January 13, 2012

State inks MoUs for Rs.1,00,000-crore investment

Andhra Pradesh government signed agreements for investments to the tune of a staggering Rs.1,00,000 crore on Thursday for different projects, including two oil refineries in the State.

These Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on the opening day of the two-day ‘CII Partnership Summit 2012' inaugurated by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) here. Trade delegations from 43 countries are taking part in the summit where the State government will sign many more MoUs.

The two refineries are proposed to be set up with an investment of Rs.30,000 crore each at Kakinada and in the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region near Visakhapatnam (PCPIR). The GMR Holdings Private Limited will set up a 15 million tonnes per annum greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex, including an integrated investment park at Kakinada. G. Kiran Kumar, Business Chairman, GMR Group, said the company was looking for strategic partners. GMR Infrastructure Limited would invest an additional Rs.3,000 crore in a multi-product Special Economic Zone in the PCPIR.

B.R. Shetty and Group inked the MoU to set up the other refinery in the PCPIR, Visakhapatnam, by employing about 3,000 persons. Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, hailing from Karnataka is the CEO and MD of the Abu Dhabi-based New Medical Centre Group of Companies, signed the MoU.

Sports city

The Yash Birla groups also announced its maiden foray into Andhra Pradesh by investing Rs.13,000 crore. Chairman of the Group Yash Birla said an amount of Rs.10,000 crore would be invested in a poly-silicon plant to make advanced, solar photovoltaic cells and panels, and Rs.1,000 crore in the Global Integrated Ayurvedic village by the Birla Wellness and Healthcare division. The Group would also promote a first-of-its kind sports city at a cost of Rs.2,000 crore.

India leads the world in recognising right to food, says Stiglitz

Pointing out that nearly one out of seven Americans face food insecurity, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said here on Thursday that by recognising the right to food as a basic human right, India is leading the way for the rest of the world.

“India has recognised the right to food as a basic human right, leading the way for the rest of the world, and is on the verge of a historic implementation of the world's largest social protection programme against hunger,” Professor Stiglitz said delivering the Convocation Address at the 46{+t}{+h}Convocation of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

Citing the work of fellow Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, he said hunger is not caused by an absolute shortage of grain, but by the lack of income of those in poverty to get access to it.

While one out of every seven Americans today is on food stamps, almost an equal number still face food insecurity, he said, ruing that “while India debates whether there should be basic economic rights, like the right to food, such debates are still not part of the discourse in America.”

Speaking of the challenges that lie ahead for India, Professor Stiglitz questioned that while it prides itself on its democracy, “can there be real or meaningful democracy with the large economic divides that are emerging today in the U.S. and elsewhere, where the wealthy use their money to have an undue influence in shaping perceptions and beliefs, and thus the outcome of the electoral process?”

“Too much of the world has been in pursuit of what I have called GDP (Gross Domestic Product) fetishism – the belief that development is simply the increase in GDP,” he said. The assessment of the success or failure of programmes should not only depend on their impact on GDP or income, but on broader measures of well-being, he added.

State planning youth budget

The State Government is planning to introduce a ‘youth budget' to enable young people to meet their aspirations, Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda has said.

However, he did not make it clear if it would be introduced from 2012-13.

The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating the 17th National Youth Festival at Mangala Stadium here on Thursday.

He said the Government would constitute a special task force to implement the policy recommendations of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC) on youth and strengthen existing youth-centric policies of the State.

Mr. Gowda said more opportunities would be created for the youth to take part in transforming the State into a knowledge society by 2020.

The KKC had recently conducted a survey on perception, aspirations, expectations and attitudes of youth of Karnataka. This revealed that young people continued to respect family and social values, while keeping pace with the changing world, the Chief Minister said.

Youth awards

Ajay Maken, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, said the Union Government had increased the number of national youth awards from 25 to 30, which included 28 individual awards and two for organisations, from 2010-11, as it was the International Year of Youth. The 30 awards were presented at the inaugural session on Thursday.

Union Minister for Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily and dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade spoke.

