WB aid for Punjab project
NEW DELHI, July 14 — The World Bank today signed an agreement with the Punjab Government to finance the Integrated Watershed Development Project (Hills-11), which is expected to cost around $ 46 million.

Mr R.K. Hegde, Union Commerce Minister, being felicitated at a rally in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Create Pragati Maidan in Chandigarh: Hegde CHANDIGARH, July 14 — Mr Ramakrishna Hedge, Commerce Minister, has called upon the northern States to join hands with the corporate sector and create a mini Pragati Maidan in Chandigarh as regional and sectoral trade fairs play an important role in the new business environment.

Star show planned for Kargil victims
NEW DELHI, July 14 — FICCI has decided to set up a trust to assist brave soldiers, its President Sudhir Jalan told mediapersons here today.

Move to shut Uco’s zonal office opposed
SHIMLA, July 14 —The management of Uco Bank has decided to close down its zonal office in the State.

Telecom operators asked to drop cases

NEW DELHI, July 14 (PTI) — The Government today formally unveiled the bailout package for telecom operators to switch over to the revenue-sharing system from August 1 and asked the operators to withdraw all pending litigation.

The contentious issue of the quantum of revenue to be shared with the government would be worked out by the month-end to enable cellular and basic operators to function in the revenue share pattern from the beginning of August.

The bailout package approved by the Union Cabinet last week was formally conveyed to the industry at a meeting between DoT and representatives of the telecom operators.

Telecom Commission Chairman Anil Kumar told the operators that the government had decided to accommodate the existing private operators into the new telecom policy subject to certain conditions and that the operators would not be given the option of accepting the package in parts.

The companies who opt for switching over to the revenue-sharing system would have to withdraw all legal proceedings and arbitrations related to the licence agreement before August 1, the operators were told.

All companies opting for the new dispensation would have to pay 15 per cent of the existing dues by August 15 taking the total arrears cleared by this date to 35 per cent.

The entire backlog of licence fee should be cleared by January 31.

The operators were told that they would be given extension in the effective date of licence fee so that some amount of dues can be waived as a relief measure to the struggling oeprators.

However, the companies who have already been given such an extension beyond six months would not be considered for similar concessions and those who have got less than six months would be given only the remaining.

The companies were also told that they could not sell their equity holdings in the company from the present level till the completion of the five-year period from the date of the licence agreement. However, they would be at liberty to bring in fresh equity for making the projects viable.

Operators who are opting for the new package would also be given an extension in the period of licence agreement from the existing 10 years to 20 years.

The companies would have to enter into a supplementary agreement to enable them to move to the new system and an affidavit accepting the package.

DoT said it would be impossible to allow one operator to move over to the new package and another to remain in the old system and requested all to switch over for a healthy growth of the telecom industry in the country.

RPL refinery begins production

NEW DELHI, July 14 (UNI) — Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL) commenced production at its Jamnagar refinery today with the technical capability to deliver products of international specifications. The start up of the crude distillation unit (CDU) marks the beginning of the phase-wise commissioning of RPL’s refinery. This is nearly six months ahead of the original schedule, and represents a world record for implementation of a project of this scale and complexity.

Star show planned for Kargil victims

NEW DELHI, July 14 (UNI) — FICCI has decided to set up a trust to assist brave soldiers, its President Sudhir Jalan told mediapersons here today.

The trust called “Shradhanjali to Jawans’’ (Homage to Soldiers), will comprise seven trustees, three of whom will be from the defence forces. Disabled soldiers will be given employment as per the guidelines framed by the defence representatives. War widows will also be given employment and financial assistance and their kids will be given free education at least till the graduation level, Mr Jalan said. Defence representatives will identify soldiers and their families whom assistance is to be given.

To collect funds for the trust, a star show will be organised on July 25 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here. Film stars, singers and sports persons will particiapte. The federation is expecting to raise minimum Rs 2 crore. Tickets are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 10,000.

