Cooperation with Germany on Energy Sector

India and Germany have discussed bilateral cooperation in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, solar energy, clean coal technology and carbon capture and sequestration. Some countries are reviewing their nuclear power programmes. Reports indicate that the Governments of Germany and Switzerland plan to phase out nuclear power by 2022 and 2034 respectively. Italy has decided not to reintroduce nuclear power. The demand for growth in power generation in these countries can be met by renewable energy sources. This appears to be the reason to be the reason for their distancing from harnessing nuclear energy.

In view of India’s vast and growing energy needs, nuclear energy is an important clean energy option and will be pursued with full regard to safety, environment and livelihood of the people in the neighbouring areas along with other energy sources, including solar energy, as no single energy source would be adequate to meet India’s energy requirements.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office Sh V Narayanasamy gave this information in a written reply to a question by Shri Shreegopal Vyas in Lok Sabha today.  

Setting up of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council

The Union Cabinet today approved the setting up of “Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) “ as ‘not-for-profit’ section 25 company with a vision to stimulate, foster and enhance the strategic research and innovation capabilities of the Indian biotech industry particularly SME’s, to make India globally competitive in biotech innovation and entrepreneurship and to create affordable products and services.

BIRAC will operate with a core budget for its regular activities and recurring expenses for human resources and operational cost with an initial outlay of Rs.70 crore for two years.

BIRAC is being set up as a separate body for supporting product innovation and providing required infrastructure and services at different stages of the value chain for promoting innovation and product development.

BIRAC will provide funding/investment for

• Early and late stage, including Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI), Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme (BIPP) and Ignition grant.

• Technology transfer and acquisition in national priority areas

• Technology development – incubators, parks

It will also provide support services such as IP facilitation, legal and contracts, regulatory and clinical trail facilitation; mentoring and capacity building.

The company would function as the Government’s, inter-phase agency for supporting industry –academia interaction, which will service as a single window for the emerging biotech industry through which they can acquire knowledge, access world class R&D infrastructure, access rate limiting serious technologies and seek technical problem solving help regulatory advice.

Background:

The proposal for setting up of an innovation support organisation – Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) will address the felt need in the government system for providing a comprehensive enabling environment and technology related service package to promote, nurture and support medium and high level innovation in biotech research. This would be particularly useful for small and medium size companies, and also support and facilitate creation of new start-ups. 

Joint Venture Agreement for Setting up Nuclear Power Plants Across The Country

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) and National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement for setting up nuclear power plants across the country.

The agreement was signed by Dr. S. K. Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, NPCIL and Shri B. L. Bagra, Chairman cum Managing Director, NALCO, at Mumbai today.

NALCO is a Central Public Sector Undertaking under the Administrative control of Ministry of Mines, Government of India which has experience of more than 25 years in Mining, Alumina Refining, Power Generation and Aluminum Smelting. NALCO has a vision to become an integrated energy and metal company.

NPCIL is a wholly-owned enterprise of the Government of India under the Department of Atomic Energy for setting up nuclear power plants in India. Presently, NPCIL operates 20 nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 4780 MW and six reactors with 4800 MW capacity are under construction.

Bharti

India is all set to commission third permanent station, named as 'Bharti', in Antarctica by March next year. The first permanent research station in the South Polar region was set up by India twenty years ago.

Miss World 2011

Miss Venezuela, Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colimenares, was crowned the 2011 winner of the Miss World beauty pageant at a glittering final ceremony in London yesterday.

3 New Elements Added To The Periodic Table

The General Assembly of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), taking place at the Institute of Physics in London, has approved the names of three new elements.

Elements 110, 111 and 112 have been named darmstadtium (Ds), roentgenium (Rg) and copernicium (Cn).

The elements are so large and unstable they can only be made in the lab and quickly break down into other elements.

They are known as Super-heavy elements.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) by USA to tackle Rogue foreign websites

Three leading technology industry groups urged
members of the US Congress on Monday to oppose a copyright protection
bill being proposed in the House of Representatives.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would give
US authorities more tools to crack down on websites accused of piracy of
movies, television shows and music and the sale of counterfeit goods.

The legislation has received the backing of
Hollywood and the music industry but has come under fire from digital
rights and free speech groups.

It also came in for criticism on Monday from
the powerful Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the Computer and
Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and NetCoalition, whose
members include Google and Yahoo!.

In a letter to members of Congress, they said
the legislation “has been framed by its sponsors as a vehicle to
protect US trademarks and copyrights from foreign ‘rogue’ websites.

The bill prevents online thieves from selling
counterfeit goods in the US, expands international protections for
intellectual property, and protects American consumers from dangerous
counterfeit products,” Smith said.

The Obama administration has come in for some
criticism for shutting down dozens of “rogue websites” over the past
year as part of a crackdown known as “Operation in Our Sites.”

US authorities in November, for example, shut
down 82 websites selling mostly Chinese-made counterfeit goods,
including golf clubs, Walt Disney movies, handbags and other items.

NMEICT and NKN merger approves by Govt

The Union Government has decided to merge National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) and National Knowledge Network (NKN) to give a wider platform to implement ICT in learning processes.“The move is aimed at enhancing the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning processes in universities and research institutions,” an official statement .The former is run by the Human Resource Development Ministry while NKN is part of the Ministry Of Communications And Information Technology.

A spacecraft launched by China

China‘s space programme on November 3 hailed its first ever docking exercise in outer space, conducted by an unmanned spacecraft, launched this week, with a space laboratory module — a step seen as a crucial landmark along China‘s road to launch its own space station in the next decade.Early on November 3 , the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 docked with the Tiangong-1 laboratory module which was launched on September 29, a development described by theChinaspace programme as a “major technological breakthrough”.Chinais now only the third country to accomplish a docking exercise in space, after theUnited StatesandRussia. Both those countries carried out similar exercises more than three decades ago.

