The group of ministers on aviation recommended on Tuesday that airline companies be allowed to import jet fuel. This has been a long standing demand of some airline companies, Kingfisher in particular. They hope that the direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) will help lower their fuel bill by 10-15 percent. However, ground realities may not support these claims. While the l
The proposed food security law is giving finance minister Pranab Mukherjee sleepless nights. Feeding the country should present no small bill, and it is understandable that the man feels a bit daunted. But that shouldn`t be the concern, ideally. Given that the subsidy bill is still far lesser than the tax holidays and subsidies given to the super-rich corporate, all in the name of encouraging i
India’s forest cover has decreased by 367 sq km in the last two years with the maximum amount of forest cover disappearing from the northeast states and Andhra Pradesh. According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report 2011 a total of 867 sq km was lost in 12 states and union territories (mainly the northeast), 15 states registered an aggregate increase of 500 sq km.
The civil aviation sector will soon have a new regulator. The civil aviation authority (CAA) will replace the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) sometime soon in 2012. Though the CAA has already become mired in controversy over its formation and the selection of members, it is expected a welcome change from the DGCA. The well-meaning outgoing apex regulator had become limited
Ah! The joys of flying! Friends and family don’t know this yet, but I am radioactive, which is why I don’t shake hands in greeting but either nod my head or smile foolishly. The reason is simple – I have been taking flights almost on a daily basis these past few weeks, and passing through all manner of x-ray screenings. As the bard nearly said, throw enough x-ray at a person a
The unique identification (UI D) number will be instrumental in mobile banking, mobile delivery of services and mobile authentication. To know more about how UID will facilitate m-governance, Samir Sachdeva and Shubham Batra spoke with RS Sharma, director general of the unique identification authority of India (UIDAI). Here are the excerpts from the interview:
``Britain is a third-rate power nursing illusions of grandeur of its colonial past. It created Kashmir when it divided India. Now it wants to give us a solution.`` These were the words that an exasperated IK Gujral used just before the Queen landed in India for her official state visit in the year 1997. Of course, Gujral, who was then prime minister, later withdrew his rema
In a world that is getting increasingly obsessed with earning and purchasing power, advancing age is fast becoming a liability. A UN study has found that a chunk of the world`s poor are advanced in age and they suffer discrimination in several forms. The UN has called it a grave violation of human rights. “The single most pressing human rights challenge for older persons i
The fine print of the 2G verdict is out and the government and the telcos get a sigh of relief. Is it because it could have been worse or is it because the worst is over? This comment on the apex court’s verdict bears me out on my own humble submission made on this website regarding the Busi
Madam Chief Minister, Your concern about the rising number of private vehicles and people’s disinterest in opting for public conveyance is praiseworthy. You say that there are very few takers of public transport despite the introduction of battery-operated cars and bikes. Your insistence on going green by curbing consumption of petroleum-based fuel at the Delhi sustainable develop
As India grapples with the nuances of a proposed food security law, an UN body has reported that the global Green Revolution of the 40s that had increased agricultural productivity in parts of the country is now fast losing momentum. The panel called for an "evergreen revolution" that would focus on the sustainability aspect of food security. “…Green Revolution (h
The supreme court judgment cancelling 2G licences, 122 in all, is no doubt historic. But the learned judges may have unwittingly impacted the telecom industry and our economy in more ways than they intended. This column is about that part of the story. The judgment is not yet available and thus reliance has been placed on reports published relating to the ruling.
French fighter aircraft maker Dassault Aviation landing an Indian air force contract for its Rafale jets has raised many an eyebrow. The company outbid the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) consortium which was pitching its Eurofighter jet to India. Till the last minute, it had seemed that the latter was the favourite but it is learned now that it placed a quote higher than t
December brings with it the end of the year, a welcome chill in the air and the Christmas vacations. So, last December vacation, off I went to explore India’s largest biosphere reserve with my family. After a four and half hours’ bus journey, most of which I spent dozing, we reached Gotkhali. There we boarded a steamer which took us through the Pitchkhali river to our destination &m
National Water Policies are extremely important legal and institutional tools as they reflect the basic intent and direction that the government is planning to take regarding water resources. To ensure that this is a direction acceptable and beneficial to all, open public consultations need to be the backbones of such policies. Thus looking at the immense importance of water to society & en
A government school teacher in Madhya Pradesh`s Betul district got drunk in front of his students and, behind the closed doors of a classroom, ordered girls as young as seven to dance for him — and the caned them for "not dancing properly". All on Republic Day. The man had sent a class V student to fetch liquor from a shop half-a-mile away. He was put under suspension on
The Gujarat Lokayukta ruling has left constitutional mandate to respect federalism, rights of a popularly elected government and scope of governors’ duties and rights at crossroads in the face of interpretation of the provisions of the Gujarat Lokayukta law. The Gujarat high court ruling also means the institution of Lokayukta is more isolated than ever, also increasing th
Sixty-four years ago on this day, on 30 January 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. India has several statues, universities and roads named after the Mahatma. Almost every city in India has a Gandhi statue. Mahatma Gandhi roads are found in many cities. Mahatma Gandhi Setu is a bridge over the Ganga connecting Patna and Hajipur, 5.575 km long and was considered the longest bridge in India un
Nirmal Chandra Jha, chairman of the Coal India Limited (CIL), has many plans that could further enhance the growth of the Maharatna public sector enterprise, which is the world’s largest coal producer. Jha, a postgraduate in mining engineering from the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, has a rich and diverse experience of over three decades in this industry. As the director (technical) of
