The Ministry of Defence have requested the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to investigate into all major defence purchases since 1985-86. The investigation of the CVC will cover the following.

LAW COMMISSION’S CLARIFICATION

    The Law Commission of India headed by Shri Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy, following its meeting with the Chairman and Members of the Bar Council of India on February 18, 2000 over the proposed entry of foreign lawyers/foreign legal consultants in India in the context of liberalisation of trade and services, has expressed the hope that in the light of its meeting with the Bar Council of India and clarifications given, the lawyers will review their decision to go on strike on February 24,2000 and call it off. Earlier, on January 4, 2000 the Law Commission had made its position clear about the subject through a Press Release.

    The Law Commission apprised the Bar Council of India of the factual situation and informed that further steps would be taken by it on its Working Paper only after receiving views of the Bar Council of India and other interested parties sometime after May, 2000. The Law Commission had reiterated that its report would be finalised after receiving the inputs from all concerned and sent to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs. It would then be for the Government to take a view on Commission’s recommendations.

    The Law Commission of India has seen some press reports about the processions being taken out by some lawyers’ organisations about the entry of the foreign lawyers/foreign legal consultants in India in the context of liberalisation of trade and services. The issue relating to entry of foreign legal consultants is part of the Working Paper which was prepared by the Law Commission of India in connection with review of the Advocates Act, 1961.

    The Law Commission does not see itself in an adversary position and its main concern is to obtain the views of all concerned about its proposals. It is also anxious to see that there should be no uninformed or motivated criticism of its proposals. In this context, the Law Commission considers it appropriate to point out that it had circulated its Working Paper to the Bar Council of India, the Bar Association of India, the High Court Bar Associations, Law Secretaries of States, National Law School of India University, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Law and some eminent members of the Bar for eliciting their views on various proposals made in the Law Commission’s Working Paper sometime in August/September last year. No response has since been received so far from most of the organisations including those who are now agitating on the proposals made in the Working Paper of the Law Commission.

    In the Chapter relating to the "Entry of Foreign Legal Consultants and Liberalisation of Legal Practice", the Law Commission had pointed out that India was a part of the General Agreement on Trade and Services(GATS) and within a period of five years from January 1,1995, it would be under an obligation to enter into successive rounds of negotiations periodically with a view to achieving a progressively higher level of liberalisation which includes free trade and services without regard to national boundaries. The Law Commission had, in this connection, referred to the guidelines prepared by the International Bar Association with which the Executive Committee of the Bar Association of India was broadly in agreement. The Executive Committee of the Bar Council of India is of the view that Indian legal system ought to integrate internationally under an appropriate regulatory system which would ensure the following: a general reciprocity of rights and non-discrimination; foreign lawyers/firms should be subject to the same disciplinary jurisdiction as Indian lawyers; and there should be greater opportunities for the future development of the entire legal profession in India.

    In this connection, it may also be noted that as the law in India stands today, proviso to clause (a) of sub-section (10) of section 24 of the Advocates Act says that "subject to the other provisions contained in this Act, a national of any other country may be admitted as an advocate on the said roll, if citizens of India duly qualified are permitted to practice law in that country". Accordingly, even under the existing law, subject to the reciprocal arrangements with other countries, the foreign lawyers can be admitted as advocates in India.

    The Law Commission in its Working Paper has itself suggested some of the safeguards which could be adopted. In this connection, it has referred to article XIX(2) of the GATS which allows the process of liberalisation to take place with due respect for national policy objectives and levels of development of individual members, both over-all and in individual sectors. There shall be appropriate flexibility for developed country members for opening fewer sectors, liberalising fewer types of transactions, progressively extending market access in line with their developing situation and, attaching appropriate conditions while making access to their markets available to foreign services suppliers keeping in view these objectives. The Commission has also pointed out that most of the law firms in India are family controlled and very few firms provide "single window services" meaning service which not only includes legal but also accountancy, financial and other advice to their clients. In light of these facts, the Commission wanted the legal community to apply its mind to devising a proper legal framework for regulating the legal profession in the context that the Bar Council of India has to choose appropriate model suiting conditions of our country so that appropriate amendments could be made in the Advocates Act, 1961 which would arm Bar Council of India with necessary powers to meet the challenges ahead.

