India News: October 2005

PM greets people on Diwali and Id
Monday, October 31, 2005 | MP

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greeted the people on the occasion of Diwali and Id-ul-Fitr and hoped that these festivals would further cement bonds between people of various communities. Mr Singh stressed on the significance of the week as the festivals Diwali and Id-ul-Fitr are being celebrated all around the country with joy and togetherness. The Prime Minister extended the Diwali greetings on the occasion saying: “May the festival of lights this year usher in peace, prosperity and happiness for all."

New changes expected in GRE tests
Monday, October 31, 2005 | MP

According to the Executive Director of the GRE Programme in ETS's Higher Education Division, students preparing for the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) can now onwards expect some changes in its tests format. The new test will emphasise complex reasoning skills and include more real-life scenarios, data interpretation and more focussed writing. The test will have duration of 4hrs unlike the old exam which was of 2:30 hrs. Also the Verbal, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing sections will have different types of questions and new formats. The verbal section will now give more emphasis on higher cognitive skills, with less dependence on vocabulary, antonyms and analogies. Quantitative Reasoning will have questions on more real-life scenarios and data interpretation while questions on geometry will be less. The new test will be a computer-based, linear exam with new item types and scoring scale.

Diwali, Ramzan trains
Sunday, October 30, 2005 | MP

With the Diwali and Ramzan festive season ahead, the Southern Railways will be operating special trains to various areas in its Sothern zones. This includes theChennai Central-Bangalore Special which will leave Chennai Central at 23:00 hrs on November 3 and arrive Bangalore at 07:45 hrs, the next day. The Chennai Central-Ernakulam Special will leave Chennai Central at 22:30 hrs on November 1 and will be arriving Ernakulam at 11:45 hrs, the next day. The Mangalore-Chennai Central Special will leave Mangalore at 16:00 hrs on Oct 31 and arrive Chennai Central at 08:00 hrs, the next day. The Kumbakonam-Chennai Egmore Special will leave Kumbakonam at 19:00 hrs on Oct 31 and arrive Chennai Egmore at 04:00 hrs, the next day. The Nagercoil-Chennai Egmore Special will leave Nagercoil at 19:30 hrs Oct 31 and arrive Chennai Egmore at 09:00 hrs, the next day.

Massive hunt for Delhi bombers
Sunday, October 30, 2005 | MP

A massive hunt for the culprits of Delhi blasts are underway with police raiding several places across the capital, including Paharganj, Chandni Chowk, Zakir Nagar, Okhla, Lajpat Nagar and Nizamuddin. Many were detained during the raids. Investigators suspect Pakistani militants involvement in the bomb blasts. Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has called the blasts as an act of terrorism and said that some clues had been found in connection with the bomb blasts.

Red alert in Delhi after serial blasts
Saturday, October 29, 2005 | MP

A red alert has been declared and additional forces were deployed in New Delhi following the serial blasts that rocked the capital city on Saturday evening. More than 50 people were killed and several others injured in the three explosions that took place at the busy markets of Delhi on the Diwali eve. A series of blasts took place with the first being in the main bazaar of Paharganj near the New Delhi Railway Station. The second explosion was at the busy Sarojini Nagar market of South Delhi. Another blast was reported near to a bus in Govindpuri area. Offiials described the incidents as acts of terrorism.

50 killed in three blasts in Delhi
Saturday, October 29, 2005 | AA

Terrorists struck in Delhi on the eve of Diwali triggering three explosions in two markets and near a bus killing 50 people and injuring over 70 others, including some foreigners. Explosions toook place at in the busy Paharganj market, Sarojini Nagar Market in south Delhi, and in Govindpuri area.

Ganguly ruled out of 3 ODIs
Saturday, October 29, 2005 | MP

With the Indian cricket selectors deciding to retain the existing Indian squad for the next three matches, the Sourav Ganguly’s inclusion in the team was ruled out for the upcoming three one dayer matches against Sri Lanka. The former skipper was left out of the team for the first two one-dayers because of his elbow injury. The selctors claimed that they didn’t want to make changes to the winning combination, but also said that this didn’t mean the end of the career for Ganguly.

