6 June 2012

Hong Kong Spotlight Prime Location The golden rule of real estate investment – location – is on the minds of astute vendors, who are choosing Hong Kong as the global launchpad of major overseas property developments.

Six Questions Selling Football Fever The world soccer federation, FIFA, was in Hong Kong recently to tap the city's licensing and retail expertise in marketing global sporting events. The Head of FIFA's Branding and Strategy, Ralph Straus, spelled out the type of partners FIFA seeks. Marketing the Beautiful Game In Focus French Chic Hong Kong is attracting a slew of lifestyle brands from France, as companies respond to strong demand for French fashion in Asia particularly, China. Trader's Choice Creative Learning Helping children to succeed is the goal of a primary school set up in Hong Kong by American psychologist Jadis Blurton. The Harbour School offers an individualised and comprehensive education to serve students with unique needs. Video Emerging Ideas Buyers from key emerging markets offered practical advice about reaching some of the world's fastest-growing economies at seminars held during the HKTDC Houseware Fair in April. Calendar 18-24 July HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair 2012 20-22 July Better Living Expo 2012 20-26 Sept Hong Kong Business Mission to Istanbul (Turkey), Warsaw and L'odz (Poland) 25-28 Sept Hong Kong Silver Market Related Business Mission to Tokyo 13 Sept Legal Services Forum, Guangzhou 2-6 Oct CEATEC Japan, Tokyo, Japan 20-25 Sept Style Hong Kong Pavilion at Western China International Fair, Chengdu 30 Oct-1 Nov AAPEX, Las Vegas More Events Your Comments

HKTDC Showcase HKTDC Food Expo Tuck into the latest food trends by attending Hong Kong's signature event for the industry. It's happening in August. World of Tastes News Chinese Mainland Food and Drug Safety to Become Performance Indicators of Local Governments China will attach importance to the tightening of quality safety oversight of key products... Hong Kong International Freight Forwarders Conference 2012 to be Held in Hong Kong THE FNC Group's 8th International Freight Forwarders conference will be held in Hong Kong, 15-17 June...

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Maruti Suzuki India Limited to set up two units in Gujarat

Gandhinagar, 2^nd June, 2012: Today, the Automobile national leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) signed a State Support Agreement (SSA) with the Govt of Gujarat for setting up their first Auto Vehicle manufacturing facility in Gujarat adding a new feather in the automobile industrial growth in Gujarat, in the presence Hon. Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

          MSIL will set up two units in two phases in the backward Taluka of Mandal-Becharaji Amadavad dristric in Gujarat.  The 1^st unit (1^st phase)  will be near the historical town of Becharaji and 2^nd unit (2^nd phase)  will come up at a location of around 25 Kms from Becharaji.

              Gujarat Chief Minister, while Welcoming Maruti Suzuki to Gujarat Said that Gujarat has emerged as a prominent Global hub in Automobile Sector. The Journey started with TATA Neno, Ford, Peugeout, and how Maruti has entered in Gujarat  which will strenghten the brand Gujarat as a Globly preferred  business location. Maruti’s Auto plant will serve for other Golbal market also.

              Manufacturing and  engineering sector in Gujarat contributes over 27% to state GSDP and contributes overall 9 % to the national engineering out put, Shri Narendra Modi Said and added that there were more than 30 engineering clusters and there are more clusters are emerging like. Sanand- Viramgam, Mandal-Becharaji, Halol-savli, Anjar, santhalpur will make Gujarat a Global Hab in engineering sector as a whole.

              Gujarat has focused on skill development of youth man power the capacity has gone up with 54 engineering, 106 Diploma Colleges over 82000 seats & 253 ITI Gujarat has formed prestigious PPP model of skill formation training with industries.

              Shri Narendra Modi Said that with in a year Gujarat is succeeded to emerge as an attractive Auto hub for world known auto Manufacchuring companies.

