Now, book train tickets through SMS!

New Delhi: Come July and you can book your train ticket by sending an SMS.

Keeping an eye on the growing mobile phone market in India, IRCTC will launch SMS-based ticketing from July 1 and a dedicated number will be announced soon for this.

Describing the step as environment-friendly as no print-out is required, a senior IRCTC official said "mobile- based booking provides the users ease and convenience of booking tickets from anywhere and anytime. There will be no requirement of a printout because the ticketing message will be considered as valid during the journey."

As per the requirement, one has to register the mobile number with IRCTC as well as one's bank. The Bank provides MMID (Mobile Money Identifier) and OTP (one time password) for authorization of payment.

The official said SMS booking is very simple as a passenger ha

s to type the train number, destination, journey date, class and passenger details like name, age and gender on the SMS box.

"The sender will receive transaction ID and then make payment through sending another SMS by typing PAY followed by the transaction ID, MMID as received from the bank and password, said the official adding "with this the passenger's ticket is booked."

The service is available to all mobile subscribers and Rs 3 is being charged per SMS and payment gateway charges are Rs 5 for ticket amount upto Rs 5000 and Rs 10 for more than Rs 5000.

PTI

Pre-monsoon showers bring respite in parts of Rajasthan

Jaipur: Parts of Rajasthan were lashed by pre-monsoon showers on Tuesday, giving relief to people suffering from hot and humid conditions, as Ajmer recorded a maximum rainfall of 50.4 mm.

People in pink city of Jaipur also enjoyed showers as the city witnessed 25.9 mm rainfall this afternoon.

Kota received a maximum rainfall of 2.4 mm.

However, there was no let up in heat wave conditions in rest of the state as Sriganganagar was the hottest with 43 degree Celsius followed by Jaisalmer 41.2, Bikaner 40.6, Churu 39.4, Jodhpur 39, and Jaipur 31.7 deg C.

Showers or squall may hit parts of north-west Rajasthan in the next 24 hours, according to the meteorological department.

PTI

Fund to help Dalit entrepreneurs launched in Mumbai

The nation's first SEBI-registered "social impact fund", the DICCI SME Fund, was launched in Mumbai Thursday. The venture capital fund initiated by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI) aims to raise Rs 500 crore over 10 years and finance Dalit entrepreneurs to set up business. The fund was launched with an initial contribution of Rs 10 crore by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

Its motto is, "We will not be job seekers, we will be job givers". It aims to create multiple kinds of social impact -- financial inclusion for SC/ST SMEs (small and medium entreprises) by providing access to equity capital markets, economic empowerment through wealth creation, and job creation for SC/ST youth. Union finance minister Mr P Chidambaram launched the initiative.

He said the fund would go a long way in "creating social equity". Admitting that the non-availability of finance is a problem for small enterprises, he said every bank branch in the country should hand-hold one SC/ST entrepreneur. "(If that happens) We will have one lakh flowers blooming in the country," Chidambaram said. He promised to ask public sector financial institutions, banks as well as LIC to invest in the DICCI SME Fund to meet its corpus requirements.

Source:TNN

Above average rainfall cheers parched state

MUMBAI: The onset of monsoon in the drought-hit state has been impressive. So far, about 60% of the state has received above average rainfall.

Data from the chief minister's office shows that 21 of the 35 districts in the state received more than 100% of the rainfall usual for this time of the year.

These districts include some of the worst-hit by drought, such as Jalna, Aurangabad, Satara and Sangli, where the precipitation recorded was 123%, 138%, 176% and 179% of normal, respectively.

Since June 1, the city suburbs have recorded 301 mm rainfall, which is 166% of the average.

The island city received 213 mm, or 116% of the normal rainfall. Rainfall in neighbouring Thane was 142% of the average. Only three districts, Gondia, Bhandara and Nagpur in Vidarbha region, received rainfall that was below 50% of the average. Eight districts witnessed 50-75% of the average rainfall.

About 93% of the average rainfall was recorded in Beed, which, too, faced ravaging drought conditions over the past months.

The highest deviation was recorded in Dhule, where rainfall was 281% of the normal precipitation, followed by Ahmednagar at 221%, Sangli at 179% and Satara at 176%.

