Voltas plans new unit in HP or Uttaranchal

NEW DELHI: Tata group company Voltas Ltd is planning to set up a
manufacturing unit in the excise free zones of Himachal Pradesh or
Uttaranchal at an estimated investment of Rs 70-80 crore by the end
of this year.

The air-conditioning and refrigeration major already has plants in
Dadra, Hyderabad and a small assembly unit in Baddi in Himachal
Pradesh.

It is likely to shift the Dadra unit, which is a 50:50 JV with
Fedders, to the new location by the end of 2005 or early 2006, but
whether the other plants would follow would depend on the benefits
offered by the respective State governments.

Voltas Unitary Products Business Group (UPBG) Vice President, Mr K J
Jawa said the company had been given a mandate to scout for a more
viable option to set up a plant particularly after the benefits being
offered at Dadra were withdrawn last year.

"But it is too premature to comment on whether all Voltas
manufacturing operations would be transferred there or whether it
would be a joint venture project with Fedders," he said at the launch
of a new range of window and split air conditioners here.

UPBG Cooling Appliances Division General Manager, Mr K D Virmani said
company was also eyeing new export markets this year to push up
bottom line.

It already exports to countries in the Middle East, but has now
started focusing on African countries such as Uganda, South Africa
and Kenya as well.

"Exports contribute about 8 per cent to the division's turnover, but
within the next three years, they are expected to represent 20 per
cent of the total revenue," he said.

For the next fiscal, the division was eyeing a 38 per cent increase
in turnover to Rs 450 crore from Rs 325 crore in 2004-05 on the back
of increasing market penetration due to stabilising prices.

The company today launched six new air conditioner models in the
price range of Rs 14,500 to Rs 70,000 and said it had planned a host
of new launches in the coming season in the high-end segment. - UNI

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

[India News] Shimla, Looking slim is in - among cops in Himachal
Pradesh too.

Potbellied policeman in the hilly state have been handpicked to
undergo a rigorous fitness camp to lose extra pounds.

"One hundred and eleven obese policeman have been identified to
undergo the three week fitness camp at the police training school,"
said Deputy Inspector General Police K.C.Sadyal.

Starting Friday, the policemen will be put on yoga, aerobic exercises
and a light diet.

The slimming courses had been started in the state last year. But so
far they have been restricted to only junior officers.

Indo-Asian News Service

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 31
A sum of Rs 78-crore has been sanctioned by the Centre for early
completion of the drinking water supply scheme for the state capital
from the Giri river.

This was stated by the Irrigation and Public Health Minister, Mr Kaul
Singh Thakur, in reply to a question by Mr Harbhajan Singh Bhajji of
the Congress in the Assembly today.

He said keeping in view the acute drinking water shortage faced
during the summers, the 12th Finance Commission had given Rs 38 crore
for the scheme.

"Since Rs 40 crore has also been sanctioned by HUDCO for the scheme,
work will be expedited so that water availability in the capital town
can be improved", he informed the House.

He stated that seeing the water problem in the town, which had to
cater up to one lakh tourists each summer every day, 10 tubewells had
been installed.

He said a detailed project report (DPR) had been prepared and land
was being acquired for a treatment plant and a storage tank. Tenders
were being floated for starting work on the pumping site a provision
had been made for sufficient pipes for the scheme.

In reply to a question by Mr Surender Bhardwaj, the IPH Minister
informed that a target had been set for providing drinking water to
1,750 partially covered villages in the state.

"Last year, against a target of covering 1,500 villages the
department was able to reach out to 1650 villages", he said.

Mr Thakur further said two urban water supply schemes, six major
irrigation schemes and 49 small irrigation schemes had been approved
by the centre for improving water supply in various towns of the
state. Besides this, 42 drinking water schemes worth Rs 19.37 crore
and irrigation schemes worth Rs 42.29 crore had been sanctioned by
NABARD.

To another question by Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, Transport Minister, Mr
G.S. Bali informed that the 40 fuel-efficient buses purchased by
Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) had registered profit.

These superfast buses were mainly being plied on main routes
connecting the state capital with district headquarters.

Mr Bali said as compared to ordinary buses whose running cost worked
out at Rs 21 per km, the cost in case of these TATA-709 buses worked
out to be Rs 14 per km.

[India News] Shimla, March 31 : Himachal Pradesh has joined the
broadband brigade with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launching
the service here Thursday, a top company official said.

