The District Centre has been planned with Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 125 with facilities such as hotel, cinema, departmental stores, restaurant, Government offices, community facility plots, petrol pump, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus station, art gallery and theatre. Two level parking with conference and convention centre, exhibition halls, post office, nursing homes, central parks and plots for shops-cum-offices. Provision for a police station has also been kept.

    Besides, the Facility Centre Scheme covers an area of 12.88 hectares of land It  has been planned with facilities like 66 kilovatts (KV) grid sub-station, hospital, fire station, college, nursing home, sewage pumping station and sewage treatment plant.

    The DDA is doing only the development of District Centre and Facility Centre, Shastri Park. This is a low lying area and sullage water from the surrounding unauthorised colonies gets collected, hampering its development. The development work in this area is expected to be completed by March 2001. Thereafter, the plots will be disposed of through auction and the construction done by the prospective buyers themselves on their plots.
 
 
 

    The Minister in his inaugural address called upon the Indian Bridge Engineering Industry to adopt the latest innovative and cost effective techniques in the construction of sustainable bridges and other transportation infrastructure. He said that the Government is very keen to improve its Surface Transport network including roads, railways and inland water ways . He asked the delegates to prepare themselves for the vast construction activities to be undertaken in the next millennium and meet the new challenges.

    The Minister informed that Indian Railways took up construction of bridges in 1850 and at present the number of bridges on Indian Railways has gone up to 120,000. This includes about 10000 major and important bridges all over the country across the big rivers. He said that the Railways are going to make big investments for construction of new bridges in the first decade of the next millenium. These bridges will be spanning big rivers like Brahmaputra and Ganga. With the development of national highway network, a large number of challenging work will also be executed under the Surface Transport Ministry.

    The Minister said that to imbibe the latest technology and skill Indian Railways have set up two professional chairs, one on Bridge Engineering and other on Rail Wheel Dynamics at University of Roorkee. He stressed on safety while constructing the road-over-bridges and appealed the engineers to utilise their large pool of technical experience to make them strong and safe. The Minister emphasised upon the maintenance of the bridges and said that the Railways are developing a bridge management system to take care of all the maintenance aspect.

    The Lt. Governor of Delhi Shri Vijay Kapoor presided over the function. He thanked the Railway Minister and the Members of Railway Board for their initiatives to improve rail communication in Delhi Metropolis. Member Engineering, Railway Board, Shri V.K. Agnihotri, in his address informed that the deliberations of the Seminar will not only focus the innovative techniques but also will look into the impediments that stand in the way of Indian Engineering Industry. Director General, the President and the Chairman of IIBE and the Director General, Border Roads also spoke on the occasion.
 
 

    In recognition of the vast, complex and multi- dimensional nature of India’s population and development problems, the country has come to be the largest recipient of UNFPA assistance in the world. Over the period of 1997-2001, this programme envisages to spend $ 100 million on the project.

    During the two and half years period, beginning from 1997 under the No Scalpel Vasectomy Project, 1500 medical personnel are to be trained in the NSV technique all over the country. In all 500 training sessions are planned, each session is to cover 40 NSV cases. From January 98 to March 1999, 85 training sessions have been held, during which about 375 doctors have received training under this project.

    18 States are being covered by NSV project, of which Andhra Pradesh is the most successful State. During the three months period from July 1998 to September, 1998, 27,661 males underwent the NSV operations all over the country, of whom Andhra Pradesh accounted for 25203 NSV operations and in Karimnagar District alone 20,926 NSV operations took place. As compared to the corresponding period of the year 1997, the percentage of increase in NSV was 106 per cent at the national level. In Karimnagar district, the increase was 201 per cent. The higher acceptance of sterlisation by males has thus been proved through the adoption of NSV technique, which is safer, involve lesser complications and more economical than the conventional incisional vasectomy. The NSV can alone rejuvenate the programme of vasectomy which received a set back after the stigma of being coercive in the Seventies. Percentage of vasectomy in Family Welfare sterlisation could be raised from its record low percentage of 1.9 per cent to at least 50 per cent in the near future through NSV. Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh has already recorded this feat where vasectomy operations out numbered tubecomy operations.
 
 

    In regard to other family planning methods, last year’s achievement was on the higher side as compared to the previous year figure. In all about 3 crore people have been covered by all the family planning methods, put together.
 
 

Constitution of State Level WSM

    The State level WSM would have an Apex Committee headed by the Chief Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary and Secretaries in charge of Public Health Engineering Department(PHED), Rural Development(RD), Panchayati Raj(PR), Finance, Health, Education, Information and Public Relations as members. This Committee shall meet at least twice a year and constitute an Executive Committee. This would be headed by an officer of PHED(or the department concerned with Rural Water Supply) not below the rank of Joint Secretary who shall be its Executive Officer. Officers from the departments like Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, PHED(Chief Engineer), Health shall be nominated by the respective departments and shall be the ex-officio members of the Executive Committee. Experts in the field of Information, Education & Communication(IEC), Human Resource Development(HRD), Management Information Systems(MIS) media and NGOs not exceeding six may be co-opted as members. It may be ensured that the strength of the executive committee does not exceed 15. The State HRD cells, IEC cells and MIS shall work within the State Water and Sanitation Mission.
 