Indira Gandhi National Integration award

Former Union Minister Mohan Dharia, who was a strong critic of Indira Gandhi in her lifetime,got the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration 2010 for his yeoman's service in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration.

86-year-old Dharia, who currently stays in Pune and is a Padma Vibhushan awardee and is an environmentalist and runs a non-government organisation, Vanrai. He was elected to Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and had been Union minister and deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission from December 1990 to June 1991.

Pakistan grants India Most Favoured Nation trade status

Pakistan's cabinet unanimously decided on Wednesday to grant India Most Favoured Nation status to liberalise trade between the two South Asian countries. This move could improve ties between the rivals.Granting the most-favoured status means the two countries can now trade on equal terms, typically giving each other low tariffs and high import quotas.

7-point peace deal

Nepal's political parties The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the Nepali Congress (NC), the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), and the Madhesi parties,they together represent more than 85% strength of the constituent assembly,signed a historic agreement on the peace process, Constitution writing and power-sharing .

Parties agreed to integrate a maximum of 6,500 fighters of total 19,602 into the Nepal Army (NA) and provide rehabilitation and cash packages to the rest.Those combatants who opt for voluntary retirement will get between $6,300 and $10,000 approximately, depending on their rank. There will be packages between $7,600 and $11,400 for those who prefer rehabilitation. Maoist weapons will come under the government.

The former combatants would be integrated in a newly-created special directorate under the Nepal Army, which will also include NA soldiers and personnel from other security forces. The directorate will be responsible for development works, industrial security, forest security, and disaster relief. Combatants will be integrated on an individual basis, and will have to meet the norms of the security force. But there will be flexibility on age, marital status, and educational qualification. To determine ranks, the norms of the security organs will be taken into account. There will be bridging and educational courses for the combatants.

The regrouping of the Maoist combatants will be completed in seven days and the integration process will complete by November 23, as per the deal

Implementation of the past agreements and creation of environment of trust will be done .The Maoists have committed to return property confiscated during the insurgency.The local administration will monitor and enforce the implementation of the agreement on returning the seized properties to the rightful owners.The rights of the peasants shall be protected as per the letter and spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord, the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 and scientific land reforms.

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Disappearances Commission, a high-level political mechanism to oversee the peace and Constitution process, and an experts' team to address state restructuring issues would also be constituted. The parties have also agreed to and prepare the first draft of the Constitution by November 30.

As part of the deal, relief package will also be given to the kin of those killed, injured, disappeared or displaced during the decade-long armed conflict.The victims of both Maoist violence as well as of the actions of the security forces will be provided equal compensation without any discrimination.

A faction of the Maoists, led by vice-chairman Mohan Vaidya ‘Kiran', however opposed the deal terming it “anti-people”.

Group of Ministers (GoM) agreed in principle on setting up a sovereign wealth fund

A Group of Ministers (GoM) on external security interface chaired by Pranab Mukherjee has agreed in principle on setting up a sovereign wealth fund to help companies acquire mineral and energy assets abroad. The money from the fund would be available only to state-owned undertakings, and not those in the private sector.

he government is studying two options — dipping into the country’s $350 billion foreign exchange reserves, and setting aside monies from the budget. While Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has recommended using a part of forex reserves, the Reserve Bank of India is opposed to such a move.

It has become important to set up a sovereign wealth fund in the backdrop of rising coal and oil prices.

Mars 500 mission

It is a year-and-a-half isolation experiment that had been conducted to simulate a return flight to Mars , organised by the Moscow-based Institute for Medical and Biological Problems in cooperation with the European Space Agency and China’s space training centre.


The idea behind the project was to study the psychological and physical effects of long-haul space flight on human beings in anticipation of a real mission to Mars.

The all-male crew, which comprised of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian, and a Chinese man, agreed to be locked inside a giant wood-panelled tin can in order to simulate a return flight to the Red Planet.

The tin can was complete with fake emergencies, space walks, scientific experiments, and only sporadic electronic communication with their loved ones.

The participants were free to leave the “spaceship” at any time for good but none of them did and there were said to have only been minor disagreements among them.

India signs convention on global tax cooperation

India on Friday signed the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, developed jointly by the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and opened for signature by the member-states of both organisations on January 25, 1988. All members of the G20 have now become signatories to the Convention. The Convention will have to be ratified by the Indian Parliament to become law.

The Convention facilitates international co-operation for a better operation of national tax laws, while respecting the fundamental rights of taxpayers. The Convention provides for all possible forms of administrative co-operation between states in the assessment and collection of taxes, in particular with a view to combating tax avoidance and evasion. This co-operation ranges from exchange of information, including automatic exchanges, to the recovery of foreign tax claims.

The Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters offers a wide range of tools for cross-border tax co-operation. It includes automatic exchange of information, multilateral simultaneous tax examinations and international assistance in the collection of tax due. At the same time, the Convention imposes safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the information exchanged.