"BSNL has launched its broadband services under the brand name 'Data
One' in Shimla," H.K. Verma, general manager, BSNL, said here.

"Broadband enables transmitting of large amount of data at a speed of
256 Kbps and above and is several times faster than the dial-up
internet service. To begin with, high speed internet service has been
provided. Subsequently, other services such as multicasting, video
conferencing, video-on-demand and broadcast applications will be
added," Verma said.

BSNL has deployed the asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL)
technology using existing copper line infrastructure. Due to a
separate frequency, ADSL does not interfere with the telephone line,
enabling the person to speak simultaneously on the same line.

The service will soon be extended to other towns in the hill state,
officials said.

--Indo-Asian News Service

 Hello,

Welcome Supehia, nice to hear the surname again after long time, actually first i thought u r from a village very close to mine (Gowardu in Hamirpur), it is called "Surrah" and people there use the surname same as yours!

What you do in Atlanata?

B'bye

Sanjeev (Jeev)

Hi Richard,

Basically I am from (village Bhadrer) Nagrota Bagwan,
but now have settled in Dari (Dharamshala).

Regards
Sanjay S

--- "Rich. Shiraz" <ric24u@...> wrote:
> Hello Sanjay,
>
> I welcome you to this group. Meet wonderful people
> here and enjoy your stay...
>
> Where are you from Kangra Distt.?
>
> Richard
>
>
>
> Sanjeev Kumar Rana <skranamail@...> wrote:
> Dear friends,
>
> Please welcome Mr. Sanjay Supehia, a new member of
> our group. Here is his introduction:
>
>
> Sanjay Supehia  wrote:
>
>
> (i) Name: Sanjay Supehia
>
>
> (ii) Place belong to : Kangra (H.P.)
>
>
> (iii) Present location : Atlanta, GA
>
>
>
> Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner
> online.
>
> ---------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>    To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/apnahimachal/
>
>    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> apnahimachal-unsubscribe@...
>
>    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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Hi,
    How all doing..................hope in the best of
health and spirits................

    Cheers
      Vikas



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Dear friends,

 

Please welcome Mr. Sanjay Supehia, a new member of our group. Here is his introduction:


Sanjay Supehia  wrote:

(i) Name: Sanjay Supehia

(ii) Place belong to : Kangra (H.P.)

(iii) Present location : Atlanta, GA

Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online.

Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online.

Dear friends,

 

Please welcome Shri Sanjay Kumar, the new member of our group. His personal details are enclosed in the attachment in the PDF format.

 

Shri Sanjay Kumar was instrumental in developing the website http://himachal.nic.in and is quite experienced/qualified member in apnahimachal yaoogroup. In future, if needed, we can request or consult him matters pertaining to Himachal.

 

We are proud to have such a member among us.

 

Regards,

 

Sanjeev Kumar Rana, Owner

Rajesh Chandwani, Moderator

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Hello,

You've got a file called "himachali_non_stop_dhamaka.mp3" (55328 KB) from
sudar_4@... waiting for download. sudar_4@... says:

Hi,
This is for all those who have earlier missed the download. Please dont miss
this time.
regards
Sudarshan

You can click on the following link to retrieve your file. The link will expire
in 7 days and will be available for a limited number of downloads.

Regular link (for all web browsers):
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[India News] Shimla, Mar. 24 : The immense potential associated with
adventure sports, especially water rafting, lies untapped in this
state lying in the arms of the great Himalayas. And now the state
government has decided that it would not only make efforts to
generate revenue but also create ample employment opportunities for
the state people.

Himachal Pradesh, criss-crossed by many big and small rivers, is
known across the world for its water potential. The rivers fed by
glaciers are perennial, which could well be utilised for white river
rafting throughout the year. The state has some obvious advantages
over other hill stations which makes it a potential destination for
adventure tourism, especially water sports.

"River rafting is present in India as a major commercial sport since
15-20 years. Himachal Pradesh has many advantages, which it enjoys
over other states. Here, we have 5 main rivers in which rafting is
possible throughout the year. Even during monsoons, when we cannot
enjoy rafting in the lower regions of Himachal Pradesh, Chandrabhanga
and Spiti rivers provide an alternative. So rafting is possible
throughout the year," said Shaukat Sikand, Secretary of Indian
Rafting Foundation, in Pandua, about 80kms from Shimla.

