REINVENT THE TOILET- THE SOLAR WAY

Poo power celebrated as solar toilet wins prize

by Mark Tran

Source: The Hindu   

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AP NOT DIRTY: Sanitation is a sensitive and unpopular subject, one that Bill Gates has attempted to relook at. The picture is of him touring the “Reinventing the Toilet” Fair in Seattle on Tuesday.

Human waste attracts less funding than other development projects but ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge recognises that better hygiene can cut health-care costs and prevent early deaths

A solar powered toilet that breaks down water and human waste into hydrogen gas for use in fuel cells has won first prize in a competition for next-generation toilets to improve sanitation in the developing world.

The California Institute of Technology in the United States received the $100,000 first prize for its design. Loughborough University in the United Kingdom took the $60,000 second prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals and clean water, and Canada’s University of Toronto came third, winning $40,000 for a toilet that sanitises faeces and urine, and recovers resources and clean water.

The winners took part in a “Reinvent the Toilet” challenge set by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which asked designers to break with a sanitation model that has changed little since it was developed by Alexander Cummings more than 200 years ago. It is a model that depends on piped water, sewer or electrical connections that poor countries can ill afford.

A year ago, the Gates Foundation issued a challenge to universities to design toilets that can capture and process waste without piped waster and transform human waste into useful resources such as energy and water.

Millennium goals

“Imagine what’s possible if we continue to collaborate, stimulate new investment in this sector, and apply our ingenuity in the years ahead,” said Bill Gates as he announced the winners on Tuesday, August 14, in Seattle, Washington state. “Many of these innovations will not only revolutionise sanitation in the developing world, but also help transform our dependence on traditional flush toilets in wealthy nations.” Sanitation and hygiene are the laggards in the millennium development goals (MDGs) of reducing extreme poverty. Basic sanitation, covering toilets, latrines, handwashing and waste, is not an MDG but a target under MDG seven on ensuring environmental sustainability.

Sanitation and hygiene have been the poor cousins in the global water, sanitation and hygiene work and programmes, outfunded by as much as 13 to one, even though most water-related diseases are really sanitation-related diseases.

In March, the U.N. announced that the world had reached the goal of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water, well ahead of the 2015 deadline. However, the world is still far from meeting the MDG target for sanitation, and is unlikely to do so by 2015.

Only 63 per cent of the world population has access to improved sanitation, a figure projected to increase to only 67 per cent by 2015, well below the 75 per cent target in the MDGs. Currently 2.5 billion people lack access to an “improved sanitation facility”, which hygienically separates human waste from human contact.

Not high-profile

As Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. Secretary General, has acknowledged, sanitation is a sensitive and unpopular subject. It is not a high-profile issue, although the UN declared access to water and sanitation a fundamental right in 2010 and there is a U.N. rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

At the current rate, the world will miss the sanitation MDG target by 13 percentage points, meaning there will be 2.6 billion people without access to improved sanitation, according to the 2010 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation. . If things carry on as they are, the MDG target will not be met until 2049.

As many as 1.2 billion people practice what the U.N. describes as “open defecation.” They go to the toilet behind bushes, in fields, in plastic bags or along railway tracks. The practice poses particular problems for women and girls, who can be subject to physical and verbal abuse or humiliation.

According to the WHO, improved sanitation delivers up to $9 in social and economic benefits for every $1 invested because it increases productivity, reduces healthcare costs, and prevents illness, disability, and early death. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2012 

Gangtok, Aug 16: 

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today announced that students topping standard X and XII examinations in any stream would be awarded Rs 1.75 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively henceforth.

The highest scoring student would also be entitled to the Chief Minister’s Merit Scholarship Scheme under which he would have the opportunity to study in the top ten best universities and colleges in the world, Pawan Chamling said at the Paljor Stadium in his Independence Day speech.

If the student was selected in admission tests then the state government would bear the entire expense of their study anywhere.

For sports enthusiasts, Pawan Chamling announced cash incentives of Rs 2 crore, Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh for winning gold, silver or bronze medals in any Olympics.

The state government would also honour the sports person with a gazette post, he said, adding that more sports academies for boxing, football and archery would be established in the state.

China plans tourist hub close to Arunachal

China plans tourist hub close to disputed areas near Arunachal Pradesh border

by Saibal DasguptaSaibal Dasgupta, TNN | Jun 24, 2012,

BEIJING: China is building a "golden" tourist complex in Nyingchi prefecture in Tibet, close to the disputed areas on the India-China border in Ar.

The move is bound to affect the border talks between India and China because Beijing claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part of Nyingchi prefecture.

Beijing's plans may involve attracting well-off Han Chinese from mainland China to settle in the border region to strengthen its claims over parts of Arunachal Pradesh, sources said.

The announcement comes within a day of a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit in Brazil.

South China's Guangdong province will invest 400 million yuan ($63.5 million), apparently on the orders of the central government in Beijing. An additional investment of two billion yuan ($317 million) is expected to flow into Nyingchi from different enterprises once it develops as a tourist destination, Guangdong officials said.

Nyingchi can be a "potential golden tourism resource" because of its abundant virgin forests, snow mountains, rivers and pastures, according to a Guangdong official. The central government has assigned the relatively prosperous Guangdong the role of Tibet's partner province.

Beijing's plans may involve attracting well-off Han Chinese from mainland China to settle in the border region to strengthen its claims over parts of Arunachal Pradesh, sources said.

India boring border tunnels to take on China, Pakistan.

byRajat Pandit, TNN | Aug 16, 2012, 03.49AM IST

The construction of 11 more tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is now on the drawing board after “a strong endorsement’’ by the Army.NEW DELHI: India is finally kick-starting the plan to build as many as 18 tunnels along the borders with Pakistan and China for faster troop mobility as well as storage of critical war-fighting assets like missiles, without the threat of detection by enemy satellites and spy drones.

While preliminary work on seven tunnels is underway after requisite approvals, the construction of 11 more tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is now on the drawing board after "a strong endorsement'' by the Army.

With China resorting to "tunnelling in a big way'' to store important military equipment, the Army wants the tunnel construction plans in the mountains in J&K and north-east to be fast-tracked. "The tunnels will provide shelter to troops and ammunition from both enemy shelling and extreme weather. They can also be used for NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) protection and establishing command and control centres,'' said a top official.

