State boards across the country have agreed to implement a core curriculum in science and mathematics at the higher secondary level.
The decision taken by the Council of School Board of Education (COBSE) on Tuesday will be implemented from 2011-12.
The apex body for all school boards and councils also agreed to work towards a common entrance examination for professional courses by 2013. With concerns about stress faced by students mounting, the core curriculum is expected to be implemented smoothly. Putting in place a common entrance examination for courses like engineering, medicine may prove to be difficult, as it would mean doing away with entrance exams like IIT-JEE. Both decision would be referred to the Central Advisory Board on Education for approval.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Govt extends hands to Bharti for Zain deal
The government offered all help possible to enable private telecom player Bharti Airtel see through the acquisition of Kuwait-based Zain's telecom operations in Africa.
"The Bharti management has not approached us yet. If they do, I will be very happy to help them because when they go out, it's not the company alone but they are our flag-bearers. We will do the utmost of what we can," Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said.
"The Bharti management has not approached us yet. If they do, I will be very happy to help them because when they go out, it's not the company alone but they are our flag-bearers. We will do the utmost of what we can," Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said.
JK Lakshmi cement plans to expand its presence to cope with infra industry needs
JK Lakshmi Cement is considering plans to set up a new plant in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore over the next 3-4 years to meet rising cement demand from the infrastructure sector, a senior company executive said.
The proposed two million tonne unit will boost its existing operations, which includes a cement plant in Sirohi (Rajasthan), besides a grinding unit near Ahmedabad, with total annual cement making capacity of 4.7 million tonne. The company is also in the process of setting up a second 0.6-million tonne cement grinding unit in Haryana. In addition, JK Lakshmi Cement had previously announced plans to set up a 2.7-million tonne cement unit in Chhattisgarh by October 2012, which would take its annual cement-producing capacity to 8 million tonne.
The proposed two million tonne unit will boost its existing operations, which includes a cement plant in Sirohi (Rajasthan), besides a grinding unit near Ahmedabad, with total annual cement making capacity of 4.7 million tonne. The company is also in the process of setting up a second 0.6-million tonne cement grinding unit in Haryana. In addition, JK Lakshmi Cement had previously announced plans to set up a 2.7-million tonne cement unit in Chhattisgarh by October 2012, which would take its annual cement-producing capacity to 8 million tonne.
Wipro & CAE Inc joins to enter defence sector.
Wipro on Wednesday announced it has signed an agreement with CAE Inc to jointly address the growing simulation-based training,operations, maintenance and training support services opportunities for India's defence forces.
Wipro and CAE would collaborate to provide training systems integration and simulation-based solutions for areas like war gaming, C4ISR and a range of defence platforms expected to be acquired by India's defence forces, the Bangalore-headquartered Wipro said in a statement.
Wipro and CAE would collaborate to provide training systems integration and simulation-based solutions for areas like war gaming, C4ISR and a range of defence platforms expected to be acquired by India's defence forces, the Bangalore-headquartered Wipro said in a statement.
Suzuki to launch its sedan in India this yr end
Japanese car maker Suzuki's Kizashi sedan will be launched in India shortly, according to Gene Brown, vice-president of American Suzuki Motor Corp.
He was speaking at the Chicago Auto Show show in the US where he said that the company had plans to launch Kizashi in the Indian market.
He was speaking at the Chicago Auto Show show in the US where he said that the company had plans to launch Kizashi in the Indian market.
London Mayor to reconsider LDA's decision to close its offices in India
After top British business leaders criticised the London Development Authority (LDA) for closing its offices in Delhi and Mumbai as a
Visa cost-cutting measure, the London mayor's office is reconsidering the decision.
The London mayor's economic development agency has revealed that it is reviewing its presence in India after it emerged that two representatives working in the country had left and have not been replaced.
Visa cost-cutting measure, the London mayor's office is reconsidering the decision.
The London mayor's economic development agency has revealed that it is reviewing its presence in India after it emerged that two representatives working in the country had left and have not been replaced.
$4million fraud in Wipro
A Wipro employee embezzled crores of rupees over the past three years, sending India’s third-largest software exporter Wipro scrambling to tighten internal controls in the finance division where the fraud took place.
The employee had been working with the company for the past three years in the ‘controllership’ division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company’s financial books and also has powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro’s account at a bank.