ADIVASI SHIKSHA RRINN YOJANA of NSTFDC

The Minister for Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo today formally launched Education Loan Scheme titled“ADIVASI SHIKSHA RRINN YOJANA”(ASRY) of National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation(NSTFDC). Under the Scheme, NSTFDC would provide loan at concessional rate of interest to the eligible Scheduled Tribes for pursuing higher professional and technical education including PhD. in India. conducted by colleges/universities approved by UGC/Govt./AICTE/ICMR etc. A Scheduled Tribe havingannual family income upto Double the Poverty Line would be eligible. The present limit is Rs. 39,500/- p.a. for rural areas and Rs. 54,500/- p.a. for the urban areas. The eligible candidates should apply to the respective State ChannelisingAgencies of NSTFDC located in his/her domiciled State/UT in the prescribed format along with copies of the requisite documents. Following are the features of ASRY: · Loan would cover expenses towards Admission/Examination/Library/ Laboratory/Tuition fee, Boarding and Lodging, Caution Money, Building fund/Refundable Deposit, Books, Stationery items, Computer, Equipments/Instruments, Study Tours, Project Work/Thesis, Insurance Premium for student and any other expense towards completion of course. · Quantum of assistance: 90% of expenditure/deposits for entire duration of the course subject to a maximum loan amount of Rs. 5.00 lakh (Five lakhrupees) per eligible family. · Rate of Interest: 6% p.a. chargeable from the beneficiary. · Repayment: After the moratorium period (Course Period plus one year or six months after getting job, whoever is earlier) within next 5 years subject to maximum period of 10 years. · Financial Assistance for Income Generating Activities: In order to encourage self employment, provision has been made in ASRY for extending concessional financial assistance after completion of studies for undertaking income generating activities. · Linkage with Interest Subsidy Scheme of Ministry of Human Resource Development(MoHRD) for educational loans: A scheme of MoHRD provides for full interest subsidy during the moratorium period for economically weaker sections of Society for the approved courses of study. Action has been initiated by NSTFDC for formally linking ASRY with the scheme of MoHRD. · National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation has been set up in April, 2001 as a Government of India Company under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. NSTFDC has been granted licence under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 (a company not for profit). NSTFDC provides financial assistance at concessional rates of interest to STs for undertaking income generating activities and for procurement and marketing of minor forest produce and other tribal products. The financial assistance of NSTFDC is provided through its State level Channelising Agencies (SCAs), certain Public Sector Banks, certain Regional Rural Banks, National Cooperative Development Corporation(NCDC), etc. · Other schemes of NSTFDC: (A) Income Generating Schemes- (i) Term loan scheme: 90% loan for units costing upto Rs. 10.00 lakhs. Remaining 10% is contributed as Subsidy / Margin Money and / or Promoter’s Contribution. Interest chargeable from the beneficiaries on loan uptoRs. 5.00 lakhs is @6% p.a. and above Rs. 5.00 lakhs @8% p.a. (ii) AdivasiMahila Sashaktikaran Yojana: An exclusive concessional scheme for women. 90% loan for units costing upto Rs. 0.50 lakhs. Remaining 10% is contributed as Subsidy / Margin Money and / or Promoter’s Contribution. Interest @ 4% p.a. is chargeable from the beneficiaries. (iii) Micro Credit Scheme: Maximum loan per SHG is Rs. 5.00lakhs subject to loan per member not exceeding Rs. 35,000/-. Interest @ 6% p.a. is chargeable from SHGs. Repeat loans permissible. (iv) Self Help Groups(SHGs): 90% loan for units costing upto Rs. 25.00 lakhs subject to investment not exceeding Rs. 50,000/- per member. Minimum contribution of 10% by SHGs. Rate of interest is 8% p.a. chargeable from the SHGs. (v) Scheme for Artisans trained by TRIFED: 90% loan for units costing upto Rs. 50,000/- for individuals and upto Rs. 5.00 lakhs for SHGs. Interest chargeable @ 4% p.a. for ST women and 6% p.a. for ST men. TRIFED assists in recovery of loan from the loanees to the extent of purchases made by TRIFED from such loanees. (B) Marketing Support Assistance: For procurement and marketing of minor forest produce/ agricultural produce collected/grown and for related products / services by the Central/State Government owned agencies. Interest is charged @ 7%p.a. for undertaking such activities.

National Manufacturing Policy

National Manufacturing Policy

The Cabinet recently approved the revised proposal of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry to put in place a National Manufacturing Policy.The main points of the policy are as follows :


The major objectives of the National Manufacturing Policy are:


a) to increase the sectoral share of manufacturing in GOP to at least 25% by 2022;
b)to increase the rate of job creation so as to create 100 million additional jobs by 2022; and to
c)enhance global competitiveness, domestic value addition, technological depth and environmental sustainability of growth.


The policy envisages specific interventions broadly in the areas of industrial infrastructure development; improvement of the business environment through rationalization and simplification of business regulations; development of appropriate technologies especially green technologies for sustainable development and skill development of the younger population.


Industrial infrastructure development is envisaged not only generally but also through the creation of large integrated industrial townships called National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) with state-of-the-art infrastructure; land use on the basis of zoning; clean and energy efficient technologies; necessary social and institutional infrastructure in order to provide a productive environment to persons transitioning from the primary to the secondary and tertiary sectors. The land for these zones will preferably be waste infertile land not suitable for cultivation; not in the vicinity of any ecologically fragile area and with reasonable access to basic resources.

It is envisaged to ensure compliance of labour and environmental laws while introducing procedural simplifications and rationalization so that the regulatory burden on industry is reduced. The interventions proposed are generally sector neutral, location neutral and technology neutral except the attempt to incentivize green technology for sustainable development No subsidies are proposed for individual units or areas. The basic thrust is to provide an enabling environment for tapping the potential of the private sector and the entrepreneurial skills of the younger population.

The contribution of the manufacturing sector at just over 16% of India`s GOP is much below its potential and a cause of concern especially in the context of other Asian countries in similar stages of development. This also has its socio-economic manifestations and prevents India from fully leveraging the opportunities of globalization. India is a young country with over 60% of its population in the working age group. With over 220 million people estimated to join the work force in the next decade, the manufacturing sector will have to create gainful employment for at least half this number. With a view to accelerating the growth of the manufacturing sector, the manufacturing policy proposes to create an enabling environment suitable for the sector to flourish in India.

