TASK FORCE ON USE OF COAL AS FEEDSTOCK FOR FERTILIZERS SET UP
The Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Suresh Prabhu has set up a Task Force on coal to look into the possibility of using coal as a feedstock for fertilizers. The Task Force is headed by the Secretary in the Department of Fertilizers and has nominees from the Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Power, Fertilizers Associations of India (FAI), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Projects and Development India Limited (PDIL).
The Task Force has been asked to explore the possibility of using coal and coal bed methane for use in the fertilizer sector with a view to suggest a policy outline for the development of coal based capacity addition in the fertilizer sector. It will also outline the incentives required for development of Research & Development (R&D) in coal based technology and prepare an action plan for utilization of the abundant coal based reserves in India.
The Task Force has initiated its deliberations and will soon submit its report. To focus the attention of the industry on this important aspect, a national seminar on utilisation of coal for the fertilizer sector was organised by the Department of Fertilizers on July 7, 2000 at Nagpur.
Feedstock, especially its availability and price play the determining role in the growth of the fertilizer industry in India. Naphtha was the major feedstock for fertilizer units set up in the seventies for production of nitrogenous fertilizers. After that, natural gas emerged as the preferred feedstock in the eighties and nineties with new finds in Mumbai High.
About 65% of the installed capacity of nitrogenous fertilizers today is based on natural gas. However, a relook is necessary because of dwindling supply of natural gas and high prices of naphtha following the dismantling of administered price mechanism for fuel and natural gas. Coal reserves in the country are abundant and sufficient to last for more than 100 years. As against the annual demand of about 412.20 million tonnes in the country, coal reserves are estimated to be of about 206.239 billion tonnes. In this scenario, use of coal bed methane and gas hydrids prove a long term potential.
Cost of energy by using coal as feedstock is lowest at Rs.188 per G.Cal. (as against Rs.704, Rs.595 and Rs.373 per G.Cal. for naphtha, fuel oil and natural gas respectively). This is, however, to be counterbalanced by the high investment of Rs.2,250 crore required for a coal based plant of standard size as against Rs. 1,500 crore in case of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Rs.1,650 crore in case of naphtha. However, initially high investment cost in a coal based plant has to be seen in the context of its high availability and low conversion cost. Proven technology for use of coal as feedstock in the fertilizer sector is available and has been successfully tested in China and Japan. Both the Joint Parliamentary Committee and the High Powered Committee on Fertilizer Pricing had recommended exploration of coal based technology in view of its overall advantages.
‘32’
NEED TO ENFORCE STRICT URBAN DISCIPLINE
Union Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister, Shri Jagmohan has said that there is a need to enforce strict urban discipline. At the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting attached to the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Shri Jagmohan said that laws need to be enforced rigorously for proper development of cities. Referring to the National Slum Development Programme, he said at present, under this Programme, funds are released by the Ministry of Finance directly to the Finance Ministry of the State Government. It takes a very long time for the implementation agency to receive funds. This has led to a massive unspent balance lying with the States to the tune of Rs.842.49 crores i.e. 61 per cent of the total funds released are lying unspent with the State Governments. The total allocation to all the States/Union Territories so far has been Rs.1680.09 crore and the amount released is Rs.1374.81 crores up to June, 2000 as against which Rs.842.49 crore is lying unspent.
He suggested to the members that it would be expedient to convert National Slum Development Programme into a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and to transfer its control to the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation which could link it with the financing pattern of HUDCO, which would lead to augmentation of funds. If, for example, Rs.350 crore are made available as additional central assistance annually to be utilised under the proposed Centrally Sponsored Scheme as Central share (75%) and additional amount of Rs. 150 crore should be provided by the State Government as its share (25%) giving a corpus of 466 crore. With this corpus, HUDCO could extend soft loan of 1866 crore (400%). Thus, slum Improvement/Housing programme will get a big boost with total funding of the order of Rs.2333.30 crore (Rs.466.66+Rs.1866.64) each year. With average investments of the order of Rs.25,000, slum family for shelter/infrastructure development including environmental improvement, nearly 1 million slum families can be covered annually through Improved Shelter and Services Programme.
