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Economic Highlights
NEW SSA FUNDING PATTERN HITS STATES,1 June 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 1 June 2007
NEW SSA FUNDING
PATTERN HITS STATES
NEW DELHI, June 2 (INFA): The new funding
pattern which the Planning Commission
has worked out for funding education under the Centre’s Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
(SSA) is unlikely to serve the purpose for which the project was intended.
The new pattern of sharing the SSA expenditure on 50-50
basis, against the initial provision of 75-25 (75 per cent by the Centre and 25
per cent by the State) is unacceptable by most of the States in view of the
acute funds crunch they are presently facing.
Some of the States have written to the Union Human Resources
Minister, Arjun Singh, about their inability to adequately implement the SSA.
Arjun Singh, on his part, has taken up the issue
with the Planning Commission,
reportedly the recommending continuation of the original 50-50 pattern.
The Rajasthan Government, for example, had approached the
HRD Ministry for an annual SSA work plan of Rs.2,000 crore which was approved.
But then the State said it could at best contribute Rs.800 crore to the kitty.
In turn, the HRD Ministry said that the Centre could make a matching
contribution of Rs.800 crore. In no time, the State plan was reduced to
Rs.1,600 crore.
Though for Rajasthan Rs.1,600 crore is still more than last
year’s Rs.1,253 crore, other States would not be so lucky for they do not have
the financial wherewithal to withstand the new funding pattern. The States like
Bihar, UP, West Bengal and MP are yet to come
to the HRD Ministry to get their SSA work plans approved.
The worst sufferers of the new funding pattern are the north-eastern
States. Having so far enjoyed a special status with the Centre footing 90% of
the SSA bill, these States are now being told that they too will have to share
50% of the SSA cost.
This has resulted in a mini movement of sorts among seven
sisters with the Mizoram Education Minister already sending letters to the HRD
Ministry protesting against the move. But the Centre appears to be unmoved. It
has been nearly three months since the HRD Ministry’s note for retaining the 75-25
funding pattern was sent for the Union Cabinet’s consideration. The note was
the result of a communication between the Ministry and the Planning Commission, whereby the latter had said that in case the
HRD has an objection to the 50:50 pattern, it can move a Cabinet note.
Officials at the helm of the SSA point out that the repercussions of the new funding pattern would be felt
mostly by States like Bihar, west Bengal, UP, MP and Assam.
These States after being at the bottom on the heap for
years, had taken tentative steps in the right direction in the past two years.
They just do not have the financial resources to make large allocations for
SSA. ---INFA
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HARYANA TO GENERATE POWER FROM BIOMASS AND WIND, 29 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 29 May 2007
HARYANA TO GENERATE
POWER FROM BIOMASS AND WIND
NEW DELHI, May 30 (INFA): The Haryana
Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has signed a Memoranda of
Understanding (MoU) with seven Independent Power Producers (IPPS) to generate
686 MW of power form biomass and
wind power.
As per the MoUs, 21 biomass
power projects generating a total of 246 MW and four wind power projects
producing 440 MW at a total cost of Rs.3300 crore would be set up.
The power generated by these projects would be purchased by
the power utilities on the tariff decided by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory
Commission as per provisions in the
Electricity Act, 2003. The projects are expected to start generation in 20-26
months.
Renewable energy couple with efficient energy use can
deliver half of India’s
primary energy needs by 2050, according to a report jointly produced by the
European Energy Council: “A Sustainable Energy Out for India”.
The report provides a blueprint for reducing India’s carbon
dioxide emissions by four per cent
by 2050. It says that the targets can be reached without relying on hazardous
nuclear technologies and, at the same time, maintaining study economic
development.
The report has already been presented to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh. The Government has been
advised to enact a Renewable Energy law by 2010. Pertinently, a model law has
already been drafted by the World Council.
India with its multitude of villages
still lags behind in rural electrification. Lately, many initiatives like the
Remote Village Electrification Programme have been launched to accelerate the
process of electrification.
