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DUBAI TO HOST AVIATION FUELS INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Alghamdi presents HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and Chairman of the Emirates Group with a commemorative ASTM medal marketing 100 years of jet fuel. AFTC served on the ASTM centennial planning committee.

DUBAI July 29, 2004 Dubai will shortly host the Middle East’s first Aviation Fuels International Group – a gathering of aviation industry professionals aimed at promoting greater safety and quality within the region’s aviation fuels industry.

The group is to be established under the umbrella of Dhahran-based Arabian Fuels Technology Center (AFTC), which is to set up an office in Dubai within the next few months.“Dubai as the region’s aviation hub is the right venue for this development,” said Ubaidallah S. Alghamdi, President, AFTC.

Details of the new group were unveiled at the first Middle East Aviation Pavilion staged at the recent Farnborough air show in the UK.

AFTC, which participated in the pavilion, has pioneered a jet fuel standard for the Middle East – Arabian Jet A-1 Plus - which, it says, will enhance the safety, quality and cleanliness of jet fuel in a region with specific climatic challenges.

“Currently there are three international standards operating within the industry – we are not saying these are obsolete, and are in fact complementing them,” said Alghamdi. “Our unique climatic conditions mean the regional standard is necessary. For instance, in the Gulf summer, there is high potential risk of aircraft undergoing problems, even when they are on the ground.”

Alghamdi, who has 32 years experience in the fuel industry and international members of the American Society For Testing Materials (ASTM), is also chairing the aviation fuels technical committee of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO).

“In the Gulf, in summer, temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius and flash point temperatures are a concern. This, combined with major

sand storm possibilities create a dangerous situation which is further complicated by the ease of bacterial growth in the heat,” said Alghamdi.

“Arabian Jet A-1 Plus exceeds the current standards. The standard is more environmentally friendly because of its reduced sulphur, water and particulate content, as well as reduced gum content, which clogs filters.”

Apart from establishing the new professionals association in Dubai, Alghamdi intends to further promote the new standard with participation in the planned Middle East Aviation Pavilion at Le Bourget, Paris next June and at Dubai 2005 – the ninth international aerospace exhibition to be held at the expanded Airport Expo Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from November 20-24 next year.

“By the time the next Dubai air show comes around, we are confident that the standard will have been adopted by a number of Middle East airlines,” said Alghamdi.

Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E), which pioneered the Middle East Aviation industry initiative, says the new industry standard, developed in the region, was evidence of a growing aviation industry base throughout the region.

“The fact of the matter is that the regional industry has a lot to promote to the international community and the regional pavilions are taking that message to the wider aerospace world,” said Alison Weller, Project Manager, F&E.

First meeting of the Governing Council of NFCG held Premier management institutes to have National Centres of Corporate Governance

Linkages to be established with international organizations Narayana Murthy nominated second Vice Chairman

NFCG website launched

July 28: The first meeting of the Governing Council of National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG) was held today under the Chairmanship of Shri Prem Chand Gupta, Minister, Company Affairs. The NFCG is a trust, which has been set up by the Government in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). The NFCG has been set up with the objectives of deliberating issues relating to good corporate governance, sensitizing the corporate leaders on the importance of good corporate governance, self regulation and directorial responsibilities and to provide research and training in the field of corporate governance.

The NFCG envisages the setting up of National Centres of Corporate Governance (NCCG) by premier Institutes of Management to provide training to directors, undertake research and advocacy in the field of corporate governance. The Governing Council approved the criteria for selection and accreditation of Institutions and also approved the accredition of the following Institutions on ad-hoc basis as NCCGs: -

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.Indian Institute of Management, LucknowAdministrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad.Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

It was also decided that further initiative be taken by NFCG on issues like research and case studies, a model whistle blowers' policy, a corporate governance policy for large institutional investors and corporate governance audit after wide consultations with the stakeholders. The Governing Council also approved the decision of the Board of Trustees to develop linkages with some international organisations keeping in mind the reputation of the Institute and geographical footprint.