Shri Jagmohan also said that there are some areas in which some States are not taking advantage of the Centrally sponsored schemes. The Minister also informed the members of the Committee of several concrete measures being initiated in housing and urban infrastructure. The meeting also discussed the need for a scheme at the Central level for relocation of dairies to counter the menace of stray cattle in Delhi.
A suggestion was made that as there is overlapping of schemes in the housing sector, it should be streamlined. It was also suggested that a part of funds with the Members of Parliament could form a corpus in taking up development schemes in the urban sector.
Members of Parliament present in the meeting were Smt. Shyama Singh, Shri T. Govindan and Shri Nepal Chandra Das.
'23' VAN MAHOTSAV AT NATIONAL RAIL MUSEUM FREE ENTRY TO SCHOOL CHILDREN
Children below twelve years will be allowed free entry in the National Rail Museum at Chankyapuri, New Delhi before 1 p.m. on Sunday, 16th July, 2000. This is in connection with the completion of 40 days of Van Mahotsav drive which was launched by the national Rail Museum on 5th of last month.
The Mahotsav is being organised by the National Rail Museum in coordination with the Lions Club Delhi Metropolitan. The Patiala State Monorail steam train will be an added attraction to the children on this occasion.
'16'
ENOUGH TOOLS AVAILABLE UNDER WTO AGREEMENTS TO PROTECT DOMESTIC INDUSTRY
| Provision in the WTO Agreements | Gist of the provision |
|
| 1. | Tariff protection | Applied tariff can be raised at any time provided they do not exceed bound rates. |
| 2. | Article VI of GATT and Agreement on implementation of Article VI (Anti-dumping Agreement). | Anti-dumping duties can be imposed if a product is dumped in the importing country at less than its normal value provided it causes material injury to domestic industry. |
| 3. | Article VI of GATT and Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) | Countervailing duties can be imposed if a product is subsidised by the exporting country provided it causes material injury to domestic industry |
| 4. | Article XIX of GATT and Agreement on Safeguards | Safeguard action (imposition of duties or temporary QRs) can be taken when there is a surge in imports causing or threatening to cause serious injury to domestic industry. Bill to amend FTDR* Act to allow for QRs is being introduced. |
| 5. | Article XX OF GATT | As a general exception, measures can be taken to protect human, animal or plant life or health; to protect public morals: conservation of exhaustible natural resources etc. |
| 6. | Article XXI of GATT | Measures can be taken under security exceptions. |
| 7. | Article XVIII:B of GATT | QRs can be imposed whenever BoP position deteriorates. |
* Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation)
'20'
DIESEL ALLOWED AS POWER GENERATION FUEL
Issues relating to supply of fuel for power plants were discussed at a meeting between the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Ram Naik and Minister of Power, Shri P R Kumaramangalam here today. Shri E. Ponnuswami, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Smt. Jayawanti Mehta, Minister of State for Power, Secretaries of both the Ministries as well as other senior officials were also present.
On the use of high speed diesel in power plants, Minister for Petroleum & natural Gas, Shri Ram Naik announced that indigenous high speed diesel would be made available for use in power plants. The supply of high-speed diesel in the country is quite comfortable and with the addition of the refining capacity it was possible to make diesel available for power generation, thus introducing yet another fuel for power generation. He also said that other fuels like LDO and diesel oil No. 2 could also be used in power generation and the oil marketing companies would make these fuels available.
It was also decided at the meeting that a pilot project on the use of Di-Methyl Ether (DME) would be taken up jointly by the Ministries of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Power.
