Modi writes to PM to protest Shinde’s statement

17012014

Gujarat CM and BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi, calling Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s remarks on minority youths in jails on terror charges and marked it a “new low” for the country, has written to Prime Minister.

He also asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to advise his cabinet colleague not to focus his attention on minorities alone as “principles at stake” could not be sacrificed “at the altar of political expediency”. In a letter to Singh, the BJP’s prime ministerial contender said Shinde’s statement could send a wrong message about the country’s criminal justice system and have a demoralising effect on the law enforcement machinery. “The Home Minister’s concern is a brazen and callous attempt to woo the minority community and even the minority community will raise questions on the timing of such statements,” Modi said. “The suggestion (from Shinde) is unprecedented and marks a new low for the country…. the principles at stake are far too valuable to be sacrificed at the altar of political expediency,” he said. The Gujarat Chief Minister said, “a crime is a crime irrespective of the birth marks of the criminal and his religious beliefs could not determine the guilt or innocence.” Shinde had last week made a statement that he would write to all state governments to set up review or screening committees to assess the role of minority youths languishing in jails on terror charges without trial. Modi also wrote that the suggestion was against the constitutional principle of right to equality before law

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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education

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Delhi Police highly compromised: Kejriwal

17012014

A day after the gangrape of a Danish woman in New Delhi, Delhi government has accused the Delhi Police of being highly compromised and failing to ensure the safety of people of the national capital.

“Delhi police are highly compromised. If accountability of Delhi Police is not fixed, then crime and rape incidents will not go down,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday and warned the Delhi Police Commissioner that his government and people of Delhi will not remain mute spectators in case police functioning does not improve. “After a rape takes place, then we demand immediate arrest of the culprits. But that is not sufficient. Why would rapes happen in the first place”? Kejriwal said. Citing two specific instances of non-cooperation by the police in which two Delhi government ministers sought action, the Chief Minister said his government sought an immediate suspension of two SHOs and two ACPs allegedly involved. “We demand as well as give ultimatum to Delhi Police to suspend the erring SHOs of Sagarpur and Malviya Nagar police station. Sagarpur police did not take action against the family who burnt their daughter-in-law even after Women and Child Development Minister Rakhi Birla while Malviya Nagar police plainly refused to take action in the alleged sex and drug trafficking racket being run from Khirki village despite the Law Minister’s tip-off,” Kejriwal told a press conference. He also demanded the suspension of the two ACPs who had come to the spot and allegedly did not act. Reacting to Delhi Police’s statements about the minsiters interfering in their work, Kejriwal said “how can Delhi Police say that state ministers are interfering in their work? Police are just refusing to act.” Kejriwal’s reaction was in response to letters written to him by Bharti and Rakhi Birla, both of whom faced severe resistance from the police on Wednesday night, when they brought two separate incidents to the notice of concerned police officials at two different places. Kejriwal said he will meet the Lt Governor and raise the issue with him. “I am meeting Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung tomorrow morning, where Delhi Police commissioner is also coming. I am going to tell him in strong words that citizens of Delhi will not be a mute spectator,” said Kejriwal. To a query on accusation against Bharti and Birla of interfering in the police work, Kejriwal said they (ministers) were not doing investigation themselves but seeking police action in the cases. “What is the job of Delhi Police? Is it not the job of Delhi Police to catch drug racketeers, sex racketeers, rapists or those who burn their daughter-in-law? “The ministers are only telling police to take action but Delhi Police are calling it interference in its work. If this is interference, then entire Delhi will interfere in their work,” Kejriwal said, adding drug and sex rackets lead to rape incidents. Defending his ministers, Kejriwal said they do not have any personal enmity with the police personnel involved in those two specific cases. Bharti alleged Malviya Nagar police did not cooperate in conducting a surprise raid on Nigerian nationals involved in drug and sex racket at Khirki village. Birla accused Sagarpur police of shielding the family who had allegedly burnt their daughter-in-law over dowry.

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SC reserves order on scrapping of coal block allocations

17012014

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on scrapping of around 200 coal blocks allocation after holding a marathon arguments spanning over 16 months during which the Centre’s role in awarding the natural resourses to private companies came under sharp criticism.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha, which had agreed to look into the alleged irregularities in coal block allocation on September 14, 2012, wrapped up the proceedings which witnessed the Centre itself putting in motion the process of deallocating some coal blocks. The bench heard the arguments of all concerned parties involved in the allocation, including the seven mining states and the association of mining companies. Private companies contended any order of the apex court should have prospective effect and all the allocations should not be scrapped in one go and it should be decided on a case- to-case basis. “It is submitted that as far as the system of allocation is concerned, any challenge even if succcessful, could have prospective effect where people have acted in a bona fide manner, assuming the machinery was in accordance with law. “If there are irregularitiies in the grant, it is submitted that it would depend on the facts of an individual case as to the degree of the irregularities and whether it has resulted in a miscarriage of justice, in which case there could be a wholesale invalidation,” senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for associations of Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association, said. The court was hearing petitions filed by members of civil societies including former CEC N Gopalaswami, ex-Navy chief L Ramdas and former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian and lawyer M L Sharma seeking cancellation of coal block allocations.