 

Source : www.pib.nic.in

Textiles Parks

• The Centre on Thursday sanctioned Rs.2,100 crore for setting up 21 new integrated textiles parks with world-class infrastructure in nine States.
• The Textiles Parks Would Be Set up under the PPP Mode with an overall investment of Rs.9000 Crores.
• Schemes for the parks would be implemented in 36 months.
• Six of the parks would come up in Maharashtra, four in Rajasthan, two each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, one each in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal.

National Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports

The Cabinet today approved setting up of a National Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports (NIMAS) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh as an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Defence.

New Weather System

Indiais all set to get more accurate forecasts on fast-changing weather systems with 55 China-made Doppler radars to be installed at 126 meteorological centres across the country by 2015.
The installation of Chinese made Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) is part of the Rs 10 billion modernisation plan of the 135-year-old India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“In all, 55 Chinese DWRs would be installed across the country by 2015. By next year, 20 such radars would be set up in different parts ofIndiasaid by IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi.
The DWR, put up on specially-constructed four- or five-storey buildings, would be able to scan the atmosphere round-the-clock and provide information about the presence of clouds, their location and intensity within a 500-km radius.

Eastern Bridge – II

The exercise, named “Ex Eastern Bridge - 2011” is the second of the series, the first was held in Oct 2009 ,of joint exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) .It held in Jamnagar.

The 04 day long exercise involved a variety of flying missions from each other’s best practices in terms of operational, maintenance and administrative procedures. The exercise gave vast exposure to the aircrew of RAFO and IAF, towards missions involving long duration sorties with in flight refueling, large force strike packages, air to ground bombing and maritime strike roles routinely performed by the IAF both independently and in mixed operations.

This exercise did not only enrich the IAF and RAFO professionally but culturally also as the Omani people and Indians share a similar culture. The Ex provided an opportunity of rich interaction between the personnel of both countries.
Source:-pib.nic.in

Ashok Chawla takes oath as New Chairman of CCI

Shri Ashok Chawla today took oath as New Chairman of the Competition Commission of India. He was administered the oath of the office by Union Corporate Affairs Minister Dr. M. Veerappa Moily in his Office. Shri Chawla has been the former Finance Secretary to the Govt. of India and has succeeded Shri Dhanendra Kumar who demitted office in June 2011 this year.

Source:-http://pib.nic.in/

Man Booker Prize 2011

The British author, Julian Barnes has won this year’s Man Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for writing in the English language.
His novel, ‘Sense of an Ending’ is about a man facing upto his past.

RBI Raises Transaction Limit

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) enhanced the limit for retaining foreign currency abroad to 3,000 USD per transaction for exporters against the existing 500 USD.
This is the second benefit that exporters got during this week. Earlier this week, the RBI announced 2 per cent interest subsidy on Rupee export credit to the labour-oriented and small scale sectors to cushion them from slowdown in the major markets like the US and Europe.

Environmentally Sustainable City Awards (ESCA), 2011

Mr Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development, Govt. of Indiagave away the Environmentally Sustainable City Awards (ESCA), 2011 to the cities of Mysoreand Vijayawadaat the 5th Euro-India Summit on 13 October 2011 at Leuven, Belgium.
Speaking at the Summit, Minister Nath emphasized the growing infrastructure and urbanization challenges being faced by India and highlighted the steps being taken by the Govt. of India towards “creating economically viable, vibrant, efficient and inclusive cities”. Mr.Nath said that as of now 60% GDP is being generated from the urban centers andthispercentageislikelytofurtherincrease.
ESCA awards are based on the efforts made by the cities for the conservation of Water, Air,Habitat,EnergyandEarth.

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award

The President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award to noted Scientist and Educationist, Professor Yashpal for the year 2011 for excellence in Public Administration, academics and Management .

National Police Memorial Awarded to National Architectural Design Competition Winners

The Union Home Secretary, Shri R.K. Singh announced the results of the National Architectural Design Competition for the National Police Memorial (NADC for the NPM) at an official ceremony held here today and gave away awards to the three prize winningcompetitors.
The First Prize was awarded to a team of two professionals – Mr. Siddhartha Talwar (Architect),andMr.NikhilDhar(LandscapeArchitect).
The Second Prize was awarded to a team of three professionals comprising Mr. Saket Jain, Architect, Mr. Sachin Jain, Architect, and Ms Ritu Jain, Landscape Architect.
The Third Prize was awarded to a team of three professionals – Ms Anita Tikoo Matange, Architect, Mr. Vijay Matange , Architect, and Ms Sroboshi Das, Landscape Architect.
All the three teams are based in New Delhi. Cash awards of Rs five lakh, Rs. three lakh, and Rs. one lakh were presented to the three prize winning entries along with citations.

Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme

The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pensions Scheme (IGNOAPS) is one of the components of National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).Under this scheme monthly pension are provided to person fulfilling following criteria

1) He/She must belong to a household Below Poverty Line according to prescribed criteria

2)His/Her age must be 60years or above ( prior to 1st April 2011 earlier cutoff age was 65)

Monthly pension provided by central government for the age group 60-79 is Rs200 , while for age group 80 and above it is Rs500.

As a result of change in the eligibility criteria for receiving old age pension, eligibility criteria for widow pension under IGNWPS and disability pension under IGNDPS get revised from 40-64 years to 40-59 years and from 18-64 years to 18-59 years respectively.

India Myanmar Sign Pacts

India and Myanmar have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation in the areas of science and technology and an MoU in health care.

The agreements were signed after the delegation level talks between the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the visiting Myanmar President U. Thein Sein at Hyderabad House in New Delhi today.

