LPG prices reduced by Rs 45

Non-subsidised domestic LPG in Delhi will now cost Rs 802 per 14.2-kg cylinder as against Rs 847 currently. 

The price of non-subsidised cooking gas, which was cut by Rs 54 per cylinder from May 11, has further been reduced by Rs 45 per 14.2-kg bottle. The price of a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder that consumers buy beyond their quota of 9 subsidised cylinders has been reduced to Rs 802 from Rs 847.

Rates will vary in different cities, depending upon local sales tax or VAT. This is the third time that the price of non-subsidised LPG cylinder have been slashed since April. Price was last cut by Rs 54 to Rs 901 on May 1 and by Rs 3 on April 1.

Gold prices may fall by Rs 2,000 in medium term: Report

New Delhi: Gold prices may fall by Rs 2,000 from the present levels in the near to medium term as the precious metal is losing appeal as an asset, a report by industry body Assocham has said.

The report, however, said that gold is unlikely to fall below Rs 25,000 per 10 grams due to a strong buying support at that level and a weak rupee against the US dollar.

Gold prices have come down to Rs 27,790 per 10 grams in the national capital this month from the high of Rs 32,990 per 10 grams in April.

"A fall of Rs 2,000 or little more from the present level looks plausible in the near to medium term," according to Assocham report on gold.

A likely drop in gold prices below Rs 25,000 per ten grams level will attract a strong buying support and may lead to April-like situation, when the downward spiral had made buyers rush to jewellers and banks for enriching their bullion collection, it said.

The Assocham paper contended that gold prices are unlikely to fall below Rs 25,000 per ten grams for another reason, that is, continuous weakening of rupee against dollar.

"Expensive dollar will push the gold prices in India even as they may decline in the international market. The country meets almost all its gold requirements through imports which will again become expensive as the rupee is likely to see more pressure in the coming days," it added.

The report titled ‘Will Gold Retain its Lustre in 2013?’ found that the main reasons for a runaway rise in gold prices in India was lack of investment avenues for the Indian middle and upper middle class.

This is more so in the wake of inflation hovering around the double digit figure and investors were finding it difficult to save funds from the general price rise, it said.

On the other hand, the report said that most other avenues like property were out of the reach for the middle class investors and the equity market was dull. In this context, the goldunits had come in handy.

It found that the newly announced inflation indexed bonds will not fit the bill since the instruments have a long maturity period while the secondary bond market in the country has not developed for the retail investors.

India, the world's largest gold consumer, is expected to import around 900 tonnes in 2013

Now, mobile app that tracks employees

Chennai: The big boss is watching you. Companies are now deploying a mobile application, which would track their employee movements and how long they stay in one place, besides the speed at which they travel.

Sosaley Technologies, a Chennai-based electronics company has come up with a solution to track employees and vehicles at an inexpensive rate.  “Once you download the application, you can start tracking people who are networked to your system.

You can track the speed, the distance, the place of the vehicle in which the person is traveling,” said J. Srinivasan, CEO of Sosaley Technologies, who added that it can also be used to track whereabouts of elders and children.

He further said that their mobile application works on android platform in smartphones, sim card with GPRS and A-GPS on their phones. “While phones manufactured by Samsung, LG and Sony can use it now, we will soon extend this to use on other platforms like Apple and Blackberry,” he said.

Giving an example of how a FMCG distributing company can track its salesman and also areas he covered, with the help of the software, Srinivasan pointed out that the service would be of immense use to companies which deal with elevators, emergency unit providers, pharmaceuticals, service engineers and so on.

“The tracking system can also help in theft control, apart from locking the phone when it is stolen and an attempt made to change the sim card,” said Satish Kumar, group leader of Jnanaadri Technovations, which has taken charge of the start-up company Sosaley. “Sosaley has now moved on to the mobile platform after venturing into hardware based tracking system for the last five years,” he added.

“We will soon come out with software, which will help track the route and give the cost of the journey for travel in both taxi and auto,” said R. Ayyappan asst manager, business development, Sosaley, who added that the company is also working on payment gateway with two levels of security.

Rs 53,000 cr plan for Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: The planning commission appreciated Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s welfare initiatives including the ‘Bangaru Talli’ (monetary assistance to girl child) and approved the annual plan of Rs 53,000 crore.

The plan expenditure in the state Budget grew by 8.2 per cent against Rs 48,935 crore in 2012-2013. The state continued to be on top vis-a-vis the annual plan outlay.

The approval was given at a high-level meeting held by Planning Commission deputy chairman Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia with Chief Minister and senior state officials at New Delhi on Thursday.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dr Ahluwalia said he was extremely happy over the state’s progress on several social and welfare indicators. In particular, he appreciated the legislative back up to the SC and ST sub plan and asked all the states to emulate Andhra Pradesh in this regard.

Contrary to reports that the Planning Commission pulled up the state for certain shortcomings, Dr Ahluwalia said the commission had found no fault at all with the implementation of plan by the state government.

“The state fared well both economically and socially,” he said.

Dr Ahluwalia suggested to the Chief Minister to take up critical issues in energy and infrastructure with Centre and resolve the long-pending problems. He stressed the need for infusing additional investments in road and rail projects and expediting irrigation projects.

The Chief Minister said the planning commission had asked the state to send fresh proposals for Rs 2,500 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

 “Our proposed expenditure in 12th five year plan, the highest in the country, is expected to be `3.42 lakh crore,” he said.

Thanking the planning commission for approving the annual outlay, the Chief Minister said the former had evinced keen interest in SC,ST sub plan, Indiramma kalalu and bangaru talli schemes. The planning commission will showcase our schemes to other states, he added.

450 monorails to ply across Chennai

Chennai: The Rs 8,500 crore monorail scheme aimed at reducing the public transportation woes of Chennai took off on Thursday with  handing over of vital request for proposal (RFP) document to project promoters.

They in turn will submit financial bids soon.  This comes little less than a week after chief minister Jayalalithaa’s intervention who was concerned by the delay being caused to her pet project, and a few days after monorail project director was asked to return from Switzerland where he had gone to attend an international seminar.

The RFP document handed over to two developers proposes to have three corridors will have a total of 450 monorails.  The frequency of trains will be one every four minutes in both directions.

According to sources, monorail stations require only minimal space and passengers descending fr­om the monorail can directly reach the exit points through escalators. The mon­orail systems can be built faster and can be expa­nded to other parts of the city rapidly causing mi­nimal disruption to traffic during construction.

Two Chennai monorail promoters get RFP

Chennaiites can now heave a sigh of relief as the much-delayed monorail scheme that remained only on paper for nearly a year, is all set to become a reality. For, the final hurdle obstructing the scheme was cleared by the state government on Thursday with handing over of vital request for proposal (RFP) document to the project promoters, which will enable them to submit financial bids.