On this occasion the Governing Council also launched the web site of NFCG viz. www.nfcgindia.org. NFCG will place a discussion paper on corporate governance on this web site to invite comments/suggestions.Shri N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Limited was nominated as the second Vice-Chairman of the Governing Council.

Apart from Shri Prem Chand Gupta, Minister of Company Affairs, Shri M. M. K. Sardana, Secretary, Company Affairs, Shri N. R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys Technologies Limited, Shri S. K. Munjal, President, CII, Shri N. Srinivasan, Director General CII, Shri C. Banerjee, Sr. Director, CII, Shri Sunil Goyal, President, ICAI, Shri Ashok Haldia, Secretary, ICAI, Shri M. A. Athavale, President, ICSI, Shri N. K. Jain, Secretary, ICSI also participated in the deliberations. -Keralamonitor.com

Philips HD Projection TVs with Pixel Plus Set to Revolutionise Viewing Experience

- Best projection TV for ultimate viewing pleasure available in the market -

Dubai, UAE, July 26, 2004 - Philips Electronics unveiled today two new high definition projection television models sure to revolutionise the viewing experience. The best Projection TV for ultimate Viewing Pleasure available in the market.

The new models are the 55-inch (55PP9527) for only Dhs 11,200 and 46-inch (46PP9527) for only Dhs 10,100 digital widescreen high definition TVs, which combine the sheer size of a projection TV with the unbeatable picture quality of Philips' award-winning Pixel PlusTM technology.

"Whether watching a fast-paced championship sporting event or your favourite blockbuster movie, these two models reinforce the Philips electronics proposition that our home entertainment products give our customers the 'best-seat-in-the-house' experience right in their own living rooms," said Khaled Tuer, Philips Regional General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Philips.

Some of the TVs' best-in-class features include: unparalleled picture quality, ease of use, exceptional sound quality and futuristic connectivity.

"The Philips Pixel Plus projection TV is the perfect marriage of technology and aesthetics. With the new models just announced, our customers have a chance to experience the power of watching their content on a giant screen with breathtaking picture quality and great sound that, thanks to this promotion, is enhanced by the free Philips digital home theatre system," Khaled said.

Pixel Plus technology provides better detail, better texture, better resolution, more high-definition-like images, even from non-HD sources, than other televisions. By almost tripling the number of lines and pixels per line, and then making each pixel extremely sophisticated, Pixel Plus creates visibly higher definition, enhancing details in a picture and making them more natural.

Philips HD Pix Optics gives extreme resolution HD and ensures that viewers see only super sharp, clear pictures. Major breakthroughs that improve light distribution, focus and colours are combined with Philips Wideband Video Amplifier, micro phosphor CRTs, hybrid projection lenses, first surface mirror, and fine-pitched lenticular screen for a perfect picture.

The continual adjusting of picture settings more than 50 times per second with Philips Active Control Plus™ ensures that the viewing experience is always optimal. The 100Hz Digital Scan displays images at 100 times per second on the screen, twice that of standard TVs. As it also removes the line vibration apparent in vertical details on curved and angled surfaces, watching TV becomes more relaxing for the eyes. Further extending the benefit of best picture quality, Philips Auto Intellisense™ detects and eliminates the fringing of colours, resulting in accurate picture convergence with no coloured halos. Digital Natural Motion™ eliminates judder from film-based sources, such as DVDs, and normal broadcast channels for smooth natural motion viewing.

Philips has incorporated APAC™ (Automatic Phosphor Aging Compensation) into its projection TVs to combat the permanent after-image burn-in left by video games or stationary black bars, due to non-moving images on a TV screen. APAC automatically shifts your TV picture in minute increments, large enough to blur the image retention. Coupled with the Philips Auto Format feature, which detects the format of the incoming signal and adjusts the proportion and frequency of the image automatically, Philips Pixel Plus projection TVs give excellent protection from "screen burn". With a double window, two-tuner PIP, you can watch two shows, side by side. Two separate tuners let you select two shows and display both in windows of equal proportion.

