DEVELOPMENT DIGEST

VOL.3 1-28 February 2001 NO.11

The Government's plan to set up Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as instruments of rapid economic growth gets a concrete shape with the inauguration of the first SEZ in Nanguneri in Tamil Nadu. This was followed by the launch of another SEZ in Gujarat in collaboration with a private consortium. The idea of setting up SEZs was oulined in the Export-Import policy last year as an effort to give a boost to export-led growth. Commerce and Industry Minister exuded confidence that the setting up of SEZs will change the economic map of Southern Tamil Nadu. The government has acquired 2,500 acres of land required for establishment of the SEZ and fencing is currently underway at the site. Infrastructure planning of the region will be assessed by a Singapore company.

The Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is planning to set up Pragati Maidan-type trade exposition centres in various parts of the country in collaboration with State governments. These centres will be established and managed by separate joint ventures. The first such venture has been developed in Chennai and the second one is coming up in Bangalore. These centres will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for marketing various sectors of the industry, particularly exports and act as a nodal point bringing Indian companies in touch with modern

technology. Various exhibitions, seminars, workshops and expositions could be organised at these trade centres to help the Indian industry market its products to global customers. At the same time, overseas companies participating in international fairs organised at such venues would bring in latest technology from which the domestic industry can benefit.

The indigenously-built supersonic Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Technology Demonstrator-1 completed its 'turf flight'. Top DRDO officials attached to the project said the third flight of the aircraft was successful and worked as per design. The flight lasted 22 minutes and the aircraft, piloted by Wg. Cdr. Rajiv Kothiyal, climbed to an altitude of 4,000 m and clocked a speed of 560 kmph. The pilot also carried out the "pitch roll and yaw" manoeuvre. The handling quality of all tests was satisfactory. The undercarriage retraction and extension tests were carried out at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

Top priority is being given in Himachal Pradesh to ensure quality technical education to youngsters to start their own independent ventures. Various technical institutions including nine Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and one Polytechnic in Kangra district are soon to be opened. The State already has seven Ploytechnics and 45 ITIs, with one ITI

(Ministry of Information and Broadcasting)

for physically handicapped, 16 for women and one motor driving and heavy earth moving machinery operators' school in the Government sector. All these technical institutes in the State are being equipped with the latest machines and equipments. To introduce infotech-related courses in these institutions 230 computers have been procured and 50 new computers are installed in the newly opened ITIs. A World Bank-assisted project for strengthening technical education, amounting to Rs. 45.75 crore has been successfully completed and has changed the shape of technical education by creating infrastructural facilities in the Polytechnic Institutes. Under the World Bank aided skill development project, machinery, equipment and other infrastructure have been added at a cost of Rs. 8.13 crore.

The oil and gas sector is set to register its highest export earnings this year with the inflow expected to be close to Rs. 5,000 crore. The growth for the first six months compared with the last fiscal is over 270 per cent. The record high export growth has been due to the increased refining capacity and the slump in demand in the domestic market. In the period between April and September, while petrol accounted for an export earning of Rs. 579 crore, naphtha was the highest at Rs. 1,212 crore. While exports of HSD contributed Rs 593 crore to the kitty, furnace oil and other decontrolled products too accounted for an export earning of Rs. 206 crore. This is against the sector's total export earning of only Rs.698 crore in the entire fiscal of 1999-2000.

The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will set up an Overseas Venture Capital Fund (OVCF) of $50

million focusing on information technology and knowledge based sectors. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with IVG of Mauritius. The Centre and the Reserve Bank of India have approved the fund and it was expected to be operational in the next two to three months. In the first phase, SIDBI would put in $20 million while IVG would contribute $10 million. The OVCF would have a three-tier strategy namely at the regional, national and international level. SIDBI has 12 regional funds operating in 10 States in the country.

In its endeavour to attract top class tourists, the State Government of Uttar Pradesh is embarking on a new concept -- Royal Tourism. Moving in this direction, the State Government has decided to convert as many as 35 palaces and havelis belonging to Rajas of erstwhile states into heritage hotels in different parts of the State. The tourists here would be assured of five-star hospitality in a genuine backdrop right in the bedrooms and drawing rooms of erstwhile Maharanis and Maharajas. The air taxi facility would also be provided to reach the heritage hotels by private parties and the Government would help the private parties in obtaining permission to use the airstrips , providing no objection certificates besides the ground support system. The University of Illinois, USA, had prepared a master plan. for development of Mehtab Bagh on 338 acres of land behind Taj Mahal in Agra. Apart from this, an entertainment park would be developed by a private party on 0.5 acres of land in Gomti Nagar for which the plot would be given on 30-year lease.