Actual construction work is underway only in one of the 18 proposed tunnels. But, this long-delayed 8.82-km long horse-shoe shaped tunnel under the 13,400-feet Rohtang Pass, on the Manali-Sarchu-Leh axis, is unlikely to meet its completion deadline of February, 2015. Feasibility studies and preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for three more tunnels at Zozila, Z-Morh and Razdhan Pass in J&K are in progress, while similar work is planned for Khardungla and Sadhana Pass in J&K and Theng in Sikkim. The other proposed tunnels include Rangpo in Sikkim and on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang axis in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Army is anxious the existing large gaps in border infrastructure — in terms of all-weather roads, tunnels, strategic railway lines, "permanent defences'' and the like — are plugged as fast as possible. China, for instance, can move around 30 divisions (each with over 15,000 soldiers) to the borders within 30 days to outnumber Indian forces by at least 3:1 after undertaking massive infrastructure development all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, as earlier reported by TOI. An empowered committee under defence secretary Shashikant Sharma is scrutinizing DPRs for the proposed overall "capability development plan on the northern borders'' worth Rs 26,155 crore. While this is slated is slated for completion by 2020-2021, there is an ongoing Rs 9,243 crore project for "infrastructure development in the eastern theatre'' by 2016-2017.

The Army hopes the projects are not hit by huge time overruns like the 73 all-weather roads earmarked for construction along the three sectors of LAC close to a decade ago. Defence minister A K Antony admitted in LS this week that just 16 of those roads have been finished till now, with another 26 slated for completion by 2013, and 19 more by 2016.

Sikkim: Chinese army personnel join I-Day celebrations

Sikkim: Chinese army personnel join I-Day celebrations

August 15, 2012 17:05 IST

Giving thrust to bilateral confidence building measures on the Sino-India border, a delegation of Chinese army on Wednesday joined their Indian counterparts in celebrating India's [ Images ] Independence Day at the border post in Nathu La.

 Led by Senior Colonel Wang Ji Ping, the Chinese delegation crossed over to the Indian border post at a height of 14,130 feet and participated in the ceremony in which flags of both the nations were hoisted and national anthems sung.

The ceremony was held close to the zero border on the Nathu La pass in Sikkim.

"This action is conducive to peace and tranquility and will maintain the trust between Chinese and Indian people." Chinese delegation leader Wang Ji Ping said.

The flag hosting ceremony was followed by an interaction between Indian and Chinese delegations. Several Chinese officers had also brought their family members and children along for the celebrations.

The interaction, in which the camaraderie was clearly visible, went on for nearly two hours. As the Indian side performed bhangra and sang folk songs to entertain the visitors, the Chinese too participated enthusiastically and danced along with the hosts.

"The annual feature started after the confidence building measures which were put in place in 1993 after the treaty for border peace and tranquility," Brigadier Ravi Jhaldiyal, Commander 63 mountain brigade said.

Jhaldiyal led the Indian delegation in welcoming Chinese officers and their families.

"We have three types of activities here. First is the one which takes place on 15th of May on Chinese side and on 15th September on the Indian side. Along with that if there is any issue on the border then we have special flag meetings," he added.

"Then there are the national days of India and China where we have special meet. The intention is to basically know them and interact with them so that you have some kind of friendship with them," Jhaldiyal said.

He said these interactions and the resulting friendship helped in resolving a lot of issues on the border. "It also sorts out lots of local border issues. Minor issues, before they could escalate, are also sorted out," he said.

The interaction, in which the camaraderie was clearly visible, went on for nearly two hours during which the Indian side performed bhangra and sang folk songs to entertain the visitors. The Chinese on their part participated enthusiastically and danced along with the hosts.

Gifts were also exchanged between the two sides and the army officials said they had chosen artefacts depicting Indian culture as presents for the Chinese.

China would be now be celebrating its national day on October 1 and plans are being made for a similar participation by the Indian side, army officials said.

Anshuman G Dutta in Nathu La, Sikkim

Aye mere watan ke logon

Aye mere watan ke logon
tum khub lagaa lo naaraa
ye shubh din hai hum sab kaa
leharaa lo tirangaa pyaaraa
par mat bhulo siimaa par
veeron ne hai praan ganwaae
kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo
kuchh yaad unhein bhi kar lo
jo lauT ke ghar na aaye
jo lauT ke ghar na aaye

Aye mere watan ke logon
zaraa aankh mein bhar lo paani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

jab ghaayal hua himaalay
khatare mein padi aazaadi
jab tak thi saans ladhe wo
phir apani laash bichhaa dii
sangiin pe dhar kar maathaa
so gaye amar balidaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

jab desh mein thi diwaali
wo khel rahe the holi
jab hum baithe the gharon mein
wo jhel rahe the goli
the dhanya jawaan wo aapane
thi dhanya wo unki jawaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

koi sikh koi jaat maraatha
koi gorkhaa koi madaraasi
sarhad pe marane waalaa
har veer thaa bhaaratvaasi
jo khoon giraa parvat par
Wo khoon thaa Hindustaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

thi khoon se lath pat kaayaa
phir bhi bandhuk uthaake
dus dus ko ek ne maaraa
phir gir gaye hosh ganwaa ke
jab ant samay aayaa to
keh gaye ke ab marte hain
khush rehanaa desh ke pyaaron
ab hum to safar karte hain
kyaa log the wo deewaane
kyaa log the wo abhimaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani

tum bhool naa jaao unko
is liye kahi ye kahaani
jo shahid hue hain unki
zaraa yaad karo qurbaani
jay hind... jay hind ki senaa
jay hind... jay hind ki senaa
jay hind, jay hind, jay hind

Our Parliament stands as a unique representation of the values that created our Republic – of Unity in Diversity, of Secularism, of Pluralism and of the Rule of Law.

Mustafa Quraishi/Associated Press
Boxer Mary Kom was felicitated by the Minister of Tribal Affairs in New Delhi. Ms. Kom returned to India Tuesday after winning a bronze medal in the women’s flyweight boxing event at the London Olympics

Chinese Inroads into Bhutan: Diplomatic Gimmick or Strategic Reality?

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by Medha Bisht

August 14, 2012

The past few months have been an exciting phase in Bhutan’s foreign policy. Some political analysts are questioning Bhutan’s resistance to establishing diplomatic ties with China, while others have asserted publicly that Bhutan-China relations are inevitable and would become a diplomatic reality in the years to come. Amidst these competing voices, Bhutan, for its part, has officially maintained silence over the issue. An obvious pointer to this was the way Bhutan chose silence in the wake of media reports in China and India about the interaction on developing Sino-Bhutan relations between the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley at the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit. Significantly, the official mouth piece of Bhutan, The Kuensel, totally ignored the issue. However, a popular daily, The Bhutanese, mentioned categorically, on the basis of a Press Release issued by the Prime Minister’s office, that the “local Chinese media had misreported that Bhutan and China will establish diplomatic ties.”

Even as the dust was settling on this episode, a controversy about certain tenders being qualified to procure Chinese buses brought the China factor to the fore. According to a media source, in July 2012, a tender was given to Global Traders and Gangjung (GT), which is a supplier of Chinese vehicles. Significantly, the company’s owner is the Bhutanese Prime Minister’s son-in-law. While there has been some controversy about the transparency of the tendering process, the mandated authority, Bhutan Post Corporation Limited (BPCL), has publicly stated in a clarification letter that TATA city buses— imported from India by Samden Vehicles (SV)—had started giving problems in their first year of operation. Though SV has challenged the final decision of BPCL, the episode is however symbolic of Bhutan’s interest in Chinese goods and also speaks of China’s influence on various stakeholders in Bhutan’s domestic politics. However, this is not the first time that such linkages have come out in the public domain.