Strengthening of strategic cooperation besides partnership in energy sector remained at the centre of discussions between the visiting President of Myanmar U. Thein Sein and the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today.

Intensifying cooperation in security and defence fields also figured prominently in the talks between the two leaders.

The two sides also held discussions on key transport projects to accelerate connectivity between the two countries.

The economic cooperation between the two countries is on the upswing and the bilateral trade which is at present at 1.28 billion dollars is expected to touch three billion dollars by 2015.

A virus found in the sea off Chile is the biggest in the world

A virus found in the sea offChileis the biggest in the world, harbouring more than 1,000 genes, surprised scientists reported on October 10, 2011.
The genome of Megavirus chilensis is 6.5 per cent bigger than the DNA code of the previous virus record-holder, Mimivirus, isolated in 2003.
Viruses differ from bacteria in that they are usually far smaller and cannot reproduce on their own, needing to penetrate a host cell in which to replicate.
It was taken from sea water sample closed to theshoreofLas Cruces,Chile. Its host organism is unknown.
DNA viruses include pox viruses and herpes viruses, but M. chilensis “doesn’t seem to be harmful for humans,” said Jean-Michel Claverie, ofFrance’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Mohan Dharia got Indira Gandhi award

Environmentalist, lawyer and former Union Minister, Mohan Dharia, has been selected as the winner of the 26th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration.
The 86-year-old Padma Vibhushan awardee, who currently runs the Vanrai NGO in Pune, was selected for the 2010 award, which carries a citation and cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh. It will be presented by award committee chair and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on October 31, the anniversary of Indira Gandhi‘s death.

Agreement Between Stock Exchanges of BRICS

Stock exchanges from Brazil, Russia, India, Hong Kong and South Africa have entered into an alliance which they hope will expose investors to stocks particular to their markets.
The initiative was announced at the 51st AGM of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) in Johannesburg yesterday. A joint statement said that the exchanges have a combined market capitalisation of 9 trillion Dollars.

Officials said the initiative brings together the BM&FBOVESPA from Brazil, MICEX from Russia, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) as the initial China representative, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) of South Africa apart from the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.

Govt announces 900 crore rupee package for exporters

Government has announced a package of over 900 crore rupees to boost exports. It also aims at minimising the impact of financial meltdown in US and European markets on Indian economy. Announcing a slew of measures in the annual supplement of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2009-2014 in New Delhi, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said that the focus is to tap new markets. Special markets identified in Latin America, Africa and CIS Countries will remain in focus. To encourage exports for these markets, shipments will get an additional one per cent duty credit. With this the total credit on exports in these countries will go up to four percent.

He also announced launching of the Niryat bandhu scheme with an aim to encourage new and young entrepreneurs in export business. Giving details of the growth in export sector, Mr. Sharma said that they are poised to reach 500 billion US dollars by 2014.

Indo-German Social Security Agreement

India and Germany sign Social Security Agreement

A comprehensive Social Security Agreement (SSA) was signed by the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation, Shri Vayalar Ravi and the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen in Berlin. The Agreement which subsume the earlier Indo-German agreement on Social Security on 8th October 2008 will enhance cooperation on social security between the two countries. The Agreement with Germany will provide for the following benefits to Indian nationals working in Germany: a) For short term contract up to five years, no social security contribution would need to be paid under the German law by the detached workers provided they continue to make social security payment in India. b) The above benefits shall be available even when the Indian company sends its employees to Germany from a third country. c) Indian workers shall be entitled to the export of the social security benefit if they relocate to India after the completion of their service in Germany. d) The self-employed Indians in Germany would also be entitled to export of social security benefit on their relocation to India. e) The period of contribution in one contracting state will be added to the period of contribution in the second contracting state for determining the eligibility for social security benefits. This is the 60th year of diplomatic relationship between India and Germany. There are about 68,500 Indians in Germany most of whom are working as professionals and self-employed. During the visit of German Chancellor to India in May 2011, both India and Germany reaffirmed that the bilateral trade should reach US$ 20 billion by 2012. There is a huge potential for Indian for Indian workers to take employment in Germany. As such, a bilateral Social Security Agreement with Germany is a significant requirement from the futuristic point of view to take advantage of the emerging employment opportunities and to strengthen the trade and investment between the two countries. India has signed similar agreements with Belgium, Germany (Social Insurance for detached workers), France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Denmark, Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea and Norway.

Vietnamese President Visit

This is the first visit by the Vietnamese President outside the ASEAN region and thus reflects the importance attached by both sides to the relationship.During the visit of President Truong Tan Sang following six agreements were signed between two countries :

1.Extradition Treaty between Republic of India and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

2. MoU between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of Republic of India on the "Vietnam India Friendship Year 2012".

3. Agreement on Cooperation between Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petro Vietnam) and ONGC Videsh Limited (ONGC-VL) in oil and gas sector.

The agreement seeks to develop long term cooperation in oil and gas industry between the two countries. The scope of cooperation includes exchange of information, working visits, promotion of mutual cooperation along the entire hydrocarbon value chain, new investments and also the setting up of a Joint Coordinating Committee for successful realization of the Agreement. Despite objections from Chinese authorities on Indian exploration in south china sea India went ahead signing comprehensive agreement


4. Work Plan for the Years 2011-2013 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research of the republic of India and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Government of Socialist republic of Vietnam in the field of Agricultural and Fishery Research and Education.

5. Cultural Exchange Programme between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for the Years 2011-2014: The Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) is in pursuance to the Cultural Agreement which was signed by both the countries in 1976.

6. Protocol on cultural cooperation between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and ICCR of republic of India.