Azad appointed next Jammu & Kahmir CM
Friday, October 28, 2005 | MP

Union Minsiter for Parliamentary Affairs Gulam Nabi Azad was appointed as the next Chief Minister of the Jammu & Kashmir by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Mr. Azad who will be sworn in as CM on Nov 2nd will be the first Chief Minister of the Congress in the past 30 years. The decision to noiminate Mr Azad as CM came in the wake of the resignation of 21 state MLAs of which 14 from Congress, demanding transfer of power in J&K. Mr Azad said that his immediate priority would be to provide relief for the quake affected people.

Apple’s new iPod Nano in Indian market
Friday, October 28, 2005 | MP

Apple Computers had introduced its new portable music player ‘iPod Nano’ for the Indian market. Apple’s new products include iMac G5 desktop, iPod Nano and iPod video. The products come with 4 GB and 2 GB capacities with prices ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000. The music player can hold over 1000 songs and 25,000 photos and will operate with iTunes, the the digital juke box software. It also comes with optional accessories including lanyard headphones.

Britain to issue 4 lakh visas for Indians
Thursday, October 27, 2005 | MP

The British High Commissioner to India has said that the number of visas issued to Indians could reach upto 4 lakhs this year. This is based on the current growth rate of 24 %. As of October, three lakh visas have already been issued to the Indians this year. Britain is said to have issued the maximum number of visas to Indians than to people from any other country. The British Commisioner said that the visa policies have been easened up to make it much more customer-friendly; the visa numbers could continue to rise and reach up to five lakhs within a few years.

Maritime Plan: India seeks US participation
Thursday, October 27, 2005 | MP

Indian government called on the US business community to participate in the country’s infrastructure projects in the transport sector. India is planning to invest around USD 39 billion in the next seven years for the development of National Highways, mainly through Public-Private partnership.The Govt would invest in the next 10 years over $22 billion for the National Maritime Development Programme, which is set for the country’s massive highway development and sought active participation from the US investors which could enhance the nation’s economic growth.

RBI targets growth & inflation control
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 | MP

In an effort to take banking towards the credit disadvantaged sections of the society, the Reserve Bank of India as apart of its credit policy asked all the commercial banks to provide ‘no frill’ bank accounts allowing zero or very low minimum balance. RBI has revised the gdp target from 7% to 7-7.5% while the inflation rate was projected at the range of 5 -5.5%. However the bank deposit rates remained unchanged.

Kalam asks scientists to forecast quakes
Tuesday, October 25, 2005 | MP

President A P J Kalam urged the scientists to conduct research on the electromagnetic spectrum inorder to come out with ways to forecast massive earth quakes. This comes in the wake of the recent earthquake that struck the country’s northern regions. According to recent studies, quakes are said to occur when the earth’s crust reaches a critical state and this could produce some precursors before the final rapture like emitting low frequency electromagnetic signals particularly in the ULF (ultra low frequency) and VLF (very low frequency) range. And this electromagnetic occurrence could be of significance if it co-relates to the earths seismic activities in the particular region.

Talks for Kashmir power transfer
Sunday, October 23, 2005 | MP

Congress president Sonia Gandhi called upon Kashmir CM Mufti Mohammed Sayeed for talks on transfer of power in the State. The decision came after the core meeting held by the senior Songress leaders on sharing of power in the state. It was reported that though Sayeed who was offered to continue on the post till early next year has reportedly turned it down. Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, is said to be a strong candidate for the J&K Chief Minister's post.

Onion prices shoot up; Govt to import
Sunday, October 23, 2005 | MP

Onion prices in various parts of the country continued to rise in wholesale and retail markets with the decreased supply of the commodity in many states. Onions were sold at Rs 20-25 a kg in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal, while in Delhi the commodity were sold at discounted prices at Rs 16.5 per kg. The prices are expected to stabilize after Diwali and Ramzan. The price rise is mainly due to damage of crops by the mansoon rains in the major onion producing state, Maharastra. Meanwhile bulks of onion s are being transported by train from Pakistan to provide adequate supply. The Indian Government is considering further imports to overcome the shortage of the commodity.

