Tata`s joy Ride Heralds disater for Indigenous people In India
Tata Motors rolls out the $2,500 'Nano' in India
JERUSALEM: President George W. Bush arrived in Israel on Wednesday for his first trip there as president, and while he had some tough messages to deliver about Israel's obligations to advance peace, he was welcomed effusively by one of his firmest supporters, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has also become a friend.
Their relationship is politically useful to both men, but they have also bonded - as politicians with difficult challenges, as sports fans, as fitness devotees and as two leaders who are both committed, in their own ways, to fighting terrorism and Islamic extremism.
For Olmert, beset by coalition troubles, a poorly run war in Lebanon and the looming final report of the Winograd Commission into that war, the close connection to Bush is both a lifeline and an insurance policy, that Israel will not be pressed to sacrifice its security to satisfy the American desire for a peace treaty.
Bush came here, and will go to the Palestinian territories on Thursday, to push Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to get serious about their negotiations and their obligations to each other, as written in the first stage of the "road map" for peace.
Under that plan, Israel is to stop settlement growth, dismantle unauthorized outposts built by settlers since March 2001 and lift more travel restrictions on the Palestinians. For their part, the Palestinians are to start to dismantle terrorist groups and build the institutions of a responsible future state.
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Please read,react,circulate and Write.Just Visit:
Nandigarmunited.blogspot.com
Tata Motors unveiled the world's cheapest car Thursday, bringing car ownership closer to millions of consumers in emerging markets.The 4-seater Nano, with an engine around 625 cc, will have a dealer price of 100,000 rupees, or $2,500, and will go on sale later this year.
what an achievement for the Galaxy Post Modern Manusmriti Hindu Brahminical Zionist White Power Dominance Order of the Day ahead. Indian Ruling Hegemony succeeds to launch the latest Icon of Shining Sensex India. US Forces heads to Pakistan. nuclear deal is in Pipeline. Strategic regrouping in Indian Ocean complete under the unipolar leadership of US Imperialism. War zone shifted right into the heart of South Asia. Indigenous People massacred. Ejected and uprooted from life and livelihood. natural resources captured. comradors rule. No resistance at all thanks to the scented civil society and Opposition led by Marxists as well as hindu fascists. No barrier is in the highway of Capitalist development. It is a milestone for Neo Liberalism. At last the Ruling Hegemony could invent the Common Man`s car to suvert, divert the waves of isolated resistance, insurrections and escalate the enslavement!
Power of Dominance denies the space for the Eighty Five percent Indigenous People deprived of citizenship, livelihood and Civil and human Rights.Indigenous People are subjected to Mass annihilation with or without Weapons of Mass destruction, wars and civil wars. causes of Violence, struggle and strife are not addressed at all. there is no scope for sharing, particiapation and learning. Enlightenment, empowerment, employement and environmental security ruled out in an infinite era of Manusmriti based Caste system and apartheid. Indian society is divided in six thousand castes to ensure the Ruling Hegemony of minority Caste hindus led by Zionist Brahmins! nothing is localised. columbus returns with Venom and neoloiberalism and globalisation happen to be the tools of mass destruction today which are much powerful than any Tsunami or atom Bomb Blast witnessed by hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Dyas of Nazi haolocaust back once again. Who have not the Purchanig power to enter into the Open Market managed by world bank, Nasa, Pentagon, nato, White house, Global Weapon Industry, IT Boom and Media worldwide and comradors ruling the third world countries under survellience of Corporates and MNCS.
Depopulation and regress are termed as Industrialisation and Urbanisation.
Columbus selected latin America for the Kill. Captained Cook opened out Osmenia and Vasco degama the doors of Indian subcontinent plus south east asia. We have already a butcher of Vietnam fame Henry Kissinger who opened out the Great walls of China. USSR already disintegrated, no one dares to stop the Unipolar Imperialism. The Marxists in Asia betrayed the most. They never followed Fidel castro, Chavez or Lula. They follow the Chinese line of Capitalist Development.
Tata`s small Car , Nano, a stratgical name very well sounding like nano Technology , declares unilateral Cease fire. The War is over.
Nandigram and Singur Resistance and Insurrections made Irrelevant for ever just as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Just like the Santhal, Munda, Bheel, Rumpa and a seriese of Indigenious insurrections in the History of India.
They diluted Telengana. They diluted Land reforms. They crushed Naxal Insurrection. They use AFPSA and POTA, NSA against nationality movement in entire kashmir and North east. Muslims are branded as Terrorists and indigenous peple are termed as maoists and naxals. thus the repressions, Massacres, destructions, annihilations, encounters may sound justified!
Mid You, No representative from the so called civil society , no Icon like Mahashweta devi, Aparna sen, Medha patkar, Ulka Mahajan, Arundhati Roy, no opposition whatsoever led by either Brahmin Mamata Bannerjee or dalit Icon Mayawati may lead the Indigenous peple in the War of existence. It is proved in Bengal. singur and nandigram involved the indigenous people . They sacrificed. They were the people massacred. gangraped. No caste Hindu population has been involved any where whether it happens Kaling Nagar or Navi Mumbai. Tribals have been displaced for Time Infinite. They have been killed since Shambuk was killed. Not only columbus, not only Vasco De Gama, not only George Bush- but the hotcake brands like Pranab and Adwani, Buddha and naven Patnaik, narendra Modi and Deshmukh are the gestapo Heads of regemented killers shaffron or Red!
Tata`s Joy Ride is a Metaphor for Ruling Hegemony cruising Ahead and Indigineous Peple must Die! It is predestined!
Singur farmers burn 'Nano' effigy
Singur (WB) (PTI): As Tata Motors' ambitious people's car 'Nano' was unveiled on Thursday, farmers owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress-led 'Krishi Jami Raksha Committee' (KJRC) staged a noisy demonstration outside a local police station and burnt effigy of the car.
A large number of policemen stood guard at the police station as hundreds of KJRC activists, led by its convener Becharam Manna, said that the Tata Motors would not be 'allowed' to roll out its car from its factory here "which has been constructed illegally on the farmers' land".
"We, the farmers of Singur, will resist tooth and nail any move to manufacture such car from the factory which has been set up on the blood of farmers and no car will come out of this factory," Manna said.
An effigy of the car was burnt in protest.
In another development, 131 night guards were dismissed by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) on Thursday on the ground that 'concrete fencing' had been constructed and their service was not required at present.
Sources said the WBIDC, the nodal agency, appointed 900 night guards for the Tata Motors' small car manufacturing factory here.
Minor demo before Tata car project
Singur (WB) (PTI): A demonstration was held on Thursday by a small group of retrenched contract labourers appointed as night guards for the Tata small car project site here.
The 130-odd demonstrators, however, soon dispersed after senior WBIDC officials promised to absorb them in other works, A WBIDC official, camping here, said..
The 130 night guards, part of the 900 deputed since December 13, 2006 by WBIDC on temporary basis to keep vigil in the fencing work, were last night told that their services were no more required since wooden fencing had long been replaced by boundary wall.
The construction work of the car project was not affected by the demonstation.
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Mumbai (PTI): Shares of Tata Motors on Thursday zoomed by over four per cent during the day amid the company unveiling its Rs 1 lakh car, but could not withstand the broad-based selling pressure on the bourses towards the end and settled in the red.
After opening 3.8 per cent higher at Rs 799.90 on the BSE, the shares rallied ahead to an intra-day high of Rs 802.30.
However, heavy selling was later seen in the stock, in line with emergence of across-the-board sluggishness in late afternoon trade. It settled at Rs 749, down 2.78 per cent from its previous close.
The scrip dropped to an intra-day low of Rs 744.05 after paring all the gains seen in the morning trade.
Brokers said that sentiments associated with the Rs one lakh car, which was today unveiled in New Delhi by group chief Ratan Tata, helped creating huge buying demand for the stock earlier in the day. However, emergence of a broad-based selling pressure saw the traders booking profit in the stock later.
At the NSE, the stock opened up at Rs 783, and surged 4.12 per cent to touch an intra-day high of Rs 802. Later, it touched an intra-day low of Rs 744.10 and closed at Rs 749.20.
Over 44 lakh shares changed hands at the two exchanges.
Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much awaited People's car, named Nano, which would cost Rs 1,00,000 at the dealer's end, excluding VAT and transportation cost.
| Before Tata baby, see mom |
| The "Rs 1-lakh car" will preen before the world on Thursday but not the mother plant that will eventually deliver the Tata dream-child to Indian roads. ... | Read.. |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/section/frontpage/index.jsp
|
Taxes and profit margins will push up the price for buyers, but it will still cost about half the cheapest car currently on the market, a 25-year old model from rival Maruti Suzuki.The compact but curvy Nano stands in sharp contrast to the luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands that Tata is negotiating to acquire from Ford Motor.Tata planned the car years ago as a safer and affordable alternative for the millions who often ferry families of four, plus baggage, on motorbikes and scooters.As the global auto industry and millions of aspiring Indians watched in awe, the $29-billion Tata group, the country's largest business house, launched the world's cheapest car - the little 'Nano' - that will cost all of $2,500 at the factory gate.Tata has said it will initially produce about 250,000 Nanos and expects eventual annual demand of 1 million units.It has sent global car makers scurrying to make their own version of a low-cost car to meet the needs of cost-conscious consumers in emerging economies such as China, India and Russia.Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Fiat have also said they are looking at small cars for emerging markets where strong economic growth has made car ownership a reality for millions.