This comes little less than a week after chief minister Jayalalithaa’s intervention who was concerned by the delay being caused to her pet project, and a few days after monorail project director was asked to return from Switzerland where he had gone to attend an international seminar.

Sources in the government told DC on Thursday that the RFP document was handed over to the two developers who had expressed interest to stay with the ambitious project. As per the document, the three corridors will have a total of 450 monorails and frequency of trains will be one every four minutes in both directions.

“The RFP document runs into over 900 pages was handed over to the two prospective developers Thursday by the project director. They will have to submit their financial bids by July end,” said a source. The RFP encompasses specifications, requirements, and expectations of the state government for effective implementation of the project. In all probability works will start by ate July or early August.

The state government had floated fresh bids for identifying the developer in early 2012 after cancelling the previous tender due to some alleged discrepancies. After the preliminary stage, five consortia of firms had been finalized.

Of these, only two – Scomi engineering that has built Mumbai Monorail and  Gammon and IL&FS - expressed interest in the final stage of tendering process. The government has identified three corridors — Vandalur to Velachery (23 km), Poonamallee to Kathi­para (16 km) and Poona­mallee to Vadapalani (18 km).

Light showers in Uttar Pradesh bring respite from heat

Uttar Pradesh got some respite from the heat wave with parts of the state receiving light to moderate rainfall and thundershowers in the last 24 hours.

The Met office sources here said that highest rainfall was measured in Bareilly at 3 cm.

Day temperatures fell appreciably in Meerut, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Bareilly divisions, the weatherman said.

But Etawah continued as the hottest place in the state with a temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius.

The forecast is mainly for dry weather in western part of the state, though there is a chance of rain or thundershowers at isolated places in the eastern parts of the state in the next 24 hours.

Misplaced mobile phone leads Jaipur police to gang of robbers

Jaipur: A mobile phone left behind at the crime scene led police to a gang of five robbers who looted over Rs. 16 lakh at gunpoint from a businessman in Jaipur, police said today.

Commissioner of police Biju George Joseph said that the accused, all hailing from western Uttar Pradesh, were nabbed within four hours of the incident last night.

Police raided their rented accommodation and caught them while the gang was in the process of dividing the booty amongst themselves.

"One of the accused, Shaukin, had gone to... a shopping complex five days back when he noticed businessman Rajendra Tambi carrying money home in a bag.

"It was then that he decided to rob him and called the four accomplices from Uttar Pradesh to carry out the crime," Joseph added.

After conducting recces for a couple of days, they decided to execute their plan last night and intercepted Tambi outside his house in Shastry Nagar with a bag containing Rs. 16.83 lakh cash, police said. After snatching the bag at gunpoint, the five accused fled the scene, they added.

But one of them left his mobile phone behind and upon discovering the same, dialled the number after reaching their room in the Hasanpura area, enabling police to trace the location.

Police said that a revolver and the money have been seized from their possession.

The other accused involved in the crime were identified as Raja, Murshid, Nakib and Meherwan.

'American Corner' opened in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the US Department of State Wendy Sherman and US Ambassador to India Nancy J Powell today unveiled 'American Corner', seventh in the country, at St Francis College for Women in Hyderabad.

It would be a collaboration between the US consulate and the college.

American Corners are dedicated information spaces hosted in schools, colleges, libraries, etc. that help introduce visitors to different aspects of the USA.

"The opening of this new American Corner reinforces what people of India and the United State are already doing - bringing our two countries closer together," Sherman said.

Powell said the American Corner will provide a window on life and culture in the USA.

Schoolkids open an umbrella manufacturing unit

Thrissur: Come monsoon, the kids here are set to unravel a riot of colours in different designs.

This year’s school season will see a whole new lot of umbrellas in the market, with the students of Sarvodayam Vocational Higher Secondary school in Thrissur opening an umbrella manufacturing unit in their school. The initiative, Oru Kudayum Kunju Pengalum’, is named after a famous Malayalam short story and it aims at raising funds to support their fellow students suffering from chronic diseases.

It all started on May 1st, when a batch of 50 students in the school took training in umbrella manufacturing from Krishnendu, now a 6th standard student of the same school. The students were given a week-long training in the craft, including designing and screen printing etc and they picked up the art so fast that the manufacturing unit was set up in the next week itself.

“We always wanted our students to give back to the community. But these inspiring kids exceeded our expectations to implement a scheme to improve the lives of those in need’’, said Sasi Kumar, the school manager, who devised the scheme.

With over a thousand umbrellas neatly stacked one above the other in its store room, the school has now launched the trade fair to sell the product and raise money. Besides, the school has also deployed a marketing team from the Commerce stream to identify the market and improve sales.Priced between Rs 200 and 300, the product has already got a few takers, mostly people living around the school, in addition to the school students.

Premonsoon showers play truant in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: This year too, summer showers have failed Tamil Nadu. While a little bit of rain in the last few days have helped bring down the deficit to minus 31 per cent compared to minus 39 per cent recorded till last Wednesday, weathermen believe that the state might end up with 30 per cent deficit of pre-monsoon rains.

For the period starting March 1 to May 29, TN and Puducherry have rece­ived only 86.2 mm compared to normal cumulative rainfall of 124.1 mm. Last year, the state ended the summer season with 86.1 mm rainfall only. Weathermen say that there are possibilities of thundershowers in the northern districts for another two or three days.

“There was almost some rain in the state for the last five days. So the deficit level has come down. With just two more days to go, we might end the pre-monsoon with about minus 30 per cent rainfall in TN and Puducherry,” said Dr Y.E.­A. Raj, deputy director general of meteorology, Regi­onal Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai.

He pointed out that May month was comparatively better than the previous two months. “Summer rains show lot of variability. But for good rains betw­een March 5 and 10, we did not receive any rainfall in March and April. Fortu­nately we received some rainfall everyday in May in TN,” he added.

For a 24-hour period ending 8.30 am on Wednesday, Ketti in Nilgiris district recorded the maximum rainfall of 5 cm in the state. Pennagaram in Dhar­mapuri district, Gudiy­atham in Vellore district and Shoolagiri in Krish­nagiri district registered 4 cm rainfall each.

“Even though the observatory in Nungambakkam did not register any rainfall, there was some amo­unt of rainfall in the city,” said Dr Raj, adding that the airport town and nearby areas were cooled down by the showers in the Kathipara area, which led to drop in temperature levels.

While Meenambakkam recorded 38 degree Celsius, Nungambakkam temperature was on the higher side at 39.5 degree Celsius despite the setting of sea breeze at 1.35 pm on Wednesday. “We can exp­ect the temperature levels to stay two degree Celsius above normal for a few more days,” he added.