              Shri SHINZO NAKANISHI, M.D. (MSIL) thanked the whole hearted support of Government Of Gujarat and said that Gujarat and India are rapidly emerged as  best markets for Automobile. He said that the two combined plants of Gujarat & Hariyana will manufacture two million vehicles in a year. He also praisd the very high Qaulity of skill manpower & port facilities in Gujarat.

          The 1^st phase of the plant is expected to be commissioned with a total anticipated investment of about Rs. 4000 crore. The 1^st phase in its full capacity will roll out 7,50,000 vehicles per year. 

There will be more than 2000 direct employment in each phase and more than 10000 indirect employment in each phase.  With MSIL’s entry, the surrounding area will develop as a Manufacturing Zone.  The export capability of Gujarat will also be enhanced.

MSIL and Govt of Gujarat will work together to set up a State of the Art Automobile Research Institute to take the automobile industry in Gujarat to a much higher level.

With the industry of Maruti in Mandal region, there will be holistic development of the industry manifold with automotive and engineering industry in the backward area.

Delhi’s Homeless Still Await Adequate Living Conditions

Delhi’s Homeless Still Await Adequate Living Conditions

Justice Delayed, Justice Denied:

Delhi’s Homeless Still Await Adequate Living Conditions

29 May 2012, New Delhi:  In a press conference organised by Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath (SAM:BKS) in the capital today, human rights activists and homeless citizens raised several issues of concern related to homelessness in Delhi.

Indu Prakash Singh, SAM:BKS member and technical advisor at Indo-Global Social Service Society, provided an overview of the situation of homelessness, including recent positive developments such as the President of India’s announcement of a National Programme for Urban Homelessness, the National Advisory Council’s recommendations for the homeless, and progressive orders from the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India. In spite of these developments, the Delhi government has failed to respond to the needs of the city’s over 150,000 homeless people. He said, “Despite announcing plans to improve living conditions in shelters, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has not taken appropriate action to date. This delayed response amounts to a gross violation of a bundle of human rights of the homeless whom we call CityMakers, as the city is built on their sweat, labour and subsidised services.” He mentioned the, “preposterous plan of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to amend Master Plan Delhi-2021 to reduce the number of homeless shelters from one per one lakh population to one per five lakh population. This would reduce the requirement of 160 permanent shelters in Delhi to 32 shelters and is in direct violation of court orders.”

Ashok Pandey from Beghar Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti, also a SAM:BKS member, described the grossly inadequate living conditions in the temporary shelters. Constructed for the winter, these tin shelters, which were like cold storage boxes have become virtual ovens in the summer and are largely uninhabitable. “There is still no drinking water, toilets or fans in any of the tent and tin shelters. Without electricity, how can any fans or lights be installed? The heat is unbearable, people cannot sleep at night. Our shelter in Kudusiya Ghat is infested with an army of mosquitoes. You can’t stand for a minute without being bitten. This is an acute health hazard for the homeless, especially for children who are most vulnerable,” he said. Ishwar Chand, another SAM:BKS member, added, “The absence of water and sanitation facilities poses acute problems for homeless women and children and threatens their security. Mobile health vans, despite High Court orders, do not visit most of the shelters.”

Abdul Shakeel, member of SAM:BKS and Haq, drew attention to the struggle of homeless citizens in Delhi for ration cards and adequate grain entitlements under the Public Distribution System (PDS), which they are consistently denied. Establishing their identity is a critical issue for the homeless. He stated that, “The failure of the state to provide the homeless with voter identity cards violates their right to political participation.” He highlighted the economic burden faced due to DUSIB’s consistent late payment to caretakers of shelters, many of whom are homeless citizens. He also spoke of recent forced evictions carried out by the Delhi government at Chilla Khadar and Baljeet Nagar, “which are resulting in more and more people becoming homeless in Delhi.”

