Mercury influx into eco-system may have caused extinction 250mn years ago

ANI

  

AP Scientists have discovered a new culprit that is likely to have been involved in the Earth’s greatest extinction event that took place 250 million years ago when rapid climate change wiped out nearly all marine species and a majority of those on land. File photo

Data source: Firstpost

Small people talk about others,

Average people talk about things,
Great people discuss ideas.

Govt plans 11 tunnels on Pak, China borders including Sikkim

Govt plans 11 tunnels on Pak, China borders

Dipak K Dash, TNN | Jan 6, 2012, 01.28AM IST


The Union government is planning to build 11 tunnels in the strategically important road stretches close to the Pakistan and China borders.NEW DELHI: The Union government is planning to build 11 tunnels in the strategically important road stretches close to the Pakistan and China borders. Two more tunnels will be built in Uttarakhand to improve connectivity in the hilly state. These all-weather tunnels, which will be built by the Border Road Organization (BRO), would cover about 89km. These tunnels are expected to help rapid mobilization of troops and equipments besides providing better connectivity to local residents, officials said.

At a recent review meeting about the progress of road projects implemented by BRO, the road construction wing of the Army told the highways ministry officials that the feasibility studies of three projects are under progress. Two of them - the 12km Zojila and the 6.5km Z Morh tunnels - fall in Jammu and Kashmir and are crucial for connectivity between Srinagar and Leh. These two regions often remain cut off during winter as snow covers the highway connecting the regions. The third project has been planned near Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand.

The BRO is likely to undertake the feasibility study of another nine tunnels in J&K, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. India had stopped the road building activities in regions close to China border after the 1962 war with a view that better road network could help the Chinese forces to spread in case of an invasion. But that doctrine has been changed and several road development works are being undertaken by the BRO, which are funded by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).

The BRO would take up construction of two tunnels, totaling 25.4km on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road that would improve connectivity to Tawang region throughout the year. Supply of troops in Tawang region is being met by helicopters. Two more crucial tunnels have been planned in Sikkim, which are located only 19.3 and 24.6 km distance from the line of control (LoC).

Rangpo tunnel in Sikkim that will be only 800meter long, is also expected to be built soon.

Details available from a BRO presentation made to the highways ministry show that the completion of strategic roads has so far been unsatisfactory. Out of the 18 strategic roads totaling 1,693km, only four (102km) have been completed so far. Work on about 1,096 km is in progress. "The BRO officers have told us that they face hardship in mobilization of men and material and they execute the projects under tough conditions. But they are expediting the key road networks which are strategically important and would also bring economic prosperity to neglected regions," said a senior highway official.

There is a reason

For every pain that we must bear,

For every burden, every care

There is a reason.

For every grief that crushes our heart

For every scalding tear we shed,

There is a reason.

For every hurt, for every plight,

For every lonely, painful night,

There is a reason.

Yet, if we trust God, as we all must,

It all can turn to be for our good, 

He knows the reason.

Gangtok, Si...12°54°/ 1°34°°F °C5 day10 dayEdit

Vice President Inaugurates 64th Annual Conference of Otolaryngologists of India at Allahabad


Following is the text of the Vice President’s inaugural address :

“I am happy to be participating in today’s function to inaugurate the 64th Annual Conference of The Association of Otolaryngologists of India. This is a distinguished gathering of professionals and specialists gathered from all over India and abroad. Your speciality deals not only with diseases of ear, nose and throat, but also tumors of head and neck. It is an important specialty because it deals with important sensory organs of the body and organs dealing with the modes of communication. They are not only critical for survival but deal with important areas intimately associated with our identity and sense of self, such as the nose.

It would appear that in our country, there are two significant public health problem areas related to your specialty. One is deafness and the other is cancer.

Deafness affects 6-7 per cent of the Indian population and is a major problem. At a global level, it is estimated that 278 million people suffer from disabling hearing loss, of whom two-thirds are from developing countries. In India, about 67 million people suffer from disabling hearing loss which I understand can be prevented in 50 per cent of the affected population and can be treated and rehabilitation undertaken in about 80 per cent of the affected population. These figures point to the magnitude of the challenge facing the country, and especially the concerned specialists and professionals. I believe that our ENT surgeons can do a lot not only to treat it but to prevent it. We also must make concerted efforts to increase the numbers of ENT specialists and Otolaryngologists to tackle this problem effectively.

