PEACE MEET AT TIRUPATI

New Delhi, 25 November 2006

HYDERABAD, November 26 (INFA):  Over 15,000 delegates from South Asia are expected to descend on the temple town of Tirupati later in the week to attend a Peace Conference to be inaugurated by the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi.

It may be added that the last such conference was held in Chennai in August 2001.

Needless to add that the meet will attract most of the leaders --- tall and not so tall--- of the organizations drawn from different parts of the country.

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasekhar Reddy is leaving no stone unturned to make the meet a success.

Meanwhile, the Putaparthi Police have banned consumption of liquor and non-veg food within the radius of 9 km around Putaparthi to maintain the holiness of the spiritual centre --- the abode of Sri Sai Baba.

The President of India would be the Chief Guest for the annual convocation ceremony of Sri Satya Sai Deemed University in the near future. The date of convocation will be announced soon. ---INFA

ADB’s NEW PLAN TO PROMOTE RENEWABLE ENERGY

NEW DELHI, November 26 (INFA): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is launching the second phase of its project to promote renewable energies and energy efficiencies.

The Bank’s new initiative will involve about $ one billion a year in both the sectors. While the first phase involved developing a rationale and preparing an initial analysis of clean energy markets and priorities, the second phase to be completed by 2007 and will develop country-level action phase, besides formulating ADB’s clean energy strategy and action plan.

The third phase (2008-10) will implement non-lending and lending projects.

As part of its second phase, the bank has initiated a study to access the relevance and future direction of its energy policy, last reviewed in 2000.  The objective is to promote greater use of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific region, boost the region’s energy security, and develop a new strategy to guide energy sector operations for the next 5 years.

Funded by a $ 1 million technical assistance grant, the study will address a broad range of issues in the field of energy, namely Clean Development Mechanism, promoting private sector participation, and enhancing the role of renewable energy efficiency, and demand side management.---INFA