Along with above six agreements , the two sides setup the trade target to US $7 billion by 2015. Both countries also agreed to work together towards early finalization of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in Services and Investments .In the field of security cooperation, the two countries instituted a mechanism of a biennial dialogue on security issues between Ministry of Home Affairs and its Vietnamese counterpart.

13.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2500.mp3

India and South Africa Sign MoU on Electoral Cooperation

India and South Africa today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience related to the study, reform and management of election administration systems, promotion and implementation of educational research and training programmes, and mutual exchanges to enhance experience in electoral management and administration.
Abbreviation: India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIDEM)
Election Commission of India has so far signed eleven MOUs with Election Management Bodies across the world, seven of them being during the last one year. The seven countries are Brazil, Russia, Nepal, Chile, Indonesia, Bhutan and South Africa.

NAG

Nag is a "fire and forget" anti-tank guided missile with a range of 4 to 6 kilometers. Nag can be mounted on an infantry combat vehicle known as"NAMICA" or on the advanced light helicopter. It has been developed by DRDO as a part of IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program).It will be used by both army and airforce .

It claimed to be first anti-tank missile which has a complete fiberglass structure.Also a smokeless nitramine based propellant has been developed for the Nag , which makes its detection by enemy tougher.

The missile was named as NAG(Snake) because of its trajectory path. Rather than following the elliptical path as other missiles, it hits the target as a snake hits its enemies. The missile goes near to target in elliptical path and suddenly raises upwards and then bends at a certain angle and hits the target.

12.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2499.mp3

PSLV-C18

PSLV-C18 today launched successfully and put four satellites in orbit on Wednesday. The satellites were:

1)Megha-Tropiques: An Indo-French satellite to study the weather and climate in the tropical region of the world;It will help in predicting the Indian monsoons, floods, cyclones and droughts, besides estimating the weather in the short-term and climate in the long-term in the tropical countries of the world.

2) SRMSat built by the students of SRM university, near Chennai; It will a monitor the carbon-dioxide level in the atmosphere and thus will help studying the problem of global warming and pollution.

3)Jugnu, built by the students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur;It is a remote-sensing satellite that will minor vegetation and water-bodies

4)Vesselsat from Luxembourg. It will help in locating ships cruising in the sea-lanes of the world.

This was the 19th consecutively successful mission of the PSLV out of 20 launches from 1993.

12.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2500.mp3

12.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2500.mp3

11.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2499.mp3

Summary of draft New Telecom Policy 2011

1) Increase in rural teledensity from the current level of around 35 to 60 by the year 2017 and 100 by the year 2020

2)Provide affordable and reliable broadband on demand by the year 2015 and to achieve 175 million broadband connections by the year 2017 and 600 million by the year 2020 at minimum 2 Mbps download speed and making available higher speeds of atleast 100 Mbps on demand.

3)To create fund to promote indigenous R&D, IPR creation, entrepreneurship, manufacturing, commercialising and deployment of state-of-the-art telecom products and services

4)Strive to create One Nation - One License across services and service areas.

5)Achieve One Nation - Full Mobile Number Portability and work towards One Nation - Free Roaming.

6)To reposition the mobile phone from a mere communication device to an instrument of empowerment that combines communication with proof of identity, fully secure financial and other transaction capability, multi-lingual services and a whole range of other capabilities that ride on them and transcend the literacy barrier.

7)Ensure adequate availability of spectrum and its allocation in a transparent manner through market related processes. Make available additional 300 MHz spectrum for International Mobile Telephony (IMT) services by the year 2017 and another 200 MHz by 2020.

8)Encourage adoption of green policy in telecom and incentivize use of renewable resources for sustainability.

9)Protect consumer interest by promoting informed consent, transparency and accountability in quality of service, tariff, usage etc.

10)Achieve substantial transition to new Internet Protocol (IPv 6) in the country in a phased and time bound manner by 2020 and encourage an ecosystem for provision of a significantly large bouquet of services on IP platform.

11)To make efforts to recognise telecom and broadband connectivity as a basic necessity like education and health and work towards ‘Right to Broadband’.

12)To delink spectrum in respect of all future licences. Spectrum shall be made available at price through market related processes.

11.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

11.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2467.mp3

SHAKTI- 2011

SHAKTI- 2011 is Indo-French joint military exercise, aimed at enhancing various combat skills, promoting mutual understanding and inter-operability between the two armies.

Termed ‘SHAKTI- 2011’, this fifteen days training is the first ever joint training between the two armies focusing on Counter Terrorism operations. During the course of training, the troops from the two countries will practice basic combat tactics related to various aspects of Counter Terrorism operations in detail and exchange their combat techniques/ skills. The training syllabus also includes sharing of each other’s experiences and lessons drawn from operations undertaken by the two great armies. The highlights of this training would be the final consolidation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly plan and execute a series of counter terrorist operations including mountain techniques and employment of commandoes in the thick forests on the outskirts of Ranikhet.

Source: www.pib.nic.in

Nobel Prize In Economics

American economists Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims, both 68 years of age, were awarded the Nobel Prize on Monday for their path-breaking work on developing tools that policymakers are probably using frenetically today in their bid to extricate the economy from the persistent global economic downturn.

Recognising the two economists’ “empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said that it decided to award the so-called Economics Nobel to Professors Sargent and Sims for their seminal research during the 1970s and 1980s that resulted in “essential tools in macroeconomic analysis.”

Although Professor Sargent, from New York University, and Professor Sims, from Princeton University, carried out their research independently, their contributions were complementary in several ways, the Academy said, in presenting them with the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2011.

Professor Sargent demonstrated how structural macroeconometrics could be used to analyse permanent changes in economic policy – including the complex modelling of reactive changes in the behaviour and expectations of households and firms. He examined, for example, the post-World War II era of high-inflation policies and the eventual introduction of systematic changes in economic policy that allowed a reversion to a lower inflation rate.