Ratan Tata, the 70-year-old soft-spoken chairman of the group, drove in the 624 cc "people's car" to the Tata Motors pavilion at the Auto Expo show in New Delhi to unveil the new car that will be commercially launched later this year.Hundreds of people crowded into the pavilion to catch the moment, standing on chairs to get the best view as Tata introduced the car and then drove it onto the stage.
As journalists and TV crews jostled to gain entry into the pavilion, Tata lifted the covers off what had been the best-kept secret of the company, which analysts say will transform the car market not just in India but also globally.
"Let me assure you and our critics the car we have designed will meet all safety norms and all foreign environmental criteria," Ratan Tata, the Tata chairman, said at the Auto Expo in New Delhi as he unveiled what has been dubbed the "People's Car."
"It is a proud moment for India. The car demonstrates India's technological and entrepreneurial ability," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said at the Auto Expo. "The car will help people move from two-wheeler to four-wheeler."
Nano - which has no air-conditioning, no power windows or motorised steering - will be manufactured at the company's Singur facility in West Bengal. A diesel version and exports to other countries are also planned later.
"It's a safe, affordable and all-weather transport - a people's car, designed to meet all safety standards and emissions laws and accessible to all," Tata said, seeking to dismiss fears over its being environmentally unfriendly.
"I observed families riding on two-wheelers - the father driving, his young kid standing in front, his wife seated behind holding a baby. It led me to wonder if we could conceive of a safe, affordable transport for such families."
The four-door, five-seat car has a small 33-bhp 624-cc engine at the rear and is targeted at the strong middle class population of Indians who aspire to trade their two-wheelers for a safer automobile - at an affordable cost.
"A promise is a promise," he said, and sought to drive home the point he had delivered the car at the same price at which he had said four years ago, despite major escalations in input costs.
"It is a car most people said could not be manufactured at that price," he added.
"It's a good product," said Jagdish Khattar, former chief executive of Indo-Japanese car venture Maruti Suzuki, which has been dominating the small car market in India for over three decades.
Tata also said "Nano" fully meets safety and emission standards and had passed the full frontal crash test, besides meeting the Euro-IV emission norms.
Absolute chaos and mayhem marked the launch, with at least 1,000 members of the media corps struggling to enter the Tata Motor's pavilion and see the machine that will cost less than a branded DVD player of a BMW or a Mercedes.
At a press conference later, Tata spoke at length on a wide variety of issues including comments from the global automobile industry, which he said watching the new launch "with disbelief and not with expectations".
"In the marketplace, the best wins. I am quite willing to fight in the marketplace. I also urge all players to fight in the market," Tata said while expressing displeasure over the controversies behind the new project.
"The concept started as a social issue and not as business or philanthropy. There will be a base model and several variants for upmarket consumers. All this will add up as an attractive business prospect."
With a length of 3.1 metres, a width of 1.5 metres and a height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas, Tata officials said.
Meanwhile, a Tata Motors press release said that the People's Car has been designed with a family in mind. It has a length of 3.1 metres, a width of 1.5 metres and a height of 1.6 metres. When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions.
The statement also added that the car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi-point fuel injection petrol engine. "This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft," it said. "The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system." The car reportedly gives a mileage of 23 km per litre of petrol.
"It's a dream come true," Ashok Singh, a constable with the Delhi Police, said at the show. "I look forward to buying that car. My wife will be really happy."
The car arrives at a time when oil has topped $100 a barrel, the move to fuel-efficient "green" cars is gaining momentum, and a wave of nostalgia has spurred sales of brands such as BMW's Mini and the Fiat 500 Cinquecento.
The Statesman, India -
9: The members of United Action Committee (UAC), formed by villagers of Posco site area, today decided to request for suspension of the socio-economic ...
Posco survey work begins
Survey work of Posco to begin
Posco:12 villages surveyed
| Posco site survery begins Moneycontrol.com, India - In a major breakthrough, the Orissa government for the first time is able to begin its survey work at the disputed Posco site for the 12 million tonne steel .... |
| Posco survey team forced to return by villagers Times of India, India - BHUBANESWAR: The much-touted land survey in the proposed Posco project area proved a non-starter on Tuesday in the face of stiff resistance from local ... |
| POSCO - Changes in Directors' Shares Reuters - RNS Number:1777L POSCO 07 January 2008 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, DC 20549 Form 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE .... |
| Construction work will begin as scheduled: Posco Hindu Business Line, India - 6 Even as Posco India continues to face opposition to its steel plant project, captive port venture and proposed mining, the company is hopeful of starting ... |
| Posco promises adequate compensation for project-hit Daily News & Analysis, India - BHUBANESHWAR: Posco-India will address issues of people to be displaced from government land, give reasonable compensation to cultivators on encroached land ... |
Sensex falls 288 pts on selling in metal, capital goods stocks
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Thursday fell by 288 points on heavy selling by funds mainly in metal and capital goods stocks.
The Sensex, which zoomed to record an intra-day high of 21,206 points, fell back sharply to close at 20,582.08, a hefty fall of 287.70. The key-index also touched the day's low of 20,530.07 points.
Similarly, the second wide-based National Stock Exchange's Nifty fell by 115.05 points at 6,156.95, after touching the day's low of 6,142.90 and a high of 6,347 points.
Major pullers to the Sensex were metal index that fell by loosing 653.58 at 18,770.14 and capital goods index by 409.28 points at 19,666.06. PSU index also lost 337.34 points at 10,381.09.
Realty index dropped by 296.66 points at 13,270.05, oil and gas index by 288.20 points at 13,528.94, consumer durable index by 248.21 points at 6,347.79, healthcare index by 119.73 points at 4,153.32 and power index by 117.80 points at 4,700.63.
A steep fall of 511.32 points in smallcap index to 12,858.63 and of 329.54 points in midcap index to 9,440.45 were the trigger behind the selling.
AFP via Yahoo! News - 14 minutes ago
New Delhi (PTI): Car maker Honda Siel on Thursday said it will enter into small-car segment with the launch of 'Jazz' in 2009.
"The company plans to launch Jazz by the end of next year," Honda Siel India Ltd President M Takedagawa told reporters at Auto Expo here.
"With entry into small-car segment, the company aims to cross sales volume of 1,60,000 cars by the end of 2010," he added.
CPI distances itself from Basu's 'capitalism' remark
New Delhi (PTI): The Communist Party of India (CPI) has distanced itself from Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu's remarks on inevitability of capitalism, saying the issue had been raised and resolved within the CPI(M).
"What comrade Jyoti Basu has said has been further explained by his party's own general secretary (Prakash Karat). I have nothing to say. That is their party's stand," senior CPI leader D Raja said.
Basu's statement last week that capitalism was necessary for industrialisation of West Bengal had evoked sharp reactions from the Left parties RSP and Forward Bloc, which were reportedly criticised by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat for their open criticism later.
"He has not mentioned us (CPI)," Raja said when asked about Karat's comments made on Monday.
On the draft nuclear safeguards agreement with the IAEA, which is currently being negotiated in Vienna, Raja said: "Let us wait. We have to see the draft... They (Indian negotiators) would not conclude anything. They would not agree to any text with relation to the 123 agreement (with the US)".
He said there was no change in the Left's opposition to the 123 agreement, adding it was for the government to convince them on the bilateral pact with the US.
Priorities in India: First buy a car, then learn to drive
By Somini Sengupta Published: January 10, 2008
NEW DELHI: A few weeks ago, the traditional Indian joint family household of Vineet Sharma, a fertilizer industry consultant, achieved a long deferred dream. Having ferried themselves on scooters all these years, the Sharmas bought a brand-new silver-gray Tata Indica hatchback.
Never mind that none of the six adult members of the household knew how to drive. No sooner had the car arrived than Sharma, 34, took it for a spin and knocked over a friend. His brother slammed into a motorcyclist, injuring no one but damaging the bumper and getting so scared that he no longer gets behind the wheel, except on Sundays when the roads are empty. "We bought it first, and then we thought about driving," Sharma confessed.
This week, as carmakers from across the world came to Delhi to peddle their wares to a bubbling Indian car market, Sharma began to think about driving. He enrolled in a weeklong driving course and dived headlong into the madness of the morning commute in a beat-up Maruti 800. Its odometer had long stopped working, and it carried on its roof a sign for the driving school, accompanied, improbably, by the smiling face of Shrek, the animated movie character. He wasn't going very fast anyway. He said he was very nervous.
He had good reason, for his first real experience on four wheels revealed how many hurdles still stand in the way of India's budding romance with the road.
Amid a cacophony of horns on the Ring Road, a blood-red sport utility vehicle weaved between cars, passing Sharma within a razor's edge on the right. A school bus snuggled close up on his left. No one seemed to care about traffic lanes. Cars bounced in and out of crater-sized potholes.
Indians are rushing headlong to get behind the wheel, as incomes rise, car loans proliferate and the auto industry churns out low-cost cars to nudge them off their motorcycles. The capital was aflutter with car mania this week as the biennial Auto Expo opened Thursday and carmakers, both Indian and foreign, began rolling out the first of 25 new models.
The greatest hype came from Tata Motors, which unveiled the Nano, at $2,500 the world's cheapest car, as the theme song from "2001: A Space Odyssey" played loudly in the background. There were also luxury sedans and sport utility vehicles on offer, as well as a variety of small cars, gadgets, car parts and a smattering of models. Indeed, so busy was the exhibition center where the AutoExpo was under way that there was a noisy, messy traffic jam inside its gates even before the official opening.