Latest official data shows that water in reservoirs in the state stands at 14% of capacity. Senior state officials said they were hoping the good spell of rain would continue so that water levels in dams rise.

Source: TNN

With good rains, farmers take back their cattle from camps

AURANGABAD: With the on time arrival on monsoon, farmers from the worst drought-hit districts in the Marathwada region have begun taking back their cattle from the camps set up by the state government. As many as 84 cattle camps have been closed down as farmers begin preparations for the kharif season.

Monsoon reached Marathwada on Saturday evening and farmers began taking back their cattle to their farms. Officials said that in coming days more camps are expected to be vacated.

As per the latest figures with the Aurangabad divisional commissionerate, 33 camps in Aurangabad district, eight in Jalna district and 43 in Beed district have been closed down.

Now, 168 camps are still operational, of which 54 are in Aurangabad district, 45 in Jalna district, 40 in Beed district, 28 in Osmanabad district and one in Parbhani district.

The government spent Rs 118 crores on the 252 cattle camps that were set up in five of the eight districts of the Marathwada region. Officials said that 1.10 lakh cattle were being provided shelter and fodder at these camps in the drought-hit areas of the region.

Agriculture experts said that with a good start to the monsoon season, farmers are expecting a good crop this year. They have returned to the fields along with their cattle, especially bullocks, and are using them for ploughing and sowing purposes.

Experts said that during this year's drought, in which there was acute water scarcity, farmers kept their cattle at camps to ensure adequate supply of water. With a good beginning to the monsoon, farmers are confident of finding water in their villages and are taking back their cattle.

Official sources said that the government will not announce closure of the camps as farmers will take back the cattle during the kharif season.

Ambulance on Jaipur NH soon just a phone call away

NEW DELHI: If you spot an accident or meet with one on Delhi-Jaipur highway, you just need to call 1033 to get an ambulance. The service scheduled to start in the next fortnight will be managed by a call centre which will be linked to 11 life support ambulances on this 260-km stretch.

A top road transport and highways ministry official said that at least 390 signage on this stretch will be placed mentioning the toll-free telephone number. "The department of telecom has allotted this number for emergency calls across the all national highways. We are now pursuing the plan to see that people can use this number all over the country. The beginning would be made on Delhi-Jaipur highway where we are trying to ensure quick arrival of ambulances on spot. If people don't get ambulances in time, the toll-free number has no use," he added.

The official added that once the call centre receives information of any accident, it would immediately inform the ambulance deployed close to the mishap site and ask it to reach there immediately. The call centre executives will also inform the local police for immediate action. The highway stretch between Delhi and Haryana-Rajasthan border is perhaps the deadliest highway corridor in the country. At least 250 lives were lost in 2011 only in the Haryana portion.

The provisions to have a centralized call centre and deployment of more ambulances are a part of the ministry's pilot project to provide free and cashless immediate medical care to accident victims. The scheme, likely to be launched by this month-end, aims to rush ambulances with trained staff within 10 minutes of any accident. A private insurance major, which has is implementing the project, has roped in hospitals along to the highway stretch to provide immediate care under the cashless scheme.

Source : TNN

Shimla chosen for international project to lower greenhouse gases

SHIMLA: The Queen of the Hills, as Shimla was fondly called by the British, has been shortlisted for a global project to lower greenhouse gas emissions on the pattern of European cities, a municipal official said.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation is one of six Indian cities selected for implementing the "Promoting low emission urban development strategies in the emerging economy countries" project, municipal health officer Omesh Bharti said.

He said the project, is to be executed by ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) South Asia, with support from the European Commission, in collaboration with UN-Habitat.

A communication from ICLEI said the project aims to support the promotion of low emission urban development in developing economies.

Besides India, the project is also being implemented in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa.

Bharti said the civic body would enter into a memorandum of understanding with ICLEI once it got approval from the corporation's elected members.

ICLEI would play a role in capacity building of the corporation officials to improve urban planning, mobility, energy, water and solid waste management, leading to sustainable patterns for urban development, he added.

Shimla was planned by the British colonial government in the late nineteenth century for a maximum population of 16,000. Currently, it supports over 200,000 people.

source: IANS