies, whether of goods, services, real property, intangibles, or any combination of these. Moreover, the tax applies at all points in the supply chain
The current division of tax base under the Constitution between an exclusive Centre list and an exclusive state list is archaic and no longer tenable in India’s modern economy
The Constitution needs to be amended to give both levels of government concurrent powers to levy tax on all supplies, with the proviso that the state tax would be restricted to supplies for consumption within that state
Application of tax on a comprehensive base would automatically ensure uniformity of the base between the Centre and states, and across states. Under VAT, states have exercised their fiscal autonomy to deviate from the common base agreed to by a committee of state finance ministers. Such deviations are unfortunate and should be resisted
As regards the tax rate, two primary tax rates are contemplated—a standard rate
and a lower rate applicable to food and other specified necessities
While a lower rate for food may be inevitable on social, economic and political grounds, it runs the risk of seriously compromising the objective of base harmonization
Currently, the Centre does not levy any tax on agricultural output but the states do. There are, however, significant inter-state variations
One can only speculate whether a common list eligible for the lower rate would be an easier political compromise than a common base with no such list
Another element of harmo- nization is a common set of rules for the taxation of inter-state services—for example, telephone calls and passenger and freight transportation from one state to another
There are many other serv- ices which are rendered or consumed across several states, with no unique place of supply or consumption
Application of state GST to such services requires a common set of rules defining the place of supply where they would be taxable, similar to those defining international exports and imports of services under the current service tax
A common set of place-of- supply rules will avoid any overlaps or gaps in state taxation of services
Harmonization of adminis- tration is essential to reduce duplication of administration costs, improve enforcement and reduce compliance costs. Currently, there is little coordination among the Centre and state administra
tions. The GST offers an opportunity for a complete overhaul of tax administration, to make it more efficient and effective
The governments have agreed to adopt a common taxpayer identification number for the Centre and state GSTs and harmonize the design of tax forms and the reporting and filing periods and procedures
In addition, it has been proposed that the states collect the Central GST on behalf of the Centre from smaller dealers below the registration threshold of Rs1.5 crore under Central excise
These are welcome features of the GST administration and should be extended to other elements of tax administration
Two options There are two options for harmonization of tax legislation
First, the core GST legislation could be enacted by Parliament, empowering the states and the Centre to levy and collect the tax by referring to the provisions in the core legislation. This would ensure uniformity in core legislative provisions, allowing the Centre and states the flexibility to set rates within the agreed framework
The core legislation would include all the definitions, rules defining the taxable consideration, input tax credits, timing of tax payments and adjustments in special circumstances. They would also include tax form design and audit, enforcement and appeal procedures
Harmonization should also extend to the system of tax interpretation and rulings, such as classification of goods and services, determination of taxable consideration and definition of export and import
This would ensure the set- ting up of a common rule of law, with the Centre and states having the power to enforce this. The central sales tax (CST) in India provides a useful model for such harmonization
Although the CST is a Cen- tral levy, it’s administered by the states, and the revenue from it goes to the appropriate states. The tax law is enacted by Parliament but the states collect and keep the tax. There can be no better example of harmonization than the conception of the CST model, with the states enjoying the risks and rewards of ownership of the tax
An alternative model would be to have the Centre and the states each enact their own GST law with identical core provisions. The difference between the two alternatives is cosmetic. The second alternative could be seen to give greater recognition to the states’ fiscal autonomy
Satya Poddar is tax part- ner, policy advisory group, Ernst & Young
This is the first in a four- part series on the goods and services tax
Respond to this column at feedback@livemint.com
The state VAT design was based largely on the recommendations of the 1994 report of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, led by the late Amaresh Bagchi. In recommending a state VAT, the Bagchi committee report recognized that it was not a perfect solution but was a feasible option within the framework of the Constitution and would lay the foundation for an even more rational regime in future
The Centre and states have now embarked on implementing this more rational regime, in the form of a dual goods and services tax (GST), to be levied concurrently by both levels of government
A dual structure would mean that there would be a central GST and a state GST, each levied on a comprehensive base comprising both goods and services. Thus, a transaction would attract both taxes
Ideally, both taxes should have been merged into a single national GST, with an appropriate sharing of revenues between the Centre and states. However, given the federal structure of the Constitution, a dual GST is a political necessity
It is essential that the GST laws are harmonized between the Centre and states, and among states. This will simplify compliance, reduce administration costs and improve revenue collections: a win-win for governments and taxpayers
There are several dimen- sions to harmonization—tax base and rates, tax administration and tax legislation, and rules and procedures
It is essential that the base for the tax covers both goods and services in a seamless manner and is uniform throughout the country
Under the best international models, GST is levied on all
supplies, whether of goods, services, real property, intangibles, or any combination of these. Moreover, the tax applies at all points in the supply chain
The current division of tax base under the Constitution between an exclusive Centre list and an exclusive state list is archaic and no longer tenable in India’s modern economy
The Constitution needs to be amended to give both levels of government concurrent powers to levy tax on all supplies, with the proviso that the state tax would be restricted to supplies for consumption within that state
Application of tax on a comprehensive base would automatically ensure uniformity of the base between the Centre and states, and across states. Under VAT, states have exercised their fiscal autonomy to deviate from the common base agreed to by a committee of state finance ministers. Such deviations are unfortunate and should be resisted
As regards the tax rate, two primary tax rates are contemplated—a standard rate
and a lower rate applicable to food and other specified necessities
While a lower rate for food may be inevitable on social, economic and political grounds, it runs the risk of seriously compromising the objective of base harmonization
Currently, the Centre does not levy any tax on agricultural output but the states do. There are, however, significant inter-state variations
One can only speculate whether a common list eligible for the lower rate would be an easier political compromise than a common base with no such list
Another element of harmo- nization is a common set of rules for the taxation of inter-state services—for example, telephone calls and passenger and freight transportation from one state to another
There are many other serv- ices which are rendered or consumed across several states, with no unique place of supply or consumption
Application of state GST to such services requires a common set of rules defining the place of supply where they would be taxable, similar to those defining international exports and imports of services under the current service tax
A common set of place-of- supply rules will avoid any overlaps or gaps in state taxation of services
Harmonization of adminis- tration is essential to reduce duplication of administration costs, improve enforcement and reduce compliance costs. Currently, there is little coordination among the Centre and state administra
tions. The GST offers an opportunity for a complete overhaul of tax administration, to make it more efficient and effective
The governments have agreed to adopt a common taxpayer identification number for the Centre and state GSTs and harmonize the design of tax forms and the reporting and filing periods and procedures
In addition, it has been proposed that the states collect the Central GST on behalf of the Centre from smaller dealers below the registration threshold of Rs1.5 crore under Central excise
These are welcome features of the GST administration and should be extended to other elements of tax administration
Two options There are two options for harmonization of tax legislation
First, the core GST legislation could be enacted by Parliament, empowering the states and the Centre to levy and collect the tax by referring to the provisions in the core legislation. This would ensure uniformity in core legislative provisions, allowing the Centre and states the flexibility to set rates within the agreed framework
The core legislation would include all the definitions, rules defining the taxable consideration, input tax credits, timing of tax payments and adjustments in special circumstances. They would also include tax form design and audit, enforcement and appeal procedures
Harmonization should also extend to the system of tax interpretation and rulings, such as classification of goods and services, determination of taxable consideration and definition of export and import
This would ensure the set- ting up of a common rule of law, with the Centre and states having the power to enforce this. The central sales tax (CST) in India provides a useful model for such harmonization
Although the CST is a Cen- tral levy, it’s administered by the states, and the revenue from it goes to the appropriate states. The tax law is enacted by Parliament but the states collect and keep the tax. There can be no better example of harmonization than the conception of the CST model, with the states enjoying the risks and rewards of ownership of the tax
An alternative model would be to have the Centre and the states each enact their own GST law with identical core provisions. The difference between the two alternatives is cosmetic. The second alternative could be seen to give greater recognition to the states’ fiscal autonomy
Satya Poddar is tax part- ner, policy advisory group, Ernst & Young
This is the first in a four- part series on the goods and services tax
Respond to this column at feedback@livemint.com
climate change project for sikkim & NE
Germany to fund climate change project in NE
16 Jun 2009, 2134 hrs IST,
GUWAHATI: German development bank KfW will fund a Rs 500-crore joint venture project on climate change in Assam. The Indo-German project will also
roll out of Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland.