Fully equipped for both progressive and standard DVD input and featuring the powerful Virtual Dolby® Surround, even without a home theatre system, the TVs simulate the experience with realistic all-round cinema-style sound.

Industry urged to formulate action plan for food safety

July 28: Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister of State (IC) for Food Processing Industries has called upon the industry associations to develop an action plan to improve food safety. Speaking at an interactive session with industry associations organized in connection with Annual General Meeting of Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI) here today, the Minister said that his ministry was looking forward to suggestions from industry in this regard. The Minister also wanted the industry to formulate a code of conduct for their members in the next 30 days to build confidence among consumers. According to the Report of Ministry of Health to JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) around 25 to 35 per cent of products tested were adulterated, he said.

Shri Sahai emphasized the need to develop new ways of working and use of advanced technologies in food industry and requested the industry to come up with proposals, which could help development of new food products with financial support from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The ministry is working on an integrated food law and a Group Of Ministers (GOM) has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution for formulating in a time bound manner a single food law with single regulatory approach.

Infrastructure for food industry is offered in the form of food parks, and the ministry is seriously reviewing and considering new approach to this scheme. In order to promote food-processing industry in India the ministry will consider establishment of one big food-processing unit or a food park in each parliamentary constituency to promote value addition; the minister said.

The session was attended by representatives from food processing industries besides senior officials from the ministries of health and food processing industries. -Keralamonitor.com

Tempest Express : A multinational staff planning excercise

July 28: India and USA are co-hosting an exercise on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief which is provided under UN mandated Peace Keeping Operations. The other participating nations include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, east Timor, France, Fiji, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UK US, Vanuatu and Vietnam. Representatives from the Centre for Un Peace Keeping, NGOs, Humanitarian Assistance experts and other UN Organs have also been invited. In the exercise setting, India takes on the mantle of a lead nation and reacts to a disaster situation in an environment previously affected by internal problems. Military planners will look into areas of interoperability and decision loops in emerging exercise situations. The exercise proper will be conducted from 29th July to 06th Aug 2004. -Keralamonitor.com

Shri B.S. Lalli to be the Chairman of Delhi Urban Art Commission

July 28: Shri B.S. Lalli, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development will officiate as Chairman of Delhi Urban Art Commission till further orders. Orders in this regard has been issued under Section 4 & 5 of Delhi Urban Art Commission Act, 1973. Shri Lalli Belongs to Indian Administrative Service (UP Cadre) 1971 batch. Recently, he assumed charge as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development subsequent to the transfer of Shri Anupam Das Gupta on promotion. -Keralamonitor.com

Agriculture Secretary calls for alliances between cooperatives and private sector

July 28: The Agriculture and Co-operation Secretary, Smt. Radha Singh has called for forging alliances between co-operatives and the private sector. Inaugurating a day-long Conference of State Co-operation Secretaries and Registrars of Co-operative Societies here today, she said that such alliances would benefit co-operatives. Smt. Radha Singh stressed the need to make the benefits of contract farming available to co-operative farming. She said that although the cooperative sector has made significant contribution to various sectors of the economy like agricultural credit, sugar, dairy, textiles, fisheries and fertilizers, it has to be revitalised and made vibrant. Co-operatives must equip themselves to meet the new challenges in the changing global environment. She called upon the State Governments to take administrative steps to enable cooperatives to function in a democratic, autonomous and professional manner. State Governments should provide opportunities and financial support for training and upgradation of skills in the co-operative sector.

The Agriculture and Co-operation Secretary cautioned against abruptly reducing Government support to co-operatives. She expressed concern over the existing audit backlog, non -detection of mis-management in time, large number of defunct cooperatives and stagnation in the membership of co-operatives in some States. She also called for co-operativising Women's Self Help Groups. Emphasizing the role of co-operatives in marketing of products, the Agriculture and Cooperation Secretary said that value addition to growers will largely depend on efficient marketing. She identified the food processing sector as an area of high potential growth for co-operatives.