Indians bought 1.5 million cars last year. By some estimates, India is expected to soar past China this year as the fastest growing car market.
Not unexpectedly, Indian environmentalists have assailed the car craze, particularly because of the country's relatively relaxed emissions standards and the proliferation of diesel-powered cars; AutoExpo features a pavilion dedicated to diesel.
Even Rajendra Pachauri, the usually nonconfrontational chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has sharply criticized the small-car boom, questioning Tata Motors in particular for devoting itself to building cheap cars rather than efficient mass transportation. Greenpeace called this week for mandatory fuel efficiency standards, including information on carbon dioxide emissions.
On his first driving lesson this week, Sharma had more immediate worries in mind. Sharing the road were a bicyclist with three cooking gas cylinders strapped to the back of his bike, a pushcart vendor plying guavas and a cycle rickshaw loaded with a photocopy machine (rickshaws often being the preferred mode of delivery for modern appliances). There were also a great many pedestrians, either leaping into traffic in the absence of crosswalks or marching in thick rows on the sides of the road in the absence of sidewalks.
At one point, a car careered down the wrong side of the road. Then a three-wheeled scooter-rickshaw came straight at him, only to duck swiftly into a side street.
Dinner party chatter here is usually rife with theories on road management. It is said that Indians drive as though they are still on two wheels, or that snaking in and out of lanes is the only way so many cars can survive on narrow, ill-kept roads. Sharma's theory was simpler. "We have a knack for breaking laws," he muttered.
Suvashish Choudhary, deputy commissioner of police in charge of traffic enforcement, shared that sentiment. He was vexed by all this talk of new low-cost cars.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/business/drive.php
Clinton, Obama neck-to-neck
Hindustan Times -
AP Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama dug in Wednesday for a prolonged struggle over the Democratic presidential nomination, a woman and a black man in a campaign unlike any other.
Clinton's Message, and Moment, Won the Day
Clinton The Favorite Once Again
Mumbai (PTI): Bharati Shipyard on Thursday said it plans to construct a green field shipyard at Dabhol in Maharashtra.
The yard would have the capacity to built vessels upto 100,000 Dead Weight Tonnes (DWT) and would be fully operational in the next two years, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchanges.
"We are very proud to announce the Green Field Shipyard at Dabhol. The yard will be spread over an area of more than 250 acres. We have already acquired more than 180 acres of land. We are in the process of acquiring balance land," Managing Director of the company P C Kapoor said.
With the increased ship-building capacity, the new shipyard would also help boost allied industries, which are also on a higher growth phase and create job opportunities for more than 3000 people, the filing added.
| ||||||||||||
Hyundai's Santro LPG to hit roads by September
New Delhi (PTI): Country's second largest car maker Hyundai Motors on Thursday said it will launch LPG variant of its best-selling hatchback Santro by the end of September.
The company has unveiled the variant at the 9th Auto Expo here. "We have just introduced LPG variant of Santro and in the coming months similar variants of other models like Getz and Accent will also be rolled out," Hyundai Motor India Ltd Managing Director H S Lheem told reporter.
The LPG variant of the other models would come by third quarter of the year, he said.
Santro, powered by a 1,086cc engine, is available in CNG, diesel and petrol versions at present.
The company also showcased concept cars Volster and crossover coupe QarmaQ.
The company is also working on price revision of most of its models as the input costs have gone up and profitability has come under pressure, Lheem said.
"We have decided to increase prices of i10 by Rs 5,000 from January 12."
Since i10 was launched with an introductory price in October last year, the company will now revise prices by up to Rs 5,000 for different variants.
The company is looking to sell 2.3 lakh units of i10 in 2008 with 50 per cent projected to be sold in the overseas market. So far, the company has got an order to the tune of 31,000 units form overseas since its launch in October.
Lheem said the company has phased out Elantra because sales of the model was "not so good" and a replacement would be worked out soon.
 Thaindian.com |
India, China to sign five accords during PM Singh's visit
Economic Times -
10 Jan, 2008, 1932 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: India and China will sign five agreements, including a pact between the two state-run railways, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to China next week, a cabinet minister said on Thursday.
PM meets president ahead of China visit
India, China to sign 5 MoUs
New Delhi (PTI): The government proposes to set up a regulatory body for overseeing the functioning of valuers engaged in different professions and a bill to this effect will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament.
"Valuation professionals are currently not covered under any regulatory body set up by the government and the proposed bill will ensure setting up of such an institution," Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta said on Thursday.
The bill is currently in the consultation stage. The legislation will provide a broad framework, within which proposed body will work independently. It will collect inputs from domestic and internationals institutions as Institute of Cost and Work Accountants of India does.
"The objective (of the proposed bill) is to provide self regulation (to corporates and valuation professionals), but at the same time responsibility and accountability through effective disciplinary mechanism," Gupta said at 'Global Summit on Repositioning the Management Accountant' here.
He said the government will also introduce a bill that would enable comprehensive revision of Companies Act, 1956 in the budget session of Parliament.
To a question on the role of Competition Commission of India, he said it will check cartelisation in the country.
During the event, he said new challenges are being posed for corporates in the era of globalisation. In such a scenario, management accountants have to play the role of value creator.
Caparo Group to invest Rs 1,000 cr in India
New Delhi (PTI): NRI industrialist Swraj Paul-led Caparo India on Thursday said it plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore in the Indian market over the next three years to become the largest automotive technology company in the country.
"The company will invest Rs 1,000 crore over the next two to three years time. We plan to rake in USD 500 million sales from the country by then," Caparo India CEO Angad Paul told reporters at the 9th Auto Expo here.
The company has already invested Rs 1,000 crore in the country toward setting up 22 manufacturing facilities, including in Pune, Chennai and Singur in West Bengal.
Paul said the company would review the investment figures as and when required. The investment would be made in setting up manufacturing units near the existing ones in Chennai and Singur as also in expanding capacity at the Pune unit.
A major portion of the USD 1.5 billion revenues of Caparo Group comes from the UK and US. India accounts for about USD 150 million. "In future, we would like that all the three regions contribute equally to our revenues," Paul said.
Asked about its planned compact car concept, he said the group is open to bringing it to the Indian market. The group is in the process of introducing a "city car" concept in Europe by this year-end, where Caparo would provide the design and assembling services to carmakers.
"We have a city car concept with us and are working toward it. We would provide the basic design services for the car, which would target the mid-segment."
Govt approves trilateral MoU between India, Brazil, S Africa
New Delhi (PTI): The Government on Thursday gave its approval to the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed by India, Brazil and South Africa in the field of health and medicine last year.
The ex-post facto approval to the MoU was given by the Union Cabinet at a meeting here on Thursday.
The MoU will facilitate cooperation among the three countries in the field of health and medicine on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters after the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The MoU had been signed on October, 17, 2007, during the second IBSA summit held in South Africa.
Cabinet defers delimitation exercise in 4 NE states, Jharkhand
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Cabinet on Thursday deferred the delimitation exercise in four North Eastern states and Jharkhand by approving amendments to the Delimitation Act 2002.
The amendment would take care of the concerns expressed by the delimitation exercise in the four North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh due to the situation prevailing there, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.
It was felt that due to the various situations prevailing in these states, the Cabinet decided to let it remain as it is for now, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
One of the objectives of the delimitation commission is to ensure that the number of seats is not decreased if not increased, he said adding the exercise has been completed in 25 states.
"There was some problem in shifting the rural seats from urban seats in these states, accordingly we agreed that this ordinance will enable these states to contest the next polls as it is," Dasmunsi said.
As far as Jharkhand is concerned, the problem is that the exercise found that the number of reserved seats was going down, he said adding the objective was to ensure that the reserved seats are not decreased.
"To accommodate these states this ordinance was approved today and it will be tabled in the coming Parliament session," he said.
Relations with India witnessing 'sound momentum', says China
Beijing (PTI): China on Thursday said its ties with India were witnessing "a sound momentum" and expressed the hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's upcoming visit would further enhance the strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides would exchange views in depth on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest during Singh's meetings with the Chinese leadership during his three-day visit to the Communist nation from January 13, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters here.
Replying to a question, she said: "I do not know what specific topics will be discussed."
Jiang said China's ties with India were witnessing "a sound momentum" and noted that the boundary negotiations had made a positive progress. She recalled that Special Representatives of the two sides held three rounds of talks last year.
"We hope to work together with India so as to find a fair and reasonable resolution framework acceptable to both," she said.
Asked if the issue of Tibetan government in exile in India would also figure, she said Indian government's position on the matter had been "persistent and clear."
"We believe that the Indian government would adhere to this policy and honour its commitments."
Govt issues LoIs to nine companies
New Delhi (PTI): Mobile users are set to enjoy wider choice of services and lower tariffs with the government today allowing more players to enter cellular telephony.
The Department of Telecom on Thursday issued Letters of Intent (LoIs) to nine companies, including Unitech, Shyam Telelink, Datacom and Shippingstop Dotcom for pan-India operations. It also gave LoIs to S Tel, Spice Telecom, Idea Cellular, Swan and Tata Teleservices for a few circles.
The applications of HFCL, Parsvnath Developers and Allianz Infratech have been rejected and that of ByCell and Indiabulls are pending necessary approvals.
Successful applicants would be asked to deposit the required spectrum fee along with bank and performance guarantees to become eligible for allotment of airwaves that are necessary to start mobile services.