Noise pollution is the other menace contributing to hearing loss. Today we not only have to deal with environmental noise due to traffic or industry, but also recreational noise ever present in the form of loud music etc. It is time ENT specialists and Otolaryngologists emulate the National Programme for Prevention of Blindness and initiate a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness which was started as a pilot project five years ago in some parts of the country.

Cancer related to ear, nose and throat that constitutes about 40 per cent of body cancer also needs urgent attention of the nation. I understand that this disease has a much higher incidence in our country as compared to the West, probably related to life style causes.

This audience needs no reminding that today we face a global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of one billion men, women and children during this century. It can kill in so many ways that it is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of death in the world. The tobacco epidemic already kills 5.4 million people a year from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. It is an irony that the vast majority of those deaths occur in the developing world where rapidly growing economies offer people the hope of a better life.

Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in the world today and a major cause of cancer. It is reportedly the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it, and kills up to half of those who use it as intended. We can, and should, prevent illness and death resulting from tobacco use. You, as ENT surgeons, not only need to treat the cancer patients coming to you at an early stage, but also educate the population regarding the factors that are responsible for the disease and how we can prevent it disease by avoiding smoking, chewing tobacco and betel nut as well as by developing screening programmes to detect the cancer and cancer causing conditions at an early stage.

I thank the organisers for inviting me to this programme and wish you all success in your deliberations.”

Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto, during the unveiling of the RE60 fourwheeler in the Capital on Tuesday. — Ramesh Sharma

Shreedharan:The Metro Man who now retires

Quotes of  Swami Vivekananda Vivekananda Jayanti ( Jan 12, 2012 )

• "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything shall be added unto you." This is the one great duty, this is renunciation. Live for an ideal, and leave no place in the mind for anything else. Let us put forth all our energies to acquire that which never fails--our spiritual perfection. If we have true yearning for realization, we must struggle, and through struggle growth will come. We shall make mistakes, but they may be angels unawares."

• "In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, nor even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, is infinite."

•  "Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds. This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the world? He is the fountain of all bliss. See for the highest, aim at that highest, and you shall reach the highest.

• "Realize your true nature. That is all there is to do. Know yourself as you are—infinite spirit. That is practical religion. Everything else is impractical, for everything else will perish."

Sino-Indian relations 2011

: A Mixed Bag of Highs and Lows

by R N Das

Like in preceding years, the roller coaster Sino-Indian relations witnessed their share of highs and lows. True, there was camaraderie and bonhomie between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Hu Jintao when they met on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Sanya in April, but this came after the episode of the stapled visa issue which had cast a shadow on the bilateral relationship and impelled India to keep in hold the defence exchange between the two countries. China on this occasion had issued proper visas to journalists from Jammu and Kashmir who accompanied the Prime Minister. The Sanya meeting created a positive vibe between the two leaders and gave a further impetus to bilateral relations. In particular, the two leaders agreed to set up a joint mechanism on coordination and consultation on border affairs, resume senior level defence exchanges, initiate a high level economic dialogue and find an amicable solution to the vexed stapled visa issue. Subsequently, defence exchanges were resumed with the visit of Maj. Gen. Gurmeet Singh of the Rashtriya Rifles to China from June 19 to 24. This positive development was followed by the first economic and strategic dialogue (E&SD) between the two countries in Beijing in September.

As part of its charm offensive, China also celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose visit to China in 1914 had a very good impact on Sino-Indian relations. Yet another goodwill gesture by China was the honour bestowed upon the 93-year-old renowned Indian Yoga exponent BKS Iyenger, who enjoys an iconic status for introducing spiritual discipline in China, by releasing four commemorative stamps in June.

As part of its public diplomacy exercise, China invited 500 Indian youth, who met Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of People on September 23. The youth delegation was led by India’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ajay Maken. Premier Wen not only mingled with the visiting Indian youth, but also charmed them when he put on a Rajasthani turban and reached out to Mr. Maken to convey his personal regards to the Indian Prime Minister. This gesture assumed significance coming as it did in the backdrop of the spat over ONGC Videsh’s foray into the South China Sea.