'29'
PRIME MINISTER TO INAUGURATE FIRST STATE IT MINISTERS CONFERENCE
FOCUS- IT FOR MASSES, IT EDUCATION AND "IT VISION FOR INDIA TOMORROW"
In an effort to outline an "IT vision for India" so as to leverage the potential of information technology for the common man, Ministry of Information Technology is convening the First Conference of IT State Ministers tomorrow. The Conference will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The basic objective of the Conference is to tap the empowering ability of IT for the socio-economic upliftment in the diverse regions of the country. The Conference will also deliberate upon the strategies to be pursued so as to how IT can be used to bring about prosperity and better quality of life amongst the masses and hence bridge the digital divide that is existent between regions and the people. The Conference will also take stock of the development of IT in different regions of the country and try to road map a common agenda for both the Central and State Governments in order to build upon the brand equity of India as Global Player in the emerging knowledge-based economy.
One of the key issues likely to be discussed is the strategy to be pursued to promote "IT for Masses" uniformly across the country. It is expected that the discussion on the subject will generate inputs for an action plan to implement the strategy. It is the firm view that if any technology can create new opportunities to bridge the socio-economic gap in the present scenario, it is information technology. Discussions will also focus on the pro-active use of the recently implemented IT Bill to enable large scale applications of IT in various areas related to day-to-day lives of the people. The belief is that the enactment of this legislation is expected to act as a major enabler for mass spread of information technology in this country. Deliberations are also likely to focus on the initiatives taken by the MIT in respect of the recently constituted Working Group on "IT For Masses". The objective of the working group is to ensure that government play a catalytic role in marshalling all resources including financial, administrative, policy, infrastructure to facilitate uniformity in IT development across the country.
Another issue likely to be discussed in detail is the IT education in schools, colleges and universities. The IT Task Force's recommendations have acted as a catalyst in stimulating IT activity at the state level. Thus many state governments have formulated their own IT policies and implementation plans. Individual states have also stepped up their own efforts considerably, particularly, in the area of computers and IT literacy. At the national level, the current spending on education is only 3% of GDP which is almost equally divided between the centre and the states. While the target of 6% of the GDP spending in the education sector has been fixed, efforts in this direction need to be further streamlined. Discussions are also likely to concentrate on various initiatives that need to be taken to be introduced IT education in schools and the way to spread IT as a curriculum in various syllabi.
Another subject likely to be discussed is the strategy to meet the requirement of IT manpower in the coming years. To achieve the target of US $ 50 billion of software exports by 2008 the country would require an estimated IT manpower of 2.2 million. Currently, about 3,40,000 IT professionals are employed in the software industry. Thus there would be an additional requirement of 7,60,000 high level IT personnel over the next 8 years.
Another key issue likely to be discussed is the role of IT-enabled services in the spread of IT across the country. IT-enabled applications are already evident in India and include the following segments -- Call Centres, medical transcription, back office operations, revenue accounting and other ancillary operation, insurance claims processing, legal databases, content development/animation, payroll, logistics management.
It is likely that the issue of permitting software industry in urban residential areas will figure in the discussions. As software industries are non-polluting in nature they are non-disturbing in terms of local living environmental impact. The subject of locational restriction is by and large administered by States. A number of states have already relaxed the norms as per the announced state IT policies namely Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. The meeting would provide an opportunity to share the experiences in this regard. The meet will also deliberate upon various actions regarding electronic governance, development schemes/ programmes for citizens participation for taking IT to the masses, establishment of IT infrastructure including communication network of good quality and affordable prices. It is expected that the discussions will help finalise an integrated plan of action for uniform development and application of IT across the country.
The one-day conference is being attended by Chief Ministers along with State Ministers and Senior Officials of the State IT Departments. The conference will also be addressed by Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs & Information Technology, Shri Pramod Mahajan and Communication Minister, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan.
‘1’+’3’
PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER CONDOLE THE LOSS OF LIVES IN MUMBAI RAINS, LAND SLIDE
The President, Shri K. R. Narayanan and the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee have expressed shock and grief at the tragic loss of lives of nearly 100 people in heavy rains and land slide in several parts of Western India, especially in Mumbai and Gujarat.