DoT gave the LoIs after inviting each of them separately and announcing the decision on accepting or rejecting their application. The applications submitted till September 25, 2007 have been taken into consideration.
Sources said the government has enough spectrum to accommodate at least 5-6 new players after meeting the demands of existing GSM players as well as Reliance Communications which has been permitted to start GSM services under the dual technology clause.
Singur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Singur railway station is 34 km from Howrah Station on the Howrah-Tarakeswar line. It is 2 km ahead of Kamarkundu junction, the crossing point of ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singur - 62k - |
The Times of India
| Day after, Singur land fenced off The team was impressive enough to ... Singur battle fought in House The unprecedented bedlam Mamata created in the West ... timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/716800.cms - 32k - |
FB wants Tatas to close Singur car plant-India-The Times of India
| SINGUR: The differences among Left Front partners on industrialization came to the fore yet again on Sunday, with Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh asking the ... timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/FB_wants_ |
AID - Singur update
| Association for India's Development(AID) We aim to provide an alternate paradigm of development in India, singur, police brutality, firing, beating, ... aidindia.org/main/content/view/323/74/ - |
Singur
| 9, Kamarkundu G. Daluigacha. 10, Anandanagar. 11, Boinchipota. 12, Gopalnagore. 13, Singur-I. 14, Singur-II. 15, Mirzapur-Bankipur. 16, Bighati. www.hooghly.gov.in/hzp/Singur.htm - 19k - |
Singur.ro - Locul preferat de intalniri, matrimoniale, prietenii ...
| Cel mai complex site de matrimoniale si prietenii din Romania. Esti singur? Cupleaza-te! Click AICI! Femei si barbati din Romania si nu numai te asteapta ... www.singur.ro/ - 30k - |
singur
| Prasanta Das, a 43 year old marginal peasant of Khaser Bheri mouza in Singur, who had declined to give up his land for the Tata Motors small car factory, ... singur-singur.blogspot.com/ - 150k - |
The Telegraph - Calcutta : Insight
| Singur has been witnessing a sea-change ever since Tata Motors picked it as the site for its small car plant. The 'bargadars' are opposing the government ... www.telegraphindia.com/1061210/ |
|
Our Land, Their Development: A Photo Essay On Singur - India ...
| Singur is a thriving farming community in the West Bengal State of India. Its 20000 habitants, mostly small peasants, agricultural workers and small. www.indiamike.com/.../ |
FB wants Tatas to close Singur car plant
7 Jan 2008, 0052 hrs IST
,TNN
Terming the decision to allow the car plant at Singur as a "mistake", he asked the state government to take corrective steps. At a rally in Bajemelia, Ghosh said the Tata factory couldn't come up on the fertile Singur land.
"This is people's verdict and it's the state government's duty to respect it. The government should ensure that people are not made to suffer for the factory."
Echoing Trinamul Congress demand for a white paper on the expenditure incurred for providing infrastructural facilities and security arrangements at the factory site in Singur, he asked the Tatas to shift their factory to Kalaik-unda in West Midnapur.
"That would be the most sensible thing to do. The government, on the other hand, should come clean on expenditure because public money is involved. The accounts provided by the chief minister and the industries minister at the LF meeting don't match with the one given in the affidavit to the high court. Why are they trying to hide facts?" asked Ghosh. The veteran leader said his party was still open to talks with CPM on their differences. He, however said the party would first talk to other Left Front partners — RSP and CPI — on January 7 and 8.
10 Jan 2008, 1053 hrs IST
,PTIDespite rejoinders from CPM leaders that only those who are utterly ignorant of the party's clearly-enenuciated programme could see any ideological deviation in Basu's statement, Congress and BJP leaders in the state have been quick to dub it as a 'confession' from a senior Marxist of the futility of pursuing 'outdated' policies.
For a change, the polemics over socialism and capitalism have pushed the CPM to the defensive unlike on most other occasions when the principal Left party used to set the agenda for ideololgical and political debates in Kerala.
According to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Basu's comment amounted to a 'candid admission' of the failure of socialism as foreseen by Karl Marx and implemented in the socialist block, including the now defunct Soviet Union.
On the contrary, democratic socialism as envisaged by the Congress has become all the more relevant in the present global context, he said.
KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala says the current shift in the CPM's ideological stand coming from the party's senior leaders could trigger an ideological polarisation in the Left block in the coming days, resulting in the death knell of Communism in the country.
SEZs prime movers of economy: Modi
Statesman News Service CM encounters conflict of interest Statesman News Service Congress grouse against Mamata Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, Jan. 9: The Gujarat chief minister, Mr Narendra Modi, today shared the commerce minister, Mr Kamal Nath's view on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and described them as "the prime movers of growth in the future", inviting the Indian diaspora to invest in the projects.
Participating in an interactive session with the Gujarati NRIs at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conclave, Mr Modi said he firmly believed that the future of growth lay in the SEZs, but farmers must not be coerced into parting with their land.
"SEZs are going to be the new paradigm of development, but this should not be in conflict with farmers' interests," he said. The chief minister said his government had approved 51 SEZs, the largest number by any state. But there was no controversy on the issue, he said, referring to West Bengal "where there was violence at Nandigram on the issue".
Mr Modi said Gujarat was among the earliest states to enact an SEZ Act in 2004. "Today, as many as 51 SEZs have been approved in the state, of which five are functional and others are in the process of being developed," he pointed out.
Asking entrepreneurs to develop their SEZs having world class facilities, he said his state is also setting up a separate mechanism for proper development and monitoring of the implementation of SEZs coming up in Gujarat. The state wanted at least one SEZ in each of its districts, he said.
Addressing the PBD session on "developmental challenges of the States : partnership opportunities," Mr Modi offered to host the first PIO University in the state and called upon NRIs to participate in the great opportunities that would arise from the 100 billion dollars Industrial Corridor that would criss-cross major areas of Gujarat.
Referring to the state's dramatic economic transformation, Mr Modi sought a major role for the Indian Diaspora in development of the physical infrastructure and provision of social services. .
The Kerala chief minister, Mr VS Achuthanandan, told the meet that Kerala was the first state to set up a separate department for taking care of needs of the non-resident Keralites.
Trying to sell Kerala as an investment destination, he said, "Kerala is located on the corridor connecting Europe and Fast East countries…Three international airports, all operating domestic and international flights, a major seaport, telecom and datacom connectivity, low start up and operating costs… are factors that make Kerala a favourable investment destination. Kerala is also the most peaceful state in the country." The chief minister took up the case of the Gulf Keralites with the Central government and said India should take up the case of their exploitation with the respective countries. "Action taken so far is not felt to be adequate," he said.
KOLKATA, Jan. 9: Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who made it a practice to support industrialisation over agriculture in the state, had an awkward time today when two Union ministers said the Centre has decided to lay stress on agriculture and horticulture in the 11th Five Year Plan, while sharing the stage with Mr Bhattacharjee at the India International Potato Expo-2008, at Netaji Indoor Stadium today.
While addressing the gathering, Union minister of state for food processing industries, Mr Subodh Kant Sahay, said the Centre has selected agriculture and horticulture as its focus for the Plan because these two sectors have good prospects. He also said if the supply and "cold chain", the missing link of the sectors, could be developed, India would do well here. The food processing sector also needs to be developed.
Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union minister of state for commerce and industries, said India's progress in potato cultivation is remarkable. Fifteen-20 years ago, India was nowhere but now it is the third-largest country in terms of potato production. "If proper steps are taken to add value to what we produce, we can do well in exports, too. We have done it for horticulture. So it's nothing impossible in agriculture. As the Plan would lay stress on agriculture and horticulture, it appears to be possible that we would do well in this sector," he said.
Mr Sahay said the Centre has decided to invest in the supply and "cold chain" to make agricultural production profitable in all states.
The chief minister said: "When the meeting for the 11th Five Year Plan was held in Delhi, we decided to lay stress on agriculture because the sector's growth rate has come down to two per cent. And we want to increase the growth rate to four per cent. But in West Bengal, the scenario is a bit different. We are the largest producer of paddy and vegetables." Mr Bhattacharjee admitted that the state lacks a modern marketing mechanism and invited foreign investment in food processing to help farmers profit from their produce.
KOLKATA, Jan. 9: Fuming at Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee's refusal to invite the Congress into her newly floated front, the PCC today ridiculed her efforts to forge a Progressive, Secular and Democratic Front "even when she continues to be an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance".
Mr Manash Bhuniya, Congress Legislature Party leader, said Miss Banerjee's decision to take on the CPI-M with the help of her PSDF sans the Congress was "astounding". "We appeal to her and to the Trinamul members to revise their stand and join forces with the Congress if they are sincere about forging a truly secular, democratic alliance. By reaffirming her resolve to continue to be in a combine which has the communal in its fold, the BJP, Miss Banerjee is only trying to split secular forces which would help the CPI-M remain entrenched in power," Mr Bhuniya said.
The PCC also criticised Miss Banerjee for her instruction to her partymen to resist farmland acquisition for industrialisation under the Trinamul's banner, instead of the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee.
Mamata
Miss Banerjee today said that the PSDF would move the court to "forestall" the attempt by a promoter to fill a pond and build a multi-storeyed apartment at Maniktala. The promoter's men fired shots and let dogs loose on local residents last week when the latter protested against the construction plan which they complained flouted the laws concerning water-bodies.