In 2010, the fifth National Assembly debate in Bhutan had noted that China had already offered to invest in projects related to health and education services. Some scholars have even written about the growing domestic interest in Bhutan to engage with China. Caroline Brassard, for instance, has mentioned the growing pressure put by the private sector, including the Bhutan Chambers of Commerce, on the government to resolve the boundary dispute.1 It can be said that the undercurrent for this pressure is to facilitate the aim of establishing economic relations with China. This became evident during the author’s interaction with the Vice President of Bhutan Chambers of Commerce and Industry who argued that a limited transactional status with China would benefit the Bhutanese economy since at present all the goods imported from China have to pass through the Calcutta port, which adds to the transactional issues and thus increases the costs of imported Chinese goods.2 Further, while local shopkeepers in Thimpu publicly deny that Chinese goods are being smuggled into Bhutan, it was found that Chinese goods are already filtering in through the North-Western borders in an informal (illegal) manner.3 Thus, while the interest to engage with China is very much present in Bhutan, the caveat of an unsettled boundary dispute remains.

Tsering Tobgay, the opposition leader in Bhutan and President of the People’s Democratic Party believes that the demarcation of the boundary is a precondition for establishing diplomatic and economic ties with China. Tobgay, who represents the Haa constituency, argues that for Bhutan, demarcation of the boundary is akin to gaining a respectful place in the international comity. He also believes that the demarcation of the boundary is a precondition for a peaceful neighbourhood since, in the absence of a settled boundary, Bhutan could become a potential flashpoint for the two nuclear Asian powers—India and China.4

Some of these sentiments were recently reiterated by Fu Ying, the Vice Foreign Minister of China. During his visit to Bhutan for the 20th round of the Sino-Bhutan boundary talks, the Chinese minister stated:

“We (China) are willing to work with Bhutan towards early establishment of diplomatic relations. The border dispute between the two countries does not cover a wide area. The two sides should speed up border talks in the spirit of mutual understanding and accommodation, with a view to arriving at a fair and reasonable and mutually acceptable solution. This will contribute to peace and stability in our border areas. We are ready to encourage Chinese businesses to expand their exports to Bhutan and welcome more people-to-people exchanges and tourism, which will help increase the mutual knowledge and friendship between our two people. We believe that Bhutan is well-placed to grasp the opportunity of the development of China and India and benefit from the great historical renaissance of Asia. Maximizing these opportunities will help Bhutan open up a new era of development.”5

Instructive as this statement is about the keen interest in China to engage Bhutan, it also in many ways reveals the confidence and the readiness of the Chinese to settle the boundary dispute with Bhutan.

While Bhutan-China relations are a matter of bilateral concern and should not be filtered through the Indian prism, the nature of the boundary dispute perhaps needs elaboration. This is because a settled boundary dispute is a precondition for facilitating diplomatic ties between China and Bhutan. The very fact that the boundary talks have been prolonged for almost four decades speaks a lot about the nature and the tradeoffs embedded in the dispute. If the dispute were to be settled along the lines of the package deal6 proposed by the Chinese, China could move further South thus occupying the Doklam plateau and attain strategic leverage and an offensive advantage over the Chumbi Valley. This, in the long term, could make the Siliguri corridor—the choke point that connects mainland India to its North East—vulnerable.

The question of Sino-Bhutan diplomatic relations, which is essentially linked to a settled boundary line, thus becomes a matter of strategic choice for Bhutan. The question to be asked therefore is whether Bhutan is prepared to make the strategic bargain. It would not be an exaggeration to state that with huge Indian investments in Bhutan’s economy, such a choice could be difficult at least until 2020 primarily due to the nature of hydel cooperation between India and Bhutan. If China seeks to replace India, is Bhutan ready to be flooded with Chinese goods, more so when its industrial belt essentially lies in the South. Some experts claim that China has interests in the timber resources of Bhutan.7 Will Bhutan be ready to make a ‘green’ sacrifice, given that preservation of natural resources has been a policy priority for Bhutan.

These are some tough questions which Bhutan’s policy makers will have to address. The question of Bhutan engaging China thus needs to be addressed at two levels. First, what will be the nature of a settled boundary dispute and is there a perceived middle way to resolve it? Second, what will be the nature and magnitude of Bhutan’s economic engagement with China and how will this equation impact upon Bhutan’s interaction with India? Addressing these two questions and finding a balance are essential before anything definitive can be said about the inevitability of Bhutan-China diplomatic relations.

Dr. Medha Bisht is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi. She can be contacted at medha.bisht@gmail.com.

source:INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES AND ANALYSES

: India's next tryst with destiny

Shyam Saran: India's next tryst with destiny
Unlike China, India has not clearly embraced its post-reform policy direction


by Shyam Saran / Aug 15, 2012, 00:44 IST
source: Business Standard


The benchmark against which most Indians judge their country’s performance is China. The rest of the world does the same — though China itself, with some justification, treats such comparisons with disdain. As India celebrates its 66th Independence Day, it must confront the unpleasant but compelling reality that against most measures of economic and social development, China is significantly ahead of India and the gap is growing wider relentlessly. This is notwithstanding the general expectation that China may now be entering an era of slower growth with an ageing population.

The factors often cited to argue that India will catch up, such as a young population, a high savings rate or a dynamic and outward-looking entrepreneurial class, do not guarantee an inevitable and automatic outcome as some of prevailing commentary would suggest. Without a massive investment in skills and education, a rising youth population could turn into a demographic disaster rather than pay a demographic dividend. A high savings rate may evaporate if inflation continues to erode citizens’ assets. And dynamic entrepreneurs may well seek greener pastures in foreign realms if the investment climate at home continues to be uncertain.

Any complacency born out of a sense that India’s rise in Chinese fashion is somehow predetermined must be given a quick burial. There was no inevitability about China’s rise. Its rise is the outcome of national choice. India, too, must choose whether it is content with muddling along or should make the difficult and sometimes risky choices that could give it a fair shot at great power credentials.

In comparing India to China, we often point to our civilisational heritage, our role in shaping Asia’s cultural identity, and our long history as the world’s largest and richest economies before the age of imperialism and colonialism reduced both countries to the ranks of the poor and backward. China has a clear sense that it is regaining its historic place as a great power. But while China has worked single-mindedly to achieve its current pre-eminence, many in India seem to believe that our luminescent history is sufficient assurance of a bright future. This, too, breeds an unconscious complacency. References to ancient glory should serve to spur current effort, not substitute for it.