Beijing also played host to a number of important political leaders from India cutting across party lines, including BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. In his meetings with Chinese leaders like Ai Ping, the Chinese Vice-Minister in the International Department of the Communist Party of China, and senior Communist Party leader Li Changchun, Gadkari reportedly discussed all important issues including China’s infrastructural projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the construction of dams on the Brahmaputra. After his trip Nitish Kumar remarked that in China he saw a new model of development and a friend, and advocated closer bilateral ties between the two Asian giants. Here, it is worth nothing that in Nalanda an international university is coming up with partial financial support from China. Sitaram Yechury held talks with senior CPC leaders including China’s top diplomat and State Councillor Dai Bingguo; Dai remarked that China wanted to increase mutual trust with India and take bilateral ties forward from a long term strategic standpoint. Narendra Modi was similarly impressed with his visit to China and he invited Chinese businessman to invest in Gujarat. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also led a 28-member delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) held at Dalian in September.

ONGC Videsh’s foray into the South China Sea, where the Indian public sector corporation has been engaged since 1988, generated some strain in the relationship between the two countries, particularly in the backdrop of the US’s return to the Asia-Pacific. India and Vietnam had signed a deal to explore oil in the disputed South China Sea during the Vietnamese President’s India visit in the second half of October. Reacting strongly to this deal, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, ‘We do not hope to see out side forces involved in the South China Sea dispute and do not want to see foreign companies engage in activities that will undermine China’s sovereignty and interest.’ Though both Beijing and New Delhi downplayed the issue, there were unsavoury comments from some sections of the Chinese media. The Indian media also gave provocative headlines in its reports. These should have been avoided given the sensitive nature of the relationship between the two countries. Needless to mention, such reports in the media tend to harden people’s attitude and in turn shapes the perceptions of political leaders as well. No wonder, there was a volley of questions on China in both Houses of Parliament during the just concluded Session.

India and China, however, tried their best to overcome the South China Sea muddle and in a statesman like spirit Dr. Manmohan Singh reiterated his oft-quoted statement in Bali that there was enough space for both India and China to flourish. To that the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao responded thus: ‘It is important for our two countries, the most populous in the world, to achieve modernisation and work hand in hand.’ He added, ‘that he was ‘fully confident that that kind of world will arrive.’

Yet another issue that strained the bilateral relationship was the postponement of talks between the Special Representatives of the two countries scheduled for November 28 and 29 on the ground that it clashed with the international Buddhist congregation addressed by the Dalai Lama. As India did not concede to the Chinese demand to cancel the conclave, the two countries mutually decided to defer the talks for a future date. The Buddhist conclave was held as scheduled and was addressed by Dalai Lama. The conclave was graced by Indian dignitaries at the appropriate level, albeit purely in their social and private capacities as is the normal practice. This was yet another instance that was adroitly handled by the two countries. China has to reckon with India as an important country in the comity of nations and as a brethren Asian country on equal footing and equal reciprocity.

One positive development in the bilateral relationship was cooperation at the Durban Conference on climate change held on December 5. Denying rumours that China had moved away from India’s position on the Kyoto protocol and a new global deal, Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and head of the Chinese delegation in Durban said, ‘We accept a legally binding arrangement with five pre conditions post-2020. As long as principles of common but differentiated responsibility and equity are ensured, individual capability is the basis of a new deal.’

The high point of the India-China relationship during the year was the resumption of the Defence Dialogue, which was held on December 9. The last such dialogue was held in January 2010. For the latest round of talks, the Indian side was led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and the Chinese side by Gen. Ma Xiaotian. The talks led to some positive outcomes with both sides agreeing to the training of defence officers in the other’s defence colleges and the resumption of joint military exercises as per the Memorandum of Understanding in this respect.

The year gone by witnessed India’s firm responses to bilateral issues and China’s appreciation of the Indian position, thus providing a positive momentum to India-China relations. 2012 may open with some forward movement with the meeting of the Special Representatives some time in January. That will be followed by the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in March, in which President Hu Jintao is slated to participate.
source:IDSA

Tibet railway in 2011

Over 6.5 million travelled


Beijing, Jan 3 (PTI) More than 6.5 million people travelled on the world''s highest rail route, the Qinghai-Tibet railway, in 2011, up 9 per cent from 2010, the railway company said Tuesday.

