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Counsellors should facilitate market consortium for SSIS to compete: Book NEW DELHI, Aug 12: Raking up the issue of survival of the Indian Small Scale Sector in the WTO era of aggressive global competition, a book has .. ....more Delhi BJP to spearhead agitation against Manmohan Government NEW DELHI, Aug 12: The BJP will soon launch an agitation programme to be initiated by its Delhi unit against...more Close vigil at Dhananjoy’s family home KULUDIHI (WB), Aug 12: Police is maintaining tight vigil at the family home of ...more Manned mission possible in 7-8 years: ISRO BANGALORE, Aug 12: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair today indicated that the country may launch a ......more |
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Kuwaiti minister promises re-appraisal of medical degrees THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug 12: Kuwaiti Health Minister Mohammad a Al-Jarallah today promised a re-appraisal of the degrees given by the medical ......more NGO putting Yamuna on the mind map of people NEW DELHI, Aug 12: As the Supreme Court gives yet another direction to infuse life into the Yamuna, an ......more Survey says Bangladeshi immigrants encroach on coastal Orissa KENDRAPADA, ORISSA, Aug 12: Over 2000 acres of forest and revenue land.....more Heavy school bags cause musculoskeletal disorders: Study KOCHI, Aug 12: Three out of four computer professionals in India develop ......more |
Centre not to accept in toto the UP proposal on 350 years of Taj ...... |
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Counsellors should facilitate market consortium for SSIS to compete: Book NEW DELHI, Aug 12: Raking up the issue of survival of the Indian Small Scale Sector in the WTO era of aggressive global competition, a book has called for counselling intervention for upgrading the management and providing the small enterprises with best global practices. "Greater professionalism in management is necessary for survival of Indian Small Enterprises", it says adding an industrial counsellor has to play a critical role to facilitate a paradigm shift among small enterprises to face competition. It says a Counsellor can be a private business development provider or a public business development provider representing a developmental or support institution. The book titled ‘managing India’s small industrial economy : The catalytic role of industrial counsellors and policy makers’, laments the measures resorted to by some small enterprises that push them into a debt trap. The book by V Padmanand and V G Patel says professionalism in management in terms of ideal capital structuring of projects through a proper debt-equity mix is hardly given a thought by the small enterprises in the country that leads to financial problems. "Every cent counts in the cost conscious and increasingly competitive markets," it says adding "some small enterprises are very street smart when it comes to over-invoicing exports for incentives and duty drawbacks and under-invoicing to reduce the burden of customs tariffs in importing countries, or exploiting the advance licence model for duty-free import (and profitably dumping products in the domestic market)". The book says counselling in areas such as marketing consortium will help thwart the possibility of Indian consumers, for instance, taking the Chinese textiles and garments as result of progressive reduction in domestic customs duties warranted by the WTO. The study says forward and backward integration ie into raw material purchase and more direct marketing may be necessary to reduce production costs to international standards and also secure reasonable margins. On the vital role of the industrial counsellors, the book says the case of the auto-component sector in Chennai offers an illustration about the need for synergised efforts between policy makers and counsellors. It says with several global auto majors having established production centers in Tamil Nadu with the policy sops and infrastructural strengths of Chennai, it was expected that the auto-components industry spread across the state would benefit. However, this did not happen due to various disconnects, it says adding while some larger auto-component companies have benefitted, most smaller enterprises remain in the doldrums. Despite major auto-makers setting up shop in the southern state, small auto-component enterprises in the region have largely been bypassed as the the mother units prefer other vendor bases abroad to Tamil Nadu. This is because the domestic auto-component have not developed as an effective subcontraction pocket as the small and medium enterprises have not come together to offer the critical volumes and specifications required. The book blames this aberration to the failure of local industrial counsellors to help the vast majority of domestic ente rprises to exploit the opportunity and calls for a synergistic role of industrial counsellors and policy makers who roped in the auto majors. The book suggests adoption of new technologies, reduction of costs by establishing raw material banks, upgrading management, betterment of quality standards and standarisation of prices to effectively tap the demand of MNCs and large players as ways to enable the small auto-component enterprises to capitalise on the opportunities. In general, the book says, the counsellors can help small firms develop managerial skills and induct efficient systems besides broadening the perspective of an entrepreneur with the changing requirements. The authors, patel, the founder Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad and padmanand a management consultant and formerly a senior faculty of this institute, say sustaining performance and generating growth warrants that day-to-day operational activities do not absorb the greater part of an entrepreneur attention and narrowing the focus. The book says to instill growth motivation in small