NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Power Ministry today proposed a cess on generation to be used for power sector.......more

Indian software export
growing handsomely

NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Indian software exports grew at a handsome pace of 65.5 per cent in rupee terms and 47.5 per cent.....more

Pak policy flayed for
linking trade with Kashmir

ISLAMABAD, Nov 6: Former Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali has opposed the Nawaz Sharif...more

Vajpayee said Government would revitalise the consortium for small farmers and agro businesses and make it a top notch co-ordination body at the Centre and States for promoting public and private investments in Agro-based industries.

Inaugurating the "Agro Advantage Maharashtra" conference at the renovated Shanmukhananda hall here, Vajpayee said the Government has taken steps to make the consortium, formed nearly six years ago, function as a high level coordination body both at the Centre and State level.

He said the futures market in agricultural produce would be strengthened further by including more commodities. The forwards market commission would soon have regional offices and more commodities like cotton, oilseeds and edible oil would come under its purview immediately, Vajpaye said.

The Prime Minister said a national rural cooperative policy would soon be unveiled and one of the primary aims would be to simplify rules and regulations governing farm co-operatives.

"As a first step we shall soon enact the long pending Multi-State Cooperative Act", he said.

Vajpayee said Information Technology (IT) would be promoted in a big way in agriculture sector and Agro-based industries.

In line with the recommendations of the it task force, the Government has decided to promote it in this sector to boost productivity and efficiency in production and marketing, he said.

The Prime Minister said in view of the importance of the sector, the Government would constitute a high level task force on food and Agro industries management, headed by Agriculture Minister Som Pal. (PTI)

The four bidders hail from Germany, Britain, Spain and Finland, Mr R D Kakkar, PGCIL Executive Director, (contracts) told here.

However, he refused to disclose their names.

PGCIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director R P Singh said out of these four bidders, one consultant would be appointed by January next.

Mr Singh ruled out entering into a joint venture while foraying into the telecom.

He said PGCIL would enter the new business in a phased manner. In the first phase, terms of reference for the consultant would include cost-benefit analysis of PGCIL’s entry into the telecom and scope of the new business. The consultant would be given four month time to submit its report in this phase after which the public sector Mini-Ratna would approach the Government with its proposal.

The terms of reference in the second phase include preparation for bid documents, contacting the final customers and framing of strategies for execution of the job.

In the final phase, the job would be executed. The whole process would be completed by 2001, Mr R P Singh said.

The 200 to 300 million dollar project would be financed upto 60 per cent by the World Bank. The World Bank has evinced interest in the project, he said.

Powergrid’s existing infrastructure of transmission lines provide an excellent opportunity to establish a backbone national information infrastructure providing long distance telecommunication services. This diversification is in line with the leading worldwide power utilities like NGC of Britain and IVO of Finland, the PGCIL CMD said.

Besides, it is also exploring the various options regarding operating the network. "We are studying four different models—either we lease our dark fibre or we lease the band capacity. We can also go in for mixed business of band width leasing and full business in certain areas or go in for total business", Mr Singh added.

As part of its diversification programme, PGCIL intends to instal a hybrid system of optical fibre cable and high-capacity microwave along with enormous transmission grid and leasing out the network to telephone companies. This proposal has already been approved by the Government.

The proposal is to lease its facilities to the Department of Telecommunication, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, private telecom operators offering basic and cellular services and cable television networks. The proposed plan would slash cost of setting up telephone lines. (UNI)

Speaking at the Lahore High Court Bar Association recently, Mr Ali said trade with India will have no impact on the Kashmir question. He recalled that Pakistan had trade with the Soviet Union during the 1980s when it was fighting in Afghanistan.

Mr Ali warned Pakistan of the possibility of India seeking to isolate it if it refused to meet its obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Pakistan has been persistent in its refusal to give India the most favoured nation status, as required by the WTO, mainly because of its Kashmir policy.

Pakistan had stopped private trade with India in July 1978 (under military ruler Gen Zia-ul-Haq) under pressure from fundamentalists and the business community. While subsequent Governments hesitated to lift this ban, smuggled Indian goods flooded the markets in Lahore and Karachi.

In his address, Mr Ali also suggested that Punjab should be divided into three provinces—Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan. That, according to him, was the only way to save Pakistan. The Sharif Government, he said, has created an intense hatred for Punjab among smaller provinces. (UNI)

Power Ministry targets 80,000 MW capacity
generation by 2008

NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Power Ministry today proposed a cess on generation to be used for power sector development as part of its blueprint that targets capacity addition of 80,000 MW over the next 12 years besides creation of a transmission and distribution network.

We will give power on demand by the year 2010 and put in place a national grid to improve supply, Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam told a news conference here.

A bill for cess would be introduced in the winter session of Parliament and it could be operational by the next budget session, he said adding two third of the money collected would be diverted to states for improving thermal power generation.

The remaining one third would be kept aside for development of hydel sector, he said but declined to give details of the quantum of cess.

He clarified that the earlier proposal of imposing a cess on consumer for hydel power development was MW changed into a levy on generation as Government desired to provide cheapest possible power for which tariff structure was also being nationalised.

Making a presentation, Power vision India-2010, he said the immediate strategy of his Ministry is to remove procedural bottlenecks, speed up completion schedule of ongoing projects and start work on projects cleared by Central Electricity Authority (CEA). Talking about the mega power projects, Kumaramangalam said, in the public sector National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) would be setting up projects of about 7000 MW based on coal and 5200 MW on gas.

National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) will establish five projects with a capacity addition of about 3100 MW, while the private sector would add 4500 MW using the domestic and imported coal, he said.

Incentive as import of capital equipment free of customs duty for these projects and 15 per cent price preference and deemed export benefit for domestic bidders would be provided, he said.

The Minister said, the mega projects would also avail the benefits of income tax exemption, sales tax and local levies exemptions on supplies made to these projects.

The Power Trading Corporation (PTC) would purchase power from these projects to reduce risks of private power producers he said adding "all these measures would substantially reduce tariff of generating companies and give the much needed relie to the State Electricity Boards (SEBs)."

"The PTC would be established with majority equity participation by powergrid, alongwith NTPC, Power Finance Corporation and other financial institutions," he said. (PTI)

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