    The Law Commission of India hopes that all concerned would carefully go through the material contained in this Working Paper in the proper perspective and offer their comments without any pre-conceived notions. No one should assume that Law Commission of India is less concerned about the welfare of legal profession in India. Its only concern is that the legal community should prepare itself for the future challenges.

'30'

    Minister of Environment and Forests, Shri T.R. Baalu has called for increasing productivity and improving environmental conditions in small and medium scale industries by adopting waste minimisation as a strategic tool. Inaugurating the FICCI-TERI Global Conference on "Green 2000 – Agenda for Business", here today, Shri Baalu said that small scale industries operating in clusters and discharging wastewater into rivers should adopt and use common effluent treatment plants.

    Stating that there is a shift from pollution control to preventive strategies by promoting use of clean technologies, Shri Baalu pointed out that India is responding to various challenges and opportunities in sustaining its development. "We have raised the conversion efficiency of our power plants. Industries are reducing their energy intensity by cutting production costs. New fiscal policies are promoting low emission technologies. In the automobile sector too, new technologies and corresponding regulations are reducing emissions", he added.

    "The effort is to ensure that the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", the Minister said.

    Calling for involving the local population in the conservation efforts, Shri Baalu said that organisational arrangements would be made for channeling bank finance to farmers, cooperatives, state forest corporations and other institutions for rehabilitation of forests. He disclosed that an urban afforestation programme in selected cities would be launched very soon through social mobilisation and public participation. Shri Baalu further stated that efforts would be made to regenerate and rehabilitate threatened species and secure participation of the community including women in biodiversity conservation.

    Chairing the session on "Clean & Competitive: a profitable agenda for business", the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Shri Vishwanath Anand urged the industries to adopt cleaner technology as it makes good business sense also. Pointing out that business environment has become far more competitive, Shri Anand said that industries have to avoid wasteful expenditure and by restructuring the existing system, they could promote sustainable development.

    Members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Urban Development today stressed the need to workout proper planning for the development of cities and expressed concern at the unauthorised and illegal constructions at several places especially in Delhi. The Committee met today under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Urban Development, Shri Jagmohan. Minister of State for Urban Development, Shri Bandaru Dattatraya, Secretary Shri Ashok Pahwa and Senior Officials of the Ministry and attached departments were present in the meeting.

    Welcoming the Members, Shri Jagmohan said that the meeting has been called with a view to get the valuable suggestions of the Members of the Committee so that these could be incorporated into various programmes and policies of the Ministry. Outlining several steps being taken by the Ministry Shri Jagmohan said that an initiative is being taken for cities whose population is between 5 to 40 lakhs. He said that initiatives are also being taken for the development of cities of cultural significance. He pointed out a number of small and medium size cities, like Vrindavan, Haridwar and Kanyakumari, are repositories of spiritual and cultural wealth of India. If these cities are suitably developed, they would become vibrant centres, not only of cultural resurgence but also of economic and social advancement.

    Shri Jagmohan said that office and field organisations of Municipal Corporations Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats need to be radically overhauled and made services and result oriented. He proposed that under a special scheme, the expenditure on which could be shared by the Central and State government and the local bodies concerned, a group of experts or consultants, could be appointed to carry out internal restructuring and for preparing the new manuals of work.

    Pointing out that the problems in cities are becoming formidable, the Minister said though 90 per cent of the government revenues and 60 per cent of our National Gross Domestic Product are contributed by the cities, they, at the municipal level, get only 0.6 per cent of the GDP. Over the years, the percentage of Plan allocation for urban development schemes has been declining. At present, there is no sanitation worth the name for 52 per cent of the urban population, and individual toilet facilities are available to only about 24 per cent. The sewerage system covers only 35 per cent of the population of Class IV cities and 75 per cent of the population of Class I cities.

    The Members expressed concern over the unauthorised and illegal constructions in Delhi. It was suggested that the National Capital Region needs to be developed properly. Law enforcement agencies also need to gear up in order not to allow encroachments and illegal constructions. They felt that the multiplicity of local authorities in Delhi created problems and there is lack of co-ordination among them. It was suggested that there should be accountability of the officials concerned and responsibility should be fixed for unauthorised constructions. Several suggestions were made by the Members for the proper planning of Delhi.