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Categories : Business, CSR, Education, Energy, Science, Trade

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India, S Korea ink 9 pacts; Posco plant work to start soon

17012014

Updated on : 17-01-2014 07:01 AM

In a bid to give new momentum to bilateral ties, India and South Korea have decided to intensify cooperation in a range of key sectors including trade, investment and defence even as PM Manmohan Singh announced that the work on the long-delayed Posco steel plant will start in coming weeks.

Nine pacts in wide-ranging fields including cyber space cooperation were inked after the talks between Singh and South Korean President Park Geun-hye during which both leaders discussed ways to promote bilateral relations and exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues. After the talks, Singh said negotiations for revision of the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Convention have concluded. “We have just concluded wide-ranging discussion on matters of bilateral interest and regional and global importance. This has enabled us to impart further substance, greater content and new momentum to the Strategic Partnership between our two countries,” Singh said at a joint media event with Park on Thursday. He said both the leaders have decided to establish an annual interaction between the “national security structures” of the two countries besides agreeing to launch a Cyber Affairs Dialogue. “I am happy that the large-scale POSCO steel project in Odisha is set to be operational in the coming weeks, following the revalidation of its environmental clearance. Grant of mining concession for the project is also at an advanced stage of processing. I conveyed to President Park our hope that this project will confirm that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand,” Singh said. During the talks, both the sides recognised the possibility of defence trade and joint production of military equipment by further promoting collaboration between our defence research organisations. The Prime Minister hoped that the agreement on protection of classified military information signed will also boost defence engagement between the two countries. “In the area of Science and Technology, our collaboration has been highly rewarding, with many practical projects being financed through the 10 million US dollar Joint Fund that we established in 2010,” the Prime Minister said. On the MoU on Joint Applied Research, which was inked after the Summit-level talks, Singh said it will enable the scientists of the two countries to work together and develop technologies for our common benefit. “We are also stepping up collaboration in the peaceful uses of space science and technology,” he said. The Prime Minister said India has also decided to extend ‘tourist visa on arrival facility’ to South Korean people to increase people-to-people contacts and was also exploring the possibility of better civil aviation links. Both the leaders also deliberated on regional issues, particularly developments in the Korean peninsula. “The visit of President Park has imparted fresh momentum to our partnership. I am confident that our talks today have laid out a road map for the expansion and enhancement of our Strategic Partnership in the coming years,” he said. Expressing satisfaction over outcome of the talks, Park said she has requested Singh to allow South Korean banks to operate in India. Park also said there has been scope for enhancing cooperation in defence sector. In an apparent reference to North Korea, she said the Korean peninsula has been facing the threat of nuclear weapons and efforts must be made to ensure peace and stability in the region.

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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education, Energy, Environment

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India pitches for visa liberalisation in SAARC region

17012014

Updated on : 16-01-2014 10:35 PM

India on Thursday pitched for further liberalisation of visa regime within the SAARC region to facilitate movement of businessmen, in a bid to increase trade and investment.

“I will support enhancement of more SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) visas so that more business people can travel. We welcome SAARC countries to invest in India,” Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said at the SAARC Business Leaders Conclave in New Delhi on Thursday. Sharma said there is a need to work together for creating a more trusting environment which enables easier movement of professionals across borders. He also said that there is a need to open bank branches in each other countries to help traders. “We assure you that we will be encouraging Indian banks to open branches in each SAARC nation. Indian banks have presence in few of them,” he said. Trade and economic ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were present during the function. Sharma also emphasised to strengthen infrastructure bottlenecks such as roads, ports and airports to reduce transactions cost and enhance trade within the region. All the ministers shared this view and endorsed Sharma concerns over modernisation of infrastructure. “Connectivity is a problem in this region. We need to improve it to enhance trade,” Nepalese Commerce Minister Shanker Prasad Koirala said. “Unless and until we create better infrastructure, we will not be able to bring down the transactions cost and we will not be competitive in the global market,” Sharma said. Further, all the ministers asserted their desire to strongly build the SAARC region as huge potential exists for trade and investments. “SAARC is walking, but it needs to run, but now it is the time to gallop. Nepal and Bhutan has huge potential to generate power but we are not able to do that. If we come together and increase cooperation, we can do much better,” Bhutanese Economic Affairs Minister Norbu Wangchuk said. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said: “We should sit together and discuss ways to increase trade”. Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Commerce Mozammel Shinwari said his country has the potential to become a major transit point for South Asian region. “There is a need to create a level playing field. I believe much more trade can take place…there is a scope for building a regional supply chain in the SAARC region, provided there is an adequate infrastructure,” Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said. He said that tremendous opportunity is present in this region to increase trade. The SAARC ministers collectively expressed the view to deal with serious issues like poverty, unemployment and malnutrition. “We have issues like poverty and unemployment. We need to work together on these matters,” Economic Development Minister of Maldives Mohamed Saeed said. Echoing similar views, Sharma said: “About 40 per cent of the world poor are in this region. We have to work together to eradicate hunger, poverty and malnutrition”. Further, all the ministers said enhance cooperation is required in areas like skill development, education and tourism.

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Sonia Gandhi addresses AICC meet

17012014

Sonia Gandhi has appealed to all parties to rise above political considerations to help pass anti-graft bills pending in Parliament.

