I would like to thank Mr.Kalmadi for taking the initiative of launching a website in which all the working professionals who care for the future of Pune city, but can't spare time or reach the right person due to their office timings, are now able to communicate through the website.

I have much more to tell you which i shall convey to you in my next mail.

Kalmadi told TOI that he approached the IAF authorities and brought to their notice that modern techniques make it possible to re-carpet and strengthen the runway without closing the air operations.

Although Kalmadi claimed that the IAF has accepted his demand and assured that the runway would not be closed, a senior IAF official told TOI that the IAF is considering the proposal and the final decision is awaited.

"At some point of time, like when the middle of the runway or the tarmac area is being re-carpeted, there will be closure of the runway for a short while," Wing Commander T.K. Singha of the South Western Air Command (Swac) told TOI. He, however, assured that the IAF will try to ensure that this closure period is kept to the minimum.

International Airport For Chakan, Pune, Receives All Necessary Clearances

  Section Miscellaneous
 Posted on Tue Jun 22, 2004 at 02:09:21 AM EST

High transaction costs and poor repayment performance are the twin root causes of the moribund state of rural credit delivery system of Maharashtra. An investigation carried out by Dr. Deepak Shah of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics on "An economic Evaluation of Agricultural Financial Institutions of Maharashtra" shows slower growth in institutional finances through commercial banks, credit cooperatives, regional rural banks (RRBs) and land development banks (LDBs), particularly during the decade of 1991-2000, which is mainly due to adverse environment created by the financial sector reforms.

Due to unfavourable policy framework, the entire rural credit delivery system of Maharashtra is reduced to a moribund state. In fact, among various states of India, the Rural Financial Institutions (RFIs) of Maharashtra have shown the highest amount of overdues and outstanding loans over the past one decade. Even the proportion of overdues to outstanding loan of RFIs are substantially high in this state.

During 1997, the proportion of overdue to outstanding loans of RFIs of this state was estimated at more than 30 per cent. One of the earlier studies conducted by Dr. Shah in cooperative sector of Maharashtra has clearly shown better financial health for the institutions at the district level as compared to the primary or grass root level. It is not the cooperatives alone but there are several RFIs that are beset with similar plethora of deficiencies that impede their efficient functioning.

The present study conducted by Dr. Shah shows a deterioration in the financial health of central level institutions in forward districts of Maharashtra and gross inefficiency in their functioning in the backward districts of Maharashtra, which is again due to mounting non performing assets (NPAs) or overdues' of these RFIs operating in these districts.

Editor's Note: Our best wishes for the newly married couple, and may the Almighty shower them with all his blessings and hundreds of years of success, happiness, and prosperity.

Jalasimha - Kalmadi's beautiful farm house located in Gorhe Khurd on the Panshet road was tastefully decorated to welcome the daughter-in-law. No gaudy lights and artificial glitter for the son's wedding - everything was understated with only the vibrant saffron of marigold adding a dash of colour to the atmosphere which was dominated by white and cream combination. A string of paithani saris adorned the top border of the huge pandal.

Even the small oval shaped canopy where the marriage took place was kept simple with only strings of marigold, chrysanthemums and aboli flowers giving a festive look. The gently lapping blue water of the Khadakwasla dam was the chosen backdrop.

The VVIPs and guests started trickling in at around 10 am when a team of senior priests comprising Vedmurti Subhash Shendye, Shirish Shendye, Harish Aytal, Chandrakant Tantri, Dhananjay Ghate and Harsh Acharya started performing the pre marriage rituals. Another team of musicians led by Kadri Gopalnath lent an auspicious touch with their rendition of Karnatic music.

As the 10.40 am muhurta approached, Sumeer accompanied by his sisters Sonali and Payal came to the wedding platform. The bride resplendent in mustard yellow nine yard paithani was brought in an ornate teakwood palanquin as per the royal tradition. Two attendants carrying the royal mace and wearing the royal uniform accompanied her.

Vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was the first to give his blessings to the newly-married couple. He was followed by Anil Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Energy Ltd and his wife Tina, Andhra Pradesh governor Sushilkumar Shinde, Andhra chief minister Y S Raj Shekhar Reddy, state chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, NCP leader Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha daughter Supriya and son-in-law Sadanand Sule, All India Congress Committee general secretary Margaret Alva, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Prabha Rau, union ministers Prithviraj Chavan, Praful Patel and Vilas Muttemwar.

Members of the royal families of Sangli and Kurundwad and Kolhapur's Shrimant Shahu Maharaj also blessed the couple. Bollywood was represented by Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillion, Amrish Puri, Subhash Ghai, Vijayendra Ghatage, Sanjay and Akbar Khan. Actress Sridevi accompanied by husband Boney Kapoor and two daughters made a late entry along with actor MP Vinod Khanna. Other prominent late comers included former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, industrialist Vijay Mallya and former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah.

After completion of remaining marriage rituals remaining guests met the couple to offer their best wishes. MP Suresh Kalmadi will host a reception to mark the wedding at the Sakhar Sankul in the evening on Monday.

With a view to streamlining the traffic conditions in the Pune metropolitan region both Congress & BJP have decided to support the long-pending move to merge the Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Transport. PCMT has already passed the necessary resolution which will enable the merger with PMT. The prospects of the merger coming through look brighter, thanks to this decision. Merging of PMT and PCMT is being viewed as first step towards formation of Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA).

It is also significant that the merger of PMT and PCMT was what Shri Suresh Kalmadi had also promised as part of his Lok Sabha poll campaign. Congress has already announced that it would pass the necessary resolution in the PMT Committee within the next few days.

The proposal to merge both the transport establishments was gathering dust ever since the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) submitted a report on Pune’s transport situation in the early eighties. The general body of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had also passed a resolution in 1982. But things had come to a halt after this.

On November 1, the Indian Embassy in Australia registered Manu R Jehu, the first PIO to be listed for dual citizenship, in the presence of Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Jagdish Tytler. "The registration forms are available at Indian embassies of the 16 selected countries. We are getting lot of applications and queries," says Tytler.

The diaspora meet will start on January 7 at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai. There are parallel sessions planned on issues like NRIs in Gulf, diaspora youth, ethnic media, education, healthcare etc. The ministry also plans an internship programme for the diaspora youth. Also, two special sessions are being organised to help people rediscover their roots. Titled 'Tracing Your Roots', the programme is designed for those participants who had migrated generations back.

A number of national and international luminaries have confirmed their participation. These include a cabinet minister from Malaysia, Dato' Samy Vellu and Singapore, Shanmugaratnam, Lord Bagri, Lord Dholakia, Shashi Tharoor, Amitav Ghosh, Jagdhish Seth. Top Indian business leaders like Ratan Tata, Rahul Bajaj, Kumarmangalam Birla would also be present.

The following API's have been promoted from the city police to the State CID Crime,

• N Narawde,
• Sunita Kalwande,
• Sushma Chavan,
• Nelima Jadhav,
• Ujwala Pinjale,
• Ranrao Khamare,
• Shriranga Lange,
• Vijaykanta Hake,
• C D Survese,
• Sunil More,
• Dhananjay Solankar

• Ramchandra Gaikwad was promoted from the city to the police training centre and
• Ramakant Mane from the city to State Intelligence department and
• Mahendra Pardeshi from Rural police to State CID crime.

Editor's Note: The following article from USA Today newspaper captures the spirit of the remarkably successful "mini-newspapers" called blogs. Blogs Are Weblogs, or online electronic journals.

skalmadi.org provides you the capability to create your own blogs for free. As soon as you log in with your username and password you will see an option called "Your Diary". This is our equivalent of a blog, and anything that you put here will be visible to other users under the "Free Member Diaries " hyperlink at the top of the screen. If you don't see the Diary option just create a user account and provide an email address so that we can send the password to.

The email address does not have to be traceable to you, but just some place from where you can access the password that we send you. With the username you chose, and the password we sent, you can log into your account to access the Diaries or blogs.