    Members also expressed concern at the increasing migration to Delhi, which brings pressure on the available infrastructure. It was felt that cities in various States should be developed properly.

    Members also pointed out the need for special programmes for North-East areas. It was suggested that a special package fully funded by the Centre should be worked out for the region.

    The Members were appreciative of the initiatives being undertaken by the Ministry of Urban Development under Shri Jagmohan. However, they pointed out that a lot needs to be done to improve the urban scenario. Among the Members of Parliament who attended the meeting were Shri Vijay Goel, Shri Nepal Chandra Das and Smt. Shyama Singh.

    The Railways handled 370.92 million tonnes (MT) of Railway earning freight during April’99 to January 2000. It is 27.52 MT more than the freight carried during the same period in the previous year and 0.62 MT more than the target. During the period, the movement of cement, foodgrains, fertilizers, and iron ore(export) has exceeded the target.

    Out of the total freight traffic, coal accounted for 170.99 MT, raw material 30.99 MT, iron and steel 9.47 MT, iron ore (export) 9.81 MT, cement 35.26 MT, foodgrains 2.04 MT, fertilizer 26.73 MT, Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant (POL) 27.77 MT and other goods 34.86 MT. The other goods include 6.60 MT of containerised freight. The movement of cement during the ten-month period has exceeded the target by 2.24 MT, foodgrains by 2.79 MT, fertilizer by 3.73 MT, iron ore(export) by 3 lakh tonne and other goods by 41 lakh tonnes.

    During January 2000, the Railways carried 40.25 MT of revenue earning freight which was 3.10 MT more than the goods traffic handled during January’99 and 35 lakh tonnes more than the target.

'15'

    A Group of Eight Executive Directors of Asian Development Bank (ADB) called on the Union Finance Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha, here today. The team which has a total voting power of 62.927 per cent of the total voting power of ADB Board was led by Mr. John Lockhart. Welcoming the delegation, Shri Yashwant Sinha explained the recent initiatives in the area of second generation economic reforms and said that the moto is the upliftment of the rural poor . He also appreciated ADB for its excellent cooperation and the increase in disbursement of loans. Shri Sinha thanked ADB for sanctioning US $ 625 million in the current year for different projects in India compared to US $ 250 million in 1998.

    The Finance Minister said that economic growth rate in India has been good and the Government is aiming at 7-8 per cent growth rate next year. He said that if this rate of growth is sustained for a period of time then poverty could be eradicated from the country. The Finance Minister also said that the Government of India is pursuing policies aimed at helping the poorest of the poor and in this endeavor multilateral agencies have to play a significant role. While appreciating the Bank for its recently adopted Poverty Reduction Strategy and other initiatives such as program lending, private sector development, anti-corruption, gender issues, environmental protection and other issues, Shri Sinha indicated India's strong concern about these social sector issues. He also said that Asian Development Fund (ADF) should make available more loans to India for projects aimed at poverty reduction.

    The leader of the delegation, Mr. Lockhart said that ADB also shares the idea of economic development along with eradication of poverty. He appreciated the economic development in India and said that ADB will look forward to a long and fruitful cooperation with India.

    The Group of ADB Executive Directors who are on a fifteen days visit to India from 19^th February is likely to meet representatives of industry, financial institutions and NGOs apart from visiting projects relating to NTPC Power Grid, HUDCO, LPG Pipeline and Gujarat for a first hand assessment of restructuring and reform efforts of the State governments.

    The delegation which includes Shri Ramachandran, Mr. Petrick Thomas, Mr. Khwaja Zaheer Ahmed, Mr. Barry Holloway, Mr. Uwe Henrich, Mr. Yasuro Narita and Mr. Sim Cheng Huat, later held discussions with Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Shri E.A.S. Sarma.

‘5’

    Union Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani has urged the Directors General of State Police Forces, Heads of Central Police Organisations, Heads of State Crime Branches, Directors of State Forensic Science Laboratories to concentrate on three major issues agitating the minds of the people all over the country viz. crime, corruption and development. The Home Minister was addressing a two-day Conference organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation, here today. Shri Advani expressed the hope that the conference would come out with suitable remedies to contain these menaces confronting the nation.