While addressing AICC meeting in New Delhi on Friday, Sonia Gandhi said that main opposition dividing society, spreading violence. Congress is ready and prepared for battle ahead, says Sonia. Lets now take a look at the challenges that Congress is currently facing and is looking forward to find solutions of during the AICC meeting on Friday. The list of Challenges confronting Rahul Gandhi seems to be enormous and endless. Apart from the huge anti incumbency burden that he will have to carry , other factors seem to have added to the  already overflowing basket. After the disastrous performance in assembly elections this winter, Price rise remains a matter of worry for the party. Startled by the results and seeing the cart sliding away rather fast, Rahul specifically asked the congress chief ministers to reign in the prices of essential commodities. Matters concerning the Aam Aadmi also present their share of headache for Rahul Gandhi. The need to enhance the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from 9 to 12 is not lost on the party. Party mp’s from urban areas are vehemently demanding the move. The issue of corruption is also up on the radar. With the success of AAP in delhi elections, its clear that the issue merits immediate attention. Although many congress leaders say that Rahul gandhi’s personal intervention accelerated the passage of Lokpal bill, rahuil himself wants few more steps to be taken to complete the task. Many believe the delay in firming up support to the lokpal bill may have cost the party dear. The perception took roots that congress and upa is not  serious in tackling corruption. Rahul Gandhi will have the onerous task to do the course correction.  The assembly elections have once again brought the factional fights in the state units to the fore. With appointment of young leaders like sachin pilot and arun yadav as PCC chiefs in their respective states, Rahul may have started cracking the whip, but the road to reforms has just started. While many congress leaders are vociferously clamoring for the generation shift, it is the generation gap in the party which is also source of a disconnect between the young and the old guard. The coordination between the party and the government is also quite evident when pary leaders repeatedly say that the party has failed to propagate the works of the government to the masses. Then the issue of taking Narendra Modi head on also remains. Political analyst believe that sooner than later rahul will have to take the bull by the horns. It just cant be delayed. Party has been dithering to suggest a Rahul versus Modi contest , but under the circumstances many leaders believe it is inevitable. Then there is a challenge in the family backyard. AAP candidate kumar vishwas breathing down the neck with his campaigning, Rahul will have to give some more time and attention to his own turf of amethi.

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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education, election, Media, Politics

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Government of NCT of Delhi nominating persons on the Governing Bodies of 28 colleges

17012014

Government of NCT of Delhi has been nominating persons on the Governing Bodies of 28 colleges wholly or partly funded by Government of Delhi and affiliated to Delhi University.
In a novel initiative, Government of NCT of Delhi has decided  to seek nominations for appointment to these bodies through open public advertisement appealing prominent academicians, persons of repute to recommend names of persons who have background in financial, administration of have done commendable work in the field of higher education or persons of exemplary administrative accumen or alumini of the institutions or persons of repute who have been associated with premier institutions of higher education.   The Government also intends to right to heads of premier Institutions of the country, prominent members of the academia, professors and other persons of repute in the field of academics and other premier institutions asociated with higher education, urging them to nominate people who can contribute to the better management of educational institutions located in
Delhi so that they emerge in times to come as centre of excellence.
The procedure being followed hitherto was of haphazard nomination based on individual choices without properly going into background and contribution of the persons nominated.   It left too much discretion and was not at all transparent.

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Suchitra Sen dead

17012014

Cine star Bengali  actress Suchitra Sen, known as the Greta Garbo of Bengali cinema and had 60 films to her credit including the memorable ‘Aandhi’ and’ Deep Jwele Jai’, died of a heart attack at a super-speciality hospital in Kolkata on Friday.

The condition of the 82-year-old screen goddess had deteriorated on Thursday evening after which she suffered a massive cardiac arrest leading to her death at 8:25 AM, family sources said.
Sen was admitted to Belle Vue Clinic on 23rd December following a respiratory tract infection.
She was treated in a private Intensive Treatment Unit for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Sen, who has been living the life of a recluse in a south Kolkata apartment, has starred in memorable Hindi films like ‘Devdas’, and ‘Aandhi’ and ‘Saat Paake Bandha’, ‘Agnipariksha’, ‘Saptapadi’ and ‘Deep Jwele Jai’ in Bengali.
The screen goddess of yesteryears, who had been living a life of a recluse, was often compared to Hollywood actress Greta Garbo.

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has condoled the passing away of noted actress Suchitra Sen.
In a message, he said Ms. Sen had carved a special niche in the hearts of millions of Indians through her graceful cinematic presence. She was one of the first Indian artistes to win an international award at Moscow in 1963. Ms Sen’s versatility and range of performances, in a career spanning nearly three decades, mark a unique contribution to Indian cinema, and to Bengali films in particular.

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Categories : Entertainment

India & South Korea sign MoU to promote business to business contact

17012014

India must explore possibilities of cooperation in urban transport with South Korea says Deepa Dasmunshi

The Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Ms. Deepa Dasmunshi  has highlighted the importance of further stepping up India’s bilateral engagement with Korea which is amongst the most dynamic Asian economies.  She was speaking after the signing of tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between EEPC India (formerly known as Engineering Export Promotion Council), CII (Confederation of India Industry) and Kotra (Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) in New Delhi today.  The signing of the MoU coincides with the visit of Korean President Park Geun-hye to India. The Minister said that the visit of Korean President would also help further the engagement between the two countries.  She added that the MoU provides a platform where the technical knowhow of both the countries in developing infrastructure can be shared.  She added that it is very important to explore possibilities of cooperation in the Urban Transport Sector between the two countries. With the signing of the MoU, the three top trade promotion organizations will improve the flow of information in India and South Korea which is key to the business communities of the two countries. The business to business contact will be improved through trade fairs, exhibitions, seminars and other promotional activities. The MoU was signed by Mr. Anupam Shah, Chairman EEPC India, Mr. Young Ho Oh, Kotra President & CEO and Mr. Ajay Shriram CII President (designate).