Ironically, the state government has failed to exploit the potential
of adventure tourism so far. The administration has not been able to
exploit the river resources in terms of water sports except river
Beas. Even in river Beas, rafting is possible only for two months

But if the prospects of water sports, which lie almost latent at
present, are explored to the maximum, not only the revenue would be
generated, but ample employment opportunities would also be created.

"Government has not paid attention to rafting. If it is combined with
tourism, and if rafting throughout the year is allowed, the young men
can get jobs. We want a rafting institute to be opened here where
locals would learn the techniques of rafting. Tourists love rafting,"
said Dalbir, a local.

However, the state government claims that the efforts to tap the
potential in this field are on and the tourism department has been
directed to create a fund for the same.

"Water rafting is a major part of adventure tourism with great
prospects. I have directed my department to work towards the full
exploration of these prospects. New officers have taken over and the
work is being done. We are laying emphasis on the involvement of
rural folks, as they are very much experienced in this field. It
would definitely result in their development as well. I have asked
the department to create a fund," said G S Bali, Tourism Minister,
Himachal Pradesh.

A take away from the regular water sports, the adventure sport of
water rafting provides an instant adrenalin rush, albeit with risks
involved.

The magic behind River Rafting also referred, as Whitewater River
Rafting is the extreme and never-ending thrills in the untamed
rivers. The rivers in the upper Himalayas are among the best in the
world for river rafting sports, with many staircase rapids that
challenge the body and spirit of the river runner.

The river cuts against the rocky banks, crash into rocks, crevices
and breaking into white water rapids, foaming, swirling, and falling
in a thunderous din. India and Nepal has a wide range of river
rafting regions, which suits both amateurs and professionals. The
most popular rafting sites include Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir, the
Garhwal Himalayas in Uttaranchal, the Beas River of Himachal Pradesh
and Teesta River in Sikkim.

Himachal Pradesh's snow-fed rivers offer tremendous opportunities for
the challenging sport of rafting. The rivers Chandrabhaga (Chenab) in
Lahaul, the Satluj near Shimla, the Ravi near Chamba and the Beas
near Kullu offer immense whitewater rafting possibilities. There are
tremendous river running expedition oppurtunities between Shamshi and
Aut on the Beas. The 20-km stretch has exciting and extreme
whitewater rapids. (ANI)

Power to get cheaper in HP
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 28
Electricity charges in the hill state will come down by 3 per cent
from April with the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory
Commission ruling that the stabilisation charge imposed in the power
tariff order for 2004-05 will cease to operate after March 31.

It also rejected the plea of the state electricity board for
deferring the kvah based two-part tariff for consumers with
connected load above 20 kw in respect of all categories, except
domestic consumers, till July 2005 and directed the board to
implement it from April1, 2005.

The order was passed by the commission on the application filed by
the state electricity board on April 1, 2005.

The order was passed today by the commission on the application
filed by the state electricity board for extension of the current
tariff order till the new tariff for the year 2005-06 was
determined.

While allowing conditional extension of the July 5, 2004, tariff
order for one month at the first instance, the commission expressed
its anguish over non-compliance of its directions.

It was of the view that the board was not entitled to the additional
revenue of Rs 167 crore allowed in the last tariff order for
breaching trust of the consumers and the commission. There was a
strong case for reverting to the tariff prevalent before July 2004.

However, keeping in view the fact that this could severely hurt the
fiscal sustainability of the board, it took a lenient view and gave
a last opportunity for showing tangible and definitive compliance of
some of its directions.

Interestingly ,the government also opposed the continuation of the
existing tariff in the present form and made it clear that it will
dispose of the free power available to it as royalty at competitive
rates in the market from April 1,2005 and not give it to the board
as earlier. The board should arrange power from its own resources to
bridge the gap.

The commission made it clear that the extension will expire on April
30,2005, and any further extension will be subject to the compliance
of its seven important directions.

These included establishment of a public redressal forum to settle
the grievances of consumers , settlement of outstanding dues from
the government and various departments by March 31,2005 and
submission of reports of special audit into purchases along with
action taken to recover the amount on account of excess purchases.

The board was forced to seek extension of the tariff order as it
failed to file application for the determination of power tariff for
2005-06 on time.

No single-teacher schools in HP now
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 28
There will be no single-teacher schools in the hill state and all
primary schools in the hill state will have a minimum of two
teachers.

Stating this while replying to the debate on demands pertaining to
education the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said the
government had decided to appoint 910 assistant primary teachers to
ensure that every school had a minimum of two teachers. The process
of recruitment would get underway next fortnight.