Water & Sanitation Mission at the District Level

    The WSM constituted at the district level shall be affiliated to the State Mission. The Governing body shall be headed by Chairman of Zila Parishad/Chairman, DRDA, Chairman, District Planning Committee - to be decided by the Apex Committee of the State level WSM. The members would be all MPs/MLAs and MLCs of the districts, Chairman of the Standing Committees of the Zila Parishads and other senior officials of various departments at the district level. The Governing body shall meet at least twice a year. The actual implementation at the district level would be done by the CEO, Zila Parishads/District Collector as the case may be.
 

NGO Networking

    The three NGOs selected to be members of the District Water and Sanitation Committee shall be responsible for implementation of institutionalising Community participation in RWSP and TSC in the villages, through the networking of volunteers(motivators). Wherever good and active NGOs are not available in a district, the District Water & Sanitation Committee shall identify appropriate alternative mechanisms involving PRIs, youth, Anganwadis, NSS, Nehru Yuvak Kendras, NCC, Bharat Scouts and Guides etc.
 
 

    Under Section 35AC of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, deduction is allowable to an assessee in respect of any expenditure by way of payment of any sum to a public sector company or a local authority or to an approved association or institution for carrying out any eligible project or scheme to be notified by the Central Government on the recommendations of the National Committee. Rule 11K of the Income Tax Rules, 1962 lays down the guidelines for recommendations to be made by the National Committee with regard to any project or scheme for being notified by the Central government as an eligible project or scheme.
 
 

    The webside focuses on India as a whole, while emphasising on internal security and human rights. Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East receive special attention in the internal security page. The site also contains useful information regarding various subjects and organisations dealt with in the Ministry.

    The site incorporates user-friendly features, such as various forms for PIO Card, FCRA registration/permission, arms licence, etc., which can be downloaded.

    The launching of the website is a step toward transparency and responsiveness in administration.
 
 

    The frequency of the train will be increased from tri-weekly to daily from July 1, 1999 with the new time table. The train will have stoppages at Gwalior, Jhansi, Vidisha and Bhopal. The new train shall have the total carrying capacity of over 2400 passengrs both ways. The train will consist of three general Second Class coaches, nine Sleeper Class coaches, one AC 3 tier coach, one Ist AC coach and two Second Class cum luggage vans.

    The train will provide a new service between the National Capital and the State Capital of Madhya Pradesh and will help offload substantive passenger traffic of existing Express Trains like G.T. Express and Tamilnadu Express.
 
 

    Recognising the importance of conservation of biodiversity, the Government of India has decided to institute the E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award on Taxonomy. This award is to promote excellence in Taxonomy for students and scholars working in this field. The award will acknowledge contributions of Indian Taxonomists who do outstanding work in taxonomic research relating to flora, fauna or micro-organisms.

    The award shall carry a prize of Rs. 50,000/- in cash alongwith a citation and shall be given every year, usually on 29^th December, the International Day for Biological Diversity.

    The Ministry of Environment and Forests has invited nominations from eligible persons in the prescribed format, details of which can be obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Joint Secretary (Conservation and Survey Division), Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex , Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003. Nominations of suitable persons shall be received by the Ministry till the end of August 1999.
 
 

    The main feature of the detector is that it can detect toxic gases very minutely so that the individuals are pre-warned and evacuated before injury. Based on the principle of IMS technology, the detector is very cost-effective; the technology of developing such equipment is limited to a few countries worldwide.

    The circuitry and software of the detector have been worked out in three to four years. The fine-tuning and conforming of database of the detector meets NATO standard.
 
 
 
 

    All matters pertaining to the setting up of the Armed Forces Tribunal got cleared at the meeting. The Law Ministry is expected to draft a legislation very soon.

    The broad parameters were also agreed upon in today’s meeting. There would be one tribunal for the three services. It would be presided over by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court. Other members will be drawn from serving or retired army officers of the rank of Major General and above or their equivalent in the other two services. There will also be a judicial member of a retired or serving officer of Judge Advocate General of the rank of Brigadier and above or their equivalent.

    The president and members of the tribunal will have a four year non-renewable tenure. There would be six benches of the tribunal at locations to be recommended by the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The principal bench would be in Delhi.

    An appeal against the tribunal verdicts can be made to the Supreme Court.

    The matter has been under discussion for some time with the Army Chief submitting a proposal. Subsequently, the Law Commission did a report on the proposal which was examined by the three services and the Defence Ministry before the decision to set up the tribunal was taken at today’s meeting.

    The number of writ petitions filed in the High Courts by the armed forces personnel is increasing. At present the number of such cases pending in respect of Army is 4,900, the Air Force 856 and the Navy 102.
 
 

    These instructions under the provisions of the Central Excise Rules, 1944 follows the announcement of the Finance Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha, in his Budget Speech this year to this effect.

    These instructions allow a factory working under self removal procedure which had paid central excise duty exceeding Rs.5 crores from the account current in the preceding financial year or in the current financial year to maintain its own books of accounts in lieu of statutory records concerning production, manufacture, storage, delivery or disposal of goods, including the materials received for or consumed in the manufacture of excisable goods or other goods, the goods and materials in stock with it and duty determined and paid by it. Such records may also contain any other information required by an assessee for its accounting purposes.

    Such factories have also been exempted from getting their own record authenticated by the Central Excise Officers. Earlier, such authentication was necessary. The records can also be maintained on computers with the condition that the assessee retains the monthly printouts in booklet form. These private records are required to be preserved for a minimum period of five years. The assessees who intend to adapt their private records to the Central Excise requirements may continue to maintain the records in the statutory format for the time being. This is a significant step towards simplification of Central Excise procedures and will go a long way in helping the Indian Industry.