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India & Uk Signs MOU to Enhance the Collaboration Within the Framework of UKIERI.

17012014

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE) to enhance the collaboration within the framework of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) . The signing took pkace here in New Delhi today after a bilateral meeting held between the delegations led by  between Minister of State (L&E), Government of India Shri K. Suresh, and Minister Mr. Matthew Hancock, Minister of State for Skills & Enterprise, United Kingdom. The key points of the memorandum are as fpllows: ·        Focus of this MOU is to collaborate and build partnership in the area of Skills Development and Employment Services.  The MoU will be the guiding document for overall collaboration under which the following activities will be supported: 1.      Institutional capacity building of UK and Indian official and institutes handling skill development and employment services 2.      Sharing of technical expertise, building linkages and identification of gaps in the areas of skill development and employment services, improvement in curriculum, benchmarking of assessment, certification and training methods. 3.      Supporting development of employment services in India on the lines of National Careers Service, UK. 4.      Other   beneficial projects, in the area of skill development and employment services, mutually agreed. ·        As a first step, UKIERI will facilitate partnership of Indian stakeholders with the existing Career Services in the UK. Best practices from the UK will be shared with MoLE and other stakeholders to help develop the Indian model. A workshop in this regard would be jointly organized by MoL&E and UKIERI in February 2014. This initiative will be jointly funded by MoLE and UKIERI. The India cost will be borne by MoLE and the UK cost will be borne by UKIERI. ·        India and the UK will partner on Mentor Councils in the identified priority sectors in responding to the skills demand in the sector and would cover an entire spectrum viz. restructuring of courses, curriculum development, identification and development of good teaching and learning aids, training of trainers with quality, devising assessment mechanisms, improving on the job training etc. ·        UKIERI will support in providing UK experts for the Mentor Councils for upto 10 sectors through institutional partnership between the MCs set up by MoLE and the National Skill Academies in the UK. Each partnership will be jointly funded by MoLE and UKIERI. The Indian cost of the partnership will be borne by MoLE and the UK cost of the partnership will be borne by UKIERI.

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Historical Power Generation Capacity Addition of 21 GW During 2012-13

17012014

Bids for Odisha & Cheyyur UMMP to be Opened on 26th February
An historical 21 GW of capacity addition took place during the financial year 2012-13 and more than 8700 MW of capacity addition has been achieved by December, 2013 for the financial year 2013-14.  The total installed capacity in the country at present stands at 236 GW.  This was stated by Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of State (I/C) of Power while addressing the media in New Delhi today.  The Minister disclosed that total installed capacity of 400 GW will be required by 2022 to meet the power demand, which is a huge challenge for the country.
Mr. Scindia opined that availability, adequacy, and affordability have to be the crux of power sector strategy in India. For this, the emphasis of power sector development should be on capacity addition, transmission and last mile connectivity.
In a major achievement, the southern grid connectivity was achieved three months ahead of schedule with the commissioning of 765 Kv Raichur-Sholapur Transmission line on 31st December, 2013.  With this the power system has stepped into a new era i.e., One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency, the minister added. He said that the country will have the largest transmission capacity in the world in the next four to five years.
Mr. Scindia said that the RGGVY scheme has been extended to the 12th Plan and for the balance of the 13th Plan, covering habitations with the population of 100 and above.  More than Rs. 35000 cr have been approved for the completion of the scheme in the 13th Plan.
Speaking about the supply of gas to the coal sector, the Minister said that after the latest decision of the Govt. to cap the supply of domestic gas to the fertilizer sector, nearly 9 MMSCMD of additional gas will be available to the power sector over the next three years. The Minister admitted that the shortage of gas supply has become a matter of concern since nearly 20 GW of capacity is tied up in gas based power projects.
With respect to the supply of coal to the power sector, the Minister said that a remarkable achievement has been signing of 157 FSAs with total capacity of 72 GW out of a total of stipulated 78 GW in a record time of 2 and half months. Mr. Scindia disclosed that 9 applications have been received for Odisha UMPP and 8 for Cheyyur (Tamil Nadu), the bids for which will be opened on 26th February, 2014.
The Minister elaborated that several level of redundancies have been put in place and these mechanisms are now institutionalized to ensure grid security.  Frequency band has been tightened which is now closer to international norms and congestion charges have been imposed to ensure that everybody follows the guidelines. Similarly, autonomy to POSOCO is also under process.
The Ladakh region of J&K will be connected with the National Grid soon since the Cabinet has approved the transmission project between Srinagar and Leh along with the associated transmission lines as well as sub stations. This will enable remote areas of Leh and Kargil to benefit from the much needed power supply during winter as well as allow evacuation of excess power in summer from NHPC Power Plants of Nimmo Bazgo, and Chutak recently commissioned in the Leh/Kargil area.  The Minister added that his Ministry has been working closely with the Ministry of Environment and Forests for speedy clearances. More than 4800 MW of Hydro Capacity received wildlife/environment/forest clearances recently as a result of these efforts. Similarly, E-GoM has been set up to expedite Hydro Projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
Speaking on the issue of subsidy on power, the Minister said that if the states wish to give subsidy on electricity, then they must re-imburse the subsidy amount to the concerned DISCOM immediately to ensure revenue neutrality of the DISCOM.
The Financial Restructuring of DISCOMs is doing well in the four states of Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, UP & Haryana with an FRP amount of Rs 95,247 cr finalized and bonds worth Rs 46,707 cr already issued, the Minister added.

