Delhi Govt on lookout for 50,000 student volunteers during CWG

New Delhi, Jan 29 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the Delhi Government was on the lookout for 50,000 students to act as volunteers during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

''We will need at least 50,000 student volunteers during the Games. The Education department should start identifying students of 11th and 12th standards for it,'' Ms Dikshit stated at the inauguration function of first CWG Wrestling venue here.

Out of 50,000 students, 10,000 will be needed for the opening and closing ceremonies of the CWG, she explained.

''These ceremonies are a reflection of country's culture and are crucial in creating a good image,'' the Chief Minister observed.

''Participation in such a huge event is in itself a big thing for every student,'' she added.

No excuse for non-completion of CWG venues to be tolerated: Sheila

Kashmir Times, January 30

-------------------------------------------------------------

New Delhi, Jan 29 (UNI) Warning administrators and all other parties involved in organisation of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) that no excuse would be tolerated for non-completion of Games venues, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said ''now, there is no time to make excuses.''

''We have very less time to complete the construction work for CWG, so rain, heat, draught or anything cannot be taken as excuse for non-completion of work. We have to finish all the work well before time,''Ms Dikshit said today at the inauguration function of first Wrestling venue of CWG.

The Ludlow Castle Wrestling training venue for the participants of CWG was inaugurated at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidayalaya at Shyamnath Marg near Civil Lines in the presence of Chairman Of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi, PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Delhi Education and Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and other dignitaries of Delhi government.

Calling it the first step of a long journey, the CM asserted, ''We need to work hard not just for completing the games but also creating a good image of the city and the country.''

Congratulating the people responsible for completion of this venue in a very short period, Mr Chauhan said, ''Its an achievement to complete the venue in such a short period of 11 months and that too at the cost of just Rs 13 crore as against the estimated expenditureof around Rs 20 crore.''

He said two more such stadiums, Chhatrasal and Tyagraj, would be ready by March. As these three sites come under the Education Department, these will be given back after the CWG and students will be able to use these stadiums to hone their skills.

The fully air-conditioned multi-purpose Wrestling training venue can accommodate six wrestling mats and is equipped with all the latest and essential technology the athletes require.

LINKS:

http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-40645.html

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20100129/1434976.html

http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/article/09JV2ti1Fk3J6?q=Commonwealth+Games

Shiela urges people to take country to 'summit of glory'

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today urged the people of the Capital to take a pledge to help India reach the 'summit of glory', and saluted soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend the country.

''Let's take a pledge that we will work for the development of the country and help it reach to the place where it will lead the whole world,'' Ms Dikshit said on the occasion of Republic Daycelebrations in the Capital.

Brass bands, police personnel, National Cadet Corps and students from various schools of the city participated in a parade to mark Republic Day celebrations in a ceremony at Ambedkar Stadium.

Ms Dikshit, on behalf of all Delhiites, gave a 'National Salute' to the Tricolour. The impressive contingents of Delhi Policein their impeccable attire gave a 'General Salute' to the Chief Minister.

On the occasion, students from various schools presentedcolourful cultural programmes with inspiring themes such asCommonwealth Games, Unity and Peace.

The Chief Minister also interacted with the children participatingin the cultural programmes.

During her speech, Ms Dikshit expressed her faith in the children in making Delhi a world class city.

Delhi govt in talks with NAFED to provide cheaper food

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Delhi government is in talks with NAFED to provide essential commodities to people at cheap prices, Delhi Chief Mininster Sheila Dikshit said here today.

''We are making efforts to provide food at cheaper rates than the market. We are also in talks with NAFED to provide such a service and the decision will be taken within few weeks,'' Ms Dikshit said at the State Republic Day 2010 function in Ambedkar stadium.

Speaking at the function, she played down her earlier remarks during an interview about people coming to Delhi from other states and asserted that Delhi is the capital of India and it belongs to all Indians.

''Anybody can come here. We welcome and are bound to make available all facilities for everyone coming from other states,'' she added.

The Delhi government had undertaken the task for organisingCommonwealth Games here and would fulfil its commitment with all Indians. ''I can say that work is going very swiftly. The Delhi, which we see today as a dug-out place, would be ofinternational standard soon,'' she observed.

The Chief Minister was confidence personified about the successful organisation of the CWG and said by October, Delhi would have 15-16 world-class sporting facilities ''which will also help oursportspersons in future to enhance their skills and perform at the highest level''.

In her address to Delhiites, Ms Dikshit said in 12 years of Congress rule in Delhi, several commendable works have been done by the government.

''The passing percentage of students in schools has risen to 90 per cent which was earlier between 40 and 50 per cent,''she added. ''Ladli scheme also fared good as it has helped in improving the education standards of girls in Delhi,'' she averred.

She further noted that there is a significant improvement in the girls-boys ratio in schools after Ladli. Last year, 1,004 girls over 1,000 boys applied for admission in schools in the capital.

Saying that around 5.5 lakh students were given scholarships last year, she said the government is planning to increase this number.

The government has specially focused on the educational infrastructure in Delhi as several schools, colleges and universities were opened in Delhi during the Congress regime, the Chief Minister stated.

Praising the health services available in Delhi, Ms Dikshit said, ''We have best health facilities in the country and around 35 per cent of the total patients in Delhi come from other states which shows the quality of service we provide.''

She also mentioned about her government's resolve to improve the basic amenities including water, electricity and transportation in Delhi as per the increasing needs of the people.