The focus of the conference was on the problems being faced by co-operatives, ways to meet the present challenges and strategies to step up the pace of co-operative reforms. Discussions were also held regarding the problems of credit flow through State Co-operative Banks, Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks, etc. The Conference was organized by the National Co-operative Development Corporation, a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture. -Keralamonitor.com

Sky Bus Metro commences test trial in August

July 28: The Sky Bus Metro, designed by the Konkan Railway, is beginning its test trial on half a kilometre long route at Madgaon, Goa in the first week of August 2004. The Konkan Railway is making a 1.6 kilometre running test track of Sky Bus Metro at Madgaon to prove the technical feasibility of the project.

The bogies for the test track, made to the international standards, have been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. The bogies are of Standard Gauge specification of 1433 mili metre (mm) and have dual suspension. The wheel diametre is 850 mm. The bogies are capable of negotiating a curve of 100 metre radius. There are bogie mounted brake cylinders and pulse generator on one axle box. The bogies can take an axle load of 14 tonnes.

Other agencies involved in the making of Sky Bus Metro are M/s ELIN EGB of Austria, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), Zindal Steel and IIT, Mumbai.

The test track has been built at a cost of Rs. 50 crores. The bogies are fully air-conditioned having auto surveillance by web cameras, Anti-Collision Devices on each coach and auto driving system. The Sky Bus is conceived to be the most economic and eco-friendly solution designed to solve the bulk transportation problems of cities like Mumbai and Delhi without taking any urban space. It will be a new millenium technology of our country intended to deliver the same capacity as underground and elevated heavy metro systems, while being safer and costing less than half of the quarter of foreign technologies. -Keralamonitor.com

Kamal Nath approves 26 cases of foreign technology collaboration

July 28: Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry has approved 26 cases of foreign technology collaboration/franchise agreements and 25 cases for grant of industrial licence.

The Project Approval Board and Licensing Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion had recommended these cases for approval. The approved proposals include foreign technical collaboration of M/S Insilco Ltd with M/S Degussa AG, Germany for manufacture of new grades of silica. Two proposals of M/S Kalyani Brakes Ltd, first with M/s Bosch Automotive Systems Corporation, Japan for the manufacture of Tandem Boosters for Mahindra Scorpio and other similar vehicles and second with M/S Robert Bosch, Germany for manufacture of Drum Brakes Assembly have also been approved. Similarly, two Foreign Technology Collaboration proposals of M/s. Reliance Industries with M/s. Dow Global Technologies, USA for the manufacture of Polymers of Propylene, and with M/s. Bechtel France SAS, U.K. for manufacture of Paraxylene have also been approved.

The technical collaboration of M/s Hotel Excelsior Ltd with M/s Shangri La International Hotel Management Ltd for five star deluxe hotel and that of M/s Jindal Stainless Ltd with M/s Nisshin Steel Co. Ltd., Japan for the manufacture of stainless steel have also been approved.

The main sectors/areas for which the Industrial Licences have been approved include defence, textiles and chemicals. In the defence sector, two proposals of M/S B.F. Utilities Ltd. for the manufacture of Armoured Personnel Carrier and Arms and Ammunitions have been approved. The proposal of M/s. Biocon Limited for the manufacture of Insulin and its salt Mono Component Insulin has also been approved.

The detailed list of approved cases is available on the website of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion viz. www.dipp.nic.in. -Keralamonitor.com

Kamal Nath says India's concerns must be met - Presses for improvements on draft framework text

July 28: Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry, has pressed for improvements in the draft text of the proposed framework agreement for further negotiations in the WTO, stating that the draft framework would not be acceptable if India's concerns specially in agriculture were not met. He made this point forcefully while participating in meetings with his counterparts in Geneva on Tuesday, July 27, including the meetings of the G-20 and the G-5, the latter being attended among others by Mr. Celso Amorim, the Brazilian Foreign Minister; Mr. Pascal Lamy, the European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner; and Mr. Robert Zoellick, the US trade Representative.