Tata`s joy Ride Heralds disater for Indigenous people In India
Tata Motors rolls out the $2,500 'Nano' in India
JERUSALEM: President George W. Bush arrived in Israel on Wednesday for his first trip there as president, and while he had some tough messages to deliver about Israel's obligations to advance peace, he was welcomed effusively by one of his firmest supporters, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has also become a friend.
Their relationship is politically useful to both men, but they have also bonded - as politicians with difficult challenges, as sports fans, as fitness devotees and as two leaders who are both committed, in their own ways, to fighting terrorism and Islamic extremism.
For Olmert, beset by coalition troubles, a poorly run war in Lebanon and the looming final report of the Winograd Commission into that war, the close connection to Bush is both a lifeline and an insurance policy, that Israel will not be pressed to sacrifice its security to satisfy the American desire for a peace treaty.
Bush came here, and will go to the Palestinian territories on Thursday, to push Olmert and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to get serious about their negotiations and their obligations to each other, as written in the first stage of the "road map" for peace.
Under that plan, Israel is to stop settlement growth, dismantle unauthorized outposts built by settlers since March 2001 and lift more travel restrictions on the Palestinians. For their part, the Palestinians are to start to dismantle terrorist groups and build the institutions of a responsible future state.
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Please read,react,circulate and Write..Just Visit:
Nandigarmunited.blogspot.com
Tata Motors unveiled the world's cheapest car Thursday, bringing car ownership closer to millions of consumers in emerging markets.The 4-seater Nano, with an engine around 625 cc, will have a dealer price of 100,000 rupees, or $2,500, and will go on sale later this year.
what an achievement for the Galaxy Post Modern Manusmriti Hindu Brahminical Zionist White Power Dominance Order of the Day ahead. Indian Ruling Hegemony succeeds to launch the latest Icon of Shining Sensex India. US Forces heads to Pakistan. nuclear deal is in Pipeline. Strategic regrouping in Indian Ocean complete under the unipolar leadership of US Imperialism. War zone shifted right into the heart of South Asia. Indigenous People massacred. Ejected and uprooted from life and livelihood. natural resources captured. comradors rule. No resistance at all thanks to the scented civil society and Opposition led by Marxists as well as hindu fascists. No barrier is in the highway of Capitalist development. It is a milestone for Neo Liberalism. At last the Ruling Hegemony could invent the Common Man`s car to suvert, divert the waves of isolated resistance, insurrections and escalate the enslavement!
Power of Dominance denies the space for the Eighty Five percent Indigenous People deprived of citizenship, livelihood and Civil and human Rights.Indigenous People are subjected to Mass annihilation with or without Weapons of Mass destruction, wars and civil wars. causes of Violence, struggle and strife are not addressed at all. there is no scope for sharing, particiapation and learning. Enlightenment, empowerment, employement and environmental security ruled out in an infinite era of Manusmriti based Caste system and apartheid. Indian society is divided in six thousand castes to ensure the Ruling Hegemony of minority Caste hindus led by Zionist Brahmins! nothing is localised. columbus returns with Venom and neoloiberalism and globalisation happen to be the tools of mass destruction today which are much powerful than any Tsunami or atom Bomb Blast witnessed by hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Dyas of Nazi haolocaust back once again. Who have not the Purchanig power to enter into the Open Market managed by world bank, Nasa, Pentagon, nato, White house, Global Weapon Industry, IT Boom and Media worldwide and comradors ruling the third world countries under survellience of Corporates and MNCS.
Depopulation and regress are termed as Industrialisation and Urbanisation.
Columbus selected latin America for the Kill. Captained Cook opened out Osmenia and Vasco degama the doors of Indian subcontinent plus south east asia. We have already a butcher of Vietnam fame Henry Kissinger who opened out the Great walls of China. USSR already disintegrated, no one dares to stop the Unipolar Imperialism. The Marxists in Asia betrayed the most. They never followed Fidel castro, Chavez or Lula. They follow the Chinese line of Capitalist Development.
Tata`s small Car , Nano, a stratgical name very well sounding like nano Technology , declares unilateral Cease fire. The War is over.
Nandigram and Singur Resistance and Insurrections made Irrelevant for ever just as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Just like the Santhal, Munda, Bheel, Rumpa and a seriese of Indigenious insurrections in the History of India.
They diluted Telengana. They diluted Land reforms. They crushed Naxal Insurrection. They use AFPSA and POTA, NSA against nationality movement in entire kashmir and North east. Muslims are branded as Terrorists and indigenous peple are termed as maoists and naxals. thus the repressions, Massacres, destructions, annihilations, encounters may sound justified!
Mid You, No representative from the so called civil society , no Icon like Mahashweta devi, Aparna sen, Medha patkar, Ulka Mahajan, Arundhati Roy, no opposition whatsoever led by either Brahmin Mamata Bannerjee or dalit Icon Mayawati may lead the Indigenous peple in the War of existence. It is proved in Bengal. singur and nandigram involved the indigenous people . They sacrificed.. They were the people massacred. gangraped. No caste Hindu population has been involved any where whether it happens Kaling Nagar or Navi Mumbai.. Tribals have been displaced for Time Infinite. They have been killed since Shambuk was killed. Not only columbus, not only Vasco De Gama, not only George Bush- but the hotcake brands like Pranab and Adwani, Buddha and naven Patnaik, narendra Modi and Deshmukh are the gestapo Heads of regemented killers shaffron or Red!
Tata`s Joy Ride is a Metaphor for Ruling Hegemony cruising Ahead and Indigineous Peple must Die! It is predestined!
Singur farmers burn 'Nano' effigy
Singur (WB) (PTI): As Tata Motors' ambitious people's car 'Nano' was unveiled on Thursday, farmers owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress-led 'Krishi Jami Raksha Committee' (KJRC) staged a noisy demonstration outside a local police station and burnt effigy of the car.
A large number of policemen stood guard at the police station as hundreds of KJRC activists, led by its convener Becharam Manna, said that the Tata Motors would not be 'allowed' to roll out its car from its factory here "which has been constructed illegally on the farmers' land".
"We, the farmers of Singur, will resist tooth and nail any move to manufacture such car from the factory which has been set up on the blood of farmers and no car will come out of this factory," Manna said.
An effigy of the car was burnt in protest.
In another development, 131 night guards were dismissed by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) on Thursday on the ground that 'concrete fencing' had been constructed and their service was not required at present.
Sources said the WBIDC, the nodal agency, appointed 900 night guards for the Tata Motors' small car manufacturing factory here.
Minor demo before Tata car project
Singur (WB) (PTI): A demonstration was held on Thursday by a small group of retrenched contract labourers appointed as night guards for the Tata small car project site here.
The 130-odd demonstrators, however, soon dispersed after senior WBIDC officials promised to absorb them in other works, A WBIDC official, camping here, said.
The 130 night guards, part of the 900 deputed since December 13, 2006 by WBIDC on temporary basis to keep vigil in the fencing work, were last night told that their services were no more required since wooden fencing had long been replaced by boundary wall.
The construction work of the car project was not affected by the demonstation.
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago
Mumbai (PTI): Shares of Tata Motors on Thursday zoomed by over four per cent during the day amid the company unveiling its Rs 1 lakh car, but could not withstand the broad-based selling pressure on the bourses towards the end and settled in the red.
After opening 3.8 per cent higher at Rs 799.90 on the BSE, the shares rallied ahead to an intra-day high of Rs 802.30.
However, heavy selling was later seen in the stock, in line with emergence of across-the-board sluggishness in late afternoon trade. It settled at Rs 749, down 2.78 per cent from its previous close.
The scrip dropped to an intra-day low of Rs 744.05 after paring all the gains seen in the morning trade.
Brokers said that sentiments associated with the Rs one lakh car, which was today unveiled in New Delhi by group chief Ratan Tata, helped creating huge buying demand for the stock earlier in the day. However, emergence of a broad-based selling pressure saw the traders booking profit in the stock later.
At the NSE, the stock opened up at Rs 783, and surged 4.12 per cent to touch an intra-day high of Rs 802. Later, it touched an intra-day low of Rs 744.10 and closed at Rs 749.20.
Over 44 lakh shares changed hands at the two exchanges.
Tata Motors on Thursday unveiled its much awaited People's car, named Nano, which would cost Rs 1,00,000 at the dealer's end, excluding VAT and transportation cost.
| Before Tata baby, see mom |
| The "Rs 1-lakh car" will preen before the world on Thursday but not the mother plant that will eventually deliver the Tata dream-child to Indian roads. ... | Read.. |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/section/frontpage/index.jsp
|
Taxes and profit margins will push up the price for buyers, but it will still cost about half the cheapest car currently on the market, a 25-year old model from rival Maruti Suzuki.The compact but curvy Nano stands in sharp contrast to the luxury Jaguar and Land Rover brands that Tata is negotiating to acquire from Ford Motor.Tata planned the car years ago as a safer and affordable alternative for the millions who often ferry families of four, plus baggage, on motorbikes and scooters.As the global auto industry and millions of aspiring Indians watched in awe, the $29-billion Tata group, the country's largest business house, launched the world's cheapest car - the little 'Nano' - that will cost all of $2,500 at the factory gate.Tata has said it will initially produce about 250,000 Nanos and expects eventual annual demand of 1 million units.It has sent global car makers scurrying to make their own version of a low-cost car to meet the needs of cost-conscious consumers in emerging economies such as China, India and Russia.Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Fiat have also said they are looking at small cars for emerging markets where strong economic growth has made car ownership a reality for millions.