The President conveyed his hearfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished those injured a speedy recovery. He expressed the hope that the relief measures being undertaken by the State Governments and the all other agencies will be able to bring succour to those affected, expeditiously.
The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee has conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the tragedy. He also promised all the help to bring immediate relief to those affected.
'5'
Sikkim would be included as the 8th member of the North Eastern Council. This was announced by the Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani while inaugurating the 43rd meeting of the NEC here today. Necessary legislation will be brought forward for this purpose, he said. The NEC should work as an institution for change. Suggestions for re-organisation of NEC are under consideration, Mr. Advani said.
The Home Minister called upon the NEC to play its true role for the development of the region. He pointed out that development and peace and security were inter-linked. Emphasizing the need for probity and integrity in governance, he said, there must be security for the common man as well as security of the country’s frontiers. Shri Advani said that problems of development and also terrorism should be tackled by the States primarily. He cited the instance of Punjab where militancy was countered mainly by the people and the State police and not the Central forces.
The Home Minister said that the North-East and the North-West of the country were two cornerstones where the challenges of development and security must be met. He assured the NEC of all possible help in its task. He asked the NEC to take advantage of the current IT revolution keeping in view the higher level of education in the region.
Addressing the meeting, the Finance Minister Shri Yashwant Sinha announced that funds for the development of North-East would not be a problem He asked the NEC to pay more attention to the utilisation of funds and timely completion of projects. He stressed on the need for development of local enterpreneurship in the North-East to take advantage of the special concessions for the region.
In his address the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission Shri K.C. Pant called for holistic planning for the North-East which would provide maximum benefits to the people. He offered assistance for preparing project plans and advised the NEC to avoid delay in execution of projects.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Assam Governor and NEC Chairman Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha said that this was the first time that the Council meeting had such high-level participation from the Central Government. He said the objective of the NEC was to advise on development specially on inter-State projects for the speedy and coordinated development of the region. He suggested development of international trade in the region keeping in view its location.
‘18’
STRESS ON TIMEBOUND RESTRUCTURING OF SAIL
STEEL MINISTRY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETS
The Minister for Steel, Shri Braj Kishore Tripathi has said that the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been asked to fulfil all the provisions spelt out in the MOU signed with the Steel Ministry in time so that it re-establishes itself as a profit making body within three years. The Minister was addressing the Consultative Committee meeting attached to the Steel Ministry, here today. He said that non-core assets like captive power plants at Bhilai, Bokaro, Durgapur and Rourkela, oxygen plant II at Bilai are planned to be converted into joint ventures this year. The units like Fertilizer Plant at Rourkela, Alloy Steels Plant, Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited, Salem Steel Plant and IISCO will be converted into joint ventures next year. In view of the weak financial position of SAIL divesting of these units will help SAIL to organize the resources required to strengthen the existing core units. He said that in the process no employee will suffer and no jobs will be lost.
The Members of the Committee suggested that all possible steps should be taken to improve the economic condition of SAIL and other PSUs and opposed divestment of any of these units. They stressed on more autonomy for Board of Directors of PSUs and strict monitoring so that they can take decisions independently to strengthen their economic condition. The Minister said that the MOU contains the provisions for strict monitoring of the implementation process by SAIL Board, the Ministry, Committee of Secretaries and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. He agreed to the proposal to form a working group of the Consultative Committee members to review the progress in the steel industry and time bound implementation of SAIL’s restructuring package.
Shri Tripathy said that SAIL so far, has taken all possible measures to fulfill the commitments made in the MOU. It has improved its productivity, quality and reduced the number of employees through VRS, which has resulted in significant improvement in major efficiency parameters. The financial restructuring has helped SAIL to reduce its debt burden. SAIL has achieved the lowest ever coke rate and lowest ever energy consumption. It is implementing new marketing tools like tactical marketing initiatives and key account management processes. To give added thrust, the entire marketing set up of SAIL have been re-organized. He hoped that SAIL would soon emerge as a profit making PSU.