The employee had been working with the company for the past three years in the ‘controllership’ division within the finance department. This cell is responsible for keeping the company’s financial books and also has powers to authorise payments whenever needed. The employee is believed to have embezzled about $4 million by stealing a password and transferring money from Wipro’s account at a bank.
Leader in online gaming opens its first office in Banglore
Zynga, the largest social game provider announced the opening of its first office outside the United States in Bangalore, where it
would hire 100 techies for game development and large-scale web infrastructure.
The India operation would focus on game development and large-scale infrastructure to support delivery of Zynga games to millions of players ever day, senior company executives told reporters here.
Zynga India would add to its current games studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Baltimore.
"Social gaming combines the best of web technical talent with game storytelling talent", Zynga's Chief Technology Officer Cadir Lee said. "India offers some of the most sophisticated and rich technical talent".
Country Manager of Zynga India, Shan Kadavil said the company is looking to recruit about 100 computer scientists and engineers who are experienced in building scalable infrastructure to handle more than 70 million daily active users.
"Our focus will be on building the next generation infrastructure that can handle the tremendous growth of Zynga games", he said.
San Franscisco-headquartered Zynga has over 235 million monthly active users playing its games, including "Farmville", "Zynga Poker", "Mafia Wars", "YoVille", "Cafe World", "FishVille" and "PetVille", which are available on Facebook, MySpace, MSN Games, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone.
would hire 100 techies for game development and large-scale web infrastructure.
The India operation would focus on game development and large-scale infrastructure to support delivery of Zynga games to millions of players ever day, senior company executives told reporters here.
Zynga India would add to its current games studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Baltimore.
"Social gaming combines the best of web technical talent with game storytelling talent", Zynga's Chief Technology Officer Cadir Lee said. "India offers some of the most sophisticated and rich technical talent".
Country Manager of Zynga India, Shan Kadavil said the company is looking to recruit about 100 computer scientists and engineers who are experienced in building scalable infrastructure to handle more than 70 million daily active users.
"Our focus will be on building the next generation infrastructure that can handle the tremendous growth of Zynga games", he said.
San Franscisco-headquartered Zynga has over 235 million monthly active users playing its games, including "Farmville", "Zynga Poker", "Mafia Wars", "YoVille", "Cafe World", "FishVille" and "PetVille", which are available on Facebook, MySpace, MSN Games, Tagged, Yahoo! and the iPhone.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Intel Nokia join hands to compete Google's Android..
Finland's Nokia Corp. (NOK) and U.S.-based Intel Corp. (INTC) said Tuesday they are launching a mobile operating system which can run on a number of electronic devices including smartphones, laptops and TV sets and help these integrate seamlessly.
The Linux-based platform, called MeeGo, will be openly available to developers from the second quarter of this year, the companies said. The operating system has been built by merging Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin platforms, they added.
The Linux-based platform, called MeeGo, will be openly available to developers from the second quarter of this year, the companies said. The operating system has been built by merging Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin platforms, they added.
Inflation surge to 8.56% -- Economists want stimulus packages to be revoked to balance
The government on Monday said inflation surged to 8.56 per cent in January, the highest in over 13 months, ahead of the Union Budget for 2010-11 that would spell out the stance on stimulus packages.
Inflation, which has already breached the RBI's estimate of 8.5 (rpt) 8.5 per cent, has also fuelled concerns that the apex bank could further tighten the monetary measures initiated earlier this month in its third quarter monetary policy review.
Inflation, which has already breached the RBI's estimate of 8.5 (rpt) 8.5 per cent, has also fuelled concerns that the apex bank could further tighten the monetary measures initiated earlier this month in its third quarter monetary policy review.
Alternate material for silicon in solar panels....
With the relative high cost of silicon and its soaring demand in electronics and other industries, scientists of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) here have initiated research to find suitable alternatives in an attempt to make solar energy technology more commercially viable.
“The research is being conducted to find a cheaper alternative to silicon in making a viable solar cell,” said SINP Director Milon Kumar Sanyal, who will be involved in the project. Scientists at Stanford University have pioneered research in this area and remarkable contributions have been made by research in the United States, Germany, France and Japan, he said, adding that silicon is also in high demand in the electronics and information technology industry and “India has missed the bus,” as far as silicon technology is concerned..