Ratan Tata, the 70-year-old soft-spoken chairman of the group, drove in the 624 cc "people's car" to the Tata Motors pavilion at the Auto Expo show in New Delhi to unveil the new car that will be commercially launched later this year.Hundreds of people crowded into the pavilion to catch the moment, standing on chairs to get the best view as Tata introduced the car and then drove it onto the stage.
As journalists and TV crews jostled to gain entry into the pavilion, Tata lifted the covers off what had been the best-kept secret of the company, which analysts say will transform the car market not just in India but also globally.
"Let me assure you and our critics the car we have designed will meet all safety norms and all foreign environmental criteria," Ratan Tata, the Tata chairman, said at the Auto Expo in New Delhi as he unveiled what has been dubbed the "People's Car."
"It is a proud moment for India. The car demonstrates India's technological and entrepreneurial ability," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said at the Auto Expo. "The car will help people move from two-wheeler to four-wheeler."
Nano - which has no air-conditioning, no power windows or motorised steering - will be manufactured at the company's Singur facility in West Bengal. A diesel version and exports to other countries are also planned later.
"It's a safe, affordable and all-weather transport - a people's car, designed to meet all safety standards and emissions laws and accessible to all," Tata said, seeking to dismiss fears over its being environmentally unfriendly.
"I observed families riding on two-wheelers - the father driving, his young kid standing in front, his wife seated behind holding a baby. It led me to wonder if we could conceive of a safe, affordable transport for such families."
The four-door, five-seat car has a small 33-bhp 624-cc engine at the rear and is targeted at the strong middle class population of Indians who aspire to trade their two-wheelers for a safer automobile - at an affordable cost.
"A promise is a promise," he said, and sought to drive home the point he had delivered the car at the same price at which he had said four years ago, despite major escalations in input costs.
"It is a car most people said could not be manufactured at that price," he added.
"It's a good product," said Jagdish Khattar, former chief executive of Indo-Japanese car venture Maruti Suzuki, which has been dominating the small car market in India for over three decades.
Tata also said "Nano" fully meets safety and emission standards and had passed the full frontal crash test, besides meeting the Euro-IV emission norms.
Absolute chaos and mayhem marked the launch, with at least 1,000 members of the media corps struggling to enter the Tata Motor's pavilion and see the machine that will cost less than a branded DVD player of a BMW or a Mercedes.
At a press conference later, Tata spoke at length on a wide variety of issues including comments from the global automobile industry, which he said watching the new launch "with disbelief and not with expectations".
"In the marketplace, the best wins. I am quite willing to fight in the marketplace. I also urge all players to fight in the market," Tata said while expressing displeasure over the controversies behind the new project.
"The concept started as a social issue and not as business or philanthropy. There will be a base model and several variants for upmarket consumers. All this will add up as an attractive business prospect."
With a length of 3.1 metres, a width of 1.5 metres and a height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas, Tata officials said.
Meanwhile, a Tata Motors press release said that the People's Car has been designed with a family in mind. It has a length of 3.1 metres, a width of 1.5 metres and a height of 1.6 metres. When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions.
The statement also added that the car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi-point fuel injection petrol engine. "This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft," it said. "The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system." The car reportedly gives a mileage of 23 km per litre of petrol.
"It's a dream come true," Ashok Singh, a constable with the Delhi Police, said at the show. "I look forward to buying that car. My wife will be really happy."
The car arrives at a time when oil has topped $100 a barrel, the move to fuel-efficient "green" cars is gaining momentum, and a wave of nostalgia has spurred sales of brands such as BMW's Mini and the Fiat 500 Cinquecento.
The Statesman, India -
9: The members of United Action Committee (UAC), formed by villagers of Posco site area, today decided to request for suspension of the socio-economic ...
Posco survey work begins
Survey work of Posco to begin
Posco:12 villages surveyed
| Posco site survery begins Moneycontrol.com, India - In a major breakthrough, the Orissa government for the first time is able to begin its survey work at the disputed Posco site for the 12 million tonne steel .... |
| Posco survey team forced to return by villagers Times of India, India - BHUBANESWAR: The much-touted land survey in the proposed Posco project area proved a non-starter on Tuesday in the face of stiff resistance from local ... |
| POSCO - Changes in Directors' Shares Reuters - RNS Number:1777L POSCO 07 January 2008 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, DC 20549 Form 6-K REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE .... |
| Construction work will begin as scheduled: Posco Hindu Business Line, India - 6 Even as Posco India continues to face opposition to its steel plant project, captive port venture and proposed mining, the company is hopeful of starting ... |
| Posco promises adequate compensation for project-hit Daily News & Analysis, India - BHUBANESHWAR: Posco-India will address issues of people to be displaced from government land, give reasonable compensation to cultivators on encroached land ... |
Sensex falls 288 pts on selling in metal, capital goods stocks
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Thursday fell by 288 points on heavy selling by funds mainly in metal and capital goods stocks.
The Sensex, which zoomed to record an intra-day high of 21,206 points, fell back sharply to close at 20,582.08, a hefty fall of 287.70. The key-index also touched the day's low of 20,530.07 points.
Similarly, the second wide-based National Stock Exchange's Nifty fell by 115.05 points at 6,156.95, after touching the day's low of 6,142.90 and a high of 6,347 points.
Major pullers to the Sensex were metal index that fell by loosing 653.58 at 18,770.14 and capital goods index by 409.28 points at 19,666.06. PSU index also lost 337.34 points at 10,381.09.
Realty index dropped by 296.66 points at 13,270.05, oil and gas index by 288.20 points at 13,528.94, consumer durable index by 248.21 points at 6,347.79, healthcare index by 119.73 points at 4,153.32 and power index by 117.80 points at 4,700.63.
A steep fall of 511.32 points in smallcap index to 12,858.63 and of 329.54 points in midcap index to 9,440.45 were the trigger behind the selling.
AFP via Yahoo! News - 14 minutes ago
New Delhi (PTI): Car maker Honda Siel on Thursday said it will enter into small-car segment with the launch of 'Jazz' in 2009.
"The company plans to launch Jazz by the end of next year," Honda Siel India Ltd President M Takedagawa told reporters at Auto Expo here.
"With entry into small-car segment, the company aims to cross sales volume of 1,60,000 cars by the end of 2010," he added.
CPI distances itself from Basu's 'capitalism' remark
New Delhi (PTI): The Communist Party of India (CPI) has distanced itself from Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu's remarks on inevitability of capitalism, saying the issue had been raised and resolved within the CPI(M).
"What comrade Jyoti Basu has said has been further explained by his party's own general secretary (Prakash Karat). I have nothing to say. That is their party's stand," senior CPI leader D Raja said.
Basu's statement last week that capitalism was necessary for industrialisation of West Bengal had evoked sharp reactions from the Left parties RSP and Forward Bloc, which were reportedly criticised by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat for their open criticism later.
"He has not mentioned us (CPI)," Raja said when asked about Karat's comments made on Monday.
On the draft nuclear safeguards agreement with the IAEA, which is currently being negotiated in Vienna, Raja said: "Let us wait. We have to see the draft... They (Indian negotiators) would not conclude anything. They would not agree to any text with relation to the 123 agreement (with the US)".
He said there was no change in the Left's opposition to the 123 agreement, adding it was for the government to convince them on the bilateral pact with the US.
Priorities in India: First buy a car, then learn to drive
By Somini Sengupta Published: January 10, 2008
NEW DELHI: A few weeks ago, the traditional Indian joint family household of Vineet Sharma, a fertilizer industry consultant, achieved a long deferred dream. Having ferried themselves on scooters all these years, the Sharmas bought a brand-new silver-gray Tata Indica hatchback.
Never mind that none of the six adult members of the household knew how to drive. No sooner had the car arrived than Sharma, 34, took it for a spin and knocked over a friend. His brother slammed into a motorcyclist, injuring no one but damaging the bumper and getting so scared that he no longer gets behind the wheel, except on Sundays when the roads are empty. "We bought it first, and then we thought about driving," Sharma confessed.
This week, as carmakers from across the world came to Delhi to peddle their wares to a bubbling Indian car market, Sharma began to think about driving. He enrolled in a weeklong driving course and dived headlong into the madness of the morning commute in a beat-up Maruti 800. Its odometer had long stopped working, and it carried on its roof a sign for the driving school, accompanied, improbably, by the smiling face of Shrek, the animated movie character. He wasn't going very fast anyway. He said he was very nervous.
He had good reason, for his first real experience on four wheels revealed how many hurdles still stand in the way of India's budding romance with the road.
Amid a cacophony of horns on the Ring Road, a blood-red sport utility vehicle weaved between cars, passing Sharma within a razor's edge on the right. A school bus snuggled close up on his left. No one seemed to care about traffic lanes. Cars bounced in and out of crater-sized potholes.
Indians are rushing headlong to get behind the wheel, as incomes rise, car loans proliferate and the auto industry churns out low-cost cars to nudge them off their motorcycles. The capital was aflutter with car mania this week as the biennial Auto Expo opened Thursday and carmakers, both Indian and foreign, began rolling out the first of 25 new models.
The greatest hype came from Tata Motors, which unveiled the Nano, at $2,500 the world's cheapest car, as the theme song from "2001: A Space Odyssey" played loudly in the background. There were also luxury sedans and sport utility vehicles on offer, as well as a variety of small cars, gadgets, car parts and a smattering of models. Indeed, so busy was the exhibition center where the AutoExpo was under way that there was a noisy, messy traffic jam inside its gates even before the official opening.
