Tag: Features

Ganno Tayeng
Kh. Rojesh
3rd Yr Students
College of Veterinary Sciences & A.H.
Central Agricultural University, Aizawl, Mizoram
It is one of the most popular intensive systems of poultry rearing. In this system, poultry birds are kept confined in a large pen with the floor covered with rice husk, paddy straw (chopped), saw dust or even wood shavings etc. after being mixed with the droppings. Out of these,rice husk and paddy straws are the most common material used in the North-East India.
The litter is spread to a depth of 5cm on the floor before introducing the chicks and is built up to a depth of 15cm by adding litter material, at the rate of about 2 cm per week. This would require approximately 10kg of litter material/m2 floor area. The thickness can be increased by a few centimeters in winter. An area of 700 cm2/chick is provided till about 8 weeks of age. In a hover with 1m diameter, 250 chicks can be brooded efficiently. The hover can be placed at appropriate height from the floor either by hanging it from the roof or by placing it over bricks or stones so that chicks can go in and out easily. Five bulbs of 60 watts are sufficient. To avoid damp litter, 1kg hydrated lime per 15 feet2 floor area is spread. To reduce the irritation caused to the chicks from ammonia, 500g superphosphate per 15 feet2 is spread properly. Litter should be raked thoroughly at frequent intervals, say at least twice a week and the day after deworming. The whole litter should be changed at least twice a year or after each batch of the birds is sold off. Mixing the feed with Amproleum or Bifuran in the appropriate dose is advised to check coccidiosis.
This system offers many advantages. Ectoparasite infection is greatly reduced by the heat generated by bacterial action on the deep litter.
Built up litter supplies vitamin B12 and B2 to the birds and fulfills the natural instinct of the birds to have litter bath.
The Cage Layer Fatigue Syndrome, which is common to caged birds, is also prevented. Vices like feather-picking, vent-picking, cannibalism etc. are tremendously reduced. Moreover, there is no need for large open area and also labour input is reduced.
Also, the litter materials obtained is good manure for the crops too. So keeping these in mind, our poultry farmers are encouraged to adopt this system.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/deep-litter-system-of-poultry-rearing/

 
Dr. S. Ayyappan
Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR, Ministry of Agriculture.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the apex scientific organization with robust agricultural research system for planning, promotion, execution and coordination of agricultural research and education in the country. ICAR with 99 institutes, 65 Agricultural Universities and 631 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) spread across the country constitutes one of the largest national agricultural research systems in the world. ICAR provided the critical technological inputs for various processes of agriculture that culminated the highest ever food production of all components of cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables, meat, milk, fish and eggs during 2011-12.
The year that went by posed challenges – an erratic monsoon, drought-like situation in some parts of the country as also cyclones impacting agriculture. The technological responses were quick and visible in terms of contingency plans for over 374 districts; stress-resilient crop varieties; holistic technological solutions under NICRA; disaster management in agriculture; innovative attempts at farm mechanization and secondary agricultural enterprises. India’s first ovum-pick up IVF cattle calf and the first mithun calf through embryo transfer technology; and complete suppression of papaya mealy bug through classical biological control by deploying three exotic insect parasitoids in cassava, papaya and mulberry crops were research highlights. Over a dozen patents were granted signalling internalization of IPR culture in the Council. We surged ahead in developing farmer-friendly technologies, their assessment and refinement. Consultations with all stakeholders marked the Year in our review and planning process.
Under a specific country wide National Initiative for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA), climate resilient agricultural practices are being demonstrated on farmers’ fields in 100 most vulnerable districts. During 2011-12 more than 15000 germplasm of wheat and 2000 germplasm lines of other crops like rice, maize, pulses were screened for drought, heat and submergence tolerance which are the major climatic stresses and more than 50 promising lines were identified in different crops which will be used for breeding purposes during next year. Drought and flood coping technologies were demonstrated on farmers’ fields for adoption in large number of villages for up-scaling. During drought like conditions this year, ICAR coordinated generation and delivery of agro-advisories on contingent crop strategies in different states through the extension system of ICAR and the State Agricultural Universities in regional languages.
A national level programme on ‘Technology Demonstration for Harnessing Pulses Productivity’ was coordinated with participation of Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, Zonal Project Directorate and 137 KVKs in 11 states to conduct 6000 demonstrations in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The demonstrations were laid out on five major crops viz. pigeonpea, chickpea, urdbean, mungbean and lentil. A model was developed in which various technological and extension related factors were integrated that led to yield increase of about 40% in demonstrations over farmers’ practices.
Nearly 95,000 frontline demonstrations on cereals, millets, oilseeds, pulses, cotton and other important crops; 7,000 on improved tools and farm implements; 8,000 on livestock species; 800 on related enterprises; and 4,000 on gender-specific technologies were conducted during the year 2011-12. A single window delivery mechanism has been developed for technology products, diagnostic services and knowledge through Agricultural Technology Information Centers located in ICAR institutes and Agricultural Universities. Riding on the strength of Information and Communication Technologies, more than 300 KVKs are providing Kisan Mobile Advisories to farmers on their registered mobile phones. During the year, about 1.10 lakh short text messages (SMSs) were delivered to 13.40 lakh farmers for timely actions.
Rinderpest, also known as cattle plague, has been eradicated from the planet in which ICAR played a central role yielding major economic benefit to the country in respect of owners of livestock sector. The Council in consultation with the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries celebrated the national ceremony on the declaration of Global Freedom from Rinderpest. Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations which has been instrumental for declaring Global Freedom from Rinderpest adopted a resolution in Rome during the 37th FAO conference, in the presence of 192 member countries making it the first animal disease being eliminated from the planet.
Captive breeding and larval production of silver pompano, a high-value marine tropical finfish, was accomplished successfully. Improved strains of Hungarian scale carp, Ropsa scaly and Felsosomogy mirror carp were bred for improving economics of carp culture in the mid-hill region. Early breeding of grass carp achieved in April would ensure off-season seed availability. The culture of pacific shrimp (L.vannamei) in inland saline soils using ground saline water at Rohtak, Haryana with a salinity of 13-15 ppt is the first attempt in the country towards, utilizing degraded lands for aquaculture.
In the field of bio-technology and genomics, ICAR has played a central role in decoding of rice, potato and tomato genomes as partner of international consortium. Recently, India contributed sequencing of the gene-rich region of the tomato chromosome 5 (tomato has total 12 chromosomes) and provided further support to generate 5-fold sequence coverage of the entire tomato genome by Next Generation Sequence (NGS) technology. The genomes of the cultivated tomato and its closest wild relative have been decoded by the Tomato Genome Consortium (TGC), a group of over 300 scientists from 14 countries. A group of Indian scientists from ICAR, State Agricultural Universities
and Banaras Hindu University, have decoded the genome of pigeon pea (Arhar), the second most important pulse crop of India. This is the first plant genome sequenced entirely through a network of Indian institutions and it will provide highly valuable resource for further improvements in pigeon pea. A total of 47,004 protein-coding genes were identified in the genome, of which 1,213 are for disease resistance and 152 are for tolerance to drought, heat and salinity.
DARE was conferred prestigious Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Puraskar (2010-11) for excellent work and commendable achievements for implementation of the Official Language Policy of the Union. The comprehensive and effective use of Rajbhasha Hindi has resulted in outreach of benefits of agricultural research to the large community of Hindi speaking farmers and other stakeholders. Krishika, first Hindi Research Journal of the Council was launched which is a half-yearly peer reviewed journal covering research in agriculture and allied subjects.
Under the knowledge management efforts, over 350 courses have been developed under the ‘e-Learn Agriculture’ initiative covering undergraduate programmes in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, veterinary science, dairy technology, sericulture and agricultural engineering. AgriDaksh, a Knowledge Management tool for building online expert system for crops was developed comprising knowledge model creation, knowledge acquisition, problem identification, knowledge retrieval, ask questions-to-experts and administration. The Knowledge Information Repository in Agriculture for North-East (KIRAN) and Rice Knowledge Management Portal were launched. The National Agricultural Bioinformatics Grid in the ICAR will be a national facility to provide computational framework to support biotechnological research in the country.
The ICAR now has a corporate platform, ‘Agri-Innovate India Limited’ for technology commercialization and consultancy at home and abroad. Forty-three patent applications were filed and two international and nine national patents were granted during 2011-12. Over 200 extant varieties were registered and granted protection and 436 applications were brought out in the Plant Variety Journal. Six Copyrights were registered by the ICAR institutes to protect developed softwares. ‘Weather Cock’ software package, capable of agro-meteorological analysis to understand possible impacts of climate change on crop performance, was developed and registered. Trademark ‘IISR’ was granted to the Indian Institute for Spices Research, Kozhikode. Unforeseen challenges of Indian agriculture are presenting uncommon opportunities that also seek unconventional approaches to harness the potentials. Agriculture-Food-Nutrition-Health Environment- Employment and Gender Perspective have to be addressed in all our efforts through an innovative and integrated approach. The year ahead is the time for focusing on programmes, partnerships and projects that should further bring cheer to the Indian farmer. ‘Family NARES’ and ‘Team ICAR’ are committed for greater synergy as a winning strategy, and together, we can make a change in Indian agriculture, to become a sought-after career and occupation for men, women and youth alike.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/endeavors-to-feed-nation-with-pride/