What is the scale of effort required to bridge the yawning gap with China? According to International Monetary Fund figures, India GDP in PPP terms in 2011 was $4.825 trillion, while China’s was three times as large at $11.3 trillion. India’s electricity use is currently 0.5 Mw per capita, while China’s is five times as large. India’s urban population is 30 per cent of the total; China’s is 50 per cent. India’s literacy rate is just over 60 per cent, while China’s is nearing 100 per cent. India’s defence spending is $30 billion against China’s (probably underestimated) $100 billion.

Even in areas such as information technology, where India is regarded as a global leader, China has raced ahead in recent years. In 2011, personal computer shipments in China touched 73 million units against 10.6 million units in India. Internet penetration in China is 32 per cent of the population against only nine per cent in India. We remain ahead in software development and outsourcing, but China is catching up here, too. On current trends, the gap will only widen in the coming years.

This will have a significant impact on India’s geopolitical position both in Asia and in the world. In a globalised world, where domestic and external factors are in constant interplay, India’s diminishing prospects and profile vis-à-vis China will have consequences that go beyond its place in the global pecking order. Any honest national discourse must acknowledge this and clearly spell out choices that confront India. We should not end up with an outcome by default.

Soon after gaining independence, India’s political leadership did articulate a vision of the kind of society India should aspire for, and it drew up an appropriate economic and social strategy to achieve it. There was also a consistent world view that India propagated, which gave rise to the policy of non-alignment. In both respects, India has moved on. Its economic policies are very different from those pursued before 1990 and its foreign policies even more so, but they do not constitute a coherent and internally consistent national strategy. There is a continuing reluctance to acknowledge that the post-Independence framework can no longer meet the domestic and external challenges that confront India today. This reluctance inhibits bold policy departures, relying on “reform by stealth” or “reform through crisis”.

In China, by contrast, there was a clear-cut resetting of national goals and strategies in the post-Mao era. The “four modernisations” – agriculture, industry, science and technology, and defence – represented a major break from the past. The spirit of the new age was encapsulated in slogans such as “to get rich is glorious”, “break the iron rice-bowl”, and the pursuing of an “open door” policy. China may once again be at the threshold of another resetting of its national compass as a new leadership takes over. In India, political legitimacy is still being sought from a template that has lost the inspirational energy that it once generated. What should take its place?

One, if we accept that the post-1990 economic reforms and liberalisation have enhanced India’s national power, then they must be accorded political legitimacy. Beyond a certain threshold, there is a trade-off between policies of accelerated growth and expanded entitlement payments such as subsidies, employment guarantee and food security. This should be acknowledged and a political consensus must be evolved on the preferred choice.

Two, the role of the state in economic activity needs to be redefined. There is some reluctance to divest interventionist approaches and abandon administrative pricing of resources, which have led to huge distortions in the economy. Our embrace of the market has been half-hearted and halting.

Three, the entry of foreign capital into India continues to be met with ambivalence. Unlike in China, no effort has been made to articulate a clear and persuasive case for the role of foreign capital and technology in India’s development.

Four, the institutional and governance structure at the central and state levels has remained essentially unchanged since the early days of India’s independence. Their overhaul is long overdue.

Five, perhaps the most important element is to invest in building human and institutional capacities required to implement an altered vision.

As we celebrate the anniversary of India’s independence, a national discourse on the above elements may contribute to the drawing up of a new template for India’s next tryst with destiny as a great power.

(The writer, a former foreign secretary, is chairman of RIS and a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi)