Indians bought 1.5 million cars last year. By some estimates, India is expected to soar past China this year as the fastest growing car market.
Not unexpectedly, Indian environmentalists have assailed the car craze, particularly because of the country's relatively relaxed emissions standards and the proliferation of diesel-powered cars; AutoExpo features a pavilion dedicated to diesel.
Even Rajendra Pachauri, the usually nonconfrontational chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has sharply criticized the small-car boom, questioning Tata Motors in particular for devoting itself to building cheap cars rather than efficient mass transportation. Greenpeace called this week for mandatory fuel efficiency standards, including information on carbon dioxide emissions.
On his first driving lesson this week, Sharma had more immediate worries in mind. Sharing the road were a bicyclist with three cooking gas cylinders strapped to the back of his bike, a pushcart vendor plying guavas and a cycle rickshaw loaded with a photocopy machine (rickshaws often being the preferred mode of delivery for modern appliances). There were also a great many pedestrians, either leaping into traffic in the absence of crosswalks or marching in thick rows on the sides of the road in the absence of sidewalks.
At one point, a car careered down the wrong side of the road. Then a three-wheeled scooter-rickshaw came straight at him, only to duck swiftly into a side street.
Dinner party chatter here is usually rife with theories on road management. It is said that Indians drive as though they are still on two wheels, or that snaking in and out of lanes is the only way so many cars can survive on narrow, ill-kept roads. Sharma's theory was simpler. "We have a knack for breaking laws," he muttered.
Suvashish Choudhary, deputy commissioner of police in charge of traffic enforcement, shared that sentiment. He was vexed by all this talk of new low-cost cars.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/business/drive.php
Clinton, Obama neck-to-neck
Hindustan Times -
AP Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama dug in Wednesday for a prolonged struggle over the Democratic presidential nomination, a woman and a black man in a campaign unlike any other.
Clinton's Message, and Moment, Won the Day
Clinton The Favorite Once Again
Mumbai (PTI): Bharati Shipyard on Thursday said it plans to construct a green field shipyard at Dabhol in Maharashtra.
The yard would have the capacity to built vessels upto 100,000 Dead Weight Tonnes (DWT) and would be fully operational in the next two years, the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchanges.
"We are very proud to announce the Green Field Shipyard at Dabhol. The yard will be spread over an area of more than 250 acres. We have already acquired more than 180 acres of land. We are in the process of acquiring balance land," Managing Director of the company P C Kapoor said.
With the increased ship-building capacity, the new shipyard would also help boost allied industries, which are also on a higher growth phase and create job opportunities for more than 3000 people, the filing added.
| ||||||||||||
Hyundai's Santro LPG to hit roads by September
New Delhi (PTI): Country's second largest car maker Hyundai Motors on Thursday said it will launch LPG variant of its best-selling hatchback Santro by the end of September.
The company has unveiled the variant at the 9th Auto Expo here. "We have just introduced LPG variant of Santro and in the coming months similar variants of other models like Getz and Accent will also be rolled out," Hyundai Motor India Ltd Managing Director H S Lheem told reporter.
The LPG variant of the other models would come by third quarter of the year, he said.
Santro, powered by a 1,086cc engine, is available in CNG, diesel and petrol versions at present.
The company also showcased concept cars Volster and crossover coupe QarmaQ.
The company is also working on price revision of most of its models as the input costs have gone up and profitability has come under pressure, Lheem said.
"We have decided to increase prices of i10 by Rs 5,000 from January 12."
Since i10 was launched with an introductory price in October last year, the company will now revise prices by up to Rs 5,000 for different variants.
The company is looking to sell 2.3 lakh units of i10 in 2008 with 50 per cent projected to be sold in the overseas market. So far, the company has got an order to the tune of 31,000 units form overseas since its launch in October.
Lheem said the company has phased out Elantra because sales of the model was "not so good" and a replacement would be worked out soon.
Thaindian.com |
India, China to sign five accords during PM Singh's visit
Economic Times -
10 Jan, 2008, 1932 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: India and China will sign five agreements, including a pact between the two state-run railways, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to China next week, a cabinet minister said on Thursday.
PM meets president ahead of China visit
India, China to sign 5 MoUs
New Delhi (PTI): The government proposes to set up a regulatory body for overseeing the functioning of valuers engaged in different professions and a bill to this effect will be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament.
"Valuation professionals are currently not covered under any regulatory body set up by the government and the proposed bill will ensure setting up of such an institution," Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta said on Thursday.
The bill is currently in the consultation stage. The legislation will provide a broad framework, within which proposed body will work independently. It will collect inputs from domestic and internationals institutions as Institute of Cost and Work Accountants of India does.
"The objective (of the proposed bill) is to provide self regulation (to corporates and valuation professionals), but at the same time responsibility and accountability through effective disciplinary mechanism," Gupta said at 'Global Summit on Repositioning the Management Accountant' here.
He said the government will also introduce a bill that would enable comprehensive revision of Companies Act, 1956 in the budget session of Parliament.
To a question on the role of Competition Commission of India, he said it will check cartelisation in the country.
During the event, he said new challenges are being posed for corporates in the era of globalisation. In such a scenario, management accountants have to play the role of value creator.
Caparo Group to invest Rs 1,000 cr in India
New Delhi (PTI): NRI industrialist Swraj Paul-led Caparo India on Thursday said it plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore in the Indian market over the next three years to become the largest automotive technology company in the country.
"The company will invest Rs 1,000 crore over the next two to three years time. We plan to rake in USD 500 million sales from the country by then," Caparo India CEO Angad Paul told reporters at the 9th Auto Expo here.
The company has already invested Rs 1,000 crore in the country toward setting up 22 manufacturing facilities, including in Pune, Chennai and Singur in West Bengal.
Paul said the company would review the investment figures as and when required. The investment would be made in setting up manufacturing units near the existing ones in Chennai and Singur as also in expanding capacity at the Pune unit.
A major portion of the USD 1.5 billion revenues of Caparo Group comes from the UK and US. India accounts for about USD 150 million. "In future, we would like that all the three regions contribute equally to our revenues," Paul said.
Asked about its planned compact car concept, he said the group is open to bringing it to the Indian market. The group is in the process of introducing a "city car" concept in Europe by this year-end, where Caparo would provide the design and assembling services to carmakers.
"We have a city car concept with us and are working toward it. We would provide the basic design services for the car, which would target the mid-segment."
Govt approves trilateral MoU between India, Brazil, S Africa
New Delhi (PTI): The Government on Thursday gave its approval to the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding signed by India, Brazil and South Africa in the field of health and medicine last year.
The ex-post facto approval to the MoU was given by the Union Cabinet at a meeting here on Thursday.
The MoU will facilitate cooperation among the three countries in the field of health and medicine on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters after the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The MoU had been signed on October, 17, 2007, during the second IBSA summit held in South Africa.
Cabinet defers delimitation exercise in 4 NE states, Jharkhand
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Cabinet on Thursday deferred the delimitation exercise in four North Eastern states and Jharkhand by approving amendments to the Delimitation Act 2002.
The amendment would take care of the concerns expressed by the delimitation exercise in the four North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh due to the situation prevailing there, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.
It was felt that due to the various situations prevailing in these states, the Cabinet decided to let it remain as it is for now, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
One of the objectives of the delimitation commission is to ensure that the number of seats is not decreased if not increased, he said adding the exercise has been completed in 25 states.
"There was some problem in shifting the rural seats from urban seats in these states, accordingly we agreed that this ordinance will enable these states to contest the next polls as it is," Dasmunsi said.
As far as Jharkhand is concerned, the problem is that the exercise found that the number of reserved seats was going down, he said adding the objective was to ensure that the reserved seats are not decreased.
"To accommodate these states this ordinance was approved today and it will be tabled in the coming Parliament session," he said.
Relations with India witnessing 'sound momentum', says China
Beijing (PTI): China on Thursday said its ties with India were witnessing "a sound momentum" and expressed the hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's upcoming visit would further enhance the strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides would exchange views in depth on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common interest during Singh's meetings with the Chinese leadership during his three-day visit to the Communist nation from January 13, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters here.
Replying to a question, she said: "I do not know what specific topics will be discussed."
Jiang said China's ties with India were witnessing "a sound momentum" and noted that the boundary negotiations had made a positive progress. She recalled that Special Representatives of the two sides held three rounds of talks last year.
"We hope to work together with India so as to find a fair and reasonable resolution framework acceptable to both," she said.
Asked if the issue of Tibetan government in exile in India would also figure, she said Indian government's position on the matter had been "persistent and clear."
"We believe that the Indian government would adhere to this policy and honour its commitments."
Govt issues LoIs to nine companies
New Delhi (PTI): Mobile users are set to enjoy wider choice of services and lower tariffs with the government today allowing more players to enter cellular telephony.
The Department of Telecom on Thursday issued Letters of Intent (LoIs) to nine companies, including Unitech, Shyam Telelink, Datacom and Shippingstop Dotcom for pan-India operations. It also gave LoIs to S Tel, Spice Telecom, Idea Cellular, Swan and Tata Teleservices for a few circles.
The applications of HFCL, Parsvnath Developers and Allianz Infratech have been rejected and that of ByCell and Indiabulls are pending necessary approvals.
Successful applicants would be asked to deposit the required spectrum fee along with bank and performance guarantees to become eligible for allotment of airwaves that are necessary to start mobile services.
DoT gave the LoIs after inviting each of them separately and announcing the decision on accepting or rejecting their application. The applications submitted till September 25, 2007 have been taken into consideration.
