Jairam Ramesh, union minister for environment and forests, has rejected two projects in Kerala including a controversial proposal to install camouflaged turbines under Kerala’s biggest waterfalls known as Athirapilly. He also rejected permission to set up an international cricket stadium in Kochi. However, Jairam Ramesh approved seven projects, including the much-awaited Vizhinjam port project, infrastructure […]
Days after Google announced it has started its effort to introduce 3-D ‘walk through’ maps for Indian cities, it’s biggest competitor in India – MapmyIndia.com – has opened up its fine-grained map to the public for free. The new maps, available on maps.mapmyindia.com, will show right up to the house number in its free version. […]
The education minister Kapil Sibal has expressed ‘sorrow’ at the high minimum marks posted by colleges as entry criteria for under graduate courses in Delhi and promised action. “I am extremely sad at the situation.. This is an irrational way to look at education, we will not let this method go on,” Sibal said, adding […]
The global semiconductor and electronics industry has weathered the Japanese earthquake without much damage, IT market research firm Gartner said. In its update on the market for semiconductor capital equipment (equipment used to make chips,) it said that it has not had to revise its projections for the market downwards, as feared in the aftermath […]
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has offered the family of the murdered 14-year-old girl in Lakhimpur to have a CBI investigation into the whole matter. “I would like to assure the family that if they want an investigation by the CBI or any other agency, my government will not be opposed to it,” she said. […]
The BJP too has asked for the resignation of Home Minister Chidambaram, after media reports that jailed telecom minister A Raja claimed that he split the loot from the 2G scam with Chidambaram. “If two people have taken money and only one is the in jail, he will of course talk.. Why is Mr Chidambaram […]
Airtel digital TV, the DTH service by Bharti Airtel, has jumped onto the agri-information bandwagon, launching a new “interactive” service called iKisaan. The service will add to the five such services already launched — iLearn, iNews, iDarshan, iGoodlife and iAstro — priced at Rs 10 to Rs 15 each. The services are based on dissemination […]
Indian foreign minister SM Krishna has reassured Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi that the Indian government is tracking Chinese activity on the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra on the other side of the border. He, however, assured the chief minister that the Chinese have claimed they are not damming the waters for diversion, but only for power generation. “We […]
India and Russia have announced that they have decided to start negotiations to draw up a trade agreement between the two nations. The agreement has been termed as a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, which indicates that it won’t be as radical as a Free Trade Agreement, but slightly short of it. Such agreements bring down […]
Uninor, the subsidiary of Norwegian telecom operator Telenor, has crossed the 25 million subscriber mark, the firm said, adding that it now had a market share double that of all the other new operators put together. Uninor had started operations in December 2009 and 2010 in most of these circles and its closest competitor from […]
Genpact, India’s biggest BPO company, emerged as the top real estate buyer in the National Capital in the first quarter of 2011, according to a compilation put together by international real estate firm Knight Frank. Big leases by IT and BPO firms in the beginning of the year propped up the market, which is in […]
India will move to a system of graded certification of movies, instead of the current regime of cutting of scenes, Rajiv Takru, an official of the ministry of Information & Broadcasting said at a conference today. Speaking at Samvaad 2011 in Mumbai, Thakru also said that the government may change the name of the Central […]
Wholesale prices, based on monthly WPI, jumped 9.06% in May compared to the same month a year ago. The inflation rate was 8.66% in April. In just one month, prices increased by 1.47%, on the higher side. The inflation rate is higher than the expectation of the market — which was around 8.6%. Manufactured products […]
Under attack from various quarters for rising Maoist violence and other reasons, the home minister P Chidambaram today brought out numbers to prove that the violence was actually falling. After a review meeting with the chief ministers of Orissa and Chhatisgarh, Chidambaram brought out numbers to point to a drop in violent incidents involving left […]
Etisalat and LG have teamed up to deliver Internet and videos through LG’s new range of Internet-enabled TVs. The agreement is primarily targeted at the Middle East market, where Etisalat is a big player. The new LG TVs, also available in India, contain built in mini-computers inside them that allow the TV to be used […]
Jayalalitha, leader of the AIADMK party and the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, has called rumors of her negotiating an entry into the UPA coalition as “premature.” “No one from the UPA has approached me,” she said, when asked about the possibility of her joining the UPA at the centre. Asked about her previous offer […]
The petroleum ministry has confirmed receiving a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on alleged irregularities in the oversight maintained over the administration of oil blocks under private companies. The Times of India had, in its story today, reported that the CAG has unearthed alleged favoritism towards Reliance Industries, owned by billionaire Mukesh […]
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has accused the national rights commissions — the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women — of acting like opposition parties. Her comments have come after the National Commission for Women and National Human Rights Commission jumped into the controversy of a group of policemen allegedly raping […]
Moser Baer Solar, the largest Indian photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer and part of the Moser Baer optical media group, has tied up Munro Distributing Co., one of the top solar equipment distribution firms in the US. Munro will offer Moser Baer’s solar modules and sue them in its designs of commercial turnkey solar PV systems, […]
Barely two weeks after the Russian operator MTS slashed STD charges to around 27 paise per minute (half paise per second,) Uninor has followed suit, though only in the Mumbai circle for now. However, unlike MTS customers, Uninor customers will have to pay an extra Rs 36 per month for availing of 30 paise per […]
