Daily Excelsior...Business

Aero, ship modelling
gaining popularity

MUMBAI, May 24: When his dream of becoming a commercial pilot never took off due to the sheer cost .......more

Gold falls on lack
of support

NEW DELHI, May 24: Gold prices fell on the bullion market today on lack....more

China could face
‘dust bowl’ migration—Economist

WASHINGTON, May 24: Just as American farmers were driven from their homes.......more

HP sets up liaison office to
set up industrial concerns

SHIMLA, May 24: The Himachal Pradesh Government has set up a liaison office in New Delhi....more

Infrastructure industries
grow 7.8 pc in April 2001

NEW DELHI, May 24: The cement sector pulled the growth rate of six key infrastructure industries up marginally to 7.8 per cent in April 2001 as against 7.6 per cent growth rate recorded in the same month last year........more

Centre agrees to sanction
addl wheat to Rajasthan

JAIPUR, May 24: The Centre has agreed to sanction an additional three lakh tonnes of wheat to Rajasthan to enable it to continue the food for work scheme in the drought-affected parts of the state.....more

Revenue collection
shows highest-ever
increase in Haryana

CHANDIGARH, May 24: The collection of revenue under sales tax, allied taxes and excise during .....more

Aero, ship modelling gaining popularity

MUMBAI, May 24: When his dream of becoming a commercial pilot never took off due to the sheer cost involved, 24-year-old Rakesh took to crafting models of the flying beauties.

He got hooked to aero-modelling and now designs airplanes. Rakesh and many others of his ilk have taken up this hobby in all earnest.

"It is an interesting hobby and many people are taking up aero and ship-modelling as their pastime" points out C R J Pinto, Secretary of the National Society of Model Aeronautical Maritime and Automobile Engineers.

Mr Pinto, who has been running courses on aero and ship-modelling for the last two decades told UNI here that "one can design a model for as less as Rs 200 or as high as a few lakhs."

He says that designing an aero model and flying it gives pleasure and satisfaction. "I started at a very young age and my students are now pilots. This is the real engineering marvel that the country needs today," he remarks.

Manuel gomes took to ship-modelling as a hobby and has since advanced to designing models of Indian warships.

"I am really thrilled to see my models sailing," says gomes, who had made ship models ranging from sail boats to the most advanced ships.

Girija Singh, who works at the front desk of India’s Hobby Centre (P) Ltd says that of late, more and more students are coming to the shop, the only one of its kind in this island city, to purchase model kits. The cost of these kits vary from Rs 200 to Rs two lakh.

"It depends on your budget - the bigger and more complex the ship or aeroplane is, the price goes up," he adds.

A visit to the Mahalaxmi race course on Sunday mornings, Singh says, will reveal the growing interest in aero-modelling. "Sales of the models and kits go up during summer vacations," he notes. Singh says ship modelling evokes the same kind of interest. While experienced modellers purchase kits for cruisers and warships, amateurs too are turning up in large numbers, he says.

Mr Pinto says young kids are also taking up aero and ship modelling as hobbies, with those in the age group of seven to ten years showing keen interest, he adds.

Beautiful working and static models of ships can be seen at the prince of wales museum, adjacent to the municipal zoo at the Jijamata Udyan, western naval command, Mumbai Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and the Mazagaon Dock Ltd.

"These are unique models and the precision involved in designing and constructing these models is immense," he says.

Aero-modelling is considered as a "new hobby", while ship modelling has been going on for ages.

On ship modelling, he says, "it is a scientific hobby which does not cost much. Unlike aero-modelling, where the risk of damage is more, models of ships seem to last forever, especially when care has been taken to make them watertight."

"In fact, a model built by a father can be sailed much later by his son - such is the durability of the ship models," Mr Pinto points out.

What is needed is the inclination to use one’s hands, he says. A ship modeller is a bit of a cabinet maker, marine engineer, electrician and a mechanic - all rolled into one. This are the skills needed to pursue this hobby, he adds.

While aero-modelling needs similar skills, the risks involved are more. "One had to take risks," Pinto says, adding, "you have to start with scratch and if the remote-controlled aeroplane crashes, you are back to square one."

"But the models can be repaired. Once you succeed, you feel on top of the world," he says.

To popularise these hobbies, regular competitions are held nowadays. The National Cadet Corps (NCC) trains its cadets in making models of ships and aircraft. Students are engaged in erecting working models of fighter aircraft.

Even at the international level, there are competitions, both for working and static models. (UNI)

Gold falls on lack of support

NEW DELHI, May 24: Gold prices fell on the bullion market today on lack of buying support in view of steady inflow of fresh stocks and closed with losses.

