by rakesh | May 27, 2007 | India News
The Government has introduced Energy Conservation Codes for commercial buildings. Initially, implementation of the codes will be voluntary but will be made mandatory soon under the Energy Conservation Act 2001 for the buildings having connected load of 500 kw or more.
The implementation of the codes will reduce energy consumption from 25% to 40% and will yield annual saving of about 1.7 billion units. The codes sets a minimum efficiency standards for external wall, roof, glass structure, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning of the commercial buildings in all the five climatic zones in the country. The State Government will have the flexibility to amend these codes to suit local or regional needs and notify them accordingly.
Launching the codes here today, Minister for Power, Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde said that the codes aimed at bringing down the energy consumption of the commercial buildings through the efficient design and use of resources. Highlighting the Government’s efforts to increase power production in the country, Shri Shinde said that the plans had been made for capacity addition of about 70 thousand MW during the 11th Plan and by 2012 the country would be self sufficient to the great extent in the power sector. He said that efficient use of energy and check the leakages in energy consumption is must as by conserving only 20% of energy the country would save about Rs. 20,000 crore. The Minister said that very soon the Government would put in place appropriate institutional structure to oversee implementation of the codes throughout the country with involvement of states and other stakeholders. Effective awareness and outreach programme would be launched to overcome strong first cost bias that usually needs owners to under-invest in energy efficiency during building design and construction. The State Governments would be requested to integrate the energy codes in city bylaws through municipalitie, he added.
by rakesh | May 14, 2007 | India News
Six Towns in the country namely Kottayam, Puri, Tirupati, Ujjain, Vrindavan and Thanjavour have been selected in the pilot phase of the Eco-City Programme. The projects undertaken under the pilot phase of the Programme for the respective towns are under various stages of implementation. The Programme which was initiated during the Tenth Five Year Plan is being continued during the first year of the Eleventh Plan. This Eco-City Programme was initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in the Tenth Five Year Plan, which is being implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) through the concerned State Pollution Control Boards and Municipalities. The Programme has been conceptualized to improve the environment and bring in visible results through implementation of identified environmental improvement projects in the selected towns/cities.
The specific objectives of the Programme are to identify the environmental problems in the selected towns through participatory approach to designi and prepare details of the prioritized environmental improvement projects; and to create landmarks that show visible environmental improvement.
The Plan size including the schemes for implementation during the remaining years of the Eleventh Five Year Plan is not finalized as yet.
The amount released by the Central Pollution Control Board till the last financial year 2006-2007 for the respective projects, town-wise is given below:
SNo. Town Amount Released
(in Lakhs of Rupees)
1. Kottayam 40.84
2. Puri 55.53
3. Tirupati 49.34
4. Ujjain 67.41
5. Vrindavan 43.00
6. Thanjavour Nil
by rakesh | May 9, 2007 | India News
The Minister of External Affairs, Shri Pranab Mukherjee informed the Lok Sabha today in a reply to a Starred question that a number of decisions have been taken to simplify the Passport Issuance Procedures with effect from 23 December 2006.
These guidelines have made the issuance of passports simpler and speedier for the passport applicants. The average time taken for issuing a passport is now 30 days subject to completion of requisite formalities.
Salient features of the new scheme are as under:
1 Revised Rules relating to issue/reissue of passports
Presently fresh passports are issued under Normal and Tatkal categories – (1) Under first category, passports are issued on receipt of clear police verification reports and (2) Under the Tatkal scheme, a passport valid for 10 years is issued on the basis of a Verification Certificate (VC) obtained from the authorities indicated in para 2(B) and on payment of additional fee of Rs. 1500/- in case the applicants desire to have the passports in 1-7 days (as opposed to the earlier slab of 1-10 days) and additional fee of Rs. 1000/- in case the applicant desires to have the passport in 8-14 days (as opposed to the earlier time slab of 11-20 days).
Under the Tatkal scheme, passports are issued on post-police verification basis OR on submission of (i) three documents from the list of following 14 documents given at 2(A), provided one of the three documents is a photo identity document and at least one of the three is amongst the documents indicated at (a) to (i) below, and (ii) a standard affidavit duly attested by a Notary:
2(A) List of 14 documents:
a) Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC)
by rakesh | May 7, 2007 | Health & Fitness
The National Level Expert Group in its report submitted to the Hon’ble Supreme Court has provided details of possible harmful effects of
(i) Soft drinks/beverages and obesity
(ii) Soft drinks/beverages and dental health
(iii)Other health related effects due to consumption of soft drinks/beverages
(iv) Contents of soft drinks/beverages
– Caffeine
– Phosphoric Acid
– Ethylene glycol
– Aspartame
– Carbon Dioxide
The said report is based on research carried out on scientific basis in various countries of the world. However, the group has noted that the studies to establish co-relationship between consumption of carbonated water and its effects on health are extremely difficult as it involves several compounding factors. The group has recommended that there is a need to carry out well-controlled studies to assess effect of consumption of carbonated water on health.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi on 4th May, 2007 in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
by rakesh | May 3, 2007 | India News
Some pirates had hijacked an Indian ship M.V. Nehm Tulah alongwith its 14 members crew on 1st April, 2007.