CBSE Class 10 results: girls do better than boys again

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Thursday declared the results for its Class 10 examinations, with 98.76 percent students clearing the exam for admission to higher classes.

This is marginally up from 98.19 percent in 2012.

The performance of girls is marginally better than boys - a pass percentage of 98.94 percent for girls as compared to 98.64 percent for boys.

The overall pass percentage in the Chennai region is 99.80, which is the highest among all regions in the country. Panchkula region ranks second with a pass percentage of 99.45 percent, followed by Ajmer with 99.38 percent, Bhubaneshwar with 99.37 percent, Patna with 99.30 percent, and Allahabad with 99.17 percent.

Delhi stands seventh with a pass percentage of 98.40 percent, and the Guwahati region is at the bottom of the table with a pass percentage of 90.93.

A total of 1,25,7893 candidates registered for Class 10 board examinations this year, an increase of about 6.67 percent over the last year.

The results are reflected in grades. The CBSE had set up 3,002 centres for the smooth conduct of the examinations.

The board said a total of 10 cases of cheating came to light this year, as compared to 11 cases last year.

Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia to process 12,000 more passes

Dubai: The Indian embassy in Riyadh will start the verification and delivery process of a third batch of 12,000 applications for emergency certificates sought by expatriate Indian workers in Saudi Arabia who want to leave that country for good.

The embassy has already issued 24,000 exit passes and the third batch will be processed from Monday, the Saudi Gazette reported on Thursday.

Indian workers have been thronging the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah ever since a new labour policy was implemented in that Gulf nation.

The new Nitaqat or Saudisation policy makes it mandatory for all Saudi companies to reserve 10 per cent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

Affected Indian workers are trying to take advantage of a grace period announced by the Saudi government that will end July 3.

There are around two million expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia, many of them blue collar workers.

BJP pledges to expedite Naga peace process

Kohima: The Nagaland unit of BJP has reaffirmed its commitment to expedite the peace process for a permanent and lasting solution to the Naga problem.

The affirmation was made during the first executive meeting of the BJP Nagaland Unit at Dimapur yesterday, A press release issued by its General Secretary Jame Vizo said here today.



"We envision political settlement of all borders disputes with our neighbouring state/country outside the jurisdiction of the court of law through mutual and bi-lateral relationship and people to people contact," Vizo said.

The party demanded review of the Total Liquor Prohibition Act considering various aspects of its positive and negative impacts on the society, construction of a foothills state highway from Mon to Peren, a thermal power station and more government colleges for poor students.

The party condemned demolition of churches in Manipur and demanded that the Manipur government provide alternative sites to the aggrieved community.

PTI

‘Maha to continue ban on gutkha, pan masala’

Mumbai: The ban on gutkha, pan masala and tobacco related products, which came into effect from July 2012 would continue, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said here Tuesday.

The state government banned gutkha and pan masala across the state from July 20, 2012.

"The ban on gutkha, tobacco and pan masala will continue in the state," Pawar said, while speaking at a programme on the occasion of the World Anti-Tobacco day.

Calling for a public participation to succeed in the ban on gutkha and pan masala, he said the decision to ban these products was taken with unanimity in a cabinet meeting.

The government had said that initially the ban would be valid for a year, after which it could be extended for another 12 months. Figures show that gutkha was one of the major reasons for oral diseases such as cancer.

The state had attempted to ban gutkha in 2002 and then in 2008, but encountered several legal hurdles.

In 2010, the state banned the sale of gutkha and cigarettes within 100 metres of schools and colleges.

At a public forum in June last year, Pawar had openly pressed for a ban on gutkha and pan masala, saying that it does not matter even if the government faces a loss of Rs 100 crore in taxes on these products.

"Compromising with lives of youth is unacceptable," he had said.

PTI

Pass marks for environmental & computer science courses reduced

AURANGABAD: The management council of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University ( Bamu) in its meeting on Tuesday decided to bring down the passing marks to 40% for students opting for undergraduate courses in environmental science and computer science.

Earlier the students had to achieve 50% marks in order to pass in both the subjects unlike others which required only 40% passing marks, said Sanjay Shinde, public relation officer at the university.

The council members also decided to fine Bharat College of Mass Communication, Jalna, Rs 10,000 as it had caused delay in issuing mark sheets to students. The delay was caused as the internal assessment marks for bachelors of Journalism course were submitted late by the college to the varsity, Shinde said.

The council also decided to appoint a full time single administrative head for all the departments of the school of performing arts. The school comprises drama, music and dance departments, of which music and dance were initiated in the year 2009 and 2010 respectively and had individual head co-ordinators.

A three-member committee was also appointed to take a final decision on whether the Master of Social Work college could continue the course in the university premises. "No academic and financial audit, recruitment or local management committee meeting has taken place since the year 2005 due to shortage of funds with the college," Shinde added.

The council also gave its final approval to the university to start with its vocational courses to begin from academic year 2013-14. The recruitment process for Class I and Class II officers would be conducted on June 6 and June 8 respectively.

Exercise to check quality of water in district’s villages from June

ALLAHABAD: The district authorities have dispatched over 1,000 field testing kits and study materials to 20 blocks to check water quality in 1,425 villages. The district aims to check areas where ground water contains arsenic or fluoride substances.

District Development Officer (DDO) RC Pandey told TOI "after dispatching water field testing kits and holding subsequent training sessions, the exercise to test potable water start in villages from the first week of June."Describing it as an attempt to ensure clean drinking water to villagers, he said that the exercise also aimed at educating them about methods of checking the quality of water resources especially hand-pumps in villages.Pandey further maintained that rural development department has launched the exercise with the help of Jal Nigam. He added that Jal Nigam and block officials would test the water quality in villages and train selected villagers about the same.

The villagers would also be informed about the adverse effects of contaminated water and other preventive measures.Pandey, meanwhile, said under the project, quality of 20 water resources in each of 1,425 villages would be checked on scheduled dates. There people from each block have been nominated for the exercise. The project aims to improve the quality of life by enhancing access to better water supply and sanitation facilities in rural areas ensuring sustainability.The department with the help of block development officer and local panchayat has also identified water resources. He said that handpumps were a major source of potable water in villages. The testing kits would reveal that whether the handpump water is suitable for drinking or not.

Information, education and communication activities are already underway in rural pockets to promote community participation in the exercise of ensuring water safety and security at grass-root level. Officials said other exercises like identifying bacteria in water, rain water conservation & collection, water pollution in terms of biological and chemical, right way of water testing, pipeline supply and sanitation have also been taken to task to ascertain the quality of water resources.

Handpumps that supply water laced with arsenic or fluoride particles have already been identified in hilly region of the district. Such handpumps have been painted with red colour to warn people against using its water.

