Certified under ISO:9000, SAIL Consultancy Division (SAILCON), a division of the Corporate Planning Directorate of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the giant public sector undertaking of the Steel Ministry increased its order booking to Rs.5.9 crore during 1999-2000 from only Rs.22 lakh in the year 1994-95. It has planned order booking of Rs.9 crore for the financial year 2000-01.

'13'

    The Minister of State for Science & Technology Shri Bachi Singh Rawat has asked all the Scientific Departments to make progressive use of Hindi in their day to day functioning. Shri Rawat was chairing a joint meeting of the Hindi Advisory Committee of the Departments of Science and Technology, Bio-technology, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and Ocean Development.

    The C&MD of Canara Bank, Shri R.J. Kamath handed over a cheque of Rs. 48.05 crore being dividend for the year 1999-2000 to the Finance Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha.

    The Indo-US Science & Technology Forum has come into existence with both sides agreeing to take it to the heights of Research and Development and technology transfer. Launching the Forum formally at a function here yesterday evening the Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi described its establishment as the first major bilateral initiative between the two largest democracies of the world in the new millennium. The structure of the Forum reflects the new spirit of partnership of equality. The creation of a corpus fund will ensure its self-reliance and operational autonomy. In many ways it represents a new measure of confidence in each other’s strength, he said. The US Ambassador in India, Mr. Richard Celeste, who represented the American government said the Forum offers tremendous opportunities for scientists from the two sides to work together for the good of not only peoples’ of both the countries but the entire world.

'24'

    Shri B.N.Som, an Indian Postal Service (IPS) officer has taken over as the Secretary, Department of Posts (DoP). He belongs to 1964 Batch of the IPS. Shri Som succeeds Shri R.U.S.Prasad who has since retired. Prior to his new assignment, he was Member (Operations) of the Postal Services Board. His other assignments include Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Ministry of Food, Central Provident Fund Commissioner, Post Master General and Joint Secretary in the Union Public Service Commission.

'17'

    Shri Murasoli Maran, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister, has approved 35 cases of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of about Rs.727.00 crores on the recommendations of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The proposals cover various sectors like health & medical services, manufacture of automotive components, production of TV serials, computer software, E-commerce solutions, construction of BOT bridge across the river Yamuna, basic telephone services, export, market and manufacture of various garments, manufacture of quartz analogue watches and NBFC activities. A list of proposals cleared is enclosed.

    The Chairman, Railway Board, Shri V.K. Agarwal has urged all the zonal railways prevent system failures in different operational areas and to ensure that all the system function as per instruction manuals right down the ground level field staff. This would ensure greater safety, punctuality and would thereby result in better customer satisfaction.

    Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P.Thakur has announced that polio eradication efforts will be stepped up in the States of UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi, where four rounds of polio immunisation will take place in the months of September, November and December, 2000 and January 2001. In all, 6.19 crore children below the age of five years will be covered.

    Three rounds of polio immunisation will cover the States of Assam, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, in addition to the four States of Delhi, UP, Bihar and West Bengal which will be held in November and December, 2000 and January, 2001. This will cover about 10.73 crore children.

    Last two rounds of polio immunisation will cover the remaining other States and Union Territories, apart from above mentioned eleven States which will be held in December, 2000 and January, 2001. These two rounds are nation-wide covering about 15 crore children. Over 6 lakh booths will be set up all over the country and 26 lakh personnel will be deployed for the nation-wide polio immunisation campaign.

    Following is the programme schedule of polio immunisation for the current year 2000-2001:

    Dr. C.P.Thakur took a review meeting with the Family Welfare Secretaries and Directors of the States of UP, Bihar and Delhi, here on 20^th July, 2000, on implementation of pulse polio immunisation programme. Incidence of polio has registered a decline by 89 per cent in the country during the last two years, thanks to the success of polio eradication drive. But in respect of Bihar it is only 22 per cent and in UP, it is 12 per cent. On the contrary, in National Capital Territory of Delhi, it has recorded an increase by 55 per cent during this period.

    During the current year, till the end of June, Bihar has reported 30 polio cases and UP 41 cases and no confirmed case has been detected in Delhi so far. The Minister has urged the States to maximise their efforts to achieve the goal of making a country polio free at the earliest. Dr. Thakur assured all support to the States in this regard.

    Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P.Thakur has appointed, today, three nodal officers, one each in the Departments of Health, Family Welfare and ISM&H, to make the inter departmental coordination effectively within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

    Dr. C.P.Thakur has informed that health check up of MPs will be started from the ensuing Monsoon Session of Parliament which is to commence on 24^th July. This facility will be available at the Medical Centre, Parliament House Annexe from Monday to Friday (working days). The Lok Sabha Secretariat has been requested to send the list of batches of five MPs each from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha who can avail of this facility at the Medical Centre throughout the period of Parliament Session.

    The Finance Minister has asked public sector banks to take proactive steps and ensure that the Small and Medium Scale Industries do not suffer in view of the changing environment & competition. He was addressing a gathering after releasing the SIDBI 2000 report on Small Scale Industries here today. Shri Sinha said that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is committed to protect, sustain, promote and enrich small scale and medium scale industries. "This is essential for a government which has Social Justice and Equity as the bedrock of its economic policy", he said.