PM's address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day 2012

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort today on the occasion of Independence Day. Following is the English rendering of the Prime Minister’s speech. “My dear countrymen, brothers, sisters and dear children, I greet you all on this anniversary of our Independence. “The leaders of our freedom movement, under the stewardship of Mahatma Gandhi, had dreamt of an independent and prosperous India. On this day in 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru took the first step towards the realization of that dream by hoisting the Tricolour at the Red Fort. The journey we began on 15 August, 1947 is now 65 years old. We have achieved much in these 65 years. Today is certainly a day to celebrate the success of our democracy. However, on this occasion we should also introspect about what remains to be done. We would achieve independence in the true sense only when we are able to banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness from our country. This would be possible only when we learn from our failures and build on our successes. You are aware that these days the global economy is passing through a difficult phase. The pace of economic growth has come down in all countries of the world. Seen together, the European countries are estimated to grow at 0 percent this year. Our country has also been affected by these adverse external conditions. Also, there have been domestic developments which are hindering our economic growth. Last year our GDP grew by 6.5 percent. This year we hope to do a little better. We cannot do much about the conditions that prevail outside our country. But we must make every effort to resolve the problems inside our country so that our economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities in the country are again speeded up. While doing this, we must also control inflation. This would pose some difficulty because of a bad monsoon this year. However, we have taken many measures to deal with the situation. In districts where there has been a deficit of 50 percent or more in the rainfall, diesel subsidy is being provided to farmers by the Government. Seed subsidy has been enhanced. Funds available under the Central scheme for fodder have been increased. Our effort is to ensure that people do not face difficulty due to shortage of seeds, fodder or water in any part of the country. It is good that we have a big stock of foodgrains because of the hard work of our farmer brothers and sisters, and availability of foodgrains is not a problem for us. As far as creating an environment within the country for rapid economic growth is concerned, I believe that we are not being able to achieve this because of a lack of political consensus on many issues. Time has now come to view the issues which affect our development processes as matters of national security. If we do not increase the pace of the country’s economic growth, take steps to encourage new investment in the economy, improve the management of Government finances and work for the livelihood security of the common man and energy security of the country, then it most certainly affects our national security. I promise to you today that our Government will work hard for India’s rapid economic growth and for shielding the country from the effects of the global economic slowdown. I promise that we will work hard for creation of new employment opportunities for our young men and women living in villages and cities. We will make every possible effort to secure the livelihood of our poor brothers and sister, our workers and our farmers. We will leave no stone unturned to encourage investment in our country so that our entrepreneurs can make a substantial contribution to our economy. I believe that this period of difficulties will not last long. Even as we face these problems, we should be encouraged by the fact that we have achieved extraordinary successes in many areas in the last 8 years. We now need to replicate these successes in newer areas. It has been our endeavour in the last 8 years to empower our citizens socially and economically so that they can contribute to the sacred task of nation building. Today, one out of every 5 households in the country has become eligible to benefit from the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act through a job card. In only the last one year we have provided employment to more than 8 crore people under this scheme. When the UPA Government came to power in 2004, we had promised that we would provide electricity to all villages. To fulfill this promise, we launched the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. More than 1 lakh new villages have been provided with electricity connections under this scheme and now almost all the villages in the country have been electrified. Our next target is to provide electricity to each and every household in our country in the next 5 years and to also improve the supply of electricity. No praise is high enough for our hard working farmers. They have produced a record output of crops successively in the last 2 years. Because of our Government's efforts for development of agriculture and for protecting the interests of farmers, agriculture has grown at an average rate of 3.3 per cent in the 11th Plan which is substantially higher than the 2.4 per cent we achieved in the 10th Plan. In the last 8 years, we have doubled the support prices of crops. We are providing loans at low interest rates to lakhs of farmers. Our children are the biggest strength of our country. If our children are provided with good education and are healthy, then our future would be bright. This is the reason why we have paid special attention to the needs of children in our policies and programmes. The education of children has been made mandatory by law. In the year 2006-07, only 93 per cent of children in the age group 6-14 years were getting admission in schools. Today almost all children in this age group are being admitted to schools. More than 51,000 new schools have been opened in the country and about 7 lakh teachers appointed in them in just the last 2 years. Now we will focus on improving the quality of education. In the next few months we will put in place a system of continuous assessment of the benefit our children are getting from teaching. Participation of the community and parents would be ensured so that they can be satisfied with the quality of teaching. The Mid-day-meal Scheme provides nutritious meals in schools for about 12 crore children everyday. This is the biggest scheme of its kind in the world. In the last one and half years no new case of polio has come to light and now India does not figure in the list of countries affected by this disease. Malnutrition in children is a big challenge for us. We have taken steps in many dimensions to deal with this problem. In the last 8 years, the number of mothers and children benefitting from the ICDS has doubled. The process of making the ICDS more effective is in its last stages and will be completed in the next 1 or 2 months. We had launched the National Rural Health Mission in 2005 so that health services can be extended to each village in the country. Today this Mission is being implemented with the help of 10 lakh health personnel including 8.5 lakh Asha workers. After the success of the National Rural health Mission, we now want to expand the scope of health services in our towns also. The National Rural Health Mission will be converted into a National Health Mission which would cover all villages and towns in the country. We are also formulating a scheme for distribution of free medicines through Government hospitals and health centres. We want to create many new job opportunities for our youth in the coming years. To achieve this it is necessary that we train them in skills which our economy needs. It is our endeavour to put in place a system in which training facilities are available in many new skills. We also wish to provide short duration training courses of 6 weeks to 6 months for our young brothers and sisters. The National Skill Development Council has formulated a major scheme for skill development in which 8 crore people will be trained in the next 5 years. This is an ambitious scheme which can be implemented only through a specialized agency of the Central Government. Therefore, we are considering the establishment of a National Skill Development Authority so that skill development programmes all over the country can be implemented in a coordinated manner. We would also need contribution from the private sector and non-Governmental organizations in this work. Creation of new employment opportunities is possible only when we encourage industry and trade. For this we need to speedily improve our infrastructure. Recently we have taken new measures to accelerate infrastructure development. Ambitious targets have been fixed in roads, airports, railways, electricity generation and coal production. The Government will take steps to increase investment for infrastructure development with the help of the private sector. To attract foreign capital, we will have to create confidence at the international level that there are no barriers to investment in India. Just 10 years back only 3 out of every 10 households in our villages were benefitting from banking services. Today more than half of the rural households get the benefit of bank accounts. It will be our endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in the next 2 years. We want to create a system in which money from Government schemes - pension for old people, scholarship for students and wages for labourers - can be credited directly into people’s bank accounts. This would reduce inconvenience to the beneficiaries, make it easy for them to receive payment and increase transparency. For this work, we will take help from the Aadhar scheme under which about 20 crore people have been registered so far. To provide housing for our poor brothers and sisters residing in urban areas of our country we will soon launch the Rajiv Housing Loan Scheme. Under this scheme, people belonging to the economically weaker sections would be given relief on interest for housing loans of less than Rs. 5 lakh. This year we will present the Twelfth Five Year Plan for consideration of the National Development Council. The Plan would determine the future course of action on all important matters relating to the country's development. It would lay down measures for increasing our present rate of economic growth from 6.5 to 9 per cent in the last year of the Plan. The Plan would focus special attention on areas important from the point of view of reaching the fruits of development to each citizen of our country and specially to the weaker sections of our society. I have full confidence that the Centre and the States will act together to implement the Twelfth Plan in an effective manner. The incidents of violence which occurred in Assam recently are very unfortunate. I know that these incidents have resulted in the disruption of the lives of a large number of people. We fully sympathize with those families which have been affected by the violence. We are doing everything possible to provide relief to them. I also promise to you that our Government will make every effort to understand the reasons behind the violence and work hard with the State Governments to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in any part of the country. We have achieved success in many areas of internal security. In Jammu and Kashmir, people participated in large numbers in the Panchayat elections. There has been a reduction in violence in the North Eastern States and we are engaged in dialogue with many groups there so that they can join the mainstream of development. We have initiated new schemes of development in areas affected by naxal violence to ensure that the grievances of the people residing there, especially our brothers and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes, can be removed and their lot can be improved. However, we need to be constantly vigilant as far as internal security is concerned. Communal harmony has to be maintained at all costs. Naxalism is still a serious problem. The incidents which occurred in Pune in the beginning of this month point to the need for much more work to be done in the area of national security. We will continue to do this work with sincerity in the future also. I would like to congratulate our scientists and technologists who have enhanced our prestige by successfully testing the Agni V Missile and launching the RISAT- I Satellite in space this year. Recently the Cabinet has approved the Mars Orbiter Mission. Under this Mission, our spaceship will go near Mars and collect important scientific information. This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology. We have seen a lot of discussion in the recent months about the role of our armed forces and their preparedness. I would like to emphasise here that our armed forces and paramilitary forces have defended the security of our country both during war and peace with valour and honour. Our soldiers have made the biggest of sacrifices, whenever needed. Today I would like to reassure our countrymen that our armed forces and paramilitary forces are prepared to face any challenge. The Government will continue to work for modernizing these forces and providing them with the necessary technology and equipment. Today, I would like to thank our security forces, who are guarding our frontiers bravely, from the bottom of my heart. We will continue to make efforts for their welfare. Our Government has set up a committee to examine issues relating to pay and pension of armed forces personnel. This committee will also look into matters concerning pension of retired men and officers and family pension being paid to their families. We will take prompt action on the recommendations of the committee, once they are received. Our Government has paid special attention to the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other weaker sections. The special needs of our tribal and backward districts are being met through programmes such as the Integrated Action Plan, Backward Regions Grant Fund and Tribal Sub Plan. Through the Forest Rights Act, we have given proprietary rights to lakhs of our brothers and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes on land on which they have been living for generations. We are formulating a scheme to ensure that people belonging to Scheduled Tribes can get fair and remunerative prices for the forest produce they collect. The Government wants to speedily convert the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill into a legislation. Through this law we want to provide funds for the benefit of our tribal brothers and sisters in the mining areas. We will make the 15 points programme for minorities more effective. The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme being implemented in districts with large minority populations will be expanded. We have enhanced the amount of post-matric scholarship available to children belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities. Our efforts to make these scholarship schemes more effective will continue.We are considering a new and effective law to put an end to the repulsive practice of manual scavenging and to provide opportunities to those engaged in this practice to begin their lives afresh. Our commitment to make the work of the Government and administration transparent and accountable stands. On the last Independence Day, I promised you that we would take many steps for this purpose. I am happy to state that during the last 1 year we have achieved good progress in this area. The Lok Sabha has cleared the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill. We hope that all political parties will help us in passing this Bill in the Rajya Sabha. A number of other Bills have also been presented before the Parliament. The Cabinet has cleared a Public Procurement Bill. We will continue our efforts to bring more transparency and accountability in the work of public servants and to reduce corruption. But we will also take care that these measures do not result in a situation in which the morale of public functionaries taking decisions in public interest gets affected because of baseless allegations and unnecessary litigation. In my first message to the country after assuming the office of Prime Minister I had appealed to you to contribute to the sacred work of nation building. I am very happy that today more of our citizens than ever before, and specially the youth, are taking interest in issues related to the progress of our society and country. Our Government believes that the difficult problems which India faces can be resolved only with the cooperation of the common man. It will be our endeavour that in the coming time, still more people help us in tasks like removal of poverty, illiteracy and inequality. I believe that no power in the world can stop our country from achieving new heights of progress and development. What is needed is that we work together as one people for the success of our country. Let us once more resolve that we will continue to work for a progressive, modern and prosperous India.” Dear children join me in saying Jai Hind, Jai Hind, Jai Hind.” **** RCJ/SC/SH/SKS/RK/SK/LM (Release ID :86182)