Mega stars Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda will participate in the show, while Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Kamal Hasan and Rani Mukherjee are yet to confirm their participation.

Among sportspersons, Rahul Dravid is expected to join the show. Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar are also being roped in.

While noted singers like Anup Jalota, Remo Fernandes, Colonial Cousins-Hariharan and Lesley Lewis and Mahadevan have confirmed their participation. Asha Bhosle and A.R. Rehman are yet to inform FICCI on joining the show. Lata Mangeshkar was keen to come, but expressed her inability as she is not well. Anup Jalota will create a special number for the event.

President K.R. Narayanan will attend the event, while invitations have been sent to Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, among others.

Amrit banaspati company has contributed a truckload of Gagan Vanaspati (equivalent to 625 vanaspati packs of 15 litres) to the Army Welfare Fund. In addition, a day’s salary of employees is also being contributed.

The staff and officers of Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala have contributed Rs 6,51,557 as a relief fund for the families of Kargil martrys. Mr V.P. Ojha, General Mangar, RCF have sent a cheque of Rs 6,51,557 to Railway Minister’s Welfare and Relief Fund.

Mr Suresh Neotia, Chairman, Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd gave a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab for the welfare of Kargil heroes. In addition, the employees of the company have also donated one day’s salary.

Court provides rattling food for thought
From Sunil Jha

NEW DELHI, July 14 — The Delhi High Court today issued show cause notices to the Union Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Food and Consumer Affairs on a PIL seeking setting aside certain provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules, 1955, which permitted rodent hair and five pieces of rat excreta per kg in cereals.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.N. Variava and Justice S.K. Mahajan directed the Union Ministries and five other respondents to reply to the notices within four weeks and adjourned the matter for further hearing on August 31.

The Department of Health of the Delhi Government, the PFA Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Central Committee of Food Standards were the others issued notices.

The notices were issued on the PIL filed by advocate B.L. Wadehra seeking scrapping of sub-clauses A 18.06.01 to A 18.06.13 of the PFA Rules, framed under the PFA Act, 1954, which allowed the mixing of the rat excreta in wheat, rice, maize, jowar and bajra, masoor, urad, moong, channa and arhar.

The petition said the above stipulation laid down in the sub-clause as a standard of quality of the food items was in fact a contradiction as it permitted rodent hair and rodent droppings in food items which is ‘’obnoxious and injurious’’ to human health.

The permission to allow rodent hair and excreta in food items was an admission of the Administration’s failure to contain the rodent menace. But such cry of helplessness on the part of the Administration cannot be permitted to legalise adulteration of food items, Dr Wadehra argued.

He said the sub-clause was violative of the objective of the PFA Act as it was enacted to make provisions for prevention of adulteration of food. The sub-clause also violates Article 21 and 13 of the Constitution.

While the sub-rules permit presence of rodent hair and rodent droppings up to five pieces per kg, there is nothing known as to how much adulteration actually takes place.

The petition claimed that the inspections by the Directorate of PFA in Delhi had drastically gone down during the last few years which raises the possibility of the Delhiites consuming greater percentage of rodent hair and excreta as compared to other parts of the country. — UNI

Create Pragati Maidan in Chandigarh: Hegde
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 14 — Mr Ramakrishna Hedge, Commerce Minister, has called upon the northern States to join hands with the corporate sector and create a mini Pragati Maidan in Chandigarh as regional and sectoral trade fairs play an important role in the new business environment.

Interacting with exporters at a CII meeting here yesterday, the Minister admitted that the exports during the last two years had been very disappointing and it was only since December that the exports had picked up.

A Karnal exporter urged the Minister to facilitate trade between India and Myanmar on barter terms since there was a great demand for Indian engineering goods in Myanmar.

Mr Anil Swarup, Export Commissioner, sought the CII’s involvement in the preparation of export policy documents at the State level on the lines of what had been done in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr IS Paul, Chairman, CII Chandigarh Council, suggested that the rupee should not go down against the dollar since 65 per cent of trade is transacted in dollars.

