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Tuesday 30 September 2008

Reading : Get rid of those speed breakers

These are the main habits and practices that slow down your reading speed.


Break the barriers: Develop good reading habits early on.
There is no really insurmountable barrier

save our own herent weakness of purpose.

— Kin Hubbard, American Humorist

You want to read fast. But there would be several impediments, mostly in the form of poor reading habits. Unless you consciously fight and overcome them, you may not be able to move forward.

•Reading word by word

This is how everyone started reading. But you have to come out of the habit and start seeing group of words, if you want to increase the speed. Also, reading word by word hampers comprehension.

Try the following sentence: (Read each word aloud in the same tone, one word at a time.)

The / habit / of / reading / word / by / word / is / a / serious / stumbling / block / in / enhancing / reading / speed / and / improving / comprehension.

You were slow in reading, and you failed to grasp the idea contained in the sentence.

Now try to read the same sentence as groups of words.

The habit of reading word by word / is a serious stumbling block / in enhancing reading speed / and / improving comprehension.

The logical grouping of words enhanced your reading speed and helped in comprehension. The idea contained in the text becomes clear only when you appreciate the relationship among the words. Remember, you read with the mind in unison with the eyes, and not by eyes alone. You must have noted that the tone differs from word to word when you read as word groups. A word flows into the next. There is a rhythm. Each word does not stop abruptly.

•Regression

If too much of regression has become a habit, despite the reader’s fine level of comprehension, a deliberate effort should be made to get rid of it. Elimination of habitual regression is possible, if you have the will to undergo reading practice with this goal in view. If, however, the text contains too many unfamiliar words, the construction of the sentences is roundabout or the ideas are hard to follow, you may have to regress to some extent.

•Faulty reading

Many people have defective visual perception; they would read one word for another - change for charge, sail for tail, censor for censure, industrial for industrious, Rome for roam, top for pot and so on. This leads to confusion in comprehension and consequent regression, slowing down reading. If it is a case of sheer carelessness, better concentration will help. If rapid word recognition is not being facilitated, drills in recognition should be attempted.

•Defective return sweep

Check how your eyes travel from the end of a line to the beginning of the next. If they move back horizontally along the line and then vertically drop to the start of the next line, there is room for correction. Train your eyes to travel diagonally from the end of a line to the beginning of the next. This will save the time for the return sweep almost to half. Frequently check and confirm that the new habit has taken roots in your system.

•Reading aloud

This seriously affects your reading speed. Though you can think quickly, your mind has to wait till the lips and the tongue have finished the movements to read out the passage. The pace of the loud reading would be constant. You do not spend more time for assimilating a tough idea; nor do you skip an easy passage that contains no new knowledge. Further, it would be hard for you to read aloud continuously for a few hours, since you would become tired.

If you allow your lips to move for reading, you can hardly exceed the speed of 150 words per minute. A good silent reader can easily go up to 350 words per minute or more.

You get a wrong impression that the passage has been learnt, when you finish reading it aloud once; the truth may be otherwise. Making a noise is different from grasping and idea.

Sometimes a reader may not be making a sound, but would be moving the lips and tongue as when reading aloud. This form of vocalisation also slows down your reading. If you go for silent reading, you can read fast and control your reading speed to suit the difficulty level of the passage.

A careful silent reader would have assimilated the ideas when he finishes the reading. The flexibility in silent reading enables him to read fast, with the speed of reading regulated in tune with the complexity of the passage. Even skimming through the passage could be done whenever possible.

There are instances where you have to read aloud, as when you are trying to improve your pronunciation or when you are enjoying the charms of poetry.

•Sub-vocalisation

In this, there is no movement of the lips, tongue or vocal cords. But you go on speaking to your inner self. You speak every word to yourself and listen to it. You ‘hear’ each word.

When you were learning to read, you used to hear physically every word. But that tradition should not be carried forward indefinitely. A fluent reader does not have to hear the words, either physically or in the head. He can see groups of words and grasp their meaning, without hearing them.

It is true that all would sub-vocalise at times. But that should be occasional and not a routine. If you are in the habit of sub-vocalisation, gradually bring it down, and see how you progress in increasing the reading speed. If you attempt to stop sub-vocalisation in one go, you would experience difficulty in comprehension. It has therefore to be a phased process.

•Finger pointing

This slows down the speed terribly. Though your eyes can travel fast, they are held down by the slow speed of the finger that rests on each word progressively. You can read only one word at a time. Some people move a pencil or pointer along the line of the print, as a guide to reading. No good reader should go for such a crutch.

•Head swinging

This is a habit shown even by very educated persons. They swing the head from one fixation to the next or from one line to the next. There is no need for the head to move; the eyes can travel independently. They require no help from the swinging neck. After all, the swinging will cause muscular fatigue, and force you to stop reading after a short period.

Head swinging does not add to the reading speed. Unless someone else points out this defect, you may carry on with it, at the expense of your reading speed. Change the habit through conscious effort.

Source : The Hindu

Chinese astronaut walks in space

A Chinese astronaut has become the first in his country's history to take a walk in space.
In an operation broadcast live on national TV, fighter pilot Zhai Zhigang emerged from the capsule orbiting the Earth to wave a Chinese flag. James Reynolds reports.

Chinese Astronaut Space Walk video



Source : BBC

Hevesy Laboratory provides emergency assistance to Zealand hospitals

The Hevesy Laboratory at Risø DTU stepped in when the delivery of radioactive isotopes for Danish hospitals failed. Among others, the laboratory was able to provide the Danish university hospitals Rigshospitalet and Bispebjerg with an alternative to cancelling vital bone scans.

Technetium-99m is a significant isotope in several radioactive pharmaceuticals which help doctors trace different diseases. These useful isotopes are normally produced at the few remaining high-flux reactor sites in Europe. The reactor plants try to coordinate their service shut-downs so that at least one facility is always able to supply the isotopes.

However, last week things still went wrong as the Petten reactor in the Netherlands, which is the largest of the suppliers, had trouble with its cooling water system at the same time as the other reactors were shut down. Among others, Rigshospitalet’s nuclear medicine department consequently expected to have to cancel important examinations so they contacted Risø for help.

Hevesy able to supply Fluorine-18 fluoride
Technetium cannot be produced in a cyclotron like the one at the Hevesy Laboratory, but Risø found another way to help. For some time, Risø DTU has been working on starting up the production of Fluorine-18 fluoride, a tracer with excellent properties, for example in relation to the so-called bone scintigraphies which were affected by the lack of Technetium-99m.

“So while Rigshospitalet prepared the medical part of the application, we dropped everything and established and described the required production process and quality assurance. At the same time, we contacted the Danish Medicines Agency,” explains Lars Martiny, Head of Department. “Normally, it takes a couple of months to obtain permission from the Agency, but they were able to reduce the processing time to just two days. After only one week of intense efforts, the laboratory was able to deliver the first batch of Fluorine-18 fluoride to Rigshospitalet”. Since then, two other Zealand hospitals have made use of the permission.

The temporary permission is valid for three months, and emergency help is expected to be required for about another month. The Hevesy Laboratory will subsequently have to prepare for a more permanent production of the tracer.

“It was a very satisfactory process for all parties involved,” says Lars Martiny. “It was a test of our ability to respond quickly and obtain permission in record time in an emergency situation. It is of great value for us to know that our systems work, and it is nice to see how hospitals, the Danish Medicines Agency and manufacturers are able to work together in emergency situations.”


A bone scintigraphy can, among other things, show the metastatic spread of cancer in bones.

Tecnetium-99m is generated on the basis of Molybdenum-99, which is produced from U-235 via a fission process. The reactor must have a high flux (neutron density) which only a few reactors in Europe and the rest of the world are now able to supply.

With Fluorine-18 fluoride the resolution of the scanning images is superior to that produced by means of Technetium. The Hevesy Laboratory has therefore for some time been keen to supply this particular tracer to its laboratory partners.

Source : RISO

Your Space Dream is possible now - @ Atlantis


Are you a young student? Interested in technology and science? & Excited everything about space & NASA?


About Atlantis Frontiers
Atlantis Frontiers Private Limited is a young company incorporated by engineers and management experts to promote science and space education in India and Asia through non-traditional methods.

Our vision is to open educational opportunities in scientific and space frontiers to students.
Our technology development focuses on enabling technologies for educational space outreach, space infotainment, developing and exploring space settlement ventures and space settlement design competitions. Our activities in three business segments (informative entertainment/education, research & development, and consultancy) give us both the capability to develop innovative space systems and technologies, as well as the ability to translate these concepts into an educational format which is engaging, entertaining, and informative.

We strive to establish challenging events to engage and excite students with the space technology and advancements in this field. Our target audience is students interested in technology and science.

Earlier known as Atlantis Research, the company has been actively organizing space and science based events during the past four years. These include an interaction of over 2000 students and 175 teachers with Astronaut Sunita Williams during her visit to India in 2007, Asian Region Space Settlement Design Competitions with finals being held at NASA's John Space Center in Houston, Space education workshops in schools. Recently the company has also started organizing Space Camps in collaboration with Space Center Houston, and Space and Culture Tours to the United States. These initiatives have received a tremendous response from schools all over India.