Saurabh Chandra
Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The Global economic turmoil has impacted the overall economy in general and industry in particular. This is quite evident from the deceleration witnessed in the performance of industrial sector in the recent past.
During 2011-12 industrial growth in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), showed a low growth of 2.9% compared to 8.2% growth registered in 2010-11. The moderation in the industrial growth, however had started in 2008-09. The IIP growth rate was 2.5% in 2008-09 which improved slightly to 5.3% in 2009-10 compared to the peak growth rate of 15.5% achieved in the year 2007-08.
Manufacturing Growth
During 2011-12, a low growth in manufacturing (3.0%) was a main reason for moderation in IIP growth. The cumulative growth of manufacturing sector was 1.0 per cent during April-October, 2012-13 compared to its 3.8 per cent growth during corresponding period of the previous year. Similar to the overall industrial growth, the reasons for moderation in the growth of manufacturing include global slowdown, moderation in domestic demand, hardening of interest rates etc.
Amongst the manufacturing goods the moderation in its growth rate is largely accounted by the performance of capital goods and intermediate goods which has been in the negative trajectory for most part of the year. Capital goods witnessed a sharp decline in growth during 2012-13 (April-October) with growth rate of –11.4%. Items such as Boilers; Grinding Wheels; Cement Machinery; Sugar Machinery; Textile Machinery; Plastic Machinery Incl. Moulding Machinery; Transformers (Small); Earth Moving Machinery; Computers has shown a consistent negative growth.
Measures to Boost Manufacturing
The future trajectory of the index of industrial production (IIP) depends largely on the revival of investment. Low economic activity due to weak investment sentiments and global slowdown is well reflected in National Accounts Statistics. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) as a measure of addition in productive capacity of the economy grew at 5.5 per cent in 2011-12 compared to 7.5 per cent in 2010-11. The GFCF as a percent of GDP at 2004-05 prices moderated to 32.0 % in 2011-12 compared to 32.5 % in previous year. Gross Fixed Capital Formation grew at 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2012-13 against 0.7 percent in the first quarter.
The Government has been taking confidence building measures for improving the industrial climate and manufacturing in the country. Three important initiatives taken in this regard are announcement of National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), implementation of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project and policy reforms to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
National Manufacturing Policy (NMP)
The National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) was approved by the Government in October, 2011. The major objectives of the policy are for enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% and creating additional 100 million over a decade or so. Other quantitative and qualitative changes that are envisaged by the policy include creation of appropriate skill sets among the rural migrant and urban poor to make growth inclusive; increasing domestic value addition and technological depth in manufacturing; enhancing global competitiveness of Indian manufacturing through appropriate policy support; ensuring sustainability of growth, particularly with regard to the environment including energy efficiency, optimal utilization of natural resources and restoration of damaged/ degraded eco-systems etc.
The Policy also provides special focus to the industries that are employment intensive, those producing capital goods, those having strategic significance, small and medium enterprises, public sector enterprises besides industries where India enjoys a competitive advantage etc.
In addition, specific instruments have been conceptualized under NMP to achieve its stated objectives. Accordingly the policy envisages among others – rationalization and simplification of business regulations; simple and expeditious exit mechanism for closure of sick units while protecting labour interests; financial and institutional mechanisms for technology development, including green technologies; industrial training and skill up gradation measures; incentives for SMEs, clustering and aggregation support through National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs), trade policy etc.
Promoting clustering and aggregation, especially through creation of NIMZs is a major policy instrument of NMP. NIMZs as key instruments to catalyze the growth of manufacturing are envisaged to be developed in the nature of green field industrial townships, benchmarked with the best manufacturing hubs in the world. The Zones are expected to help in meeting the increasing demand for creating world class urban centres in India, while absorbing surplus labour by providing them gainful employment opportunities. These NIMZs will seek to address the infrastructural bottleneck which has been cited as a constraining factor for the growth of manufacturing.Ten NIMZs have been announced, eight of which are along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).
Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project
The Delhi – Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project is being implemented on both sides of the 1483 km long Western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor between Dadri (UP) and JNPT (Navi Mumbai). The project seeks to create a strong economic base with a globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance investments and attain sustainable development. The DMIC Project covers the six States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) was incorporated in January 2008 for project development, coordination and implementation of the numerous projects.
Looking at the magnitude and diversity of the project, it is planned to be implemented in phases. Initially, eight industrial cities have been taken up for development.
So far the overall perspective plan for the entire DMIC Region has been completed. The Master Planning for the Investment Regions and Industrial Areas taken up initially to be developed as New Cities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been completed and Master Planning in Uttar Pradesh has started. The State Governments have initiated the process of obtaining land for the new industrial regions/areas as well as for the Early Bird Projects. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies have been initiated for five industrial cities. DMICDC had initiated development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities that can contribute to improving the sustainability of the DMIC region. Japanese technology and expertise is being made available under collaboration with METI, Government of Japan for the Smart Community projects. Significant progress has been reported by DMICDC in the development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities. Along with the planning of each city, preparation of feasibility studies for Early Bird Projects has been taken up on the recommendation of the State Governments. These projects are in the sectors of water supply, transport connectivity, logistic hubs, mega industrial parks, knowledge cities etc.
As the Master Plans progressed, it was felt necessary and essential that new industrial cities must be created on the back of world class trunk infrastructure i.e. drainage, sewage, solid waste, water supply, internal roads. Without the trunk infrastructure the development of PPP projects in greenfield cities was not feasible and it was felt that this may lead to real estate development without trunk infrastructure and a developed backbone.Accordingly the project was restructured in September, 2011 with an Implementation Fund of Rs.17,500 crore to be utilized over a period of five years and an additional project development Fund of Rs.1000 crore for project development. The land for the new industrial cities will be the contribution of the State Government. The ‘DMIC Project Implementation Fund’, is a revolving fund, and has been set up as a Trust. It will be a repository of Government of India financial assistance. The funds will flow from the Trust to the SPVs and the Trust will receive upside from bidding and monetization of land values. The Trust will also provide resources to DMICDC for project development activities.
The Japanese Government has also announced their financial support for DMIC project to an extent of US $ 4.5 billion in the first phase for the projects with Japanese participation.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy
Domestic savings in India have not been adequate to meet the investment requirement of the country. The ratio of domestic savings to GDP has generally been lower than the ratio of GCF to GDP. During 2008-11 share of Gross Domestic Capital Formation in the GDP was 35.3% whereas share of domestic saving during the period was only 32.7%. Capital inflow from other countries, particularly of an investment nature, therefore adds to the domestic investment. It also brings in new management practices and technologies, besides subsequently contributing to enhancement of the export potential/earning of the country.India’s attractiveness as an investment destination has to be seen in the context of major economic reforms embarked upon by the Government of India since mid-1990s, the objective being the achievement of a greater level of integration with the world economy and the emergence of India as a significant player in the globalization process. The larger and ultimate goal however is to step up the scale of development of the economy. As a part of this process, the FDI policy is being liberalized progressively on an ongoing basis in order to allow FDI in more industries under the automatic route.
Some recent changes in the FDI policy, besides consolidation of the policy into a single document include FDI in Multi-Brand Retail Trading up to 51% subject to specified conditions; increasing FDI limit to 100% in Single-Brand Retail Trading; FDI up to 49 percent in Civil Aviation and Power Exchanges; FDI up to 49 percent in Broadcasting sector under the automatic route and FDI beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent under the Government route both for Teleports and Mobile TV.
The advantages of India as an investment destination rest upon strong fundamentals, which include a large and growing market; world-class scientific, technical and managerial manpower; cost effective and highly skilled labour; abundant natural resources; a large English speaking population; independent judiciary, etc. This is now recognized by a number of global investors. Ongoing initiatives, such as further simplification of rules and regulations, improvements in infrastructure are expected to provide the necessary impetus to increase FDI inflows in future.The Government continues to make efforts to increase economic cooperation with the developing as well as developed countries through different fora such as Joint Commissions/Joint Committees, other bilateral channels like interaction with the delegations visiting the country and organizing visits abroad for discussions on issues of mutual interest and business/ investment meets between Indian and foreign entrepreneurs to stimulate foreign investment into India. It has announced the setting up of ‘Invest India’, a joint venture company between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and FICCI, as a not-for-profit, single window facilitator, for prospective overseas investors and to act as a structured mechanism to attract investment. In addition, the Government has initiated implementation of the e-Biz Project, a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for promoting an online single window at the national level for business users. The objectives of setting up of the e-Biz Portal are to provide a number of services to business users, covering the entire life cycle on their operation. The project aims at enhancing India’s business competitiveness through a service oriented, event-driven G2B interaction.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/boost-manufacturing-growth/

Progressive fragmentation of land holdings, degrading natural resource base and emerging challenges of climate change are resulting in increased pressure on land and water.
Required agricultural production and a diversified food basket to meet the requirement of the increasing population with higher per capita income, has to emanate from the same limited net sown area by increasing productivity with an optimal use of available technologies, water and land resources.
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC), Ministry of Agriculture, has been actively working towards strengthening agriculture sector in the country by devising new and innovative programmes for the benefit of farming community.
In order to meet the growing food requirement, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), launched in August 2007, incentivizes the states to increase public investment in agriculture and allied sectors taking agro climatic conditions, natural resource issues and technology into account and integrating livestock, poultry and fisheries fully while providing more flexibility and autonomy to the states in planning and execution of schemes. It has become the principal instrument for increasing the States’ investment in the agriculture sector which now includes several commodity specific measures namely Bringing Green Revolution to the Eastern Region of India (BGREI), Special Initiative for Pulses and Oilseeds, Accelerating Fodder Production, Creating Vegetable Clusters, Nutri-Cereals, Oil Palm Development, Protein Supplements, Rainfed Area Development Programme and the Saffron Mission.
Besides, RKVY, National Food Security Mission (NFSM) aims to produce additional 10, 8 and 2 million tonnes of rice, wheat and pulses respectively, thereby achieving an additional production of 20 million tonnes of food grains by 2011-12. National Horticulture Mission (NHM) targeting at the holistic development of horticulture sector by ensuring forward and backward linkages through a cluster approach, with active participation of all stake holders has transformed horticulture sector tremendously. Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) has contributed significantly in production of various horticulture produce there. Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms for providing manpower support, roping in farmers’ feedback for planning by setting up FACs and providing farmer to farmer learning, extension support through Farmer Friend, demonstration, farm school, training, exposure visit of farmers, etc. is the flagship scheme to disseminate appropriate technologies and timely and relevant information.
Under this scheme district level Agriculture Technology Management Agencies (ATMAs) have been set up in 604 rural districts of 28 States and UTs across the country. ICT (including mobile governance) is also being used extensively to reach out to the farmers and other Stakeholders.
Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension scheme has been instrumental in providing Agriculture related information and knowledge to the farming community through Doordarshan and All India Radio. 1 National Channel, 18 Regional Kendras of Doordarshan are telecasting agricultural programmes for 30 minutes, five to six days a week. Similarly, 96 FM Stations of All India Radio are being utilized to broadcast 30 minutes of programme for farmers 6 days a week. Further, this platform has been facilitating focused publicity campaigns to create awareness about the assistance available under various schemes. These spots are broadcast/telecast through All India Radio, Doordarshan and Private
Entertainment Programmes having maximum viewership.
In addition, Agri-Clinic and Agri-Business Centers and Kisan Call Centers are other important programmes that are helping in the agriculture development in the country by providing extension services to farmers on payment basis through setting up of economically viable self-employment ventures and providing agriculture related information to the farming community through toll free country wide common eleven digit number 1800-180-1551. These Kisan Call Centres have been revamped, strengthened and upgraded recently with State-of–the art technologies. Number of farmers deriving benefit from KCCs has doubled since then.
Support to Central Institutes is a scheme to support Directorate of Extension (DOE) for implementing all activities/components namely, National Institute for Agriculture Extension Management (MANAGE), 4 Extension Education Institutes (EEIs) and Exhibitions and Fairs organized by State Agriculture Universities/ICAR Institutes with the support of DAC in the five zones of the country including North East to disseminate information to farming communities on development of agriculture.
These programmes of the Government have also emerged as the path breaking interventions which have helped in achieving record production of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and spices during 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Due to constant efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, a record production of foodgrains at 257.44 million tonnes, of which 129.94 million tonnes during Kharif season and 127.50 million tonnes during the Rabi season has been achieved. Of the total foodgrains production, production of cereals was 240.23 million tonnes and pulses of 17.21 million tonnes.
State and UT governments have been advised to take advantage of the good soil moisture and target for significantly higher Rabi production so as to make good for the loss of production in the Kharif season. They have also been advised to use the high yielding and pest resistant varieties of crops developed by ICAR and popularize the use of agricultural machinery in farm operations to overcome the problem of labour shortage.
Given the limitations in the expansion of acreage coupled with an increasing pressure of population and decreasing per capita availability of cultivable land, the main source of long-term output growth is improvement in yields through a judicious use of various inputs and enhanced cropping intensity without compromising land productivity.
(PIB Feature).
Inputs from the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/agriculture-at-fast-track-to-achieve-desired-food-basket/