As per reports received from the owners of the vessel, the vessel, cargo and all the 14 crew members have been released at around 1120 hours Indian Standard Time on 6th April, 2007. The crew comprising all Indian nationals are safe. The Government is not aware of any conditions attached to the release of the said vessel.
The Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai had issued a circular on 27th April, 2006 informing all concerned about the incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships especially in the vicinity of the Somalian coast where incidents of piracy and attacks on ships have been on the rise. The Indian National Ship owners Association (INSA) and Federation of All India Sailing Vessels Industry Association have also been informed to convey to their members that they should keep away from the Somalian coast.
Subsequently, the Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai issued another circular on 8th January, 2007 drawing attention of the shipping fraternity and seafaring community of attacks against ships in Somalian waters. This circular also contained detailed guidelines to avoid such attacks and acts of piracy.
This information was given by the Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Shri T.R. Baalu in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
by rakesh | May 3, 2007 | India News
According to the information furnished by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), any university set up by the Act of Parliament/State legislature or deemed to be university can offer distance education programme subject to the fulfillment of norms and guidelines laid down by the Distance Education Council (DEC) and other apex bodies. DEC in its meeting held on March 23, 2007 had resolved that it would not insist on territorial jurisdiction to be followed by institutions in offering programmes through distance mode and on that matter universities should be governed by their own Act and Statutes.
A list of the universities including deemed universities running distance education courses is annexed. IGNOU has informed that DEC does not maintain the details of the courses offered by these universities.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D. Purandeswari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
…..
HB/RP/SB
Annexure
Central Universities
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, AP.
University of Hyderabad, AP.
North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya.
Jamia Milia, Islamia, New Delhi.
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.(U.P.)
University of Allahabad U.P.
Pondicherry University, Pondicherry.
University of Delhi, Delhi.
Deemed Universities
——————–
Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad, AP.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati, AP.
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Jharkhand.
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Punjab.
Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Bombay, Maharashtra.
Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth Pune, Maharashtra.
Jain Vishwa Bharti Institute, Ladnun, Rajasthan.`
The Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamilnadu.
Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, Viswa Mahavidyalaya, Kanchipuram,
Shanmugha Arts, Science, Techno and Research Academy, Thanjavur (T.N.)
Jamia Hamdard, Delhi.
Symbosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune (Maharashtra).
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (Maharashtra).
Sri Ram Chandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, T.N.
SRM University Chennai, T.N.
Manipal Acadmey of Higher Education,Manipal, Karnataka
Swami Vivekananad Yoga Anusandhan Sansthan, Bangalore, Karnataka.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi.
Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyala, Haridwar, Uttaranchal.
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
State Universities
——————-
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, A.P.
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Kakatiya University, Warangal, A.P.
Osmania University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Ananthapur, A.P.
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi, A.P.
Sri Padmavati Mahila Vishvavidyalaya, Tirupati, A.P.
Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad, A.P.
Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar, A.P.
Bangalore University, Bangalore, Karnataka.
Kannada University, Hampi, Karnataka.
Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka.
Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Karnataka.
Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta, Karnataka.
University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka.
Goa University, Goa, Karnataka.
Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam.
Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam.
B.R.A.Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga, Bihar.
Patna University, Patna, Bihar.
Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.
Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Orissa.
Berhampur University, Berhampur, Orissa
Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, Orissa
North Orissa University, Mayurbhanj, Orissa.
Tripura University, Tripura.
University of Burdwan. West Bengal.
Vidyasagar University, Midnapur, West Bengal.
Jadavpur University, West Bengal.
Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkatta West Bengal.
University of Kalyani, Distt,Nadia. West Bengal..
Guru Jambheshwar University, Hissar, Haryana.
Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana.
M.D University, Rohtak Haryana.
H.P.University Shimla (H.P).
University of Jammu. J& K.
University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J & K.
Punjab University, Chandigarh, Punjab.
Punjabi University, Patiyala, Punjab.
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab.
G.B.Pant University, Pantnagar, Uttaranchal.
Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttaranchal.
B.R Ambedkar University, Agra , UP.
University of Lucknow, Lucknow, UP.
Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Avdesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa, MP.
Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal , M.P.
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore , M.P
Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar , M.P
Jiwaji University, Gwalior, MP.
M.G Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot , M.P
Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur, MP.
Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
University of Mumbai Vidyanagari, Mumbai.
Amravati University, Amravati.
Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded, Maharashtra.
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
University of Calicut, Calicut, Kerala.
Kannur University, Kalliasseri, Kerala.
University of Kerala, Trivendrum. Kerala.
Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu.
Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, Tamilnadu.
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu.
Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai. Tamilnadu.
Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Thirunelveli, Tamilnadu.
Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal. Tamilnadu.
Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu.
University of Madras, Madras, Tamilnadu.
Periyar University, Salem, Tamilnadu.
Tamilnadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai
State Open Universities
————————
Nalanda Open University, Patna, Bihar.
Karnataka State Open University, Mysore, Karnataka.
YCMOU, Nashik, Maharashtra.
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad, A.P.
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, Rajasthan.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
U.P.Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Allahabad, U.P.
Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata, West Bengal.
M.P.Bhoj (Open) University, Bhopal, M.P.
Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai, T.N.
Pt. Sunderlal Sharma Open University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
Uttaranchal Open University, Haldwani, Uttaranchal
Institute of National Importance
———————————-
National Law School of India, Bangalore, Karnataka.
