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Showing posts from June, 2012

Transfer booking clerks, clip RPF powers: Users

Transfer booking clerks, clip RPF powers: Users Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN Jul 1, 2012, 04.41AM IST NEW DELHI: A day after the railways announced measures to check touts and the black market for proxy tickets, TOI readers, including former railway officials, cited other concerns and pitched alternative ideas to address the problem. Railway officials pointed out how the department's vigilance unit — unlike in neighbouring countries — has been granted quasi-judicial powers. "Unless the RPF is made accountable like the GRP, things cannot improve,'' said a retired official. Another official called for a transparent policy of transferring booking clerks within a fixed duration. "At present, a clerk works at a booking office for years. It's easy to develop a nexus with touts. Things will improve at the booking offices only if clerks are regularly transferred,'' said an officer. Some passengers wrote to TOI seeking separate Tatkal b

A World in Transition: Charting a New Path in Global Health

A World in Transition: Charting a New Path in Global Health   A World in Transition: Charting a New Path in Global Health Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Oslo, Norway June 1, 2012   Well, that is quite a compliment. And whatever it takes to accept, I do. Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Mayor, my dear friend and colleague, your excellent foreign minister, also let me recognize Ingrid Schulerud, wife of the prime minister who, along with her husband, just hosted me and my delegation for a wonderful luncheon, and to everyone who has organized this extraordinary conference, which I think does come at a historical turning point. It’s no surprise that we would be meeting here in Norway, one of the most generous nations on earth when it comes not only to global health but so much more, and that we would have gathered here the panel and others who bring such broad and deep experience, and also have the opportunity to elevate an issue tha

How to Connect your Laptop/PC/Computer to your TV

How to Connect your Laptop/PC/Computer to your TV Here’s a quick walk-through of all the methods that I know (if you know any more, please comment) to connect a laptop or PC to your TV: 1. S-Video – This is probably the most common method out there currently because an S-Video cable is cheap as heck and just about every TV under the sun has a S-Video port. You’ll have to make sure you laptop is equipped with this port. Remember, there are two types of S-Video cables: 4-pin and 7-pin. Most laptops and PC’s are equipped with a 7-pin port, so if your TV only has a 4-pin S-Video port, then this method will not work. 2. VGA – If you have a HDTV, then you will be better off connecting using a VGA cable. It gives much better quality than S-Video and as with S-Video, the cable is very cheap. You usually won’t find a VGA port on regular TV’s though, so this option is if you have an HDTV. 3. DVI - DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface with “digital” being the key word there. The d

Pharma cos stay mum as govt seeks details of overcharging

25 Jun 2012Hindustan Times (Delhi)Himani Chandna Gurtoo himani.chandna@hindustantimes.com Pharma cos stay mum as govt seeks details of overcharging Pharma companies in India are giving a cold shoulder to charges of overpricing. Literally. Even after four months of receiving overcharging notices from the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP), not even one of the 500-odd pharma companies have responded to the charges. The DoP had sent the notices to the companies through the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA), the industry body of Indian companies, and the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), which represents global pharma companies in India. “After that, we also issued a public notice asking the companies to submit the details within 30 days but not even a single firm has replied,” Raja Sekhar Vundru, joint secretary of DoP, told HindustanTimes. The DoP now is mulling to crack the whip on these companies with the help of the National Pharmac

GOVT PUSH FOR R1,000 MONTHLY PENSION PLAN

• 25 Jun 2012 • Hindustan Times (Delhi) • Vivek Sinha vivek.sinha@hindustantimes.com GOVT PUSH FOR R1,000 MONTHLY PENSION PLAN The labour ministry has proposed a minimum pension of R1,000 a month for all those who subscribe to the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). If implemented, the move will benefit nearly 3 million workers engaged in small and medium enterprises with higher retirement benefits. Under the EPS 95 scheme, which has been in operation since 1995, a part of the employees’ provident fund contributions are set aside into a separate corpus which they can claim as pension after retirement, either as a lump sum or as a monthly payment. The amended scheme, for which the labour ministry has moved a cabinet note, would imply that the Centre may have to subsidise the fund through a budgetary grant to raise the pension level for all those who, as per their contributions, are eligible for a much lower payout. Alternatively, it may have to adopt a model of a roll

