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Rs 6.25 crores for NELLORE (ANDHRA PRADESH), Mar 20: Union Agriculture Minister Shantakumar has promised to release a sum of.....more CVC seeks tough action against MMTC chief NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Amidst the Tehalaka tapes highlighting corruption in high places, the Government today announced that the Central Vigilance ..more Mizoram CM presents tax-free budget AIZAWL, Mar 20: Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga presented a tax-free deficit budget for the third consecutive year before ....more Pak likely to sign defence deals with Gulf countries ABU DHABI, Mar 20: With its domineering status as the only nuclear power in the Islamic world, Pakistan is expecting to sign some major defence ....more |
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Nagaland suspends all KOHIMA, Mar 20: The Nagaland Government has temporarily suspended all Government payments for one week......more No
proposal to revise NEW DELHI, Mar 20: There is no proposal to revise prices of decontrolled phosphatic and potassic fertiliser......more First
trade fair of DEHRA DUN, Mar 20: Traders of the hill state of Uttaranchal will get an opportunity to establish business contacts with Delhi’s......more UAE
extends ban on DUBAI, Mar 20: The United Arab Emirates has extended its ban on the import of livestock to six more countries in an effort to prevent the spread of ...more |
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6.25 crores for carrying out expansion NELLORE (ANDHRA PRADESH), Mar 20: Union Agriculture Minister Shantakumar has promised to release a sum of Rs 6.25 crores for carrying out the expansion programme at the Cooperative Sugar Factory at Kovur in Nellore district. Ms U Rajeswarama, MP, and Mr Samanthu Subbareddy, Chairman of the Sugar Factory, told newsmen here today that they had met the Union Minister along with TDP Parliamentary Party leader Yerran Naidu and requested him to sanction a liberal grant for the expansion programme. "The minister assured us that Rs 6.25 crores will be provided for the purpose", they added. (UNI) |
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CVC seeks tough action against MMTC chief NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Amidst the Tehalaka tapes highlighting corruption in high places, the Government today announced that the Central Vigilance Commissioner has recommended major penalty proceedings against Chairman and Managing Director of the MMTC Ltd S D Kapoor. Acting on the CVC advice, the Government has since taken a decision to refer the case relating to MMTC Director P N Sharma to the Central Bureau of Investigation. However, the advice of CVC in the case against Mr Kapoor is under consideration of the Government. "In the case of Mr P N Sharma, Director, MMTC, the Government has since taken a decision to refer the case to CBI, as advised by CVC. The advice of CVC in the case of Mr S D Kapoor, CMD MMTC is under consideration", Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Pmar Abdullah said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. He did not give details. (UNI) |
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Mizoram CM presents tax-free budget AIZAWL, Mar 20: Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga presented a tax-free deficit budget for the third consecutive year before the State Legislative Assembly today. Mr Zoramthanga promised to mop up more revenue during the next fiscal keeping the ‘avoidable’ expenditure under check. However, no fresh taxes were announced by the Chief Minister. "It will be the endeavour of the Taxation Department to collect more revenue in 2001-2," he said adding that the department managed to mop up Rs 908.77 lakh as revenue against the target of Rs 685 lakh. Mr Zoramthanga also sought supplementary demands for grant of Rs 419.09 crore for April, 2001, out of which Rs 92.87 crore was by way of adjustment of the existing budget provision not additive. The budget estimates for 2001-2 envisaged a closing deficit of Rs 148.59 crore, which was slightly higher than last year’s revised budget estimate of Rs 146.99 crore. However, the last fiscal commenced with a deficit of Rs 44.99 crore against the estimated deficit of Rs 245.37 crore. The notable improvement in the opening deficit, according to Zoramthanga, was due to grant of ‘peace bonus’ by the centre and improvement in the management of state finances. Mr Zoramthanga regretted that "due to various increase in Government expenditure, specially in non-plan sector without corresponding increase in income, it was not possible to maintain the same level of opening deficit for the closing of the present fiscal." The Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said since the resource base of the state was poor at the moment, reduction of avoidable expenditure and tapping of the available resources were the few options left with the Government to improve the financial position. He said while the user charges such as water, electricity, house rent in Government accommodation, bus fares, vehicle allotment fee from Government employees had been revised, vehicle parking fees from some identified areas in the city would be charged shortly. Mizoram had already initiated schemes for privatisation of Government vehicles, voluntary retirement for drivers and medical insurance for Government employees. The Chief Minister concluded his budget estimates presentation by claiming that self-sufficiency in food production, acceleration of developmental activities and creating gainful employment remained the top priorities of his Government. (UNI) |
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Pak likely to sign defence deals with Gulf countries ABU DHABI, Mar 20: With its domineering status as the only nuclear power in the Islamic world, Pakistan is expecting to sign some major defence deals with Gulf countries at the ongoing international defence exhibition here. It is Pakistan’s largest participation in any defence exhibition in the world with twelve of its major armaments companies, including the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO), taking part and attracting overwhelming crowds. Pakistan has sent its type 21 ship, a destroyer and an agosta submarine for the five-day exhibition, which is the biggest arms show in the Middle East. Some 800 exhibitors from 42 countries, including the US, Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands are taking part in the fifth International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) barring India which is not participating this time. Pakistan Ordance Factory Chairman Lt Gen Abdul Aqyyum said Pakistan was interested in deals like the one it had with Saudi Arabia to offer the technical know-how in the ordnance sector. He said his company was proud of the expertise it had possessed, keeping in view the fact that even the us was going in for Pakistan ordnance guns. Pakistan ordnance has already been enjoying good business relations with some Gulf countries, to whom it has been exporting small arms and uniforms for the last eight years. "It may be the high quality and low price of our products that have found favour with these countries