Villagers would also be apprised of methods to remove fluoride (with the help of fluoride\arsenic removal filters). They would be advised to consume eatables full of vitamins like C, E, Iron calcium and anti-oxidants."If there is fluoride in water, neither its colour nor its taste\smell changes" said an expert adding "boiling hs no impact on fluoride." Prevention is the only key of checking flurosis disease as there is no treatment of the disease, he added.Similarly, villagers are also being advised to use water from deep safe wells as it is devoid of arsenic particles. Besides, eatables full of anti-oxidants like onion, mango, ginger, papaya, carrot, garlic and cucumber should be a regular part of food intake.

On oxygen support for a year, girl clears board exams

NEW DELHI: Students often race against time when taking exams. Neha Mendiratta raced as well. Not against the bell, but against her own lungs. The 18-year-old from Delhi's Jor Bagh area was diagnosed with a lung disease in March last year. The daughter of an autorickshaw driver and a cook, Neha has been on oxygen support from a machine since. Unable to hold herself during her Class XII board exams, she could only stay put for about 90 minutes or so before going into violent cough fits. When the results came out this week, she had passed with an aggregate of 52.6%.

Her parents have put their jobs on hold to tend to her. The machine she uses for respiratory support set them back by Rs 38,000. It works on electricity, so running costs are small. However, it needs to be replaced every two years, which means an expense of up to Rs 1.5 lakh, depending on what her needs are by then, says Neha's father Rajkumar Mendiratta. "We don't even know where we'll get that from now," he says. Fortunately for the family of four, at least the medicines and treatment at Safdarjung Hospital are free.

All of 25 kilos, Neha is curled up in foetal position on the bed in a corner of her oneroom house. Her bony hands cover her face as she coughs from time to time. You'd expect her to whisper bleakly when she talks. Instead, what comes out is a strong, authoritative voice. She does get tired every two to three sentences into a conversation, retreating into foetal position. Yet she calls the shots at home. "Mummy, let it be. You don't know it well enough. Let Papa talk about it," she tells her mother, Leela Mendiratta, who is trying to explain her medical condition.

Neha has Old Pulmonary Koch's disease with bronchieactasis, bronchial hyper-reactivity. Doctors have diagnosed "Type II respiratory failure". "The airways suffer permanent damage in such a case. A patient can recover. But occasionally, not totally. It is a long-standing disease," says Dr Sanjeev Bagai, CEO, Radiant Life Care, New Delhi.

"Without the oxygen supply, I suddenly feel my head pounding. It feels like it will burst any time. My nails turn blue. No matter how hard I try breathing, I feel like nothing is happening," explains the 18-year-old. Her nails are watched closely by family members. A cousin painted them golden for her, a colour Neha just couldn't resist. At her parents' insistence — she left one hand unembellished. "We need to watch her nails very closely," her sister Bhavna, a Class VII student, explains.

She does have to do without oxygen every day for about two hours. "The machine has to be switched off for that much time every day for it to function properly," she says. The Mendirattas moved from a slum close to Lodhi colony to this rented room about two years ago, when Neha's condition began to worsen.

Neha currently spends her time watching TV and sketching a bit. She has taken to the peculiar art form of "coffee painting", where she paints using coffee powder and water. A family friend got her beads and wires to make earrings to pass time as well. Her mother and sister excitedly show off flawless handmade envelopes and wall hangings with mirrors and rhinestones that she has made. Neha hasn't considered monetizing these talents.

For now, Neha is contemplating a correspondence course for her bachelor's degree. "I just want to feel okay again somehow," she says, her eyes drooping. She is sleepy now.

AP fire brigade first in country to install GPS and cameras on tenders

HYDERABAD: The fire brigade in Andhra Pradesh will have Global Positioning System (GPS) and cameras installed in tenders to help them reach a destination quickly and also take prompt action.

Authorities said the move was the first in the country which would help fire fighters pinpoint a location better and save enough time to reach a blaze site.

"The GPS-based system enabled with video cameras will be launched in about a month's time. In the first phase, GPS system and cameras will be installed in 150 fire engines across the state," the official said.

Officials said a main control room in Hyderabad will be connected with the system, and will help in keeping a track of fire tenders; determine the fire accident site and guide fighters to reach the scene quickly.

At the moment, there are 252 fire stations with over 300 fire vehicles in Andhra Pradesh and officials said they need more vehicles to make an impact in terms of quick response.

"The fire fighters will reach the emergency scene quickly, while the officials at the control room will simultaneously keep track of the vehicles," a fire department official said.

Looking at the camera images, senior officials can also guide the fighters in tackling a tricky fire accident carefully.

"Fire spreads too fast and if the fire fighters do not reach the scene in time, not only the property will be totally burned, but several lives will also be lost," the official added.

Asteroid mining company wants to put your face in space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.: A privately owned asteroid mining firm, backed in part by Google Inc's founders, launched a crowd-funding project on Wednesday to gauge public interest in a small space telescope that could serve as a backdrop for personal photographs, officials said.

Planetary Resources, based in Bellevue, Washington, plans to build and operate telescopes to hunt for asteroids orbiting near Earth and robotic spacecraft to mine them for precious metals, water and other materials.

It also plans an educational and outreach program to let students, museums, armchair astronomers and virtual travelers share use of a telescope through an initiative on Kickstarter, a website used to raise funds for creative projects.

Planetary Resources aims to raise $1 million by June 30 to assess public appetite for participating in a space project. It expects to launch its first telescope in 2015.

For a pledge of $25, participants can make use of a "space photo booth" by sending a picture to be displayed like a billboard on the side of the telescope with Earth in the background. Its image would then be snapped by a remote camera and transmitted back.

Starting at $200, participants can use the telescope to look at an astronomical object.

The Kickstarter campaign complements the company's ongoing efforts to design and build its first telescope, called ARKYD. Investors include Google Chief Executive Larry Page and Chairman Eric Schmidt, as well as Ross Perot Jr., chairman of the real estate development firm Hillwood and The Perot Group.

"All we are asking is for the public to tell us that they want something," company co-founder Eric Anderson told reporters during a webcast press conference on Wednesday.

"We're not going to spend our time and resources to do something if people don't want it and really the only way to prove that it's something people want is to ask them for money," he said.

Planetary Resources is not the first space startup to turn to crowd-funding. Colorado-based Golden Spike, which plans commercial human expeditions to the moon, has launched two initiatives on Indiegogo, another Internet-based funding platform.

Golden Spike exceeded a $75,000 goal to start a sister firm, called Uwingu, designed to funnel profits into space projects, but fell far short of a $240,000 target for spacesuits for Golden Spike's first moon run.

Hyper-V Technologies of Virginia turned to Kickstarter to raise nearly $73,000 to help develop a plasma jet electric thruster. STAR Systems in Phoenix, Arizona, raised $20,000 for work on a hybrid rocket motor for its suborbital Hermes spaceplane.