The high-elevation railway that connects Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Tibet''s provincial capital of Lhasa, also transported 40 million tonnes of cargo in 2011, up 8 per cent year-on-year, an official with the Xining-based Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company said.

The number of passengers is likely to reach 6.9 million this year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern China has seen tourism boom since the railway began operations in July 2006.

A total of 8.43 million tourists, mostly Chinese visited Tibet in the first 11 months of 2011, a 27.7 per cent increase from the same period the previous year, according to Tibet''s tourism bureau.

Getting your trademark - I

We live in a day and age where competition is intense. With manufacturing costs going up and the value of the money depreciating, companies are constantly competing to gain market share at the expense of the other.

In such a competitive environment, differentiating yourself from your competitors has become crucial to establish and maintain your position in a competitive market.

Differentiation is only possible by getting exclusive rights over your name and logo – this is where trademark protection comes in.

First, what is a trademark?

A trademark is a word, a group of words or a symbol used to represent a company or a product. So for instance, in the case of Nokia, it has multiple trademarks – the name “Nokia” itself, the hands joining symbol which represents its caption “Connecting People” and the phrase “Connecting People”.

Each of these has been trademark protected by Nokia in each and every environment in which it operates.

Why should you get a trademark?

Anyone running a commercial enterprise should get a trademark for their product or service. And you should get a trademark for not just your name, but also your logo or anything else which you wish to protect, such as a caption or slogan.

To repeat the example above, if your name is Ravi Textiles, and you have a distinctive logo and a slogan – “Clothing for a nation”, you should get trademark protection for all three.

How much does it cost?

The cost of trademark protection can be divided into legal fees and government fees. The Government charges Rs 3,500 per class for trademark applications. So if you want to protect your name, logo and slogan in one class alone, you will have to pay the Government Rs 10,500. (We will be studying what classes are in the next part). The legal fees will vary from profession to profession.

How long does it take?

Typically, applying for a trademark takes between four and seven days and you get an acknowledgement document and a trademark application number within a maximum of seven days after making the application.

After that, the trademark form is scrutinised and an objection report is prepared within a year of you making the application for the trademark.

After the objection report is prepared, you will be called into a ‘hearing' if your trademark application is not approved, and you will have to explain why your logo/name should be protected. For instance, you can show that you have been using the trademark for a long period of time and have many customers, and so on. (i.e. you must show usage).

The entire process of getting a trademark can take up to 24 months or even more.

If anybody opposes your trademark application, the opposition procedure could itself take up to 24 months or more, making the entire procedure about four years.

In the next part, we shall be studying trademark classes and helping you choose classes for your trademark. Normally, it is recommended that you file under multiple classes to get maximum protection, so choosing classes wisely is important.

To be continued

(This column has been contributed by vakilsearch (www.vakilsearch.com), an online legal guidance and legal solutions partner)

Sikkim Guv cautions Govt on hydro projects

source:The Assam Tribune

GANGTOK, Jan 1 – Sikkim Governor has urged the State policy makers to make judicious choices keeping in view concerns of ecology and culture while taking up hydro-power projects in the State.
The Governor was delivering the inaugural address on International meet on the subject of ‘Globalisation and Cultural Practices in Mountain Areas: Dynamics, Dimensions and Implications’ organised by Sikkim University.

“Development in mountain regions is marred by geographical constraints. Keeping this in mind, it is highly imperative that instead of blanket policies we evolve more imaginative strategies to tackle the developmental challenges as well as to suit the needs of mountain people”, the Governor said in his address.

“Policies for fragile mountain environments require a holistic approach that adequately addresses the economic, social and environmental concerns. The stress should be on sustainable development in the long-term” , the Governor further said.

The meet saw the participation of internationally renowned ecologist Prof PS Ramakrishnan whose report on Rathong-Chu had forced the ruling SDF Government to scrap the controversial Rathong Chu Hydro Power project in the year 1997.

“This region (Yuksom-Tashiding) has a number of glacial lakes in the higher reaches. These are sacred lakes. The Rathong Chu, itself a sacred river. Besides, the river in the Yoksum region itself is considered to have 109 hidden lakes.