business, the policy priority should be to eliminate internal barriers to growth and simultaneously create a proper climate to eliminate implicit policy disincentives and ensure a favourable fiscal and monetary policy. It is necessary to upgrade management by means of supporting project/market/systems and get financial counsellors to work alongside small entrepreneurs to enable these enterprises to survive in a reforming Indian economy and increasingly integrate them with the competitive global market, says the book. Stating that the competence, confidence and motivation of these enterprises to keep growing in scale to graduate beyond ssi categorization need to be strengthened, the book says if a policy of disincentive scheme for non-growth and non-graduation is implemented, "it will remove only those barriers that are internal to the psyche of the entrepreneur." It says for instance enterprises could be granted a time frame of a decade or more from inception to enjoy the benefits of small industry categorization to ensure curbing of inefficient fragmentation of units and the phenomenon of horizontal growth in the SSI sector. The book, however, suggests that the tiny sector may be exempted from these penalties for declared or non-declared non-growth from the point of view of social benefit. (PTI) |
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Delhi BJP to spearhead agitation against Manmohan Government NEW DELHI, Aug 12: The BJP will soon launch an agitation programme to be initiated by its Delhi unit against the anti-people policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre, Mr Kalraj Mishra, the newly-appointed incharge of Delhi and Rajasthan units, said here today. The performance of the UPA Government had been far below expectations and the Delhi unit would soon expose this comparing it with the previous NDA Government, he told UNI here. The Delhi unit would take lead in this regard by telling people about the follies of the Central Government. Mr Mishra, who asumed charge of Delhi and Rajsthan units recently, said the workers strength in Delhi was enormous and they were raring to launch an awareness campaign against the Delhi and the Central Government. The agitation programme would be chalked out after the party’s organisational elections were over, he said. He said the organisational elections were underway in Delhi and representation of all sections would be ensured in it. Apart from locals, those who had come to Delhi from other parts of the country and settled here would also be adjusted in the organisation in order to make the unit more effective and strong. The former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Rajya Sabha member said that Rajasthan was a perfect example of right balance between the State Government and the organisation. He was all praise for the performance of the Vasundhra Raje Government in Rajasthan saying it would reap rich dividends in the times to come. Mr Kalraj Mishra, in reply to a question, denied he was feeling sore at having been kept away from his home state of Uttar Pradesh and instead given charge of Rajasthan and Delhi. The present assignment was equally challenging and he would do justice to the leadership’s faith in him, he said. He said the BJP was set for revival in UP under the able leadership of new state president Keshri Nath Tripathi and incharge of UP affairs Kalyan Singh. Both were the experienced leaders and the party workers would be happy to work with them, he said. The senior BJP leader was critical of some of "anti-people decisions" by the UPA Government and said the Manmohan Singh Government had "exposed itself" before the massess. Mr Mishra said that not only was the UPA Govenment trying to vitiate communal harmony in the country but the cut in interest rate of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) had affected the common man the most. Inflation was on the rise and no pro-people schemes had so far been announced by the present Government, he alleged. He said the party would put before the public the comparative performance sheets of NDA Government and the present UPA Government. (UNI) |
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Close vigil at Dhananjoy’s family home KULUDIHI (WB), Aug 12: Police is maintaining tight vigil at the family home of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, scheduled to be hanged on Saturday for rape and murder of a teenage girl 14 years ago following rejection of his appeal before the Supreme Court today. "We are keeping a close vigil at the Chatterjee’s family home with a round the clock police picked at the site", Bankura SP Anil Kumar told PTI. He also said that the district officials are alert to prevent any untoward incident there. The security has been made in view of an earlier threat by the family members to commit mass-suicide if Dhananjoy was sent to the gallows. The family, whose 14-year long legal battle to save Dhananjoy from capital punishment came to end today, has already declared that they would neither witness Saturday’s hanging nor collect the body afterwards. Dhananjoy’s father Bangshidhar, who was yesterday officially informed about the date of the execution of his son by the Bankura district administration told officials about the family’s decision in this regard. "We will not see our son being hanged. We are also not interested in collecting his body," he said. Bankura SP also said that all medical assistance has been offered to the family. "We have even offered hospitalisation as both father and mother of Dhananjoy suffer from various ailments due to old age. But they have refused to take this assistance", he said. To a query that whether the family has been informed about the Apex Court decision today he said that the police has not received any fresh directive from the Government but the family has been informed about the date of hanging earlier. Bangshidar, Dhananjoy’s mother Belarani and wife Poornima have stopped taking food and water since they came to know about the date of the execution on Tuesday, the police said. Dhananjoy had been convicted and sentenced to death for raping and killing 14- year old schoolgirl, Hetal Parekh, at her Bhowanipore residence in the metropolis in 1990. (PTI) |
