Centre to set up SPVs for four mega power projects
Mumbai: The Centre is setting up four special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to pilot four mega power projects with initial capacities of 800 Mw each.

The SPVs will consult with commercial banks and financial institutions and prepare the project reports, sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) with respective state governments where the projects will be located, establish coal linkages, and put in place environment clearances before selling the projects to independent power producers (IPPs) through an international bidding process.

In effect the prospective buyers will get a package deal with all possible clearances and PPAs in place. According to sources, the Cabinet has already cleared the proposal and the inter-institutional group endorsed it last Friday.

The government will set up two of the projects at Champa (Chhattisgarh) and Singaroli (Madhya Pradesh). The other two locations could be Karwar in Karnataka and Surat in Gujarat. The government is also looking at Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Members of each of the SPVs will comprise a representative of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and two bureaucrats.

The projects, all coal-based, will be set up at coal pit-heads and along the coastline. The government has already initiated talks with the coal ministry to tie up fuel linkages.

The mega power projects will help the country reach the targeted 650,000 Mw of installed capacity by the 14th Plan (2026-27). The power ministry has been looking at a generation growth of 8 per cent per annum to reach this target.
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Stricter norms for Ayurveda medicines soon
New Delhi: The government will soon tighten labelling norms for Ayurveda, Sidha and Unani medicines mentioned in the ancient texts. The move comes after the recent controversy over medicines prescribed by yoga guru Ramdev.

Currently, the norms for these medicines are not as tight as those for proprietary medicines like chyavanprash, which are made by drug companies using ingredients mentioned in any of the ancient texts. Most traditional drugmakers don't have to adhere to this practice.

At a meeting with the Ayurveda Drug Manufacturers' Association (ADMA) last month, the ministry had asked them to ensure compliance to the existing norms by July '06.
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USEFI courts Indian students
New Delhi: The US Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) is planning to rope in Indian students studying in the US to highlight the higher education opportunities in that country. The USEFI will hold educational fairs across India starting this summer, encouraged by the huge response to its inaugural US university alumni fair here.

The foundation plans to hold more fairs involving Indian students who are presently studying in the US and will represent their colleges. The fairs will be held in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and also probably in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad once each in summer and winter.

The first such educational fair had 15 leading US institutions participating. These included Columbia University, University of Texas, Bryant University, University of Colorado, State University of New York, University of Wyoming and Rochester Institute of Technology.
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