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Categories : Business, Uncategorized

Vodafone India Reinforces Commitment to Sustainability

17012014

 

Releases ‘Footprints III’- Sustainability Report 2013

First Sustainability Report by an Indian Telecom Company as per latest GRI G4 guidelines
Vodafone India and TERI announce a strategic partnership
To jointly develop Sustainability initiatives for Energy Conservation and Green Telecom
Delhi, January 16, 2014:
Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced the release of “Footprints-III”, the third edition of its annual Sustainability Report. A digital version of the report was formally released in the presence of Dr. RK Pachauri, Director General, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI).
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development , complimenting this initiative said, “Telecommunications have a vital role to play in nation building. By virtue of the services telecoms provide, the sector enables inclusion and facilitates holistic growth. Better connectivity will allow us to fulfill our national priorities of educating all, greater financial inclusion and smarter distribution of government benefits to the citizens. I congratulate Vodafone India for taking the lead in this endeavour and wish them more success in empowering communities.” Speaking on Vodafone India’s Sustainability strategy,
Marten Pieters, Managing Director and CEO, Vodafone India, said, “At Vodafone, sustainability is an ongoing journey and engrained in the business we do. We see our customers, employees, shareholders and the community we operate in as our most important stakeholders. Contributing to society is intrinsic to our corporate mission. Our aspiration is to be the most trusted and respected telecommunications company in India and we are committed to play our due role as a conscientious corporate citizen. We will continue to partner with government and the developmental sector to make meaningful contributions for the social and economic development of our country.”
Continuing the endeavour to consistently raise the bar in reporting on sustainability, this edition of the report has been compiled referencing G4 — the most recent guidelines from Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI is a world-renowned independent institution that sets benchmarks and standard frameworks for sustainability reporting. The G4 guidelines ensure up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain management, anti-corruption and Green House Gas emissions.
Speaking about
‘Footprints-III’, Vodafone India’s Sustainability Report 2013, Sunil Sood, Chief Operating Operator, Vodafone India, said, “Vodafone Cares’ is our platform to integrate all the good that Vodafone India does as an organisation. The initiatives under ‘Vodafone Cares’ are built around 3Es – Empowerment, Education and Environment, the strategic components of sustainability at Vodafone India. This report chronicles the initiatives undertaken during the year through this 3E approach.”
‘Footprints III’ – Sustainability Report 2013 is being published in the digital format only and can be downloaded from http://www.vodafone.com
Vodafone India and TERI, an independent, non-profit research organisation that focuses on energy, environment and sustainable development, signed a strategic partnership for further embedding and promoting sustainability in Vodafone India’s operations and initiatives.
Announcing the partnership,
Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, “Our mission at TERI is to develop and promote technologies, policies and institutions for efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. We are delighted to partner with Vodafone India and work with them to further enhance the scale and impact of their initiatives to promote sustainability.”
Speaking on the occasion,
Mr. Rohit Adya, External Affairs Director, Vodafone India, said, “At Vodafone India, our core belief of ‘what is good for society is also good for business drives us to make our business and operations more sustainable. The mobile technology has the power to catalyse social transformation by empowering communities and individuals, facilitating a sustainable future for all. We look forward to working with TERI to progress on our sustainability journey and fulfill our role as a responsible corporate.”
The areas of engagement between the two corporate partners include strategic advisory and knowledge sharing, energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction for Greener Telecom. The two organisations will also explore opportunities to jointly build advocacy and promote the cause and purpose of sustainability in the public domain.
About Vodafone India
Vodafone India is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Max acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company has operations across the country serving over 150 million customers. This journey is a strong testimony of Vodafone’s success in a highly competitive and price sensitive market. Vodafone India in its long-term commitment to India has been providing innovative, customer friendly and reliable products and services by continuously differentiating itself with a strong brand, best quality network, unique distribution and great customer service.
Vodafone has been receiving several awards and recognition across different segments. At the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2013, the company was awarded for excellence in ‘Service Innovation’ and ‘Innovation in Training and Learning’ categories. The company also received the ‘Best 3G services operator’ at the recent tele.net Telecom awards. In a survey conducted by Nielsen; Vodafone India has been recognized as the ‘Most Likeable Brand’ in the consumer services category. Vodafone India has also been making significant strides with its wide retail presence in the country. The company won the award for innovation in Retail, at International women leadership forum for the concept of Angel (all women) stores across the country. The company has been recognized as one of the ‘Best Employer of Choice’ in telecom sector by ‘Great Places to Work’ and Vodafone Business Services has been awarded the “Best Enterprise Service Provider” at the Frost & Sullivan Awards for three consecutive years in 2011, 2012 and 2013. On the technology front, the company has also won the Enterprise & IT Infrastructure Global Excellence Award for its Business Intelligence (BI) transformation project.
As a value based organization, Vodafone is committed to achieving the highest standards of Health, Safety and Well-being not only for its employees but also for all its partners. For creating such a responsible culture in the organization, the company recently received the Golden Peacock Occupational Health & Safety Award 2013.
Vodafone India was awarded the ‘Green Telecom Company of the Year’ at the Telecom Leadership Awards 2012 by a renowned media group recently and has also received the “Golden Peacock Award” for corporate social responsibility for 2012 and for Innovation in Product/Service in Telecom category for 2013.
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies with approximately 411 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 September 2013. Vodafone has equity interests in telecommunications operations in nearly 30 countries and around 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit: http://www.vodafone.com. Follow us on twitter @VodafoneIN
For further information, please contact:
Vodafone India | indiacorpcomm@vodafone.com

