Cabinet nod for AWACS
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security today gave the go-ahead for the development of an indigenous airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) within seven years at a cost of Rs.1,800 crores.
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Paswan: Private sector reservation a reality
Chennai: Reservation of jobs for Dalits and backward classes in private sector would "soon become a reality", the Union Fertilisers and Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.

Addressing a conference on 'preferential participation for underprivileged sections in the national economic growth,' organised by the PMK, Paswan said with some public sector units being privatised, "reservation in private sector has become compulsory."

Paswan also said that he had ordered that 5000 Dalits be given the dealership of government owned fertiliser companies and 27 per cent of dealership of these companies should be reserved for backward classes and minorities.

On the demand for a constitutional amendment to provide for reservation of posts in the board of directors of private companies to backward classes, Dalits and minorities, Paswan said "it is a good suggestion which should be looked into."
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PM for development strategy to ensure high economic growth
New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has underlined the need for a development strategy in order to achieve a sustained high economic growth rate.

In his opening remarks at the full meeting of the Plan panel, which he heads as the Chairman, Dr Singh said this would accommodate a greater degree of inclusiveness and lessen the sense of alienation among people who felt left out of the reform process. He said the Government would pay greater attention to agriculture and rural development and to reduce regional imbalances in the process of development. Basic social services, such as education and health, would also require sharper focus, he said.

Later, briefing mediapersons on the deliberations of the full meeting, the Deputy Chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said on the allocation of Rs 10,000-crore block provision in the Union Budget made to the Plan panel, it was decided that Rs.4,725 crore, amounting to 40.13 per cent of this amount, would be allocated to the states. A major new initiative was the allocation of an additional Rs.1,232 crore to the Mid-day Meal Programme, which in future would be part of the states' share of Central assistance.

Other state programmes receiving sizable additional allocations include the Accelerated Irrigation Programme (AIBP), the National Social Assistance Programme (NASP), the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) and the National Slum Development Programme.

Going by Thursday's decision, the education sector has been provided the highest increase of nearly 85 per cent over the Budget estimate for 2003-04, at Rs.5,057.08 crore for the current fiscal. The farm sector, too, has been given a nearly 50 per cent increase, primarily for the National Horticulture Mission and Animal Husbandry. A new Food-for-Work Scheme is to be launched in the poorest 150 districts by the Ministry of Rural Development, as announced in the Budget, for which a sum of Rs.2,020 crore has been made. The Railways would receive an increase of nearly 43 per cent over the budgeted, at Rs.8,056 crore, while drinking water supply would get Rs.3,548 crore for the current fiscal.

A beginning has also been made for a new scheme such as the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas for water harvesting and restoration of water tables, upgradation of 100 ITIs, desalination of seawater and the Sethu Samudram Project.
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India Trade Show in Muscat next year
Mumbai: Companies representing a variety of sectors including consumer products, textiles, engineering, auto parts and ancillaries, the building and construction sector, as well as service-related industries are expected to participate in a trade show to be organised in Muscat, Oman, between March 7 and 11, 2005.
According to an official release, the India Trade Show (ITS) is expected to attract around 400 exhibitors and more than 10,000 people from Muscat and the neighbouring countries.

The Muscat-based Shanfari Group of Companies will partner Orbit Tours & Trade Fairs, the country's largest business tour company, in hosting the show, which will be held in a 3,000 sq ft space at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

According to the statement, there has been an increase in trade between India and Oman. India's exports to Oman stood at $271.26 million in 2002, up from $150 million in 1999.

India is the fifth largest importer into Oman, accounting for 3.5 per cent of total imports. India's exports to Oman include textiles and garments, machinery and equipment, electrical and electronic items, chemicals, iron and steel products, in addition to tea, coffee, rice and meat products.
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EEPC expects $25-m exports to Kazakhstan during 2004-05
Kolkata: The export of Indian engineering goods to Kazakhstan is expected to be of the order of $ 25 million in 2004-05 compared with "negligible" levels in the last fiscal, according to the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC).

In the current fiscal till date, Indian engineering goods exports to Kazakhstan have touched $ 9 million, according to the EEPC.
A 90-member delegation of engineering goods exporters has returned from Almaty, which it had visited as part of its "Focus CIS" programme. EEPC had organised the Indiatech Exhibition in Almaty from September 3 to 6, 2004, in co-operation with the Union Chambers of Commerce & Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, among others.

A total of 65 engineering enterprises from India representing manufacturers of automotive parts & components, bicycle & parts, castings & forgings, electric power machinery, electrical accessories, industrial plant & machinery and oilfield machinery, etc, participated in the exhibition.

Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world with a geographical area that is 86 per cent the size of India. It has a population of 15 million and has clocked a GDP growth of nine per cent annually in the last four years.

Currently, India accounts for a mere 0.58 per cent of Kazakhstan's engineering goods imports. As such, the country offered great scope to Indian engineering goods manufacturers and the first to move in would have the early-mover advantage. Already, during the four-day exhibition, on-the-spot business worth $ 1 million was generated.

The Exim Bank has extended a $ 10-million line of credit to Indian exporters. Punjab National Bank is also going to open a branch in Almaty. In the meantime, confirmation of letters of credit can be made through select banks there.
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Karnataka clears projects worth Rs.23,320 crore
Bangalore: The Karnataka Government's high-level committee(HLC) has cleared 11 major investment proposals totaling nearly Rs.23,320 crore.

These include projects of Cipla, ONGC-MRPL, Jindal Thermal and MCF which would be executed on a fast-track basis. Of these, three ONGC-MRPL projects in the petrochemicals sector alone are to bring in investments worth Rs.20,019.50 crore, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, told a news conference later.
The power projects that were cleared are the 2X250-MW coal-based Jindal Thernal Power Co at Nandikur and Jindal Vijayanagar Steel's 100-MW captive plant, JSW Power Ltd, at Toranagal near Bellary.

The HLC cleared a proposal by JVSL's captive supplier Euro Coke & Energy Pvt Ltd to set up metallurgical coke and a 50-MW cogeneration plant at Toranagal. Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilisers Ltd will also set up a metallurgical coke and 36-MW cogeneration plant at Mangalore.

Mudra Fabrics Ltd is starting a Rs.117.58-crore EoU at the Apparel Park proposed at Doddaballapur near here. The unit will manufacture woven fabrics and readymade garments.
Cipla Ltd got the clearance to start a Rs.85.5-crore bulk drugs plant at Bangalore.

Hampi Industries Ltd's integrated steel mill to make sponge iron and long products with 20-MW cogeneration is to come up at Koppal near Raichur. The project is to have an investment of Rs 249 crore.

A Rs.163.5-crore business and family entertainment centre has been proposed in Bangalore by Davanam Constructions. The project includes star hotel, convention centre, craft bazaar, multiplex, a shopping mall and an amusement park.
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