    Shri Advani stated that these three issues find echo in his theory of ‘Suraj’ which he advocated many a time since his Government took over. He further said that ‘Swaraj’ can be converted into ‘Suraj’ only when the safety and security of every citizen in the country is ensured. He said, "Raja ka pratham kartavya hai Praja ki raksha". This principle is as true now when the Raja is democratically elected as when he was crowned in the monarchic tradition.

    Shri Advani mentioned that globalisation of crime has moved faster than globalisation of the economy. Every advance in modern information and communication technologies has been exploited by those engaged in crime to spread their tentacles wider and to carry out their nefarious operations in a more sophisticated way. He emphasised the need to recognise this fact and meet the danger effectively with a professional response.

    The Home Minister said that combating crime and establishing a law-based, orderly society is the primary duty of the State. Crime against person and property is not only a violation of the citizen’s fundamental right to peace and well being but it is also a challenge to public order and prosperity of the State. Therefore, all those who are supposed to protect and strengthen law and order and the nation’s internal security are indeed tasked to perform the most primary duty of the State. He emphasised that when this truth is recognised at every level of our internal security system and this recognition begins to guide all its operation then only we can effectively combat this enemy of civil society and of the nation. Shri Advani stated that organised crime, its changing nature and its perpetrators who increasingly operate in well-knit gangs and crime syndicates causes serious concern and needs to be focussed.

    He further stated that no strategy of combating organised crime can yield optimal results unless we take a firm stand against corruption. Corruption is the single biggest enemy of all our development plans. It is also one of the biggest factors contributing to the growth of organised crime. He said emphatically that if organised crime is a poisonous plant in the soil of civil society, then it is corruption that irrigates it and assists its dangerous growth. There is urgent need to recognise this fact, added the Minister.

    He further said that petty crime, though it cannot be ignored, has always existed in every society in smaller or larger measure. But whenever crime has assumed an organised form, it has done so by challenging the very authority of the State. It has posed a threat to the very well being and stability of a society. Indeed, whenever organised crime challenges the authority of the State, it becomes a witting or unwitting accomplice of anti-national forces. The Minister said this fact is seen in the case of almost every major crime in recent times be it the serial bomb blasts in Bombay in 1993 or the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane most recently. Even the growing acts of violence by communist extremists in some States, and extremist activities in the North-Eastern States, show a clear pattern of networking among various anti-India forces. In almost all these cases, the crime has left a terrorist trail that is traced back to forces inimical to our nation. Indeed, such terrorist crimes, aided and abetted by Pakistan’s ISI, are an integral part of its hostile plans of subversion and separatism.

    Referring to the Kargil conflict the Home Minister mentioned that the humiliating defeat in Kargil has further increased Pakistan’s frustration and desperation. That is why, increasingly the targets of terrorist attacks in the post-Kargil period have been our security forces in Jammu & Kashmir. Having realised that it is impossible to win against India in an open conventional military aggression, the enemy has changed his war strategy. Terrorism and subversion have become his preferred form of war against India, added the Minister.

    Shri Advani said that the dividing line between organised crime and proxy war in the form of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism is getting thinner and thinner. For this reason, too, it has become imperative for all of us to realise that our duty is no less responsible than that of our jawans on India’s frontiers.

    The Minister said that terrorism and trans-border crime are a menace not only to India but also to the global order itself. He informed that the Government has begun a concerted effort to create a powerful opinion against them in international circles. He expressed happiness over the fact that the United Nations is finalising a comprehensive International Convention against Transnational Organised Crime at Vienna, Austria.

    The Home Minister emphasised that intelligence gathering, processing and analysis is an area where we must improve our capabilities. I would like to see closer cooperation between the State Crime Branch and CID of each State with the CBI at the Centre. There is much by way of records of criminal gangs and its members which can be shared with fellow professionals and active assistance given to visiting investigating officers from other States. He said that organised crime is mainly an urban phenomenon, let us not forget that drugs smuggling and trafficking in women and children have been taking place in remote and rural areas, too. This is especially true in the case of those States having international borders. I would urge the officers of these States to meet separately and evolve common strategies.