    Shri Sinha said that the high powered committee on small scale industries under the Chairmanship of the Union Home Minister will come out with a comprehensive policy to deal with the problems faced by the SSI sector. He also advised the representatives of public sector banks who were present in the meeting to translate into reality the announcement made in his budget speech on setting up of a branch each in every district to cater to the needs of Small Scale Industries. Shri Sinha announced his intention to carry forward the tax reforms like uniform floor rates of sales tax and reforms in the indirect tax structure and said that the small scale industries get the required support through these fiscal measures.

    Stating that the major problems afflicting the SSI sector are unavailability of timely finance, poor technology and inadequate marketing opportunities, Shri Sinha said that there is a need to review the Technology Upgradation Fund so that SSIs can be modernised to face the challenges. He also called for international cooperation in the SSIs sector so that a powerful international network for their development can be established.

    The SIDBI report on Small Scale Industries sector 2000 has projected the growth in SSI to reach 8.5 to 9.5 per cent and its exports to US$ 14.35 billion this year compared to 8.1 per cent and 13.17 billion recorded last year. The report has also come out with a series of recommendations based on surveys conducted. These include the need for a single legislation governing the development of SSIs sector, extension of incentives like infrastructural support, quick dissemination of information, simplification of systems and procedures. It has also brought into focus the positive impact of ongoing reform process on the SSIs sector while emphasising the need to create awareness on WTO norms and their impact on this sector.

'42'

    The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised/fixed the prices of 61 formulation packs on July 20, 2000. Prices have been fixed for the first time in the case of 35 formulation packs, in the case of 23 packs the prices have been revised downwards on suo-moto basis and decrease ranges from 1.54% to 35.75%. The prices of three packs have been revised upward ranging between 5.5% to 16.57%.

'5'

AMARNATH YATRA- 2000

   Pilgrims from all over India have started arriving at Pahalgam and Baltal for Shri Amarnathji Yatra in record number, much more than the track can handle. Against the daily quota of 2700 pilgrims who can perform the Yatra from the Pahalgam side and 800 pilgrims from the Baltal side, pilgrims equal to four times these numbers are arriving every day.

    This has happened because in many cases the pilgrims hold registration slips issued for a much later date. No pilgrim is allowed to proceed from Jammu more than 3 or 4 days before the date mentioned on the registration slip. The pilgrims are eager to have darshan at the earliest.

    Shri Amarnathji Yatra is performed on a very narrow mountain track at an altitude between 12,000 and 14,000 feet above the sea level. Any over-crowding on this track can result in loss of human life. There is an upper limit of 3,200 pilgrims that this track can handle on any given day as has been laid down by Dr. Nitish Sen Gupta Committee.

    All the intending pilgrims have been advised to reach Jammu not more than 5 days before the date of pilgrimage and to ensure that the registration slips have been issued only by an authorised officer of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. As per the information received from the State Government, approximately 45 thousand pilgrims have had darshan of the Holy Cave so far.

    The State Government authorities have made all the necessary arrangements for the registration and other facilities for pilgrims at Jammu and other places. Weather condition is being monitored daily and the pilgrims advised accordingly.

'16'

GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO EXPORT MORE TO LAC

   India is examining the feasibility of entering into Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Chile, Andean, Caricom and Mercosur countries. Steps are also being taken to sign trade MOUs with Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Uruguay and Jamaica. Addressing an interactive session on "Trade with Latin American Countries", organised by the Federation of Indian Exports Organisation (FIEO), here today, Shri Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said that the Focus: LAC programme launched in November 1997 to enhance India's trade with the Latin American region had been reviewed and a more pragmatic and effective strategy for growth in trade with Latin America was being worked out, which would include creation of information data base, activation of Joint Commissions and Joint Business councils, setting up Commercial Attaches in Indian Missions in LAC, review of MDA guidelines to provide for assistance in organising seminars, participation in fairs, inviting/mounting delegations and holding BSMs, market surveys etc. As part of infrastructural development, the government would be providing assistance in opening of warehouses in the LAC region. "Discussions have also been held for bringing improvement in transport links, improvements in financial and banking sectors. In order to overcome the barrier of language, assistance to exporters is now being provided for translation facilities in Spanish/Portuguese and vice versa. Specialised courses in Spanish/Portuguese are also proposed to be organised through IIFT with nominal fees for the benefit of trade", Shri Abdullah added.

    In his welcome address, Shri Navrattan Samdria, President, FIEO, said that the reduction in tariff and non-tariff barriers, privatisation and liberalisation of financial and capital markets in these countries besides control on inflation and tiding over of debt crisis were positive trends for focus in Latin American region. Two of the regional blocs namely NAFTA, which consists of Mexico, USA and Canada and Mercosur comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay were expected to have a visible impact on the trade and investment pattern of the continent, he said. Congratulating the Ministry for recognising the economic importance of this region, Shri Samdria noted that the total trade between India and Latin America had grown from US $ 473.66 million in 1991-92 to US $ 1557 million in 1999-2000, with Argentina, Mexico and Brazil as our main trading partners. In other words, India's trade with the region had increased considerably within the span of 5 to 6 years from 1991-92 to 1999-2000, representing the growth of 200 per cent.