The National Youth Festival is held to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Connectivity will generate economic vibrancy: Hasina

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the connectivity between India and Bangladesh, particularly with the northeastern States, including Tripura, would generate tremendous economic vibrancy, leading to peoples' empowerment and overall development of the region.

Ms. Hasina, who was on a two-day visit to Tripura, urged India, Nepal and Bhutan to make the best use of the Chittagong and Mongla ports, which Bangladesh had already opened for these neighbouring countries, to access the sea route for their trade and commercial activities.

“Physical connectivity with countries in the South Asian region and beyond has become a major drive of my foreign policy,” Ms. Hasina said in her speech after being conferred an honorary D. Litt ( honoris causa ) degree at the 9th convocation of Tripura University. The degree was formally handed over to her by Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari.

She expressed confidence that the initiative with Tripura, including the Akhaura-Agartala rail link; operation of Ashuganj as a multimodal trans-shipment point under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade for transportation of Indian goods to Agartala; transportation of Over Dimensional Cargo for the Palatana power project; the bridge over the Feni river; use of the Chittagong and Mongla Ports by India, Nepal and Bhutan; operation of the Ramgarh-Sabroom Land Custom Station; and four new border haats (markets); when implemented would enhance Tripura's development.

Later at the civic reception accorded to her by the Agartala Municipal Corporation on the Assam Rifles ground, Ms. Hasina said Bangladesh was keen to undertake a joint venture project for power generation through utilisation of the vast natural gas reserve in Tripura. Once such projects were realised, her country would also buy power from them. She also said that four new border haats would be set up by India and Bangladesh to facilitate trade.

Identifying poverty as the biggest common enemy of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the Bangladesh Prime Minister said although national efforts to eliminate it were important, it would not be possible without regional prosperity and economic development, which, in turn, would not be possible without an excellent network of connectivity of roads, railways, waterways and close people-to-people contact.

In his address, at the convocation, Mr. Ansari said Bangladesh provided critical links to the economy, ecology and environment of the northeast region. He said India was committed to fashioning economic and trade arrangements, not only for ensuring closer integration of the region with the national economy, but also with the neighbouring economies.

Vice-Chancellor Arunoday Saha said the conferment of the honorary D. Litt on Ms. Hasina was in acknowledgement of her contribution to peace, development and women empowerment in the sub continent. The convocation was also addressed by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Tripura Governor D.Y. Patil, and Chancellor A.K. Bagchi.

Recalls sacrifices of Tripura people during liberation war\

When Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's plane touched down at the airport here on Tuesday evening a flush of emotions overwhelmed her as she recalled the tremendous sacrifices by the people of Agartala and help provided by Tripura in the form of food, shelter and support to Bangladesh liberation war heroes and lakhs of refugees.

On Thursday, when she was greeted by a capacity crowd at the huge Assam Rifles ground, where a civic reception was accorded to her by the Agartala Municipal Corporation, and earlier in the day, when she was conferred the honorary D. Litt. degree by Tripura University, Ms. Hasina was overwhelmed with emotions of memories and historical affinity of people of her country and Tripura.

Saying that the campus of Tripura University was the site of a training camp of Mukti-joddha during the Liberation War of 1971, Ms. Hasina said she was proud to visit the same place after 40 years.

“An occupation force had brutally cracked down on a defenceless people all over Bangladesh on March 25, 1971, setting in motion a large human exodus of the last millennium. As they streamed across the border with only their lives, starving and lost, they were welcomed by you with open arms,” she said.

She recalled: “Tripura was in those days flooded with refugees, who were more than its own population. It was indeed a unique situation. Nevertheless, through the nine months of our liberation war, the people of Tripura and India stood by our side and helped selflessly the forsaken millions, giving them food, shelter and other basic necessities. Our freedom-fighters also received training and support on this side of the border, and eventually fought with our Indian friends to the final surrender of the occupation forces and liberation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. How can we not remember with gratitude our friends in need in Tripura and India?”

The Bangladesh Prime Minister said that after the brutal assassination of her father — Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman — and 18 close family members on August 15, 1975, as the elder of the two surviving sisters, (her younger sister is Sheikh Rehana), she was determined to carry forward her father's struggle to establish democracy and give people their fundamental rights, including freedom from poverty.