BABA RAMDEV STREGTHENS BLACK MONEY ISSUE.

Tibetan-language phones welcomed

Tibetan-language phones welcomed


By Da Qiong in Lhasa and Jin Haixing in Beijing (China Daily)


A new smartphone with a Tibetan-language operating system has become popular in the Tibet autonomous region since its launch in June.
The cell phone, made by China Telecom Tibet branch, is the first smartphone to feature the Tibetan language. It has received an enthusiastic reception as increasing numbers of Tibetan people start using cell phones and the Internet.
By the end of 2010, the Tibet autonomous region had a total of 1.2 million Internet users, nearly half the total population of the region.
About 90 percent of them access the Internet through cell phones. The remaining 10 percent use broadband services.
Users are able to switch between Tibetan and Chinese systems at ease with the new phone, said a spokesman from China Telecom Tibet branch.
Since the phone was introduced in villages and monasteries in Damxung and Maizhokunggar - counties located near Lhasa, the capital of Tibet - about 700 cell phones have been sold.
The inclusion of Tibetan, the most widely used language in the autonomous region, is set to allow more people to use modern technology.
"I can use my most familiar language to text friends. It brings us much joy that we can better express ourselves. I'm sure I'll find more friends," said Yongdhong Lhatso, a girl from the Qiangtang Grassland in northern Tibet.
"Tibetan-language phones will popularize the use of the Tibetan language through technology. I appreciate this," said Tashi Dawa, a senior middle school teacher from Xigaze prefecture.
Herdsmen, farmers and monks with poor Chinese are the main beneficiaries of the move, because most of them find it difficult to use Chinese or English on their cell phones.
"It will encourage Tibetans to use their own language, and is a great contribution to Tibetan-language preservation," said Sonam Dorji, a Tibetan monk from Qamdo in eastern Tibet.
Before this brand of cell phone, other mobile service providers had made efforts to introduce the Tibetan language on cell phones. An iPhone application allows users to use Tibetan but its capabilities are limited and the iPhone is too expensive for many people in remote areas.

World over-using underground water reserves for agriculture


By Chris Wickham

LONDON (Reuters) - The world is depleting underground water reserves faster than they can be replenished due to over-exploitation, according to scientists in Canada and the Netherlands.

The researchers, from McGill University in Montreal and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, combined groundwater usage data from around the globe with computer models of underground water resources to come up with a measure of water usage relative to supply.

That measure shows the groundwater footprint - the area above ground that relies on water from underground sources - is about 3.5 times bigger than the aquifers themselves.

The research suggests about 1.7 billion people, mostly in Asia, are living in areas where underground water reserves and the ecosystems that rely on them are under threat, they said.

Tom Gleeson from McGill, who led the study, said the results are "sobering", showing that people are over-using groundwater in a number of regions in Asia and North America.

Over 99 percent of the world's fresh and unfrozen water sits underground, and he suggests this huge reservoir that could be crucial for the world's growing population, if managed properly.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that 80 percent of the world's aquifers are being used sustainably but this is offset by heavy over-exploitation in a few key areas.

Those areas included western Mexico, the High Plains and California's Central Valley in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, northern India and parts of northern China.

"CRITICAL TO AGRICULTURE"

"The relatively few aquifers that are being heavily exploited are unfortunately critical to agriculture in a number of different countries," Gleeson told Reuters. "So even though the number is relatively small, these are critical resources that need better management."

Previous research has shown that it takes about 140 liters of water to grow the beans that go into one cup of coffee, whether they are cultivated in arid Ethiopia or the Colombian rain forest.

"The effect of this water use on the supply of available water will be very different," the researchers wrote. "Until now, there has been no way of quantifying the impact of such agricultural groundwater use in any consistent, global way."

Gleeson said limits on water extraction, more efficient irrigation and the promotion of different diets, with less or no meat, could make these water resources more sustainable.

Water sitting in underground aquifers was the subject of research by British researchers published in April that mapped huge reserves sitting under large parts of Africa that could provide a buffer against the effects of climate change, if used sustainably.

A team from the British Geological Survey and University College London estimated that reserves of groundwater across Africa are about 100 times the amount found on the continent's surface.

Some of the largest reserves are under the driest North African countries like Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Sudan, but some schemes to exploit them are not sustainable.

The biggest is Libya's $25 billion Great Manmade River project, built by the regime of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi to supply cities including Tripoli, Benghazi and Sirte with an estimated 6.5 million cubic meters of water a day.

The network of pipes and boreholes is sucking water out of the ground that was deposited in the rocks under the Sahara an estimated 40,000 years ago, but is not being replenished.

It is unclear how long this water source will last, with estimates ranging between 60 and 100 years

245 private FM radio stations operational in India: TRAI report

245 private FM radio stations operational in India: TRAI report

RnM Team    04 Aug 12 20:15 IST

MUMBAI: Apart from All India Radio and public broadcaster Prasar Bharti, there are a total of 245 private FM radio stations in operation currently, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) ‘The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators’ report for the period between January and March 2012.

According to the report, the number of telephone subscribers in India has increased from 926.53 million in December 2011 to 951.34 million in March 2012, registering a growth of 2.68 per cent over the previous quarter as against 2.16 per cent during the December 2011.