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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education

Airbus Military Aircraft

17012014

Airbus Defence and Space held its press briefing in New Delhi India and explained its strategy.
Facts and figures
General Data
5 sites in Spain (2 in Madrid: Barajas and Getafe, 2 in Seville: San Pablo and Tablada, and 1 in Cádiz, (Centro Bahía de Cádiz). Plus facility in Poland. 5,500 employees.
Successful family of aircraft from 3 to 45 tonnes of payload comprising five basic models.
132 customers in the Light & Medium family and 139 customers in total.
C212: Programme launched in 1968, first flight in 1971, first delivery in 1974.
CN235: Programme launched in 1979, first flight in 1983, first delivery in 1987.
C295: Programme launched in 1996, first flight in 1997, first delivery in 2001.
A310 MRTT (second hand a/c conversions): EIS 2004.
6 orders 2 customers
6 aircraft delivered 2 operators
A330 MRTT: programme launch: end 2004; first delivery: May 2011.
28 orders 4 customers
11 aircraft delivered
17 backlog
A400M:
174 orders 8 customers
0 aircraft delivered
174 backlog
Programme launch: May 2003
First flight MSN1: 11th December 2009
First flight MSN2: 8th April 2010
First flight MSN3 9th July 2010
First flight MSN4: 20th December 2010
First flight MSN 6: 20th December 2011
Initial Type Certification received 3rd of May 2012
Airbus Defence and Space: Stronger in Europe and worldwide
Reinforcing our capabilities servicing our customers better
•One-stop-shop offering an integrated portfolio based on one sales organisation under one strong brand
•Strong and reliable partnership with one known face to the customer
•Improving competitiveness and value creation: today‘s profitability is tomorrow‘s investment
•Integrated and innovative product and services portfolio, at competitive prices around the globe
•Based on the solid foundations of the Eurofighter, UAS developments and military transportation
•Fleet in service maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
•Leader in the light and medium transport market
•Combined mutual strengths, engineering and political power to develop a compelling UAS programme
•All units involved in development, production or ongoing support of military aircraft.
•Well-placed to play a leading role in future UAS and combat a/c segments.
•Products (among others)
–Eurofighter Typhoon and similar combat air systems
–A400M transport aircraft system
–A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport)
–light and medium transport derivatives
–mission systems
–unmanned aerial systems
–air services & MRO

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Categories : Business, culture

Getting to Effective Climate Change Governance

17012014

PRESS RELEASEThursday, January 16, 2014 Contact: Supriya Kumar, skumar@worldwatch.org, (+1) 202-745-8092, ext. 510 For more information: http://www.worldwatch.org/getting-effective-climate-change-governance           Getting to Effective Climate Change Governance         The Worldwatch Institute discusses the characteristics of governance that can be most effective in facing the converging environmental crises of the future Washington, D.C.—When a crisis develops, what sort of governance is best? Crises have traditionally resulted from situations of social turmoil, such as military invasion, revolution, or corruption, but expectations are that modern-day emergencies are more likely to arise from disturbances due to climate change and other environmental disruptions. Rising sea levels and severe weather patterns are predicted to increase the number of environmental refugees to the tens, even hundreds of millions, with millions more suffering severe disturbances to their livelihoods. In the Worldwatch Institute’s (www.worldwatch.org) State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, contributing authors deliberate over what qualities of governance will be the most effective as we endure the planet’s long future struggle with environmental crises. It is possible for us to reach a state of sustainable living, but this will happen only once we are able to overcome political—-more than technical—-problems. Current governments, encumbered by bureaucracy, swayed by special-interest groups, and forced to respond to a variety of competing communities, have so far proven incapable of dealing with the threat of climate change. If we are ultimately unable to push our leaders into effectively rewriting policy, we must prepare ourselves for what kinds of catastrophes might arise and how we can best deal with them politically. Brian Martin, professor of social sciences at the University of Wollongong, Australia, and contributing author of State of the World 2013,provides four essential features of effective governance during times of crisis. Widespread participation: “Significant participation is essential for rapidly responding to a crisis,” says Martin. “Genuine participation is greatest when power is shared. The more people take part in creating a solution, the more likely they are to stay committed.” Development of resources: When troubles arise, we need to be prepared with adequate technological and material resources. These include food, transport, and especially methods of communication. Tolerance and inclusion: Having certain sectors of the population opposed to action can delay and prevent important changes that need to be made. With everyone participating, we ensure that solutions are acceptable to all citizens and that every group is contributing to solving challenges. Skill development: Through education and the sharing of ideas, we can be prepared to respond to threats in effective and intelligent ways. Martin explains that strategic insight is most likely to flourish in a form of governance that gives considerable autonomy to smaller units, while enabling communication between them so that insights can be shared, tested, and applied. All of these characteristics can be achieved with a government that is both local and flexible. These qualities are best demonstrated by the efforts of smaller grassroots groups, which have been successful in encouraging citizen participation and influencing local government actions. Groups that involve members of the community in which change is being made are so far creating more awareness about climate change than large, international organizations. “International governance is particularly unsuited for dealing with crisis,” says Martin. “There is little citizen participation and little capacity for skill development. The result is a form of symbolic politics that gives only the illusion of authority.” David Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College, offers a long-term perspective on how we can transform our governments to handle any imminent environmental catastrophes. One concern he addresses is the potential for the emergence of authoritarian governments to provide ultimate enforcement of societal change. According to Orr, the most effective alternative to this kind of state totalitarianism is to strengthen democracy. The best way to strengthen democracy is to create active citizen participation in government, rebuilding democracy from the bottom up. A transition to local, self-governing communities will raise the legitimacy of policy choices and improve public knowledge. “In our time, strong democracy may be our best hope for governance in the long emergency but it will not develop without significant changes,” said Orr. “One necessary change is to confront economic oligarchy. Today the majority of concentrated wealth is tied, directly or indirectly, to fossil fuels. A second change must be to the triviality, narrowness, and often factual inaccuracy of our political conversations. It is time to talk about important things.” While neither are easy tasks, neither will be living through four degrees of climate change. Worldwatch’sState of the World 2013, released in April 2013, addresses how “sustainability” should be measured, how we can attain it, and how we can prepare if we fall short. For more information, visit www.sustainabilitypossible.org. Worldwatch’s upcoming book State of the World 2014: Governing for Sustainability, which highlights both obstacles and opportunities and shows how to effect change within and beyond the halls of government, will be available in April 2014. For more information, visit www.islandpress.org/ip/books/book/islandpress/S/bo9493331.html