 
The Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) operates as an executive arm of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for it policies and programmes. It has four major branches of earth sciences – Ocean Science & Technology Services; Atmospheric and Climate Science Services; Geoscience and Technology; and Polar Science and Cryosphere. The sole purpose of the endeavor was to address holistically various aspects relating to earth processes for understanding the variability of earth system and for improving forecast of the weather, climate and hazards.
The ESSO primarily aimed to develop and improve capability to a wide range of forecasts, on weather, climate and hazard related phenomena for societal, economic and environmental benefits including addressing aspects relating to climate change science, climate services and integrated Himalayan meteorology. Over 25 sectors of both public and private directly and indirectly, are the stakeholders of the various services being rendered by the ministry, in addition to general public. This ESSO is also responsible for development of technology towards the exploration and exploitation of marine resources in a sustainable way for the socio-economic benefit of the society by taking into account the global developments in the field of marine environment.
Weather and Climate Forecasts
Weather and climate forecasts, including those of extreme events, are becoming increasingly important for the economic and societal benefits. Earth System Science Organization provides weather and climate forecasts on various spatial and time scales (nowcasting to climate) to different users in the country. This include nowcasting (up to six hours) for aviation and disaster management, short to medium range forecasts ( up to 7 days) for agricultural, water resources, insurance, public safety, tourism, water resources and power management, disaster management etc, seasonal forecasts for economic planning, agricultural, water resources and power management, and climate change scenarios for long-term planning and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Operational short to medium range forecasts are now prepared using the state -of-the-art numerical weather prediction models at a resolution of 22 km from 100 km resolution. This is a major improvement. This improvement in capability was possible due to the upgradation of High Performance Computing (HPC) facility at the ESSO institutions.
The quantitative forecasts of weather elements and forecast lead time by one day have improved over for short to medium range weather forecasdts. . This improvement is mainly attributed to use of high resolution numerical models with improved physics, and assimilation of non-conventional data from Doppler weather radars, satellite radiance and many satellite derived data products like winds, temperature and water vapour profiles. Verification of weather forecasts suggests that the skill in short range weather forecast in the country is at par with the skill of other developed countries like USA and UK. Skill of track prediction of tropical cyclones also has improved and is now comparable with the skill of other major prediction centres. The average forecasts errors in track of tropical cyclones in 2012 were 110, 185 and 240 km respectively for 24, 48 and 72 hour forecasts. In 2003, these errors were 150, 260 and 385 km respectively.
Seasonal forecasts are traditionally prepared using statistical models, but with limited success of about 60%. In spite of better understanding of monsoon variability and consistent efforts to improve statistical models, the skill of monsoon seasonal forecast has not improved over the years. To meet the user demands of more accurate seasonal forecasts at much smaller spatial scale,
the use of coupled atmosphere-ocean models, has been initiated.
With the objective to implement a state-of-the-art dynamical forecasting system for short range to seasonal forecasts, ESSO recently launched the Monsoon Mission with a budget provision of Rs 400.0 crores. Importantly, it is aimed at providing a seamless approach to predicting monsoon variations for lead times extending from short range to seasonal. The mission has initiated national and international collaboration in order to improve the models specifically for monsoon forecasting and especially targeting the key systematic errors which are limiting the predictive capability of dynamical models. A high priority has been accorded to the work on extended range forecasting, which has great potential for the agricultural sector. With the Monsoon Mission, a marked improvement in the accuracy of weather and climate forecasts is expected in next 5 years. Improvement of model physics like convection, clouds, land surface process, ocean coupling and development of advanced data assimilation methods are some of priority research areas under the Monsoon Mission.
Prediction of extreme weather events like intense precipitation, strong winds, etc is also an important research priority. ESSO is making efforts to establish a framework for nowcasting (up to six hours in advance) based on numerical models and satellite and Doppler weather radar data. With the numerical models, an advance prediction (2-3 days in advance) of extreme weather events may be possible, at least in a probabilistic sense. For this, use of high resolution models with advanced data assimilation is required but with many ensembles to take care of the uncertainties in initial conditions. Such an ensemble forecasting system is already implemented and is now being evaluated. ESSO is at a threshold for a quantum jump in achieving significant improvement in weather and climate forecasts and thus helping the development of the nation. To meet these challenges, adequate investment will be made in human resource development, high performance computing and improving the observational network.
Ocean Mineral Resources
Manganese nodules are potential ocean mineral resources found on the seabed at the depth of 4000 to 6000 m. These manganese nodules are small, dark-brown colored and lightly flattened, 5 to 10 cm in diameter, They host strategic minerals such as Copper, Nickel and Cobalt as well as Molybdenum, Vanadium, Titanium, Platinum, Rhodium, etc. in small quantities. India has been conducting extensive survey and research including development of technology for possible harnessing the resources. Recognizing India’s persistent endeavors, the pioneer investor status has been acceded primarily by allotment of a site in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations for harnessing the polymetallic nodules. The Polymetallic Nodules programme consists of four components, viz. Survey and Exploration, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study, Technology Development for Mining and Technology Development for Extractive Metallurgy.
As a part of survey activity, a detailed multibeam bathymetry survey has been completed for 75,000 sq. km. area to map the seabed topography. A comprehensive resource analysis has been carried out. The estimated potential is found to be about 380 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT). The important metal resources estimated as: Manganese – 92.59 MMT, Nickel – 4.70 MMT, Copper – 4.29 MMT and Cobalt – 0.55 MMT. Besides, an area of ~7860 km2 has been identified as First Generation Mine Site (FGM) which has the best abundance and grade.
The important prerequisites for mining these resources in the identified area are development of technology and conducting environmental impact assessment. Under technology development for harnessing the resources, a set of deep sea mining equipments have been developed indigenously. These include soil-tester, Remotely Operable Submersible (ROSUB) and crusher. Remotely Operable Submersible (ROSUB) and soil tester were tested successfully at depths beyond 5000 m respectively. The crusher was tested at 500 m depth.
It is necessary to study impact of mining on the deep sea environment. A 3-dimentional model for sediment dispersion has been developed. The Model is capable of predicting suspended and bed load sediment movement for any geographical locations including deep sea sediment sludge disposal into sea water, dispersion of plume and settling. Towards extraction of minerals from the nodules, the necessary metallurgical technology has been developed. The most promising process route was tested on the semi-continuous demonstration pilot plant. The pilot plant has exceeded the overall metal extraction efficiency higher than the achieved efficiency at laboratory scale. (PIB Feature). Inputs from the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/earth-sciences-and-esso/

By Hijam Joychandra
The trend of drug trafficking in the state is persistent and incorrigible until and unless another revolt of violent transformation like The Third Nupilal breaks out in order to save the youngsters and youths of future generation from being exploited by such trailing drug invasion. So far, numerous illicit drugs like ephedrine and pseudo- ephedrine were impounded whose values worth crores of rupees in the International market by the combined team of Special Intelligence Unit and NAB units in many occasions from ImphalTulihal Airport that are dispatched from Metro airports on cargo flight in the form of consignments. The permissible and authorization of these drugs by the vigilance authority to freight from Metro airports is also a question of wonder. But the sources and the destinations of this drug trafficking are made concealed and this nexus need to be cracking down. Some of the impounded drugs are disposed off in front of the media while many are vanished from the possession. For the first time, the involvement of many high profilers and officials in this drug smuggling is revealed as the valiant cop who leadsthe drug raid was transferred with immediate effect on the following day. The misled of political powers exercised to transfer a valiant cop like Inspector K. Ranjit for performing his rightful duty is gravely condemnable and deprivable. By being a mute spectator or by staging peaceful protests and demonstrations, no amicable solutions will bring forward to stop this social offence of drug trafficking. It is high time to invite for a forceful revolt like another Nupilal to bring forth a change to this deplorable system. Such transformation is the only hope to save the generation next from being gullibly slugged by illicit drugs.
The limit of tolerance for the people of the valley is on the verge of its conclusion and indeed fed up from being the suffered commoners or victims from all dimensions and perspectives of issues like high inflations due to frequent economic blockades as if it is permissible by laws and fashionable; power system failure; corrupt administration and sick governance; fear psychosis possessed in the mind of people as an ill impact of peace talks and autonomy demands; predicament lives in the midst of grenades and IEDs (“if the commoners obtained grenades, to whom are they going to hurl back” is the crux of transformation);and the dark side of globalization and its impracticable gaps. Drawing from various angles and perspectives, a psychic embedded vision is sighted in people’s mind that the people of the valley or the so called Meiteis community is on the verge of its extinction turmoil by horrific issues and agendas and by analyzing  its scale of engulfment it is indeed necessary for the Meiteisto be protected and preserved. Recent surrender dramasand misguidance of gullible youths by taking advantage of unemployment issues causing demoralization of youths of the state is also another factor contributing to therace extinction.At which part of the sphere where we can find a harmonious place to settle and a blissful environment for the young kids to grow and nourish? As life devalues, the future generation will curse us for sure of being a mere mute spectator rather than shaping a safe environment for them to cherish during our time. There shall be no fate for the future generation to cherish but to live a vagabond life slugged by those drug invasions.
Finding a solution, the identities of the concealed high officials and political leaders who are involved in drug trafficking are in need to be exposed and shackled. Dwelling public property for self causes must be stopped at once. Government’s delay tactics, blame gaming, short term memory of the public, negligence in tackling issues and suppression of any uprising movements by compensating with a fistful of money, being mute spectators, starting of many uprisings with a bang but concluded with a whimper without proper settlements won’t bring any amicable solutions to resolve the languished issues of the state.The Governor should intervene and extend his support beyond jurisdiction for the cause of humanity by ostracizing the involved politicians from partaking governance. A collaborative effort is necessary to bring forth amicable solutions against corruption and drug trafficking. Role of media should also be broaden its spectrum by conducting various sting operations against those corrupt leaders and exposing the hidden truths and scams to the public for spreadingawareness and transformational changes. Let us pledge to transform our society from being a state of languish and superseded by the terror of drug invasion. Let us pledge to tackle the drug trafficking issues collectivelyand shackle those involved in such social offences.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/call-for-history-in-the-making/

 
Dr.K. Parameswaran, Assistant Director, PIB, Madurai.
Palm Oil is a balanced vegetable oil and source of energy. More significantly, it is free of cholesterol and trans- fatty acids. Additionally, it is packed with carotenoids (a rich source of vitamin A) and Vitamin E.
Palm oil has good acceptance as a cooking medium because of its price advantage. It is also the raw material for manufacturing oleo chemicals used in the manufacture of soaps, candles, plasticizers, etc.
Palm Elaeis guineensis, originated in West Africa, is the highest edible oil yielding perennial crop. It produces two distinct oils, i.e., palm oil and palm kernel oil, which are used for culinary as well as industrial purposes. Palm oil is derived from the fleshy mesocarp of the fruit, which contains about 45-55% of oil.
Present Scenario
The production of oil palm has received greater impetus in India under the current scenario. India is one of the major producers and consumers of vegetable oils. India accounts for 12-15% of the area under oilseeds and 6-7% of the production of vegetable oil in the world. Despite annual production of about 27.00 million tonnes of oilseeds in the country, the availability of edible oil is not sufficient to meet the domestic demand.
The almost stagnant domestic production of oilseeds and increased per capita consumption of edible oils has increased the dependency on imports in recent years. The country currently produces less than 50 % of its requirement of edible oils. The growth of the economy is expected to lead to increased per capita consumption of edible oils in the future resulting in greater import dependency.
Production Expansion Programme
It was under this scenario that the Oil Palm Development Programme (OPDP) was launched during 1991- 92 under the “Technology Mission on Oilseeds and Pulses” (TMOP) with a focus on area expansion in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Gujarat and Goa. From 2004-05 onwards, the scheme is being implemented as part of the “Integrated Scheme of Oil seeds, Pulses, Oil Palm & Maize” (ISOPOM) and provides support for Oil Palm cultivation in 12 states including Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka , Kerala, Tripura, and West Bengal.
In Tamilnadu, oil palm is being cultivated in Trichy, Karur, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Theni, Thiruvallur, Tiruvarur, and Tuticorin.
Oil Palm Area Expansion
A special initiative is being undertaken under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for the implementation of the Special Programme on Oil Palm Area Expansion (OPAE) in order to augment the production of palm oil by 2.5 to 3.00 lakh tonnes in the next 5 years. Under the programme, it is proposed to expand palm oil cultivation in Tamilnadu to about 700 acres more of area. The proposed financial out lay for the programme has been pegged at 4.2 crore rupees.
At the national level, it is proposed to undertake the expansion of oil palm cultivation to about 60,000 hectares more under the OPAE. It has also been decided that the expansion of area under cultivation will be concentrated on area under the purview of existing mills so as to increase the technical and economic viability of operations.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/palm-oil-a-healthy-edible-oil/