Last year, Washington-based LiftPort ended an $8,000 Kickstarter campaign with more than $100,000 to demonstrate how robots could climb a 1.2-mile (2 km) long tether held aloft by a large helium balloon.

The company is working on an alternative space transportation system called a "space elevator" that uses tethers or cables instead of rockets.

"I think crowd-funding is a new kind of bike and people are trying and willing to ride it, some successfully, some not as successfully, but I think it's here to stay," said Golden Spike founder and planetary scientist Alan Stern.

"These companies like Kickstarter and Indiegogo and RocketHub, they seem to be some kind of marketing distribution system that lets people with an idea put it out there. Previously people didn't know how to do that except run an ad in a newspaper. It's a capability we just didn't have five years ago," Stern said.

Foreign tours, the new USP for Hyderabad schools

HYDERABAD: A batch of 30 students from the city spent a week at the US Space and Rocket Centre in Alabama last year, creating their own models of rockets, exploring the insides of space shuttles and discussing aerospace with local students, all as part of their academic curriculum.

Schools across the city are designing such out-of-the-box programmes to get the cutting edge over their rivals and ensure holistic development of students. The list is vast, with courses ranging from nature camps, life skills such as cooking and cleaning, professional drama workshops, industrial internships and even martial arts, all in foreign countries. Top city schools have at least one such course, which they believe is their USP.

"It is essential that students get the right kind of exposure in fields they are genuinely interested in. The idea of having such programmes is to look beyond a typical textbook approach," said Komal Singh, teacher at Nasr School, which had organised the space camp.

Gitanjali School in Begumpet has a tie up with close to 36 US universities, which gives their students a chance to explore options for further studies abroad. "Last year, there were only nine applicants for IIT from the school, which is an indication that students are keen to explore options in fields outside the traditional choices," said Maya Sukumaran, principal of the school.

Parents too are becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of beyond-the-book approach for their children. "While I want my child to do well in studies, I also want her to get an equal exposure in sports, theatre and arts. ," said Aparna Chaudhary, parent of a class 11 student.

Other schools too are jumping into the fray. For instance, 20 students from the Jubilee Hills Public School participated in an exchange program with students of North Carolina University, whereby they discussed the packaging industry in their respective countries. "The packaging industry has various applications in all other industries . With the help of video chats and skype calls, both batches of students explained the status of packaging industries in their countries and shared ideas and suggestions," said Vara Laxmi, principal of the school.

A batch of 10 students from the Chirec Public School, spent two weeks at the Theyer Academy in Massachusetts to experience the American style of living. "The students stayed with host families there. It is important for students to know that the world is wide open for them and there is no dearth of opportunities to explore," said principal Iffat Ibrahim.

Arunachal Lonely Planet's global tourism hotspot

Itanagar, May 29 (ANI): After winning the coveted second runners up position in Lonely Planet magazine's Emerging Destinations In India recently, Arunachal Pradesh, nature's favourite play spot on earth, has made its foray into the world tourism scenario and earned the rare distinction of making it to the BBC's Lonely Planet Traveller magazine's 'Top 21 under-the-radar destinations of the world'.

The list which exclusively featured the less explored and unconventional tourist destinations of the world was released recently, is being compiled by Rory Goulding, editorial assistant at Lonely Planet Traveller magazine.

It is to be noted that Kiso Valley in Japan and Southeastern Anatolia in Turkey are the only two other tourist spots from Asia that has been featured in the list, Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Parliamentary Secretary PD Sona told ANI.

Sona quoted Goulding, as saying, "Arunachal Pradesh, the 'land of the dawn-lit mountains', is surely high on any list of candidates for the mythical realm of Shangri-La. It has historically been inaccessible from any, an unknown place so remote that few of its thunderous Himalayan peaks have been named, let alone climbed."

"Now, however, easing travel restrictions and improved infrastructure ensure that this extraordinary place is ripe for exploring. Here, nature reserves teem with a diversity of wildlife unmatched in India, forests host delicately tattooed tribal peoples, and mountain valleys are dotted with majestic Buddhist monasteries, such as 400-year-old Tawang Gompa, one of the world's largest."

Goulding also urged the travellers to visit the Mechuka Valley, a hitherto unexplored Buddhist realm amongst the towering, snow-draped mountains of the region's remote west.

The other destinations that had find a place in the list were Fermanagh Lakelands in Northern Ireland, Yukon in Canada, Inchcolm Island in Firth of Forth, Scotland, Sequoia and King's Canyon National Park in California, Providence in Rhode Island, USA, Northwestern Tasmania in Australia, Kosrae in Micronesia,Avila in Spain, Sylt in Germany, Meknes in Morocco, Byblos in Lebanon, Torun in Poland, Jambiani Beach in Tanzania, Arras in France, Richmond in North Yorkshire, England, Ikaria in Greece, Trieste in Italy and Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

With Arunachal Pradesh chosen by the union tourism ministry to host the country's second edition of International Travel Mart (ITM) at Tawang during in the third week of October next, this mystic land would get more exposed to the rest of world with foreign tour operators, government officials and hoteliers from 50 countries are expected to attend the event, said state's tourism secretary Sonam Chombey Wednesday. By Pradeep Kumar (ANI)

Rains, cloudy weather bring relief to Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: Rainfall in parts of Andhra Pradesh provided much-needed relief to people from the intense heat that has kept the southern plateau sizzling for weeks and claimed over 500 lives across the country.

Several parts of Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra Pradesh and some parts of East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur and other districts of south coastal Andhra received rains on Tuesday.

The sky remained cloudy in most parts of Telangana and Rayalaseema regions, officials said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low pressure area has formed over north Bay of Bengal. It may concentrate into a depression during the next 48 hours.

Under the impact of low pressure, rains or thundershowers are likely in a few places in the state during the next 24 hours.

Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre has forecast strong winds along the coast with speeds reaching up to 45-50 km per hour. It has advised fishermen to be on alert while venturing into sea.

The weather turned cloudy and pleasant at several places across the state, providing relief to people from the heat wave, which has gripped the state for last few days. The maximum temperature in most of the places came down to below 40 degree Celsius.

For the second consecutive day, the weather was pleasant and cloudy in Hyderabad. As the heat wave abated, there were more people on the roads and the number of visitors to parks and historic places also increased.

According to the Department of Disaster Management, 524 people have died of sunstroke since April 1 across the country. However, unofficial sources have put the toll at over 600 during the last four days.

Son tops CBSE exam as father takes on Naxals in Chhattisgarh`

Raipur: As his father takes on the Naxals in Chhattisgarh, Sopan Khosla has scored his own victory in Raipur.

