by rakesh | Nov 16, 2006 | Env & Geography
The Union Cabinet today gave its ex-post-facto approval to the amendments carried out in the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2005, which were moved and passed by Parliament.
It would facilitate implementation of the urgent recommendations of the Tiger Task Force appointed by the Prime Minister.
It would strengthen conservation of tigers and other endangered species of wild animals through effective combating of wildlife crimes by constituting the Tiger and Other Endangered Species crime Control Bureau (Wild Life Crime Control Bureau).
It would reinforce the ongoing initiatives to conserve tiger and other endangered species of wild animals in the wake of present threats and need for viable habitat.
It will address the growing concern of public in saving the tiger.
by rakesh | Nov 16, 2006 | India News
The Union Cabinet today decided to grant permission for setting up of Community Radio Stations to non-profit organizations and educational institutions as per the eligibility, procedure and terms and conditions given below :
I. The following types of organizations would be eligible to apply for Community Radio licences :
a) Community based organizations, which satisfy the following basic principles :
i) It should be explicitly constituted as a ‘non-profit’ organization and shall have a proven record of at least three years of service to the local community.
ii) The Community Radio Station (CRS) to be operated by it should be designed to serve a specific well-defined local community.
iii) It should have an ownership and management structure and is reflective of the community that the CRS seeks to serve.
iv) Programmes for broadcast should be relevant to the educational, developmental, social and cultural needs of the community.
v) It must be a Legal Entity i.e. it should be registered ( under the registration of Societies Act or any other such act relevant to the purpose.
These would include civil society and voluntary organizations, State Agriculture Universities (SAUs) institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Registered Societies and Autonomous Bodies and Public Trusts registered under Societies Act or any other such act relevant for the purpose. Registration at the time of application should at lease be three years old.
b) Educational institutions
II. The following would not be eligible to run a CRS :
a) Individuals;
b) Political Parties and their affiliate organizations; including students, women’s, trade unions and such other wings affiliated to these parties.
c) Organisations operating with a motive to earn profit;
d) Organisations expressely banned by the Union and State Governments.
The Cabinet also authorized the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to finalize the terms & conditions and procedures.
This decision will give the following benefits :-
i) A strong and vibrant Community Radio System will enhance pluralism and sustain diversity of cultures and languages.
ii) Strengthen decentralization and participatory governance and enable dialogues within communities.
iii) Dissemination of information to the rural communities about the issues related to agriculture, education, health, social welfare etc.
by rakesh | Nov 14, 2006 | India News
Children will not be required to pay any charges for watching CFSI films from next year. This was announced by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi at the inauguration of the Golden Jubilee Film Festival organised by Children’s Film Society, India (CFSI). Shri Dasmunsi also assured that the amount of grant to CFSI will be raised three-fold in the next years budget. He said that the Government will not shy away from lending support to the children’s cause. Shri Dasmunsi exhorted the CFSI to encourage production of films on rural children and the under privileged ones. He highlighted the importance of good stories, adequate finances and good producers for producing meaningful and entertaining films from children’s point of view. During 2005-06, CFSI reached out to 24.37 lakh children by arranging 5689 film shows all over the country.
UPA Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi in her address said that making films for children with a socially relevant message is not an easy task and entertainment has to be mixed with education for meaningful cinema for the children. She said that the Government has taken various steps to increase children’s awareness about their own rights so as to check their exploitation in any form. She felt that the children’s films should be directed at bringing them together and inculcating in them the scientific approach of mind. Staying firm in one’s roots and knowing more about our country and culture for living harmoniously with people from various parts of the country should be the focus of CFSI supported films, she added.
Chairperson, CFSI, Ms. Nafisa Ali in her remarks delineated the activities and role of CFSI. She announced that CFSI is considering to institute a national award for the best children’s film from next year. She felt that finances was the major hindrance in supporting children films as more and more focus was going towards commercial cinema. In order to come out with good quality children cinema for more support, commitment from the Government. A souvenir giving details of all films of CFSI was released on the occasion.
During the five-day Golden Jubilee Film Festival, 7 classic films, 10 most popular films and 12 films in various regional languages will be screened. A section on digital films is also included to highlight the advance technology in film making. The event was organised to commemorate the completion of 50 years of CFSI.
by rakesh | Nov 14, 2006 | India News, National
The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, met more than 450 children from various Schools of Delhi and surrounding areas on the occasion of Children’s Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi today. The children represented the age group 5-18 years.