''As the water and electricity demands were increasing day-by-day, we have been continuously endeavouring to match the demands,'' she noted.

She added the green cover of the capital has registered a significant improvement despite the ongoing construction work all over and stands among world's best cities in terms of green cover.

Bt Brinjal approved under pressure of Agriculture Min: Shiva

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) Quoting the Expert Committee-II chairman, founder of Navdanya, amovement for bio-diversity conservation and farmers' rights, Dr Vanadna Shiva alleged that the Bt Brinjal was approved for planting without proper testing under pressure from the Agriculture Ministry.

''Bt Brinjal was approved for commercial planting by EC-II under pressure from the Agriculture Ministry as acknowledged by Dr Arjula R Reddy of Genetic Approval Committee, who is also the Chair of the Committee,'' Dr Shiva said.

She said her main concerns were the false scientific assumptions underlying the bio-safety assessment of Bt Brinjal and its impacton organic farmers.

Dr Shiva pointed out, ''So called safety tests were not conducted for transgenic Bt, which includes genes for antibiotic resistance and genes for viral promoters. Instead, the tests were conducted on the safe microbial Bt, used as an organic pesticide for decades.''

They did not look into the risks that transgenic Bt created. This was a ''do not look, do not see, do not find'' policy to create ''deliberate ignorance'' of the risks involved in it, she added.

Refuting the claims made by the EC-II that without genetically engineered Bt crop technology pests could not be controlled, she asserted, ''It is totally false and our farmers produce toxic-free organic brinjal and other vegetables.''

Instead, a survey in Vidharbha showed that pesticide use had increased 13 times in the region since Bt cotton was introduced.

She also alleged that the datas were deliberately changed to favour some foreign organisations, conspiring to hijack the food industry in India.

Stating that the panel did not consider the real alternatives to chemical agriculture, she said, ''Organic farming is a better option than Bt crops to avoid pesticides. Bt cannot be an alternative because it follows the same process like chemical crops do.''

The genes of Bt crops were changed with the help of chemicals, which was equivalent to farming with pesticides, she added.

Many countries had declared such crops as unhealthy and subsequently banned them, while the Government here seemed desparate to adopt it, she exhorted.

The EC-II panel was not even able to make up whether this Brinjal was self-pollinated or cross pollinated. ''How can we put our food security in their hands,'' she questioned.

Dr Shiva called for a moratorium on commercial GM approvals as she said, ''Bt Brinjal should not be introduced in our farms and our kitchens without a proper reassessment.''

The Committee founder continuously asserted her support for the organic farming and when she was asked if it was not costly she said, ''Yes, it is, but the amount of subsidy and infrastructure provided to the pesticide firms is not available for organic farming. Provide it to the organic farming, it would also be economical. Besides, it would not be poisionous like Bt crops.''

Links:

http://topics.treehugger.com/article/08ssaCWbVTfoC

http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20100112/1423556.html

Malls to come under MCD Trade and Storage licencing policy

New Delhi, Jan 8 (UNI) Municipal Corporation of Delhi(MCD) has planned to bring new trades like shopping malls and gyms under the purview of its licencing policy and making the system of issuing and renewing of licence more easy, Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said today.

Asserting that since the enactment of the DMC Act in 1957 trade profile of Delhi has undergone vast transformation and several new trades and goods have come into existence, Dr Sain proposed to bring in new trades and goods under Trade and Storage policy.

These include trade and storage activities pertaining to computers and computers peripherals, branded shops in malls, branded eateries, home appliances, furnishings, mobiles, saloons and spa services, financial service offices and branded gyms.

''These new trades enjoy all the benefits and services which all other licence holders get and are also running a profit making business, so we have decided to bring them under the licence policy,'' the Mayor said.

Observing that the traders find the procedure for obtaining a licence cumbersome and time-consuming resulting in to hesitance to obtain one, he asserted that the new system will be ''simple, convenient, time saving and trader-friendly''.

''The licence will be readied and issued to the person concerned within 30 days of submission of the documents. Any anomaly, if found, in the documents, will be communicated to the applicant within 15 days of receipt of the application,'' Dr Sain said.

He said the applicant would also be issued a provisional certificate at the time of submission of applications which will allow him to carry on the business.

It has also planned to simplify the procedure of licence renewal by making it automatic. ''The licence will be automatically renewed unless there is violation of licencing terms and conditions,'' the Mayor said.

The MCD has also decided not to levy penalty on the arrears, which are to be calculated from the date of establishment of the premises.

There are around eight lakh traders out of which only 55 thousand are registered with the MCD causing a loss of revenue to the civic body to the tune of Rs 100 crore.
''With the introduction of the new system, the MCD is likely to generate additional revenue of up to Rs 100 crore per annum,'' Dr Sain informed.

The civic agency has also planned to grant a unique Customer Relationship Number (CRN) to all the registered traders and all future records will be kept against the same number.

New licences would be in the format of a Biocryptic Bar Coded Certificate and all the licencing units would have to mandatorily display the Certificate, he said.

Links:

http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20100108/1421167.html

http://topics.treehugger.com/article/0gGqa6P1tad1C?q="beauty+treatment"+OR+"beauty+products"+OR+"spa+treatment"+OR+spa+OR+"beauty+salon"+OR+"hair+salon"+OR+manicure+OR+pedicure+OR+facial