The project will track drastic climatic changes in the region and implement measures to rationally tackle them to minimise the degrading effects.
Jens Mackensen, vice-president and divisional chief of natural resources management Asia of the bank and Nand Kishore Agarwal, project manger of KFW-India held discussions with Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain and other officers on Monday on issues related to the project.
Chief conservator of forests (territorial), Assam, RP Agarwal told ET: "Total outlay for the project is around Rs 500 crore, out of which Rs 400 crore will come from KfW and the rest will come from the Assam government and the Centre."
He added that the German government, under Indo-German bilateral co-operation, will fund the project.
"Under the project, forest, wildlife, agriculture & horticulture, watershed & disaster management are the four sectors identified for climate change adaptation. The project design is expected to be finalised during August-September 2009. Once implemented, the project will have a positive impact on the identified sectors and help adaptation measures for climate
16 Jun 2009, 2134 hrs IST,
GUWAHATI: German development bank KfW will fund a Rs 500-crore joint venture project on climate change in Assam. The Indo-German project will also
roll out of Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland.
The project will track drastic climatic changes in the region and implement measures to rationally tackle them to minimise the degrading effects.
Jens Mackensen, vice-president and divisional chief of natural resources management Asia of the bank and Nand Kishore Agarwal, project manger of KFW-India held discussions with Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain and other officers on Monday on issues related to the project.
Chief conservator of forests (territorial), Assam, RP Agarwal told ET: "Total outlay for the project is around Rs 500 crore, out of which Rs 400 crore will come from KfW and the rest will come from the Assam government and the Centre."
He added that the German government, under Indo-German bilateral co-operation, will fund the project.
"Under the project, forest, wildlife, agriculture & horticulture, watershed & disaster management are the four sectors identified for climate change adaptation. The project design is expected to be finalised during August-September 2009. Once implemented, the project will have a positive impact on the identified sectors and help adaptation measures for climate
SIKKIM'S FIRST BPO STARTS FUNCTIONING
Gangtok, June 17: In a boost to employment generation in the state, Sikkim got its first-ever BPO unit on Wednesday.
IT company Humsay Global Services Ltd will handle work outsourced from Canada and USA.
"Around 30-40 percent of the BPO employees in India are from the north-east and our idea of starting a BPO in Sikkim is to take employment right to the doorsteps of the north-eastern states like Sikkim," company official Anil Joshi said here at the inauguration of the BPO unit.
Sikkim's lone Lok Sabha MP Prem Das Rai, who is also an IIT student, said that the peaceful atmosphere, uninterrupted power supply and the soon-to-be-solved connectivity issues will make the state an ideal destination for the IT industry
.
Bureau Report
IT company Humsay Global Services Ltd will handle work outsourced from Canada and USA.
"Around 30-40 percent of the BPO employees in India are from the north-east and our idea of starting a BPO in Sikkim is to take employment right to the doorsteps of the north-eastern states like Sikkim," company official Anil Joshi said here at the inauguration of the BPO unit.
Sikkim's lone Lok Sabha MP Prem Das Rai, who is also an IIT student, said that the peaceful atmosphere, uninterrupted power supply and the soon-to-be-solved connectivity issues will make the state an ideal destination for the IT industry
.
Bureau Report
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
INDIA TOURISM SET A TOP NOTCH
Union Tourism Minister Meets Industry Stakeholders to set Future Roadmap for the Tourism Sector
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16:11 IST
The Union Minister for Tourism, Kumari Selja today held an interaction with the captains of the tourism industry in the country. She highlighted the proactive role of the Ministry in order to counter the negative impact of the global recession as well as to achieve the desired growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals into the country. The Minister also elicited the views of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry regarding the measures to be taken to achieve these goals.
Kumari Selja reiterated that the thrust area for the Government will be creation and improvement of Tourism Infrastructure, promotion and publicity of India as a preferred tourism destination in overseas markets, promotion of Domestic Tourism, development of Human Resource through skill development, skill certification and broad basing the hospitality education and most importantly employment generation . She reiterated that tourism should result in sustainable and equitable growth.
She unveiled the slew of measures for tackling various developmental and promotional matters which include :
>> Strengthening the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme
>> Organizing Familiarization Tours for Overseas Media and Travel Trade Representatives
>> Subsidy for the trade and State Governments for participation in international travel fairs and exhibitions
>> Extending the benefit of the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme to active Members of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)
>> Organization of Travel Marts in association with the State Governments and other stakeholders like the Great India Travel Bazaar in Jaipur.
>> Promotion of 2009 as Visit India Year for which attractive incentives are being worked out.
>> Promotion of Medical Tourism and linking support through the Market Development Assistant (MDA) Scheme.
>>Support for Road Shows for Domestic Tourism .
While speaking about the initiatives of Ministry of Tourism in developing tourism infrastructure in the country the Minister said that of the 28 circuits/destinations identified earlier for mega tourism destination development, 20 mega projects have been sanctioned.
Kumari Selja also shared with the Industry Captains the promotional plans for the forthcoming months in the overseas markets, which include:
1. Road Shows with PATA India Chapter in Scandinavia (Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo) in August 2009 (25th to 28th)
2. Adventure Tourism Road Shows in collaboration with Adventure Tour Operators Association of India in Australia and New Zealand (Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington) in September 2009.
3. Road Shows in Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), including Indian Food Festivals, Cultural Programmes and Business Sessions in September 2009.
4. “ India Calling” a custom Live Performance Event at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles showcasing India’s rich diversity in September 2009
5. Road Shows with IATO in West Asia (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar) in October 2009.
The Minister also announced the organization of the Overseas Marketing Meet during first week of August 2009 to enable the industry stakeholders to meet with the officers posted overseas. The Minister urged the industry to promote Medical and wellness tourism and rural tourism products and use the Common Wealth Games as new launching pad for the Indian tourism in the coming year.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister of State for Tourism Shri. Sultan Ahmed said, tourism can play as a catalyst for development in the rural sector .He said a “ Rural Tourism Scheme” has been announced for positioning the rural tourism product of the country as a unique visitor needs to Aam Admi.
Secretary, Tourism Shri. Sujit Banerjee and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
* * * * * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16:11 IST
The Union Minister for Tourism, Kumari Selja today held an interaction with the captains of the tourism industry in the country. She highlighted the proactive role of the Ministry in order to counter the negative impact of the global recession as well as to achieve the desired growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals into the country. The Minister also elicited the views of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry regarding the measures to be taken to achieve these goals.
Kumari Selja reiterated that the thrust area for the Government will be creation and improvement of Tourism Infrastructure, promotion and publicity of India as a preferred tourism destination in overseas markets, promotion of Domestic Tourism, development of Human Resource through skill development, skill certification and broad basing the hospitality education and most importantly employment generation . She reiterated that tourism should result in sustainable and equitable growth.