and this can be developed into better business ties," Lt Gen Qayyum told a local daily. He said he was also having discussions with the UAE Interior Ministry for a possible export of arms or defence-related items or transfer of technology. He said Pakistan’s conventional weapons had found markets in 30 Asian and western countries and the total volume of Pakistani exports in this sector had reached 30 million dollars. Lt Gen Qayyum said Pakistan ordnance factory has under its fold eight industrial units and four mega plants which are involved in the production of items ranging from clothing to weapons for the Pakistani Army. Meanwhile, Russian officials said they were trying to expand their country’s share of the lucrative Middle East arms market, dominated by western defence sales. Russian Deputy Defence Minister Mikhail Dmitriev said his country was ready to supply all types of weapons to the countries of the region even as he stressed Moscow’s commitment to international peace and security. He said the creation of a new arms sale body in Russia, the state-controlled Rosoboron export, would facilitate weapons sales to the region and other countries. Mr Dmitriev said Russia considered the Middle East as a very important region for its defence systems. "We are displaying some advanced weapons at this exhibition and have already held a lot of meetings and discussions with visitors from the region about our products". Germany, meanwhile, was negotiating with the UAE for the sale of armoured vehicles capable of detecting nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, German Deputy Defence Minister Walter Kolbow said. "The negotiations are in progress with the uae to provide it with NBC vehicles and we expect an outcome from these negotiations,", he said. Delegates from leading international academic and security institutions yesterday took part in the gulf defence conference, being held alongside the exhibition, and underlined the need for stability in the region as a prerequisite for a more stable world order. (UNI) |
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Nagaland suspends all Govt payments for one week KOHIMA, Mar 20: The Nagaland Government has temporarily suspended all Government payments for one week to avoid early embargo from the Reserve Bank of India before the end of the current financial year and enable timely payment of salaries in the first week of April. State Finance Commissioner Lalthara said all Government payments, including salaries, wages and pensions, except payments of loans and interests sanctioned by the Finance Department and payment of power purchase bills to outside agencies, had been temporarily suspended for a week from yesterday. He said the payments would be resumed from March 26. March 28 and 31 have been declared ‘treasury transaction day’. Mr Lalthara directed all Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners to ensure that this suspension order be brought to the notice of all treasury and sub-treasury officers and Branch Managers of State Bank of India for compliance. (UNI) |
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No proposal to revise prices of decontrolled phosphatic NEW DELHI, Mar 20: There is no proposal to revise prices of decontrolled phosphatic and potassic fertiliser, Minister of State for Fertiliser S B Mookherjee told the Lok Sabha today. Under the concession scheme for decontrolled fertilisers, the actual subsidy, which is the difference between the cost of production or imports and the maximum retail prices, depended on prices of raw material and fluctuation in foreign exchange rate. The Government will provide Rs 5414 crores susbisdy for the fertilisers during the next financial year. In reply to another question, he said that expenditure reforms committee had recommended seven per cent increase in the prices of urea in real terms each year from April 2001. This way, the open market price will reach rs 6903 by April 2006,a level at which the Government can be freed from all controls. (UNI) |
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First trade fair of Uttaranchal from April 28 DEHRA DUN, Mar 20: Traders of the hill state of Uttaranchal will get an opportunity to establish business contacts with Delhi’s traders at the ten-day mega trade fair to be held in the Doon Valley from April 28. The fair will be organised jointly by the Governments of Uttaranchal and Delhi Uttaranchal Industry Minister Kedar Singh Fonia said here yesterday. He said that the directorate of industries, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation (DSIDC) will be the nodal agencies for organising the trade fair. Addressing mediapersons, Mr. Fonia said a team of officials from the DSIDC was currently in Doon to finalise the arrangements for the fair. A number of cultural events, seminars and workshops related to industry and tourism would be organised during the fair, he added. The Indian Industry Association of Uttaranchal would help the Government to put up the fair, Mr Fonia said. (UNI) |
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UAE extends ban on import of livestock DUBAI, Mar 20: The United Arab Emirates has extended its ban on the import of livestock to six more countries in an effort to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Saeed Al-Ragabani said in a decree, carried by the official WAM news agency late yesterday, that the ban now includes livestock imports from Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mongolia, China and South Africa. The Gulf Arab state, which along with Saudi Arabia are the only two states in the region to report foot-and-mouth cases, has already banned livestock imports from Britain, other european countries and several Arab and African states. The UAE’s Gulf News newspaper reported on Sunday that health authorities had destroyed 151 infected animals in an effort to contain the spread of the disease. Officials last week reported eight cases and have not confirmed media reports on the rising number of infected livestock. A farm in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf region’s biggest importer of cattle, has reported 420 cases of foot-and-mouth disease, the local Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported yesterday. Saudi Agriculture Minister Abdullah Bin Muammar said on Sunday that 10 cases had been found in the areas of Riyadh, Medina and the eastern province. The oil-rich kingdom reported two cases of foot-and-mouth disease earlier in the week. Muammar has said the kingdom was taking all possible measures to prevent the spread of the disease and was vaccinating livestock that could be infected. Foot-and-mouth disease is not harmful to humans but can cause severe weight loss in livestock. Britain is experiencing a major outbreak and France reported its first case last week. A UAE official had told Reuters that Gulf Arab states had launched measures to prevent the spread of the disease. All imported livestock would be inspected and disinfected at all ports, and imports now required prior approval, he said. The Gulf Arab states import most of their meat and livestock. Oman and Kuwait have said they have no foot-and-mouth cases. (REUTERS) |
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