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Survey says Bangladeshi immigrants encroach on coastal Orissa KENDRAPADA, ORISSA, Aug 12: Over 2000 acres of forest and revenue land in this part of coastal Orissa has been encroached by Bangladeshi immigrants, a latest survey conducted by the district adminstration said. According to official sources 1751 immigrants, including 651 Bangladeshis have unauthorisedly encroached the 1872 acres of revenue land and 227.07 acres of the forest land within the jurisdiction of Bhitarkanika National Park in Mahakalpada and Rajnagar blocks. The district administration has recently conducted a survey after the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) directed the District Collector to furnish a detailed report on land illegally acquired by the foreign nationals and locals in the district. The sources said about 150 Bangladeshis, including the illegal settlers of West Bengal have been unauthorisedly encroaching the forest land within the Bhitarakanika National Park. Out of 1872 acres of revenue land 1201 acres are under the illegal possession of the local immigrants and Bangladeshi infiltrators for several years within Mahakalapada and Pattamundai Tahasils, official sources said. A drive to detect the foreign nationals was launched in 2002 but the joint exercise by police and revenue staff to find out the encroached land by these people had taken a back seat. The influx of Bangladeshi infiltrators to this coastal district, the officials said, was more than the rest of the state. An official survey conducted in 2002 had put the Bangla infiltrators at 1886. Earlier 2,606 Bangla nationals were identified illegally residing in coastal hamlets. Sources said the Kendrapara district administration had suggested to the State Government to deport at least 98 Bangla infiltrators illegally settling in district’s Pattamundai and Rajnagar blocks. The decision to this effect was taken after it was verifiably determined that these were conclusive cases of infiltration from Bangladesh. However, the State Government has dragged its feet over the deportation subject and failed to take up the matter with the Central Government.It had only requested the Central Government last year to start the process of deportation but the deportation is yet to be started. The district administration could manage to recover only 767 acres of revenue land from the possession of illegal settlers in the district. Environmentalists argued that the coastal ecology is at stake in the district due to rampant felling of Mangrove trees which had acted as a natural wall to protect the onslaught of the cyclone, storm and soil erosion. The State Forest Department, sources said is now actively contemplating the to introduction of "identity cards" to flush out settlers who had settled illegally in and around the Bhitarkanika national park area at Mahakalpada and Rajnagar blocks to discourage further exodus of unlawful settlers into the district. A proposal to this effect is pending with the Government after the Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, under the jurisdiction of the famous Bhitarkanika, had suggested infiltration of Bangla nationals into the sanctuary at regular intervals. In a letter to the Government, Rajnagar Mangrove Forest Division while expressing its concern had stated that the real threat to Bhitarkanika’s fragile ecosystem is posed from continuously growing population in the peripheral villages At least 43 new villages have come up illegally within the sanctuary limits during the last five decades by the illegal cutting of Mangroves. The vast expanse of more than 600 square kms sanctuary area has been virtually reduced to only 145 square km of Mangrove cover mainly due to the human intrusion and habitation in the areas, official sources said. (UNI) |
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Heavy school bags cause musculoskeletal disorders: Study KOCHI, Aug 12: Three out of four computer professionals in India develop musculoskeletal disorders after working continously on computers and history of most of these cases are traced to their school days, a study by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics Shows. According to the survey conducted among 3,500 professionals at Bangalore alone, 75 per cent of them reported disorders and the academy was now on a massive drive to collect data from across the country. For most of them, the disorder began from their school days when they had to carry heavy backpacks, according to Dr Deepak Sharan who has been on an intense campaign for the last two years to reduce the load of school bags. Dr Deepak, who is the head of the Department of Paediatric Orthopaedics at Bangalore Children’s Hospital and Research Centre, was in the city to conduct study among the students, parents and others. "If the current trend persists, it will be a rarity to find a pain-free adult when the present generation of school children grows up to enter the work force," he warned. According to a study in 2001, which is the only one available on Indian students, 50 per cent of them were tested positive for chronic pain due to carrying heavy backpacks. "Half of them go through a severe episode of pain at least once before they enter adulthood," he poined. Adolescents with back, neck and shoulder pain were at increased risk of experiencing chronic musculoskeletal pain, he said citing different studies abroad. "All this will have a serious impact on the productivity and thereby the economy of the nation," Dr Deepak said. The academy had launched a national-level drive to collect data on the ill-effects of heavy backpacks and is into a campaign across the country to get the weight