Professor Sims on the other hand used the advanced econometric technique of vector autoregression to study the impact of temporary changes in economic policy on the economy.

A common application of this scenario, and one that is likely used across the developed and eveloping world today, is the study of effects of an interest rate hike by a central bank.

A classic case that Professor Sim’s data tools could be applied to include the scenario where inflation decreases over several years as a result of lower money supply, but economic growth declines in the short run due to lower aggregate investment demand and does not revert to its normal development until after a couple of years.

The two economists’ tools are in vogue in mainstream macroeconometric analysis today and would probably resonate strongly with the tools used by the United States Federal Reserve. The Fed is facing an acute shortage of instruments to rev up the economy’s growth rate in the face of an already near-zero interest rate and a stubbornly high rate of unemployment.

10.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2458.mp3

10.11.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

10.11.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2467.mp3

09.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2458.mp3

Frontline Sept 24-Oct 7,2011

http://pay.hindu.com/ebook%20-%20ebfl20111007.pdf

09.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

09.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2407.mp3

08.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2458.mp3

08.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

08.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2407.mp3

Megha-Tropiques

Megha-Tropiques is a satellite jointly developed by ISRO and France’s space agency CNES to be launched soon by PSLV-C18 .

Megha-Tropiques would carry three payloads - two by France's space agency CNES and one jointly by ISRO and CNES - and a complementary scientific instrument.The satellite with a five-year life will investigate the contribution of water cycle in the tropical atmosphere to climate dynamics.

07.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2418.mp3

07.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

Nobel Peace Prize 2011

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts between Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work. We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa’s first democratically elected female president. Since her inauguration in 2006, she has contributed to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women. Leymah Gbowee mobilized and organized women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women’s participation in elections. She has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after war. In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the “Arab spring,” Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.

It is the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s hope that the prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman will help to bring an end to the suppression of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent.

Nobel Prize in literature

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 has been awarded to Tomas Tranströmer,a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since World War II "because, through his condensed, transluscent images, he gives us fresh access to reality"

His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and influenced poets around the globe, particularly in North America.Transtromer's most famous works include the 1966 ''Windows and Stones," in which he depicts themes from his many travels and ''Baltics" from 1974.

07.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2407.mp3

06.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2412.mp3

06.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2409.mp3

New National Policy on Electronics

200 electronic clusters will be established in the country under the New National Policy on Electronics to be introduced soon.
The Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Kapil Sibal, released the draft policy on electronics, last evening, which aims to generate 2.8 crore jobs in the decade.
He said, by 2020 the electronic market in India is expected to rise to US $400 billion.
Appraising the importance of the policy in maintaining national security, Sibal said it will boost growth in defence, nuclear energy and aeronautical sectors.
The Minister added that government will provide assistance to centres catering to Indian industries, scientists and other organisations.

06.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2407.mp3

05.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2412.mp3

Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2011

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011 was awarded to Daniel Shechtman "for the discovery of quasicrystals,a mosaic-like chemical structure that researchers previously thought was impossible.Contrary to the previous belief that atoms were packed inside crystals in symmetrical patterns, Prof. Shechtman showed that the atoms in a crystal could be packed in a pattern that could not be repeated.

Despite being very hard, quasicrystals can fracture easily, like glass. Due to their unique atomic structure, they are also bad conductors of heat and electricity, and have non-stick surfaces. Their poor thermal transport properties may make them useful as so-called thermoelectric materials, which convert heat into electricity. The main purpose of developing such materials is to reuse waste heat, for example, from cars and trucks.Today, scientists also experiment with quasicrystals in surface coatings for frying pans, in components for energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LED), and for heat insulation in engines, among other things.

05.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2407.mp3

The Arunachal Pradesh government launched Agrisnet Project

The Arunachal Pradesh government launched Agrisnet (Agricultural Information System Network) project in order to create a database for agriculture and allied departments and facilitate effective communication of service delivery system in the state.
AGRISNET is a Mission Mode Project under National e-Governance Plan of Government ofIndiato strengthen and promote agricultural informatics and communications.
The project will disseminate relevant information and services to the farming community and private sector through the use of information and communication technologies, to supplement the existing delivery channels provided by the department.
The Rs 138 lakh pilot project will be implemented in five districts of West Kameng, Papumpare, lower Subansiri,East Siangand Changlang district, State Agriculture Commissioner Hage Kojeen said after launching the portal of the Agriculture Department.

04.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2351.mp3

Nobel Prize for Physics, 2011

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2011 was awarded "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae" with one half to Saul Perlmutter and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess.

Prior to this discovery it was assumed that rate of expansion is slowing down and universe will remain more or less same as it is today.The discovery of "Accelerated" expansion of universe means that ultimately the universe will be in super cool temperature .The ultimate fate of the universe is also called as "Big Rip"(which indicates splitting apart of galaxies)

The acceleration is thought to be driven by dark energy, a cosmic force which is a mystery and scientists have little idea what that is. It is estimated that dark energy -- a kind of inverse gravity, repelling matter that comes close to it -- accounts for around three quarters of the universe.

04.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2392.mp3

04.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2357.mp3

Nobel Prize in Medicine, 2011

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011 was divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity" and the other half to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".

Mr. Beutler and Mr. Hoffmann were cited for their discoveries in the 1990s of receptor proteins that can recognise bacteria and other microorganisms as they enter the body, and activate the first line of defence in the immune system, known as innate immunity.