Know more about ATLASNTIS here


Source : ATLANTISH WEBSITE

At least 125 people have been killed in a stampede-Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

At least 125 people have been killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.
Officials told the BBC that at least 150 more were injured in the incident at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur.
A wall near the temple is said to have collapsed, causing panic among thousands of gathered devotees.
There have been a number of deadly stampedes in India's temples recently - last month 140 people were killed in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.
Before dawn, thousands of people had made their way to the hill-top temple in a huge 15th Century fort overlooking Jodhpur.

They were gathering to celebrate the start of a nine-day Hindu festival known as Navaratra.
It is not entirely clear why the stampede happened, but an official in Jodhpur said the collapse of a wall on the narrow path leading to the temple caused people to flee in panic.
"People are still buried under the wall. We are pulling them out," Kiran Soni Gupta told AFP news agency.
TV news channels showed pictures of injured devotees lying on the streets, and relatives trying to revive unconscious pilgrims.
"When I arrived, I saw chaos, people running around the place. I was looking for my friend and after a while found him," local student Manish said.
"He was unconscious but without serious injuries."
The authorities have ordered an investigation into the incident.

Source : BBC

CFLs to soon sell for Rs 15 only

Vishakapatnam will be the first city in the country to get compact flourescent lamps (CFLs) at Rs 15 each — arguably the cheapest in the world. This is only the beginning, in three-and-a-half years, the central government plans to replace the 400 million incandescent bulbs around the country with similarly priced CFLs under the Bachat Lamp Yojna.

Yamunanagar will be the next city where the scheme will be operationalised.

For a change, the super subsidy to the consumer is not being borne by the government. It will be recovered by the CFL manufacturer through the global carbon market run under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as the Clean Development Mechanism. This is the first time in the world that such a scheme is being run under the mechanism.

The power minister, reacting to the approval of the scheme by the UN’s CDM board, said, “This approval has opened up the path for the launch of Bachat Lamp Yojana across the country. This will reduce the electricity bills of households by about Rs 150 a year for each bulb, which they replace by a CFL. In addition, it will also reduce power demand by over 2,500 MW in this plan period itself.”

Each CFL bulb consumes roughly one-fourth the power of an incandescent one. Therefore, for each hour that a consumer uses a CFL light instead of an ordinary bulb, the carbon dioxide emissions go down. A single bulb may not save much but add up all the bulbs lighting up homes in India and the country ends up avoiding 24 million tonnes of climate changing carbon dioxide emissions, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, the nodal agency for the Yojna, estimates.

CFL producing companies will tie up with utility agencies in different states and cities, just as they did in the case of Vishakapatnam to sell CFLs at a low rate.

The BEE will then, through a remote system at its own cost, monitor the actual savings in power made in the region where the bulbs have been sold over a year.

That will help calculate the tonnes of GHG emissions avoided. For each tonne of gas avoided, the CDM mechanism provides for one “carbon certificate”. The CFL manufacturer would be able to sell these carbon certificates in the international carbon market to recover the rest of its cost.

The European markets have a ready demand for these certificates as they have set targets to reduce their own “carbon emissions” under the UNFCCC. But they are allowed to offset their emissions by buying certificates from developing country enterprises as these come cheaper than doing the emission cuts in their own backyard.

The certificates are traded in an open market and currently sell at 8-12 euros. Power ministry sources said the CFL company would be able to recover the entire retail price in 3-4 years — the average life of a CFL bulb.

“Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab and Kerala are moving ahead and some states are taking the competitive bidding route to choose the companies that will provide the CFL,” said a ministry source. He mentioned that venture capitalists too had shown interest in the unique market and could provide the funds to manufacturers who have been still weighing the risk of entering the market in a huge scale.

Wind Energy Manager / Dy. Manager / Engineer @ Bangalore

For the above positions there is an opening in German - MNC


LINK TO NAUKRI.COM


Source: naukri.com

Saturday 27 September 2008

Lars Martiny is new head of the Radiation Research Division at Risø DTU

Lars Martiny is 40 years old. Since 2004 he has been employed at Risø DTU as head of programme of the Hevesy Laboratory, a facility inaugurated in 2005 with the aim of development and production of radiopharmaceuticals.

The Radiation Research Division is Denmark’s research centre on nuclear technology. The division is focusing its activities in three major research programs covering radioecology, radiopharmaceutical research and development as well as radiation physics with a focus on dosimetry.

The division has several commercial activities. In the Hevesy laboratory, select radiopharmaceuticals are produced and sold to Danish hospitals for diagnostics and treatment. The major commercial activity is the development and sale of the so-called OSL reader, where optically stimulated luminescence in the OSL reader determines the amount of radiation received by an object, a measurement that can be used for dating the object.

Lars Martiny has a PhD in organic chemistry and began his career in 1997 at Rigshospitalet, at the PET and cyclotron ward. In 2000 he became head of department at Novo Nordisk in the isotope chemistry department. Subsequently he has worked purposefully to develop his management skills. In 2005 he completed his E-MBA from Scandinavian International Management Institute with a Master assignment that focuses on how research institutions can increase efficiency through knowledge sharing.


Source : RISO

Friday 26 September 2008

Ph.D. scholarship - For The Radiation Research DivisionRISO - Denmark

The Radiation Research Division at Risø DTU is seeking a Ph.D. student for start in 2008
Apply before: 19.10.2008 at 12:00 (noon)
- development of a miniaturized OSL instrument for in-situ dating on Mars

The project
Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) refers to the emission of light when a crystal is exposed to light after a prior exposure to ionising radiation. This phenomenon is used extensively for the retrospective determination of dose, e.g. in radiation protection and the dating of geological sediments. In particular, OSL has considerable potential for the in-situ dating of sediments on Mars. Remote observations give a clear indication that Mars is a dynamic planet and that the martian surface has been mobilised in the recent past. Dating the last time that sediments were transported would make a crucial contribution to our understanding of the periodicity of martian climate change.

Risø DTU is leading an ESA sponsored project “Planetary Surface Dating Instrument” to develop an instrument that will carry out in-situ luminescence dating of martian sediments. The international project group is based in Denmark, the UK and the Netherlands. The Ph.D. student will become a member of the project group and contribute towards developing the instrument. This will involve participating in the design and construction of a miniaturised luminescence dating instrument, using miniaturized light detectors, ionizing radiation sources, optical excitation sources and IR sources for heating.

The research involves:

a) Detailed assessment and performance analysis of suitable component

b) Development and assessment of different sub-unit concepts to allow trade-off analysis with respect to performance, weight and power consumption

c) Optimising instrument design using working models of the optical and heating subunits. After construction of an integrated instrument the overall performance will be evaluated against design specifications using field samples representative of martian materials

Qualification

A master degree in physics and/or electronic or mechanical engineering. A background in a) electronics, with a good knowledge in programming and data communication, and b) optics, with both experimental and modelling skills is desirable
Good communication skills, with ability to speak and write in English
An ability to work in a group.

We offer
We offer an exciting and challenging job in an international environment with good possibilities for professional and personal development. Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy is part of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), which is a leading technical university in northern Europe and benchmarks with best universities in the world. The successful candidate will become a member of an environment with activities and expertise in radiation physics, dosimetry, radioecology and medical applications of radioisotopes. The Radiation Physics Programme has strong expertise in luminescence physics and instrumentation.

Terms of employment
The terms of employment will be in accordance with those of the scientific staff at universities. The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the successful candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. The position is for a fixed duration of 3 years.

Application
We must have your online application by 19 October 2008. Please open the link "apply online" and fill in the application form and attach your application and CV. Please attach your documentation of M.Sc.-degree, list of grades of your M.Sc.- and B.Sc./B.Eng.-education. In case of a non-Danish degree, please inform about highest and lowest passing grade of the grading system.

Risø requires variety and supports equal opportunities irrespective of sex and ethnic background.

Further information
Please contact Senior Scientist Mayank Jain, +45 4677 4909, mayank.jain@risoe.dk, or Head of Programme Bent Lauritzen, +45 4677 4906, bent.lauritzen@risoe.dk.

Additional information about Risø DTUand the devision can be found on www.risoe.dtu.dk. Information about the general requirements for enrolment and planning of the scholarship studies at DTU may be obtained from the Ph.D. programme office at +45 4525 2525 or at phdadm@adm.dtu.dk.

Apply online here

Source : RISO

BIO ENERGY INFO....

here we can get some useful info about BIO- ENERGY


Bio-Energy for green world

Wednesday 24 September 2008

From RISO : New network to turn waste into gold

23.09.2008


Risø DTU will launch a new network in October that brings companies and scientists together focusing on biological waste.

Can waste turn into gold? Yes, perhaps, if you put different people together and make them think jointly. This is the philosophy behind an initiative taken by Risø DTU. The companies that produce biological waste are invited to join a network of scientists. The waste that may be a problem to the companies, offers high potential seen from the scientists’ point of view.

The companies may be food producers of all kinds - slaughterhouses, breweries, bread producers and farmers.

- It is expensive to dispose of biological waste products. Large amounts of waste can actually damage the company’s image. That is how things work in the business community. But if you ask the scientists, they will say that biological waste is equivalent to resources, explains Louise Georgi.

Different approaches to deal with the problem
The network participants might be companies who want to dispose of waste or companies who receive waste. The scientists in the network will come from the Technical University of Denmark, which is leading in Denmark in fields such as biofuels, materials technology and recycling.

The network meetings are to begin next month and the participating companies must present at least one specific waste problem which needs a solution.

The participants will only meet four times in the network
- It has to be dynamic and specific, but afterwards the participants can choose to go ahead with other projects if they are enthusiastic about it. This is what is most important. The enthusiasm of the participants, says Louise Georgi.