of bags reduced, national executive member Dr Sachidananda Kamath said. As per their findings, carrying of backpacks would change the centre of gravity in the body and would affect stability. It causes the body to lean forward and baseline oxygen consumption increases. Tiredness or muscle fatigue, swelling, pain in the head or neck, back or shoulders, muscle spasms or stiffness, numbness, curved or rounded back and altered gait could be some of the results of carrying heavy baggage. The academy had also come out with some suggestions to the schools, parents and the manufacturers of bags in this regard. The cochin chapter had recently made some schools accept their suggestions, including bags with less weight. (UNI) Centre not to accept in toto the UP proposal on 350 years of Taj NEW DELHI, Aug 12: The Centre is not likely to accept in toto the proposal of the Uttar Pradesh Government for the celebration of 350 years of existence of the Taj Mahal, but the tourists the world over will get a chance to catch the glimpse of the world Mughal monument in moonlight as part of the extravaganza for one year. Culture Ministry sources told UNI here today that it would be difficult to give clearance for some of the proposals of UP tourism, though the proposal for keeping open Taj Mahal, one of the worlds wonders constructed by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a symbol of love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, for five nights in a month for moonlit viewing would be cleared. The Supreme Court has also expressed itself in favour of the moonlit viewing proposal, provided fool proof security arrangement is ensured. A team of Central officials from the Culture Ministry, especially experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), led by Joint Secretary K Jayakumar and ASI Superintending Archaeologist Dayalan were in Agra, last week and visited Taj Mahal and other historic sites there in the light of the UP tourism’s proposal to organise variety programmes in the Mughal monuments located in and around agra as part of the celebrations starting September 27, the World Tourism day. The Central team, which also visited the Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikhandra, also held discussions with the UP tourism officials led by Principal Secretary Alok Sinha. The Central team is expected to submit its report to the Government this week and a decision on the UP Government’s proposal is likely to be taken within the next 15 days, sources said. We do not have different opinion about the need for celebrating the 350 years of existence of taj mahal. We will also give permission to some of the proposals of the UP tourism. However, we are yet to decide on what scale the event should be celebrated, sources said. Sources said the ASI would be required to give clearance for the proposal relating to the moonlit viewing of Taj Mahal as the issue involved security threat perceptions. This would be solved by making fool proof security arrangements. The asi had already discussed the issue with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which had been asked to submit a security plan. Another major issue that the ASI was discussing was the number of persons to be allowed inside the Taj at a given point of time during night and steps to avoid any chance of stampede. The Culture Ministry was, however, treading cautiously on some other proposals because of the existence of guildelines issued by the Supreme Court, in the wake of a Public Interest Litigation in the aftermath of the show by celebrated pop singer Yanni against the background of Taj Mahal a few years ago. The Culture Ministry is reportedly not in favour of allowing any programme against the backdrop of Taj, on the banks of the river Yamuna, as the light and the noise there would upset the harmonious existence of the monument of love, besides causing damage to the ever-virgin marble structure. We will have to examine the legal aspects and any permission that the ministry will give will be strictly within the parametres of the Apex Court’s guidelines and the restrictions applicable to world heritage sites of UNESCO, sources said. Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort are not only the protected monuments of the ASI, but also the world heritage sites inscribed by the UNESCO. However, what worries the Culture Ministry is what would happen if other states also follow the example of UP and seek permission to organise similar extravaganza in the historic monuments in their states. Our proposal is to keep Taj Mahal open for five nights a month, on the full moon day and two days preceding and succeeding full moon,’’ UP Tourism Principal Secretary Alok Sinha told UNI at Agra. He said if the monument was kept open on all nights throughout the year, it had to be flood lit for viewing during the days other than full moon days. Since it was a world heritage site, artificial lighting was not permitted because of the apprehension that the light rays would damage the monument and the lighting would attract some variety of insects which would lay eggs leading to irreparable damage on the marble edifice. Tourists were not allowed to visit the Taj Mahal during nights since 1984 in the wake of security threat perception following the "operation Blue Star" in Punjab, he said, adding that the number of tourists visiting the site during day time had been on the increase. "Seeing Taj Mahal in moonlight is an altogether different experience because of the light and shadow effect on the marble of the monument," Mr Sinha said, and hoped that there would be heavy flow of domestic and foreign tourists to catch such a rare glimpse. "The step will certainly increase the flow of tourists to Uttar Pradesh which recorded a 12 per cent increase in inbound tourists during the past one year. The moonlit Taj will provide an opportunity to relive the glorious Mughal period." As part of the celebration, the UP tourism also proposes to organise