He admitted that there was a shortage of teachers but maintained
that the situation was not as bad as was being made out by the
members. There were 37,359 posts of teacher in secondary schools out
of which 4,175 were vacant. The shortfall came to just about 11 per
cent and that was not very high. He said the problem was being
compounded because of the shortfall was not being shared evenly. In
some schools all posts had been filled while in others a large
number of posts were lying vacant.

He said the government had already sanctioned 714 posts of TGTs and
requisition had been sent to the state subordinate services
selection board for filling them. He said JBT training could not be
started as the written examination for the selection of candidates
had to be conducted afresh due to increase in the number of posts.
The process could not be completed even after conducting the
examination for the second time as the policy of granting a
weightage of 10 marks to candidates of rural areas was quashed by
the High Court.

Underlining the need for the rationalisation of staff the Chief
Minister said there were as many as 128 schools which had very few
students and the government would take decision regarding their
merger with adjoining institutions on merit basis and in
consultation with the local legislators.

Regarding the demand of members for supplying dry ration instead of
giving cooked food to students under the mid-day meals, the Chief
Minister said it was being done as per the Supreme Court order. He
said the food was not being prepared by teachers as had been alleged
by the members.

Each school had been provided a cook and a helper for the purpose.
As the members persisted with the demand the Chief Minister said it
could consider taking up the matter with the court. The demand
amounting to Rs 987.37 crore was passed after rejecting the cut
motions of the Opposition

Explore Himachal via quaint rest houses

[India News] Shimla, March 28 : Visitors to Himachal Pradesh will
soon get a chance to live in the midst of nature and explore
picturesque locales deep in the Himalayas with the state government
planning to throw open government-owned rest houses to tourists.

The old-fashioned rest houses are located deep in the countryside
and many are tucked away in the midst of Himalayan forests where
nature is at its wildest best. Several of these were built during
the colonial British era.

"We plan to hand over 261 forest rest houses to an eco tourism
society. The society will commercially run them by allowing tourists
to stay in these rest houses and help generate resources for the
state government," a senior state forest official told IANS.

"The plan is ready and is being sent to the centre for approval as
forests is a federal subject. Once we get the nod from the centre we
will form the eco-tourism society and handover the rest houses," the
official said.

Currently only touring state forest department officials stay in
these rest houses. Many are in a state of disrepair due to lack of
money.

"Almost all the rest houses have elaborate use of wood and are
simple yet charming, blending perfectly in the countryside," said
another official.

"Once tourists start staying these 'white elephants' will not only
become self-sustaining but will also generate resources for the
government," he said.

While better known tourist towns have plenty of hotels and other
attractions to woo visitors to Himachal Pradesh, lesser known places
often remain off the itinerary due to lack of adequate
infrastructure.

However, some environmentalists are opposed to the plan to open
these buildings to holidaymakers.

"This will only disturb the delicate environment in the lesser known
places. Money may come in but so will pollution, polythene and
crime," Rajeshwar Singh Negi, a local environmentalist, said.

In the first phase the government plans to allow visitors to stay in
261 forest rest houses. In the second phase, around 150 inspection
bungalows (smaller than rest houses) of the forest department will
also be opened for tourists.

Tourists are already allowed to stay in the reasonably priced state
PWD (Public Works Department) rest houses. Scores of these rest
houses are located both in rural and urban areas of the hill state.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online.

How adorrrrable are these???????

Hey give me my ball back! Go to sleep! Hush I said I was cold, Thank You Nice Doggie.  Good Boy Sleeping Sleeping in again Is it morning yet?

Hi Friends,

I am BhagChand Chauhan, currently staying abroad, here in Lisbon
(Portugal). I am working here as a Post-Doctoral Scientist in
Astrophysics. In fact, I have a permanent position in Govt. College
Karsog and may join back by the end of next year.  

Actually I belong to Karsog, Mandi; graduated from Mandi College in
1989 and then completed Ph.D from Shimla University in 2001.

I feel happy to join this group and will stay intouch with all its
activities in future.

Cheers!!!!
Bhag

Hi Gaurav

Please drop me a mail about you, your plans and
overall brief summary. or call me on my cell:
9811905564. Are you in delhi.