Many companies have shown their interest and they are now welcome to register to join the network. If you are interested in joining the network, please contact Louise Georgi louise.georgi@risoe.dk / mobile: 4095 4531.

Source : RISO

Tuesday 23 September 2008

Effects of climate change by 2020

Please check the latest study report in time.com


http://www.time.com/time/2007/climate_change/


and let your friends and family members aware about this.


Test Your eco-knowledge here

Eco-Knowledge test


source: CNN

Suzlon Signs Turbine Deals


Suzlon Energy Limited has announced the completion of its 51-megawatt (MW) wind power project for the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) of India. Located in the Kutch district of Gujarat, the project uses 34 of Suzlon`s S82, 1.5-MW turbines and will provide generation capacity for ONGC, powering centers at Anklesvar, Ahmedabad, Mehasana and Vadodara.

“This investment is a clear validation of the importance of wind and renewable energy in powering the world of tomorrow,” said Rohit Modi, president of India Business for Suzlon.

The Europe and Latin America arm of Suzlon has also secured a contract with Martifer for the delivery of 29 S88, 2.1-MW turbines, a total capacity of 60.9 MW. The machines are destined for projects in Romania. In addition, Suzlon and Martifer also signed a contract for the supply of nine S88 turbines between the Baião and Vila Franca de Xira wind farms in Portugal for a total 18.9 MW of capacity.
Courtesy:RenewableEnergyWorld

Source: PETROLEUM BAZAAR

Friday 19 September 2008

Google sees energy solution in the math

Eric Schmidt demonstrates how Google Earth can help people learn about the effects of global warming at the Corporate EcoForum.

(Credit: Stefanie Olsen/CNET News)

Correction: This story originally misstated Schmidt's total energy savings projections. He said that the U.S. would save $2.1 trillion of $2.7 trillion.

SAN FRANCISCO--Google CEO Eric Schmidt outlined an energy plan Monday to reduce America's dependence on oil and create green jobs.

At an event called the Corporate EcoForum, Schmidt laid out Google's energy plan to sustainability executives from Coca-Cola, Motorola, Clorox, Microsoft, and dozens of others. In characteristic Schmidt-Google fashion, he backed up the idea with some calculations. The plan could be compared to something like energy efficiency = savings (or E2=$).

"It's just a math problem," Schmidt said to a crowd of executives here at the Fairmont Hotel.

He said that, if by 2030, the U.S. were to adopt renewable energy sources for 100 percent of its power generation, replacing energy production from coal-fired plants, and replace at least half of its cars with plug-in hybrids, then it could cut carbon emissions by half. (And potentially avert a global warming crisis.)

No easy feat. But if the plan is adopted, Schmidt calculated that the U.S. would save 77 percent of $2.7 trillion in energy spending over the next 22 years. So expenditures would only be $600 billion; or assuming an 8 percent discount rate (factoring interest rates), the government could save even more in that time.

Google is taking its own advice. He said the company's plan is to reduce global demand for oil and help to generate new white- and blue-collar jobs by investing in solar, wind, and geothermal energy projects.

So far, Google.org has invested $10 million in geothermal energy and another $10 million in wind technologies. There are 500,000 jobs in wind companies alone, Schmidt said.

Google has chosen to bet on those renewable energy sources because they have the proof points to back up their viability, he said. It has avoided nuclear power as an investment because of security concerns, he said, but Google may consider wave power as a fourth or fifth investment in its plan.

Google has filed patents on a floating barge of network computers that would be powered by wave energy--a move that was disclosed this week. Schmidt said that as far as he knows that the company is not developing anything like it now, but he said, "You never know at Google."

"The model you have is...one of a distributed renewable power structure. It's a matter of how long is the payback?" he said.

For example, Schmidt said that years ago he considered the fact that 40 percent of carbon emissions originate from buildings. At the time, he asked his facilities people what they could do to mitigate the problem, and they had estimated that it would cost $5 million to make Google's buildings more energy efficient. The company would reap the benefits after 2.5 years, he said.

"So what else could we do?" Schmidt said. Google outfitted a dozen buildings and a couple of carports with solar panels a year and a half ago, and it now has a dynamic internal system that measures energy savings by building.

"The question is: can any one of you make a difference...Of course we can," Schmidt said. "But we must have a policy."

Smart garages
He attributed the current climate crisis to a "total failure of political leadership." Leaders are shortsighted about the benefits of technology to solve issues of global warming, he said. When asked which presidential candidate he supported, Schmidt declined to comment.

He talked about changing government incentives for business owners so that they're encouraged to create energy efficiencies. And for consumers, he said the trick will be in creating a "real-time information loop," such as household smart meters so that people can see how much money they're spending on energy.

Google Earth is a means to help people see the scope of the climate change problem with the use of data and graphics, according to Schmidt. For example, he showed the North Pole without ice in 2050 if current projections of climate change stay on course and temperatures there rise to 40 degrees C.

Google is also board member of a new group called Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a coalition that aims to reduce computing power consumption by half by 2010. It will do that largely by encouraging member companies like Google to turn off computers when they're not in use. Schmidt said that if it reaches its goal, it would be the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the road.

The power grid is also a problem and area for innovation, he said. There's a 9 percent efficiency loss in the current grid infrastructure, which could be offset with smart technology systems, he said. For example, a plug-in vehicle's batteries could be charged at night and then send surplus energy back into the system during the day, shifting power back to the grid at peak energy-usage times, he said.

"I could imagine a smart garage where I would plug in my car and the computer handles it. I could even make money by cost shifting," he said.

"It sure sounds to me like a problem for the Internet...and personal computers. It's the largest opportunity I could possibly imagine," he said. "It solves energy security, energy prices and job creation...and by the way, climate change."


Source : news.cnet.com


Thursday 18 September 2008

Chandrayaan to be unveiled today

NEW DELHI: India’s first unmanned mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan 1, will be unveiled by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Thursday. An upgraded version of the hugely successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will be used to send Chandrayaan to space. Within 100 kilometres of the lunar surface, the spacecraft will be launched.

Chandrayaan will then enter the lunar atmosphere and land for exploration. The remote sensing satellite will weigh more than 1300 kilograms and carry high resolution remote sensing equipment for the visible spectrum, near infrared and hard frequencies.

Over its two year period, the mission will survey the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and topography. ISRO is likely to launch the spacecraft by October or December this year. The estimated cost of the mission is a whopping $83 million and will include payloads from other international space agencies including NASA as well.

India has seen numerous successes in the recent past with its space programs. On 28th April this year, India created history by launching ten satellites in one go, carrying a payload of 824 kg. India's first fully commercial launch came on 23rd April when the Italian astronomical satellite, AGILE, was sent into space. On January 10th 2007, India launched the PSLV C-7 vehicle, injecting four satellites into orbit.

Source : ET

First Carbon Trading Firm Launches in South Korea

South Korea yesterday announced the launch of its first carbon trading firm, according to reports.

South Korea's Energy minister said Korea Carbon Finance will begin emissions trading later this month, financed with 5 billion won (US$4.3 million) from Korea Investment Securities and private companies.

The company will trade carbon offset credits (CERs) generated by companies in South Korea that have reduced carbon emissions.

Under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) created by the Kyoto Protocol, companies in developing nations, like South Korea, can sell CERs to companies in rich, developed nations to allow them offset their carbon emissions.

According to Reuters, South Korea has the fourth largest market for CDM emissions reduction projects, behind China, India and Brazil.

The worldwide CDM market is worth US$13 billion.

Korea Carbon Finance will also secure investments from private equity funds to invest in carbon derivatives and domestic greenhouse gas reduction projects.


Source : SB

IT cos ask recruitment agencies to stop hiring

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI: The banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) segment is the largest outsourcing vertical for Indian technology players.

The space contributes up to 40% of the revenues for some top IT firms. The industry employs around 3,50,000 people in the BFSI space of which the top six players alone account for 180,000 jobs. The domain accounted for $10 billion of the total $32 billion revenues the industry posted during the last fiscal.

Combine these facts with the crisis in Wall Street, and what we have is a sombre picture of things to come. If market estimates are anything to go by, what’s happening in the global financial markets can result in the loss of as many as 20,000 to 25,000 jobs in India.

That means, the likes of Cognizant, TCS, Infosys, HCL, Wipro and Satyam will announce huge lay-offs over the next couple of quarters. TOI had reported last week that Satyam was already planning a substantial workforce reduction.

Source : ET

Live Traffic Portal for Fantastic Fives[Delhi,Chennai,Bangalore,Hydrabad,Pune]

Dear All,

A new web portal to get live information on traffic status, directions and auto fares for cities Bangalore, Hyderabad ,Chennai and Pune. The traffic police have launched a live traffic portal (Transport Information System) where you can find

1. Optimal routes between any two places in the city...
2. Auto-fares
3. Bus routes and stops, etc.




http://www.dtis.in/ for Delhi

http://www.chennaitraffic.in/ for Chennai

http://www.btis.in/directions.htm for Bangalore

http://www.htis.in/directions.htm for Hyderabad

http://www.ptis.in/ for pune


Hats off to Traffic Police Initiative....


Tuesday 16 September 2008

Uncertain times for 2,500 Lehman India staff

MUMBAI: The fate of 2,500 odd employees working for investment banking giant Lehman Brothers in India remains uncertain following its parent company's decision to file for bankruptcy protection in the US.