She unveiled the slew of measures for tackling various developmental and promotional matters which include :
>> Strengthening the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme
>> Organizing Familiarization Tours for Overseas Media and Travel Trade Representatives
>> Subsidy for the trade and State Governments for participation in international travel fairs and exhibitions
>> Extending the benefit of the Marketing Development Assistance Scheme to active Members of India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)
>> Organization of Travel Marts in association with the State Governments and other stakeholders like the Great India Travel Bazaar in Jaipur.
>> Promotion of 2009 as Visit India Year for which attractive incentives are being worked out.
>> Promotion of Medical Tourism and linking support through the Market Development Assistant (MDA) Scheme.
>>Support for Road Shows for Domestic Tourism .
While speaking about the initiatives of Ministry of Tourism in developing tourism infrastructure in the country the Minister said that of the 28 circuits/destinations identified earlier for mega tourism destination development, 20 mega projects have been sanctioned.
Kumari Selja also shared with the Industry Captains the promotional plans for the forthcoming months in the overseas markets, which include:
1. Road Shows with PATA India Chapter in Scandinavia (Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo) in August 2009 (25th to 28th)
2. Adventure Tourism Road Shows in collaboration with Adventure Tour Operators Association of India in Australia and New Zealand (Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington) in September 2009.
3. Road Shows in Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), including Indian Food Festivals, Cultural Programmes and Business Sessions in September 2009.
4. “ India Calling” a custom Live Performance Event at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles showcasing India’s rich diversity in September 2009
5. Road Shows with IATO in West Asia (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar) in October 2009.
The Minister also announced the organization of the Overseas Marketing Meet during first week of August 2009 to enable the industry stakeholders to meet with the officers posted overseas. The Minister urged the industry to promote Medical and wellness tourism and rural tourism products and use the Common Wealth Games as new launching pad for the Indian tourism in the coming year.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister of State for Tourism Shri. Sultan Ahmed said, tourism can play as a catalyst for development in the rural sector .He said a “ Rural Tourism Scheme” has been announced for positioning the rural tourism product of the country as a unique visitor needs to Aam Admi.
Secretary, Tourism Shri. Sujit Banerjee and senior officials were also present in the meeting.
* * * * * * * * * *
railway enquiry thru SMS on 139
Railway enquiry through ‘SMS’ on 139-‘Rail Sampark’
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14:22 IST
“139 – Rail Sampark”, the authorized enquiry for Indian Railway has recently introduced the facility of Railway enquiry through SMS which is a premium service. The users can obtain information regarding PNR status, fare, seat availability and arrival/departure by sending SMS in the specified syntax to 139. The syntax for ticket status enquiry is –PNR10 digit PNR Number and SMS to 139 (for example PNR 1234567890). Details of the procedures for SMS can be accessed from the website www.indianrailways.gov.in or www.irctc.co.in .
The service has been launched by Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of railways. This Railway enquiry service operates on the number 139 which can be dialed from the landline/mobile phones all over the country without prefixing the STD code. The service has become highly popular with the Railway users. As on date more than 7.5 lakh calls per day are being received on 139 from all across the country. The idea of 139 is to connect with masses, a service that is meant for all and is effectively and easily available. Round the clock call centre support is available in eleven regional languages across India.
The Services include enquiries pertaining to arrival/departure of trains, PNR reservation of berth status and fare enquiry. Apart from these, the number 139 can also be accessed to book a train ticket where payment is made through a cash card over phone and the ticket is delivered/emailed to the user.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14:22 IST
“139 – Rail Sampark”, the authorized enquiry for Indian Railway has recently introduced the facility of Railway enquiry through SMS which is a premium service. The users can obtain information regarding PNR status, fare, seat availability and arrival/departure by sending SMS in the specified syntax to 139. The syntax for ticket status enquiry is –PNR10 digit PNR Number and SMS to 139 (for example PNR 1234567890). Details of the procedures for SMS can be accessed from the website www.indianrailways.gov.in or www.irctc.co.in .
The service has been launched by Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of railways. This Railway enquiry service operates on the number 139 which can be dialed from the landline/mobile phones all over the country without prefixing the STD code. The service has become highly popular with the Railway users. As on date more than 7.5 lakh calls per day are being received on 139 from all across the country. The idea of 139 is to connect with masses, a service that is meant for all and is effectively and easily available. Round the clock call centre support is available in eleven regional languages across India.
The Services include enquiries pertaining to arrival/departure of trains, PNR reservation of berth status and fare enquiry. Apart from these, the number 139 can also be accessed to book a train ticket where payment is made through a cash card over phone and the ticket is delivered/emailed to the user.
FLY TO SOUTH ASIA FROM BAGDOGRA
BAGDOGRA: Foreign flight to land at Bagdogra – Customs, immigration facilities & health bay in place at airport
Bagdogra Airport
Siliguri, June 16: The first international flight to Bagdogra Airport will land on Thursday. The flight — to be operated by Drukair — from Paro in Bhutan will arrive at Bagdogra and then leave for Bangkok.
The Bhutan airline had been scheduled to land on March 29, but the service did not take off, as the customs department had not set up its counter at the airport. A customs officer said all arrangements had been made and the department was only awaiting a formal communication from the higher-ups in Delhi to open the counter.
“Drukair will be the first international airline to operate from Bagdogra. Its services will be four days a week. While the flights from Paro will land and take off on Tuesday and Saturday, the return flights’ arrival and departure will be on Sundays and Wednesdays,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director of Bagdogra.
“We have put in place immigration and customs counters and health bay, which are essential for an international airline to operate, at the airport.” The Bhutan national carrier, he said, would use Airbus 319 with a capacity to seat 114 passengers on the route.
“The Central Board of Excise and Customs Department, which comes under the Union ministry of finance, will give the clearance for the counter any time,” said R. Manga Babu, additional commissioner of customs, north Bengal. “Once we receive it, there will be no hindrance to launching the international flight on Thursday,” he said.
The officer said the department had set up a separate counter at the airport and an inspector, a superintendent and around 20 other employees would be posted to check passengers’ baggage.
“On June 18, the first flight will land at 10.30am from Paro and depart for Bangkok at 11am. On the return trip, the aircraft will arrive at 9am and leave for Paro after 30 minutes,” said Bhowmik.
He added that external affairs minister S.M. Krishna would be on the inaugural flight from Paro. Krishna will later leave for Delhi.
Bagdogra Airport
Siliguri, June 16: The first international flight to Bagdogra Airport will land on Thursday. The flight — to be operated by Drukair — from Paro in Bhutan will arrive at Bagdogra and then leave for Bangkok.
The Bhutan airline had been scheduled to land on March 29, but the service did not take off, as the customs department had not set up its counter at the airport. A customs officer said all arrangements had been made and the department was only awaiting a formal communication from the higher-ups in Delhi to open the counter.
“Drukair will be the first international airline to operate from Bagdogra. Its services will be four days a week. While the flights from Paro will land and take off on Tuesday and Saturday, the return flights’ arrival and departure will be on Sundays and Wednesdays,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director of Bagdogra.
“We have put in place immigration and customs counters and health bay, which are essential for an international airline to operate, at the airport.” The Bhutan national carrier, he said, would use Airbus 319 with a capacity to seat 114 passengers on the route.