'16'

IMPORT DUTY HIKED ON MANY AGRO ITEMS TO SAFEGUARD AGRICULTURE IN POST-QR ERA

MARAN RELEASES BOOKLET ON QRs

    The government has raised the basic customs duty or import tariff on a number of agricultural items with a view to safeguarding the interests of the agriculture sector in the post-QR (Quantitative Restriction) era. Thus, the basic customs duty has been raised on the following agro items with effect from 5^th April, 2000: Rice in the husk (paddy or rough), from zero to 80%; Husked (brown) rice, from zero to 80%; Semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or glazed, from zero to 70%; Broken rice, from zero to 80%; Maize (corn) seed, from zero to 50%; Grain sorghum, from zero to 50%; Millet, from zero to 50%; Spelt, from zero to 50%; Fresh grapes, from 25% to 35%; Apples, from 35% to 50%; and Preparations for infant use, in retail pack, from 15% to 35%. This is indicated in a booklet on QRs brought out by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Department of Commerce), which was released by Shri Murasoli Maran, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, here yesterday. The booklet was circulated to the Members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry at its meeting held here yesterday which was attended by Shri U. V. Krishnam Raju, Bali Ram Kashyap, M. Master Mathan, Swadesh Chakraborty, Shamsher Singh, Mahesh Chandra Sharma, Kapil Sibal, R.S. Gavai and Begum Noor Bano.

    Further, the basic customs duty (beyond the Tariff Rate Quota) on milk powder has been revised to 60% from the previous zero duty with effect from 12 June, 2000. The duty structure has been calibrated in each case to ensure a balance between the interests of the domestic producers as well as that of the consumers, it indicates. Shri Maran has stated that imports are being closely monitored and the government will ensure through the appropriate use of all available mechanisms to ensure that imports do not cause any injury to domestic producers, including agriculture and the SSIs.

'24'

SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN INAUGURATES INDIA’S FIRST PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL INTERNET GATEWAY

    The Minister of Communications, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan said here today that telecom sector in our country is witnessing epoch-making changes with tremendous advancement in technology. He said the Government has also announced a number of key policy decision which has facilitate the liberalisation process in the telecom sector. Shri Paswan was inaugurating India’s first private International Internet Gateway by Mantra Online. The Minister said that this far-reaching development in telecommunications will give the consumers the benefit of cost, quality and choice.

    Shri Paswan said that the Government is committed to provide telephone in all the villages by 2002. He said that out of 6.7 lakh villages in the country, the 3.7 lakh villages have already been covered. The rest of the villages working on Multi Access Radio Relay (MARR) System will be gradually replaced by new technology options in the coming two years.

    The Minister said that corporatisation of the Department of Telecom Services (DTS) is a significant step towards providing level playing field and also give the necessary flexibility to the corporatised entity to face competition in the market.

    The gateway, located at the Mantra Online’s Delhi facility, is India’s first Ku-Band satellite gateway, set up by any Internet Service Provider (ISP). Ku-Band is the most popular state-of-the-art frequency band in use by ISP’s. By virtue of its higher frequency operation, Ku-Band can support traffic with smaller antenna sizes in comparison to C/Ext.-C Band. Mantra Online is India’s first Multi-national ISP from Bharti BT Internet Limited, a joint venture of Bharti Enterprises and British Telecom.

'25'

    Union Surface Transport Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh dedicated the 51.33 km four-laned Mathura – Agra section of NH-2 and also a flyover on it to the Nation at Agra yesterday.

    Constructed at a cost of Rs.154.1 crore (expected) with loan assistance from Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan, this segment of the Golden Quadrilateral marks an important land mark as it would give impetus to industries for efficient movement of goods by road in the Mathura – Agra belt. NH-2 between Delhi – Calcutta connects important towns of Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi and is one of the busiest and major road links in the Northern Region. Delhi – Mathura section had already been upgraded with assistance from ADB.

    Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rajnath Singh said that funds would not come in the way of timely completion of the Prime Minister’s dream project of Golden Quadrilateral linking four metros Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai, and the Corridors linking Silcher in the East to Saurashtra in the West, and Srinagar in the North to Kanyakumari in the South.

    He said that the Cabinet approval for Central Road Fund (CRF) would ensure steady flow of funds for financing development and maintenance of National Highways and added that NHAI would also be mobilizing resources through floating of bonds shortly. He said the Centre was committed to general upgradation and improvement of roads to improve driving quality . He said funds would also be provided for village roads through CRF and added that all village roads would get linked to National Highways in such way that no village would be 50 km away from a National Highway.

    Referring to the flyover at Agra, at a busy crossing, the Minister said that it was a necessity and its completion would greatly ease movement of traffic on NH-2 and also help streamlining intra-city traffic.