Subscription in urban areas grew from 611.19 million in December 2011 to 620.52 million in March 2012, taking the urban teledensity from 167.85 to 169.55mn. Rural subscription increased from 315.33 million to 330.82 million, while the rural teledensity increased from 37.48 to 39.22mn. Share of rural areas in total subscription has increased from 34.03 per cent at the end of December 2011 to 34.77 per cent at the end of March 2012.

Also focusing on the total number of internet subscribers in India, the report states that there has been a significant increase in the subscribers from 22.39 million in December 2011 to 22.86 million in March 2012, registering a quarterly growth rate of 2.10 per cent. Top 10 ISPs together hold 94.94 per cent of the total Internet subscriber base.

The number of broadband subscribers increased from 13.35 million in December 2011 to 13.81 million in March 2012, registering a quarterly growth of 3.44 per cent and year-over-year growth of 16.18 per cent. Also the share of broadband subscription in total Internet subscription decreased from 59.6 per cent at the end of December 2011 to 60.4 per cent at the end of March 2012. 85 per cent of the broadband subscribers are using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology.

The report provides a broader perspective of the telecom services and presents the key parameters and growth trends for the telecom, cable TV, DTH and radio broadcasting services in India and is compiled on the basis of information furnished by the service providers.

It's payback time for India Inc

NALINAKANTHI V.

source:businessline   

Share

Which sectors have the potential to ramp up their sales and profits on the strength of existing assets, once the economy revives? Here’s our take.

Indian companies sank substantial money into expanding their capacity over the last five years. But thanks to the ongoing slowdown, many of these projects are starting to pay off only now.

An analysis of the data for 255 companies constituting the CNX 500 Index shows that these companies have nearly doubled their productive assets (gross block plus capital work-in progress) in the past five years. Their revenues have just about doubled too.

But historical trends in asset turnover (how much sales a company generates for every rupee of assets), suggest that these capacities can support revenue growth of 33 per cent, if companies are able to milk their assets as they did in the past.

The potential for growth is higher in sectors during a cyclical downturn.

So which sectors have the potential to ramp up their sales and profits, the most, on the strength of existing assets, once the economy revives? Read on.

Capital spending

While assets for 255 companies have doubled, the growth in revenues was 99 per cent in the period.

These companies enjoyed an average asset turnover ratio of 2.2 over the period 2007-12. The ratio peaked at 2.5 times in the year 2007-08; which denotes that for every Rs 100 spent as capital investment, the firm was able to generate peak revenues of Rs 250 from the invested capital.

Applying the peak ratio of 2.5 times to the current net block indicates potential to scale up revenues by over a third.

The long-term borrowing of these companies increased by 59 per cent during this period. This points to a balanced funding of investment, through a mix of cash generated by the business and borrowings.

Major spenders

A deeper dive into the sector-wise spending pattern over the period reveals that auto and ancillary companies topped the list, showing over three times increase in total capital expenditure spend.

Organised retail has been the second largest sector to invest in capacity expansion projects, almost trebling its total asset base.

Interestingly, the infrastructure sector also doubled its gross assets during the same period.

Sector-wise trends

While the overall revenues have more or less kept pace with the investments made over the last five years, the sector-wise data point to wide differences.

In the core sector, capital goods had the highest average turnover to assets ratio of 7.1 times over the period 2007-12; meaning that every Rs 100 invested generated revenues of Rs 710.

Petrochemicals sector closely followed capital goods on the asset turnover ratio, clocking revenues that were 5.8 times higher than the net assets.

Other sectors that generated meaningfully higher revenues from net assets include IT (4.4 times), Agrochemicals (4.2) and Oil and gas (4.1).

In contrast, there were sectors whose revenue traction was lower. The five year average asset turnover ratio of 14 out of the 39 sectors was lower than the CNX 500’s average asset turnover of 2.2.

This includes sectors such as cement, media, telecom and sugar, to name a few.

There have also been sectors where the total revenue generated has been lower than the total assets.

For 6 out of the 39 sectors, the revenue generated from capacity additions was less than the cumulative assets (implying an asset turnover ratio of less than 1).

Shipping had the lowest asset turnover ratio of 0.4 implying revenue generation of Rs 40 from assets worth Rs 100. Other sectors with a similar trend include hotels, paper and power generation.

Why did these sectors have a depressed asset turnover ratio?

One reason seems to be that significant investments made in fixed assets over the last five years have not paid off in the form of revenues.

Interestingly, the airline industry, despite having managed to grow revenues faster than the addition to its gross assets, was yet among the sectors with turnover ratio of less than one.

Double whammy

Some sectors saw their revenue decline over the last five years, even as they were investing in expanding capacities.

It’s been a double whammy for these sectors where the investment in gross assets increased over a five-year period, while the revenues were on a downward spiral.

For the shipping industry, though its gross assets grew almost by a third in the last five years, the revenues declined by 6 per cent leading to lower asset turnover ratio.

Given the cyclic nature of sectors such as shipping, cement and sugar, upturn in the business cycle may drive sales growth for these sectors.

With investments in place, the revenue flows for these sectors could gather momentum over the next few years, barring any unforeseen regulatory and business risk.

Nalinakanthi.v@thehindu.co.in  

 Photo: Nivedita Ganguly

Sikkimese journalist robbed in New Delhi

After the Sikkim Federation of Working Journalists (SFWJ) approached its parent body Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) based in New Delhi on robbery of Sikkimese journalist Duk Nath Nepal in New Delhi recently, the Secretary General of IFWJ, Mr. Parmanand Pandey, took up the matter with Delhi Police.

In his response to the SFWJ’s request, Mr. Pandey, in a communiqué to SFWJ President Mr. Jigme N Kazi, said he has already spoken to the Deputy Commissioner of Police regarding the robbery. Mr. Pandey is hopeful that Delhi Police, which had been apprised of the matter when the robbery took place in the night of June 27, 2012, will act on the complaint.

 “However, if nothing happens in two-three days, we will decide further course of action,” Mr. Pandey, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, said in his message to Mr. Kazi.

Mr. Nepal, Editor of Shangrila Times, a Gangtok-based Nepali daily,who was accompanied by Mr. Madhusudhan, were robbed of their cash and other belonging, including a laptop, at knife point by a group of unidentified miscreants near Anand Vihar in New Delhi. The total amount of loss is around Rs. 2 lakhs.

The victims approached the police and a case has been registered at the IP Estate police station. After robbing the victims, the assailants fled in their Innova car. The incident took place near the Delhi Police Headquarters.

(Khagendramani Pradhan)

General Secretary

Sikkim Federation of Working Journalists

Going back to nature

by AARTI DHAR  ( source:The Hindu)

The HinduHealing touch: Kairali in Palakkad, Kerala. Photo: V.Sudershan

Kairali, an Ayurvedic ‘health village’ in Kerala, offers its guests a range of treatments, both preventive and curative, for lifestyle-related ailments

At a time when the world is debating the profits and losses of genetically modified crops and about people developing resistance to medicines due to irrational use, there are some who are promoting the fundamental principles of nature, through Ayurveda, often termed the science of life (Ayur means life and veda means science). It would be a repeat to state here that Ayurvedic treatments are an antidote to the modern-day maladies, which are mostly lifestyle related. Obesity, spondylitis, diabetes, arthritis, and premature ageing, Ayurveda has answers to all of them and more.