India aiming IPv6 technology
Saturday, October 22, 2005 | MP

India government is planning to adopt the IPv6 technology which could overcome the limitations of the current IPv4 version of Internet protocol which is likely to be exhausted with the rapidly growing users on the Internet. However the government is yet to address on issues like the governments role and the licensor in the transition etc. IPv6 address space is 128-bit and can offer wider address space than the IPv4. The primary value of IPv6 is in its ability to support an application independent Internet. It is also reliable in terms of security and offers automatic network set-up technologies and can support unlimited voice over IP. The new standard will be the solution for end-to-end global connectivity and Internet scalability.

US commit on nuke deal with India
Saturday, October 22, 2005 | MP

The United States had expressed its commitment to implement the nuclear agreement with India that was signed between the two nations. The visiting US official said that the Bush administration was awaiting consent of the Congress in passing the resolution and hoped an agreement would be ready in time of Bush’s visit next year. “We Americans will meet the obligations we have undertaken.” said the US official.

DD gets telecast rights for ODI series
Friday, October 21, 2005 | MP

Millions of cricket lovers can now watch the India’s forthcoming cricket series matches against Srilanka and South Africa with Prasar Bharati bagging the telecast rights from BCCI for the 12 one day matches. India will play 7 matches with Srilanka and 5 against South Africa in the two upcoming series. DD will pay a fee of Rs 7.5 crore per match to the BCCI for the match telecast.

MBBS students to have anaesthesia as subject
Friday, October 21, 2005 | MP

The India Health Ministry has decided to introduce an 18 week “competency enhancement programme” in government medical colleges to train the MBBS doctors in anesthesia so as to assist in emergency situations during obstetric care. This short term course in anaesthesia for the MBBS students is as a move to bring down the high maternal mortalily rate during child birth and also to face the severe shortage of anaesthetists in the India. The programme that is expected to begin from early next year will first be launched with govt medical colleges in Delhi.

Over 6000 kids die each day due to lack of micronutrients
Thursday, October 20, 2005 | MP

A report by an international NGO revealed that over 6000 children die everyday in India mainly due to lack of nutrients. Children of poorer sections were worst affected. Report also states that 50,000 children were born deformed each year in India due to the various vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The lack of basic micronutrients like Vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and folic acid resulted in the increased mortality rates and hence the report recommends consumption of fortified products like Vitamin A syrup for children under 5 years, iron folic acid tablets for pregnant women and adolscent girls. Iodisation of salt for consupmtion is also suggested to overcome the mineral deficiency.

India govt. to look at Pak’s offer to open LoC
Thursday, October 20, 2005 | MP

Indian government will examine Pakistan’s request for opening of the Line of Control(LoC) for the earthquake relief operations in the region. The Union Home Ministry Secretary who is in charge of the relief operations for the J&K quake victims said that only few roultes along the LoC will be opened for the purpose and that will be enough for sending aid to the region. However officials said that the government would take account of the security situation and LoC will be opened up only after ensuring that the security concerns of the country are not compromised.

Microsoft to business in 33 Indian cities
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 | MP

Microsoft India is planning to spread out to smaller towns and to reach 33 cities in India within a year. This would lead to doubling-up of its employees and increase the company's marketing investment for the small and medium business sectors. The company is mainly targeting on cities which accounted for 90% of the PC shipment last year.

Air ambulance service for critical care
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 | MP

The country’s low cost airliner, Air Deccan is to launch dedicated air ambulance service to provide critical care for patients even in the sky. The airline will be introducing ‘Air Rescue One’ to deliver its services that could benefit the critical heart patients who needs immediate medical aid within a specific period of time. The airlines jointly with Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center, Delhi (EHIRC) will provide fully equipped 8 helicopters and 2 aircrafts with complete medical rescue operation with logistical and ground support. The service will be available in India and nearby regions like Dhaka, Colombo and Mauritus.

Govt bans sudden strikes by bank employees
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 | MP

The Union Labour and Employment Ministry declared banking industry a public utility service under the Industrial Disputes Act for six months and banned the bank employees across the country from conducting sudden strikes. A similar notification has also been sent to the Security Printing Press at Hyderabad declaring it a public utility service for six months. The staffs in these industries would now be required to give 6 weeks' notice to their employer before proceeding on a strike so that conciliatory proceedings could be started.