‘ Triple X’ con job in Tatkal booking

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They even manage I.cards ‘ Triple X’ con job in Tatkal booking By Rajat Rai in Lucknow EVER wondered why buying Tatkal rail tickets online from the IRCTC website would often prove to be a headache? While the website would show tickets available, when you tried buying them, they would be waitlisted. You must have probably cursed the slow speed of your Internet for this. But it has now emerged that a gang has been operating for a couple of years, hacking into the IRCTC website and buying Tatkal tickets even before you could log into the system. The gang, which was operating out of Uttar Pradesh, was making quite a killing, selling these Tatkal tickets at a commission ranging from ` 500 to ` 1,000. The operation came to light after the police arrested Salman, a Class V dropout. His proficiency in computers and software came as a surprise to the special task force ( STF) officials who nabbed him in Lucknow. The software, called Triple X, was developed by an Ahmedabadbased IT

Pharma cos sell drugs 10 times cost: MCA - Indian Express

Pharma cos sell drugs 10 times cost: MCA - Indian Express Pharma cos sell drugs 10 times cost: MCA Leading pharma companies, including GlaxoSmithkline, Pfizer and Ranbaxy, sell commonly used drugs at a rate 10 times the cost of production, a study by the Corporate Affairs Ministry has found. A study by the Cost Audit branch of the MCA found drugs like Calpol manufactured by Glaxosmithkline, Corex Cough Syrup by Pfizer, Revital by Ranbaxy Global, Omez by Dr Reddy's Labs, Azithral by Alembic and several others were being sold at a mark up of up to 1,123 per cent over the cost of production. Worried over the findings of the study, Corporate Affairs Minister M Veerappa Moily has written to the ministers of Chemical and Fertilizers M K Alagiri and Health Ghulam Nabi Azad seeking appropriate action on curbing this practice of pharma companies. He has forwarded a copy of the study to the two ministers. Emails sent to Ranbaxy, Pfizer, Zydus Cadila and Cipla remained unanswered while Dr

Fleece train

Fleece train By Kumar Vikram in New Delhi MAIL TODAY blows the lid off a thriving nexus between touts and railway officials THIS has happened to many of us: We log on to the Indian Railway’s website to book a tatkal ticket but the site fails to open. Not willing to take a chance, we rush to buy a confirmed ticket at the booking counter in the railway station, but none is available. But as if by magic, the friendly guy hovering near the counter offers to get us a confirmed ticket. Of course, we have to pay double the actual amount, at times even more. But then, we are so thankful for the favour and so elated at not having to miss that urgent conference or the must- attend family function that we don’t mind paying the extra money. Touts have taken over the reservation system in the Indian Railways — the common man’s transport. More than a decade after online reservation was introduced so that people could get rid of the long queues and rude

Politicians consume 30- 185 gas cylinders annually but the common man is allowed only 17 cylinders

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/showtext.aspx?boxid=3044328&parentid=69369&issuedate=2362012 VIP KITCHENS HIGH ON GAS By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi Politicians consume 30- 185 gas cylinders annually but the common man is allowed only 17 cylinders AT A TIME when the Union government is considering a proposal to limit subsidised liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG) cylinders for each household to between seven and nine every year, the number used by the country’s politicos across party lines in the last 12 months ranges from as many as 30 to a staggering 185. The facts about the VIP gas guzzlers embarrassingly tumbled out after Union minister for petroleum and natural gas S. Jaipal Reddy launched an LPG portal for three public sector oil companies on Friday to ensure transparency in the consumption of cooking gas. The website — LPG Transparency Portal — reveals that while politicians consumed up to 185 LPG cylinders last year, the average usage by the common man was just 10 to 14