“The Central Board of Excise and Customs Department, which comes under the Union ministry of finance, will give the clearance for the counter any time,” said R. Manga Babu, additional commissioner of customs, north Bengal. “Once we receive it, there will be no hindrance to launching the international flight on Thursday,” he said.
The officer said the department had set up a separate counter at the airport and an inspector, a superintendent and around 20 other employees would be posted to check passengers’ baggage.
“On June 18, the first flight will land at 10.30am from Paro and depart for Bangkok at 11am. On the return trip, the aircraft will arrive at 9am and leave for Paro after 30 minutes,” said Bhowmik.
He added that external affairs minister S.M. Krishna would be on the inaugural flight from Paro. Krishna will later leave for Delhi.
sikkim lab to maximise land utility
SIKKIM: Lab to maximise land utility
FROM THE STATESMAN
GANGTOK, 16 JUNE: A full-fledged geo-technical lab is set to ensure maximum land utilisation in Sikkim. The state mines and geology department has initiated the task to modernise its laboratory to derive first hand data on different geological aspects of the Himalayan state.
Mr T Tashi, director, mines and geology department, said: “The laboratory would facilitate all geological tests that otherwise would have be sent to Kolkata.” The department has deployed seven officials for geo-technical experiments and study in the state.
It is also learnt that the state government is planning to revise the land stability data of Gangtok prepared in 1992.
Mr AK Sharma, joint director, geology, informed that the survey would include soil testing and rock testing after drilling in select regions throughout the state. The report would be used to prepare a new stability map. Initiated in 2008, the process is expected to be over by 2012.
It may be mentioned that a land stability report issued by the mines and geology office is a mandatory document for any constructional work in the state.
The office has also reported high quality silica content along Mansari in West and Manpur in South districts.
The ongoing survey has revealed more than 99 per cent silica presence in the said regions, while dolomite exploration has begun in the Western and Southern parts of the state.
FROM THE STATESMAN
GANGTOK, 16 JUNE: A full-fledged geo-technical lab is set to ensure maximum land utilisation in Sikkim. The state mines and geology department has initiated the task to modernise its laboratory to derive first hand data on different geological aspects of the Himalayan state.
Mr T Tashi, director, mines and geology department, said: “The laboratory would facilitate all geological tests that otherwise would have be sent to Kolkata.” The department has deployed seven officials for geo-technical experiments and study in the state.
It is also learnt that the state government is planning to revise the land stability data of Gangtok prepared in 1992.
Mr AK Sharma, joint director, geology, informed that the survey would include soil testing and rock testing after drilling in select regions throughout the state. The report would be used to prepare a new stability map. Initiated in 2008, the process is expected to be over by 2012.
It may be mentioned that a land stability report issued by the mines and geology office is a mandatory document for any constructional work in the state.
The office has also reported high quality silica content along Mansari in West and Manpur in South districts.
The ongoing survey has revealed more than 99 per cent silica presence in the said regions, while dolomite exploration has begun in the Western and Southern parts of the state.
P D RAI- SIKKIM MP NEEDS BERTH IN UNION CABINET
Sikkim Member of Parliament is an alumnus of IIT, IIM
Utpal Borpujari, New Delhi:
Monday, June 08, 2009
This first-time Member of Parliament from Sikkim has already created a record of sorts in the 15th Lok Sabha, but for him it is ''damn sad'' that he is the one to have done that.
The man we are talking about is Prem Das Rai, the lone Member of Parliament from Sikkim, and he is the first Member of Parliament who is an alumnus of both an Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management.
It is a kind of qualification that legions in India can die for, so why is Rai sad? “Well, I am sad and disappointed that it took so long for an IIT-IIM alumnus to get into the Lok Sabha, because I firmly believe that there should be many more people in public life from such institutions,” Rai tells Deccan Herald.
There have been IITians and Indian Institute of Management graduates in Parliament earlier, but this is the first time that someone with both Indian Institute of Technology and IIM degrees in his kitty has done so. Rai had done his B Tech in chemical engineering from IIT-Kanpur in 1976, followed by an MBA from Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad in 1978. He has also been a winner of the Eisenhower Fellowships in the United States in 2000.
Rai has clear ideas about how he would utilise his qualifications as an MP.
“The more you talk of technology, the more you talk of better processes. Even the President’s address to Parliament that day spoke a great deal about accountability, especially in the government’s flagship programmes. It is in this that managerial capabilities of people like us can come in handy to ensure accountability through efficient implementation,” he says.
Programmes like the NREGS, he says, could be act as real social safety nets for the poorest of the poor of the country through an accountable implementation process.
Minimum qualification
But, the Sikkim Democratic Front MP does not believe that anyone coming to public life should necessarily have a minimum educational qualification, if not a brilliant academic record.
“I don’t believe in that, as in the rough and tumble of politics, I have seen that some of our finest brains, who perhaps did not get the necessary access to education, have shone in public life. Take my own chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling for example, who I think in terms of political acumen and in terms of vision is second to none in this country,” he says. At the same time, Rai does not believe that the recent trend of qualified professionals forming their own outfits to contest elections, or that of some of them contesting as independents, would prove to be fruitful.
“While we cannot say that their efforts are wasted, as politics is a continuous learning process, the plurality of India would not allow for such outfits to be successful. You have this party of IITians – it is one of those elitist views as if only the IITians can save India,” he says.
Instead, such people, “who do believe that they need to change India or need to add their might for building the nation”, should funnel their energies through a political party, he says.
“A political party may not be the ideal mechanism, but nothing is ideal in this world. If you don’t have a political party behind you, you will end up losing than winning more often. A party is necessary. I would have never fought as an independent,” he says.
Coming from the North-East, Rai believes that the states in the region have been victims of their small size when it comes to getting ministerial berths at the Centre.
“Sikkim, since the time it got integrated with India, has never had a minister at the Centre. Yes, states like Sikkim, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh do feel marginalised, though this time Meghalaya got a bumber harvest,” he says.
DH News Service
Utpal Borpujari, New Delhi:
Monday, June 08, 2009
This first-time Member of Parliament from Sikkim has already created a record of sorts in the 15th Lok Sabha, but for him it is ''damn sad'' that he is the one to have done that.
The man we are talking about is Prem Das Rai, the lone Member of Parliament from Sikkim, and he is the first Member of Parliament who is an alumnus of both an Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management.
It is a kind of qualification that legions in India can die for, so why is Rai sad? “Well, I am sad and disappointed that it took so long for an IIT-IIM alumnus to get into the Lok Sabha, because I firmly believe that there should be many more people in public life from such institutions,” Rai tells Deccan Herald.
There have been IITians and Indian Institute of Management graduates in Parliament earlier, but this is the first time that someone with both Indian Institute of Technology and IIM degrees in his kitty has done so. Rai had done his B Tech in chemical engineering from IIT-Kanpur in 1976, followed by an MBA from Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad in 1978. He has also been a winner of the Eisenhower Fellowships in the United States in 2000.
Rai has clear ideas about how he would utilise his qualifications as an MP.
“The more you talk of technology, the more you talk of better processes. Even the President’s address to Parliament that day spoke a great deal about accountability, especially in the government’s flagship programmes. It is in this that managerial capabilities of people like us can come in handy to ensure accountability through efficient implementation,” he says.
Programmes like the NREGS, he says, could be act as real social safety nets for the poorest of the poor of the country through an accountable implementation process.
Minimum qualification
But, the Sikkim Democratic Front MP does not believe that anyone coming to public life should necessarily have a minimum educational qualification, if not a brilliant academic record.