Lehman said in a statement that its New York office intends to file for bankruptcy protection as it owes over 600 billion dollars to lenders.

However, it highlighted that no other Lehman brothers US subsidiaries or affiliates, including its broker-dealer and investment management subsidiaries, are included in the filing.

The filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which allows a company to restructure while creditor claims are held at bay, was made in the US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York by the investment bank's holding company, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

The firm's public relations agency said that no official from Lehman would like to talk to the media. An employee said there was no work and a series of meetings were held today.

Lehman set up BPO operations in India in 2005 and according to the fact sheet on the firm, the centre saw the number of employees going up by eight times by the middle of this year and had declared its plans to grow the operations. In fact, it was recruiting till as recently as couple of months earlier.

The company has in all about 2,500 people working for it in India, including those in the BPO unit. Recent news reports said the company had asked a section of its BPO staff to quit.

Over 5,000 workers in the UK had lost their jobs after the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers.

Source: TOI

Monday 15 September 2008

Satyam Computers to axe 4,500 employees

HYDERABAD: Satyam Computers, which has just started giving pink slips to its employees, could potentially downsize its workforce by a whopping 4,500 employees.

This translates to a little less than 9% of the 51,000 employees that the company employs. Company sources say 1,500 employees have been put under the performance improvement plan (PIP), euphemism for employees put on watch list and asked to shape up or ship out.

Apart from this, 3,000 others have not been given any increment in the last appraisal cycle, thereby indicating that their services are dispensable.

"This 1,500 plus 3,000 equals 4,500, which indicates the total number of persons who could be eased out of the company," the source said.

On Friday, all employees received an e-mail from the company chief Ramalinga Raju warning them, especially the ones on the bench, to not bunk office and be in their best dress code, failing which they may face strict disciplinary action.
Last week, some 400 employees from across different locations were given the pink slip.

Sources also indicated that after getting the message many among the 3,000 have also started leaving jobs. But an estimate of the employees who have left is not known.


A Satyam spokesperson said: "The bottom 5% of those who have got a bad appraisal are put under PIP and given dummy projects to prove themselves. If they fail they will be shown the door. But some of them marked for PIP said they have been given very little time to come up as winners."

However, even as it downsizes, Satyam continues to hire new employees in thousands. Over 40% of them are fresh blood just passing out of college.

The spectre of retrenchment is creating panic among employees of the company. "Of the 12 people working in my project, five were suddenly asked to resign, failing which, the company warned, it would fire us. Everything came without warning," said a techie pleading anonymity.

Courtesy: Times of India

Saturday 13 September 2008

India Inc recruits less people in FY08

Despite recording turbo-charged growth over the past few years, India Inc’s top firms are not accelerating their recruitment drive.

An analysis of India’s leading public-listed firms reveals that companies have hired fewer people during FY08 compared to the previous financial year even when the economy was rocketing ahead with 8-9% growth.

According to an ETIG study which considered employee data for more than 450 listed companies, the firms added 1.63 lakh new people to their rolls in FY08, against 1.64 lakh during the previous year. While the sample size is small, these firms account for more than a quarter of the total organised private sector employment in the country.

The manufacturing sector, for instance, added 50,800 employees, 12% less than FY07. Similarly for IT sector, the number of people recruited came down by 13% to 64,000 during FY08. However, the sector still continues to be the top recruiter, accounting for about half of the new jobs added.

While banking sector, as a whole, continued to hire with nearly 40% increase in employee in-take, there is a catch. The numbers have swelled because of large-scale recruitment by few private sector banks. If we exclude them, there is actually a decline in hiring.

Even though at the aggregate level there is a decline, there are companies that have seen significant hiring activity. Among the top recruiters for whom data is available were HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, besides the pack of IT firms like Infosys, TCS, Satyam and HCL. The study does not include data for ICICI Bank and Wipro that are also likely to figure among the top recruiters last year.

Among others who hired a large number of people include L&T, Shriram Transport Finance, Firstsource Solutions, Apollo Hospitals, Tata Coffee, Educomp, Syndicate Bank, Patni Computers and Aditya Birla Nuvo, all of whom added more than 2,000 people to their employee base during FY08.

While the number of people hired has come down, the silver lining is that employee retrenchment at an aggregate level also dropped by about 20% from about 44,000 people during FY07 to 36,000 people. This has led to a 6% net addition in employee base even as the number of new jobs created has come down, taking the total employee strength for the firms in the sample to 21.39 lakh.

Among the sectors, while manufacturing firms decreased the number of people they hired, they also went soft on pruning jobs. Retrenchment in the sector came down from 25,000 to 19,500 last year. Among the firms, Sail, TVS Motors, Tata Steel and Bata were the top companies that cut their flab.

For TVS Motors, the reduction in manpower represents almost 24% of its manpower base.

Similarly, for banking, the retrenchment came down from 18,500 to 15,000. PSU banks — SBI, PNB, Canara, Bank of Baroda and Central Bank — were among the top firms that cut down on jobs.Workforce retrenchments are normally undertaken in case of a slowdown and as a productivity improvement measure.

The bad news, however, is that many companies have started sacking people over the last 3-4 months. This could mean lower net addition to the employee base in the current fiscal.

The only sector that added people across the board last year was other services (excluding financial services and IT). These firms, which would include those engaged in healthcare, transport services, telecom etc, stepped up hiring by about 21%.

However, since their total contribution is quite low at about 6% of the employee base, the impact was only marginal.

Source: ET

Friday 12 September 2008

Tatas to rollout 1,000 Nanos from Pune plant

KOLKATA: Tata Motors is all set to manufacture 1,000 Nanos at its Pune plant. The vendors have released their last lot of components for Nano on Thursday, which will be delivered to Pune within a day or two.

“Tata Motors, which is keenly watching the developments at Singur, is getting itself ready to rollout Nano in October. If the Singur logjam is not resolved within a fortnight, then they have to make some arrangements to roll out Nano from any of its plants. As of now, this does not look to be a part of the much-speculated Plan B,” Tata circles indicated.

Incidentally, Tata Motors had informed its 55-odd vendors of Nano to supply components for 1,000 Nanos by September 8 to the Pune factory. This was also confirmed by a leading vendor, who had invested in the Singur vendor park, and will be supplying sheet metal for Nano chassis.

Incidentally, nearly 3,000 components are required to manufacture a Nano. However, the vendors also feel that the Pune plant will not be able to meet the volumes that Tatas are looking at for Nano in the next two to three years time.

The official Tata Motors spokesperson told: “Tata Motors wishes to dissociate itself from any speculation regarding Nano.”

Interestingly, after tension escalated at Singur, Tata Motors had issued technical approvals to vendors which will enable them to supply components for Nano, if the car is produced at the company’s Pantnagar, Pune and Lucknow plants.

Work at the vendor park in Singur has come to a standstill after the decision on Sunday to stop work there till the joint committee zeros in on land that can be doled out to the landlosers.

A senior official of Rucha Engineering said: “We can only start work at the site if Tata Motors gives us the green signal and if the environment becomes conducive at Singur. Tata Motors has given us a October 1 deadline to be ready with our plant. As of now, we have not got any other communication from Tata Motors. We are hopeful that Singur issue will be resolved at the earliest.”

Source:ET

Thursday 11 September 2008

Will going vegetarian help save the world?

NEW DELHI: R K Pachauri, chief of the Nobel prize winning UN climate change panel, has spiced up the debate on kebabs and steaks by suggesting that the best and easiest way of stemming climate change is to not eat meat at least one day each week. What's eating meat got to do with climate change, you may ask. A lot, actually.

The FAO calculates that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions arise not because you eat and belch or fart but in the way land is cleared, and feed for animals is grown. And also how the livestock emit methane, when it belches or farts, which is 23 times stronger as a climate-changing agent than carbon dioxide.

So, Pachauri's suggestion that the world should be biting into meat a little less seems a good idea. But the world is not a monolith. As in emissions, for which the rich countries are much more responsible than the poor ones, so with meat. Some eat it; others gobble it.

A citizen of UAE eats nearly 100 kg of poultry products per person annually. India might be famous for its tandoori chicken, but an average Indian just eats 2.1 kg of poultry products per person per year according to the US Department of Agriculture. And an average American chews upon 46 kg of chicken in a year and a Chinese 8.7 kg.
The story is the same for beef. An average Indian consumes 1.6 kg of beef and buff products while an average American eats 41.7 kg every year and a Brazilian 37.6 kg.

The high consumption of meat in the western world is driven by an intensive industry that ensures the meat is on the table of the rich, sometimes moving it across continents to suit changing tastes, preferences and fashion. Lands that used to grow other staple foods have been diverted to grow the stock that helps feed a population thirsting for meat.

In developing countries like India, the story is a bit different. The poultry trade is organized but still run primarily as a cooperative system for small farmers. Livestock feeds on agricultural residue more than special feed. The energy intensity of the tandoori chicken, so to say, is much less, though the spices in the dish may be too much for a European palate.

So, when Pachauri says chew a bit less on that bone, he is talking largely to a Western audience. But he is also holding out a warning for India— we can’t afford to go the western way and like many Indians who go vegeterian every Tuesday, it would be good if all Indian did once a week.

As head of the inter-governmental panel on climate change Pachauri has recommended that the world needs to take drastic action so that global average temperatures are to be maintained at just 2 degrees over the current. That demands a huge cut of emissions from the rich countries that have caused more than 70% of the GHG gas emissions.