About me: I am Nitin, belongs to Shimla [Himachal], 23
by age, at present working with a reputed mnc as a
software engineer. Now working on my plans to setup my
own software major. so looking for right team!!!

thanks
Nitin


--- Gaurav Sahdev <gauravsahdev2001@...> wrote:
---------------------------------

hi nitin
i m gaurav having more than 4 years of exp. i want to
join ur team.

--- nitin_ysm@... <nitin_ysm@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Hi people
>
> I am not sure whether this post is suitable here but
just wanted to
> try. I am these days working on my software startup
[offshore service
> based]. I am at present in Delhi, any interested IT
geek who has
> serious interest in Entrepreneurship..can contact
me. I am looking to
> build a right team which can go long term. so guys
let me know if you
> have what is takes to be an solid tech entrpreneur.
>
> No just look around [timepass] enquiries please...If
you have
> experince in IT and are willing to beat the heat
then only do contact me.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
> Nitin
> Mail: nitin_ysm@...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


Gaurav Sahdev
# 9816025194

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---------------------------------
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Hi

Surender has already posted us about the plans to organize the annual
gettogether in Delhi. The date has been advanced to 24th April 2005 ,
so that we can organize it better way and have more participation.

I would request the members to come up with suggestions to for VENUE
for the same. If somebody is willing to accomodate some serious
enthusiasts for a day, please come forward (Basicaly looking for a
residence to organize the meetup).

The gettoegther would be a CONTRIBUTORY tea party with a nominal fee
of 50 - 100 Rs.

Those of you who are interested in being part of the gettogether can
send a reply to this mail or call me at 9811241227 or Surender at
9868377756. Also we would request you to kindly inform us in advance
about your plans, so that neccessary arrangements can be done.

We will keep you posted about the INITIATIVE and any queries kindly
get back.



AGENDA :

1.Introduction about The Voice of Himachal(VOH) - An intiative by the
people Himachal to promote sustainable development in the state.To
know more log onto http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubinfonet

2. Introduction round for participants.

3. Free for all discussion on various issues.

4. It will be an informal party so if anybody wants to present a
song , folk dance , kindly come forward.


WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT ?

1. Good fun

2. Lot of Gupshup

3. Networking with Himachali's

4. Good friends

5. An idea of how you can help in the development of the state.



PARTICIPANTS:

1. People of all age groups are welcome.

2. Your friends who are not members of the VOH group but intersted to
be part of the development intiative in HP.

3. Non himachali's with genuine love for Himachal are welcome too.



CONDITION:

Confirmation of your attendance by 22nd April

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Dear friends,

 

Please welcome Mr. Akhilesh Bharti, a new member of our group. Here is his introduction:

Akhilesh Bharti <akhilesh.bharti@...> wrote:

Hi,

I am Akhilesh Bharti from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.I have just joined the group. Hope to listen from you all.

Here is my introduction as desired by the moderator:
1. Name Akhilesh Bharti
2. I belong to District Mandi in HP
3. Presently posted at D.C. Office Mandi (HP)
4. Working as District Informatics Officer with National Informatics Centre
(NIC), an organisation under the Ministry of Communication and Information
Technology, Govt. of India.
5. Just joined the group so will reserve my suggestions and comments.

Akhilesh

Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner online.

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hi nitin
i m gaurav having more than 4 years of exp. i want to
join ur team.

--- nitin_ysm@... <nitin_ysm@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Hi people
>
> I am not sure whether this post is suitable here but
just wanted to
> try. I am these days working on my software startup
[offshore service
> based]. I am at present in Delhi, any interested IT
geek who has
> serious interest in Entrepreneurship..can contact
me. I am looking to
> build a right team which can go long term. so guys
let me know if you
> have what is takes to be an solid tech entrpreneur.
>
> No just look around [timepass] enquiries please...If
you have
> experince in IT and are willing to beat the heat
then only do contact me.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
> Nitin
> Mail: nitin_ysm@...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


Gaurav Sahdev
# 9816025194

__________________________________________________
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Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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Hi Friends,

I am BhagChand Chauhan, currently staying abroad, here in Lisbon
(Portugal). I am working here as a Post-Doctoral Scientist in
Astrophysics. In fact, I have a permanent position in Govt. College
Karsog and may join back by the end of next year.

Actually I belong to Karsog, Mandi; graduated from Mandi College in
1989 and then completed Ph.D from Shimla University in 2001.

I feel happy to join this group and will stay intouch with all its
activities in future.

Cheers!!!!
Bhag