A similar trend in other Asian markets also influenced the trading sentiment.

Silver, on he other hand, moved up on local industrial units buying and registered small gains.

Yellow metal was weak in oveRseas markets and surrendered small ground at 283 usd an ounce against the previous level of 284.40.

Standard gold and ornaments lost Rs.15 each at Rs.4610 and Rs.4460 per ten gram respectively. Sovereign held unchanged level of Rs.3875 per piece of eight gram.

Silver, however, gained Rs.10 a Rs.7490 per kilo and weekly delivery by a same margin a Rs.7500 per kilo. Silver coins were continued to be asked a previous level of Rs.11,000/11,200 per 100 pieces.

Following were today’s quotations: Silver ready 7490 and delivery 7500. Silver coins buyer 11,000 and seller 11,200 standard gold 4610, ornaments 4450 and sovereign 3875. (PTI)

China could face ‘dust bowl’ migration—Economist

WASHINGTON, May 24: Just as American farmers were driven from their homes by the dust bowl of the 1930s, the drying up of parts of China could spark a mass migration that could have far-reaching effects for its society and economy, a prominent agricultural economist said.

Desertification could also affect food production in China, said Lester Brown, Chairman of the Environmental Watchdog World Watch Institute and founder of the New Earth Policy Institute.

In the United States in the 1930s, hundreds of thousands of people fled to California from the southwestern great plains after years of sustained drought and poor farming techniques parched the land and sent up great storms of dust and sand.

The dust bowl phenomenon, depicted by John Steinbeck in "the grapes of wrath," was devastating for an american people also hit hard by the great depression.

"What the Chinese are now faced with is the prospect of massive eastward migration ... Into the large cities. And that would create even more problems," said Brown, whose 1994 report "who will feed China?" caused a furor in Beijing.

Desertification has already forced China to abandon some of the cropland in the northwest, he said yesterday. Although the northwest is not a key growing region, losing the land will affect the food supply in combination with policies such as giving cities and industries priority in water.

"When you put all these things together, we’re looking at a situation where the rising grain imports into China would be very substantial," he said.

Policies such as giving lower priority to farm irrigation in the yellow river basin indicate that China’s leaders have "more or less" already reconciled themselves to not being able to maintain self-sufficiency in their food supply, he said.

"My guess is — and I think they’ve pretty much recognized this and decided this — that they’re going to be importing quite a bit of food in the future," he said.

China, with 1.3 billion people, is the world’s most populous nation. The main reasons for desertification are a huge growth in grazing livestock, overplowing to compensate for loss of cropland on the increasingly urban coasts, deforestation and overpumping.

Brown is no stranger to China. "Who will feed China?" rattled Beijing leaders with its dire prediction that China’s rising demand for food, as population and incomes grew, would cause a worldwide grain shortage.

China has always been keenly conscious of its vulnerability to food embargoes, and brown’s theory touched a raw nerve.

"I’m probably better known in China than I am in the United States," he said. "Someone who was visiting some time ago said, ‘You know, all the taxi drivers in Beijing know your name."’

Brown predicted in 1998 that China was facing a water crisis that could wrench its economy.

Chinese officials now say that without prompt action, China’s total water demand will outstrip usable resources by 1.12 trillion cubic feet (31.8 billion cubic metres) by 2010.

Rivers and streams have been turned to dust, wells and springs have dried up and entire lakes have disappeared.

Desertification is not just China’s problem. Dust storms that move eastward across China, the Koreas and Japan this year moved all the way across the pacific to north America in what brown called another proof of desertification.

There were eight to 12 dust storms from february to May this year, two of which were "extremely" large, according to the national center for atmospheric research which studied the storms in a project involving 130 scientists from 12 countries.

The Canadian Meteorological Center in April tracked a swirling dust cloud in western Canada that had come from China and at one point stretched for 1,250 miles (2,000 km), raising concerns it could be a danger to aircraft. (REUTERS)

HP sets up liaison office to set up industrial concerns

SHIMLA, May 24: The Himachal Pradesh Government has set up a liaison office in New Delhi to facilitate the setting up of industrial concerns in the state by those who were forced to close down their polluting units in the national capital following Supreme Court directions.

Such units would be allowed to be set up in the state only if these installed pollution control equipment, State Industry Minister Kishori Lal said here yesterday.

An officer in the local Directorate of Industries would be acting as a nodal officer at the liaison office, where all information regarding the setting up of industries in the state would be provided, Mr Lal informed.

He said more than 300 prospective entrepreneurs visited the office for information regarding the setting up of industries in himachal pradesh even as about 50 industrialists had already come forward to set up units in the state.

