- Encounter in Khancounter in Khanetar area
- Poornima Advani becomes new Chairperson of National Women Commisssion
January 14, 2002
Haj Flights to Start Tomorrow
All the arrangements are complete for this year’s Haj flights starting tomorrow. Nearly 70,000 pilgrims will be transported by the Government of India to Jeddah and back between January 15 and March 29 from a record number of ten cities in India. Three new embarkation points have been added this year – Lucknow, Kozhikode and Srinagar – to make travel of pilgrims from these regions more convenient. Addressing a press conference here today the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said several new systems have been introduced and other existing systems improved to ensure smooth journey for the pilgrims.
Air India will operate 92 flights each way to transport approximately 29.000 pilgrims from six cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Kozhikode. Indian Airlines will operate 52 flights from Hyderabad and Srinagar to transport around 11,000 Haj pilgrims. Besides Air India and Indian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines will operate 104 flights to carry about 30,000 pilgrims from Ahmedabad, Delhi and Mumbai. While the flights from Delhi, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Ahmedabad will start tomorrow, flights from Srinagar will start on 20th, from Hyderabad on 17th , from Bangalore on 22nd , from Kolkata on 29th January and from Chennai on 1st February.
Shri Shahnawaz Hussain said, control cells have been set up in all embarkation points in India and will function round-the clock. Control cells have also been set up in Saudi Arabia at Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah. He said, remote check-in is being introduced at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata. Kozhikode, Lucknow and Hyderabad so that the Haj pilgrims are able to walk through the terminal building to the aircraft with just their hand baggage after being transported to the aircraft. Immigration and Customs formalities will be completed at the remote check-in area. He said, sixteen check-in counters will be provided at Jeddah to enable pilgrims to check-in simultaneously for any of the ten destinations in India.
January 14, 2002
Poornima Advani becomes new Chairperson of National Women Commisssion
Dr. Poornima Advani has been appointed as the new Chairperson of National Commission for Women (NCW). She will be the fourth Chairperson of the NCW, succeeding Smt. Vibha Parthasarthy, who is completing her three-year term. Dr. Advani who has been a member of the NCW for the last three years, is a Doctorate in Law from the University of Bombay besides holding a post-graduate diploma in physio-therapy. She has been a lecturer in the Department of Law, University of Bombay and has a number of legal and medical publications to her credit.
January 14, 2002
Encounter in Khancounter in Khanetar area
An army patrol had a chance encounter with the terrorists in general area Khanetar (Poonch District) in the late evening of 13 Jan 2002, in which two members of the patrol were killed and three injured. it is also confirmed that there was no damage of any kind to a small ammunition point, which is also in this general area. The terrorists made good their escape under the cover of darkness. Operations have been launched to nab them.
January 14, 2002
Cote d’Ivorie to import Tractors, Agricultural Implements from India
India has offered training facility in seed technology/standardization of agricultural/horticultural crops to Cote d’ Ivoire. The offer was made in a meeting between the visiting Minister of Agriculture of Cote d’Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast), Mr. Alphonse Douaty and Union Agriculture Minister, Shri Ajit Singh, here today. India offered to train agricultural personnel from the country under the Technology, Cooperation for Developing Countries (TCDP) of the FAO.
Mr. Douaty said that due to similarities of climate between the two countries, his country would like to have India’s agricultural technologies to be made available to his country. He also showed interest in import of agricultural machinery and tractors from India . Since India produces the best varieties of rice, the visiting Minister also expressed keenness for import of rice from India. Mr. Douaty said that his country produces 40% of the cocoa seeds in the world. He urged India to buy cocoa from his country.
January 14, 2002
Conference of principal Controllers of Defence Accounts
A three-day Conference of the Principal Controllers and Controllers of Defence Accounts will begin tomorrow at New Delhi. The Conference is being inaugurated by the Defence Minister Shri George Fernandes. During the three-day Conference the senior officers of the Department will discuss a number of key-issues concerning the Department such as fostering administrative leadership and management skills, re-appraising internal audit functions, upgrading the Financial Information System so as to make it on-line providing the real time information, and improving its services to the jawans and Office Automation.
The Defence Accounts Department is a pioneer in many fields. It was the first Department to introduce Hollerith Machine (pre-cursor to computers) in 1932. It set up the first computer (IBM 1401) in the Department in 1969 when computers were a rarity. Today it has 56 large and small Computer Centres all over the country. It also relies on a wide area network established through 22 V-SATs (satellites). A number of its officers have their own Web Sites which are effectively utilised for providing effective service to the customers.
The Department also pioneered the introduction of Cost Accounting System for the first time in India through Ordnance Factories. It also has the distinction of being the first to introduce Total Quality Management as a conscious policy. Nine offices of the Department have reached the milestone of obtaining ISO Certification. A number of other offices of the Department are also engaged in upgrading their systems and procedures with a view to achieving similar distinction.
The Defence Accounts Department is one of the oldest Departments of the Government of India tracing its origin from 1747. The first office of the Department named as Military Pay Master was established at Fort St. George, Chennai. The Department is the paying authority of all charges pertaining to the Armed Forces and allied establishments like Ordnance Factories, DRDO, Border Roads and Coast Guard. It is also entrusted with the responsibility of Internal Audit, pension sanctioning and disbursement, accounting and compilation of all Defence Receipts and Charges and rendering financial advice to them.
January 14, 2002
India to Assist Kenya in formulating land laws
India has offered to assist Kenya in formulating its land laws system.The offer of assistance came during a meeting between the visiting Kenyan Commission of enquiry into the land law system led by Mr. Paul Ngungu and Union Minister of Agriculture, Shri Ajit Singh, here today. India also assured to help Kenya in formulating laws relating to planning of agriculture and urban land and also laws relating to dispute regulations. During discussions, the visiting delegation said that Kenya has embarked on studying the land laws system of a few foreign countries including India. They said that India and Kenya have lot in common including the history of colonial rule. Mr Ngungu said that Kenya attaches a lot of importance on studying India’s land lawsbecause of this commonality. He said that Kenya had in the past borrowed several laws from India including the Evidence Act and other Criminal Acts.
The visiting Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China Mr. Zhu Rongji and Mrs. Mme Lao An call on the President Shri K.R. Narayanan and Smt. Usha Narayanan in New Delhi on January 14, 2002.
Ajit Singh told the delegation that India has special laws for its agricultural land. He said, since agriculture is a State subject different State Governments have laws of their own relating to agricultural land. He said that India has brought out a National Agricultural Policy aiming at a higher growth rate. He said that India also has a policy on National Resources Management including Watershed Development Programme for rain-fed areas. Besides, the country has implemented Land-Ceiling Laws, Land Consolidation Laws and Forest Laws. The Minister told the visiting delegation that India makes use of satellite imagery for land use planning and crop production forecast. He told the delegation that India is also working on a massive programme for rural agricultural marketing in view of surplus foodgrain production in the country.