Source : ET

Slowdown what? Infy to hire 25,000 in 2008

NEW DELHI: Amidst news of pink slips at Wipro, Infosys Technologies Ltd has some good news for tech geeks. The country’s second-largest software-services company plans to recruit 25,000 people this year. Infosys may also recruit about 1,000 workers in China in the next two to three years, according to CEO Senapathy Gopalakrishnan.

The company also has plans for “selective” acquisitions in the pipeline. It plans to add capacity in China, Eastern Europe and Latin America, he added at a conference in Singapore.

“We’re looking at consulting and geographical expansion in Europe and the emerging markets like India and the Middle East,” Gopalakrishnan said.

“We want to be very selective in acquisitions.” The plans aim at narrowing Tata Consultancy Services Ltd’s lead and boost revenue in Europe as customers in the US delay orders.

Source : ET

LM Glasfiber - WT Blade Major - Press release...

LM Glasfiber establishes an office at Risø DTU to further strengthen its research and development activities.

As part of its research and development strategy concerning the establishment of international Centres of Excellence, LM Glasfiber has entered into an agreement with Risø DTU, National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Denmark. Under the agreement, LM Glasfiber will establish an R&D office which is expected to employ a major team of researchers already by mid-2009. The researchers will be experts in advanced materials technology and aerodynamics.

In addition to strengthening the cooperation with one of the world's leading research institutions in wind energy, the R&D office at Risø DTU will make it easier for LM Glasfiber to attract new employees, also from the Greater Copenhagen area, to help support the company's rapidly growing research and development activities.

"We expect a lot from the strengthened cooperation with Risø DTU where we are going to cooperate especially with two institutes: the Materials Research Department and the Wind Energy Department. At Risø DTU, LM Glasfiber's future employees will be working in one of the world's leading wind energy research environments, offering access not only to some of the world's best competences but also to advanced testing equipment and laboratory facilities. In close cooperation with almost 200 engineering colleagues in India, the Netherlands and at the headquarters in Kolding, they will become key persons for the development of the next generation of blade technology," says Frank V. Nielsen, VP Research & Development.

LM Glasfiber's blade technology is based on further development of thoroughly tested composite materials, ensuring the best possible price/performance ratio. The newly established Centre of Excellence at Risø DTU will not only strengthen LM Glasfiber's knowledge of the interaction between different types of blade materials but also map the effect of the properties of the materials in connection with upscaling activities.

Research into advanced aerodynamics is the other focus area for LM Glasfiber's new R&D office. This way, LM Glasfiber takes the next step towards achieving its strategic goal of becoming the leader in blade aerodynamics, an effort that in 2006 resulted in the opening of the world's first wind tunnel, tailor-made for testing blades. More specifically, the increased effort will allow the company to focus on active control, or in other words aeroservoelasticity.

Optimising the materials used for the wind turbine blades as well as the aerodynamic efficiency of the blades are key elements of LM Glasfiber's goal of contributing to the competitiveness of wind energy. A goal which LM Glasfiber will achieve not only in close cooperation with leading research institutions but also with its customers and suppliers - in keeping with LM Glasfiber's vision: Together we turn wind into clean power.

Source : LM Website

LM Glasfiber establishes R&D office at Risø DTU

In October LM Glasfiber is establishing an office at Risø DTU to strengthen cooperation with scientists from the Materials Research Department and the Wind Energy Department. The objective of the cooperation is to develop blades and methods of production thereby making wind energy more competitive.

LM Glasfiber and Risø have been working together for several years. Earlier this year we launched another major cooperation project, Blade King, which also involves Aalborg University and Comfil Aps.

Now LM Glasfiber is moving closer to Risø DTU as they establish an R&D office at Risø on 1 October. By the middle of 2009 it is scheduled to employ about 10 scientists specialized in advanced materials technology and aerodynamics. They are going to work on ongoing projects and new initiatives within material research with a group of people from the Materials Research Department headed by Povl Brøndsted .

Furthermore they will work on aerodynamic efficiency in cooperation with people from the Wind Energy Department headed by Flemming Rasmussen and Peter Hjuler.

Wednesday 10 September 2008

If i was made commissioner police...visualises Kiran Bedi


Toronto: India's most famous woman police officer Kiran Bedi says if she had been made the Delhi Police commissioner, she would have changed the Indian capital's traffic forever and turned policing into a people's movement

Interacting with guests here Tuesday after the screening of "Yes Madam, Sir", a documentary on her life, Bedi said she would have deepened people's faith in police to such an extent that even hardcore criminals from the capital's Tihar Jail would have come forward to help in policing.

She said she would have changed Delhi's traffic forever by asking corporate houses to donate hundreds of cameras for capturing violators at Delhi's intersections.

"And I would have used the policemen thus spared to catch criminals," she said amid thunderous applause from the audience.

Calling the documentary "a statement of facts", Bedi said Australian director Megan Doneman has "given space to every viewpoint and left people to judge for themselves".

"Nothing has been contrived, nothing has been re-enacted in the documentary. Megan spent seven years with me to film hundreds hours of reel. She was independent and unbiased," Bedi added.

Bedi said she was denied the Delhi Police top job because of the envious bureaucracy and unprincipled peers.

"But all my life I have always believed in doing what is ethically and morally right and never bothered about the consequences," she said.

Asked whether she will join any political party, Bedi said: "I am public service inclined, not politically inclined. Let us see. All doors are open."

Describing the towing away of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's staff car in 1983 as "a great point" of her career, Bedi said her action fired and empowered her force.

Every ordinary cop felt that he could rightfully challenge Delhi's powerful people, she said.

Recalling the incident, she said: "My sub-inspector Nirmal Singh had challenged a wrongly parked Ambassador car in Connaught Place. The driver came and warned the sib-inspector that this car to belonged the prime minister's office.

"Without bothering about the threat, my sub-inspector told the driver that he will have to pay the fine come what may. There was a bit of a riot there, but nothing serious happened. This incident made policemen feel empowered. They felt they could take on the powerful people."

Asked whether Indira Gandhi reacted to it, she laughed: "No, no. She didn't say anything."

When someone suggested that her police career might have been tough on her husband, Bedi said amid laughter: "I guess so."

She added she never felt like a wife.

"I never raised (my husband's) expectations that I will come home to cook and then offer the meal at the table for eating.

"He knew me before he married as we used to play tennis together. My whole life was outdoors and he knew what kind of a person I will be as his wife. I was not wife material."

This and many unknown facets of Bedi's eventful life are beautifully captured in the 90-minute "Yes Madam, Sir".


Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Indian crude basket may range between $99-$101/barrel

New Delhi, Easing of the global crude oil prices could result in decline in prices at which India buys its crude to below $100 a barrel.

The Indian basket, which had touched a five-month low on Monday at $101.65 a barrel, could be in the range of $99-$101 a barrel on Tuesday, industry officials said. Courtesy:Business Line

The Indian crude basket comprises Oman-Dubai sour grade crude and Brent dated sweet crude in a 62.3:37.7 ratio. However, the recent trend shows that Dubai-Oman crude does not necessarily follow the Brent movement, sources said.

On Monday, while Dubai-Oman crude oil prices went up marginally, the dated Brent crude fell 39 cents a barrel to $101.64.

Source: PETROLEUM BAZAAR

Oil price falls to below $100 per barrel

The price of oil plunged closer to the psychologically important level of $100 per barrel yesterday, raising the prospect of lower inflation and lower interest rates next year.


By early evening in Europe, US light sweet crude was down more than $3 at $103.26, while Brent crude was $4.14 lower at $99.30. Prices had hit a record of $147 a barrel in July.

Several factors have contributed to the decline –most recently a pledge from Chakib Khelli, president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), that the cartel would not cut production. Mr Khelli, the Algerian Oil Minister, told an Opec conference in Vienna: "We are going to stay with the level of production where we are now."

Comments by Saudi Arabia, Opec`s chief producer, that the market was "fairly well-balanced" also suggested that output would be unchanged. This led the financial markets to conclude that, for now at least, oil will stabilise at about $90 to $100.

That is still 50 per cent higher than last year and about 10 times what it was a decade ago, but the possibility that inflation may soon abate will be widely welcomed. Courtesy:The Independent

Source: PETROLEUM BAZAAR


Monday 8 September 2008

Deutsche Messe presents three high-profile trade fairs in Shanghai

Shanghai/Hannover. China is the world's fourth largest economy, the third largest trading nation - and has amassed the world's largest foreign currency reserves in excess of one trillion euros. Taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from 4 to 8 November 2008, the "Energy Show" (ES), the "Industrial Automation Show" (IAS) and the "Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show" (MWCS) will be a magnet for exhibiting firms, decision-makers, buyers and industry professionals in the fields of metalworking, machine tools, automation and energy technology. Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show" centres on sheet-metal working and laser systems
"Industrial Automation Show" features industrial robots and wireless technology
"Energy Show" highlights state-of-the-art energy technology


More than 100,000 visitors expected

More than 1,100 exhibitors will showcase their products and solutions on a total display area of 75,000 square metres.

"China is the prime mover behind the rapid economic growth in Asia - and an attractive trade fair location," explains Dr. Andreas Gruchow, the Board Member responsible for the international activities of Deutsche Messe AG. "Our decision to stage this high-quality trio of trade shows for the Asian Pacific region has certainly paid dividends. In 2007 we welcomed 94,700 visitors from 65 countries over the five days. This year we're expecting more than 100,000 visitors."