    Shri Advani cautioned that Cyber crime is the latest form of crime that the security agencies are required to combat. With the rapid penetration of Information Technology, we are certain to see more and more crimes committed in the cyber space. He said that there is a need to build foolproof systems to protect our economic assets and our security-related information from the machinations of this new breed of criminals. This is possible only by constantly upgrading the knowledge and expertise of IT in our internal security operations. He added that the work of Forensic Scientists needs to be recognised and asked the States to improve their Forensic Science Laboratories on the pattern of Andhra Pradesh and other pioneering States.

    Shri Advani urged the police to investigate cases of corruption with fear or favour, irrespective of the status or the affiliation of those involved. He said that there has been a disconcerting tendency to demand a CBI inquiry even in the cases that ought to be handled by State agencies themselves. It has not only burdened the resources of the CBI but has also lowered the credibility and efficacy of State agencies. He urged the State Governments to limit the cases to be entrusted to CBI and instead to set up professonally competent Crime Detection Units, whose work is recognised by the courts and the public at large.

    The Home Minister expressed happiness over the better coordination between the Centre and the States in combating organised crimes in recent years. He asked the police officers to be more vigilant, far more efficient and far more effective. He urged the assembled officers to pool their experience and professional expertise and come out with viable strategies. He also mentioned that fight against crime is not the job of police officers alone. Enlisting public cooperation in preventing and solving crime is very important. He assured full cooperation of the Government to the security agencies.

    A four member Brazilian Parliamentary Mission headed by Mr. Coriolano Sales of the Lower House of the Brazilian Parliament met Shri J.N.L Srivastava, Special Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture here today and expressed their interest in India’s cooperative credit mechanism to low income populations to finance productive activities and the agriculture policy.

    The delegation was given a brief presentation on the basic facts of Indian Agriculture by Shri Govindan Nair and Shri D.K Trehan, Joint Secretaries, Ministry of Agriculture. Special interest was shown and discussions centred round Crop Insurance and Kisan Credit Card Schemes, recently introduced by Ministry of Agriculture.

    The other members of the delegation were Mr. Edinho Bez, member of the Financial system Special Commission, Mr. Senators Maguito Vilela dna Jonas Pinheiro, members of the Poverty Alleviation. The main purpose of the visit was to obtain references for the enactment of Brazilian Legislation on Cooperative Credit.

    The Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Smt. Maneka Gandhi released the "India Disasters Report: Towards a Policy Initiative" here today.

'8'

DR. M.M. JOSHI SEEKS ENHANCED SUPPORT OF BUSINESS HOUSES

    The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee has urged the voluntary organisations to help in the formulation of policies for central programmes connected with social welfare and also in their implementation. The participation of these organisations in such programmes has always been found to be beneficial and rewarding for whom they had been evolved. This also helps in enhancing the credibility of the Government’s social welfare programmes as well as the faith in voluntary organizations. Further it assists in the speedy implementation of these programmes as well. Shri Vajpayee was inaugurating here today a National Conference on Voluntarism and Social Development organised by the Central Social Welfare Board.

    The Prime Minister pointed out that the board has played an important role in successfully involving voluntary organizations in social development and has also given a boost to such activities. Shri Vajpayee said that to give a further fillip to this, the Government is committed to providing more powers to the Board. There will also be no lack of political will in the fuller involvement of voluntary organisations in social development activities, the Prime Minister added.

    The Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi said social development is a vast process and it can be successful only with the fuller participation of the society. He said we have achieved a lot of progress in this regard but hopes and expectations have risen over the years particularly due to rise in population.

    Dr. Joshi said that in areas like primary education and literacy, the role of social institutions have been praise worthy. He expressed the opinion that in certain areas like population control, the Government’s role should be limited and indirect. Hence, the Minister said that today voluntarism would be more meaningful and effective in many facets of social development. He urged the business and industrial houses to take up various social development schemes as their own to bring about speedy socio-economic progress.

    Dr. Joshi also urged the voluntary organisations to play a major role in bringing about social justice to the down trodden and the removal of social evils. He expressed the hope that the conference will help create awareness to tackle many social issues and in giving a boost to voluntarism.