Another noteworthy feature is the contribution of many
non-governmental tribal villages, Bairakh in Chhattisgarh became the world’s
first village to get power supply through biofuels. The ambitious Rs.40 lakh
project was sprearheaded by Winrock International India, a non-governmental
organization which successfully
completed the project within two years.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had
sanctioned Rs.22 lakh for the project and the rest of the funds were borne by
Winrock.
After surveying and drawing out a detailed plan, Winrock
supplied about 60,000 saplings of Jatropha to the villagers in 2004. These
saplings which have now started yielding oil-bearing seeds are processed in the biofuel plant in the village.----INFA
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RAJASTHAN WINDS TO BLOW OVER DELHI,28 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 28 May 2007
RAJASTHAN WINDS TO
BLOW OVER DELHI
NEW DELHI, May 29 (INFA): With the Union Capital
facing a severe power crunch, the Government of Delhi is seriously looking at
Rajasthan, a State that is currently using considerable amount of wind power,
for meetings its energy needs.
Senior officials in the Power Department of Delhi said that
the Government is considering setting up wind turbines in Rajasthan to generate
an additional 200 MW to add to Delhi’s
current 3000 MW supply.
Delhi’s own generation of power is
limited to approximately 1200 MW, despite the rapidly growing demand.
The Delhi Government is currently working out the possibility of how wind energy can be transmitted to
the Capital. It is also looking at a number of private companies to the job.
Suzlon Energy Limited has already made its presentation to the Chief Minister.
There are around eight companies across
the country which generate wind energy in Rajasthan and other States. Once implemented, Delhi will be the first State to use wind
power for general consumptions i.e. use by industries, households, commercial
units and offices.
Wind power conjures up images of large turbines set up on
huge tracts of land. However, scientists from the University of Texas Arlington
have come with designs that could make small-scale windmills feasible. To
convert wind energy into electric energy, they use a piezoelectric structure
which requires a very small magnitude of deflection to generate high voltages.
The structure consists of bimorphs (thin plastic sheets)
aligned in a row, which is made to vibrate via a lever and crankshaft attached
to the wind vanes. Since the structure is made entirely of plastic, it is
cost-effective.
The scientists’ most promising design involves three five
inches fans mounted on a single shaft through an adjustable gear ratio. At an average wind speed of 10 mph, the
windmill can generate 5 MW of continuous power at the rate of 12 volts.
This can power sensors, switches, alarms, and wirelessly transmitted data.
Further, the generated power can be stored in a
super-capacitor for delayed use, and it works at wind speeds as low as 5.4 mph.
According to the scientists, small-scale windmills can
supply energy for powering weather stations, lighting inside tunnels, etc.
---INFA
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FARMERS’ PLIGHT IN BUNDELKHAND VILLAGES,26 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 26 May 2007
FARMERS’ PLIGHT IN
BUNDELKHAND VILLAGES
NEW DELHI, May 27 (INFA): Several villages in
the Bundelkhand region of U.P. are presently facing acute shortage of water for
irrigation. The farmers of the region apprehend the emergence of Vidarbha like
situation, where a large number of farmers have committed suicides.
Scanty rainfall and water scarcity have rendered Lalitpur,
Mahoba and villages around Banda and Bundelkhand virtually barren. Add to this the
debt situation, and the cauldron boils.
Four farmers have already committed suicides in villages
adjoining Pandui. The financial state of several others is critically bad.
Debt has forced several farmers to switch to daily-wage
jobs. Tanti, a 55-year old tiller in Mahoba, has 30 units of land and a loan of
Rs.40,000. “I have 12 months to feed and cannot afford to sell my land,” he
said.
Impoverished farmers borrowed from banks through kisan
credit cards. But with no help forthcoming, many of them committed suicide,”
Harisharan Singh, a junior high school teacher in Semra village of Banda
said.