A herbal garden of medicinal plants, herbs, shrubs and tress spread over six acres, was inaugurated by Lt. Governor of Delhi. The herbal garden has been developed by the

Municipal Corporation of Delhi in Punjabi Bagh along the Ring Road. Rare species of plants and tress having medicinal value will be nurtured in the garden. The aim in developing the garden is to familiarise school children and other visitors about the use and value of medicinal plants traditionally used in preparing medicines and which are fast becoming extinct. The value of each plant and shrub will be properly documented so the people come to know about their importance.

To revolutionise disaster management operations in India, a strategy for the creation of National Geospatial Data Infrastructure (NGDI) has been prepared. The NGDI will act as a forum to promote and establish a national databank of spatial (MAP) and non-spatial information like population, land use, economic transactions, hydrology, agriculture, climate, soils, etc, With NGDI, the Government will make available vast data lying with various agencies like Survey of India, IIRS, NATMO, NRSA and other organisations. Government agencies and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are frequently asked for quick response to natural and industrial disasters and environmental crises. With much of the information needed to make sound decision based on the availability of local data, the correct and current spatial data will go a long way in tackling disasters like that in Gujarat. The data will also be made available to the people or NGOs who require it to carry out their operations.

To create and sustain community awareness on disaster preparedness, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has offered to impart distance education on the topicto all the local, national and international agencies, This was announced by the co-orddinator of Disaster Management Studies at IGNOU.

The Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) has announced the launch of a $10 million-action plan to reduce poverty in India and other developing countries. Calling it as INSTEP (Integrating New and Sustainable Technologies for Elimination of Poverty) the Director of TERI said the plan would involve major action at the grassroots level, especially in rural areas. The aim of INSTEP is to empower the rural and poor communities in terms of self-reliance with respect to meeting their basic needs. In order to enhance the global understanding of poverty and relevant technological interventions that would alleviate it, INSTEP would also consider the socio-economic and cultural dimensions for carrying out such activities. Other activities shall be exhaustive literature survey, data collection and analysis, and dialogue with policy makers, funding agencies, scientists and local communities through conference. The TERI is also contemplating to involve the Asian Energy Institute, a network of 28 research and policy institutions from over 25 countries in Asia and outside, in its scheme of things. They would jointly execute projects, conduct research, disseminate information, transfer technology, and influence regional policy makers.

For the practitioners and patients of Ayurveda, free information on the ancient Indian System of Medicine is now only a mouse click away, courtesy a comprehensive website launched recently. Ayurveda4health.com, a brainchild of Ayurveda India, a group of professional ayurvedic physicians, not only provides exhaustive information on the medical system including its pharmacy and treatment methods such as 'panchkarma' but also free individual

counselling on all health problems. A majorattraction of the site is an online school, which would nable the common man to download the

The 'Antyodya Anna Yojna' for one crore poorest families in the country would commence from the first week of March, the Union Food and Pubic Distribution Minister said. Under the scheme, each family will be provided 25 kg of foodgrains per month at Rs. 2 per kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg for rice. "We are trying to solve the problem of hunger as it is necessary that democracy and hunger should not go together", the Minster said.

A comprehensive electronic database, called 'DevInfo', having more than 500 social development indicators from several official sources put together by the United Nations along with the Government has been launched. The database provides easy access to quantifiable data for planning and has data from 1911 to 2000. The social development indicators that comprise the database, are arranged under sections like agriculture, communication, demography, economy, education, environment, geography, governance, health and nutrition. DevInfo allows users to generate tables, graphs and maps from available data and has maps digitized up to the state, district and block level. DevInfo is a user-friendly Windows-based software. It can be customized by the user to analyse data across regions, and by selecting a variety of indicators from different sources. DevInfo, a common database of social development indictors, has been the result of joint collaboration by several UN Organisations including the ILO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNWFP, WHO, together with partners like Department of Women and Child welfare, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Planning Commission and CARE-India.

Using a special computer-aided design, Border Roads Organsition (BRO) has constructed in a record time of three years a 160-km long road, which was inaugurated by External Affairs Minster this month. Indo-Myanmar relations are expected to move into top gear with the Tama-Kalewa-Kalemyo road link that will pave the way for enhanced tourism, trade and economic ties. Built at a cost of Rs 100 crore funded by India, the road was designed by BRO using a special computer-aided design based on latest 'digital terrain model'. Considering the riverine nature of the terrain, with as many as 158 major and minor rivulets and drains criss-crossing the road alignment, the bridging effort was a major task. Tremendous logistics were involved in the construction as cement, bitumen, steel, bailey bridges and fuel and ration supplies had to be transported from Dimapur, the nearest rail head in India, to over a distance of 350 km to Tama and further ahead as the project progressed.