“The research is being conducted to find a cheaper alternative to silicon in making a viable solar cell,” said SINP Director Milon Kumar Sanyal, who will be involved in the project. Scientists at Stanford University have pioneered research in this area and remarkable contributions have been made by research in the United States, Germany, France and Japan, he said, adding that silicon is also in high demand in the electronics and information technology industry and “India has missed the bus,” as far as silicon technology is concerned..
Future Group introduces new shopping portal with Tata teleservices..
T24 or Talk 24, that's what Future Group has called its mobile telephony service on the GSM platform. The latest offering from the company promises customers shopping benefits for talking, and talk-time benefits each time they shop. Called 'Shop More, Talk More' and 'Talk More, Shop More', the service will provide customers dual advantage all 24 hours of the day. Future Group has chain stores like Big Bazaar, e-zone, Pataloon and so on under its umbrella.
The mobile telephony service is a stratergic partnership between Tata Teleservices Ltd. and Indian retail giant Future Group. Tata Teleservices has assured that T24 services will rollout shortly, starting with South India, and will see pan-India presence in 2010 itself.
With UAE-based telecom company Etisalat DB and the mobile telephone brand of Sistema Shyam TeleServices MTS entering India, we are sure to see cutthroat competition in the telecom sector.
The mobile telephony service is a stratergic partnership between Tata Teleservices Ltd. and Indian retail giant Future Group. Tata Teleservices has assured that T24 services will rollout shortly, starting with South India, and will see pan-India presence in 2010 itself.
With UAE-based telecom company Etisalat DB and the mobile telephone brand of Sistema Shyam TeleServices MTS entering India, we are sure to see cutthroat competition in the telecom sector.
Two new mountain Divisions of security forces to guard the border along NE...
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the Army was raising two new mountain divisions in the North-East, along the borders with China, but dismissed suggestions that the move was against the neighbour.
“We are raising two mountain divisions in the North-East. I must tell you it is not against China. But these are being raised under the overall policies to strengthen the presence of the armed forces in the North-East,” Antony told a press conference on the occasion of the Sixth Def Expo here.
“We are raising two mountain divisions in the North-East. I must tell you it is not against China. But these are being raised under the overall policies to strengthen the presence of the armed forces in the North-East,” Antony told a press conference on the occasion of the Sixth Def Expo here.
Notion Ink's Adam to ousmart Apple's IPad...
Two years after their ‘Eureka moment,’ a bunch of IIT graduates are set to announce the country’s foray into the Complete Product Development market, a territory hitherto uncharted by any Indian company.
Among the new fangled technologies to be displayed at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show scheduled for January 2010 will be a sleek gizmo, tentatively named Adam, conceptualised and designed in Hyderabad and Bangalore.
So, what exactly is Adam? To quote one of its creators: “It is a ‘smartpad,’ small enough to be carried anywhere and big enough to do anything.”
Among the new fangled technologies to be displayed at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show scheduled for January 2010 will be a sleek gizmo, tentatively named Adam, conceptualised and designed in Hyderabad and Bangalore.
So, what exactly is Adam? To quote one of its creators: “It is a ‘smartpad,’ small enough to be carried anywhere and big enough to do anything.”
security agencies find it tough to solve pune bakery blast....
Investigators looking for clues in the Pune terror attack were on Monday examining CCTV footage from a luxury hotel opposite the German Bakery, where a blast killed nine people on Saturday, an official close to the probe said.
The footage shows images of two potential suspects entering the German Bakery, a popular restaurant in the upscale Koregaon Park in Pune, the official said. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) are monitoring the video.
"It shows two suspects. One is talking over the phone and the other is holding a backpack," the official said.
The footage has been obtained from the CCTV cameras installed on the gates of the luxury hotel situated across the road from the German Bakery where a powerful explosion Saturday evening killed nine people and injured nearly 60 -- mostly youngsters.
The official said the footage was too "grainy and coarse" to give any clues about the suspects in its present form.
"But the investigators are getting it closely examined and may enhance the generation of the video to get some clues," he said.
"They are looking for the suspect's distinctive physical features. It can reveal height, his clothes, pattern of walking," he said, adding that they were searching for even the smallest clues that could aid in the investigation.
"As of now we are not even able to determine the colour of the backpack in the footage," the official said when asked whether the bag that contained the explosive was apparently blue and red in colour.