Son of a senior paramilitary official undertaking anti-Naxal operations in the state, Sopan has topped the CBSE class 12th exams in the science stream with 99 per cent marks.

Sopan, whose father is an Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Commandant Sandeep Khosla, has secured hundred per cent marks in four subjects namely Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science in the central board results this year. He scored 95 per cent in English. In total, Sopan secured 495 out of total 500 marks.

Sopan's father is leading a battalion of 1,000 men undertaking anti-Naxal operations in the Rajnandgaon district of the state and he rarely gets to meet him. Sandeep Khosla commands the 29th battalion of the paramilitary that is based in this district.

"I was not expecting this result. I expected 97 or so but this result has really excited me," Sopan said. He, however, misses the presence of his father.

"I get to meet him only once in three-four months when he comes home. Throughout his career, he has been posted in difficult areas like Jammu and Kashmir and those affected by Naxal violence. He was very excited when I told him about the result. I miss my father's presence and guidance at times," he said.

Sopan is a student of Delhi Public School (DPS) in Jabalpur, a city in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Japan and India to carry out high-speed rail study

Tokyo: Japan and India agreed on Wednesday to carry out a joint feasibility study on India's first high-speed railway, a move which could make Japanese bullet train technology the favourite for any contract.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh said the two countries would split the cost of the study into a link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

"Prime Minister Singh noted Japan's interest in supporting the introduction of high-speed railway system in India," said a joint statement after a summit.

"Prime Minister Singh appreciated Japan's high level of expertise in designing and implementing High-Speed Railway (Shinkansen) systems.

"The two Prime Ministers decided that the two sides will co-finance a joint feasibility study of High-Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route."

An earlier report in the Nikkei business daily said Abe would offer a sweetener in the form of 101.7 billion yen ($1.0 billion) in yen-based loans to India, as Tokyo fights off competition from nations such as France and its TGV high-speed rail network.

That cash came in the form of a 71 billion yen loan for the construction of the Mumbai Metro, and almost 31 billion yen for two other projects.

The Nikkei said the agreement on a joint study indicated that Japanese technology was likely to get the nod for any future Indian purchase of a high-speed system.

Japan under Abe is embarking on a renewed drive to sell roads, rail and power stations to emerging nations including India, in a bid to offset lassitude in the domestic economy.

Earlier this month Abe pledged he would travel the world on behalf of Japan Inc. and said he wanted to treble sales of Japan's well-respected infrastructure projects to 30 trillion yen a year.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail line would stretch 500 kilometres (312 miles) and cost up to one trillion yen, the Nikkei said, adding the two governments plan to finish technological reviews and costings by March 2014.

The joint statement welcomed the completion of a preliminary study on a masterplan for infrastructure in southern India, and said the two sides would now work on fleshing out plans.

Japanese media said their country could help build a power grid, roads, railways and ports.

The quickening pace of commercial co-operation comes with the two countries -- both democracies -- eyeing the rise of China with increasing unease, as Beijing presses territorial claims with growing insistence.

Mr Singh on Wednesday called for the strengthening of security ties, describing the two nations as "natural and indispensable partners".

"We should intensify our political dialogue and expand our strategic consultations on... issues of mutual interest," he said in a speech earlier on his four-day trip, adding that defence and security dialogue, military exercises and defence technology collaboration should also increase.

The prime ministers agreed to establish a working group to examine an Indian purchase of amphibious planes, in what would be the first sale of hardware used by the Japanese military since a weapons export ban was imposed in the 1960s.

Air Force setting up unit in Nagpur; will give chopper support for anti-Naxal ops in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi:The anti-Naxal operations in Maoist hotbed of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh are set to get a boost with Indian Air Force (IAF) deciding to provide helicopter support from Nagpur where a new unit is being set up.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a DRDO function, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne said there was need to deploy some new systems in the Maoist-hit areas which would provide better surveillance capabilities to the forces there.

The IAF has at present deployed six Mi-17 choppers from a unit based in Gorakhpur and they operate from three locations including Ranchi in Jharkhand and Raipur and Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh to support the operations.

"We are going to raise a unit of our latest MI-17V5 choppers in Nagpur by next month which will provide full support to anti-Naxal operations in Jagdalpur by the forces on ground," Mr Browne said.

He said the base of the new unit would be closer to Jagdalpur and will have lesser response time in case of some incident there. The Nagpur unit will deploy two to three of its Mi-17V5 choppers in Jagdalpur which would be capable of carrying out both day and night operations.

Mr Browne said the decision to deploy these choppers in Nagpur was not in response to the recent incident in which Congress leaders were killed. It was planned much before the incident which left 24 people dead and 32 others injured.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister AK Antony once again said armed forces would not be deployed in anti-Naxal operations in direct role.

Asked if the defence ministry would provide help para-military personnel in terms of training, the Defence Minister said, "Regarding training of paramilitary forces, whatever support is required, will be extended."

IAF uses its choppers in the anti-Naxal operations for carrying out casualty evacuation and transportation of police and central forces in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and deployed five choppers in the recent attack on Congress leaders also for evacuation.

Commenting on the induction of the heavy strategic lift aircraft C-17, the IAF Chief said three aircraft would be inducted at the Hindan air base near Delhi in June second week.

Mr Browne said IAF is in the contract negotiation stage for procurement of five major systems including the 126 Medium Multilrole Combat Aircraft tender.

He said talks were in final stages for procuring 22 Apache choppers, 15 Chinook heavylift choppers and additional six C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft from the US and six mid-air refuelling aircraft from Airbus Military of Europe this year.

The IAF chief expressed hope that the deal for 126 Rafale combat aircraft would be inked before end of this year and all issues over the contractual obligations were over.

Birth of Rhino calf brings joy in Kanpur zoo

KANPUR: The Kanpur Zoo staff celebrated birth of rhino offspring on Tuesday. The veterinary doctors described the infant as underweight but said that it was doing fine and drinking milk. The mother, Manu, too was fine. The calf was active and was seen walking in the enclosure.

zoo veterinarian Dr RK Singh said that the calf born to Manu and Rohit was fit. He said that the calf weighed around 30 kgs and would add more weight in days to come. Stating that the calf was born after 16-months of pregnancy, he said that it was doing fine as was its mother. He further said that the newborn and its mother have been separated from Rohit.

Stating that the calf was born around 4.40am on Tuesday, Dr Singh said that Manu was quite restless through out Monday evening.

He added that proper care of mother Rhino was being taken so that it can take care of its calf. "We are giving multi-vitamins and necessary medicines to Manu-the mother Rhino - so that its post delivery complications end soon", said the zoo veterinarian further.

When questioned about the survival rate of the calves of Rhinos, the zoo veterinarian said that the survival rate was high but to prevent infections it would be kept away from public glare for at least three months.