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Categories : CSR, culture, Education

Kelai, Hailu thrown down gauntlet among elite athletes

17012014

Kenya’s John Kelai believes that he has the experience to once again triumph in the US$ 360,000 prize-money Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, January 19. “I appreciate the opportunity I have got to once again participate in this marathon. I have prepared well for this event. The competition is very strong and I have to go the extra mile to get the result,” he stressed during an interaction with media persons at the SCMM Media Centre on Thursday.
Kelai, a former two-time champion (2008 and 2009) and having run four years in Mumbai, is the most experienced runner in the ‘Elite’ field and he is confident of doing well. “I’ve participated four times in Mumbai and am looking forward to this race. Of all the competitors, I have the best experience and I know how to deal with the heat and I am well prepared. The runners list is long and it will definitely be a good race,” pointed out Kelai, who has a personal best of 2:09.30 set at the 2007 Toronto Marathon.
The Kenyan, who won gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, feels that it would give him the confidence to win this event.
However, he will have to contend with Ethiopian Hailu Mekonnen and South Africa’s Gladwin Mzazi. The Ethiopian’s fastest time is 2:07.35 and he could upset the Kenyan, while Mzazi, who is making his debut in the Mumbai Marathon, has a 7^th place finish in 2013 Delhi Half Marathon and is also capable of springing a surprise. Mekonnen said “I have trained properly and expect a good result. The conditions here in Mumbai are hot as compared to Addis Ababa. The wind in Addis is cool, but I have worked hard and hope to adjust to the conditions to do well,” he stated.
The young South African admitted that he lacked experience but is prepared to have a shot at winning. “I don’t have much experience running the full marathon, but I will try my best to win the race,” he said.
The women’s field will be equally challenging with Ethiopia’s Dinknesh Mekash, whose personal best is 2:25.09 when she finished fourth at last year’s Paris Marathon. “I am glad to be here in Mumbai and will try to lower the course record (2:24.33). I will be trying my best, but God knows who will win,” she said. Ukraine’s Yulia Ruban and Eunice Kales from Kenya are the ones who would pose a strong challenge to Mekash. The 30-year-old Ruban, who has a personal best of 2:27.00, stated that she has done some hard training back home and is fresh for this race as she has not participated in any event for the last eight months.Kales is new to Marathon and this event will her third and is hoping to doing well despite not preparing well due to illness. “I am happy to be here and among strong athletes. I was unwell, down with pneumonia two weeks ago and was under medication and could not train well. But I am focused to give my best,” she mentioned.