Quite a few places for rejuvenation today offer people treatments for these ailments based on Ayurveda. Kairali, an Ayurvedic ‘health village’ in Kerala, is one such place. It not only offers Ayurvedic treatments but also offers to its customers a serene environment and soul-stirring food.

Far from the maddening crowd, Kairali is tucked away in Palakkad district of Kerala. Set amidst palm, coconut, teak and mango trees and paddy fields. “I come here for relaxation and rejuvenation every now and then,’’ says Muhammed, a businessman from Saudi Arabia. He and his brothers are regular visitors to Kairali. Though he goes to the U.S. and Europe for holidays, he finds the culture of the East easier to adapt. “Sufi Muslims also meditate like what people here do and the place is accessible,’’ he says, adding, it is just about 60 km from the Coimbatore airport.

Primarily into the manufacture of Ayurvedic products, the Kairali group started Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort in the late ’80s but eventually converted it into Ayurvedic Healing Village. “We did not want it to look like a hospital with patients coming in. So, we made it into a resort-cum-healing village where people could enjoy their stay in the healthiest possible way,’’ explains Gita Ramesh, its Joint Managing Director.

The 30 villas conform to the principles of Vaastu Shastra. Each villa is named after an astrological star. It offers only vegetarian food. A guest has to abstain from alcohol, smoking and sex. Though the resort has all the modern facilities, including television, guests are advised not to watch too much television or read too much so that they get a real break from their routine. Yoga, massages, treatments and meditation form part of the daily routine here.

Diseases like paralysis, arthritis, rheumatism, bone and joint disorders, slipped disc, nervous disorders and life style related ailments are treated here. “In most cases, there is an improvement of almost 80 per cent after Kairali’s Ayurvedic treatment. If treated in the initial stage, the results can be 100 per cent,’’ claims T.R. Chadrasekharan, the doctor in charge of the Village.

“From the time we started our first centre in Delhi, there has been a lot of awareness among people about what Ayurveda can do. We have domestic as well as international clients now,” says Ramesh. The domestic customers are usually young people, primarily from the IT sector, who can afford the expensive treatments at the resort. “But the international guests belong to older generation who have money to spend on their health.”

The packages are for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days depending on the requirement and guest preference.

Ayurveda propagates a two way healing process — preventive and curative. The preventive aspect works towards raising the efficiency of the immune system, for which detoxification of the body is necessary and the curative component successfully eliminates any ailment.

Today, Kairali has established itself in three continents and nine countries, and is now looking at venturing into a full range of herbal toiletries which will be provided to various hospitality partners. The group manufactures its medical and cosmetic products at Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. It has resorts in Karnataka and Goa too but the one at Palakkad has been declared as World’s Top 50 Wellness destinations and among the Top 10 in Asia by the National Geographic Travellers publication.

Keywords: Ayurvedic health village, Kairali ayurvedic village, Ayurvedic treatments, Kerala ayurvedic village, 

TEXT: ESVEEGEE Breweries Rated at 'Fitch D(ind)'

source:Reuters

• 
  

(The following was released by the rating agency) KOLKATA/SINGAPORE, February 21 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has assigned India's ESVEEGEE Breweries Private Limited a National Long-Term rating of 'Fitch D(ind)'. A full rating breakdown is provided below.
The ratings reflect ESVEEGEE's defaults on principal repayment, amounting to INR0.6m outstanding as on 4 January 2012. The company has delayed the servicing of its term loan interest and principal by more than three days for the last six months. ESVEEGEE could not generate sufficient cash flow from operations as its facility began alcohol production only from July 2011. Capacity utilisation was also low at 37%. However, the increasing demand from bottling units in the North East is likely to generate sufficient sales volumes in the near-term.

Timely repayments of its term liabilities and interest obligations for two consecutive quarters would lead to a rating review.

ESVEEGEE is a Sikkim-based sole producer of extra neutral alcohol (spirit). The company has an installed capacity of 60 kilo litres per day. The promoters have 15 years of experience in the liquor business and have other liquor businesses in Assam and Sikkim.

Fitch has also assigned ratings to ESVEEGEE's bank loans as follows:
- INR207.3m term loan: assigned 'Fitch D(ind)'
- INR55m fund-based working capital limits: assigned 'Fitch D(ind)'

Tax plan for LLPs to hit pharma profits

MAT on income from factories operated in partnerships may crimp Cadila, Sun Pharma, earnings by 10-11%

by Namrata Nandakumar & C.H. Unnikrishnan
    
The  budget proposal to levy a minimum alternate tax (MAT) on limited liability partnership (LLPs) firms and other firms associated with companies, is expected to have an impact on drug makers.

They may now have to pay income-tax on profits posted by their factories operated through partnerships or other forms of firms registered outside the parent companies.


“In order to moderate the outgo on profit-linked deductions, I propose to extend the levy of alternate minimum tax on all persons other than companies, claiming profit-linked deductions,” Mukherjee said in his speech on Friday.

“This has brought income from partnerships under the tax bracket. It will be charged 18.5%,” said Surya Patra, associate vice-president, pharma, at brokerage Systematix Shares and Stocks Ltd. He pointed out that some of the top pharma companies, including Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Cadila Healthcare Ltd, earn income from partnerships. Investors took note of the impact, with shares of at least a dozen drug makers taking a hit on Friday after the announcement.

Sun Pharma shares fell 7.9%, the highest drop in 2012, to close at Rs. 545 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Cadila dropped 5.33% to Rs. 711 and Orchid fell 3.72% to Rs. 168. The Benchmark Sensex shed 1.19%.

“Though the proposal is not specific to the pharma industry, the earnings of Sun Pharma and Cadila would take a hit of about 10-11%, as they used to generate meaningful earnings from their partnership firms,” Patra said.

A Sun Pharma spokesperson said his company has factories in Sikkim and Jammu under partnerships with an employee welfare trust. “It could be one of the reasons for investors to react on the stock negatively on the budget day,” he said. 

“We are already under MAT, so we will not be impacted in a similar way,” said an Orchid spokesperson.

Analysts said the budget proposals indicated no incremental gain for the pharma sector. On the contrary, an increase in excise tax will have a negative impact. “The general rise in service tax and excise duty from 10% to 12 % is likely to raise both input and output costs further,” said Hitesh Sharma, national leader and tax expert, life sciences for consultancy Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd. “Overall, there is nothing positive from the budget for the industry and the larger peers (such as Sun Pharma and Cadila) are down, so this could have led to the negative impact on stocks,” Patra said.


namrata.n@livemint.com