National Defence Academy exams on April 16
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 | MP

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the dates of the examinations for admission to the Army, Navy and Air force wings of the National Defence Academy and the Naval Academy. The exams for the 2007 courses will be held on April 16, 2006. More details on the exams are available from UPSC's website and the recent issues of Employment News/Rozgar Samachar.

Dravid is the new captain
Thursday, October 13, 2005 | AA

Mohali: National selectors on Thursday appointed Rahul Dravid as the Captain of Indian Team for the upcoming one-day international series against Sri Lanka begining on Oct 25 and South Africa which commence on Nov 16. SK Nair, after the meeting of the National Selection Committee here, said that the Committee's has unanimously selected him and had nothing to do with the injury to Ganguly. "Ganguly will be considered as a player depending on the (fitness) report which will be submitted by the physio John Gloster on the 17th (October)," Nair said after the meeting. The team for the first two matches of the Sri Lanka series would be announced tomorrow. Ganguly has been advised rest till October 17 and is out of the Challenger Series. The Indian team will have a three-day camp in Bangalore from October 19 to 21 under coach Greg Chappell.

FM promises a friendly tax regime
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 | MP

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has assured a stable economy, stable tax rate and friendly tax administration and asked corporates to make use of the favourable environment to increase India's share in world trade. Defending the various taxes imposed, P Chidambaram said that taxes are part of life and asked the industry to live with them. He also noted that Indian economy had thrived as the second fastest growing economy in the world and had sixth largest reserves in the world.

PM declares quake as national calamity
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | AA

Describing the weekend earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir as a "national calamity" in which death figure has gone upto 1,300 and over 4,500 injured, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced an additional Rs 500 crore relief to the State to deal with the devastation. "I have assured the state government and I want to assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir that money will not be a constraint in meeting all legitimate reconstruction and rehabilitation needs in affected areas of the state," Singh said at a press conference after touring the worst hit Tangdar and Uri areas, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan. Singh said 1,300 people have lost their lives so far and the number can go up and 4,500 people have been injured while 32,000 houses had been either completely or partially damaged. Singh, who also visited the injured in hospital here, said that the massive destruction caused by the earthquake would be treated as national calamity and assured that the Centre and the State Government would work together to overcome the crisis. "The Centre will share the burden and not put in on the State Government only. This (Rs 500 crore) is not the final figure and whatever is required for rehabilitation, the Centre will provide," Singh said. The Prime Minister said the Centre has already sanctioned Rs 100 crore on day one of the calamity while another Rs 42 crore were available with the State from the national calamity relief fund. PTI

Troops reach inaccessible areas of J&K
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | AA

Army troops today reached hitherto inaccessibe areas in quake-battered Jammu and Kashmir and volunteers and NGOs chipped in to help the state government in providing succour to the victims even as death count in weekend's monster quake mounted to over 1300.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited worst-hit Tangdhar and Uri sectors and announced an additional Rs 500 crore relief to the state to cope with the devastation wreaked by the temblor.Describing the tragedy as a national calamity, he said 1300 people had perished and 4,500 were injured in the quake that flattened or damaged 32,000 houses.The Centre would share the state's burden and Rs 500 crore was not the final figure, Singh said adding "whatever is required for rehabilitation, we will provide." Civilians today joined government and security forces in a big way contrbuting food and clothes for victims of the killer quake.People in almost every locality in Srinagar donated clothes, blankets, ration and whatever they could manage in response to frequent appeals blared from loudspeakers.Clothes, food items and blankets piled up at Batmaloo, Rambagh, Channipora, Nowhatta, Dandanderkhah, Maisuma and other localities and there was hardly any person who did not rush to the help of their brethren.A Defence spokesman said army personnel had reached 90 per cent of hitherto inaccessible areas in Uri and Tangdhar to assist the civil administration in rescue and relief work. PTI

