US increases focus on alternative energy sources
New Delhi: The US is keen to find alternative energy sources such as clean coal, renewable energy, solar, wind or biomass. The country has decided to co-finance alternative energy technology projects with partner countries, including India, under the `Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Energy Development.'

The countries partnering with the US in this alternative global energy drive include Australia, India, China, Japan and South Korea. According to Mark Ginsberg, senior executive board member in the US Department of Energy, "A task force has been constituted representing the six partner countries. Member countries are poised to finalise budgets and commit funds to carry out a round of financing for a string of innovative alternative energy technology projects in these countries."

Significantly, the six-nation thrust will look at issues like development of clean electricty (with minimal emissions), global energy security and cli-mate change. The Asia-Pacific initiative is closely linked to the US Na-tional Energy Policy.
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Centre committed to big investments in power: PM
Bhubaneswar: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, said the central government was committed to urgent reforms and massive investments in the power sector to cope with the increasing demand for power. He dedicated the 3,000-MW Talcher Super Thermal Power Station to the nation.

The power station at Kaniha, the largest power station of the country that is run by National Thermal Power Corporation, has six 500-MW units.

Dr Singh said that the Planning Commission had estimated that the electricity generation capacity would need to go up from the current level of 1.31-lakh MW to more than 8-lakh MW by 2030.

The Centre has started preparations to establish a 4,000-MW capacity power plant in Orissa under the mega-projects programme.

Observing that Orissa continues to be one of the most backward States on many parameters, Dr Singh said the State needed massive investment in human development, infrastructure and rural development.
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Chennai lagging in IT: Maran
Chennai: Chennai is lagging in IT and has to catch up with Bangalore, Gurgaon and Hyderabad in attracting information technology companies and get them to set up base in the city before expanding to other cities in Tamil Nadu, said Dayanidhi Maran, Minister for Communications and Information Technology while inaugurating a one-day seminar on ITES Competitiveness organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) - Tamil Nadu State Council (TNSC),.

He was responding to a suggestion to move IT companies to cities such as Tirunelveli, Karaikudi, Chidambaram, Vellore and Salem due to low costs in setting up and operating.
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Pakistan violating spirit of SAFTA: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi: 'Pakistan is violating the letter and spirit of the SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Area) agreement by maintaining and restricting the trade to the positive list,' said Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jairam Ramesh on the sidelines of a five-day regional workshop organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat on 'Capacity building on gender, trade policy and export promotion for South Asia'.

He said that unlike other signatories to the SAFTA agreement that came into operation in January this year, Pakistan has not allowed for a freer trade with India, which is preventing benefits from flowing both ways.

Participants from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Nepal are participating in the meet that will focus on gender and trade issues.

Ramesh said, 'India would be taking up the issue during the next SAFTA ministerial meeting possibly in October,' the minister said.

However he said that despite the lack of trade progress with Pakistan, India was not for withdrawing from the SAFTA agreement as there were bound to be areas of pain alongside opportunities.
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