This means there is still a couple of month's time left for the visitors to see the baby Rhino.

The birth of the baby Rhino has left the zoo staff brimming with enthusiasm. Everybody wanted to see the young one but nobody was allowed to go close to the Rhino enclosure.

As soon as the visitors to the zoo came to know about the development they became eager to see the baby Rhino but none was allowed to go there.

RBI to launch plastic currency notes soon

SRINAGAR: Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao on Wednesday said the central bank will soon introduce on a pilot basis plastic currency notes as they have longer shelf-life.

"We are trying to introduce plastic currency. We hope to introduce it on trial basis and if that succeeds it will be replicated in the entire country," he said during an interactive session with students of Business School of Kashmir University here.

He emphasised that plastic note is environment friendly because it has longer shelf-life than the paper notes.

Australia and Singapore have introduced plastic currencies.

With a view to elongating life of bank notes, particularly of lower denominations, it was decided by the RBI and government to introduce one billion pieces of Rs 10 notes in polymer/plastic on a trial basis in Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Shimla.

The finance ministry had recently said that the review of policy of producing currency notes is a "dynamic and continuous process".

On the issue of fake currency, Subbarao said the problem is that whenever a fake currency is detected both the customer and the bank would be reluctant to put it on record.

"You want to get away because you don't want to get entangle with the police and bank want to get away because it means a lot of work for them. So, within the system there is disincentive for detecting fake currency," he said.

As the current norms are too draconian, he said, the RBI has convinced the ministry of home affairs that FIRs should be filed only if the more than four fake notes are found with a person.

PF set to cover all pay, not just basic

NEW DELHI: You may end up saving more in the months ahead with the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) readying to re-notify a new definition of "compensation" that will include all your allowances, amid intense lobbying against the move by industry bodies.

Currently, employers get away by contributing only 12% of the basic salary and dearness allowance, which is not paid by most companies, towards their share of "matching" provident fund and the Employees Pension Scheme contribution. So, for several thousand employees, the basic salary remains constant, while increments are passed by way of enhanced or new allowances. In most cases, the tax liability for the employee goes up due to the salary hike — and companies earn tax credits on salary-related expenses — but the statutory provident fund contribution remains unchanged.

As a result, EPFO notified the changes last year but had to withdraw the circular in the wake of protests from employers and the perception that take-home salaries would come down. Even now, industry is resisting the move but EPFO is expected to go ahead with the plan as a panel set up by the labour ministry to vet the proposal has endorsed it.

The report is currently pending with the labour ministry but sources said the government will go ahead and notify the norms. To ensure that the proposal goes through without facing legal glitches, the EPFO board may also discuss and ratify it.

Industry chambers have, however, not given up the fight against the move. Confederation of India Industry (CII) has already dashed off a four-page letter to labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge arguing that the plan should be deferred, while other industry bodies are expected to step up lobbying against the move.

It has suggested that the matter is pending before the Supreme Court after a series of orders by high courts. When contacted, a CII executive said the move will reduce the investment options before an employee. "Someone may want to invest in a mutual fund scheme or buy shares. Besides, employees are happy getting allowances and if the move goes through, take-home salaries may come down," the executive said. Then, he argued for the corporate sector, saying some of the small and medium enterprises will face a higher financial burden.

The lobby group is, however, backing another proposal that seeks to restrict reopening of cases beyond seven years, as it is meant to reduce harassment.

Government officials, however, countered the industry argument on the new compensation definition, saying EPFO membership was mandatory only for employees earning Rs 6,500 a month. Anyone beyond that level could opt out. Although it may be difficult for several employers to give the opt-out option, reworking of the salary structure to ensure that the wage bill doesn't shoot up can be on the cards.

UID not delivered? Take a print of your e-Aadhaar

BANGALORE: If you are one of those waiting for your Aadhaar card, log on to the UIDAI website, key in your enrolment number and take a print of your e-Aadhaar card. This, according to UID deputy director general Ashok Dalwai, is as valid as having a card.

With lakhs of Aadhaar applicants waiting for months, and in some cases years, to get their Unique Identity card, the UID chief in Karnataka says the public need not panic if the card is not despatched.

What's e-Aadhaar?

e-Aadhaar is the digital copy of the Aadhaar card available online for genuine applicants, whose enrolment has no glitches. "The process of e-Aadhaar was started six months ago, in order to facilitate Aadhaar applicants in case of a delay in the issue of the actual Aadhaar card. So we started online issuance of UID details. Those whose Aadhaar card has been delayed in delivery can log on to the UID website and key in their enrolment number and take a print of their e-Aadhaar card, which is as valid as the Aadhaar card itself," said Dalwai.

The cost of an e-Aadhaar printout availed at BangaloreOne centres is Rs 9.

UIDAI officials have asked state governments to set up permanent enrolment centres in each taluk, and in public utility centres like BangaloreOne, MysoreOne, KarnatakaOne and Nadu Kacheris (taluk offices) to issue the e-Aadhaar card in the form of a printout to applicants.

"The process of Aadhaar enrolment and despatch of the Aadhaar card involves several agencies. After enrolment, the data is sent for printing. It's the responsibility of India Post to despatch the Aadhaar card to the applicant. In many cases, there's been a delay in delivery because of the validation check, or delay in despatching the post. In many cases, we withhold the Aadhaar issuance due to duplicated fingerprint entries or mismatching data. Over 10 lakh to 1 crore cards have been held back," said Ashok Dalwai.

PAY FOR CHANGE OF ADDRESS?

As of now, self-updation, like change of address, is free of cost, but there are chances of a nominal fee being charged for the service. "The fee structure depends on the registrars who've tied up with the UID. A nominal fee would be collected for such service soon," he said.

Delhi University’s Academic Council okays ideas to help out disabled

NEW DELHI: Delhi University's Academic Council, which met on Monday, cleared the recommendations of the empowered committee constituted to examine the foundation courses to ensure all parts are accessible to students with disabilities, especially the visually impaired. In addition to making suggestions, the committee has also sought Rs.1.8 crore as funds for "providing support to students with disabilities during Four-Year Undergraduate Programme". There were five dissents recorded.

The committee had sought the inputs of A K Mittal, president, All India Confederation of the Blind, and George Abraham, CEO of Delhi-based Score Foundation "to obtain their perspectives on visual impairment with regard to the new UG programme on the basis of their expertise and lived experiences". The committee also considered suggestions made by Kartik Sawhney, a blind student who's passed the Boards with a 95% aggregate in science and is going to Stanford to study computer science.

The committee, while maintaining that "no modification in the curricula... called for", has suggested that for students who can't at all handle the two courses—Science and Life and Building Mathematical Ability—that disability rights group Sambhavana Organization had raised questions about, these can be replaced with History of Science and Communication and Personality Development. The vice-chancellor has been requested to get the syllabi for these prepared. Sambhavana had taken DU to court over the compulsory science course which, they argued, would further alienate the already marginalized blind students, most of whom would not have been allowed to study science beyond Class VIII.