The bag was hidden under a table in the German Bakery.
The bomb went off when a waiter, among the dead, tried to open the unattended bag noticed by a group of friends. Two siblings from the group also died in the blast.
The footage shows images of two potential suspects entering the German Bakery, a popular restaurant in the upscale Koregaon Park in Pune, the official said. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) are monitoring the video.
"It shows two suspects. One is talking over the phone and the other is holding a backpack," the official said.
The footage has been obtained from the CCTV cameras installed on the gates of the luxury hotel situated across the road from the German Bakery where a powerful explosion Saturday evening killed nine people and injured nearly 60 -- mostly youngsters.
The official said the footage was too "grainy and coarse" to give any clues about the suspects in its present form.
"But the investigators are getting it closely examined and may enhance the generation of the video to get some clues," he said.
"They are looking for the suspect's distinctive physical features. It can reveal height, his clothes, pattern of walking," he said, adding that they were searching for even the smallest clues that could aid in the investigation.
"As of now we are not even able to determine the colour of the backpack in the footage," the official said when asked whether the bag that contained the explosive was apparently blue and red in colour.
The bag was hidden under a table in the German Bakery.
The bomb went off when a waiter, among the dead, tried to open the unattended bag noticed by a group of friends. Two siblings from the group also died in the blast.
Hi-tech solution for security agencies to find a vehicle...
A video camera that records everything round the clock at a parking lot can be as useful as a security guard there, but not moving even when a ‘vehicle of interest’ cruises in.
In most of the cases, the footage comes in handy for a post-event analysis, unless, of course, the security staff keep watching the display monitors as keenly as Air Traffic Control staff monitor aircraft movements.
In most of the cases, the footage comes in handy for a post-event analysis, unless, of course, the security staff keep watching the display monitors as keenly as Air Traffic Control staff monitor aircraft movements.
Petrol & diesel prices to be revised monthly based on the intl market.
Unmindful of opposition within the ruling coalition, the Petroleum Ministry is pushing for freeing of petrol and diesel prices from government control along with a marginal hike in domestic LPG and kerosene rates.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is also believed to be in favour of decontrolling auto fuel prices to limit the government’s subsidy outgo but a decision is unlikely in the next 7—10 days as UPA managers build political consensus on the issue, an oil ministry official said.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is also believed to be in favour of decontrolling auto fuel prices to limit the government’s subsidy outgo but a decision is unlikely in the next 7—10 days as UPA managers build political consensus on the issue, an oil ministry official said.
12 MLAs resignation accepted by Andhra assembly speaker
The resignation of 12 of the 15 MLAs, who had quit on the Telangana issue, has been accepted by Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
While resignation of 11 MLAs was accepted by the Speaker on Monday, a TDP MLA's letter to step down was accepted last night.
Fifteen MLAs from Telangana region submitted their resignation to the Speaker yesterday protesting the terms of reference of the Sri Krishna committee appointed by the Centre to go into the statehood issue.
While resignation of 11 MLAs was accepted by the Speaker on Monday, a TDP MLA's letter to step down was accepted last night.
Fifteen MLAs from Telangana region submitted their resignation to the Speaker yesterday protesting the terms of reference of the Sri Krishna committee appointed by the Centre to go into the statehood issue.
Cautious BJP steps up security for its senior leaders at Indore conclave
Fearing that the BJP’s national conclave in Indore could be the target of a terror attack, the party is taking all steps to secure the venue and may lodge some of its senior leaders in hotels instead of tents.
Some sections of the party feel that leaders like L.K. Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and former president Rajnath Singh along with other senior leaders should stay in hotels instead of tents but BJP is yet to take a call on it.
Some sections of the party feel that leaders like L.K. Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and former president Rajnath Singh along with other senior leaders should stay in hotels instead of tents but BJP is yet to take a call on it.
Violent protests in Hyd against the proposals by the commitee
At least 20 people were injured as angry students clashed with police in the state capital, Hyderabad.
In December, Indian authorities said Telangana would be carved out of the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh, but later said more talks were needed.
The state has seen weeks of violent protests for and against the proposals.
In December, Indian authorities said Telangana would be carved out of the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh, but later said more talks were needed.
The state has seen weeks of violent protests for and against the proposals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