The following Members of the Parliament attended the meeting. S/Shri Tara Chand Sahu, Sunil Khan, Manjay Lal, Jibon Roy, Gaya Singh, Ananta Sethi and Smt. Hema Gamang.
'17A'
MANOHAR JOSHI LAYS FOUNDATION STONE OF DE-INKING PLANT OF HINDUSTAN NEWSPRINT LIMITED
STATE-OF-THE-ART, RS.52 CRORES, 100 TPD PLANT TO HELP SAVE PRECIOUS FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Shri Manohar Joshi, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has said that the role-played by PSUs in development of backward areas and providing employment has to be viewed in proper perspective. Laying the foundation stone of the Rs. 52 crores 100 TPD De-inking Plant of the Hindustan Newsprint Limited of Newsprint Nagar, Kottayam District in Kerala, Shri Joshi complimented HNL’s for being one of the few PSUs making continuous profits. He appreciated the good and cordial industrial relations prevailing in the Company. Prior to that, he went around the Mill and met the representatives of the Workers’ Unions and the Officers’ Association. Smt. Suseela Gopalan, Minister for Industries and Social welfare, Government of Kerela, MPs, MLAs besides senior officials of the Company and Government of India were also present on the occasion.
In his meeting with the Workers Unions, the Minister announced the decision of the Government that an option would now be available to them to choose the five-year or ten-year periodicity formula. Thus, the Government had met a long pending demand of the workers of PSUs. In the meeting with the Officers Association, he also announced the revision of Pay Scales of the Executives of the Company with effect from 1.1.1997.
The Minister also observed that by producing about one lakh tonnes of Newsprint per annum, the Company is, in effect, saving foreign exchange to the extent of around Rs. 270 crores annually. The Minister was happy to note that the De-inking Plant, when commissioned, will result in saving precious foreign exchange which the Company is presently compelled to spend on account of import of pulp. It will also reduce dependence on other countries and will help conserve scare natural resources.
The Minister expressed satisfaction over the fact that HNL Ltd has taken steps for environmental protection and is taking steps for getting ISO 14001 Certification.
‘13’
GOVERNMENT TO HAVE A RELOOK AT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
`The government is to have a re-look at the Science and Technology Policy. This was disclosed by the Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi at a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, here today. Dr. Joshi said that this has become necessary due to explosive growth in technology world-wide and also to incorporate the new vision of our Scientists. Some new components need to be added and some modifications needed to make our technology not only more effective but also very useful in enhancing productivity. He made it clear that while making any modifications in the present Policy, the emphasis will continue to remain on the development of fundamental science, as it alone can lead to evolvement of effective technologies.
Highlighting the achievements made in the scientific field Dr. Joshi said, there is no sector where science and Technology has not been addressed to. The 21 Jai Vigyan Missions launched last year almost cover the entire strata of the society. The model projects being developed under it, will take care of the needs of the people and the society. Systems have also been developed for monitoring the progress of these missions. The Science and Technology Ministry has proposed to take up each Industry case by case to study their problems and evolve or upgrade technologies suitable to their requirements.
Speaking about "Technology Development and Transfer" which was the agenda of the meeting Dr. Joshi said, the government is planning to create a conducive atmosphere for the same. All such areas are being identified where Indian technologies are to be made globally competitive. He said India has carved out a place of her own in the World of Technology and that every advanced country including, USA, France, Germany and Russia want to strengthen their scientific ties with India.
Spelling out future strategies, Dr. Joshi said, all Regional Engineering colleges will be tagged on to Research institutions to produce brilliant scientists. Some Institutions are being identified to make them centres of excellence. The government is committed to creating the right atmosphere for scientific research, he said. In reply to specific querries from members on natural calamities Dr. Joshi said that he has written to the Prime Minister to set up a National Disaster Management Authority to take care of this.