Uma to return as Madhya Pradesh CM
Tuesday, October 11, 2005 | AA

Moves are said to be afoot to bring back Uma Bharati as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, a post she had given up more than a year ago when an arrest warrant was to be executed against her in a riot case. The issue is believed to have been discussed at the BJP General Secretaries' meeting chaired by party President L K Advani here last Saturday, sources said. The meeting is believed to have discussed the situation in Madhya Pradesh where the performance of Babulal Gaur came under the scanner. While there was no official comment available on the issue, sources said a change of leadership in Madhya Pradesh was not immediately favoured in the midst of a crucial battle of ballots in Bihar where effectiveness of Bharati's campaign would also be under test. Bharati is keen to return to Madhya Pradesh as Chief Minister but such an event depends on the results in Bihar, the sources said, adding some signals have been given to her that her demand could be favourably considered after the elections. She had resigned as the state Chief Minister in August last year after a Hubli court ordered execution of an arrest warrant against her in a 1994 riot case. Before quitting, she chose Gaur to succeed her. But after the case against her was dismissed, she has been yearning to go back to the state as Chief Minister, a position that Gaur is not in a mood to countenance. PTI

Scientists warn of more earthquakes
Monday, October 10, 2005 | MP

Scientists are warning of more earth quakes in the southern and western parts of India in the coming months. The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has forecasted quake of moderate magnitude by Dec 2005 in the Koyna region of Maharastra. Recently two earthquakes of moderate intensity had occurred in the region in a gap of 16 days which indicate a higher possibility of a quake of magnitude 5 to occur at Koyna. Geophysicists have also warned of a quake of higher intensity to hit the Himalaya region. Researches say that the stress being built up inside the earth could trigger the great quake in the Himalayas.

Starting salaries of the younger recruits gone up
Monday, October 10, 2005 | MP

Studies indicate that the starting salaries of the younger generation in the country have gone up considerably in the recent years. The entry level salary for graduate students passed out from Indian universities has increased four times in the last 5 years. An Assocham Eco Pulse study reveals that salary of the younger recruits has gone up from Rs 2,500 in 2000 to Rs 10,000 in 2004. For those from information science streams, this has gone up even further.

PM offers assistance to quake-hit J&K
Sunday, October 9, 2005 | MP

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured all possible central assistance to the nation’s worst quake hit state of Jammu & Kashmir. At least 275 people including 41 jawans were killed and thousands injured in Jammu & Kashmir during the earthquake that hit the state on Saturday. Telephone links, power and water supply were disrupted in many parts of the region following the quake. A team from the Center would later be visiting J&K to review the extent of the damage. Meanwhile the Union Govt. had announced an immediate relief aid of Rs 100 crore for the relief and rescue work in the J &K region.

Japan Open: Sania in Semis
Saturday, October 8, 2005 | MP

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has stormed into the semi finals of the US$ 170,000 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championship after defeating top seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia. After losing the first set 5-7 against world no 22 Zvonareva, Sania fought her way back to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-4.She will now take on the winner of the quarter final contest between third seed Tatiana Golovin of France and Japan's Ai Sugiyama, seeded fifth.

Strong earthquakes across North India
Saturday, October 8, 2005 | MP

Strong tremors were felt across several parts across North India this morning including parts of MadhyaPradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Metrological Department has said the epicenter of the quake was in Pakistan, 70 km from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan. Tremors that began at 9.25 am (IST) lasted almost a minute. The magnitude was 6.8 on the Richter scale. However no casualty or loss to property has been reported. Tremors were also felt at parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

LPG crisis will be overcome soon: Aiyar
Friday, October 7, 2005 | MP

With the festive season round the corner and amidst of fears of domestic LPG cylinders shortage, the Centre Government directed the state owned marketing firms to take immediate steps to meet the demand for the domestic requirement. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar assured that adequate supply of LPG will be made by stepping up production and imports. The Minister said that there is no cause for panic and the oil companies would provide adequate quantity of fuel in the next few days.

Intel to introduce low-cost PCs for rural India
Friday, October 7, 2005 | MP

To meet the requirements of India’s vast rural market, Intel the leading chip maker is planning to come up with a low cost ‘community PC’ soon. This PC is aimed for the rural and farming communities and is expected to make its launch by Dec this year. The PC is expected to cost less than Rs.10,000 and is specially designed to meet the conditions of rural environments. The PC could also operate through the use of a car battery to overcome the irregular power supply problems in the rural areas. The computer designed to run on 80 volt power source can also withstand extreme heat conditions. Apart from the regular features, the computer will also have wireless internet access in rural and remote areas.