In response to the recommendations made by Sambhavana, the reports points out that "the course does not involve teaching of hard core science nor of different scientific disciplines... students with disabilities including the visually impaired will be able to do the course fully for which they would, of course be provided all requisite technological support as also peer-tutoring." Sambhavana had also suggested a "bridge course" but the committee chose to go with "remedial teaching/tutorials throughout the first year." As for equipment, they'll get an abacus for each visually-impaired student, Taylor frame, tactile geometry kit, Brailer (one for each college) and necessary software.

Sambhavana had also suggested teaching of these courses be moved to the second year as that would allow the bridge courses to bring the students up to the level of the rest of the class, but the committee felt "the measure will be counter-productive and will be contrary to the principles of inclusion and equality for persons with disabilities." "The Equal Opportunity Cell of DU introduced a number of policies last year for the disabled including complete fee-waiver and this year we have also issued separate admission guidelines for colleges," says Bipin Tiwary, OSD, EOC.

The report was tabled before the AC on Monday. Nikhil Jain of Sambhavana has said in a statement that the organization's members were given "no opportunity to read and reflect on it with the seriousness it deserves" and that relevant accessible devices and reading material "will come as per the needs of Disabled." The syllabi for History, Sociology and Adult Education (Discipline II only) were also tabled at the same meeting and passed.

DGCA to allow pilots to take nap during long flights

NEW DELHI: The next time you hear snoring sound on the public announcement system of a long flight, don't be surprised. Pilots are soon going to be allowed to take a nap — at the wheels in the cockpit — for up to 40 minutes on long flights when the aircraft is cruising and not during ascending or descending phases.

The pilot and co-pilot will be allowed to sleep only one at a time and when one of them is napping, the cabin crew in charge will call up the awake pilot every 20 minutes (during night) and every half an hour (during day) to ensure that the other person also does not join the snoring. It will be allowed on at least three hour long flights.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is proposing to make this change based on best practices abroad, subject to strict conditions. Aviation regulators in US, Canada, Europe, UK, Hong Kong and many other developed countries allow this "controlled rest" as studies have shown that this to be a "another line of defence to manage fatigue risks. This practice was allowed after a Nasa study in 1992 showed a pilot was likely to be more alert if he or she takes a short nap during the non-critical phase of a flight.

"Controlled rest will be at the discretion of the captain and by only one flight crew at a time in the operating seat. (It will be allowed in cruise phase when) weather conditions are benign and weather-related deviation is not required," the draft civil aviation requirement issued by DGCA says. The commander can end the co-pilot's controlled sleet at any time as per flight requirement.

"The resting pilot shall keep his seat belt and harness fastened and move the seat aft to such a position that unintentional interference with controls is minimized... During controlled rest, the non-resting captain cannot leave his seat for any reason," the draft says. This rest will be allowed on long flights after the aircraft is at cruise altitude and will be terminated half an hour before descent begins.

Senior pilots welcome this move as they say this happens even now. "A few minutes' sleep is very freshening. This is still happening in cockpits when one pilot goes to sleep and the other remains alert. But at present, the sleep is not peaceful as pilots know this is something that is not allowed. The DGCA move to officially allow it in cruise phase is welcome," said a senior training captain.

83% fall in mobile call charges in the last 9 yrs: Govt

The average cost of mobile phone call has declined by a sharp 83 percent to 47 paise in the last nine years, the government claimed today. Wireless subscriber base on the other hand has expanded about 25-fold to over 86 crore, it said.

“The average tariff for each outgoing call per minute for GSM services dropped from Rs 2.89 in March 2004 to 47 paise in December 2012,” Ministry of Communications and IT said in a statement.

“The wireless subscriber base increased from 33.6 million in March 2004 to 864.72 million as on December 2012,” it said.

AFP
The government said that in its nine-year rule, the Indian telecom sector has registered a phenomenal growth and has become second largest telephone network in the world after China.

“A series of reform measures by the government, the wireless technology and active participation by private sector played an important role in the exponential growth of telecom sector in the country,” it said.

The government said with implementation of National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012, number of telephonic connections rose to 893.14 million as on January 2013 while the overall teledensity stood at 73.07 per cent as against 7.04 per cent in March 2004.

The rural teledensity also crossed 40 per cent in January 2103 from 1.7 per cent in March 2004, it added.

PTI

Cognizant clocks highest revenue growth rate among Indian IT firms

 US-headquartered firm Cognizant clocked the highest growth rate of 20.1 per cent in revenues among the top five India-based IT services providers last year, global research firm Gartner said today.

The NASDAQ-listed firm also displaced Infosys as the second-largest IT services provider in 2012 with a worldwide revenue of USD 7.1 billion, Gartner said in a statement.

"Cognizant displaced Infosys to become the second-largest Indian IT services provider and Cognizant experienced the highest growth rate among the top five providers with an increase of 20.1 percent in 2012," Gartner Research Director Arup Roy said.

The revenues of the top 5 India-based IT services providers worldwide rose by over 13 per cent to USD 34.3 billion (around Rs 1,900 crore) last year from USD 30.3 billion in 2011.

TCS leads the IT services providers with revenue of USD 10.9 billion, followed by Cognizant (USD 7.1 billion), Infosys (USD 6.7 billion), Wipro (USD 5.7 billion) and HCL Technologies (USD 3.9 billion) in 2012.


"The top five Indian providers grew 13.3 percent to reach USD 34.3 billion in 2012, exceeding the IT services industry growth of 2 per cent," it said.

Gartner views Indian players as those who mainly have a India-based delivery model and management. Most firms are headquartered in India, but a few like Genpact, Cognizant, Syntel and iGate, are headquartered in the US. However, their delivery, management, operating style, among other things, are like those of other Indian providers.

However, Gartner said that the growth rate of India-based providers has been slowing for some years, with this trend being more pronounced in 2012.

But the growth rate is still quite high compared with the IT services worldwide or the growth of the top 10 global IT services providers. The global top 10 providers, however, are larger in their base revenue and more diversified than the India-based providers, Gartner added.
"The top five Indian service providers have continuously chipped away market share from the large multinational corporation providers. In the past five years, they have been winning large outsourcing deals (those with a total contract value of more than USD 100 million)," Roy said.

Their target customer segment still remain the Fortune 1,000 companies.


"There is a strong focus on, and investments in, cloud, analytics, mobility, infrastructure and knowledge processes. India-based providers have become much more aggressive in infrastructure management because it offers them the potential to grow bottom-up within accounts," Roy said.


Source : InidanExpress