Earlier, the Secretary Department of Science and Technology Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy gave a presentation on technology Development and transfer, highlighting the achievements and future strategies. The Minister of State for Science and Technology Shri Bachi Singh Rawat was present.
Participating in the discussion members specifically wanted evolvement of technologies for conservation of water, popularisation of herbal medicines and drugs, technologies for rural development, upgradation of technologies to meet present-day needs and a new Science and Technology Policy.
Those who attended the meeting are : Shri V. Radhakrishnan, Dr. R.R. Pramanik, Shri Balbir Singh, Capt. Jai Narain Prasad Nishad, Lok Sabha and Shri Bratin Sengupta, Shri Raj Mohinder Singh, Shri A.G. Qureshi, Shri A.R. Kidwai, Dr. Raja Ramanna, Dr. Birbhadra Singh, Rajya Sabha.
‘21’
OVER 18 CRORE RUPEES PAID AS MATERNITY BENEFIT TO WOMEN WORKERS
Over 18 crore 4.6 lakh rupees were paid as maternity benefit to women workers employed in factories and plantations during 1998 under the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 & the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948. A study conducted by the Labour Bureau, Shimla for 19 States and Union Territories revealed that among the factory workers Haryana topped the list with 7.8 claims made per 100 women workers employed. However in case of plantations, the highest percentages was in Tamil Nadu where 86 claims were made per 100 women workers employed.
The study is based on the annual reports submitted by over 25 thousand factories constituting 47 per cent of the total number of factories covered by the Maternity Benefit Act. It says that only 1,342 factories workers claimed maternity benefit although average daily employment of women workers was 4,61,548. The highest maternity benefit of Rs. 18 thousand was paid to a factory workers in Jammu and Kashmir while the average amount of maternity benefit per claim ranged between Rs.12, 926 in Kerala to Rs. 250 in Haryana.
In case of plantations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands 44,425 of the 78,843 women workers claimed maternity benefits. The highest average amount of Rs.4,053 was paid in Kerala.
A total of over two crore 53 lakh rupees were paid under the Maternity Benefit Act during 1998. However, it was under the Employees State Insurance Act that an amount of more than 15 core 93 lakh rupees were paid as maternity benefit to 25,308 insured women workers. The highest number of 6,919 claimants were in Tamil Nadu who were paid maternity benefit of over 3 crore, 65 lakh rupees.
'24'
SEVERAL WELFARE MEASURES APPROVED FOR TELECOM EMPLOYEES
SHRI TAPAN SIKDAR PRESIDES OVER 6TH MEETING OF TSWB
The sixth meeting of the Telecom Staff Welfare Board (TSWB), presided over here today by the Minister of State for Communications, Shri Tapan Sikdar, has approved several welfare measures to boost the morale of the telecom employees. College going meritorious children of the employees will be getting double the amount of scholarship. The school going children who are outstanding will get special book allowance. The allowance for the physically and mentally handicapped children for hostel and transport has been doubled. Financial assistance to the employees suffering from serious illness or undergoing major operation has also been raised to a maximum of Rs.25,000/- as against Rs.10,000/-. Fo r the family of a employee dying in harness, the immediate relief will be Rs.5,000/- as against Rs.3,000/-. The basic pay limit for availing these benefits has also been increased from Rs.10,750/- to Rs.12,750/-.
In his opening address, the Minister stressed upon the need to have more amenities and welfare measures to the telecom employees. He said that a caring organisation generates a sense of belongings and togetherness. The Minister also expressed satisfaction about the steady increase in the fund position of the Staff Welfare Boards which has risen from Rs.2.16 crore in 1995-96 to 8 crore for the current year.
The Welfare Board meeting was attended by the Chairman, Telecom Commission, Shri Shyamal Ghosh, Secretary, Department of Telecom Services, Shri Vinod Vaish, some Chief General Managers of the Telecom Circles and leaders of staff unions.