Sarita Brara
One piece of good news on the educational front from left wing extremist affected (LWE) districts in the country is that many areas have witnessed a declining trend in the dropout rates since the inception of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan as was stated by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Shashi Tharoor while replying to a question in Parliament during the just concluded winter session
A number of steps have been taken over the years by the centre and the concerned state governments to enroll children in schools in LWE affected areas and most importantly to retain them in schools and thus arrest the high rate of drop outs that these schools have been witnessing for many years .
Central Government Initiatives and Assistance
The opening of residential schools has been quite effective in retaining children in schools .According to official figures there are 77 residential schools/ hostels in LWE districts with intake capacity of 31650 children. 889 Kasturba Gandhi Vidalaya residential schools for girls have been opened in the affected districts for class VI to VIII.
Under the provisions of a scheme of the Ministry for Tribal Affairs 100 per cent central assistance is provided for construction of all Scheduled tribe girls’ ashram schools and boys’ ashram schools in naxal-affected districts identified by Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time .
The Coordination with Ashram Shalas and other SC/ST department schools by giving free text books, the mid day meal, teacher training school maintenance grant and teacher grant for teaching aids has also helped.
Multi Lingual Education in early grades in tribal districts of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is another step that can improve learning comprehension and retention of children in schools.
The centre has also sanctioned special training for drop outs or never enrolled children. Over 33280 lakh rupees have been sanctioned for 6, 59,668 out of school children for age appropriate admission in regular schools.
Transportation/ escort facility for total of 47,909 children has been provided in 2011-12 and 2012-13 in LWE districts.
LWE districts are treated as Special Focused districts for need based planning and sanctions.
KG to PG Educational Hubs in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government is planning an initiative towards starting “KG to PG” educational hubs for tribal students in areas affected by Naxalite violence. These residential schools are meant to impart education to students from kindergarten to postgraduate level and are aimed at letting tribal communities enter the mainstream.
Porta Cabin Schools in Chhatisgarh
In Chhattisgarh the state government there has installed pre-fabricated structures, porta cabin schools in all the districts of Bastar region. While it takes a long time to build permanent infrastructure for schools, the Pre-fabricated structures can be moved to areas where Naxalites have destroyed schools or where ever they are required. The porta cabin school scheme in Chhattisgarh has been implemented with the help of UNICEF and the state of Jharkhand has also approved funds for such schools.
Balbandhu Programme of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
An innovative Balbandhu scheme initiated by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in strife torn areas two years back too has started making an impact. The scheme has been introduced in nine districts affected by civil strife in Sukhma in Chhhatisgarh, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Khammam in Andhra Pradesh, East Champaran, Sheohar, Jammui and Rohtas in Bihar and Kokrajhar and Chirang in Assam. Balbandhus are young people recruited from within the community to oversee the children in such areas go to school, return to schools if they have dropped out and trace and restore the missing children to their families . While these balbandhus may not have the power to enforce implementation but they can put pressure on the authorities by involving the community and the Panchayats towards this end An evaluation report on the Balbandhu programme says that these young recruits have given a distinct confidence to the children in these areas specially the school going ones.
Among many other suggestion, recommendations, that the Balbandhu programme should be extended for at least two years in the same block and a new block should be opened up in the neighbouring district where the existing resource person and balbandhu can give basic operational training .
The self help groups and Balbandhu committee should monitor Midday meal scheme and send regular reports.
Students should be encouraged to form self help groups where the students good in studies could help weak children.
According to Dr. Shantha Sinha, the NCPCR Chairperson, the Right to Education Act has shown positive results and there has been an increase in enrolment but a lot more remains to be done in strife torn areas.She said that the things there are moving at slow pace and there is need to replicate the experiences of places that have shown good results.
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has said that Education is the best antidote for violence, intolerance and inequality. After laying the foundation stone of two separate hostels for tribal students in the districts of Chhattisgarh recently, he said faith in humanity must be restored in the minds of youths so that the country can find its rightful place in the world.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/educating-children-in-naxal-affected-areas/

Manish Desai
Director (Media), Press Information Bureau, Mumbai.
Bhavana Gokhale
MCO(Media), Press Information Bureau, Mumbai.
Changed Rural Scenario
Over the last two decades, the rural areas of India have witnessed many changes. There are better road connections, there is a significant improvement in health care, literacy levels have gone up and mobile phones have become ubiquitous. But one thing that hasn’t changed much is the sorry state of electricity supply. 12-14 hours load shedding is a common phenomenon across most states of the country. When there is no electricity for such a long time span, one of the most affected lot are the school going children.
In absence of electricity, students either do not study at all or they study under kerosene lamp. Either situation is not good. In India over 120 million children depend upon crude kerosene lamp for studying due to lack of grid electricity supply. Kerosene lamps do not emit sufficient light to enable children to read in comfort. They also emit carbon monoxide, which is harmful to the health of a child. There is also a chance of kerosene spilling resulting in a fire hazard. The end result -students fail to keep pace with school teaching and when they pass, they are less confident and less skillful to find employment opportunities.

Therefore the availability of light during the study hours of children is very important. So how to address this challenge?
LED Study Lights – The Best Solution
Among all possible solutions, solar energy based solar lanterns appear to provide the cheapest and quickest solution.
Emerging LED lighting technology which is semiconductor based presents a wonderful solution to this simple lighting issue. With the white LED revolution it is now possible to provide a simple light suitable for reading purpose that consumes less than a quarter watt but provides 10 to 50 times more useable light than a wick lamp.
Hyderabad based Voluntary Organization Thrive Energy Technologies has indigenously developed a Solar Study light which provides enough light intensity for study purpose. It gives 7-8 hours of light per day on full charge.
Features of Solar LED
Provides close to 150 lux of evenly distributed light output as compared to 2-3 lux of light output provided by a flickering wick lamp
Uses a NiMH (Nickel-metal Hydride) battery, which can be charged either by using the 0.5 watt solar panel provided or by an AC mobile charger or by a solar powered bulk charging system
Uses the world’s best LED and an advanced IC that ensures consistent and quality lighting even after many years of use.

“The lights are designed to be very rugged and fail proof considering the rural environment. Through innovation in technology and processes, these lights are up to 40% less expensive than commercially available lights of similar quality” says Ravi Tejwani of IIT-Bombay, closely associated with the project.
Khargone Experiment: One Child One Light
‘One Child One Light” is a project initiated for providing solar light to 100 students each from 100 schools, totaling to 10,000 lights in Khargone district located in South West Madhya Pradesh. It is proposed to target 100 schools from Zhirnya and Bhagwanpura Tehsil, which are among the most backward during the pilot stage. The main plan is to distribute as many as 100,000 lights in the district.
Khargone district of MP has been chosen as pilot as more than 84% population lives in rural area of which 40% belongs to SC/ST category. Over 40% people use kerosene for lighting purpose. Per capita electricity consumption in MP is only about 330 units per year, while the same is 750 units for India and on an average 2000 units for the world.
The project is being executed by Education Park located in Khargone district in collaboration with Thrive Energy Technologies, Hyderabad. So far, more than 4500 solar LED lights have been distributed. The objective is to distribute.
How the Project Works
The subsidized cost of the solar light is only Rs 200 for students, although the MRP is Rs 580/-. “These Solar lights will be centrally charged at school while the child is studying through common solar PV modules installed on the terrace of the school. Lamps are kept on a charging rack during the day time, and 4 to 5 hours of charge would be good enough for the lamp to provide 2 -3 hours of light during the night for 2 -3 days” says Tejwani. Student, who owns solar lamp, takes it home for study during night. The student brings the light back to the school for recharging whenever it is due.
Benefits of the Project
The project, once implemented successfully, will bring lot of benefits directly and indirectly in the society.
· 10,000 students getting solar lights will result in 30 lakh extra study hours per year.
· It will bring awareness among parents, teachers and administrators and encourage people to get their own solar lights. Another domestic light model is also available for home use.
· It will help reduce demand for kerosene, which is already in short supply, which in turn will save precious foreign exchange for the country.
· It will reduce the health hazard to children caused by the use of kerosene lamps.
· The implementation of this project will result in saving of 1.5 million tons of Carbon Dioxide emission per year.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the effect and impact of the project on the social life of Madhya Pradesh and encourage governments to adopt solar lamps for lighting purpose as the most cost effective solution in rural areas.
India’s Focus on Solar Energy
The Government has recognized the importance of solar energy and has launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The immediate aim of the Mission is to focus on setting up an enabling environment for solar technology penetration in the country both at a centralized and decentralized level. To promote research the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) has been set up at IIT Bombay, to carry out basic and applied research activities. Eventually, NCPRE aims to make solar PV a cost-effective and relevant technology option.
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/one-child-one-light-a-project-to-brighten-up-schooling-days/

Khagendramani Pradhan
Amidst the backdrop of picturesque and mighty Mt. Khanchan Dzonga refreshed by the gentle breeze of river Teesta brews the morning sip of Sikkim – the Temi tea. Spread over 180 hectares of gentle slope with altitude ranging from 4500 to 6316 feet, the Temi tea garden produces one of the finest orthodox tea that promises the appreciation of tea connoisseur.
The Temi Tea estate was established in 1969 during the erstwhile regime of Chogyal and the commercial production started in the year 1977. In the year 1974 Tea board was formed to govern the day to day functioning of the estate and later it went on to become the subsidiary of Industries Department under Sikkim government. Temi Tea which apart from providing direct employment to over four hundred labors and thirty personnel, also is a major employer in the Government sector.
The gentle slopes that originate from the Tendong hill range has loamy soils condition with slope of 30–50% that suits best for tea plantation and produces nearly 100 tons of tea annually. Although the quantity of produce may seem insignificant in terms of major tea producing estates, the quality and the flavor it produces has been able to win the heart of tea aficionados within India and the world.
The tea produced by the Temi Tea estate is packaged under many brand names like “Temi Tea” which is of the best quality consisting of pure tea golden flowery orange pekoe. The next in quality is the popular brand of ‘Sikkim Solja’ followed by ‘Mystique’ and ‘Kanchanjunga Tea’. It is also sold in the form of ‘Orthodox dust tea’. While nearly 70 percent of the produce is sold in public auction at Kolkata through its authorized broker, the rest is converted into retail packets and sold in the local market.
The geographical location and the young plantation supplemented by organic method of production have further added to the value and flavor of tea leaves produced from this estate. Temi Tea garden closely followed the guidelines issued by IMO, Switzerland and with the completion of observation period, Temi Tea Estate was certified 100 percent organic by IMO India, a member group of IMO Switzerland in 2008. In addition, it is also a HACCP certified estate as per ISO -22000 standard under Food Safety Management System ensuring finest of quality product reaching the market. It may be noted that Temi tea garden is also the recipient of All India Quality Award from Tea Board of India for the two consecutive years.
The conversion of entire production process from conventional to organic with inputs like bio-fertilizers and pesticides like vermin-compost manure, neem cakes and castor cakes, have not only opened bigger market in international market, but has also seen a surge in demand amongst the tourist visiting Sikkim. Nearly one hundred acres of forest land at its disposal amply supplies the bio-mass to the estate making it self-reliant for required inputs.
By abandoning the use of agro-chemical and adopting organic means of production, the Temi tea estate has not only curtailed the cost of production, but also has opened wider arena of market preferring organic produce free from harmful chemicals. The Temi Tea board boasts of coming to breakeven point and substantially contributing to the State exchequer.
While Germany, United Kingdom, America and Japan constitute the major buyer, efforts are on way to further diversify the product in view of growing demand for green teas including redesigning of more attractive packets for value addition. This apart, efforts are underway to source direct buyers in foreign market for tea produced in Sikkim. The Tea Board of late has started directly exporting small quantities of organic tea to Canada and Japan where it has been fetching comparatively competitive and attractive prices.
Though, the expansion of tea plantation has been thwarted due to non availability of suitable land, Temi tea estate has been offering assistance to small scale grower and producers by providing quality planting materials and other technical knowhow. The garden nursery produces some of the best clone planting material, which is distributed among the small tea growers’ cooperatives in the state.
Though Temi Tea has lived up to expectation of many tea connoisseurs, given the climatic condition in the estate, there still is scope for production of high value and high return finest tea leaves. (PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/temi-tea-flavour-of-sikkim/

