Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd has successfully commissioned international internet bandwidth of 155 Mbps at its Delhi gateway. The gateway now has a total bandwidth capacity of 211 mb. With the Delhi gateway having a new stream of 155 mb, VSNL's total international bandwidth today stands at 775 mb.

In a major move to decongest jail population in the country, the Central Government is setting up 1,734 fast track additional courts with effect from April 1, 2001. These fast track additional courts would dispose of 20 lakh cases in a period of four years from the total 2.4 crore cases pending in district and subordinate courts in the country.

The organisation is formulating a country specific programme, better known as Country Service Framework, and it intends to incorporate the private sectors views in addition to those of the government and the intelligensia. According to UNIDO Director general, the private sector is extremely dynamic and UNIDO will like to increase its cooperation with this sector to attract FDI to India. He added that though UNIDO will help create more jobs, it would not be enough. We need to crate more enterprises and more enterpreneurs to ensure that the population is connected with the global economy. The statement added that the private sector would be a major driving force for formulation of a Country Service Framework.

Delhi-Based AP Technosis Ltd, an Application Service Provider (ASP), B2B and B2C company, has decided to set up a software development center in Singapore. The center, which will be functional from early next month, will mark the foray of the company into the Southeast Asian market in a big way. AP Technosis physical presence in Singapore would help us to strengthen our base in South East Asian market and will be able to generate more business from this base

The Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) has become the first Uttar Pradesh government organisation to get a A+(SO) rating its bonds issue of Rs 50 crore by ICRA. KDA is the first city development authority in India to get this rating in its bonds, that too without the support of a state government guarantee, which makes it ever more creditable. The Rs 50 crore bond issue launched in the middle of December with the help of merchant bankers SBI Capital Markets Ltd and R R Financial Consultants Ltd,. The A+ rating will enable KDA to raise funds at a more financial benefits by way of saving on high interest cost.

West Bengal is setting up the state's first gems and jewellery export park. Encouraged by trade inquiries from Italy and Israel, the West Bengal government has earmarked four acres of land for the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) to build and export park at Salt Lake. The park would accommodate more than 100 export houses and is expected to create jobs for about 20,000 skilled and semi-skilled worker. The park world have a one-window service, a jewellery museum and designing workshops, besides housing more than 100 business establishments. The state government hopes that once the park is built, eastern India's export figures could go up three times in five years.

The new variety, being developed by scientists at the National Centre for Plant Genome Research (NCPGR) is expected to have a 14 per cent protein content.

Total collections of all direct and indirect taxes during April-November have reached Rs. 107,261.01 crores, compared Rs. 91,228.52 crores in the corresponding period last years an increases of 17.57 per cent. In this , direct taxes accounted for Rs. 31,947 crores against Rs. 22,592.05 crores, thereby registering an increase of 41.53 per cent. Corporation tax collections were placed at Rs. 14,862.58 crores, working out to 37.53 per cent rise. Excise collections during the period under reference amounted to Rs. l41,926.98 crores, up from Rs. 36,882.09 crores. However, customs collections remain poor, with total collections during the eight month period being Rs. 31,107.48 croes, up 4.03 per cent from Rs 29,903.35 crores. Total indirect tax collections, therefore, stood at Rs. 75,286.41 crores up to November, up by 9.69 per cent from Rs. 68,636.47 crores. For November, income-tax collections stood at Rs. 1,967,55 crores, up 55.96 per cent over Rs. 1,261.56 crores collected in November 1999. Corporation tax collections were placed at Rs. 607.64 crores, up 62.69 per cent from Rs. 373.49 crores in the same month last year. Collection of excise duties in November were replace at Rs. 5,551.92 crores, up 5,82 per cent over Rs. 5,246.45 crores collected in the same month of last year. Customs revenue mobilisation was Rs 4,068.22 crores, up 2.66 per cent from Rs. 3,962.79 crores. Consequently, total collections of all taxes during November amounted to Rs 12,498.96 crores, bout 13.04 per cent higher than the collections of Rs. 11,056.91 crores in November 1999.

TAKING INTERNET TO RURAL AREAS

The Haryana Gvoernment announced its Right of Way (RoW) Policy and Agreement to provide a communication backbone for encouraging distance education through Information Technology tools and to take Internet to the rural areas. The policy seeks to facilitate private domain initiative in e-transition of Haryana by providing critical infrastructure, system framework and enabling environment. It also encourages distance education through use of information technology tools, information technology-enabled services for providing large-scale employment and also to take Internet to the villages at the earliest to spur economic growth in rural areas and to ensure that the benefits of technology percolate down to the masses.

Chambal Fertilisers has developed a new web site dedicated to the Indian farmer. The web site uttamkrishi. Com will have information that a farmer normally requires. The site is a step towards Chambal's mission to help provide food security to the nation and to help the farmer through effective and balanced inputs in improving his agriculture practice. It also includes the latest information on weather, market rates of different farm products, soil-testing procedures and animal husbandry.

without the harsless of a telephone line or cable modem launched in Hyderabad . The facility would soon be extended to other major cities and towns in the state. Mac Info is a company providing the cable connection in the city. "The state government will provide Internet connection to every village in the state in 18 months.

The Sustainable Development Networking Programmes (SDNP) being implemented by the Union Ministry of Forests is emerging as a potent medium among students in environmental quality monitoring and promoting environmental awareness. Encouraged by the response received from the students community, action has been initiated for the development of a website containing data pertaining to air, water and solid waste collected by the school children from different parts of Delhi as part of the Community Adoption and Monitoring Programmes for School (CAMPS). To ensure larger participation of the students, ten selected schools are being provided with latest computers along with connections to facilitate the work. The students would update the website daily on the basis samples of air, water and solid wastes collected by them from the neighbouring communities.