Dr Kalam impressed upon the children the need to acquire knowledge to make progress in their careers. The President told the assembled children that they should contribute to the development of the nation by using their spare time on Saturdays and Sundays to teach people in rural areas who cannot read or write. Similarly, the children should utilize their spare time to plant saplings in their School campus as well as in their surroundings. Dr Kalam spoke about the country’s vision to become a develop nation by the year 2020. The President said a developed India would be a nation with economic prosperity, and a good value system.
Earlier, the President met writers of children’s literature at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said, children’s hopes and aspirations should be reflected in the writings of children’s literature. If the children’s hopes and aspirations are reflected in the writings, children will be benefited. The writers explained to the President that many of the stories written by them find a place in the School primary and secondary syllabi. The writers said that the Government should popularize children’s literature and felt that a National Children’s University should be established in the country. The writers also explained some of the problems, which they face in their work, to the President.
by rakesh | Nov 14, 2006 | Business
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Tuesday, November 14, 2006 — (Business Wire India) — Indians in England can now look forward to owning a piece of their motherland. In an endeavour to facilitate the Indians in England acquire property in India, Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) has launched its operations in London. It will provide advisory services on housing finance and property acquisition in India. HDFC’s office will be located at 403, 1 Northumberland Avenue Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5BW.
Commenting on this occasion Mr Keki Mistry, Managing Director, HDFC said, “The buoyancy in Indian economy, coupled with the recent Real-Estate boom is attracting a large number of Indian’s abroad to invest in a property in India. It is estimated that the total Asian Population in the UK is around 3.5% of which over 1.8% are Indians, with London having the largest concentration. This new office will provide us an excellent strategic position in assisting Indians in owning a property in their home land.”
Ms. Renu Sud Karnad, Executive Director, HDFC added, “Our presence in UK comes at an appropriate time when Indian real-estate is on an upswing. With twenty-nine years of existence in the industry, HDFC has gained an in-depth knowledge of the real estate market, and the expertise to guide customers through their entire property buying process. Now Indians based here can avail of our services, whether it is assistance in property search, builder credibility evaluation, expert advice on the legal processes, technical evaluation of the property, or with their home loan requirements. Our endeavour is to empower customers to make a more informed decision while buying the property.”
HDFC, set up in 1977, is India’s premier housing mortgage company, which has turned the dream of owning a home into a reality for millions of Indians. It defined standards in the housing sector, be it in processes, service or product innovations and has grown to provide not just finance but also complete solution to the customers’ housing requirements. Its strength has been its pioneering value-added services, with a specialist team of trained staff that empathises with customers and offers free counselling and legal assistance for a variety of individual housing needs, while ensuring that customer interests are protected.
HDFC has grown from a humble beginning of Rs 71 million (GBP 8,33,000) in home-loan approvals in its first year of its operations to over Rs 1,272 billion (GBP 15.14 billion), as of Sept. 2006 in cumulative home-loan approvals. The organization has assisted 2.9 million families in owning their own Home, while maintaining gross NPAs at less than 1% – the lowest in the industry. Asset per employee has grown from Rs. 69 million in 1995 to Rs. 381 million in 2006 and the cost income ratio has gone down from 22.3% in 1995 to 12.2% in 2006 and is among the lowest in the financial sector in Asia. The market capitalization is over Rs 388 billion (GBP 4.62 billion). Foreign Institutional Investors hold over 79.58 % of equity in HDFC, the highest for any Indian company.
Service excellence and customer convenience has always been the guiding philosophy for HDFC. Its specialised team of trained counselors provides the customers expert advice on legal & technical aspect of property buying, liaison with property developers to locate the ideal property anywhere in the country, assist in making the right choice in determining the financing mix / products and hand-holding the customer through the whole transaction of property purchase. The company has developed advanced capabilities in the area of processing loan applications. It has a wide network over 228 outlets reaching out to 2500 towns and cities across India. Internationally HDFC has been present in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. providing seamless service across geographical boundaries.
HDFC has grown phenomenally and has transformed into a financial conglomerate. It has diversified into banking with HDFC Bank, life insurance – HDFC Standard Life Insurance in association with Standard Life Assurance of UK, general insurance – HDFC Chubb General Insurance with Chubb Corporation of USA, asset management – HDFC Asset Management Company with Standard Life Investments of UK, BPO – Intelenet Global Services with Barclays Plc of UK, credit bureau – CIBIL and real estate venture capital – HDFC Venture Capital Limited. The HDFC group has assets of over Rs.1,500 billion (GBP 17.86 billion) and a customer base of over 12 million. Today, the brand HDFC has evolved to become a household name in India.
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