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| Wednesday, December 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Infranet sets agenda for
infrastructure Markfed to set up modern silos
Chandnani named Yahoo India MD Cotton shines, industry doesn’t Hit by vegetable oil policy |
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New phone service in Ludhiana
Summit on power tomorrow
Internet-assisted suicides on
rise Army roadmap for IT
network
Indian student sets
record Brides paraded for match-making Man sacked as prank backfires
IDBI board declares bonus in 3:5
ratio
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Infranet sets agenda for
infrastructure CHANDIGARH, Dec 19 — There is a need to implement user-pay-charges, remove cross subsidies, focus on direct subsidies, rework the “freedom of information” Bill and clearly define the roles of TRAI, the Appellate Authority and the MRTPC. These suggestions were at the valedictory session of Infranet 2000. “There is a need to bring in, rationalise and possibly raise user charges,” said Prof Sebastian Morris of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, while presenting a summary of the important issues which surfaced at Infranet, organised jointly by CII and IDFC. “Rationalisation of tariffs can make the tariffs pro-poor. We should remove subsidisation of use and focus on subsidisation of access.
Electricity connection charges could be subsidised while taking charges from the people who are using the electricity. Studies have shown that the poor can and do pay for the electricity they consume. Direct subsidisation is the need of the hour. Highlighting the need for proper legislation to facilitate reforms, he said: “Our laws go into more details than required, thereby creating confusion. The proposed freedom of Information Bill needs to be reworked to remove most of the exception clauses. The “public interest” needs to be defined more narrowly and it needs to be passed quickly. The Land Acquisition Act needs to limit and narrowly define the “public interest.” Urban bodies need greater clarity in the assignment of functions and fiscal authority. We need more clarity between functions of elected officials and civil services needed.” Summarising the session on telecom, Prof Morris said: “The telecom authorities need to be independent rather than being directly controlled by the government. Role clarity of institutions like TRAI, MRTPC. Appellate Authority and the proposed “competition authority” is important. It is better to empower TRAI to deal with industry structure and the MRTPC competition authority could act as the referral authority.” To increase the teledensity to 10 per 100, Prof Morris suggested “national R&D should reduce the local loop costs and a strategy should be prepared to involve the small and tiny operators.” On the power issue, he said: “Direct subsidisation is the need of the hour. A good example is stamps based agricultural subsidy. The first priority should be to privatise distribution and distance public enterprise from the government. The Draft Electricity Bill 2000 and the creation of a Power Trading Corporation have created more confusion than clarity. What is required is a White Paper on restructuring or “unbundling” of SEBs with the focus on industry structure rather than ownership and a better, faster target for 100 per cent metering. The maga power policy should be done away with but the mega power projects (coal) have a vital role to play. Also there should be a freeze on IPPs and the governments should work out a strategy to retire/manage existing IPP contracts. The valedictory session was chaired by Mr Arun Bharat Ram, President CII, the other speakers included Mr N.K. Singh, Secretary, PMO, Mr Nasser Munjee, Chairman, Infranet 2000, and Mr Vinayak Chatterjee, Chairman, CII Northern Region. |
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Markfed to set up modern silos NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Centre is giving special emphasis to the problems of marketing faced by farmers and an expert committee will meet in Jaipur shortly to make recommendations in this regard. Launching Markfed’s “Sohna Supreme Basmati Rice” at a function here, Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar called upon the federation to launch a quality product in the lower price range so that the common man could afford it. Mr Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Punjab Cooperation Minister, said Markfed was setting up modern processing facilities to ensure production of quality rice. Steps were also being taken to diversify cropping pattern in Punjab. Mr D.S. Bains, Managing Director, Markfed, said Sohna Basmati Rice was pure and packed in hygienic conditions. The fedration was examining proposals to improve storage of foodgrains in Punjab by setting up hi-tech modern silos. Among those present were Mr Tarlochan Singh Tur, Vinod Khanna, Balwinder Singh
Bhunder.