Sources said the government has enough spectrum to accommodate at least 5-6 new players after meeting the demands of existing GSM players as well as Reliance Communications which has been permitted to start GSM services under the dual technology clause.
Singur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Singur railway station is 34 km from Howrah Station on the Howrah-Tarakeswar line. It is 2 km ahead of Kamarkundu junction, the crossing point of ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singur - 62k - |
The Times of India
| Day after, Singur land fenced off The team was impressive enough to ... Singur battle fought in House The unprecedented bedlam Mamata created in the West ... timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/716800.cms - 32k - |
FB wants Tatas to close Singur car plant-India-The Times of India
| SINGUR: The differences among Left Front partners on industrialization came to the fore yet again on Sunday, with Forward Bloc leader Ashok Ghosh asking the ... timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/FB_wants_ |
AID - Singur update
| Association for India's Development(AID) We aim to provide an alternate paradigm of development in India, singur, police brutality, firing, beating, ... aidindia.org/main/content/view/323/74/ - |
Singur
| 9, Kamarkundu G. Daluigacha. 10, Anandanagar. 11, Boinchipota. 12, Gopalnagore. 13, Singur-I. 14, Singur-II. 15, Mirzapur-Bankipur. 16, Bighati. www.hooghly.gov.in/hzp/Singur.htm - 19k - |
Singur.ro - Locul preferat de intalniri, matrimoniale, prietenii ...
| Cel mai complex site de matrimoniale si prietenii din Romania. Esti singur? Cupleaza-te! Click AICI! Femei si barbati din Romania si nu numai te asteapta ... www.singur.ro/ - 30k - |
singur
| Prasanta Das, a 43 year old marginal peasant of Khaser Bheri mouza in Singur, who had declined to give up his land for the Tata Motors small car factory, ... singur-singur.blogspot.com/ - 150k - |
The Telegraph - Calcutta : Insight
| Singur has been witnessing a sea-change ever since Tata Motors picked it as the site for its small car plant. The 'bargadars' are opposing the government ... www.telegraphindia.com/1061210/ |
|
Our Land, Their Development: A Photo Essay On Singur - India ...
| Singur is a thriving farming community in the West Bengal State of India. Its 20000 habitants, mostly small peasants, agricultural workers and small. www.indiamike.com/.../ |
FB wants Tatas to close Singur car plant
7 Jan 2008, 0052 hrs IST,TNN
Terming the decision to allow the car plant at Singur as a "mistake", he asked the state government to take corrective steps. At a rally in Bajemelia, Ghosh said the Tata factory couldn't come up on the fertile Singur land.
"This is people's verdict and it's the state government's duty to respect it. The government should ensure that people are not made to suffer for the factory."
Echoing Trinamul Congress demand for a white paper on the expenditure incurred for providing infrastructural facilities and security arrangements at the factory site in Singur, he asked the Tatas to shift their factory to Kalaik-unda in West Midnapur.
"That would be the most sensible thing to do. The government, on the other hand, should come clean on expenditure because public money is involved. The accounts provided by the chief minister and the industries minister at the LF meeting don't match with the one given in the affidavit to the high court. Why are they trying to hide facts?" asked Ghosh. The veteran leader said his party was still open to talks with CPM on their differences. He, however said the party would first talk to other Left Front partners — RSP and CPI — on January 7 and 8.
10 Jan 2008, 1053 hrs IST
,PTIDespite rejoinders from CPM leaders that only those who are utterly ignorant of the party's clearly-enenuciated programme could see any ideological deviation in Basu's statement, Congress and BJP leaders in the state have been quick to dub it as a 'confession' from a senior Marxist of the futility of pursuing 'outdated' policies.
For a change, the polemics over socialism and capitalism have pushed the CPM to the defensive unlike on most other occasions when the principal Left party used to set the agenda for ideololgical and political debates in Kerala.
According to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Basu's comment amounted to a 'candid admission' of the failure of socialism as foreseen by Karl Marx and implemented in the socialist block, including the now defunct Soviet Union.
On the contrary, democratic socialism as envisaged by the Congress has become all the more relevant in the present global context, he said.
KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala says the current shift in the CPM's ideological stand coming from the party's senior leaders could trigger an ideological polarisation in the Left block in the coming days, resulting in the death knell of Communism in the country.
SEZs prime movers of economy: Modi
Statesman News Service CM encounters conflict of interest Statesman News Service Congress grouse against Mamata Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, Jan. 9: The Gujarat chief minister, Mr Narendra Modi, today shared the commerce minister, Mr Kamal Nath's view on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and described them as "the prime movers of growth in the future", inviting the Indian diaspora to invest in the projects.
Participating in an interactive session with the Gujarati NRIs at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conclave, Mr Modi said he firmly believed that the future of growth lay in the SEZs, but farmers must not be coerced into parting with their land.
"SEZs are going to be the new paradigm of development, but this should not be in conflict with farmers' interests," he said. The chief minister said his government had approved 51 SEZs, the largest number by any state. But there was no controversy on the issue, he said, referring to West Bengal "where there was violence at Nandigram on the issue".
Mr Modi said Gujarat was among the earliest states to enact an SEZ Act in 2004. "Today, as many as 51 SEZs have been approved in the state, of which five are functional and others are in the process of being developed," he pointed out.
Asking entrepreneurs to develop their SEZs having world class facilities, he said his state is also setting up a separate mechanism for proper development and monitoring of the implementation of SEZs coming up in Gujarat. The state wanted at least one SEZ in each of its districts, he said.
Addressing the PBD session on "developmental challenges of the States : partnership opportunities," Mr Modi offered to host the first PIO University in the state and called upon NRIs to participate in the great opportunities that would arise from the 100 billion dollars Industrial Corridor that would criss-cross major areas of Gujarat.
Referring to the state's dramatic economic transformation, Mr Modi sought a major role for the Indian Diaspora in development of the physical infrastructure and provision of social services. .
The Kerala chief minister, Mr VS Achuthanandan, told the meet that Kerala was the first state to set up a separate department for taking care of needs of the non-resident Keralites.
Trying to sell Kerala as an investment destination, he said, "Kerala is located on the corridor connecting Europe and Fast East countries…Three international airports, all operating domestic and international flights, a major seaport, telecom and datacom connectivity, low start up and operating costs… are factors that make Kerala a favourable investment destination. Kerala is also the most peaceful state in the country." The chief minister took up the case of the Gulf Keralites with the Central government and said India should take up the case of their exploitation with the respective countries. "Action taken so far is not felt to be adequate," he said.
KOLKATA, Jan. 9: Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who made it a practice to support industrialisation over agriculture in the state, had an awkward time today when two Union ministers said the Centre has decided to lay stress on agriculture and horticulture in the 11th Five Year Plan, while sharing the stage with Mr Bhattacharjee at the India International Potato Expo-2008, at Netaji Indoor Stadium today.
While addressing the gathering, Union minister of state for food processing industries, Mr Subodh Kant Sahay, said the Centre has selected agriculture and horticulture as its focus for the Plan because these two sectors have good prospects. He also said if the supply and "cold chain", the missing link of the sectors, could be developed, India would do well here. The food processing sector also needs to be developed.
Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union minister of state for commerce and industries, said India's progress in potato cultivation is remarkable. Fifteen-20 years ago, India was nowhere but now it is the third-largest country in terms of potato production. "If proper steps are taken to add value to what we produce, we can do well in exports, too. We have done it for horticulture. So it's nothing impossible in agriculture. As the Plan would lay stress on agriculture and horticulture, it appears to be possible that we would do well in this sector," he said.
Mr Sahay said the Centre has decided to invest in the supply and "cold chain" to make agricultural production profitable in all states.
The chief minister said: "When the meeting for the 11th Five Year Plan was held in Delhi, we decided to lay stress on agriculture because the sector's growth rate has come down to two per cent. And we want to increase the growth rate to four per cent. But in West Bengal, the scenario is a bit different. We are the largest producer of paddy and vegetables." Mr Bhattacharjee admitted that the state lacks a modern marketing mechanism and invited foreign investment in food processing to help farmers profit from their produce.
KOLKATA, Jan. 9: Fuming at Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee's refusal to invite the Congress into her newly floated front, the PCC today ridiculed her efforts to forge a Progressive, Secular and Democratic Front "even when she continues to be an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance".
Mr Manash Bhuniya, Congress Legislature Party leader, said Miss Banerjee's decision to take on the CPI-M with the help of her PSDF sans the Congress was "astounding". "We appeal to her and to the Trinamul members to revise their stand and join forces with the Congress if they are sincere about forging a truly secular, democratic alliance. By reaffirming her resolve to continue to be in a combine which has the communal in its fold, the BJP, Miss Banerjee is only trying to split secular forces which would help the CPI-M remain entrenched in power," Mr Bhuniya said.
The PCC also criticised Miss Banerjee for her instruction to her partymen to resist farmland acquisition for industrialisation under the Trinamul's banner, instead of the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee.
Mamata
Miss Banerjee today said that the PSDF would move the court to "forestall" the attempt by a promoter to fill a pond and build a multi-storeyed apartment at Maniktala. The promoter's men fired shots and let dogs loose on local residents last week when the latter protested against the construction plan which they complained flouted the laws concerning water-bodies.
__._,_.___
*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm
*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf
*****************************************
MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm
*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/
*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm
*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm
*****************************************
Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm
****************************************************
VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
****************************************************
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___