She said she would always be thankful to late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for providing her and sister shelter from 1975 to 1981. When her father was implicated in the so-called ‘Agartala conspiracy case' in 1966, a conspiracy was hatched to hang him to death, but massive uprising by the people that followed foiled the con

$220 million Panasonic plant for Jhajjar

The Panasonic Corporation will invest $220 million at Jhajjar by setting up a plant there. This was disclosed by Panasonic India President Daizo Ito in a meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here on Thursday.

Mr. Daizo said the plant will be set up over 76 acre in the Model Economic Township at Jhajjar and will function as headquarters of Panasonic in India.

In the first phase, it will manufacture air-conditioners, washing machines and welding systems, while in the second it will make refrigerators, automotive systems, flat panel TVs, microwave ovens and other electronic components besides setting up a research and development centre.

The units will provide employment to 1,500 people in the first phase and over 2,000 in the second.

Mr. Hooda urged him to give priority to locals in employment and said Panasonic should set up a skill development centre in the area so that

Grocer-archaeologist discovers Gupta-era temple near Bundi

An amateur archaeologist has discovered the remains of a temple supposed to have been built in the 5th Century A.D. during the Gupta period, when the concept of installing statues of deities in temples was introduced, in dense forests 35 km away from Bundi district town in Rajasthan. The temple has a ‘Shivalingam' with the face of Lord Shiva engraved on it.

The temple, found near Bhimtal village, has the remnants of a square sanctum and pillared porch. Built with bricks, the temple makes a significant addition to the handful of sites in the country where the remains of places of worship from the Gupta era have been unearthed.

Archaeologist Om Prakash Sharma alias Kukki, who has spent two decades discovering the pre-historic rock art in Bundi, Kota and Bhilwara districts, told The Hindu on Wednesday that the latest discovery had confirmed the presence of the thriving ancient empire in Hadoti region of Rajasthan during the 5th Century, when magnificent temple architecture was gradually evolving.

The Gupta empire, that existed approximately between 320 and 550 A.D. and was described by historians as the golden age of ancient India, covered much of the Indian subcontinent and was marked by scientific and cultural creativity, including the outstanding architecture and sculptures, and crystallisation of the elements of Hindu culture.

Mr. Sharma said the presence of the dilapidated Shiva temples of the later period amid thick vegetation in surrounding areas such as Jalindri, Nathun, Deojhar, Banganga, Umarthuna and Kheruna indicated that the Shaivite religion held sway over much of the Hadoti region for several centuries.

“The characteristic elements of Shiva temple [that] emerged in the Gupta period are found even in the present-day shrines.”

The five-foot long and two-foot thick ‘Shivalingam' is reportedly the third of its kind from the Gupta era found in the country so far. Similar statues were earlier discovered at Udaigiri in Vidisha and Bhumra in Satna district of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Sharma said the ‘Shivalingam,' built of white sandstone, has embellishments like earrings and ornaments with Lord Shiva's face, while the sanctum where it was installed is encircled with hundreds of undamaged and broken bricks. In the local parlance, this statue is called ‘Mukhling.'

There are traces of a covered processional path in the temple for circumambulation, which formed part of the worship ritual. A methodical study of the Bhimtal temple could provide important clues to various dimensions of early Hindu architecture in ancient India, said Mr. Sharma.

The gradual evolution of the Gupta style architecture led to the construction of shikhara (dome) in the temples and ornamentation on the pillars and door-frame. Later, the decorative motifs like goblins, couples, flying angels, door-keepers and a figure relief in the centre of the lintel emblematic of the deity consecrated in the temple were introduced.

A barely-literate grocer with a passion for history and archaeology, the 54-year-old has discovered rock paintings and objects and tools of the Copper Age and Mauryan and post-Gupta period in the vast hilly tracts of the Hadoti region in south-east Rajasthan over the past two decades.

Mr. Sharma said his latest discovery had demonstrated that Hadoti did not merely have a pre-historic human habitation, but was also rich in archaeological wealth which could throw a new light on the evolution of Hinduism with the dissemination of Vedic civilisation by Aryans.