cultural programmes behind Taj Mahal on the banks of the river Yamuna on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the celebration. The backside of the Taj would be the venue for music concerts by such popular singers as A R Rahman and Lata Mangeshkar. The Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas in Agra Fort are proposed as venues for plays based on themes revolving Agra and dance respectively. The Akbar tomb at Sikhandra is proposed as the venue for Sufi music and Quawali. A variety of programmes are planned for Fatehpur Sikri, Shilp Gram and Mehta Bag. (UNI) IFJ chairman Untoo arrested in Srinagar SRINAGAR, Aug 12: Police today arrested the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Human Rights Forum (HRF) Mohammad Ahsan Untoo at historic Lal Chowk for violating prohibitory orders. In a unique protest against the alleged Human Rights HR) violations by the security forces in Kashmir, Mr Untoo, alongwith his supporters, appeared at Lal Chowk, nerve centre of the summer capital, in a wooden cage with his hands, neck and legs tied with chains. The police personnel present in the area immediately took him into custody. He was later lodged in police station Maisuma. Earlier, Mr Untoo, who was recently elected chairman of the International Forum for Justice (IFJ), an organisation working in 14 countries across the globe, told reporters that he used a non violent method to draw the attention of the world organisation towards the HR violations by security forces in the Kashmir valley. He alleged that when people in entire country were celebrating Independence Day (ID) on August 15, people in the Kashmir valley were being put to harrassment by the security forces in the name of security measures. He alleged that security forces are conducting house-to-house search operations and parading male members before the cats informers in most localities around the Bakshi stadium, venue for the main Independence Day function, for the past one week. Elders are being humiliated during the frisking, he alleged. Mr Untoo alleged that a number of youths were detained on the eve of ID. He said the released militants were also being asked to report to nearby police stations or security force camp everyday. He alleged that there was no change in the HR situation after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)- Congress Government assumes power in the state. People are being arrested, tortured and killed in fake encounters, he said. (UNI) First phase of EDUSAT project on Sept 15 MYSORE, Aug 12: The much-acclaimed EDUSAT, an exclusive satellite for educational purposes, will open a new chapter in imparting education in the country on September 15, when the first phase of the project would be implemented in Karnataka. The project would offer four courses — strength of material, digital single processing, mathematics and operating system, Prof G L Shekar, who has authored ‘EDUSAT-Indian Satellite in Education,’ the first comprehensive compendium on the subject, told UNI. The project, which entailed space-based connectivity through EDUSAT, was targetted at schools, colleges and institutes involved in higher education. The scope of EDUSAT would be realised in three phases, with the first phase to be implemented as a pilot project in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh using Insat 3A. Prof Shekar said the second phase of the project, also known as the semi-operational phase, would facilitate the use of new technology and the network would expand to cover two more states and a national institution. In the third phase, the entire country would be covered by enlarging the network and making it operational, he added. The concept would provide a level playing field for students and bridge the gap in the availability of quality teaching resources, besides encouraging the faculty to play a proactive role in content development, he said. A proffssor at National Institute of Engineering (NIE) here, Prof Shekar, who is spearheading satellite and web-based education in Karnataka, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which had envisaged the development of a nationwide education network, would provide sustainable distance education in India using GSAT-3. Prof Shekar, also the special officer at the e-learning centre of the Visveshwarya Technological University (VTU), said the compendium provided an overview of the concept in easy-to-comprehend language with diagrams and sketches to reinforce understanding. Listing out the advantages of satellite-based distance education, he said simultaneous delivery of a lecture to a large number of geographically dispersed people in the shortest time, uniformity of the lecture content, access to subject experts and their lecture material and repeatability of lectures from the archives were some of the benefits of the project. Dearth of trained teachers in evolving technologies such as digital single processing, embedded technologies and multi-media computing would be obviated by beaming lectures of subject experts, he opined. The VTU was one of the major beneficiaries of the project in Karnataka, Prof Shekar said, pointing out that ISRO, VTU, the Karnataka remote sensing application Centre and over 100 engineering colleges in the state had come together for it. He exuded confidence that the concept was poised for widespread acceptance among both the students and the faculty members. In the proposed VTU-EDUSAT project, the network infrastructure would be used for delivery of live video-based lecture sessons. ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair, who had penned the foreword for the compendium, pointed out that the real success of Edusat would depend on the end users and hence it was necessary that they realised the capabilities of the system. VTU Vice-Chancellor K Balaveera Reddy noted that Edusat would supplement the present teaching system all over the nation. (UNI) |
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