A decision was taken in the meeting of the National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers held by the Prime Minister that Direct Benefit Transfers will be rolled out from 1 January 2013 in 43 identified districts. The purpose of Direct Benefits Transfer is to ensure that benefits go to individuals bank accounts electronically, cutting down delays and diversions.
A lot of preparatory has been done and a lot of work is ongoing in connection with the rollout. Secretaries and their officers have visited all 43 districts to assess the preparedness for rollout of Direct Benefits Transfer. A meeting of District Collectors was held on 13 December 2012 to inform them about the steps to be taken for timely rollout of Direct Benefits Transfer. Review meetings have been taken by the Prime Minister to ensure preparations are moving ahead smoothly.
What is Direct Benefits Transfer and what does it cover:
1. Government will transfer cash benefits like scholarships, pensions, NREGA wages, etc. directly to the Bank or Post Office Accounts of identified beneficiaries under the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) programme. The shift to this would done in a phased, time-bound manner after ensuring that the necessary systems are in place for Direct Benefits Transfer.
2. Direct Benefits Transfer will not be a substitute for delivery of public services which would continue to take place as per the normal delivery channels.
3. Direct Benefits Transfer will not replace food with cash under the Public Distribution System. The Government is committed to legislating the National Food Security Act.
What does Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in practice:
4. For the rollout beginning on 1.1.2013, 43 districts in 16 States have been identified for the first round of Direct Benefits Transfer under 26 selected schemes. The selection of 43 districts has been done on the basis of coverage of bank accounts and Aadhaar.
5. The rollout has been phased based on:
(a) The next instalment being due either on 1.1.2013 or at a later date.
(b) The list of beneficiaries being digitized in the district concerned.
(c) The opening of bank accounts for beneficiaries in the district concerned.
(d) Enrolment for Aadhaar numbers in the district concerned.
(e) Seeding of bank accounts with Aadhaar numbers in the district concerned.
(f) Availability of funds.
6. Based on the level of preparedness and the ongoing nature of the rollout, Direct Benefits Transfer will begin to take place from 1st January, 2013 as follows:
i. There will be a Direct Benefit Transfer on 1.1.2013 through a cash transfer into beneficiaries` bank accounts in 7 schemes. These schemes are spread over districts as below:
a.Post-matric scholarship for SC students – 7 districts; 48,000 beneficiaries
(Puducherry, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Anantpur, East Godavari, Diu)
b. Pre-matric scholarship for SC students – 1 district; 24,000 beneficiaries
(East Godavari)
c. Post-matric scholarship for OBC students – 6 districts; 105,000 beneficiaries (Puducherry, Alwar, Anantpur, East Godavari, Daman, North Goa)
d. Post-matric scholarship for ST students – 3 districts; 4,800 beneficiaries
(Tumkur, Waynad, Harda)
e. Indira Gandhi Matrutva Sahayata Yojana – 6 districts; 55,000 beneficiaries (Dharwar, Puducherry, NW Delhi, Diu, North Goa, Amaravati)
f. Dhanalakshmi Scheme – 1 district; 8,000 beneficiaries
(Fatehgarh Sahib)
g. Stipend to trainees under the scheme of welfare of SC/ST job seekers through Coaching-cum-Guidance and Vocational Training – 10 States, 650 beneficiaries
(Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, MP, Rajasthan, AP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand)
On 1.1.2013, over 2 lakh beneficiaries will start receiving benefits through Direct Benefits Transfer.
ii. In 20 of the 43 districts, all future benefits transfers under all the 26 schemes, whenever they are due after 1.1.2013 as per their cycle, will be through Direct Benefits Transfer. There will be some phased rollout in a few schemes in some of these districts. In a sense, these 20 districts go “live” for Direct Benefits Transfer from 1.1.2013.
iii. In 11 of the 43 districts, all future benefits transfers under all the 26 schemes, whenever they are due after 1.2.2013 as per their cycle, will be through Direct Benefits Transfer. In a sense, these 11 districts go “live” for Direct Benefits Transfer from 1.2.2013.
iv. In the remaining 12 of the 43 districts, all future benefits transfers under all the 26 schemes, whenever they are due after 1.3.2013 as per their cycle, will be through Direct Benefits Transfer. In a sense, these 12 districts go “live” for Direct Benefits Transfer from 1.3.2013.
v. By 1.3.2013, Phase 1 of Direct benefits Transfer would have rolled out in all 43 districts and all benefits would be flowing electronically to beneficiaries accounts in the 43 districts as and when their payments become due.
7. It may be the case that not all 26 schemes may be present in all the 43 districts. Further, under some of the 26 schemes, the next installment will be due only next financial year.
Other Arrangements for Direct Benefits Transfer
8. Direct Benefits Transfer from the Centre will take place either directly to the account of the beneficiary or through the State Government into the account of the beneficiary.
9. Withdrawal arrangements are being strengthened. Initially beneficiaries will be able to withdraw from their own bank branches or ATMs or Business Correspondents (BCs) wherever they exist. The system of micro-ATMs and multiple BCs will roll out subsequently with full inter-operability gradually. The one lakh Common Service Centers set up by the Department of IT are being engaged to serve as a BC in Gram Panchayats where BCs are not functional today. Banks have also been asked to expand their reach to provide banking services to every 1000-1500 households through a BC or CSC. Work is being done to make the BCs interoperable over a period of time. Banks have floated a tender for 20 lakh Micro-ATMs which will be inter-operable and will have facility for biometric scanning and Aadhaar authentication.
Next Steps in Rollout
10. Once the programme has stabilized in these 43 districts, it will be rolled out in phases in other parts of the country over 2013 after a careful assessment of readiness.
11. Direct Transfer of Subsidies for food, fertilizer and kerosene is not being contemplated at present. This will take more time as the issues of entitlement are more complex.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rollout-of-direct-benefits-transfer/

Khursheed Wani
The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology Srinagar (IICT) is an ISO 9001:2008 certified autonomous institute, established by office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of textiles, Government of India and the Department of Industries & Commerce (Directorate of Handicrafts), Government of Jammu & Kashmir. The IICT, Srinagar has been set up to provide technical support and development support to the carpet industries specific to Jammu & Kashmir.
The main activities of IICT Srinagar revolve around Human Resource & Development (HRD), Research & Development(R&D), Design Creation and Development(DCD)and other Technical services to the industry. The IICT, Srinagar is a satellite centre of Institute of Carpet technology, Bhadohi, UP. The institute commenced functioning in the year 2004-05. It is managed by an Executive Committee headed by Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, J&K Government.
Carpet Designs & Talim Scripts
IICT has introduced a modern technique which is a locally developed Carpet Design Software, in the field of carpet designing wherein carpet designs are automatically converted into Talim Scripts (a unique Coded Pattern). The designs herein created and developed are preserved for ever. This innovation has eased the design work enormously as it used to take months together for a group of persons comprising of Naqash (Designer), Talim Writer and a Talim Copyist to make the carpet design of standard size and to transfer the design drafted on graph paper (outline only) into the coded pattern known as talim in the local language. With the help of this technology, one can view the complete design on the monitor of a computer before actually going for manufacture.
Modern Carpet Loom
After an extensive research for more than four years (2005-2008), the Institute conceived the design of Modern Carpet Loom, first of its kind in the entire country, and developed its one prototype. This was aimed at improving the working conditions of the carpet artisans. The necessary testing and trial runs of this prototype were conducted at the Institute for more than two years and its working was observed on regular basis. After additional trial runs in more than 100 carpet training centres of State and Central Government were conducted to make them user friendly, these looms were approved for introduction in the carpet industry of the State.
Subsequently, Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India has earmarked funds to the tune of 32.0 Crores for the introduction of 8000 such looms in the carpet Industry under Mega Carpet Cluster Project as per funding pattern of 80:20 as the share of Government of India and State Government respectively which implies that Modern Carpet Loom along with the sitting bench shall be made available to the artisans free of cost.
The Institute has distributed first consignment of 500 Modern Carpet Looms in 10 districts of Kashmir division (50 looms/district) in July 2012.
Skill Up-gradation
To educate and upgrade their skill and broaden their information & Knowledge base, IICT has devised Skill Up-gradation/Orientation Training/ Design Workshop programmes for over 1700 persons comprising of Artisans, Designers, Talim Writers, Washer-men etc. This will help in manufacturing best quality carpets as per the current market requirements which in turn will address the issue of low economic returns to the artisans.
Infrastructural Facilities
The Institute has set up Design Studio with latest digital equipments wherein 561 Carpet and 107 Kani Shawl Designs in the digital form were developed with the application of Carpet Design Software. IICT generated revenue of Rs 13.17 Lacs from the industry while providing these on nominal charges.
Library has been set up with relevant books and magazines of international repute for the reference of Industry & trade. Design Bank has been set up for the carpet craft in the digital format wherein 287 old/traditional carpet designs presently available in the form of manually written Talim paper scripts (coded pattern) have been digitised so far. The digitised designs are preserved forever and can be recreated as per the current market requirements. Besides, Testing Laboratory for Physical and Chemical Testing of raw materials like Silk, Wool, Cotton etc., has been set up.
A detailed research study has been completed by the Institute to look for ways and means to streamline the process of carpet washing which has remained unchanged since centuries together and to standardise the use of chemicals and auxiliaries to improve the finishing of carpets.
Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS)
The Institute has introduced two unique Short and Long term courses under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Under the programme, over four thousand persons shall be trained, over a period of five years, with the objective to develop a trained human resource for the carpet Industry in Kashmir division. Besides, it is aimed to create additional self employment opportunities for the educated unemployed youth in the Handicrafts sector by providing them requisite technical and entrepreneurial skills so that they could set up their own income generating units for the growth and development of the Carpet Industry.
Under the scheme, 4200 candidates from eight districts of Kashmir division viz Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Pulwama & Srinagar, shall be trained under four months Certificate Course in Carpet Manufacturing (CCCM) and 100 candidates shall be trained under One year Diploma in Carpet Technology & Entrepreneurship Development (DCTED). The scheme is in progress since January 2012.
Mega Carpet Cluster Project
A massive Skill up-gradation and Capacity Building programme under Mega Carpet Cluster project sanctioned by Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and Industries & Commerce Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir has recently been launched at seven different areas of district Srinagar.
Around 4000 carpet artisans of Srinagar District shall be trained over a period of three years. The objective of this programme is to educate the artisans about quality of Raw Materials, Yarn Dyeing, Carpet Designing (Traditional/Modern), Carpet Finishing, Quality Control & its importance, Marketing & Marketing Techniques, Formation of SHG’s/ Clusters/ Cooperative Societies & their benefits and to sensitize them about the Modern Carpet Loom designed by IICT, Srinagar.
Awareness Camps
In addition, awareness sessions about the developmental schemes of various departments and organizations are organized so that artisans can avail benefits from such schemes. Awareness camps were organized at Shangus (Anantnag), Devsar (Kulgam), Reyar Khan Sahib (Budgam), and Ajas (Bandipora) for setting up of Carpet Production Centers. Around 1000 artisans and carpet weavers participated in these awareness cum interactive camps.
Study tours and field visits are also organized to broaden the horizon of their practical exposure so that artisans can assimilate changes that are taking place at the national and international level.
Studies
IICT has undertaken successful completion of study on feasibility and suitability of locally produced high quality reeled Mulberry Silk as raw material for Hand knotted Silk Carpets instead of spun silk yarn being imported from outside the State. In order to provide legal protection and safeguard against use of registered Geographical Indication by others, the Institute is presently working on the project of “Registration of Kashmiri Hand Knotted Silk Carpets under Geographical Indication Act”.
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/iict-srinagar-in-pursuit-of-excellence-in-carpet-industry/