The administration is yet to respond to the crisis. Sanyukta Samaddar, district magistrate,
Banda, said, “farmers suffer because of poor crop yield.”
Migration rate is high. Hundreds of farmers have moved to
cities in search of work. They have taken loans and cannot repay them. But the
administration cannot do much. It has written off their land revenue dues for
2006-07.
Commenting on the high suicide among farmers, Ms Samadhar
said, “The suicides are not starvation related. There are other reasons. We are
investigation”. ---INFA
CANCER PREDICTION
AT CHILDBIRTH
HYDERABAD, May 27 (INFA): Andhra University
scientists are working on a project which will enable prediction of cancer
onset at childbirth itself.
The research taken up under the Human Genome Diversity
Project and conducted in collaboration with the US scientists, involves isolating
genetic factors that trigger cancer in humans.
Identifying the markers would enable a person to take
preventive steps early.
Meanwhile, new smear positive (NSP) case detection rate in
Andhra Pradesh for detection of TB has increased to 74.4 per cent, while the
NSP cure has gone up to 84.9 per cent during 2006.
These are some of the highlights of the status of TB cases
in the State, released by the Health Department on the recent World TB Day
observed in the capital.---INFA
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NEW TECHNOLOGY REDUCES BIODIESEL COST,22 May 2007 |
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Spotlight
New Delhi, 22 May 2007
NEW TECHNOLOGY
REDUCES BIODIESEL COST
NEW DELHI, May 23 (INFA): Biodiesel, the
green transportation fuel, could soon become cheaper with the adoption of a new
technique developed by scientists at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL),
Pune.
The technique which uses solid fuel catalysts called double
metal components, instead of the hydroxide-based catalysts used so far, was
patented by the NCL one and half years ago, and licensed to ‘New Century
Lubricants’, a US-based biofuels company in November 2006.
The NCL has successfully
tested the process using 13 edible
and non-edible oils.
The current cost of producing biodiesel is about Rs.27 per
litre, and the retail price works out to Rs.40 per litre. The new method cuts
the cost by shortening the process
of converting unrefined oils such as jatropha, rubber seed, etc. into
biodiesel.
The catalyst ensured continuous production of biodiesel and,
moreover, can be used with both edible and non-edible oils.
Another benefit of using the catalyst is that glycerol which
is obtained as a by-product is easier to dispose off in a solid medium rather
than in a liquid state.
A pilot plant, using the technique and having a capacity of
one tonne biodiesel per day, is expected to start production in India by 2008.
‘New Century’ is presently involved in talks with prominent petroleum firms in India, who have
expressed keen interest in running
the plant. ---INFA
A.P.’s DELIMITATION BLUES
HYDERABAD, MAY 23 (INFA): Although the next
general elections to the Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly are still two years away, the delimitation
blues seem to be chasing at least 15 MPs and 108 MLAs who will be directly
impacted by the changes, including the abolition of constituencies and
reservation or de-reservation of their seats.
All the other MPs and MLAs are also affected in varying
degrees as their constituencies, even while retaining the original names, are
altered with addition or deletion of some areas. At the same time, the
formation of new constituencies opens up new opportunities for political
leaders.
Sitting MPs and MLAs belonging to forward castes, backward
classes, Schedule Caste, Schedules
Tribes and minorities are all affected. Those who have been elected for several
terms and nurtured their constituencies well are rendered “redundant”
overnight, with their constituencies scrapped or earmarked for reserved
categories. Simultaneously this delimitation throws up a challenge to political
parties to scout for candidates in the new constituencies.
When the Delimitation Commission
of India held its sittings in Tirupati, Visakhapatnam
and Hyderabad
recently to hear the objections and suggestions from the public, many
politicians, who are being affected by the current exercise, appeared before
the panel and raised a hue and cry over the changes being wrought to alter
their constituencies or abolish them altogether. ---INFA
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