The minister said provisional registration would be granted to units on the spot, in addition to acceptance of applications for allotment of industrial plots, at the liaison office. (UNI)

Infrastructure industries grow 7.8 pc in April 2001

While the cement sector grew by 3.6 per cent in April 2001 as compared to a 0.5 per cent growth a year ago, the petroleum refinery sector saw a reversal of fortune recording a negative 1.4 per cent growth in the reference month as against a healthy 32.8 per cent growth in the same period in 2000-01, according to the official estimates released here today.

The growth rate in coal slipped to 0.9 per cent in April 2001 from 15.8 per cent last year while electricity generation grew 1.2 per cent during the month. Last year, electricity generation grew three per cent.

Finished steel notched 0.6 per cent growth compared to 15.7 per cent growth in April 2000.

The overall index of the six infrastructure industries in April 2001 increased to 154.9 from 153.7 in the same month last year thereby registering a growth of 1.1 per cent.

Revamping of Mumbai High oil fields and evacuation problems in Krishan Godavari basis saw crude oil production remain almost unchanged at 2.55 million tonnes in April, 2001.

While on the other hand petroleum refinery production fell 1.4 per cent to 7.36 million tonnes in April, 2001, as against 7.47 million tonnes produced in the same month last year.

The shortfall in refinery production was mainly due to less and delayed supply of crude in some refineries, idling of crude distillation in some of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) units and maintenance and emergency shut down in some of the units.

While coal production rose marginally to 23.6 million tonnes in reference month over 23.4 million tonnes of April, 2000, cement production was robust at 8.9 million tonnes in April, 2001, as against 8.59 million tonnes cement produced in the corresponding period the previous year.

In power sector, hydro power generation slipped by 30.62 per cent to 4416 million kilo watt hour (kwh) in April, 2001, from 6365 million kwh last year. Thermal power generation however increased 5.8 per cent to 35214 million kwh from 33275 million kwh in April, 2000.

Nuclear power generation also increased by 47.69 per cent to 1573 million kwh in April, 2001, as compared to 1065 million kwh in the same month last year. (PTI)

Centre agrees to sanction addl wheat to Rajasthan

Rajasthan Relief Secretary Ramlubhaya told newspersons here that this time also the State Government would not have to bear any cost.

The State Government has so far received 3.18 lakh tonnes of wheat. Last month, it got two lakh tonnes, that would enable it to carry out the food for work scheme till June 15. With the release of the new quota, the scheme would last till the July-end.

Mr Ramlubhaya said he recently met officials of the Union Ministries of Food and Supplies and Rural Development and they had agreed to sort out the issue relating to payment procedure for procurment of foodgrains. The Union Rural Development Ministry would now directly make payment to the Food and Supplies Ministry.

Earlier, the Union Rural Development Ministry used to give funds to district rural development agencies, which in turn hand them over to the respective centres of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for supply of foodgrains. Unless FCI centres receive the money, the foodgrain quota is not released, causing delay in the procurement process.

According to the Relief Secretary, the Centre has also agreed that the food for work scheme need not be linked to the employment assurance scheme. The State Government could distribute foodgrains wherever relief works are in progress.

He added that 52,000 tonnes of wheat have been lifted out of two lakh tonnes, received by the state last month. Of the total amount of wheat the state got so far, one lakh tonnes have been distributed as well. He claimed that the distribution in Rajasthan is much higher compared to other states, including Orissa and Gujarat.

He said up to 20 lakh workers would get employment per day in the relief works from next month. In the previous drought of 1987-88, 19 lakh workers got such employment on daily basis. (UNI)

Revenue collection shows highest-ever
increase in Haryana

CHANDIGARH, May 24: The collection of revenue under sales tax, allied taxes and excise during the last financial year by the Haryana Excise and Taxation Department has crossed Rs 3800 crore as against Rs 3077 crore during 1999-2000, showing the highest-ever increase in a single year.

A spokesman of the department said here today that the sales-tax receipts went up from Rs 1977 crore to Rs 2576 crore which was an increase of 30 per cent.

The department was poised to achieve the target of Rs 4500 crore during the current financial year, he said adding that during April this year, sales-tax revenue in the state registered an increase of 34 per cent over the previous year.

The spokesman said the department would introduce ‘deemed assessment scheme’, whereby returns filed by dealers having a turnover upto Rs five crore would be accepted by the department without asking any production of accounts or documents and appearance of the dealers.

He said that Haryana was the only state where octroi posts had been abolished and there were no sales tax check barriers resulting in free movement of trade in the region.

He said that a major concession announced by the State Government was the reduction in the rate of purchase tax from five to four per cent thus benefiting a large number of industrial units in the state. (PTI)