    Addressing the Conference the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. Sumitra Mahajan called upon the voluntary organisations not to be fully dependent on the Government for resources or limit themselves to government programmes alone. While implementing government programmes they should specifically keep in mind the problems and needs of their area. She also said that the government is planning to set up a nodal agency to coordinate programmes being implemented through voluntary organisations, as there has been considerable overlapping and duplication of efforts.

    The Conference was also addressed by the Chairman of the Central Social Welfare Board Mrs. Mridula Sinha and Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Mrs. Kiran Aggarwal.

'26'

    The Government is proposing to bring up a comprehensive legislation known as the Civil Aviation Act, 2000 which will inter-alia provide for setting up of a Civil Aviation Authority for taking over the existing regulatory functions of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The new legislation will embody the existing provisions of the Aircraft Act, 1934 with the modification wherever necessary. The Act will also include a provision for bringing in the existing set up of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the new Civil Aviation Authority with a view to ensure proper coordination and to avoid overlapping of function with the DGCA in certain areas. This was stated by the Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri Sharad Yadav while addressing the Consultative Committee Meeting attached to his Ministry here today.

    Welcoming the members the Minister informed that the Ministry is trying for all round improvement in the services of the Civil Aviation sector. He told the members that in order to accelerate the growth of air-traffic in India and to bring down the cost of operation, the Government has decided to provide Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to turbo-prop aircraft at international prices and notify ATF as "declared goods" under the Central Sales Tax Act . This would result in limiting the sales tax to a maximum of 4 per cent.

    Elaborating on the new draft of the National Policy on Civil Aviation, Shri Sharad Yadav told the members that paramount important is being given to consultation with users in the decision making in the aviation sector. He said that an independent Civil Aviation Authority for prescribing and enforcing strict standard for level playing field and competition is being considered. The other main features of the aviation policy would be encouragement to private sector participation, creation of a Civil Aviation Fund, introduction of new ground handling regulations and restructuring of major airports through long term leasing, the Minister said.

    Shri Sharad Yadav said that consequent upon the decision taken by the Government to upgrade the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Delhi Airport to Category-III A, Air India, IA, Jet Airways trained their pilots and laid down the procedures for Category-II operations and obtained initial operations specifications for Category-II operations. He also told that Terminal IIC at Mumbai Airport has been commissioned and the new terminal building at Guwahati Airport has been made operational. At Trivendrum Airport runway has been extended to enable smooth operation of all types of wide bodied aircraft.

    The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta called upon the members for advice and constructive suggestions to make improvement in the aviation services. He assured the members that the Ministry would give full consideration to their suggestions.

    The Members who attended the Consultative Committee Meeting were S/Shri E. Ahmed, Ashok Mohol, Ram Pal Singh, Ashok Argel, S.S. Palanimanickm, Vaidya Vishno Datt, Ram Nagina Mishra, Ashok Patel, Paban Singh Ghatowar, Capt. Satish Sharma, Govindram Miri, Suresh A. Keswani, Ram Nath Kovind, Prem Chand Gupta, Sanjay Nirupam, Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma, Smt. Reena Chowdhary and Smt. Ranu Kumari.

    The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, launching the technology mission on cotton at a function here yesterday stated that the mission will be a collaborative effort on the part of both the union and the State governments on a sharing basis. In the Central Government, major responsibility for implementation will be shared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Textiles, the Prime Minister added. Shri Kashi Ram Rana, Minister of Textiles, Shri G. Ramachandran, Minister of State for Textiles and Shri Anil Kumar, Secretary, Textiles were also present on the occasion.

    Dwelling on the importance of Cotton since time immemorial shri Kashi Ram Rana , the textiles Minister said that it is a natural fibre and is the dominant raw material of the Indian textile industry. It accounts for about 80% of the total fibre consumption in the spinning mills and about 60% of the total fibre/yarn consumption in the textile sector, shri Rana added. He further informed that the entire gamut of research, development, marketing and processing of cotton would come under this Rs. 593 crore ambitious project for an integrated approach to reach the objectives. Explaining about the contents of the Mini Missions, the Textile Minister stated that the Mini Mission-I & II which are administered by the Ministry of Agriculture would cover applied research and extension while Mini-Mission-II involving transfer of technology has been given the maximum emphasis in the Cotton Technology Mission. Due importance has also been accorded for reducing contamination which at present is one of the highest in the world , shri Rana added