The BCG project, which is supported by the United Nations' World Food Programme, the government of India and the government of Orissa, involves scanning finger prints and the iris for preparing biometric cards for a population of around 1 million. Srijan Pal Singh, an IIM-A student, who is part of the project, says the biometric cards will be filtered through a super computer to avoid duplications.
The field operations are on in the sub-Himalayan terai region stretching from the Gorakhpur district in eastern UP to Bijnore district in western UP. The two companies were given prospecting licences sometime back, he informed. The licence allows the licence holder to undertake mineral substance prospecting works within a specific area.
This will enable the firm, a wholly-owned subsidiary called CIIE Initiatives, to buy stakes in the companies that it incubates by investing its time and resources.
Top names in the power and infrastructure sector, including Reliance Power, Lanco Kondapalli and Spanish firm Isolux Corsan, have evinced interest in setting up two power plants in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad district.
The Certificate Programme in Business Administration offered by the Institutes of Management has not found favour with information technology companies.
While some have announced setting up of a PE club for aspiring entrepreneurs, others plan courses, special lectures and seminars to create awareness about the booming sector. Students of the Post Graduate Programme for Executives at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, will go through a course on PE in their last term between December and February.
In a meeting chaired by state chief secretary Atul Kumar Gupta yesterday, the ETF recommended invitation of fresh bids for setting up the power plants at Bara and Karchhna in the Allahabad district. However, this has to be ratified by the state Cabinet first to take effect. This would be the third time that the state government would invite bids for the two power plants, which have failed to take off in spite of much fanfare with which they were initially announced.
In the revised financial bids, Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Power had emerged as the lowest tariff bidder last month vis--vis other power majors such as Lanco Infratech and National Thermal Power Corporation. Official sources said the government might go for re-bidding to bring down the quoted tariff, which is observed to be on the higher side. The ETF will meet on July 19 to take a final view.
The Centre has put the proposed Rs 3,500-crore global airport hub at Noida in Uttar Pradesh into cold storage and the ambitious project would not be able to keep its date with the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
After supplying Micro Electrical Mechanical System-based (MEMS-based) Inertial Navigation System to the Navy and the Airforce, Whirlybird Electronics, the co-incubated company of Indian Institute Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), is looking for markets in the automation and automobile industry.
Yet another generational shift is taking place at Arvind, one of India's largest textile players, as the fourth-generation Lalbhai has joined the group. In what could be an indicator of things to come, Punit Lalbhai, son of chairman and managing director Sanjay Lalbhai, is being appointed as the chief manager of the project division.
The Uttar Pradesh government today ordered first information reports to be lodged against all the 16 sugar mills that Bajaj Hindusthan owns in the state for allegedly failing to honour farmers' payment commitments for the crushing season 2007-08. Shishir Bajaj-controlled Bajaj Hindusthan is the country's largest sugar producer.
Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited, which closed down fuel pumps in UP last month due to mounting losses, has denied plans of converting the defunct outlets into malls. The company was forced to shut the outlets as the petrol and diesel sold there were costlier by nearly Rs 10 and Rs 6, respectively, vis-a-vis public sector retailers.
Scooters India Limited (SIL), a public sector automotive company, is mulling foray into the electric two-wheeler segment and is presently evaluating the expressions of interest (EoIs) by some domestic companies for a possible collaboration. The Lucknow-based company aims to augment its product range from passenger three-wheelers to include green two-wheelers.
Normalcy returned to the Sahara premises in Lucknow. The residuary NBFC saw the Supreme Court's direction to Sahara India Financial Corporation to approach the designated RBI authority in a positive light.
Institutes are encouraging students to work hands-on with the underprivileged of society.
Nothing seems to dampen the spirit of Gujarat's textile industry when it comes to investments. Inspite of the issues arising due to rising input costs, the state government is expecting to witness MoUs worth Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) in textile sector at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit 2009. During the summit, the state government will be luring several textile machinery manufacturers from overseas to set up base in the state.
The Gujarat government's health department has announced an e-medicine scheme for rural areas. The programme entails offering online and telemedicine facilities to villagers. The department will install web cameras and other infrastructure for distant diagnosis. Of the total plan outlay in the state budget for 2008-09, 4 per cent is for the health sector. The state is also encouraging medical practitioners to set up clinics in certain identified blocks in rural areas.
The Uttar Pradesh government is carrying out an annual sugarcane survey in the state to ascertain the requirement of the state sugar mills and total area cultivated under the cash crop. Besides, the comprehensive survey seeks to identify and weed out sugarcane mafia from the whole system.
While states across the country grapple with the problem of getting power to the rural areas, Gujarat stands tall as an exception. The state government's Jyoti Gram Yojana (JGY) has not only ensured 100 per cent village electrification but also 24 X 7 power supply. The result is a resurrection of rural industries in the state and reverse migration to rural areas.