“I don’t believe in that, as in the rough and tumble of politics, I have seen that some of our finest brains, who perhaps did not get the necessary access to education, have shone in public life. Take my own chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling for example, who I think in terms of political acumen and in terms of vision is second to none in this country,” he says. At the same time, Rai does not believe that the recent trend of qualified professionals forming their own outfits to contest elections, or that of some of them contesting as independents, would prove to be fruitful.
“While we cannot say that their efforts are wasted, as politics is a continuous learning process, the plurality of India would not allow for such outfits to be successful. You have this party of IITians – it is one of those elitist views as if only the IITians can save India,” he says.
Instead, such people, “who do believe that they need to change India or need to add their might for building the nation”, should funnel their energies through a political party, he says.
“A political party may not be the ideal mechanism, but nothing is ideal in this world. If you don’t have a political party behind you, you will end up losing than winning more often. A party is necessary. I would have never fought as an independent,” he says.
Coming from the North-East, Rai believes that the states in the region have been victims of their small size when it comes to getting ministerial berths at the Centre.
“Sikkim, since the time it got integrated with India, has never had a minister at the Centre. Yes, states like Sikkim, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland or Arunachal Pradesh do feel marginalised, though this time Meghalaya got a bumber harvest,” he says.
DH News Service
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
SIKKIM TENENTS AND DOMEISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL HELPS ACT 2008
SIKKIM: Get ready to bare your tenants and employees this September Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Act 2008
GANGTOK:14.6.2009 The provisions and rules under ‘Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Act 2008’ will come to force from September 1 this year.
The Act arms the State government to seek compulsory reporting and verification of antecedents of tenants, domestic and professional helps working in the State from the house owners and employers.
The State government had earlier in February notified the ‘Sikkim Tenants and Domestics and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Act’ after the Bill passed by the State Assembly in December 23, 2008 received the Governor’s assent on December 31, 2008.
The Act which will come to force from September 1 this year requires all house owners having tenants and all employers of domestic or professional helps in the State to report such tenancy or employment with requisite details of the tenant and help for their compulsory verification to the nearest police station in-charge. The report has to be filed within one month of the Act coming to force ie by October, 2009 and defaulters are liable to pay a penalty of Rs. 5,000 on conviction before the component magistrate.
Nominal fees will be charged for the verification.
The Act and its scheduled implementation follow the determination of State government to crack down upon dubious elements entering Sikkim in guise of domestic or professional help.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minster Pawan Chamling had tabled the Bill in the State Assembly on December 22, 2008 that mandates compulsory verification of the antecedents of tenants, domestic and professional helps in the State.
“The State Government has deemed it expedient to enact a legislation to provide for compulsory reporting and verification of antecedents of tenants and domestic and professional helps in the State of Sikkim”, stated the Chief Minister while tabling the Bill, The Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Bill 2008.
It may be added here the Bill was preceded by a commitment from the Chief Minister during a national meet of UPA government at New Delhi following the Mumbai terror attacks.
‘Domestic or professional help’ in the Bill has been defined as any person not being a regular employee of the Central or State government or PSUs, employed in any household or establishment in the State.
As per the notification, it is the responsibility of the house owner who has tenants or the employer of domestic or professional help to inform the police station in his area for verification of the antecedents of such tenants, domestic or professional help along with documents as may be prescribed.
A regular database of all the tenants, professional and domestic helps will be maintained by the concerned police stations.
No verification may be necessary if the persons falling in above definitions submit that they are Sikkim Subject holders or a voter and other documents certifying that they are Sikkimese.
Government officials believe that with this Act, the State government is now empowered to flush out dubious elements working in the peaceful State as domestic or professional helps. There have been cases when history sheeters have posed as domestic or professional help to take refuge in Sikkim, said the officials. And some times, such persons with criminal background have committed crimes here which could have been prevented if their antecedents were known beforehand, they said.
Social scientists and data crunchers have also a reason to cheer with this Act. This Act will provide them data and figures as to what kind of domestic and professional helps are working in Sikkim and where the locals stand in private sector
GANGTOK:14.6.2009 The provisions and rules under ‘Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Act 2008’ will come to force from September 1 this year.
The Act arms the State government to seek compulsory reporting and verification of antecedents of tenants, domestic and professional helps working in the State from the house owners and employers.
The State government had earlier in February notified the ‘Sikkim Tenants and Domestics and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Act’ after the Bill passed by the State Assembly in December 23, 2008 received the Governor’s assent on December 31, 2008.
The Act which will come to force from September 1 this year requires all house owners having tenants and all employers of domestic or professional helps in the State to report such tenancy or employment with requisite details of the tenant and help for their compulsory verification to the nearest police station in-charge. The report has to be filed within one month of the Act coming to force ie by October, 2009 and defaulters are liable to pay a penalty of Rs. 5,000 on conviction before the component magistrate.
Nominal fees will be charged for the verification.
The Act and its scheduled implementation follow the determination of State government to crack down upon dubious elements entering Sikkim in guise of domestic or professional help.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minster Pawan Chamling had tabled the Bill in the State Assembly on December 22, 2008 that mandates compulsory verification of the antecedents of tenants, domestic and professional helps in the State.
“The State Government has deemed it expedient to enact a legislation to provide for compulsory reporting and verification of antecedents of tenants and domestic and professional helps in the State of Sikkim”, stated the Chief Minister while tabling the Bill, The Sikkim Tenants and Domestic and Professional Helps (Compulsory Verification) Bill 2008.
It may be added here the Bill was preceded by a commitment from the Chief Minister during a national meet of UPA government at New Delhi following the Mumbai terror attacks.
‘Domestic or professional help’ in the Bill has been defined as any person not being a regular employee of the Central or State government or PSUs, employed in any household or establishment in the State.
As per the notification, it is the responsibility of the house owner who has tenants or the employer of domestic or professional help to inform the police station in his area for verification of the antecedents of such tenants, domestic or professional help along with documents as may be prescribed.
A regular database of all the tenants, professional and domestic helps will be maintained by the concerned police stations.
No verification may be necessary if the persons falling in above definitions submit that they are Sikkim Subject holders or a voter and other documents certifying that they are Sikkimese.
Government officials believe that with this Act, the State government is now empowered to flush out dubious elements working in the peaceful State as domestic or professional helps. There have been cases when history sheeters have posed as domestic or professional help to take refuge in Sikkim, said the officials. And some times, such persons with criminal background have committed crimes here which could have been prevented if their antecedents were known beforehand, they said.
Social scientists and data crunchers have also a reason to cheer with this Act. This Act will provide them data and figures as to what kind of domestic and professional helps are working in Sikkim and where the locals stand in private sector
SIKKIM SEEKS MORE FUNDS FOR HORTI MISSIN
State seeks more fund from Horti Mission
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, June 14 2009: State Government has requested the Union Ministry of Agriculture for additional funds for setting up of seven more processing units of horticulture products under the Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern region citing that four units have been set up under the mission so far in Manipur.
An official source said that the Union Ministry of Agriculture has been requested for additional allocation of Rs 948.15 lakh including Rs 520.15 lakh for development of organic farming under the mission.
Union Ministry of Agriculture allocated Rs 25 crores for the State of Manipur under the Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern Region including Sikkim during the year 2008-09 .
The State Government has so far utilized Rs 18.50 crores.
So far with the fund, a processing unit set up at Kachai in Ukhrul district for processing of lemons and four units set up under mini-mission programme through the State Industries Department.
The proposal for allocation for additional seven processing units has been submitted under the mini-mission-IV which would be taken up under Farm Handling Component of the mission, the source said.
Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern Region including Sikkim is a Central sector project which aims at establishing convergence and synergy among numerous ongoing governmental programme in the field of horticulture development to achieve horizontal and vertical integration of these programmes in the region among others.
Ensure adequate, appropriate, timely and concurrent attention to all the links in the production, post harvest and consumption chain, maximise economic, ecological and social benefits from the existing investment and infrastructure created for horticulture development, promote ecologically sustainable intensification, economically desirable diversification and skilled employment are also among the objective of the mission.
Generate value addition to promote the development and dissemination of ecotechnologies based on the blending of the traditional wisdom and technology with frontier knowledge such as bio-technology, information technology and space technology; and to provide the missing links in ongoing horticulture development projects also included in objective of the Central sponsored mission.
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, June 14 2009: State Government has requested the Union Ministry of Agriculture for additional funds for setting up of seven more processing units of horticulture products under the Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern region citing that four units have been set up under the mission so far in Manipur.
An official source said that the Union Ministry of Agriculture has been requested for additional allocation of Rs 948.15 lakh including Rs 520.15 lakh for development of organic farming under the mission.
Union Ministry of Agriculture allocated Rs 25 crores for the State of Manipur under the Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern Region including Sikkim during the year 2008-09 .
The State Government has so far utilized Rs 18.50 crores.
So far with the fund, a processing unit set up at Kachai in Ukhrul district for processing of lemons and four units set up under mini-mission programme through the State Industries Department.
The proposal for allocation for additional seven processing units has been submitted under the mini-mission-IV which would be taken up under Farm Handling Component of the mission, the source said.
Technology Mission for Development of Horticulture in North Eastern Region including Sikkim is a Central sector project which aims at establishing convergence and synergy among numerous ongoing governmental programme in the field of horticulture development to achieve horizontal and vertical integration of these programmes in the region among others.
Ensure adequate, appropriate, timely and concurrent attention to all the links in the production, post harvest and consumption chain, maximise economic, ecological and social benefits from the existing investment and infrastructure created for horticulture development, promote ecologically sustainable intensification, economically desirable diversification and skilled employment are also among the objective of the mission.
Generate value addition to promote the development and dissemination of ecotechnologies based on the blending of the traditional wisdom and technology with frontier knowledge such as bio-technology, information technology and space technology; and to provide the missing links in ongoing horticulture development projects also included in objective of the Central sponsored mission.
Monday, June 15, 2009
DONER TO SPEND 500 CRORES IN NORTH EAST
Doner set to spend Rs 500cr on new projects in N-E states
13 Jun 2009, 2234 hrs IST, TNN
JORHAT: The Union Doner ministry has sought various proposals for projects and schemes from all eight north-eastern states, including Sikkim, in
order to spend Rs 500 crore that the ministry presently has at its disposal.
The amount of Rs 500 crore was sanctioned to the ministry early this year by the previous UPA government under "Special Dispensation Scheme".
Giving this information, Union Doner & mines minister BK Handique said his ministry (Doner) had already called for proposals of projects from all the N-E states according to their needs. The ministry was also preparing "region specific" plans for entire region.
"I am lucky to have funds just from the very beginning of my tenure as minister for Doner and the states should come forward to with their proposals," Handique said.
The Union Doner ministry had looked into the estimates of some of the proposals submitted by few states before the polls and some among them were already finalized. Green signal had also been given to few such plans for preparing detailed project reports, the minister said.
He said there was a formula in practice for proportionate distribution of funds among the eight states based on the size of population, geographical area and remoteness. Handique has convened a meeting of chief ministers of all North-eastern states in Shillong on June 25 to know their problems. He said his thrust would be on connecting the N-E region with rest of the country and also on proper road connectivity among the N-E states.
Handique said he would urge the Union home ministry to undertake special security measures to ensure early completion broad-gauge conversion work in Cachar and NC Hills given their been slow progress due to militancy.
“The Assam government had taken up the matter with the Centre and there had been "some results achieved" with both state and the Centre taking tough steps towards militancy,” he said.
13 Jun 2009, 2234 hrs IST, TNN
JORHAT: The Union Doner ministry has sought various proposals for projects and schemes from all eight north-eastern states, including Sikkim, in
order to spend Rs 500 crore that the ministry presently has at its disposal.
The amount of Rs 500 crore was sanctioned to the ministry early this year by the previous UPA government under "Special Dispensation Scheme".
Giving this information, Union Doner & mines minister BK Handique said his ministry (Doner) had already called for proposals of projects from all the N-E states according to their needs. The ministry was also preparing "region specific" plans for entire region.
"I am lucky to have funds just from the very beginning of my tenure as minister for Doner and the states should come forward to with their proposals," Handique said.
The Union Doner ministry had looked into the estimates of some of the proposals submitted by few states before the polls and some among them were already finalized. Green signal had also been given to few such plans for preparing detailed project reports, the minister said.
He said there was a formula in practice for proportionate distribution of funds among the eight states based on the size of population, geographical area and remoteness. Handique has convened a meeting of chief ministers of all North-eastern states in Shillong on June 25 to know their problems. He said his thrust would be on connecting the N-E region with rest of the country and also on proper road connectivity among the N-E states.
Handique said he would urge the Union home ministry to undertake special security measures to ensure early completion broad-gauge conversion work in Cachar and NC Hills given their been slow progress due to militancy.
“The Assam government had taken up the matter with the Centre and there had been "some results achieved" with both state and the Centre taking tough steps towards militancy,” he said.
CHINA BY ROAD THRU NATHU LA PASS
FROM TRAVELBIZMONITOR.COM
According to a UNI report, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Sultan Ahmed yesterday lashed out at the West Bengal government for its ”utter failure” to enhance the tourism sector and make the state more attractive for tourists. “’The state government failed to provide even basic facilities to the tourists, including road connectivity, proper guidance, hospitality, rest rooms and sanitation,” Ahmed told reporters at a tourism fair ‘Chalo Jaai TTE 2009′ at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. “The ruling Left Front is also responsible for under development of tourist spots like Tarapith, Dooars, Darjeeling and Digha,” he maintained.
The Minister expressed his displeasure at the state government’s failure to participate in the tourism fair. “I will ask my officers to find out why the West Bengal government did not participate in the tourism fair where several other states and countries like China and Malaysia took part. If China can come to India to sell their tourism potential, why should we lag behind in marketing our products in China,” he questioned. Ahmed assured that he would try to explore the feasibility of the Nathula Pass to China by road.
According to a UNI report, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Sultan Ahmed yesterday lashed out at the West Bengal government for its ”utter failure” to enhance the tourism sector and make the state more attractive for tourists. “’The state government failed to provide even basic facilities to the tourists, including road connectivity, proper guidance, hospitality, rest rooms and sanitation,” Ahmed told reporters at a tourism fair ‘Chalo Jaai TTE 2009′ at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. “The ruling Left Front is also responsible for under development of tourist spots like Tarapith, Dooars, Darjeeling and Digha,” he maintained.
The Minister expressed his displeasure at the state government’s failure to participate in the tourism fair. “I will ask my officers to find out why the West Bengal government did not participate in the tourism fair where several other states and countries like China and Malaysia took part. If China can come to India to sell their tourism potential, why should we lag behind in marketing our products in China,” he questioned. Ahmed assured that he would try to explore the feasibility of the Nathula Pass to China by road.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
sikkim weave innovative carpets
Sikkim artisans weave carpets with innovative designs
June 13, 2009 (India)
Artisans in Sikkim are manufacturing carpets with a blend of age-old and new designs to popularize their product in the international markets. The rich culture and tradition of Buddhism appearing in these woolen carpets, mostly woven by women, separates it from rest of the Indian handicrafts.