Water crisis in India alarming: World Bank
Thursday, October 6, 2005 | MP

The World Bank while launching the draft version of the country report on India’s Water Economy warned that the country could face severe water crisis in another 20 years time. The complemancy on the Governments part and lack of adequate infrastructure could make things even worse. The report said that the country had no proper water management system and hence the groundwater is being rapidly used up for domestic and irrigation purposes. And if no action is being taken to conserve water, estimates show that the demand for water could exceed all sources of supply by 2020. The World Bank also announced to increase its total lending for water from $200 million to $900 million a year.

Mauritius tourism targeting Indian travellers
Thursday, October 6, 2005 | MP

The Mauritius Tourism is focusing on India this year targeting travellers from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad with its special campaign for the Indian market, namely ‘Magical vacations in Mauritius’. This small island is already a favourite destination for shooting films. Besides the government has introduced visa on arrival facility and the island itself has been declared a duty free port. Apart from beaches and adventure sports many new activites have been included for the tourists like submarine rides, undersea walks, catamaran cruise, deep sea fishing, parasailing etc. Also spas and ayurvedic treatments are being introduced. Around 26,000 Indian travelers have made it to Mauritius last year and this is expected to go up by 20% in the coming years.

World Chess: Anand in 2nd position
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 | MP

Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand moved up to joint the second positon after the 5th round game of the World Chess Championship played with Hungarian Grandmaster Peter Leko which resulted in a draw. Both players were careful with their moves and didn’t move their queens for almost 25 moves. In the next round Anand will take on Russian Peter Svidler who too shares 2nd positon in the championship. The championship is being played on a double Round-robin basis between 8 players under Classical time control and the winner could get prize money of US $300,000.

Asian nations discuss on country-to-country electric grid
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 | MP

Seven countries from South and Southeast Asian region agreed to explore the chances of having electric grid connectivity for assisting flow of electricity across these regions by developing country-to-country grid interconnections. This was stated by India's External Affairs Ministry at the end of the energy ministers' conference of the trade group, BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation). BIMSTEC was started in 1997 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Maruti hikes car prices
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 | MP

Automobile company, Maruti Udhyog Limited had announced a hike in the prices of cars for all its models except Swift. An increase of 0.2 to 1 percent is being made which is said to be due to the rise in freight costs following the oil price hikes. Maruti 800 Standard’s ex-showroom price would now be Rs 2, 00,850 instead of the earlier Rs 1, 99,350. The revised price for Maruti 800 AC is Rs 2, 23,754 while Alto Lx is marked at 2, 79,408. Alto Lxi model would cost Rs 2, 99,317.

Bundelkhand Express derails in Madhya Pradesh
Monday, October 3, 2005 | MP

Atleast 14 people were killed and over 150 injured as Varanasi-Gwalior Bundelkhand Express train derailed near Datia town, in Madhya Pradesh, 400km north of Bhopal. The train went off the track and smashed into a railway signal cabin in Datia district today morning. Six bogies and engine of the passenger train were derailed. Relief and rescue operations are underway and the injured have been taken to the nearby hospitals. Officials suspect that the failure of brakes might have led to the accident.

Maths & Science teachers in demand in the US
Sunday, October 2, 2005 | MP

Teachers are in great demand in the US, especially in Mathematics and Science. And Indian teaching professionals are in demand as well, as they are considered to fit these job profiles very well. According to the American consulate, a teacher exchange programme is also expected to begin from next year, with India and US planning to exchange its teachers in the school and college levels. At present around 80,000 students of Indian origin are said to be studying in the US.

Economy: GDP grows 8.1%
Saturday, October 1, 2005 | MP

Boosted by robust growth in manufacturing and service sectors, the Indian economy recorded an 8.1% growth rate in the April-June quarter of the current fiscal. With the median market forecast being 7.3 per cent, the economic momentum was much faster than many had expected. Finance Minister, P Chidambaram said that the government would strive to achieve the 8% Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth rate in the current fiscal and take necessary steps to further boost the economic growth.