'नॅनो'ला मुहूर्त २३ मार्चचा!

"नॅनो'चा लॉंचिंग सोहळा २३ मार्च रोजी मुंबईतील "ताज हॉटेल'मध्ये अध्यक्ष रतन टाटा यांच्या प्रमुख उपस्थितीत होण्याची शक्‍यता आहे.

मुंबई - बहुप्रतीक्षित लाखाची "नॅनो' अखेर सुमारे सहा महिने उशिराने भारतीय बाजारात दाखल होत आहे. एप्रिलच्या पहिल्या आठवड्यात "नॅनो' शोरूममध्ये उपलब्ध होईल; तर याच महिन्याच्या दुसऱ्या आठवड्यात "नॅनो'साठी बुकिंग करण्याची सोय उपलब्ध होईल, असे "टाटा मोटर्स'ने आज अधिकृतररीत्या जाहीर केले. "टाटा'च्या "नॅनो'चा लॉंचिंग सोहळा २३ मार्च रोजी मुंबईतील "ताज हॉटेल'मध्ये अध्यक्ष रतन टाटा यांच्या प्रमुख उपस्थितीत होण्याची शक्‍यता आहे.
रतन टाटा यांच्या स्वप्नातील कार म्हणून एक लाख रुपयांची "नॅनो' गेल्या वर्षी १०  जानेवारी रोजी नवी दिल्लीच्या "ऑटो शो'मध्ये सादर करण्यात आली होती. त्याच वर्षीच्या ऑक्‍टोबरमध्ये "नॅनो' बाजारात आणण्याचा संकल्प टाटा यांनी यानिमित्ताने सोडला होता; मात्र राजकीय वादात कंपनीचा सिंगूर (पश्‍चिम बंगाल) येथील कारनिर्मिती प्रकल्प बंद पडल्याने, त्याचे सादरीकरण लांबले होते.
आज मात्र कंपनीने प्रसिद्धिपत्रक काढून "नॅनो' मुंबईत २३ मार्च रोजी समारंभपूर्वक सादर करण्यात येईल, असे घोषित केले. तसेच कंपनीच्या वितरकांकडे "नॅनो' एप्रिलच्या पहिल्या आठवड्यात उपलब्ध असेल आणि "नॅनो'साठी याच महिन्याच्या दुसऱ्या आठवड्यापासून बुकिंग करता येईल, असेही कंपनीने म्हटले आहे. कंपनी "नॅनो'च्या उपलब्धतेसाठी वितरकांचे जाळे वाढविण्याच्या तयारीत असल्याचे या पत्रकात म्हटले आहे.
पहिल्या टप्प्यात १,५०० नॅनो उपलब्ध?
"टाटा मोटर्स'च्या "नॅनो'ची सध्या उत्तराखंड येथील पंतनगर प्रकल्पातून निर्मिती करण्यात येत आहे. त्याचबरोबर कंपनीच्या पुण्यातील प्रकल्पातही "नॅनो'च्या जुळवणीचे काम सुरू आहे. कंपनीच्या कारखान्यात सध्या ९०० "नॅनो' तयार आहेत. उर्वरित महिन्याच्या कालावधीत आणखी ६०० "नॅनो' "टाटा मोटर्स'ला तयार कराव्या लागणार आहेत. कंपनीच्या पंतनगर प्रकल्पाची दिवसाला २५ ते ३० वाहननिर्मिती क्षमता पाहता, हे उद्दिष्ट सहज पूर्ण होण्यासारखे आहे. यानंतर कंपनी गुजरातमधील साणंद येथून "नॅनो'चे उत्पादन सुरू करील; मात्र वर्षाला सुमारे अडीच लाख वाहननिर्मिती क्षमता असलेला हा प्रकल्प यंदाच्या ऑक्‍टोबर-नोव्हेंबरनंतरच सुरू होण्याची शक्‍यता आहे.
- २३ मार्चला मुंबईत सादर होणार
- एप्रिलच्या पहिल्या आठवड्यात शोरूममध्ये
- एप्रिलच्या दुसऱ्या आठवड्यापासून बुकिंग
- किंमत एक लाख ३० हजारांच्या पुढे
- बुकिंगसाठी ७० हजार मोजावे लागणार
- निवडक वितरक, स्टेट बॅंकेत सोय उपलब्ध

Shri S.B. Ghosh Dastidar honoured with Padmshri Award

Born on 1^ST April 1947, Shri S.B. Ghosh Dastidar, graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, Kolkata. He joined Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1969. Prior to joining as Member Traffic/Railway Board & ex-officio Secretary to Government of India, he was General Manager of Central Railway.

An officer of varied experience, Shri Ghosh Dastidar held various key positions on different Zonal Railways. He has worked as Chief Freight Transportation Manager, South Eastern Railway; Divisional Railway Manager of Bilaspur Division on the South East Central Railway and Chief Operations Manager of South Central Railway. Before assuming the charge of General Manager, Central Railway, he was holding the post of Additional Member Traffic in Railway Board.