 
L. C. Ponnumon, Media & Communication Officer, PIB, Cochin.
Machines developed by Central Coir Research Institute (CRRI) to convert husks from tender coconuts that pile up along Sabarimala trekking path, into usable coconut fibre should be deployed along with eco-friendly tender coconut disposing units. Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine (MFEM), also known as ‘Swarna’, was developed by a CRRI.
The vending points for tender coconuts at Sabarimala generate huge heap of waste materials, which is an environmental hazard by itself. It was felt essential that these materials are removed for fruitful end uses.
The ban on the supply of tender coconuts, which is a natural source of energy for the pilgrims while trekking up the hills to the Sabarimala shrine, is no solution. Therefore, it was essential to ensure that there is proper management of the waste generated by the process of vending tender coconuts.
A presentation in this regard was made by the Coir Board before the High Court of Kerala in the presence of all the learned counsel appearing for the various stakeholders, including the Government, TDB etc. A few products were shown that have come out by utilizing the fibres of coconuts. The working of Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine (MFEM) as a disposal mechanism of coconut husks was also explained for instantaneous defibering of coconut husks.
The High Court of Kerala has given directions to use the husks of coconuts properly under the guidance of Central Coir Research Institute (CCRI) of Coir Board.
A project for defibring the husks dumped in Pamba and Sabarimala by making value added products has been implemented through cooperation between Coir Board and Forest Department.
The husk has been defibered using the Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine (MFEM) developed by the CCRI of Coir Board.
The coir fibers coming out of the machine will be used for making handicraft items like coir toys, necklaces, chains etc. and coir pith will be converted into organic manure. It will help to develop the coir industry and agricultural industry.
Prof. G. Balachandran, Chairman, Coir Board took keen interest in the project and directed his officials to launch the project immediately. Accordingly, the project work has been inaugurated by Dr. U.S. Sarma, Director, CCRI of Coir Board by installing MFEM on the site. The process of defibering using MFEM and composting of coir pith was demonstrated before the forest officials and PWD engineers.
Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine
The coir industry in India utilises only 25% of the total availability of husk, remaining valuable bio-mass is either used for fuel purposes or for dumping it around the coconut trees for manure purpose.
The industry sometimes starves for the husks and it becomes a crisis. Almost every year the state of Kerala is forced to buy the coir fibres from the neighbouring states namely, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for making floor covering products making those uneconomical.
During the year 2009, the crisis deepened and the Central Coir Research Institute (CCRI) was asked to come to the rescue of the industry by developing a mobile fibre extraction machine which could be easily transported to the villages where there is availability of husk but it is difficult to collect at a centralized location for defibering. The CCRI could develop this machine in a period of 2 months by December, 2009 and it was demonstrated before the coir industry during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the institute in which the then Minister of MSME, Shri. Dinsha Patel had given it the name of SWARNA.
The industry had expressed satisfaction on the quality of fibre and pith being obtained in a matter of 10 seconds.
The machine is also weighing about 350kgs and can be transported by towing with a Tata Ace. The technology was transferred to the National Coir Management and Research Institute (NCMRI), Govt. of Kerala. The technology has also been taken by the Govt. of Karnataka and 17 other machinery manufacturers for fabrication in large numbers.
With Inputs from Central Coir Research Institute (Coir Board), Alappuzha.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/tender-coconut-husks-processing/

M. Jacob Abraham, Deputy Director, PIB, Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala’s own electronic toilets (e-toilets), one of the prominent innovations of the state in public health, hygiene and sanitation sector, would now be seen featured at the scenic an snow covered valleys of Jammu and Kashmir also.
Developed by Eram Scientific Solutions, the Thiruvananthapuram based scientific R&D firm, the e-toilets for Jammu & Kashmir region has been customized as per the region’s own geographical and sub-zero climatic conditions in response to J&Ks tourism departments request for setting up e-Toilets in the State. The e-Toilets would be set up at Affarwat and Gulmarg. Affarwat is one of the world’s highest locations which uses cable car using gondolas at a height of over 4000 ft above sea level and the only one location in the world that takes skiers to a height of 4,390 metres.
In addition to the e-toilets, specifically designed STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) would also be set up at Dal Lake to address its waste treatment woes. A 2.5 ton container loaded with the e-toilet and STP components would be leaving from Thiruvananthapuram to Jammu and Kashmir. Eram Scientific has designed customized e-toilets which can function in sub-zero temperatures, even at -55o. In order to function at this sort of extreme cold temperatures, military grade equipments have been used in the customized e-toilet model. Eram Scientific has successfully implemented over 400 e-toilets in various parts of the country.
The e-toilets are designed on the lines of the Australian National Public Toilet Map. The user, could view the toilet map via the Internet or the cell phone, select the nearest toilet station, set a parking space, make payment, view the timings and get other details on allied facilities.
The company has entered into an association with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for further research and development of e-toilets.The collaborative work will focus on structural analysis and design verification of these toilets.Need for a Sustainable Intervention in Sanitation sector Urban and Semi Urban areas -These areas face severe problems with respect to standard public toilets, cleanliness and better sanitation amenities in particular. The cities and towns being overpopulated pose severe health hazards arising due to unhygienic conventional sanitation methods being followed in these areas. The introduction of the proposed sanitation system would radically change the plight of the existing toilets and public sanitation system in place.
Social Relevance – Unhygienic sanitation cause infection and related diseases especially in women and children. The level of privacy, dignity and safety for women can be rendered in the best possible manner by installing Electronic Public Toilets in all possible public locations.
Unhygienic Tourist Spots – Tourism is also facing the ill-effects of the deplorable sanitation conditions in the country. Several tourist spots and connecting roads are a pity to the country and are causing discomfort for the tourists. Chances of getting infected with severe communicable diseases in the Indian streets do create doubts for the tourists in choosing it as their destination.
eToilet, India’s First Electronic Public Toilet
Through this unique product, the company has attempted to address the inherent challenges of public sanitation. In a perfect situation, a public toilet should have the capabilities to address waste management, effective water usage and sustainability as core challenges among various other issues. eToilet is positioned as the perfect solution which addresses all these effectively; it is cost effective, appropriate and suitable for the geographic and demographic patterns of any location. It is working on a mission to have all Indian Cities with modern sterilized public sanitation system. To further improve Urban Sanitation Infrastructure, such projects with huge social relevance are inevitable.
The Innovation
The idea was to develop an eco-friendly public sanitation system for the Indian sub-continent based on a novel convergence of electronic, mobile, web and bio technologies, for serving as an affordable, sustainable and effective public toilet service in India. eToilet is positioned as the ultimate solution to ensure public toilets across the country are maintained hygienically, with the minimum of manual intervention, and substantial energy and water savings as well. The e-Toilet works on total auto mode: The insertion of a coin opens the door for the user, switches on the light – thus saving energy – and even directs the user with audio commands. The toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 liters of water if the user takes up to 3 minutes, and 4.5 liters of water if the usage is longer. They can also be programmed to clean the platform after every 5 or 10 persons use the toilet. The e-Toilet is the result of a convergence of electronics, web and mobile technologies, featuring automated door opening, power flushing, automatic closet washing and sterilization, and automatic platform cleaning mechanism, all backed by SMS alerts to inform the control room about the status of water tank and bio gas plant in the event of any errors or failures through which the downtime can be minimized. The solid and liquid wastes are treated scientifically. A bio-membrane reactor is used to treat solid wastes and the water used is purified for reuse. The uniqueness of the solution lies in the built-in electronic innovations that will facilitate self cleaning of the toilets with minimum water usage, and treatment of solid waste and water with an environment friendly sewage treatment solution.
Highlights of the Project
As on date, appropriate and cost effective technology is not used anywhere in India in the sanitation sector – eToilet is a model that is a hybrid one, synergizing technologies in Electronics, Mechanical, Information Technology, etc., for a very cost effective and modular design.
Automatic un-manned toilet (Wet type) is an innovation in India; it is especially important as the unit has the capabilities for self washing and sterilization. Sterilization will be helpful in containing serious communicable diseases.
Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for the management of the unit incorporating GPRS facilities.
eToilet also incorporates a unique advertisement revenue model which ensures the unit’s sustainability and adds to its ambience. The ad panels offer manifold revenue opportunities as this is a highly lucrative model especially in metros and several public locations. Also the units have the capability of adopting high-tech advertisement displays such as revolving ads which adds to its aesthetics and sustainability. This sustainability model is highly relevant in a tourist spot, where employment opportunities can be created and extra cleanliness can be ensured, with the income thus generated.
eToilet covers all the three aspects of quality of life, efficiency and environment protection. eToilet is aimed at improving the quality of life of the public; i.e. the wellness of the people by providing clean, hygienic state-of-the-art sanitation facilities which overrides the traditional public toilets. Though the unit is fully automated, it does not create any kind of usage barrier to the normal user. Efficiency is brought into practice through its unique futuristic approach woven with an intention to preserve our precious resources
such as water, electricity and managing waste through effective and efficient sewage treatment techniques. It is also a cost-effective mechanism to ensure proper public sanitation facility in highly populated regions. The average life of a unit is estimated to be around 7-10 years and thus it offers durability. Also the deployment of such units will provide employment opportunities for many. This will help many people to earn their livelihood. Environment is protected through eToilet’s Green technology focus and is all set to emerge with a matchless ‘green model’ through a linkage with Indian Institute of Science. 400+ units of eToilet are installed in various locations of our country. The commercial production of the same started during the first quarter of 2010 to provide world class sanitation facility for tourists. Eram has installed e-toilets in various parts of Kerala and Greater Noida. Another 300 is under implementation and will be operational within next two months. Each system is used by an average of 130 peoples per day. The company has now entered into technology transfer agreement with South Africa and marketing arrangement with Nigeria and Botswana.
High Impact Projects
eToilet is now evolving as a sustainable project for providing clean and hygienic urban infrastructure. Various Government Departments in Kerala have been implementing large scale projects for providing sustainable technology based urban sanitation projects.The Women’s’ Development Corporation of Government of Kerala is setting up over 200 eToilets christened as she-toilet for women.
Public Works Department is setting up Eve’s own eToilet across the stretch of its highways in Kerala.
Kerala Tourism Department plans to set up eToilet network along its premium tourist destinations.
Eram is also setting up Highway amenity centers for tourists in over 30 destinations in Kerala.
Pathanamthitta District in Kerala is India’s first District with a connected eToilet Infrastructure
(CeTI) where the locations of toilets and their operational status can be viewed over a web based map. This is more useful to a tourist who travel with their families. Connected e-Toilets would communicate over a GPRS system and they are accessible over a mobile or internet for locating them. The e-Toilets can provide information about its working status, whether for male or female, whether changing stations for babies are available and other facilities and the distance from the location specified can be provided.
The company has recently won a whopping grant of over $ 4,50,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to set up eco friendly and hygienic e-Toilets making public conveniences more accessible to the urban poor. The prototyped e-toilet was developed under Technopreneur promotion programme (Tepp) of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research of Government of India by Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram promoted by Government of Kerala. The innovation got grant in aid from Government of India for the prototype development and after completing the working models, this technology has been transferred to Eram Scientific Solutions for comercialising the technology.
(PIB Features.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/e-toilets-from-kerala-in-jk/