Zubeida, a woman who was rendered homeless after being evicted from Viklang Basti before the Commonwealth Games, spoke about the acute problems that her family has had to face. “The government demolished our homes without any notice and did not provide us with any alternative housing or compensation. We are now forced to live on the streets without any shelter, basic services, privacy or security. We have no one to approach or no means to seek justice in this city. The city does not seem to care about the poor.”

SAM:BKS member and associate director of Housing and Land Rights Network, Shivani Chaudhry, stated that, “Both the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India have, in several interim orders, called for the construction of sufficient and adequate permanent shelters for the homeless. The High Court had asked the government for a long-term plan and called for permanent shelters to be set up by December 2010. A year and a half later, the government is still focusing on makeshift, dysfunctional temporary shelters, that too at a cost of Rs. 3,00,000 per shelter. We are extremely concerned about the attempts of the Delhi government to further marginalise the homeless by proposing plans to relocate them to the outskirts of the city in areas such as Kanjhawla and Narela. This would violate not just their right to housing but also their right to work/livelihood. The government’s repeated abrogation of its legal obligations to implement court orders and uphold the Constitution of India and international law, is disturbing.”  She further added that, “Providing shelters is just the first step in a continuum of housing rights; the ultimate goal of the government must be to provide low cost, adequate housing for the homeless.”

Amita Joseph, SAM:BKS member and director of Business and Community Foundation, regretted that despite the existence of a Joint Apex Advisory Committee (JAAC), a Mother NGO (MNGO) and positive orders from the High Court of Delhi and the Supreme Court of India, the condition of Delhi’s homeless has not improved significantly.  Shahri Adhikar Manch had submitted to the government a short-term plan (in February 2010) and a long-term plan (in September 2011), with human rights-based recommendations, but these do not seem to have been considered.

On behalf of SAM:BKS, Ms Joseph presented the following demands from the Government of Delhi:

-          Immediately improve temporary shelters to make them habitable, including providing electricity, fans, drinking water, toilets, healthcare, and mosquito repellants;

-          Establish an independent committee to monitor the functioning of all homeless shelters;

-          Conduct an audit into the expenditure of the government on temporary shelters, and provide information on the process of design selection and contractors, and details on exact spending;

-          Implement the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and High Court of Delhi, especially related to creating year-round, twenty-four hour permanent shelters (160 shelters as per the requirement of one shelter per one lakh population) and preparing a long-term plan for addressing homelessness in Delhi;

-          Make available vacant government buildings and unused premises for homeless shelters;

-          Withdraw the proposal of the DDA to amend the Master Plan Delhi-2021 to reduce the number of homeless shelters from one per one lakh population to one per five lakh population;

-          Conduct regular meetings of the Joint Apex Advisory Committee and implement its decisions; and,

-          Prevent forced evictions that violate the right to adequate housing and result in homelessness.

Speakers stressed their commitment to working constructively with all agencies in order to ensure that the human right to adequate housing of Delhi’s homeless is protected. Delhi has the opportunity to be a model for other cities across India with regard to providing services for the homeless and upholding their rights. It is, therefore, crucial for the government to adopt a positive rather than an adversarial approach and fulfill its national and international legal obligations.  

For more information, please contact:

Indu Prakash Singh (9911362925); Ashok Pandey (9716436605);

Bipin Rai (9999046469); Shivani Chaudhry (9818 205234)

Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath (SAM:BKS) is a Delhi-based collective of over 30 organizations and social movements, including homeless citizens. SAM:BKS works to promote and protect the rights of the homeless, as guaranteed by the Constitution of India and international human rights instruments, and to ultimately secure adequate housing for all homeless people. For more information, write to: shahriadhikarmanch@gmail.com.

Government of Gujarat

Office of the Resident Commissioner

Gujarat Information Centre

Gujarat Bhawan,

11, Kautilya Marg, Chankyapuri,

New Delhi – 110 021

June 1, 2012

Gujarat Annual Plan for 2012-13 finalized at Rs. 51,000 crore: 34.21% higher than last fiscal

***

Low GDP growth rate is wake up call for GoI facing policy paralysis: Gujarat CM Narendra Modi

***

Indecision, adrift in Centre casting dark shadow on States

New Delhi: The Annual Plan for Gujarat for 2012-13 was finalized on Friday at Rs. 51,000 crore at a meeting held here between Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia.  The current plan size is 34.21 % higher than the previous year’s plan size of Rs.38,000 crore.