China ranks as the world's No. 1 purchaser and consumer of machine tools

The eastern part of China has become the centre of the country's machine tool industry. According to the German Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (VDW) and the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), China accounted for 21 percent of total worldwide machine tool purchases in 2007. Compared with the previous year, purchases rose by eight percent to €10.9 billion, making China the world's No. 1 buyer of machine tools by a significant margin. China imports 68 percent of its total machine tool needs. Germany was the third largest supplier, behind Japan and Taiwan. At this year's "Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show" (MWCS) the spotlight will be on machining technology - in particular, laser cutting, welding and lettering systems. In China alone the market for laser cutting systems is estimated at €15 - 20 million per year.

Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show: new conference on laser-based cutting and forming

500 exhibitors are expected at this year's MWCS - the international trade fair for machine tools, metalworking, moulds and tooling. They will occupy 40,000 square metres of display space. The line-up will include 20 Italian companies, whose presentation is being sponsored by the European Association of Machine Tool Merchants (EAMTM) and the Italian machine tool federation UCIMU. Japan will also be strongly represented - by major players such as AMADA, Mitsubishi and Ryosho. Germany will be mounting a 1,000 square metre display (the largest national presentation at MWCS) featuring big names such as Balluff, Chiron, Gühring, Hermle, Junker, Schütte, STAMA and Trumpf. Day three of MWCS will see the premiere of a new conference on laser-based cutting and forming.

Industrial robots at the Industrial Automation Show: demand in China rising at 30 percent a year

Industrial robots are in high demand in the People's Republic. Together with India, China boasts the highest growth rates for this sector in the entire Asian region. A survey by the United Nations Economic Commission revealed that approx. 65,000 new robot units will be installed in Asia during 2008, an increase of ten percent on the figure for 2007. According to China's current (10th) Five Year Plan, demand for industrial robots is scheduled to rise by 30 percent per annum. The "Industrial Automation Show" (IAS) - the international trade fair for production and process automation, electrical systems, robots, industrial automation software & IT and microsystems technology - will feature acknowledged international market leaders such as ABB, DEPRAG, Funac, KAWASAKI, Motoman and Staubli. SUS Corporation has already announced that it will be staging an extensive presentation of robot and automation technology at IAS 2008. In parallel with IAS the German Engineering Federation VDMA will hold the "International Robotics and Automation Symposium (2008 IRAS)".

Wireless communication in ever-greater demand in industrial applications


Industrial wireless technology will also figure prominently at IAS 2008. Currently worth around €1 billion worldwide, this market is forecast to grow by 15 percent per annum in the coming years. One of the many highlights at IAS will be the "Industrial Wireless Technology Forum", where product developers, providers of services/solutions and leading scientific institutes will get together to swap ideas and information. The 400 exhibitors will occupy around 25,000 square metres of floor space. The line-up will include leading automation specialists such as EtherCAT, Fuji Electric, RITTAL, PEPPERL+FUCHS, SICK, SIEMENS, TURCK, WAGO, Weidmüller and Wenglor.

Unprecedented demand for clean and efficient energy - the latest solutions will be on display at the Energy Show


A country with a huge population and a booming economy obviously requires an enormous input of energy. China now ranks as the world's second largest energy consumer, second largest energy producer - and second largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Hence energy efficiency and security of supply are high up on the domestic political agenda - especially as demand for energy will continue to rise in the wake of China's burgeoning economic growth. New energy saving regulations have been enacted aimed at reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels and fostering a shift towards renewable energy sources. To this end China is planning a number of large-scale wind energy projects and is committed to becoming the world's largest wind power producer within the next few years. Wind generating capacities are planned to increase 100-fold (to more than 600 gigawatts) by the year 2050.

Special platform for low-voltage devices

The "Energy Show" (ES) is the only event of its kind in China that covers all the sectors of the energy industry, i.e. transmission, distribution, conversion and storage. Wind power systems will figure prominently in 2008 - as will the latest low-voltage devices. The list of exhibitors includes such well-known names as ABB, Changshu Switchgear Mfg, Dongyuan, Electromechanical and SIEMENS. A further "hot topic" will be power plant technology. China's 11th Five Year Plan has earmarked funds amounting to trillions of euros in order to increase total generating capacity to 800 million kilowatts. Electric energy technology will occupy centre stage at ES 2008. In this context the 4th "Forum on Power Distribution Intelligence" will focus on network digitization, systems integration for electric power applications and emission control systems. This event provides a central meeting place for leading members of the scientific community, business leaders and energy professionals. ES 2008 is expected to attract 150 exhibitors, who will occupy 6,000 square metres of display space.

MWCS, IAS and ES are organized by Deutsche Messe Hannover, Hannover Fairs China and the Shanghai Expo Group, which also stage the following trade fairs: KTES - Key Technology & Equipment Show, ITES - Information Technology Equipment Show, EPTES - Environmental Protection Technology & Equipment Show, and STIS - Scientific & Technology Innovation Show.

Thanks: Anand

Birth, death certificates can now be downloaded



Staff Reporter

— Photo: V. Ganesan

EASY TO USE: Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin launching the online facility for issue of birth and death certificates in Chennai on Sunday.

CHENNAI: A click of the computer mouse is all that is required now to get copies of birth and death certificates issued by the Chennai Corporation.

Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday launched the Corporation’s online facility to issue birth and death certificates. He said the certificates could be downloaded from any part of the world free of cost.

“The facility is easy to use and people can save a lot of time,” he said.

The Corporation’s website ( www.chennaicorporation.gov.in) has a link for ‘online civic services.’

The user can click the link and choose the birth or death certificate option. The search criteria include name, registration number and parents’ names. Any two criteria need to be filled to launch the search. Once the certificate is found online, it can be printed out. About 1.06 lakh births and 41,000 deaths are registered in the city every year.

Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said the website had received thousands of clicks recently in response to the online services offered.

“About 92 per cent of the clicks are to view birth, death and property tax details,” he said.

The Corporation will soon inaugurate online booking for community halls and mortuary vans.

Source: The Hindu

Singur stalemate ends

— Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

ACCORD REACHED: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (right) and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee during a press conference at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Sunday.

KOLKATA: The stalemate over acquisition of land for the Tata Motors project at Singur ended here late on Sunday night, following two rounds of discussions between Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. Between the two rounds there was anxiety for some time over the outcome following a fresh demand reportedly by Ms. Banerjee.

The 15-day siege by the Trinamool Congress and its allies outside the project site demanding that land acquired from “unwilling farmers” be handed back, will be lifted. Any construction in the vendor’s park will remain suspended for a week by which time a committee will ascertain the scope and set the modalities to compensate — with maximum land possible within the project area and adjacent to it — those farmers who have so far refused any compensation from the authorities.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, who presided over the talks, announced the decision. The Chief Minister and Ms. Banerjee were present.

The second round of talks hurriedly fixed for late in the evening was preceded by anxiety over the progress of the negotiations when Ms. Banerjee, reportedly raised a fresh demand calling for suspension of work in the vendor park till the issue of handing over land was determined.

This came moments after the earlier discussions with the Chief Minister had seemingly ended on a positive note and a tentative decision taken to lift the siege on Monday morning .

Accompanying the Chief Minister in the second round were the State’s Industries Minister, Nirupam Sen, and the Panchayat Minister, Surya Kanta Mishra.

The Chief Minister, who was attending a meeting of the ruling Left Front, left again for Raj Bhavan for a meeting with Ms Banerjee on being informed of the latter’s change in stand.

The hectic parleying that continued for most of the day began with discussions between Mr. Bhattacharjee and the Governor in the morning. Shortly after, Ms. Banerjee was invited by the Governor for a separate round of talks held after the latter sent a message to her stating that the State government had agreed to consider the proposal of providing land from both within and outside the project area.

Later in the afternoon, following a request by the Governor, the Chief Minister joined in talks with Ms. Banerjee.

An arrangement on a land-based rehabilitation scheme for land-losers was reportedly agreed upon, as was the setting up of a committee representing the two sides that would determine the quantum of land to be given.

Tata Motors authorities announced suspension of work at the site on September 2 in view of the continued confrontation and agitation.


Source : The Hindu

NSG waiver to India-A breakthrough, says Kakodkar

CHENNAI: Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Anil Kakodkar has described the Nuclear Suppliers Group’s (NSG) waiver to India as “an acceptable arrangement which meets our requirements.” In an interview from Mumbai on Sunday, he called the waiver “a breakthrough.”

Asked whether the waiver had any bar on India conducting nuclear tests, he said, “The point is our legal rights [to conduct nuclear tests] have been preserved. If you test, there will be reactions. But we have preserved our legal rights [to conduct a nuclear test].”

In what way the waiver is a breakthrough? He replied that first it opened up international civil nuclear commerce for the country. Second, India had so far faced embargo regimes in accessing nuclear reactors and technology from other countries. (The embargoes would be lifted). “There is now the recognition that India, on the civilian nuclear side, can deal with the international community; and on the strategic side, we can maintain our strategic programmes. In terms of recognition, it is a breakthrough,” he said. Third, the waiver would “very significantly contribute to India’s nuclear power growth.”

While the domestic nuclear power programme would continue, the country needed a larger programme to meet its electricity needs and the waiver would certainly help.

To a query whether the nation received “a clean and unconditional waiver,” which he always insisted on, he said, “There are no new conditions.” When the question was repeated, he asserted: “The point is that on substantive issues; it is consistent with what we were looking for. There are no new conditions.”