These carpets have fine textures and they carry beautiful and amazing designs ranging from traditional to the stylish contemporary patterns. These designs are being created with a blend of cotton and wool.
These are completely hand-woven carpets, which are quite difficult to make and due to the fine quality, these carpets are much in demand in domestic as well as international markets.
The artisans are trying to incorporate several contemporary designs and are currently working on orchid designs and are also mulling to include similar kind of other designs such as the Red Panda, other animals and flowers as it’s an innovative concept.
Due to this concept the artisans are receiving good response from the tourists and helping handicraft products from Sikkim gain recognition from across the globe which is also encouraging the craftsmen of Sikkim.
June 13, 2009 (India)
Artisans in Sikkim are manufacturing carpets with a blend of age-old and new designs to popularize their product in the international markets. The rich culture and tradition of Buddhism appearing in these woolen carpets, mostly woven by women, separates it from rest of the Indian handicrafts.
These carpets have fine textures and they carry beautiful and amazing designs ranging from traditional to the stylish contemporary patterns. These designs are being created with a blend of cotton and wool.
These are completely hand-woven carpets, which are quite difficult to make and due to the fine quality, these carpets are much in demand in domestic as well as international markets.
The artisans are trying to incorporate several contemporary designs and are currently working on orchid designs and are also mulling to include similar kind of other designs such as the Red Panda, other animals and flowers as it’s an innovative concept.
Due to this concept the artisans are receiving good response from the tourists and helping handicraft products from Sikkim gain recognition from across the globe which is also encouraging the craftsmen of Sikkim.
TOY TRAIN TO SIKKIM
Toy Train to Sikkim takes shape
SILIGURI, 12 JUNE: The Member Mechanical the Indian Railway Board Mr Praveen Kumar today said here that the IRB was giving final shape to a World Heritage toy train service for the Himalayan state of Sikkim. “Hopefully, the work would start this year. When complete, it would prove a watershed in the tourism sector of the north east region of the country,” Mr Kumar said after a high- level railway mechanical board meeting at the Siliguri Junction today.
“We have taken up a Rs 15 crore project. Work on the project would start once the Parliament gives the final nod. The revamping work being complete, the shed would accommodate 100 diesel locomotives in place of its present capacity of 50,” Mr Kumar said.
“We would also put into execution a 4000 Horse Power engine for the trains operating through the Siliguri Junction,” the railway mechanical board member added. ;SNS
( sOURCE: tHE sTATESMAN)
SILIGURI, 12 JUNE: The Member Mechanical the Indian Railway Board Mr Praveen Kumar today said here that the IRB was giving final shape to a World Heritage toy train service for the Himalayan state of Sikkim. “Hopefully, the work would start this year. When complete, it would prove a watershed in the tourism sector of the north east region of the country,” Mr Kumar said after a high- level railway mechanical board meeting at the Siliguri Junction today.
“We have taken up a Rs 15 crore project. Work on the project would start once the Parliament gives the final nod. The revamping work being complete, the shed would accommodate 100 diesel locomotives in place of its present capacity of 50,” Mr Kumar said.
“We would also put into execution a 4000 Horse Power engine for the trains operating through the Siliguri Junction,” the railway mechanical board member added. ;SNS
( sOURCE: tHE sTATESMAN)
DANCE WITH BHAICHUNG
FROM THE WEEK
By Rekha Dixit
Dance with me: Bhutia displayed adept footwork and won the dance show
The northeast has done it again. It is Baichung Bhutia, this time. The popular footballer from Sikkim has won a reality dance show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, on Sony, becoming the latest in a long and ever increasing line of contestants from the eastern Himalayas to win a big prize on reality television, with no small thanks to SMS voting.
Only some months earlier, Sourabhee Debbarma, a young singer from Tripura, bagged the Indian Idol trophy. In the previous season, it was Prashant Tamang, a Gorkha constable in the West Bengal Police, who repeatedly broke records with the number of votes he garnered. Then there was Anamika Choudhary, a Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs winner from Mariani in Assam. And of course, Debojit Saha from Silchar, Assam, who started the trend when he emerged victor of the Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge show in 2005.
These are just the winners. Tamang was pitted against Amit Paul from the neighbouring hills of Meghalaya in the finals. Another close competitor was Meiyang Chang, the Chinese origin dentist from Bihar. The Indian Orient has come to the fore, at least on satellite television.
Talent, of course, hasn’t suddenly sprung up in the northeast. There is a larger socio-politics at play here, which, when combined with the forces of commercialism, has led to the mushrooming of national youth icons from these remote realms of the country.
Shilajit Guha, assistant professor in the department of mass communication at Assam University, near Silchar, terms the phenomenon a case of identity politics propelled by a capitalist market. “The urban viewer market is saturated, television channels are seeking newer ones, thus penetrating into small-town India as well as the previously forgotten northeast,” he says. “These communities, on the other hand, once given the opportunity to be on the national centrestage, then strive to establish their regional and ethnic identities. It’s very important for them to be considered as part of the mainstream.”
Harking back to the time when Saha contested, Guha recalls, “He was able to unite so many diverse groups in this ethnically troubled state. Saha is of Bengali origin, and would, therefore, be the ideal target of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is anti non-Assamese people. But AASU leaders themselves urged people to vote for him.”
In fact, with all of Assam SMS-ing their support for Saha, the contestant was able to do what the government and NGOs had failed-unite the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys. People stood for over 15 hours, waiting for a glimpse of him when he returned after the victory. Old-timers say the last time they saw such a turnout was when Jawaharlal Nehru visited the district!
If Saha awakened the Assamese identity, Tamang brought to the fore the Gorkha identity. As competition narrowed down during the final weeks, Nepalis from places as far off as Brunei and Dubai sent money back home to fund the SMS voting. Viewers from Nepal would come in jeeploads to the Indian border to vote for him and one local politician even sponsored sim cards for voting.
There are many dimensions to the trend, believes Abhijit Roy of the department of film studies at ?Jadavpur University, Kolkata. “Tamang gave shape to a Gorkha identity that was different from the stereotypical one of the security guard,” he says. “So when a radio jockey made a derisive comment about the Gorkhas, the community found the voice to protest and elicit apology.” Roy says that, seen from the broader spectrum of the popular consumerist culture, the northeast makes for an interesting study. “Satellite television is mimicking the framework of democracy, replicating values of the erstwhile welfare state for the consumer citizen,” he says.
Kelly Dorji, model-turned actor from Bhutan, who spent many formative years in Darjeeling, says that with the economy having found a market in the eastern Himalayas, there is the need to create and identify icons who can sell back to the target audience. “When I wanted to get into modelling, I opted for fashion as my oriental looks were not commercially viable; they wouldn’t sell any product. I don’t regard it as discrimination, it is just commerce,” says Dorji. “Today, however, the scene is different. There is a consumer market being opened up in the northeast, and thus the need to identify faces who can be the ambassadors of the market’s identity.”
Bhutia’s victory, of course, has the dimension of his already established celebrity status and immense popularity that owes much to his down-to-earth nature, friendliness and great sense of humour. But he, too, believes that the northeast has earned him a major chunk of votes. “I know that in Sikkim, almost every person was glued to the TV on the nights the show was aired. There’s definitely that pride that one among us is here on national mainstream. There’s this great desire in the northeast, which is cut off from the rest of the country, to be considered part of that mainstream. I am glad that television shows are providing this bridge,” says Bhutia.