“The Platform for Joint Action Against Ting-Ting, Tashiding and Lethang Hydropower Projects has welcomed the observation made by the Governor which assumes significance where the ruling SDF Government is indiscriminately pushing hydro-power projects in Yuksom-Tashinding region at the expense of valuable Buddhist treasures and natural heritage.

The platform urged the Governor to invoke his powers under Article 371 F of the Constitution and ask the State Government to scrap Ting-Ting, Tashiding and Lethang Hydropower Projects”, said the Convenor of Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC).

Govt clears aid for quake-hit Sikkim

Hindustan Times
New Delhi, January 01, 2012


The UPA government cleared nearly Rs 1300 crore and Rs 900 crore respectively for Sikkim and Odisha as financial aid from National Disaster Relief Fund.

The relief package, however, falls far short of the demands made by the states. Sikkim —hit by a massive earthquake on September 18 — had sought Rs 7,400 crore from the Centre, while the Odisha government had asked for Rs 3265.38 crore after it suffered two floods in September.

The high-level committee, headed by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, approved Rs 227.51 crore under National Disaster Relief Fund for Sikkim. It also noted that “assistance for permanent reconstruction and mitigation measures in respect of government buildings, mines, minerals and geology and other important infrastructure will be separately met out of Rs 1,000 crore announced by the prime minister.”

During his visit to the earthquake-hit Sikkim, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Rs 1,000 crore as relief funds after the 6.8-magnitude tremor killed around 80 people and injured 350 others.

Sikkim will also get Rs 41.64 crore from special component of national rural drinking water project.

For Odisha the Centre has allotted Rs 908.30 crore and

R10 crore separately for drinking water.

The government, will however, bear the air-bills for air-dropping of essential supplies in two states.

While Sikkim government submitted a memorandum to the home ministry demanding Rs 7,400 crore, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik sent a letter to finance minister on December 2, asking the centre to quickly dispose monetary aid.

In his letter, Patnaik said while the centre had promptly deputed an inter-ministerial central team to assess the scale of damage from the twin floods, no money has come yet.

Asking the Centre to release assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund at the earliest, the Odisha government wanted an ad-hoc assistance of Rs 1000 crore for flood relief and rehabilitation work

"When we choose not to focus on what's missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."

Gold 32000 10 gms & Copper 425 per kg in year 2012 -Astromoneyguru

Gold 32000 10 gms & Copper 425 per kg in year 2012 -Astromoneyguru


Wishing a very happy New Year 2012 .According to Lt Col Ajay CEO www.astromoneyguru.com Year 2012 is represented by Planet known as Mercury. As per astro economics Mercury is the planet of volatility and uncertainty. It ‘s remain close to king of all planet Sun There should be highest volatility in Currencies and bullion market at International spot and future market during year 2012. World stock market may also see 12% to 20% annual return from stock market. US Economy will be shown sign of improvement while Europe will remain under pressure. Indian economy will perform netter the Year 2012. It is better to go with selected sector and stocks and timely profit booking is strongly recommended in stock market. Please go through my advance predictions for year 2011 made different electronic and print media at global levels. I have predicated about silver would be commodity of year 2011, Great vertical upward movement was seen in silver around 76000 per kg levels was seen in electronic trading in India. Tension in Pakistan, Middle East and UK were also proved correct as predicted. Euro also seen vertical fall against us dollar as predicted. Hope readers must have enjoyed big profit in currency, commodity and stock market. I convey my sincere thanks to all my readers for thousand of e mail and telephonic calls. about Crude oil, copper ,bullion ,geo political tension etc of course Stock market sensex could not achieved desired targets while silver , copper and selected stocks were over run from given targets. Remember this is only astro economics can give you advance predictions with creating confusion and dual language. Now as per stars following predictions on stock, commodities and currency are as under


1-Geo-political tensions – First quarter of New Year 2012 may develop Geo political tension in Afgnisthan, Pakistan, United Kingdom and other Asian countries. Difficult timing around February 2012. Key planets of India are Venus and Saturn. During February 2011 Saturn will turn retrograded with Mars. This is important astrological events for Middle East, and Asia since Saturn, Mars, Sun and Mercury are making special astrological yoga which may bring tension at Global levels. Year 2012 will be very important for India and Asia since as per star India will play major role in world politics with help of USA and Japan. Indian