The Companies Bill, 2011, which was passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday, on its enactment will allow the country to have a modern legislation for growth and regulation of corporate sector in India. The existing statute for regulation of companies in the country, viz. the Companies Act, 1956 had been under consideration for quite long for comprehensive revision in view of the changing economic and commercial environment nationally as well as internationally. In view of various reformatory and contemporary provisions proposed in the Companies Bill, 2011, together with omission of existing unwanted and obsolete compliance requirements, the companies in the country will be able to comply with the requirements of the proposed Companies Act in a better and more effective manner.
The Salient features of the Companies Bill 2011 are as follows:
1.(Amendment in Clause 135): In the Section on Corporate Social Responsibility (Section135), which is being introduced as a statutory provision for the first time, the words ‘make every endeavour to’ have been omitted from its Sub-clause (5). So that the first para of Sub-clause (5) of Clause 135 now reads as follows: “The Board of every company referred to in sub-section (1), shall ensure that the company spends in every financial year, at least two per cent of the average net profits of the company made during the three immediately preceding financial years, in pursuance of its Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.”
Such clause is also amended to provide that the company shall give preference to local areas where it operates, for spending amount earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The approach to ‘implement or cite reasons for non implementation’ retained.
2. (Amendment in Clause 36): To help in curbing a major source of corporate delinquency, Clause 36 (c) amended, to also include punishment for falsely inducing a person to enter into any agreement with bank or financial institution, with a view to obtaining credit facilities.
3. (Amendment in Clause 143): Provisions relating to audit of Government Companies by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (C&AG) modified to enable C&AG to perform such audit more effectively.
4. (Amendment in Clause 186): Clause 186 amended to provide that the rate of interest on inter corporate loans will be the prevailing rate of interest on dated Government Securities.
5. (Amendment in Clause 144): Provisions relating to restrictions on non audit services modified to provide that such restrictions shall not apply to associate companies and further to provide for transitional period for complying with such provisions.
6. (Amendment in Clause 203): Provisions relating to separation of office of Chairman and Managing Director (MD) modified to allow, in certain cases, a class of companies having multiple business and separate divisional MDs to appoint same person as chairman as well as MD.
7. (Amendments in Clause 147 and 245): Provisions relating to extent of criminal liability of auditors – particularly in case of partners of an audit firm – reviewed to bring clarity. Further, to ensure that the liability in respect of damages paid by auditor, as per the order of the Court, (in case of conviction under Clause 147) is promptly used for payment to affected parties including tax authorities, Central Government has been empowered to specify any statutory body/authority for such purpose.
8. (Amendment in Clause 141): The limit in respect of maximum number of companies in which a person may be appointed as auditor has been proposed as twenty companies.
9. (Amendment in Clause 139): Appointment of auditors for five years shall be subject to ratification by members at every Annual General Meeting.
10. (Amendment in Clause 139): Provisions relating to voluntary rotation of auditing partner (in case of an audit firm) modified to provide that members may rotate the partner ‘at such interval as may be resolved by members’ instead of ‘every year’ proposed in the clause earlier.
11. (Amendment in Clause 2): ‘Whole-time director’ has been included in the definition of the term ‘key managerial personnel’.
12. (Amendment in Clause 42): The term ‘private placement’ has been defined to bring clarity. 13. (Amendment in Clause 61): Approval of the Tribunal shall be required for consolidation and division of share capital only if the voting percentage of shareholders changes consequent on such consolidation. 14.Amendment in Clause 152): Clarification included in the Bill to provide that ‘Independent Directors’ shall be excluded for the purpose of computing ‘one third of retiring Directors’. This would bring harmonisation between provisions of Clause 149(12) and rotational norms provided in Clause 152.
15. (Amendment in Clause 470): Provisions in respect of removal of difficulty modified to provide that the power to remove difficulties may be exercised by the Central Government up to ‘five years’ (after enactment of the legislation) instead of earlier up to ‘three years’. This is considered necessary to avoid hardship and dislocation since many provisions of the Bill involve transition from pre-existing arrangements to new systems.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/features-of-the-companies-bill-2011/

Sameer Pushp
It is said that data is the new raw material of business; it is the new oil which fuels the business and livelihood on this planet. Technological progress and globalization have profoundly changed the way our data is collected, accessed and used. “Data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves,” say Tim Berners-Lee.
As we know that India- EU relations go back to the early 1960s. India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the (then) European Economic Community (EEC). India-EU relations have grown exponentially from what used to be mostly a trade and economic issues driven relationship to one covering all areas of interaction. The two sides have agreed on a Strategic Partnership and adopted a Joint Action Plan. Today, EU is one of our largest trading partners, and an important source of technology and home to a large and influential Diaspora. While trade and investment still continue to be an important aspect of our bilateral relationship, the relations stand qualitatively transformed as signified by our bilateral efforts to develop common approaches to addressing new and emerging challenges.
On 25th January 2012, the European Commission proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe’s digital economy. The 27 EU Member States have implemented the 1995 rules differently, resulting in divergences in enforcement. A single law will do away with the current fragmentation and costly administrative burdens, leading to savings for businesses of around €2.3 billion a year. The initiative will help reinforce consumer confidence in online services, providing a much needed boost to growth, jobs and innovation in Europe.
India stated facing problems dealing with the multiplicity of laws and getting its human resources into overseas to work especially in Euro zone. India is perceived as service economy. The high growth rate achieved by the Indian economy over the last decade has much to owe to the growth of services sector in the country. The services sector contributes around 30% of India’s total trade, around 40% to exports, and 25% of our imports. It accounts for more than 50% of FDI into the country. Internationally, India has registered the highest growth rate of service exports in recent years, averaging around 27% during 2000-08 as against the world average of 14%.
In light of the above mentioned strengths we have positioned ourselves as a ‘demanders’ in Services negotiations at the WTO as well as in the bilateral FTA negotiations. The objective behind these negotiations is to secure maximum and effective market access for our services exports. Based on our comparative advantage our critical requests in the services areas have focused on getting meaningful commitments in Cross Border Supply (Mode 1) and Movement of Natural Persons (Mode 4). One of the areas of crucial interest to India is development of disciplines in Domestic Regulations involving qualifications and licensing requirements and procedures, without which Mode 4 access gets severely impeded.
In November 2012 a bilateral meeting with the European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud Mr. Algirdas Semeta, the Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Shri Anand Sharma, highlighted the need for an early conclusion of ambitious and balanced Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) between India and EU. Shri Sharma stressed the agreement needs to be balanced and should address areas of core interest to India such as services through Mode 1 and Mode 4, agricultural market access and disciplining of Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) for translating concessions into effective market access. He said that this is important both in terms of optics as well as for obtaining the requisite balance in the India-EU BTIA.
Sharma emphasized that in mode-1, India would need to be declared as data secure in order to provide access. The European Union is in the process of undertaking a study to assess whether India’s laws meet the EU directive. “It is our clear analysis that our existing law does meet the required EU standards. We would urge that this issue is sorted out quickly and necessary comfort in declaring India data secure in overall sense needs to be given as almost all the major Fortune -500 companies have trusted India with their critical data”, said Shri Sharma.
With a number of recent reform measures in India, which includes, opening of multi-brand retail trading sector to foreign investors; introducing flexibility in conditions for FDI in single brand product retail trading; allowing FDI in power exchanges; increasing the limit of FDI in Broadcasting sector; allowing FDI through foreign airlines in Civil Aviation sector, Shri Sharma emphasized India’s attractiveness as investment destination in a whole range of sectors from infrastructure to food processing, renewable energy, clean technology, bio-technology, health care, among others. He also highlighted that EU being a union of over 20 countries has strengths in almost all areas in which India needs investment. “Many countries of the EU are particularly strong in state-of-art technology development including green and clean technology for manufacturing industry. Although, the EU accounts for close to 50% of the technical collaborations approved but there is scope for enhancing technology transfer in a range of manufacturing activities,” Shri Sharma, added.
The cumulative FDI inflows from EU to India are around USD 44.31 billion (April 2000 to July 2012), while on the other hand, the Indian direct investments in EU are of the order of about USD 20 billion (April 2004 –October 2009). It should also be noted that the FDI inflows from April 2011- March 2012, which stood at USD 46.8 billion, showed an increase of around 35 per cent over the last year.
The Minister also expressed happiness at the growing bilateral relations with the European Union, which is bound by common values based on a commitment to democracy, individual rights and sustainable development. While in 2010, the total trade between India and EU was USD 83.372 billion, it rose to to USD 110.268 billion in 2011. During January-September 2012 the bilateral trade stood at USD 76.511 billion.
Generating data to secure regulatory approval in sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals in which product safety and efficacy is paramount, has become ever more extensive and expensive. There is thus a need to provide an incentive to undertake such data-generation efforts by protecting the investment in them against free riding. Article 39.3 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) recognizes as an intellectual property right the need for such protection in those sectors. This chapter discusses how certain jurisdictions, and in particular the European Community, have implemented the TRIPS requirement involving regulatory data protection regimes. Such protection is not provided by the patent system, which instead protects invention.
As the world stand on the cusp of financial recovery it is an opportunity to build upon and maximize our potential as an important economic power. The recent changes in the global economic landscape shows the epicenter of growth has finally moved to our time zone. India resource and size and its demographic profile, sets a strong stage for advantage in service sector which indeed is crucially linked to development. Times are changing fast and the world is looking forward to us to play an active role of a financial life boat in this globally turning economic paradigm. A strong skilled work force and people to people partnership can take India to the position which has been due since long time.
(PIB Feature).

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/data-security-and-india-eu-trade/

 
Ravinder Singh, Director (M&C), PIB, New Delhi, (PIB Features.)
Financial Inclusion is meant to extend financial services to the large hitherto un-served population of the country to unlock its growth potential. In addition, it strives towards a more inclusive growth by making financing available to the poor in particular. The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech this year had announced that “it will be our endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in the next 2 years”. Keeping in view the banking facilities being extended under “Swabhimaan” and the campaign launched that every household has at least one bank account, it is expected to achieve the target by August, 2014.
Bank Branch Network
There are 93,659 branches of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) functioning in the country as on 31st March, 2012, out of which 34,671(37.02%) branches are in rural areas, 24,133(25.77%) are in semi-urban areas, 18,056(19.28%) in urban areas and 16,799(17.93%) are in metropolitan area.
Opening of Bank Branches
In view of the continued need for opening of branches in rural areas for increasing banking penetration and financial inclusion, the Government had issued detailed strategy and guidelines on financial inclusion in October 2011, advising banks to open branches in all habitations of 5,000 or more population in under-banked districts and 10,000 or more population in other districts. By end of June 2012, 1,237 branches (including Ultra Small Branches) have been opened in these areas.
Branch Expansion Plan of RRBs
With a view to make Financial Inclusion Plan effective and expand the outreach of banking services in unbanked/under banked rural areas, the RRBs were required to work out branch expansion plan for 2011-12 and 2012-13 with 10% increase over previous year. The RRBs had fixed targets of 1247 branches to be opened during 2011-12. RRBs opened 913 branches against this target. This was short of target but was a sharp increase compared to 521branches opened during 2010-11 and 299 in 2009-10. For 2012-13, a target of 1845 new branches has been fixed.
Policy For Opening RRB Branches Liberalised
Reserve Bank of India vide its circular dated 1st August, 2012 has liberalised the Branch Licensing policy of RRBs and has allowed RRBs to open branches in Tier 2 to, 6 centres (with population up to 99,999 as per Census 2001) without the need to take permission from the Reserve Bank in each case, subject to reporting, provided they fulfil the certain conditions. RRBs not fulfilling the conditions will have to continue to approach RBI / NABARD, as hitherto. Opening of branches by RRBs in Tier 1 centres (centres with population of 100,000 and above as per Census 2001) will also continue to require prior permission of Reserve Bank of India.
“Swabhimaan” – The Financial Inclusion Campaign
In order to further extend the reach of banking to the rural hinterland, banks were advised to provide appropriate banking facilities to habitations having population in excess of 2000 by March, 2012 using various models and technologies including branchless banking through Business Correspondent Agents (BCAs). This Financial Inclusion Campaign named “Swabhimaan” was formally launched by the Government in February, 2011. Banking facilities to 74,194 such villages have been provided and about 3.16 crore financial accounts have been opened under this Campaign by end of March, 2012. Further, in terms of Finance Minister’s Budget Speech 2012-13 it has been decided to extend the “Swabhimaan” campaign to habitations with population of more than 1000 in North Eastern and hilly States and to other habitations which have crossed population of 2,000 as per census 2011. Accordingly about 45,000 such habitations have been identified to be covered under the extended “Swabhimaan” campaign.
Establishment of Ultra Small Branches
Considering the need for close supervision and mentoring of the business correspondent agents by the respective banks and to ensure that a range of banking services are available to the residents of such villages, it has been decided that Ultra Small Branches(USBs) be set up in all villages covered through BCAs. These USBs would comprise of a small area of 100-200 sq. feet where the officer designated by the bank would be available with a lap-top on pre-determined days. While the cash services would be offered by the BCAs, the bank officer would offer other services, undertake field verification and follow up the banking transactions. The periodicity and duration of visits can be progressively enhanced depending upon business potential in the area.
Banking Facilities in Unbanked Blocks
With a view to provide banking facilities in unbanked blocks, the Government in July, 2009 identified 129 unbanked blocks, of which 91 blocks were in North East States and 38 in other States. With the persistent efforts of the Government, the number of unbanked blocks were brought down to 71 as on 31.3.2011, and by March 2012, banking facilities have been provided in all the unbanked blocks either through Brick and Mortar Branches or Business Correspondents Model or mobile banking, etc.
Opening of One Bank Account Per Family
In order to ensure electronic transfer of cash subsidies directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries under the various Schemes of the Central Government and State Governments, it is important that the beneficiaries have an account in the service area bank. Accordingly, banks have been advised that the service area bank in rural areas and banks assigned the responsibility in specific wards in urban area ensure that every household has at least one bank account.
Advisory Committee
The Reserve Bank has constituted a high level Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC) to spearhead the efforts toward greater financial conclusion. The collective expertise and experience of the members of the committee is expected to explore issues, such as developing viable and sustainable banking services delivery models focusing on accessible and affordable financial services, developing products and processes for rural as well as urban consumers presently outside the banking network and suggest appropriate regulatory framework to ensure that financial inclusion and financial stability move in tandem. The Committee is to be chaired by Dr. K.C. Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India and will comprise eleven members, from banking and finance sector, including Shri D.K. Mittal, Secretary Department of Financial services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
The Committee, if necessary, would call other market players like corporate business correspondents, technology vendors etc., as special invitees to the meetings. Since the financial inclusion model selected in India is primarily bank-led, the Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee may also invite the chairperson managing directors of banks to each of its meetings to gather the perspective of banks.
There has been a significant, albeit slow, progress towards greater financial inclusion. However, ensuring accessible and affordable financial services in all the 6 lakh villages in India is a herculean task and given the enormity of the task, a lot of ground still needs to be covered. This calls for a partnership of all the stakeholders-the Reserve Bank, other sectoral regulators like the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development; banks; governments; civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) etc.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/financial-inclusion-to-bring-every-household-in-banking-ambit/