Will the waiver lift the ban on India receiving enrichment and reprocessing technologies from other countries?

“The NSG has policies and guidelines on export of enrichment and reprocessing technologies. There is no specific targeting of India.” The entire exercise was about granting exemptions to India to have civil nuclear commerce with other countries. “I m glad it worked out ultimately,” he said.

Asked whether he was disappointed with China’s attitude at the NSG meet in Vienna, he said, “We would have certainly expected a more positive approach [from China]. Ultimately, the question is we have to take into account all kinds of …their policies.”

On the former AEC Chairman, P.K. Iyengar’s observation that countries such as Austria, Ireland and New Zealand, which strongly objected to the waiver, were not supplier countries at all, he said countries had their own policies and debates were natural. That was where negotiations took place.


Source : The Hindu - T.S. Subramanian

Price control steps not to hurt growth: Manmohan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said inflation and its control have become a major concern with steep hike in global oil and commodity prices but the government is ensuring that the growth is not hurt by the steps taken to moderate the rising prices. "In the last few months, because of the steep increase in international prices of petroleum products and primary commodities, inflation and its control have emerged as a major concerns of policy.

"We have taken steps to moderate the rise in prices. In so doing, we have also tried to ensure that inflation control measures do not hurt the growth momentum we have built up in the last four years," Singh said while laying the foundation stone for Rs 1,750-crore expansion project of Salem Steel Plant, a part of Steel Authority of India. Hoping that the economy would grow by nine per cent annually during the 11th Plan period, he said, "to ensure non-inflationary growth, we must step up production in all sectors. In agriculture, in manufacturing and in services.

"We still have a long to go in creating infrastructure essential for modernising India. Ready availability of steel is a key requirement for such infrastructure," he said and asked the industry to work hard to increase steel supply to meet the rising demand. Stating that it was a sellers` market for steel he complimented the industry, in particular the public sector, saying "the rising prominence of our steel industry on the world`s steel landscape also mirrors the emergence of our country as a leading economic power in the world." From a small beginning, India has now become the fifth largest producer of steel in the world, he said and projected that the country would become the second largest producer by 2015 if present trends continued.

COURTASY: Hindu

Source: PETROLEUM BAZAAR

Thursday 4 September 2008

Tata suspends Singur work; looking at alternate option for Nano

KOLKATA: Tata Motors on Tuesday said it was looking for alternate options to manufacture its small car Nano from the company's other plants and work at Singur has been suspended.

"In view of the current situation, the company is evaluating alternate options for manufacturing the Nano car at other company facilities," the company said it a statement.

A detailed plan to relocate the plant and machinery to an alternate site is under preparation, it added.

"Tata Motors has been constrained to suspend the construction and commissioning work at the Nano plant in Singur in view of continued confrontation and agitation at the site," it said.

The decision has been taken in order to ensure the safety of its employees and contract labour who have continued to violently obstruct from reporting to work, it added.

The project's auto ancillary partners were also constrained to suspend the work in line with Tata Motors' decision, it said.

Thanks : ET

PM's Independence Day Speech, 2008

My dear countrymen, brothers, sisters and my dear children

Greetings to all of you on this happy occasion of our Independence Day. This is a sacred day for every Indian. Today we remember the sacrifice of those who under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi fought for our freedom from foreign rule. Today we remember the hard work and dedication of all those who have toiled to build a free and modern India. And we re-dedicate ourselves to that cause. We remember our farmers, our workers and our teachers. We remember our soldiers - who defend our borders in snowy mountains, in deserts, in jungles, on the shores and in the oceans.

Brothers and Sisters,

Four years ago, on this day, I stood here before you and spoke to you about our Government’s new vision for a new India. I said to you that it is our desire to build an India that is just and humane; an India that treats all its citizens as equals;

an India that is prosperous; an India that lives in peace; an India in which everyone can find work suited to his or her talent and can work for his or her brighter future. An India that is secular, that is fair and just to all its people. An India united in its diversity. It has been our sincere endeavour to work for the building of such an India.

Brothers and Sisters,

Four years ago I stood here and said to you that I have no promises to make, but I have promises to keep. The implementation of the National Common Minimum Programme, was our promise to keep;

To give a “new deal to rural India”, was our promise to keep;

To make our economy and society inclusive was our promise to keep;

To take India to its rightful place in the comity of nations, was our promise to keep;

It has been the sincere endeavour of our Government to keep each of these promises. We have given a new deal to rural India. Through the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana we are investing Rs. 25000 crore in agriculture; To provide relief to our debt distressed farmers we have waived loans taken from the banks amounting to about Rs. 71000 crore; In the past four years we have increased bank credit for agricultural sector from Rs 81000 crore to Rs 225000 crore, and have reduced the interest rates for farm loans; In order to improve the economic conditions of farmers we have steeply increased the procurement prices for food grains; 50% for wheat and 30% for paddy; The National Food Security Mission has been set up to enhance production of rice, wheat and pulses; Irrigation, watershed development, rain fed areas development, and flood management have received our special attention; Our effort at increasing investment in rural areas and reducing the debt burden of farmers has turned our agricultural economy around.

After almost a decade of stagnation especially from 1998 to 2004, investment in agriculture is increasing and there has been a revival in this area. We have had record production of foodgrains, cotton and sugar in 2007-08. Our farms are once again green. Our godowns are once again filling up. Our farmers are once again hopeful about their future and their welfare.

Brothers and Sisters,

I spent the first ten years of my life in a village that had no electricity, no drinking water supply, no doctor, no roads and no phones. I had to walk many miles to a school. I had to study at night in the dim light of a kerosene lamp. After independence there has been considerable development in rural areas, yet many of our citizens still live a life that I lived in my childhood.

That is why when our Government took over, we launched Bharat Nirman, to build rural infrastructure. Our Government is committed to transforming rural India. In these four years we have taken important initiatives. I am confident that a new and prosperous India will be built due to our efforts.

My dear Countrymen,

Four years ago I spoke to you about our “Seven Sutras” – the seven priorities for our Government – agriculture, water, education, health care, employment, urban renewal and infrastructure.

In each area we have taken important initiatives. I have already spoken about our initiatives for agricultural development and farmer’s welfare.

The second important area of development has been infrastructure development. There is a new dynamism in our railways. New roads are being built. New seaports and airports are being developed. More and more of our people now live in our cities. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Mission has been funding urban development and modernization of our cities. The National Rural Health Mission has been expanding public health facilities and services in rural areas.

As someone who started his professional life as a teacher, I feel proud to say that our Government has been giving special attention to the development of education in our country. There is a massive increase in public investment in education at all levels. In elementary education, in secondary education and in higher education.

We have strengthened Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and expanded the mid-day meal programme upto upper primary level in all districts of the country. About 14 crore children are being provided mid-day meals under this scheme. We are establishing 6000 new high quality model schools, with at least one school in each block. 373 new colleges are being opened in backward districts. We are opening 30 new universities, 8 new IITs, 7 new IIMs, 20 new IIITs, 5 new Indian Institutes of Science, 2 Schools of Planning and Architecture, 10 NITs, and a 1000 new polytechnics.

I have called the 11th Five Year Plan our “National Education Plan”. We want every section of our society to get access to education. Every child belonging to a family of SC, ST, OBC and all Minorities, every single child, boy or girl, must have access to modern education. Our Government is implementing several new scholarship schemes for the educational development of our children. Schemes for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for children hailing from SC, ST, OBC and Minority families are being implemented. Special scholarships for meritorious students from SC, ST, OBC and Minority families have also been launched. Scholarships for overseas studies are being given to SC and ST students. National merit-cum-means scholarships for children hailing from economically weakers sections and children with disabilities have also been approved.

We have established a new Skill Development Mission which will work under the supervision of the Prime Minister. A Skill Development Corporation will be created by the Government with the active participation of the private sector to give special training to our young men and women, our workers and our technicians.

I am happy to say that we are sincerely implementing most of the recommendations of the Justice Sachar Committee Report on social, economic and educational empowerment of our Muslim community.

India will be transformed only when every Indian is literate, well fed, healthy and can secure gainful employment. I want to see a modern India, imbued by a scientific temper, where the benefits of modern knowledge flow to all sections of society. This year we hope to send an Indian space craft, Chandrayan, to the moon. It will be an important milestone in the development of our space programme.

Brothers and Sisters,

Providing employment has been a special priority for us. Our policies for agriculture, for industry, for infrastructure development and for skill development, will all promote employment. Our beloved former Prime Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi had said, “Garibi Hatao”. Our leader Shrimati Sonia Gandhi has given us the slogan, “Rozgar Badhao”. Our Government is making special efforts to create “rozgar” to fight “garibi”.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme is a historic initiative of our Government. Today the entire country is covered by this programme. The NREGA is providing minimum livelihood support to the crores of neediest among us. It is aimed to soften the sharp edges of poverty. To create more employment we need more investment in agriculture, in manufacturing and in infrastructure. We need a new wave of industrialization to generate more employment. If industrial development has any adverse impact on some of our rural folk, we will ensure that there is reasonable compensation and proper rehabilitation. A new Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy has been formulated and we will seek Parliament’s approval for it.

We have introduced a bill in Parliament to provide social security to the workers of the unorganized sector. Our Government has launched the Aam Aadmi Beema Yojana, under which one member of each landless family in rural areas will be insured. We have also started a programme to provide health insurance to Below Poverty Line families of workers in the unorganized sector. Citizens above 65 years of age, living below the poverty line are being covered under the Indira Gandhi Pension Scheme.