Stock market- As per astro economics Sensex of Indian stock market may see upward movement and expected to give you 15% to 20% annual return from lower levels. By end of February –and middle of March 2012 Indian stock market will see great upward movement thereafter profit booking expected. It is important to note that every quarter all the sectors will not perform equally good or bad in Stock market. Like first quarter of year 2012 is dedicated for oil & gas, metal, cement, fertilizer, railways and engineering stocks. Right now great confusions and uncertainty in world stock market are seen Indian stock market is one of the worst performers in world equity market. Indian currency Rupee is also seen vertical fall against US dollar. Indian rupee is seen between Rs 54 to 56 against one US dollar in month of December 2011. Now big question about Indian economy and strength of Indian currency in International currency market. As per stars Indian economy is robust and Indian capital market is the one of the safest destination for investment. Investors need to have patience and trust on steady growth of the Indian economy. Now year 2012 will be dedicated to agriculture and banking reforms. Indian government is expected to show interest in de-investment in certain public sector unites. Indian stock market is expected between 19000 to 20200 levels during year 2012. Traders need to focus on Tata steel, SAIL, Cairn India, Kalandee Rail, National fertilizer, sterlite Industries, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, for the first quarter of year 2012. It is important to note timely profit booking is mandatory in stock market under uncertainty. I am very confident for Indian economy and capital market. Right now golden apporunity for foreign investors to invest in India stocks, they will get benefit of Rupee depreciation and stock available at lower levels.


2-Bullion – Gold will be the safest investment for year 2012. Gold is expected to give around 30% annual return if invested right now. Right now Gold is trading around US$1600 this is perfect levels for Investment for one year for around 30% annual return on investment. Silver is also good investment for year 2012. As per stars Silver may give you 20% to 25% annual return in commodities market. As per stars silver may show upward move in spot and electronic trading at International and domestic bullion market.2-3 Year target for silver should be Rs 100,000 per kg


3- Crude oil likely to see great upward movement. Upper levels of crude oil should be between USD 105 to 111 in international electronic trading. Profit booking in crude oil likely to see by mid of February 2012. Timely profit booking is strongly recommended in commodity market


4- Copper is also expected to give around 15% gain in spot and electronic trading in commodity market. Copper may see above Rs 422 levels during year 2012 in electronic trading


5- Euro may see some recovery against US dollars but US dollar remain dominate world currency market. Some Asian currency will also gain height


6-GDP growth of India is expected to between 7.5% to 8.5 during year 2012-13
7-Indian economy - A very special revolutions is expected during 2012 to 2013- in field Agriculture, banking, insurance, health care, energy sectors. Astro-Economics says that India is going to bring great revolutions in field of Power, infrastructure, educations, Technical educations, health, Sports etc Indian economy will perform better in Technical educations, power, infrastructure, telecommunication etc.
8-Most benefited state of India- Rajasthan , west Bengal Bihar, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, are in top of list for best benefited state of India during year 2012
9-During year 20012-13 there are great chances that Indian and Chinese currencies may turn important currency in world currency club . Indian currency rupee may show strength against US dollar expected levels for Indian rupee would be below Rs 49 -45 against one us dollar.


10-Indian writer or scientist is expected to earn name and fame at world levels. Indian electronic media may launch world services during 2012-13


11- Political seen- As per stars There should not be any problem for Congress (I). There will be some difficulties but with help of stars all problem will be solve. Some senior Congress leader may face problem during 2012
12-The above advance predictions are made base on study of stars, and numerology


Col Ajay (Astromoneyguru)


www.astromoneyguru.com

Rail project connecting Sikkim by 2015

1340 crore rail project connecting Sikkim from rest of country to be completed by 2015

AIR Jan 1, 6:12 PM
The 1340 crore rupees rail project connecting Rangpo in Sikkim to the rest of the country via Sevoke in West Bengal is expected to be completed by 2015.It will be the first step towards linking the capital of small and landlocked border State of Sikkim to other parts of the nation.

The foundation stone for this rail route was laid by the Vice President of India Mohemmad Hamid Ansari on 30th of October 2009. The 53 kilometer long proposed Rangpo - Sevoke rail route will have five stations- Melli, Tista Bazar ,Geilkhola, Riang and Sevoke besides the border town Rangpo.