Though a Mechanical Engineer, he has rich experience on working of different Departments and his specialization includes Operations, Commercial, Safety, besides General Management.

He had been on deputation to Jordan Railways as “Traffic Adviser” to Aqba Railway Corporation. Had his higher studies in “Transport Management & Multi Modal Operations” from the School of Merit Studies, UK. He was the Leader of the Indian Delegation for renewal of the “Samjhauta Express” and freight operations between India and Pakistan.

Govt gives 6% additional DA for its employees

The Union government approved a six per cent increase in Dearness Allowance to its over 80 lakh employees and pensioners, although it would pinch its pocket by Rs 6,020 crore in the 14 months till February 2010.

The move would, however, put more money in the hands of the salaried class whose spending may boost the economy.

The employees and pensioners would get the DA with effect from January 2009 and payable with their salaries starting next month, as per a decision cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in New Delhi.

It was only in September 2008 that government servants got higher salaries after the Centre implemented the sixth Pay Commission's recommendations with some modifications.

The revised DA would be 22 per cent against 16 per cent at present, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday after the CCEA meeting.

The combined burden of the increased DA to the working and retired employees will be Rs 6,020 crore in 14 months from January 2009 to February 2010.

However, the exchequer will take a hit of Rs 5,159 crore for a full year, he said.

The decision to increase DA was taken because of the rise in the consumer price index for industrial workers.

DA is revised twice a year, from 1^st January and 1st July, payable in salaries of 1^st March and 1^st September, respectively.

Written test at Ajmer for post of Asst Station Master postponed

In a joint operation by police  of three States, an alleged racket involving leaking of Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) examination papers was busted on Sunday with the arrest of 109 people, including some aspiring candidates, after raids in Jaipur and Bhopal.

Following the arrests, the written test for the post of Assistant Station Master by the RRB, Ajmer scheduled on Sunday was postponed and a new date would be announced later, the board’s chairman C L Bharti said.

While the arrests were made in Jaipur and Bhopal by the police of the respective states, they were working on a tipoff from Uttar Pradesh Police. “With the help of Rajasthan SOG and Bhopal Police raids were carried out in Jaipur and Bhopal.

Lal said, “Bediram, who was a travelling ticket examiner in NE Railway, is the mastermind. In December last year he was arrested from Allahabad by the STF, which busted a similar racket there, and was released on bail recently.” He said after he was nabbed by the STF, the railways terminated Bediram’s services. “We are trying to nab the kingpin, who is at large since being released from jail,” he added.

Brij Lal said that in December last year; the STF busted a gang leaking question papers for a railway examination, in which a few aspirants were also arrested.

“Since then the state police was tracking the gang members. Through electronic surveillance, we came to know that they have leaked the question paper of an examination being conducted by RRB Ajmer today,” he said.

The ADG said that based on the surveillance inputs two teams of UP STF were constituted to crack the network.

In Jaipur, ADG Kapil Garg, ATS & SOG, Rajasthan told reporters that the gang used to charge Rs 4 lakh per candidate. They used to tell aspiring candidates to initially pay Rs 1,000 and submit their original documents including mark sheets and certi?cates as collateral security before the examination.

Aspiring candidates would then have to pay a second instalment of Rs 50,000 after they had been able to match the leaked question paper with the actual one and ?nal payment of the balance amount had to be paid on their selection, Garg said.

Pay panel award to cost Railways Rs. 13,600 crore

                  

The Sixth Pay Commission award to 14 lakh employees and 11 lakh pensioners will cost the Indian Railways Rs 13,600 crore during 2008-09 and over Rs 14,000 crore in the coming fiscal.

The 2008-09 Rail Budget had originally provided for an ad-hoc allocation of Rs 5,000 crore to meet the incremental commitments arising from the Pay Commission award, including Rs 4,000 crore towards salaries and Rs 1,000 crore on account of pensions.

But, according to the revised estimates presented on Friday, the outgo would be much higher at Rs 13,596 crore – Rs 9,000 crore for salaries and the remaining towards pension.

Worse, for the coming fiscal, the total provision is Rs 14,614 crore (Rs 9,952 crore on salaries and Rs 4,662 crore on pension).

“If there was no Pay Commission award, staff costs would have constituted 44 per cent of our ordinary working expenses. But now, this would go up to 50 per cent this fiscal and a budgeted 52 per cent for 2009-10,” the Financial Commissioner of Indian Railways, Ms Sowmya Raghavan. But huge % is for Officer’s Pay & Pensioners Pension Only!

But, according to her, much of this extra burden is due to arrears that are in the nature of a one-time payment liability.

“The arrears component works out to Rs 15,700 crore (Rs 11,000 crore salaries and Rs 4,700 crore pension) payable over two years. The situation will hopefully revert to normal by 2010-11,” she added.

In his Interim Budget speech, the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, sought to underplay the Pay Commission impact, claiming that the organisation will implement its recommendations “with relative ease” because of its “strong financial position”.

Unlike the experience during the Fifth Pay Commission, when the Railways ended up deferring payment of dividend to the tune of Rs 2,800 crore in 2001 and 2002, no default will take place this time, he said.