Santosh Mehta
Akshay Kumar inaugurated the 43rd edition of the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on 20 November 2012 at a ceremony in Panaji. Goa Governor Bharat Vir Wanchoo, CM Manohar Parrikar and IB Minister Manish Tewari among prominent leaders who attended the inaugural ceremony.
Kailash Kher and Saroj Khan’s troupe added excitement to the inaugural function by performing to a thuderous applause. Kher performed to a medley of songs choreographed by Saroj Khan.
The festival kicked off with world premiere of Academy Award Winning Director Ang Lee’s much-awaited film ‘Life of Pi’. The film’s worldwide theatrical release slated for November 23—a global recognition of IFFI’s growing global stature.
‘Life of Pi’ is based on an adapted screenplay of a novel by the same name by Canadian writer Yann Martel. It is a 3D adventure film telling the story of 16-year old Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) of Pondicherry (Puducheri), who survives a shipwreck along with animals like an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena and a Royal Bengal Tiger. The film explores the issues of spirituality, religion and life as a whole. The film, shot on location in India, stars Tabu and Irrfan Khan—who graced the occasion along with Ang Lee. It is expected to do well at the Oscars early next year. Delhi boy Suraj Sharma plays the lead.
Ang Lee is the man behind some of the most prestigious and acclaimed films such as “Sense and Sensibility” (1995), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), “Hulk” (2003) and “Brokeback Mountain” (2005). Veteran Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi was honoured with the highly coveted Lifetime Achievement Award after the inauguration. He received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh along with his award. His 1973 classic “Illumination” will be screened in the festival’s Cinema of the World section.
Talking to reporters later, Zanussi praised Indian cinema for its individuality. “India is the only country where cinema is faithful to its tradition, aesthetics and mentality,” he declared. Started in 1952, IFFI has evolved into a major forum for cinema from across the world. From Great Masters Of Bengali Cinema like Satyajit Ray to Japan’s Akira Kurosawa, from Italian Marcello Mastrioni to Poland’s Roman Polanski and India-born Gurinder Chadha to Mira Nair, IFFI has become a landmark destination across the globe.
This 43rd IFFI will celebrate the successes of the Indian film industry, which shaped up its wings when the pioneers of cinema Lumiere Brothers brought their cinema to India. The Indian Cinema Industry took its first steps with stalwart Dadasaheb Phalke’s first film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in 1913, and saw its emergence through movies like ‘The Flower of Persia’ by Hiralal Sen, ‘Alam Ara’ produced by Ardeshir Irani, along with other earlier movies like ‘Bhakta Prahlada’ and ‘Kalidas’ produced and directed by HM Reddy, which took the magic of cinema nationwide and created a demand for wholesome entertainment through movies.
Indian film industry took shape, the baton of creating cinematic masterpieces moved on to filmmakers like V Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, K Asif, KV Reddy, L V Prasad, Ramu Kariat and Mehboob Khan. With time, Indian cinema went international and the look and feel of Indian cinema gave rise to stylish actors like Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Sunil Dutt and actresses like Geeta Dutt, Madhubala, Waheeda Rehman, Nargis, Nutan, Sadhana, Mala Sinha and others.
Today, the Indian cinema industry is the largest producer of films worldwide with over 2,000 movies being produced in the country every year. From modest Rs 1,000 revenue in its initial years, the Indian cinema industry has grown onto becoming a Rs 93-billion industry by 2011—a testament to the phenomenal growth that the industry has achieved over the past hundred years.
Overall, it is inspiring that India’s rapidly evolving media and entertainment industry has grown by 12% to reach Rs 728 billion. A recent research report by KPMG has predicted that the industry will register a CAGR of 15% to reach Rs 1,457 billion by 2016. Says Shankar Mohan, Festival Director, International Film Festival of India: “Going into the hundred year of Indian cinema, it is our endeavour to take the magic of the medium to the cine lovers of the world, while providing them wholesome entertainment which the Indian International audiences have been enjoying for a long time now. This year at the 43rd IFFI, through a special package of hand-picked cinema classics we are reliving the wonder of Indian cinema and share it with cine lovers from across the world.”
The highlight of the 10-day annual film carnival this year is a special Centenary Package showcasing 100 years of Indian cinema. With more than a thousand films being churned out every year in more than a dozen languages, India now boasts of being the world’s biggest film industry.The closing film of the festival ending on November 30 will be India-born Mira Nair’s film “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” based on Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid’s novel of the same name. It stars Liev Schreiber, Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. Nair created Lahore near Delhi to shoot the film because Pakistan wouldn’t give her permission to shoot.
The delegate registration for the 43rd IFFI has crossed the 12,000-mark as against 8,000 last year. This suggests the increasing popularity of IFFI.This year, the International Competition section of the festival features 15 films from 18 countries selected by the jury after watching 300 films. The Cinema of the World section will screen 52 films, while the segment titled A Cut Above will screen films that are not in competition but have been included because of their quality. The Indian Panorama has 20 feature films and 19 documentaries. The feature film section will open with Assamese director Jahnu Barua’s “Bandhon.”
To reach out to more cinema lovers and to make IFFI more participatory, the Directorate of Film Festivals is reviving the tradition of beach screenings across Goa’s lovely beaches this year. This is a practice that was introduced in 2004 but was discontinued later. This is bound to attract thousands of Goans and tourists from India and abroad.
Various films being shown in theatres in Panaji will also be screened on giant screens on 10 beaches during 24-28 November. Entry will be free.
The Centenary Package celebrating 100 years of cinema in India will screen 27 films and 36 documentaries. Marathi movie ‘Deool’, directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, and ‘Byari’, a film in Byari language directed by Sumeeran, which won the best feature film shared award at the recent 59th National Film Awards for 2011, are the direct entries in this prestigious section of IFFI.
There are two bilingual films in this category. Konkani movie ‘Digant’, directed by Dnyanesh Moghe, has been selected in feature film section of Indian panorama.
The jury chose ‘Celluloid Man’ (Hindi, English, Bengali and Kannada), directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, to open the In the non-feature film category, section of the Indian Panorama.
‘Allah is Great’, a non-feature film in English, Hindi and Danish, directed by Andrea Lannetta, has also been selected by the jury. IFFI-2012 provides an ideal opportunity for filmmakers and film lovers to watch, appreciate and learn the art of film making and it also provides a creative environment and a huge platform for networking with some of the best industry professionals from India and abroad. Global film celebrities who are expected include Korean arthouse master Kim Ki-duk and Ashok Amritraj.
(PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/43rd-international-film-festival/

Sarita Brara
Last year when Vivek Sherode from Pune told his children that he was taking them for a holiday, they were more than excited “Will their father take them to Mumbai or Goa?”They started guessing among themselves? But Vivek had some other plans this time. He had heard about village tourism and this time he wanted to give his children the taste of village life. The children were disappointed when they first came to know about it. But the moment they landed in a village they fell in love with the place. For them it was a different world altogether. Vivek said he had never seen his children so happy as they ran about, sometimes climbing the tree to pluck chikoos or riding a bullock cart or a tractor or simply playing with water at the village well. Vivek said that he had never seen his family enjoy the holiday so much as in this village. He said at night the local dance and music with rustic flavor was organized, something they would never had the chance to see in a city.
Living in high rise buildings amidst noise and coping with the fast paced life, people want to get away from the daily hustle and bustle for a quiet holiday and breathe fresh air. Rural tourism as a concept was envisaged in the National Tourism policy in 2002. It was defined as a form of tourism that showcases village life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience.
Rural Tourism Scheme
The Rural Tourism Scheme was formulated with a focus on developing tourism related infrastructure that would help promote village tourism. This was later supplemented by a pilot project Endogenous Tourism Project (ETP) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) by building and strengthening tourism livelihoods-linked capacities of local communities. The project also aimed at convergence of issues like sustainable livelihoods, gender equality, empowerment of women, youth and other disadvantaged sections of the community, and working towards cultural sensitivity and environmental sustainability.
Since 2006 the funding of the capacity building activities has also been going on under the capacity building scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.
Panduranga, who is into rural tourism says that in Maharshtra, village tourism took birth in Baramati district in 2004 as a pilot project spread over 110 acres of land. There is horticulture plantation in the 65 acre area. He says when they urban tourists come, they are also able to see silk processing units, milk dairies and fruit plantations. Another objective of encouraging rural tourism was to curb migration from rural to urban areas. Since 2004 more than 200 centres of rural and farm tourism have been developed in Maharashtra and more than a lakh of tourists have had the taste of village life. In addition extra income to the farmers, the unemployed youth in villages have also been roped into the activities connected with rural tourism.
Rajasthan is another state where rural tourism has developed fast over the years. Rajasthan is not only famous for historical monuments and places of worship but also for its rich culture be its performing arts or crafts or dance and music. According to Vijay Deep Singh of Murarka Foundations they have developed several packages not only for the Indian tourists but tourists from place like America, France, England and even Switzerland. He says that many tourists want to stay with villagers in their homes to get first hand flavour of local life, cuisine and culture. Under one such packages the tourists are charged 1200 rupees per day for one day and night of which 850 rupees are paid to the farmers family. For the tourists it is not expensive and the farmer too is able to earn extra money.
In Punjab it is farm tourism that has become the favourite. One can walk along the golden mustard fields, take a ride on the tractor, take the cattle for grazing or feed them, get to drink fresh buttermilk in the green fields with Makki ki Roti and Saag, enjoy the folk dance Bhangra and get to see the making of the local craft phulkari and also meet the village community and the Panchayat. The tourists also get to participate or simply watch local games like wrestling, Gilidanda , kite flying. Children too can experience the joy of jumping on the hay and taking bath in the tube wells.
Many other states too are now giving encouragement to rural tourism.
12th Plan Strategy to Boost Rural Tourism
The working group on tourism for the 12th plan observed that due to several reasons, the rural tourism projects have achieved only limited success. It has suggested a strategy that can exploit the full potential of rural tourism.
The strategy for developing rural tourism is focussed on phased development of cluster of villages for tourism instead of individual villages.
It says that the concentration of tourism facilities or opportunities in a cluster of villages in a geographically compact area, rather than in a number of individual villages spread across vast areas, is likely to provide better tourism attraction.
Another advantage is that marketing of local products can be facilitated by holding Craft Bazars or Haats, a concept which has been in vogue throughout the country for a long time.
Also it is more practical and cost effective for tour operators to take a busload or a group of large number of tourists to a rural tourism cluster, which offers more variety and opportunities of shopping, and exposure to customs, lifestyles, local arts and artisans/ artists, including performing arts. (PIB Feature.)

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rural-tourism/