भ्रष्टाचार को उजागर करने पर समाजसेविका के पति को झूठे मामलों में फँसाने की साजिश

लखनऊ समाज  कल्याण विभाग द्वारा विभाग के भ्रष्टाचार को उजागर करने पर समाजसेविका उर्वशी शर्मा के पति को झूठे मामलों में फँसाने का मामला प्रकाश में आया है l येश्वर्याज सेवा संस्थान की सचिव उर्वशी शर्मा द्वारा सूचना का अधिकार का प्रयोग कर उत्तर प्रदेश समाज कल्याण की एक पूर्व मंत्री,कई प्रमुख सचिवों , सचिव , निदेशक आदि की अनियमितताओं एवं भ्रष्टाचार की शिकायत शपथ पत्र के माध्यम से की गयी है l उर्वशी ने समाज कल्याण के निदेशक मिश्री लाल पासवान , प्राविधिक शिक्षा विभाग के सुरेन्द्र प्रसाद और राजेश चन्द्रा के समय के १४१६ लाख के घोटाले का पर्दाफाश किया l समाज कल्याण विभाग यूँ तो अनुसूचित जाति के उत्थान के लिए कार्य करता है लेकिन विभाग द्वारा चलाये जा रहे एकमात्र पॉलीटेक्निक को अखिल भारतीय तकनीकी शिक्षा परिषद् से मान्यता न मिल पाने के कारण सैकड़ों छात्रों का भविष्य अधर में लटक गया है उर्वशी ने सूचना का अधिकार का प्रयोग कर यह खुलासा किया है किन्तु समाज कल्याण विभाग के अधिकारी कान में तेल डाले बैठे हैं l विभाग में किये गए लाखों रुपयों के मेस-घोटाले को उर्वशी द्वारा प्रमुखता से उजागर किय

The Hindu : News / National : MPs will stay connected, no matter they owe Rs. 7.3 crore in dues

The Hindu : News / National : MPs will stay connected, no matter they owe Rs. 7.3 crore in dues MPs will stay connected, no matter they owe Rs. 7.3 crore in dues SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT SHARE   ·    COMMENT    ·    PRINT    ·    T+    Six MPs have a total outstanding of Rs. 19.78 lakh Though six sitting members of parliament and 399 ex-MPs, most of them from the Lok Sabha, owe as much as Rs. 7,30,66,746 to the MTNL and the BSNL as telephone bill dues in Delhi and their respective constituencies, the MTNL has said their phones cannot be disconnected for non-payment in the normal process as they enjoy “some immunity.” Sixty-seven of the former MPs died without settling the bills. In a reply to the Right to Information (RTI) activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal, the MTNL said the decision to disconnect the phones could only be taken by the head of the circle and “not by a subordinate officer.” “The head of the circle shall himself write a polite letter to the concerned MP inviting his attent

Job on compassionate grounds not a right: SC

Job on compassionate grounds not a right: SC CLARIFICATION Apex court says such appointments not a source of recruitment but only exceptions to the rule NEW DELHI: As thousands of dependents of government employees seek jobs after the deaths of their breadwinners, the Supreme Court has clarified the legal position, saying that appointments in government offices on compassionate grounds cannot be claimed as a right. A bench of Justices BS Chauhan and Dipak Misra said such appointments were permissible only in genuine cases as per rules, else it would violate the Constitution. “Appointment on compassionate grounds cannot be claimed as a matter of right. As a rule, public service appointments should be made strictly on the basis of open invitation of applications and merit. “The appointment on compassionate grounds is not another source of recruitment but merely an exception to the aforesaid requirement taking into consideration the fact of the death of the employee w

Govt cracks down on fake drugs menace

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http://epaper.mailtoday.in/showtext.aspx?boxid=3162125&parentid=69106&issuedate=1862012 Late action in right direction-Thousands of lives already lost and many more may suffer till effect of govt action .become visible. Govt cracks down on fake drugs menace By Neetu Chandra in New Delhi THE government is taking major steps to crack down on the fake drugs menace in India. The health and family welfare ministry has hired about 100 inspectors to check spurious medicines, while the department of pharmaceuticals has issued notifications asking pharma companies to use nanotechnology for identifying such drugs. According to a World Health Organization report, almost 20 per cent medicines sold in India are fake. Dr Jagdish Prasad, director general of health services in the health ministry, said: “ There are more than 10,000 drug manufacturers and more than six lakh outlets that sell fake drugs. We are in the process of increasing the man force to check counterfeit drugs.” Nati