Chandnani named Yahoo India MD MUMBAI,
Dec 19 (UNI) — Mr. Deepak Chandnani has been appointed Managing Director of Yahoo India. As Managing Director of Yahoo India, Chandnani is responsible for all Indian operations, including strategic planning and business development, sales and marketing, site production, finance and customer service. “Yahoo India is an Internet company that truly understands the importance of offering localised web programming and services relevant to Indians,” said Deepak Chandnani. Chandnani joins Yahoo India from Citibank, where he was Business Manager new millennium bank (Citibank Suvidha). He played a key role in developing the concept of Citibank Suvidha, including its national roll out. Chandnani has also worked with Hindustan Lever Limited as General Manager (marketing) for Ponds (I) Limited. He played a key role in the sales and marketing functions during his 12 year stint at Hindustan Lever. |
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Cotton shines, industry doesn’t BATHINDA, Dec 19 — Even as the cotton production has witnessed a jump in the north zone comprising Punjab, Haryana and Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan, it has failed to infuse new life in the cotton industry which has been facing crises for the past six years. Though the cotton production has been witnessing uptrend since last year, it could not enable about 250 owners of the closed ginning and pressing mills to revive their units. These mills were closed four years back as the owners were finding it difficult to run their mills due to unavailability of raw material in adequate quantity. Apart from it the increased production of cotton this year has also failed to force the traders to employ more hands in the business to handle the heavy transactions. The traders, brokers and cotton trading company offices had retrenched its employees in last four years as the production kept on going down. Cotton trade sources said cotton growers were little bit happy than the last year as they were also getting renumerative prices of their produce after getting better crop this season. On the other hand, due to a continuous fall in the cotton production, buyers
belonging to Maharashtra and southern states shifted their operations from this region to other cotton producing states. However, the better quality of cotton due to the use of hybrid cotton seeds and its high prices in the international markets have given the opportunity to the traders to export it to foreign countries. Mr Ashok Kapur, Director, Export Panel, Northern India Cotton Association, said so far about 20,000 bales had been exported to Japan and European countries. The traders were earning foreign currency but in domestic markets their profit margins were coming down. The cotton ginning and pressing industry along with the trade failed to revive despite more than 100 per cent increase in the cotton production in last two years due to the fact that on the one hand overhead charges were rising and on the other profit margins were coming down due to the absence of the outside buyers and lack of capacity among the growers to hold on their cotton stock. Mr Amritpal Singh Brar, President, Punjab Young Farmers Federation, said as the cotton was a cash crop and mainstay of the farmer’s economy, the government should make efforts to boost its production by making arrangements of certified hybrid seeds of pest resistance varieties to the growers in adequate quantity and on affordable prices. Apart from it, main stress should be given on the supply of pure pesticides and insecticides to growers. Mr Kapur said the farmers this season shifted to hybrid seed varities on their own as government agencies concerned had failed to supply such seeds in adequate quantity to them. |
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Hit by vegetable oil policy AMRITSAR, Dec 19 — The vegetable oil policy pursued during last two years has ruined the local industry and farmers and consumer, too, had been a loser. Although consumers gained on account of low prices of edible oils but they lost substantially on account of high prices of milk and eggs resulting from a manifold increase in the cost of inputs — oil cakes and deoiled cakes due to a decline in production of oilseeds. Mr A.R. Sharma, state President of the Solvent Extractors Association, said the edible oil prices during last year ruled about Rs 5 per kg cheaper as compared to normal prices, taking per capita consumption of edible oils as 10 kg there was a gain of Rs 50 per consumer on account of low prices of edible oil. But on the other hand, the low prices of edible oils discouraged the local oilseed production as farmers could not get even minimum support price in respect of oilseeds. This resulting into the shortage of oil cakes and deoiled cakes thereby pushing up the prices of cattle feed and poultry feed at least by Rs 3 per kg which in turn increased the cost of production of milk and eggs. As the cattlefeed requirement for one kg of milk production is about 1/2 kg, therefore the increase in the prices of cattlefeed pushed up the cost of production of milk by Rs 1.5 per kg taking per capita consumption of milk as 77 kg per year, the consumers had to bear an additional burden of Rs 115 per year on account of increased cost of the production of milk. Similarly, the average poultry feed consumption per egg is about 190 gms, the increase of Rs 3 per kg of poultry feed pushed up the cost of production of egg by Rs 0.57 per egg, taking per capita consumption of eggs as 32. The consumers had to bear an additional burden of Rs 18 per year. Thus although the consumer gained Rs 50 on account of lower price of edible oils, but on the other hand he had to pay an additional sum of Rs 133 per year on account of high prices of milk and eggs. Thus overall the consumer had been a loser by Rs 83 per year due to wrong policies towards the vegetable oil sector. Taking the total edible oil consumption of India as 100 lakh tonnes per annum the consumers, thereby, lost Rs 8,300 crore per year. The import of crude palm oil at concessional rates of duty has encouraged adulteration into conventional oils like mustard oil. The consumers are paying for mustard oil but getting palm oil which causing losses to them. The policy reduced the buying power of the consumers in respect of milk and eggs which are considered nutritionally more superior than edible oils. It also discouraged the production of refined rice bran oil which is known as “heart oil” in Japan, thereby debarring the consumers from the health benefits of this unique gift of nature. |
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New phone service in Ludhiana LUDHIANA, Dec 19 — Himachal Futuristic
Communications Ltd (HFCL) launched its connects, basic telephone service in the city today. Mr Vijay Kaul, Chief Marketing Officer of the company, announced at a press meet that the loop technology is available at any place, which the wireline service is, for a short duration, available only in select pockets of the city where the optical fibre has been laid. The loop technology is available at a registration price of Rs 2,000 in addition to Rs 10,000 as security which will be refunded if the subscriber wants to switch over to the land line connection in the near future. The land line connection is available on payment of the registration charges only. The subscriber needs to dial a number 1920 and a company employee will land up at his residence or office and the connection will be provided in a week only. Three is no need to fill lengthy forms and give various documents as proof for getting a connection. The subscriber is required to fill only one form. Mr Kaul said the company will soon launch its telephone services in Patiala and Jalandhar and cover in a phased manner all major towns of the state by March next year.