The meeting was also attended by Mr RI Singh, Mr G. Vajralingam and Mr K. Vijayaraghavan.

WB aid for Punjab project
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, July 14 — The World Bank today signed an agreement with the Punjab Government to finance the Integrated Watershed Development Project (Hills-11), which is expected to cost around $ 46 million (Rs 224 crore).

The agreement was signed on behalf by the Punjab Government Resident Commissioner, Mr Dinesh Chandra, and the World Bank representative in India. Officials of the Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry were also present at the occasion.

The Integrated Watershed Project (IWDP-11) would be implemented in five States of North India which have Shivalik hills. These include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The total cost of the project in the five States is expected to be around $ 193 million of which the World Bank would provide $ 135 million .

In Punjab the project would treat 17 subwatersheds covering a gross area of 93,938 hectares and a population of 200,000 residing in 270 villages.

IWDP-1, implemented from 1990 till March 1999, covered 20 subwatersheds with an area of 124,423 ha and an outlay of Rs 912.54 million. The main objective of the project was to slow and reverse degradation of the natural environment, through the use of appropriate soil and moisture conservation technology.

The new project would cover 56 villages in Patiala district, 28 in Ropar, 33 in Nawanshahr, 70 in Hoshiarpur and 83 in Gurdaspur.

The main development objective of the project is to improve the productive potential of the project area in five States using evolving watershed treatments, technologies and community participatory approaches. The project would contribute significantly in decreasing soil erosion, increasing water availability and alleviating poverty in the contiguous areas of the Shivalik hills in the five States. Sustainability of project interventions would be ensured through participatory involvement of beneficiaries.

The Shivaliks, which lie in the foothills of the Himalayan range, have been identified as one of the eight most degraded rainfed agro-ecosystems of the country and hence included in the priority areas for watershed development.

Move to shut Uco’s zonal office opposed

SHIMLA, July 14 (UNI) —The management of Uco Bank has decided to close down its zonal office in the State.

Uco Bank had the maximum number of branches in the state besides being a leading bank for the districts Shimla, Solan and Sirmour.

Following the closure of the zonal office, entrepreneurs will have to run to Delhi to seek advances because after the abolition of the zonal office, the bank would not be authorised to advance more than Rs 90 lakh.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has written to the Uco Bank management not to close down its zonal office in the interest of the State and entrepreneurs who proposed to set up industrial units in the State.

Meanwhile, Uco Bank Officers’ Association, General Secretary, J.C. Shandil said here today that the association had resented the proposed decision as it would neither be in interest of the State or the staff.

He said the bank’s argument of curtailing expenditures by closing its zonal offices and instead converting them into five local head offices throughout the country was not convincing. The operating cost of local head offices would be far more than the present system, Mr Shandil said.

He suggested to postpone the proposed decision till the Verma Committee, set up to rationalise the bank structure, was received.

Bullion
Gold Std Rs 4010
Gold 22-Ct Rs 3860
Silver Ready Rs 7765
Silver delivery Rs 7765

Office-bearers
YAMUNANAGAR, July 14 (FOC) — The following have been elected office-bearers of the Yamunanagar-Jagadhari Chamber of Commerce and Industry: President — Mr Surinder Vasudeva; Vice President — Mr Raman Saluja; Secretary — Mr Sanjay Maudgil; Vice Secretary — Mr Kapil Gupta; Treasuren — Mr Ashok Agarwal and Secretary General — Mr Suman Kapur.

Jet Airways
NEW DELHI, July 14 (TNS) — Jet Airways will introduce a daily direct flight between Delhi and Trivandrum operated by next generation Boeing 737-700 from Thursday.

Archies
NEW DELHI, July 14 (TNS) — Archies Greetings and Gifts Limited has tied up with international designer Ms Kathleen Francour to introduce a range of designer cards in the Indian market.