The proposed rail link will also provide this mountainous State with the much needed alternative link since the only life line available to it in the form of National Highway 31-A,connecting it to Siliguri in West Bengal, often gets snapped due to frequent landslides, particularly during the Monsoon.

2012 outlook: Sensex to trade in 13,000-19,000 range

Lokeshwarri S.K.
BL Research Bureau

2011 will be remembered as an ignominious year in which the high recorded in the first trading session by Sensex turned to be its yearly high. Stocks slipped lower in protracted declines interspersed with ephemeral rallies. Sensex and Nifty ended the year down 24 per cent. But the pain was greater in the small- and mid-cap universe. The BSE mid-cap and small-cap indices closed the year down 34 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

Long-term trend
In our 2011 outlook published on January 2, 2011, we had charted the movement of Sensex over the next decade. A quick recap: Wave 1 of a structural bull market that commenced in 2001 ended at the January 2008 peak of 21,207. The 2008 crash was the second wave that ended at 8,047 in March 2009. The third wave of this bull market is now in progress. The first two targets of this wave are 39,337 and 58,743 (to be achieved in the next 10 years). This count continues to be valid and will be negated only on a close below 13,000.

That said, the index movement in 2011 makes it necessary that we remain open to the completion of a long-term five-wave pattern at the November 2010 peak. Even if that is the case, 30 and 38.2 per cent decline from the peak gives us the targets — 14,775 and 13,044. The area around 13,000 once again emerges a strong buttress. The strength in the Dow that continues in a long-term uptrend that commenced in 2009 is a supportive factor. Other Asian benchmarks too appear to be in a correction of the up-move from 2009 lows rather than in new structural downtrends.

2012
Both Sensex and Nifty ended 2011 close to their yearly lows. These indices have spent the second half of 2011 flirting with the 38.2 per cent retracement of the previous up-move that occurs at 16,118 for Sensex and 4780 for the Nifty. Next retracement supports for the indices are at 14,577, 13,924 and 13,036 for Sensex and 4438, 4248 and 3990 for Nifty.

We are ambivalent on the outlook for the next few months. Both Sensex and Nifty are currently in a medium-term trading range; between 4,500 and 5,500 in Nifty and 15,000 and 18,000 in the Sensex. If the lower boundary breaks, the indices can test the supports mentioned above. Such a decline will hasten the bottom-formation process.

But if this sideways move is a base for the next up-move, Sensex can head towards 19,000 (Nifty 5650) and its previous life-time high over the rest of 2012. Our preferred range for Sensex is between 13,000 and 19,000. Outer limits are 9,500 and 22,000. For Nifty, the preferred range is between 4,000 and 5,700. Outer limits are 6,300 and 2,852.

source:Hindubusinessline

2011: The year that was...

2011: The year that was...

by J Mulraj



As we stand at the end of 2011, we look back to see how the year panned out. Several important events took place that have affected us. One of the most important was how the stock markets fared during the year. Political hassles, global crisis and increased monetary tightening led markets to move like a drunkard for most part of the year. As a result, markets ended the year down by 25%. A performance that failed to enthuse investors both at home as well as abroad.

On a sector wise basis, the sector that emerged as a clear winner was the FMCG sector. Even though inflation rates hurt the margins of the companies in the sector; nevertheless the consumption story remained intact. The sector was the only sector to deliver positive returns during the year. Even though sectors like pharma and technology outperformed the BSE-Sensex, nevertheless they still delivered negative returns overall.

The biggest loser for the year was the infamous realty sector. The sector continued to face poor demand off-take that made debt repayments difficult. At the same time, increased debt burdens, rising interest rates and increasing commodity prices have taken a huge toll on the stock prices in the sector.

Global slowdown led to lower demand for metals which led to a 48% fall in the metal stocks in 2011. Closer home, government inaction, policy paralysis and rising interest rates continued to haunt the economic growth in 2011. The sector that was hit worst due to a combination of these was the capital goods sector which declined by nearly 48% during the year.

All in all 2011 was a rather depressing year for the Indian stock markets. In fact it was the second worst for Indian investors in 14 years.