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Categories : Business, Politics, sports

Joseph: Revoke suspension of Adv. Anima Muyarath

17012014

Nksagar_1@yahoo.com

Today at 9:29 AM

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Tenison Joseph: Revoke suspension of Adv. Anima Muyarath                                                                                             Sign My Petition                                                 They abused her verbally and then threw chairs at her. Anima, a young female lawyer, put up Facebook posts about gender discrimination in the Lawyers’ Bar Association of Kozhikode, Kerala. The Bar Association suspended her for it. At the General Body meeting of the Association, she was asked to apologise. When she bravely refused, they verbally abused and threw chairs at her! As a fellow lawyer, I am appalled at this discrimination. I strongly feel that her suspension should be revoked. That’s why I started this petition on Change.org asking, Tenison Joseph, the Secretary of Bar Association, Kozhikode, to revoke Anima’s supension. Suspending her is an act of gender discrimination as well. It is also an attack on her Fundamental Right to Speech and Expression. I am shocked that the Bar Association indulges in such practices. Kozhikode Bar Association has produced brilliant lawyers and it should support lawyers like Anima who stand up against injustice. It is also their responsibility to stop gender discrimination at the Bar Association. Sign my petition. Forward it to your friends asking them to support Anima and join our campaign demanding her suspension be revoked. Ashis K Via Change.org                                         Sign My Petition

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Categories : Business, CSR, culture, Education

TIME TO BE BOLD

17012014

 THE Indo- Pakistan bilateral economic and commercial relations were put on a firm path in September 2011 when the two commerce secretaries laid out a road map with specific milestones.

This raised huge expectations.

But Pakistan has been unable to meet its commitments as laid out in the communiqué. Of all things, the nomenclature of granting the Most Favoured Nation status to India became a serious hurdle.
There is now talk of the term being changed to ‘ non discriminated country’ to satisfy those who were not ready to accept the Urdu translation of MFN. I cannot see any one guaranteeing that this version will go through because elements that can militate against importing much- needed electricity from India, can surely still agitate to prevent Pakistan normalising its trading relations with us. .
Unilateral
In the present circumstances, India should seriously consider giving unilateral access to its market for Pakistan and prune its negative list without waiting for the MFN status. India has a huge surplus in its formal bilateral trade with Pakistan.
This widens further in India’s favour when the Dubai trade is taken into account.
India’s unilateral granting of better market access will thus not materially harm India’s interests. On the other hand, it could provide a real fillip to Pakistani exports to India and thereby contribute to improving its economic performance.
But perhaps equally importantly, the unilateral gesture by India will provide major ammunition to those stakeholders in Pakistan who support better ties with India.
This unilateral measure will generate broad- based goodwill for India that will contribute to weakening the jihadis case against India. Clearly, India’s security interests, of which political stability within Pakistan and weakening of the jihadi support base are two principle components, will be directly served by this measure.
The case of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan- Pakistan- India ( TAPI) gas pipeline is an instructive one for understanding the convergence between India’s national security interests and improving economic ties with Pakistan. TAPI was initially proposed by the ADB in 2000- 01.
The other three countries moved with alacrity and set up a formal mechanism to push forward with the ambitious project.
India on the other hand rejected it on security grounds It took more than ten years for India to finally see the merit of joining TAPI, which has just been confirmed by the new petroleum minister, Veerapa Moily. TAPI, when completed and on- stream, will generate more than $ 500 million of ‘ wheeling charges’ for Afghanistan. These will come mostly from India and will only reinforce India’s already good relations with Afghanistan.
This will directly serve India’s security and political interests. The pipeline which will also deliver much needed gas to Pakistan and India at cheaper rates will create a mutual dependence in the safeguarding of the pipeline.
Yet India’s MEA establishment, for an inordinately long time and despite the championing of the project by the line ministry, took a narrow and short term view of India’s security interests and let the project drag on for more than ten years. This mindset has to change. India has to take a more strategic view of its security interests.
Neighbours

For India, it is now important to build trust- based relationships with its neighbours, given that China is now actively trying to create a dominant presence in the South Asian economic and geographic space. Regional cooperation, mediated by external agencies like multilateral development banks would help build trust based relationship in South Asia. It will be far better placed to counter the growing Chinese influence if its neighbours developed vested interests in the larger South Asian economic space. Therefore, India will have to further intensify its asymmetric approach towards its neighbours, which began in 2007, and take the responsibility for creating more trust based relationships with them.

India can take two other major steps to build greater trust with its neighbours.

First, it should give national treatment across its territory for all freight movement from South Asian countries including Myanmar. This would dramatically reduce shipment time and costs and enable South Asian countries to exploit the huge advantage of proximity. This one step by India will go a long way in reversing the geographic fragmentation of South Asia that came about in 1947. This suggestion has been made strongly by Shyam Saran himself, who is currently the Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board. Second, it is time that India adopts a far simpler and liberal visa regime for its neighbours. The anachronistic and dysfunctional visa regime between Pakistan and India that is a major deterrent to commerce and tourism needs to be changed immediately. Visa regime with Bangladesh has already been substantially liberalised and the process should continue until the system for visa- on- arrival for all SAARC members is put in place.

Proactive

Both these suggestions will be expectedly opposed by Indian ‘ agencies’ on security grounds. This opposition is reflects inertia in modernising our security apparatus and is based on the spurious logic that India, which is one of the six countries in the world with advanced missile technology, cannot ensure its security except by adopting the most primitive measures like requiring its visitors to report to the nearest police station within 24 hours of their arrival.

In short the argument is that for India, to take an even more proactive and asymmetric approach towards its neighbours is in its long term strategic interests. Therefore, unilateral actions vis a vis its neighbours, specially Pakistan, which is the second largest economy in South Asia, as suggested above, should be seen to be in India’s strategic interests and as safeguarding its security. These are not acts of magnanimity or generosity. Moreover, India cannot aspire to be a global player if it cannot ensure stability, peace and prosperity in its neighbourhood. Improving bilateral economic and commercial relations with Pakistan must be an important component of this strategy.

The writer is Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research