Summit on power tomorrow CHANDIGARH, Dec 19 — The Independent Power Producers Association of India (IPPAI) will organise a “Power Reform Summit” here on December 21. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Haryana Finance Minister Sampat Singh, the Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Power, Mr Ajay Shankar, the Chairperson, Haryana Power Utilities, Mrs Menakshi Anand Chaudhary and the Chairman, Punjab State Electricity Board, Mr G.S. Sohal, will among others attend the seminar. The conference will highlight the experiences of the states that have successfully undertaken power reforms. Policy-makers, officials of state governments, regulators having the powers to determine tariff as well as experts will discuss the implications of reforms on the sector. |
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Internet-assisted suicides on rise TOKYO: The South Korean police is investigating a spate of web-assisted suicides which has raised disturbing questions about the Internet in one of the most wired countries in the world. It has arrested a man of 26 for his alleged part in a double suicide at a motel in Kangnung, on the eastcoast. The suspect, named only as Mr Kim, is reported to have met the two victims through a website which offers advice on how to commit suicide. The police says he may have provided the poison they used. Detectives said the man also used the Internet to take out a contract on himself and a suicidal woman friend. Their would-be killer, a Mr Yoon, was unable to fulfil the contract because he was arrested on Friday for a separate and “successful’’ contract suicide arranged over the Net. For about $823.20, it is alleged, Mr Yoon stabbed his victim in the stomach in a Seoul station car park on December 12. He told the police that he thought he was helping the victim. The revelation that people are using the Internet to help themselves — and others — to commit suicide has shocked many in South Korea, where about one in three people in a population of 47m are on line. Local reports say there are about 30 South Korean websites on suicide. The one used by Mr Kim and Mr Yoon, which contains adverts for “suicide partners’’, is reported to have had more than 50,000 hits. Since the police began investigating the suicides, most of them have been closed down, although the authorities are unsure whether the law is on their side. Similar sites have been operating in Japan for some time. In October last year a man and a woman killed themselves after making a suicide pact over the web. The previous year the operator of a website selling cyanide killed himself after the police questioned him about a customer’s suicide. — The Guardian
Army roadmap for IT
network NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Army is establishing a network infrastructure with suitable bandwidth and built-in redundancy and will put in place an apex decision-making body with Interim Command Post (INCP), initially connecting core decision-making agencies. The network is designed to share national resources wherever possible while the INCP will be slowly graduated to a National C412 (Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Information, Intelligence). The Army’s “IT roadmap-2000” will act as a viable force multiplier by incorporating fully automated and networked Operational Information System (OIS) and Management Information System (MIS), complemented by fully IT literate manpower. Speaking today at a two-day seminar on IT in Defence: Challenges for Industry, organised by the CII, the Chief of Army staff, Gen S. Padmanabhan, said the Army had already achieved a series of milestones with regard to the road map. He said computer-based communication systems were being integrated with existing mobile and satellite systems for two-day transfer of data. Personnel records, material management, inventory and accounting for the force had been automated. Seeking the IT industry’s cooperation in providing solutions to the Army’s problems, the Army chief said how to go about with quicker decision-making within the force was being reviewed, based on guidelines set by one of the four task forces that were instituted after the Kargil conflict last year. As a matter of policy, most of the development work on the ‘Automation Projects’ of the Army are being outsourced to the trade. The Army is setting up a memorandum of understanding with the champions of the IT industry for various specific automation needs. Fortunately for us the pace of modern warfare has permitted us somehow to become alive to the IT revolution. In the military, we are awfully impressed by this tool that has been placed perhaps within our reach and sometimes one feels in our hands. |
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Indian student sets
record SYDNEY: Rominder Grover, a student at Canberra’s Narrabundah College, has become the first to score 100 per cent marks in the university entrance examination. He is the first to reach this mark since the current grading system was introduced nine years ago. Grover’s score is made up of the highest possible results in the four subjects that combined to make his final marks. There have been students in the past, according to the newspaper Canberra Times, who have scored perfect marks in some of the four subjects. But Grover has broken all records by scoring in all four. Grover intends to retain Indonesian language as a part of his academic future. He may also opt for science or medicine in the higher education courses. He knows he has the pick of courses, but he feels it’s very important not to do something just for the sake of doing it. Another Indo-Australian student, Siddharth Vohra of Marist College, has also finished among the top 10. Canberra university results once again conform to the general trend all over Australia that students from ethnic backgrounds do exceptionally well in academics.