Pressing for flexibility in all aspects of domestic policy in agriculture in order to address legitimate concerns in products of interest to India and other developing countries, Mr. Kamal Nath sought flexibilties for Special Products in the matter of tariff reductions, which were of concern to the Indian farmers. Such products should be identified on the basis of self-selection, he added. Further, he cautioned against any lowering of the de minimis in domestic support for developing countries as it could be a deal-breaker for many of them. He also stressed the need for disciplines and parameters for the modified blue box being sought by some developed countries so as to discourage box shifting and ensure desired reduction in the levels of trade-distorting domestic agricultural subsidies given by developed countries which adversely impacted on the farmers of developing countries, including India.

A revised text of the draft framework is expected by 28 or 29 July for submission to the General Council of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Friday, 30 July. -Keralamonitor.com

Finance Minister emphasises the need for widening and deepening of tax net

July 28: The Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram has emphasised the need for both widening and deepening of the tax net. In this connection, the Finance Minister referred to the luxurious lifestyles of certain sections of the society and asked the tax officials to scrutinise whether the income reported by them in their returns matched their lifestyles. The Minister was addressing the 20th Annual Conference of Chief Commissioners and Directors General of Income Tax Department, held in New Delhi on 26th and 27th July, 2004.

During the Conference, the officials discussed the strategy for achieving the revenue collection of Rs.1,39,510 crore, a target proposed for Direct Taxes in the budget for 2004-05. One of the proposals of the officers for this purpose was for a more effective monitoring of advance tax collections and receipts by way of deduction of tax at source.

The conference also decided to take necessary steps for expeditious and time bound disposal of all high demand cases by Commissioners of Income-tax (Appeals)/Income Tax Appellate Tribunal/Settlement Commission, which account for a bulk of the arrear demand.

The officers also discussed the strategy for widening of the tax base and were of the view that the powers of survey under the I.T. Act could be used as an effective tool for this purpose.

In the field of computerization, the Conference reviewed the present status especially that of recent initiatives like On Line Tax Accounting System (OLTAS), Tax Information Network (TIN), Electronic Clearance of Refunds and E-filing of returns. The officers were of the firm view that with the successful implementation of these schemes, the quality of tax payer service will be significantly enhanced while at the same time the Department's functional efficiency would considerably increase in the areas of tax collection and enforcement. It was also decided that the practice of processing of returns and issue of refunds within 4 months would continue as in the past year.

In his valedictory address, Shri S.S.Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance (Revenue) exhorted the officers of the Income Tax Department to put up their best to achieve the targets for revenue collections fixed for them. -Keralamonitor.com

President calls for better ocean management through advanced technology

July 28: The President Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam has said that ocean is our national treasure and still an untapped resource which could be utilized for the welfare of mankind The President was speaking on the occasion of 'Ocean Day': Foundation Day of the Department of Ocean Development celebrated here yesterday. The President also unveiled two scientific equipments namely 'Data Buoy'and 'Acoustic Tide Gauge. Both the equipments have been indigenously developed by the Indian Scientists. The President said that the Exclusive Economic Zone could open the doors for further opportunities in this area.

Dr. Kalam praised the scientific innovations of the Indian Scientists. He emphasized on better ocean management through advance methods like Nanotechnology. Speaking on the drinking water problem, Dr. Kalam said that desalination of sea water is one of the most potential solution to ease the of the drinking water problem.

Shri Kapil Sibal, the Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development said that the two new indigenously developed equipment prove that we have world class capabilities in ocean technology too. The Minister hoped that the Data Buoy and Acoustic Tide Gauge would provide useful data for further research work.

The President also gave away mementos to three former Secretaries of the Department, they are Dr. S.Z. Qasim, Dr.P.Rama Rao and Dr. A.E.Muthunayagam. The Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development felicitated a number of Scientists and other dignitaries who have contributed to the ocean sector.

Shri Harsh K.Gupta, Secretary, Ocean Development enumerated the major initiatives and achievements of Department. Referring to the India's exclusive economic zone which is 2 million square Kms. he said that India is now among top ten countries in the field of Ocean Science and Technology. Dr.Madhavan Nayar, Chairman, ISRO and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion. -Keralamonitor.com

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