Bhutia recalls the days when, before he became such a star, he always felt “different” from other compatriots and found the “outside world so strange”. He, however, believes that homogenisation is a two-way process. “While the country awakens to our presence, we, too, have to be more open-minded,” says Bhutia.
This, according to Danish Khan, associate vice-president, marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, is already happening. “When Tamang won, there were definitely more votes from the Gorkha dominated areas,” says Khan. “But in the case of Sourabhee Debbarma, her appeal wasn’t regional; she got votes from across the country. Chang, meanwhile, has already established himself as a mainstream anchor on Sony.”
Khan admits that foraying into the northeast was part of a deliberate expansion plan and while they had expected a certain amount of enthusiasm, the response was beyond imagination. “Television is inspirational across India. It feels good to know that we have a hand in realising people’s dreams,” says Khan, pointing out that while channels provide the platform and while ethnic votes may aid victory, it is ultimately personal talent that will ensure that the chance given is well utilised.
SINGING SENSATIONS
Sourabhee Debbarma: Winner of Indian Idol 4. Released her first album, Meherban. Does live shows
Debojit Saha: Winner of Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 was a participant in Bigg Boss. Did a bit of playback singing including the Hindi film 88 Antop Hill. Hosts shows on Zee Bangla
Meiyang Chang: Participant in Indian Idol 3. Co-hosted Indian Idol 4 as well as the IPL on Sony. Does live shows
Prashant Tamang: Winner of Indian Idol 3. Cut some music albums including the bilingual Nepali-Hindi Dhanyabad, which was released by Sikkim Chief Minister P. Chamling and the Nepali album, Namaste. Is to be seen in a Nepali film soon, which he has scripted and sung in, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Rekha Dixit
Dance with me: Bhutia displayed adept footwork and won the dance show
The northeast has done it again. It is Baichung Bhutia, this time. The popular footballer from Sikkim has won a reality dance show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, on Sony, becoming the latest in a long and ever increasing line of contestants from the eastern Himalayas to win a big prize on reality television, with no small thanks to SMS voting.
Only some months earlier, Sourabhee Debbarma, a young singer from Tripura, bagged the Indian Idol trophy. In the previous season, it was Prashant Tamang, a Gorkha constable in the West Bengal Police, who repeatedly broke records with the number of votes he garnered. Then there was Anamika Choudhary, a Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs winner from Mariani in Assam. And of course, Debojit Saha from Silchar, Assam, who started the trend when he emerged victor of the Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge show in 2005.
These are just the winners. Tamang was pitted against Amit Paul from the neighbouring hills of Meghalaya in the finals. Another close competitor was Meiyang Chang, the Chinese origin dentist from Bihar. The Indian Orient has come to the fore, at least on satellite television.
Talent, of course, hasn’t suddenly sprung up in the northeast. There is a larger socio-politics at play here, which, when combined with the forces of commercialism, has led to the mushrooming of national youth icons from these remote realms of the country.
Shilajit Guha, assistant professor in the department of mass communication at Assam University, near Silchar, terms the phenomenon a case of identity politics propelled by a capitalist market. “The urban viewer market is saturated, television channels are seeking newer ones, thus penetrating into small-town India as well as the previously forgotten northeast,” he says. “These communities, on the other hand, once given the opportunity to be on the national centrestage, then strive to establish their regional and ethnic identities. It’s very important for them to be considered as part of the mainstream.”
Harking back to the time when Saha contested, Guha recalls, “He was able to unite so many diverse groups in this ethnically troubled state. Saha is of Bengali origin, and would, therefore, be the ideal target of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is anti non-Assamese people. But AASU leaders themselves urged people to vote for him.”
In fact, with all of Assam SMS-ing their support for Saha, the contestant was able to do what the government and NGOs had failed-unite the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys. People stood for over 15 hours, waiting for a glimpse of him when he returned after the victory. Old-timers say the last time they saw such a turnout was when Jawaharlal Nehru visited the district!
If Saha awakened the Assamese identity, Tamang brought to the fore the Gorkha identity. As competition narrowed down during the final weeks, Nepalis from places as far off as Brunei and Dubai sent money back home to fund the SMS voting. Viewers from Nepal would come in jeeploads to the Indian border to vote for him and one local politician even sponsored sim cards for voting.
There are many dimensions to the trend, believes Abhijit Roy of the department of film studies at ?Jadavpur University, Kolkata. “Tamang gave shape to a Gorkha identity that was different from the stereotypical one of the security guard,” he says. “So when a radio jockey made a derisive comment about the Gorkhas, the community found the voice to protest and elicit apology.” Roy says that, seen from the broader spectrum of the popular consumerist culture, the northeast makes for an interesting study. “Satellite television is mimicking the framework of democracy, replicating values of the erstwhile welfare state for the consumer citizen,” he says.
Kelly Dorji, model-turned actor from Bhutan, who spent many formative years in Darjeeling, says that with the economy having found a market in the eastern Himalayas, there is the need to create and identify icons who can sell back to the target audience. “When I wanted to get into modelling, I opted for fashion as my oriental looks were not commercially viable; they wouldn’t sell any product. I don’t regard it as discrimination, it is just commerce,” says Dorji. “Today, however, the scene is different. There is a consumer market being opened up in the northeast, and thus the need to identify faces who can be the ambassadors of the market’s identity.”
Bhutia’s victory, of course, has the dimension of his already established celebrity status and immense popularity that owes much to his down-to-earth nature, friendliness and great sense of humour. But he, too, believes that the northeast has earned him a major chunk of votes. “I know that in Sikkim, almost every person was glued to the TV on the nights the show was aired. There’s definitely that pride that one among us is here on national mainstream. There’s this great desire in the northeast, which is cut off from the rest of the country, to be considered part of that mainstream. I am glad that television shows are providing this bridge,” says Bhutia.
Bhutia recalls the days when, before he became such a star, he always felt “different” from other compatriots and found the “outside world so strange”. He, however, believes that homogenisation is a two-way process. “While the country awakens to our presence, we, too, have to be more open-minded,” says Bhutia.
This, according to Danish Khan, associate vice-president, marketing, Sony Entertainment Television, is already happening. “When Tamang won, there were definitely more votes from the Gorkha dominated areas,” says Khan. “But in the case of Sourabhee Debbarma, her appeal wasn’t regional; she got votes from across the country. Chang, meanwhile, has already established himself as a mainstream anchor on Sony.”
Khan admits that foraying into the northeast was part of a deliberate expansion plan and while they had expected a certain amount of enthusiasm, the response was beyond imagination. “Television is inspirational across India. It feels good to know that we have a hand in realising people’s dreams,” says Khan, pointing out that while channels provide the platform and while ethnic votes may aid victory, it is ultimately personal talent that will ensure that the chance given is well utilised.
SINGING SENSATIONS
Sourabhee Debbarma: Winner of Indian Idol 4. Released her first album, Meherban. Does live shows
Debojit Saha: Winner of Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 was a participant in Bigg Boss. Did a bit of playback singing including the Hindi film 88 Antop Hill. Hosts shows on Zee Bangla
Meiyang Chang: Participant in Indian Idol 3. Co-hosted Indian Idol 4 as well as the IPL on Sony. Does live shows
Prashant Tamang: Winner of Indian Idol 3. Cut some music albums including the bilingual Nepali-Hindi Dhanyabad, which was released by Sikkim Chief Minister P. Chamling and the Nepali album, Namaste. Is to be seen in a Nepali film soon, which he has scripted and sung in, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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