— IANS
Brides paraded for match-making HANOI:
The police on Tuesday swooped down on an illegal show of Vietnamese women who were being paraded by matchmakers as potential wives in front of a group of men, many of them foreigners. The authorities found 220 Vietnamese women aged 18 to 25 “jammed into karaoke rooms with several men” as part of a show to marry them off to locals and foreigners. Informers reportedly tipped off the police that the show was going on in a karaoke bar in Tan Binh district of Ho Chi Minh City. Seventyfour men, including 17 Taiwanese nationals, were found to be observing the show, which was arranged by several matchmaking rings operating in southern Vietnam. “Such marriages cost $ 2,000 to 3,000, depending on the beauty of the bride,’’ a newspaper said.
— DPA
Man sacked as prank backfires LONDON: A Briton has been sacked live on air after taking part in a prank on a local radio station where he had to phone in sick to his boss. The man, identified only as Steve from Sudbury, took part at the Vibe FM studio where he had to telephone his boss to say he was ill and would not be coming in. But his stern-voiced woman employer did not see the funny side because he had already had four days off sick recently. She fired him on the spot. Steve, said to be in his 20s,
listened in horror as he was told to go to her office and collect his dues. He tried to explain he was only joking, but she hung up without realising their conversation had been broadcast to thousands of listeners. Attempts by worried station bosses in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to explain to her that it was a joke failed to change her mind.
— Reuters |
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IDBI board declares bonus in 3:5 ratio LED by Infosys Technologies, infotech, communication and entertainment (ICE) stocks beat a hasty retreat on Tuesday pushing the BSE sensex down by over 16 points. However, select old economy
scripts — HLL, BHEL, GACL, HPCL, SBI and Tisco — bucked the trend and notched up gains. FIIs were reportedly unnerved by a five-day string of downslide in the Nasdaq Composite Index and preferred to play safe in spite of anticipation of excellent working results by Indian software companies for the third quarter. Citing the negative attitude of FIIs in the past couple of days, market sources said speculators even discounted reports that the government was planning radical measures to spur economic growth. Stock brokers said Indian markets had followed the US markets where Dow Jones surged while tech-high Nasdaq remained in negative territory for the first straight sessions. The end of weekly settlement on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also forced players to keep their buying activity restricted. Slowdown in buying by FIIs which stayed on the sideline ahead of the Federal Reserve Chairman’s meeting with the US President-elect George Bush, also partly dampened the trading sentiments. The IDBI Board of Directors at a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday decided to issue bouns shares in the ratio of 3:5 as on the record date. The board’s decision is however, subject to shareholders’ approval at the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) which is being convened shortly. After the issue of bouns shares, the equity capital of IDBI will be Rs 653 crore which would be marginally less than the subscribed capital of Rs 673 crore as on March 31, 2000. The board hoped to maintain the dividend at the rate of 45 per cent for the financial year ending March 31, 2001 on the enlarged share capital. Hyderabad-based Padmalaya Telefilms has inked a pact with Film Club, USA, and Anglo American Film Distributors to jointly produce and market a 200 part animation series based on “Jataka Tales”, a popular folk lore. “Padmalaya will handle production, layout, background, editing, titles, opticals and inserts, while Film Club will look after story writing, screenplay, story board, talent and voice directions in the USA”, Padmalaya Managing Director G.A. Seshegiri Rao told reporters in Mumbai. Padmalaya and Film Club will own all possible copyrights in and to the series on an equal basis. “The entire Jakarta series is expected to result in a turnover between $50 million to $ 200 million over the 200 episodes in a period of three years”, Rao said. Film Club Chief Executive Officer Raju Patel said the background and characters have been recreated to make them appeal to the audience and locations across the globe. — Agencies |
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Maruti issue Bank strike Indiandiaspora Insurance CS exam American Exp Chit Funds Bill |
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