Data source: BSE

Data source: BSE

DP growth slowed, industrial production numbers contracted, capital market activity declined. The BSE-Sensex was also down since the start of the year. But, this is probably the only graph related to the Indian economy which had a positive slope in 2011. Seven rate hikes were implemented by the Reserve Bank of India in 2011. This followed six in 2010, in an attempt to curb inflation. Now with inflation slowing, the central bank has signaled the end of the monetary tightening by hitting the pause button in December. We are now looking forward to a few rate cuts next year.

Data source: Reserve Bank of India

Every time Indians talk about reforms they need to go back to 1991 for reference point. Reason being, since then there have hardly been any tangible reforms over the last two decades. Barring a few sectoral regulations, India kept piggy backing on the path breaking reforms of 1991 to grow. The phenomenal growth of service sector also helped during this period. Exporting services to booming economies in the West helped India create more employment, improve income levels and boost GDP. But with Western economies themselves walking with crutches, India and its emerging peers can no longer lean on them. China and Brazil have managed to secure their growth so far with manufactured goods and commodity exports respectively. But for India, the growth based on domestic consumption can be far more sustainable and resilient, if some structural reforms find their way through the government corridors sooner.

Unfortunately, the year 2011 which was slated to see some landmark bills getting passed, witnessed the maximum number of days of parliamentary inaction in history. Result being that most policy reforms remained in the backburner. Graft accusations, political high-headedness and vested interests ensured that most bills were not even tabled. Amongst the ones that were, critical reforms like that on FDI in retail and pension seemed to be out of favour amongst politicians. More importantly, the situation is such that India's fiscal problems are on a path of further deterioration thanks to some populist reforms. With such myopic and vote bank governance, India is alienating itself to investors within the country and abroad. We only hope that better sense prevails in t he coming year and our politicia ns find the need to be more accountable to the wants of a growing economy.


If the US subprime crisis sent shivers down the spine of global economy and destroyed wealth worth hundreds of billions of dollars in 2008-09, it was the Euro Zone that was in the firing line in 2011. But there was one major difference we believe. This time around, the authorities were much better prepared and this meant that they were indeed able to take timely action. The process however was not very smooth as consensus building became very difficult in light of the different viewpoints of the member countries. And although the crisis has been averted, it is not over by a long shot. The fate of the Euro Zone and that of trillions of dollars worth of global wealth still hangs by a thread. With the authorities already having used up a fair bit of their ammunition, coming out clean on the other side of another crisis may be ne arly impossible we believe. What makes the whole situation even scarier is the fact that economic fundamentals in most parts of the region are still weak.


As we have maintained time and again, gold is not a productive asset that generates cash flows, but a form of insurance which can protect an investor from economic and financial disasters. 2011 was a year that saw a chain of debt crises striking the developed world, currency wars, geo-political tensions in the Middle East & North African (MENA) region, high inflation and slowing growth in emerging economies, etc. The global financial markets went topsy-turvy as a result of all the fear and uncertainty. So how did gold perform during this time?

Well, it did keep its promise of being the ultimate 'safe haven'. In the year gone by, while all broad indices on the Indian stock markets delivered negative returns, gold prices rose by 13% in terms of the US dollar. In terms of the Indian rupee, the price rise was close to a whopping 34%. These positive gains are despite the decline in international gold prices post the peak in September when several global investors flocked back to the US dollar on account of the Eurozone crisis. On the other hand, silver prices rose sharply during the first four months of the year but later couldn't keep their stead and declined quite a bit. For the entire year, while in US dollar terms silver prices declined by 6.6%, in terms of the Indian rupee silver prices were higher by almost 13%. We believe that investors should invest a small part of their portfolio in gold as a hedge against the follies of man.


The year 2011 started with much optimism for India Inc on back of buoyant growth in 2010. But as the year progressed things started to take a turn for the worse. Inflation continued to rise which prompted the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to hike interest rate 13 times since early 2010. Most companies struggled to maintain their margins because of high commodity prices and rising interest rates. Inflation led to higher turnover, but eroded margins as the companies were not able to fully recover the rising input cost from the consumers. And to top it all, India Inc's margins came under further pressure because of the sharp depreciation of the rupee. Many companies which had opted for cheaper foreign loans bore the brunt of the rupee's depreciation. Their net profits went down as they had to reprice their dollar denominated loans to higher foreign currency. Going into the New Year, India Inc may not have much to cheer about. Apart from inflation which is showing signs of cooling down, the rest of the economic indicators point to little hope of improving.