My dear countrymen,

In the past four years we have seen a sharp increase in the rate of investment. This has contributed to an increase in the rate of growth of the economy. For the first time in history, we have had four years of nearly 9.0% economic growth. India is among the world’s fastest growing economies.

But there are new challenges that we face. We have the challenge of inflation. I know how much each one of you is concerned about the recent rise in prices. The inflation we have seen this year is basically due to external factors. All over the world and in global markets the price of food, fuel and other commodities has been rising. In many developing countries the rate of inflation is double that in India. Our Government has worked hard to ensure that in India the rate of inflation is not as high as in many other countries. We have also taken special measures to insulate the poorer sections of our society from the full impact of rising food and fuel prices. Our Government has not raised the price of kerosene and fertilizers. We have not raised the issue price of wheat and rice under PDS.

We are taking determined measures to bring prices under reasonable control. I have urged all Chief Ministers to improve and strengthen the PDS to ensure availability of essential commodities to the common man at reasonable prices. The Reserve Bank of India is moderating the growth of money supply in the country so that inflation can be controlled. However, while making these efforts we should avoid doing anything which hurts our growth.

Brothers and Sisters,

Today, while speaking about the achievements of our Government, I wish to make one more promise. We have done much, but I realize that there is more to do. The problem of malnutrition is a curse that we must remove. Our efforts to provide every child with access to education and to improve health care services for all citizens will continue. We need to take forward our initiatives for giving equal status to women and for their social and economic empowerment. I promise to you that we will continue striving for the development and prosperity of our country. We will work hard to take the country to greater heights in all fields.

Brothers and Sisters,

We must apply modern science and technology to find long term solutions to our energy problem. Our crude oil and gas reserves are limited. We must find alternative energy sources. I would like our scientists and engineers to find ways in which we can make better use of solar energy, wind energy, bio-gas and other sources of energy.

Our economy must grow at the rate of at least ten per cent every year to get rid of poverty and generate employment for all. A basic requirement for sustained growth, and for the development of our agriculture and industry is availability of energy, particularly electricity. All over the world, there is growing realization of the importance of atomic energy to meet the challenge of energy security and climate change. It is a clean, environmental friendly and renewable source of energy.

India’s atomic scientists and technologists are world class. They have developed nuclear energy capacities despite heavy odds. But there are handicaps which have adversely affected our atomic energy programme. We have inadequate production of uranium. The quality of our uranium resources is not comparable to those of other producers. Many countries have imposed sanctions on trade with India in nuclear materials, nuclear equipment and nuclear technology. As a result, our nuclear energy programme has suffered.

The nuclear agreement that we are negotiating with developed countries will end India’s nuclear isolation. It will open up new opportunities for trade in dual-use high technologies and nuclear materials and equipment, opening up new pathways to accelerate industrialization of our country. It will enable us to provide electricity to meet the needs of our farmers, our artisans, our traders and our industry.

Brothers and Sisters,

Four years ago I said to you that an important challenge we face is the challenge of providing good governance. We have taken several steps to make Government transparent, efficient and responsive. The Right to Information Act was one major step. We have initiated reform and modernization of Government. The National e-Governance Plan will make it easier for all our citizens to deal with the various agencies of Government.

We have completed the examination of the report of the Sixth Pay Commission. We have gone beyond the recommendations of the Commission in increasing emoluments of government employees. While doing this we have taken special care of the interests and welfare of our armed forces and para-military forces, and government employees working at lower levels in our civil services. This is one more step in making Government more efficient.

We need more reforms at all levels of Government. We want to improve our schools, our hospitals and other public services. The Panchayati Raj Institutions have an important role to play in decentralization and reform of Government. We must enhance their administrative and financial powers. I appeal to State Governments to take all possible steps for improving governance and to help in the Central Government’s initiatives.

My dear Countrymen,

Terrorism, extremism, communalism and fundamentalism have emerged as major challenges to the unity and integrity of our country. The recent terrorist attacks in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and other parts of the country have shocked the nation. What words can I find to condemn such acts of barbarism. I share the sorrow and grief of people affected by terrorism. The Government of India will take concrete steps to rehabilitate and help such families.

I commend our security forces and intelligence agencies for the dedication with which they are dealing with the problem under difficult circumstances. But I agree that we have to further strengthen our intelligence agencies and police forces to deal with the problem of terrorism.

We will examine the functioning of our intelligence agencies and police and security forces and take all possible steps to equip them to tackle this challenge. Whatever resources are required, will be provided. Whatever manpower is required will be provided. We are firm in our resolve to meet the challenge of terrorism. I urge the State Governments, all political parties, civil society groups and social and religious leaders to cooperate with us in rooting out terrorism from our country.

Brothers and Sisters,

I am confident that we will overcome these challenges. But this requires hard work and unity of purpose. This requires a politics of consensus, not confrontation. This requires dialogue among communities, not discord. The challenge of communalism, of extremism and of terrorism cannot be won by a nation divided. The challenge of environmental and ecological destruction cannot be won by a society divided.

The challenge of economic modernization and social development of all, of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, of Other Backward Classes and Minorities, cannot be won by a people divided.

Brothers and Sisters,

I have said on a number of occasions that I am greatly concerned about the problem of regional imbalances in development. Some parts of our country are doing much better than others. Some States are being left behind. This pattern has persisted for far too long. We must ensure that the less developed States catch up with the developed ones.

We must pay special attention to the development of the North-Eastern region. Our Government has taken several initiatives to increase public investment in the North-East and in Jammu & Kashmir. We are investing in infrastructure and in education in these regions to encourage development and generate employment.

Jammu & Kashmir and the North-eastern region require an era of peace for them to catch up with the more developed parts of the country. We have been taking various initiatives to promote peace and stability in these States. These initiatives will be taken forward.

The recent incidents in the State of Jammu and Kashmir are a cause for concern. In this hour of crisis, divisive politics will lead us nowhere. I appeal to all political parties to keep the long term interests of Jammu and Kashmir in view and come together to find a permanent solution to the problems of the State.

The sacred shrine of Shri Amar Nath inspires all Indians to march together. This shrine is a shining example of our secular tradition, where Hindu pilgrims have been looked after for years by their Muslim brothers. Issues related to this sacred place, especially the issue of providing the best possible facilities to pilgrims, can only be resolved in an atmosphere of peace and goodwill. Dividing people in the name of religion can complicate these issues further which can also pose a threat to the unity and integrity of the country. I appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to cooperate with us in establishing peace in the State. It is my conviction that all issues can be resolved only through dialogue and peaceful means.

Brothers and Sisters,

Our ancient Himalayas are under environmental threat. If the Himalayan glaciers recede, the flow of water in our sacred rivers will go down. Climate change can disrupt our economy in several ways. Some of our coastal areas could be submerged. Our monsoon pattern may change. We need long term solutions to such threats. A national consensus is also required for the Government to evolve effective policies to deal with these problems.

Our Government has come forward with a National Action Plan on Climate Change. This plan shows how each of us must adapt our ways of working and living and how we must treat our natural resources, so that our carbon emissions remain within reasonable limits and our environment is protected.

My fellow countrymen,

Our goal in South Asia is to seek a peaceful, stable and prosperous neighbourhood. We seek to accelerate the pace of social and economic development in our country and our region, while safeguarding our national security. Our foreign policy has been based on these principles.

We wish all our neighbours well. We welcome the strengthening of democratic forces in our neighbourhood, especially in Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan. The recent blasts in our Embassy in Kabul have cast a shadow over our efforts to normalize relations with Pakistan and to bring a lasting and honourable peace in our region. I have personally conveyed my concern and disappointment to the Government of Pakistan.

If this issue of terrorism is not addressed, all the good intentions that we have for our two peoples to live in peace and harmony will be negated. We will not be able to pursue the peace initiatives we want to take. The terrorists and those who support them are enemies of the people of India and Pakistan, of friendship between the two countries and of peace in the region and the world. We must defeat them.

In the last year we have strengthened our relations with the major powers, Latin American countries, Arab countries and African countries. We will continue our efforts in this direction, keeping in view our national interests.

India is today viewed with respect as one of the world’s fastest growing economies. People of Indian Origin are engaged in diverse activities around the world and their capabilities are recognized the world over. Their achievements inspire us. The world today expects India to regain its due place in the comity of nations. This is a moment of opportunity for us.

We are rapidly marching forward to regain our rightful place in the comity of nations. But to reach that goal we have a lot of work to do at home. We have to overcome each of the challenges I have spoken about. We have to forge a greater unity of purpose between various political parties, between different communities, between all sections of our society, rich and poor.

We have to manage our natural and financial resources more prudently. We have an obligation to our future generations. We cannot think only for ourselves. We cannot think only about survival from day to day, from year to year and from one election to another. We have to think about the welfare and well-being of our children and grandchildren, their grandchildren and future generations.

If we resolve to work together as a nation, and work hard and with commitment to the welfare of all our people, there is nothing that we cannot do.

Let us resolve today to stand together, to strengthen the unity and integrity of our country and to stand firm in our determination to build a new India of our dreams.

My dear children, please join me in saying Jai Hind

Jai Hind

Jai Hind

Jai Hind


Link For : Hindi Version

Thanks : http://pmindia.nic.in



 
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