Bloggers and traditional journalists feed off each other — it can be a terrific synergy. Newspapers and TV or radio reporters often provide the blogosphere with the initial information. Bloggers then either simply link to stories of interest, or comment on them at length, or use them as the basis for their own reporting — digging up records, memos, other stories, etc. Then it's back to the traditional media. Thanks to the blogs, a smart editor or producer can see what people are interested in.

The blogs are where you find the answer to "What are people on the Net saying?" Bloggers write short pieces and long pieces. Sometimes an entry is just a link and a quip. Other times it's a lengthy and well-researched essay (with lots of links). But bloggers read one another and link to one another, creating that blogosphere — a giant spider web of connected sites. If a news item tickles any part of the web it's not long before it's felt far away. Sounds a lot like newspapers in the early days, don't it?

Not that anyone should get all their news from blogs. But they'd be just as foolish, these days, to simply rely on traditional media. Blogs have succeeded because we the people need them. We didn't know it, but we sense it. Bloggers are filling in where journalists miss. Blogs are filling a role that used to be filled by that mass media: Digging deeper into the news and offering fact-checking, perspective, and doing more than simply reporting.

According to the deputy director (health services) Dr YH Doiphode, there are over 4.95 beneficiaries in the age group of 0-5 years from the district. "We don't want to miss a single child," he said. Special teams have also been formed to particularly focus on the migrating population, considered both high risk and hard-to-reach.

While Maharashtra this year has reported two new cases of polio, from Bhiwandi and Malad in Mumbai this year, in addition to eight spill-over cases from the previous year, Doiphode said health officials and others involved in the campaign has been already instructed to effectively scan thoroughly across the district and offer oral drops on Sunday. Doiphode further said although the previous polio drives have been satisfactory, there is always a possibility of re-emergence, particularly in urban areas, who get complacent. "People in urban sometimes do not come forward to immunise their children," he said, pointing out the polio virus can't be totally eliminated if this continued.

Delivering a keynote address at a seminar on "Policy of Reservation in Private Sector and Future of Trade Union Movement' here, Justice Srikrishna said, "whether the reservation in the private sector should be through legislation or be made voluntary for the corporate sector, was an intricate subject that needs thorough discussion at all levels before implementation. "In the USA, there was job reservation for Blacks and Hispanics but no relaxation in the recruitment standards has been made."

• “We will consult the chief ministers of the states concerned and the environmentalists before the actual execution of the project. As directed by the Prime Minister, I will meet the President this week to apprise him about the project,” he said.
• His assurance assumes significance as NCP chief Sharad Pawar, while campaigning for the general elections in April-May last, had criticised the riverlinking project, saying that the state would not benefit from it. Dasmunshi said Pawar’s observation was correct. Not just Pawar, but leaders of some other states, too, have objections against the project.

The draft of the ordinance, by which POTA will be abolished in keeping with the United Progressive Alliance government's Common Minimum Programme, was cleared by the law ministry and presented before the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Among others present at the meeting were Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Chemical and Fertilisers Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

According to sources, the government will provide a sunset period of one year during which various committees will review all POTA cases and there will be no arrests made after the ordinance is promulgated. The ordinance is understood to have incorporated certain provisions required to deal with various aspects of global terrorism, in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, through amendments. The amended act will define the word "terrorist" and is likely to extend the penalty up to capital punishment for anti-national activities. The amended act will also take care of India's global obligation and all foreign terrorist outfits like the Al Qaeda will be banned under it.

Modak, an assistant quarter master general with the First Gwalior Imperial Service Lancers, says in his book that Shivaji not only ensured that Khan was buried with full military honours and a tomb constructed at the spot where he fell, but also started an annual maintenance fund for the upkeep of the tomb.

On page 298 of the book, Modak writes: "On the next day, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ensured that Khan's body was buried with full military honours at the very spot where he was killed. As Khan had been beheaded by Shivaji's soldiers, the Maharaj chose to bury Khan's head separately near a bastion on the Pratapgad fort. This ceremony, too, observed full military etiquette. However, the Maharaj did not stop at just that. He started an annual maintenance fund for the upkeep of Khan's tombstone. There can be no better example of the respect shown for a fallen enemy in world history".