Indian diamond continued to glitter in the world market with its export during the current year expected to cross seven billion dollars, thanks to the strong demand from the US and Europe. The diamond trade, to be up by about 600 million dollars this year, would boost the total export of gems and jewelry to 8.5 billion dollars, according to Gem and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). While cut and polished (C&P) diamond would contribute a major share of the total exports, re-export of rough diamond was likely to increase marginally to fetch 150 million dollars this year.

The task forces of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritages (INTACH) would reconstruct and conserve the

damaged heritage monuments and sites in the quake-ravaged Gujarat. The task forces would conduct a survey of the quake-affected heritage buildings and natural environs, besides documentation of pre-quake records and damage assessment reports on each historical site. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage task forces from Delhi had joined hands with local authorities and non-governmental organisations for this reconstruction.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has brought out the Curriculum guide and syllabus for information technology in Schools. An offshoot of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) recently released by NCERT, this guide-cum-syllabus aims at formulating plans for integrating computers into the curriculum and making information technology (IT) a part of the schooling process. This document outlines the IT-relating competencies for children up to class X and suggests ways of assessing those competencies, identifies desirable skills and activities to achieve them, enlists provision for children with special needs and also proposes desirable competencies for teachers. It is a big step towards the development of workbooks for children and guidebooks for teachers based upon it. This will accommodate a wide range of activities across different stages and according to the resources available in a school. Information and communication technology skills identified in the syllabus are aligned to the scope of the project called 'class2000" of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

New initiatives are being taken in the cooperative sector in Rajasthan with enrolment of thousands of fresh members and registration of hundreds of women's cooperative. In a special drive across the State, as many as two lakh members have been enrolled invarious primary cooperative societies. Over 500 new women's societies have also been registered. With many of the existing big industrial units facing threat of closure and the new investments not picking up the expected momentum, Government in Rajasthan is concentrating more on the cooperative sector for both social and economic development.

Himachal Pradesh has started various small saving schemes for the middle and lower middle classes in both urban and rural areas, and they have resulted in quite a success. Small savings is called a mode of resource generation though democratic participation, as it a participatory process at the grassroots level. These savings have always proved an important source of funds for financing the developmental activities in the State. The State Government on the basis of net collections under the small savings become eligible to receive 80 per cent of it, in the shape of long term soft loans from the Centre. As many as 7600 agents are working to promote various small savings schemes in Himachal. They are also honoured from time to time by the Government for their laudable efforts in boosting small savings and making it a mass movement.

The path has been paved for computerisation of police stations across Delhi with grant of approval for Integrated Investigation Forms developed by the National Crime Records Bureau to standardise records all over the country. Already, training of prsonnel in the use of these standardised forms -- which come in seven different types -- has begun at Police Training College in Jharoda Kalan in Delhi. While 800 recruits are being trained now, all investigating and supervisory officers would undergo the training shortly. The

seven types of forms are meant for "FIR Report", "Crime Details", "Arrest", "Search and Seizure", "Chargesheet", "Final Report", and "Result and Appeal". Their introduction would bring Delhi Police working in line with the all-India format. The only other police forces which are yet to adopt the standardised forms belong to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The benefits of the new forms are aplenty. They are uniform all over the country and so provide faster and unambiguous exchange of information. Also, they are more scientific, prepared after much deliberation by a monitoring committee with various officers, law departments and State governments.

In a major breakthrough in rail engineering, five engineers have successfully developed a low cost, lightweight and easy-to-use rail fracture-detecting machine. Good news for the Indian Railways. The detector costs just Rs. 3,500 and weighs 14 kg. It works on the simple principle of two probes, where probe one transmits electric signals onto the rail and probe two picks it up. In case of a weld/rail fracture, the signal from probe one can not read probe two and the circuit inside the machine activates a buzzer to alert the patrolman. The machine is also provided with a light which can be turned on to examine the fracture,. Additionally, a red flasher is also provided in case of an emergency to alert the driver of a coming train. And all these operations can be performed even by an illiterate person.

Tickets will soon be issued through ATMs at major railway stations, according to the Railway Budget proposals for 2001-2002. Among the various measures for modernising the Railways, ATMs will soon be installed at important stations, which will later be used to issue

tickets. For quicker information to the public, on-line train running position will be available through Cable TV/Internet and on cellular phones by connecting the national train enquiry to these systems.