Mr. Steinman, 70, was honoured for the discovery of dendritic cells ,which help regulate adaptive immunity, the next stage of the immune system’s response, when the invading microorganisms are purged from the body.The dendritic cells activate so called T-cells .Those cells have a key role in adaptive immunity, producing antibodies that destroy infections. Once the infection has been stopped, the immune system maintains a memory that helps it mobilise its defences next time it comes under a similar attack.

03.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2351.mp3

03.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2392.mp3

02.10.11 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2351.mp3

03.10.11 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2357.mp3

02.10.11 AIR Midday News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Midday%20News-Bulletins-2392.mp3

02.10.2011 AIR Morning News

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-Morning%20News-Bulletins-2357.mp3

Lab Module is launches by China

China on September 29 evening successfully launched its first space laboratory module, a key first step in its objective of becoming only the third country, after Russia and the United States, to assemble its own space station by 2020.
The unmanned module, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwesternChina, will dock with a spacecraft, Shenzhou-8 after orbiting the earth for about a month, officials said. The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, orHeavenlyPalace, laboratory module has a 15 cubic metre space where two or three astronauts can work and live, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The launch of the module, analysts said, reflectedChina’s rising ambitions as a major space power, with the country seen as only trailing theU.S.andRussiain its capabilities. Both theU.S.andRussialaunched their space stations more than three decades ago.

A commentary in the State-run Xinhua news agency hailed the launch as “the latest showcase of the nation’s growing prowess in space, and comes while budget restraints and economic tailspin have held back the once dominantU.S. space missions.”

India is keen to join the ambitious race to develop new generation of powerful supercomputers

Indiais keen to join the ambitious race to develop new generation of powerful supercomputers and is mulling allocating Rs 6,000 crore for the purpose in the 12th Plan.
This is over and above the Rs 5,000 crore allocation proposed in the 12th Plan for development of super- computers, Minister of State for Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar said.
The fastest supercomputer with a computing speed of 2.7 petaflops is said to be inChina.
A petaflop is 1,000 trillion sustained floating-point operations per second.
One exaflop is 1,000 times faster than a petaflop — performing 1 million trillion calculations per second.

Government of India Enterprise under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA), a Government of India Enterprise under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) today presented a cheque of Rs. 20.00 crore to Government of India towards dividend for the Financial Year 2010-11. The dividend cheque was presented to Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah by Chairman and Managing Director, IREDA, Shri Debashish Majumdar in the presence of Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sh. Deepak Gupta at a function in New Delhi. The dividend payment to the Government of India by IREDA has increased by over 37% as compared to the previous year.
 IREDA finances Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects. During the year 2010-11, IREDA posted a robust all-round performance with an all-time high Profit Before Tax (PBT) at Rs. 166.70 crore registering a 18.19% rise over the previous fiscal, and recorded its highest ever Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs.120.46 crore as compared to Rs. 72.69 crores over the previous fiscal. Loan sanctions and disbursements during the year stood at Rs. 3126.42 crore and Rs. 1224.17 crore respectively which is an increase of 71.41% in sanctions and 37.54% in the disbursement as compared to the last year.

Rs 4,874 Cr for Kolkata Metro rail project

The long-nurtured dream of Kolkatans of having uninterrupted travel from Howrah to the rest of Kolkata by metro rail received a major boost after the Central government agreed to offer Rs 4,874 crore fund for the East West Metro Corridor project in West Bengal.
 The Kolkata Metro Ra‎il Corporation (KMRC), a joint venture of the West Bengal Government and the Centre, has undertaken the project connecting Salt Lake directly with Howrah through underground tunnel beneath the river Hooghly.
The Centre and the State have 30 and 25 per cent stake in the project respectively and the balance 45 per cent of the project investment cost is to be procured as loan from the Japanese Bank of International Corporation (JBIC).
While initiating work on the metro ra‎il project the state government has already invested huge funds and the project, the foundation of which was laid by former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya last year. With the central showering of funds the state government is set to save a staggering sum of Rs 1,000 crore.
 

Pharma National Institutes

Center to set up 6 Pharma National Institutes viz. Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Hajipur, Guwahati and Rae Bareli.
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved setting up of six new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) to meet the shortage of skilled manpower in the pharmaceutical sector.
The government had set up the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research at Mohali under the NIPER Act, 1998.

01.10.2011 AIR News @9

http://newsonair.nic.in/writereaddata/broadcast/English-News%20at%20Nine-Bulletins-2351.mp3

NATIONAL FREQUENCY ALLOCATION PLAN

NATIONAL FREQUENCY ALLOCATION PLAN

In pursuance of New Telecom Policy, 1999, the National Frequency Allocation Plan - 2000 (NFAP-2000) was evolved and made effective from 01.01.2000, which formed the basis for development, manufacturing and spectrum utilisation activities in the country. At the time of formulation of NFAP-2000, it was recognized that there will be need to review the NFAP generally every two years in line with the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in order to cater to newly emerging technologies as well as to ensure equitable and optimum utilization of the scarce limited natural resource of radio frequency spectrum. Accordingly, NFAP-2000 has been revised and new National Frequency Allocation Plan-2002 (NFAP-2002) has been evolved within the overall framework of the ITU, taking into account spectrum requirements of the government as well as private sector.

Center liberlises FDi norms further

• FDI limit in FM Radio-From 20% to 26%
• FDI lmit in industrial park(Biotechnology, Pharma)-100% FDI allowed
• FDI in bee-keeping(Apiculture)-100% FDI allowed

Agni-II Successfully Test Fired

Specifications of Agni-II Missile

• Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile, 2,000- 2,500 km range.
• Maunfactured by DRDO and BDL(Bharat Dynamics Limited)
• Weight 16,000 kg and payload of 1,000 kg.

India today successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile, with a strike range of 2,000 km, as part of user trial by the Army from the Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.