In the meeting, Gujarat CM expressed his concern that we are starting 12^th FYP with news that the growth rate last year was on 5.3%, in a scenario of low investor confidence, falling rupee, falling inflow of FDI and policy paralysis in the Central Government. He observed that there is no urgency or seriousness in tackling the economic crisis facing the country.

While answering questions from media, Shri Modi showed his surprise that there was no anticipation from the Prime Minister and the Central Government that the growth figures would be this bad. As late as March, the PM was confident of achieving 7% growth.

He further mentioned that global factors alone could not be held responsible for economic crisis. There is a policy paralysis and vital decisions concerning a wide range of issues have not been taken. The Central Government is in coma.

Shri Modi expressed serious concern regarding low GDP growth, falling rupee and inability to control inflation and hoped that this 5.3% growth figures would serve as a wakeup call for the GoI.

During Gujarat’s annual plan discussion, Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed confidence that Gujarat is committed to observing fiscal discipline and meeting the targets for prudent debt management and credibility in budgetary operations fixed under the Gujarat Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2005. During the last three years gross fiscal deficit has been reduced from 3.5% of GSDP to 2.16% GSDP. On the revenue side, surplus has been achieved in the revised estimates for 2011-12. The debt stock is estimated to decline to 21.07% of GSDP below the target ceiling of 27.1%, he said.   

During the entire Eleventh Plan, an allocation of Rs. 53,830 crore was made for the social sectors, amounting to 42% of the total Plan Size. This reflects the commitment of the state government to inclusive growth and human development, he counted. Gujarat registered a growth rate of 9.10 percent in 2011-2012 as compared to national rate of 6.9 percent for the same period.

For the Twelfth Five Year Plan, Shri Modi emphasized Gujarat’s development strategy will continue on human development and inclusive growth while aiming at sustainable double digit growth with uniform development of agriculture, manufacturing and services. He further said that the State Government will make tedious efforts to increase the reach of its three flagship schemes – Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana; Sagarkhedu Sarvangi Vikas Yojana and Garib Samrudhhi Yojana.

Addressing the members of the Planning Commission, Gujarat Chief Minister raised the voice against the attitude and approach of UPA government and said doubts are being raised about the India Growth Story as “never before has the common man reeled under such heavy burden.” With rupee rapidly depreciating against the dollar, Sensex plummeting and RBI appearing helpless in controlling inflation in spite of raising interest rates, and prices of food items soaring high over 10 percent during last five years, the Government of India and Planning Commission should take concrete steps to improve macroeconomic fundamentals as the effects of indecision and adrift in the Centre are casting its dark shadow on the States, he said.

Shri Modi apprised  that with the sizable increase in current Plan size as approved by Planning Commission, the State Government would include number of new initiatives and schemes as under:

a)         Mukhyamantri Amrutam Yojana to provide financial assistance to BPL families to combat deadly diseases including cancer screening for women in remote locations. Plans afoot to open a medical college in Himmatnagar, two Ayurvedic colleges and one homeopathy college in a tribal area.

b)        To strengthen ICDS infrastructure, a provision of Rs. 551.91 crore is made for 12,045 new anganwadi Nand Ghars during 2012-13, out of which 4213 will be in urban areas.

c)         To institutionalize the successfully run School Assessment and Evaluation Programme (Gunotsav) by introducing Gujarat School Evaluation and Accreditation Council for effective implementation of continuous and comprehensive evaluation.

d)        Development of coastal tourism in all the port areas estimated at Rs 120 crore

e)         Nand Ghar and construction of Anganwadis of Rs 115 crore.

f)         10 new ITIs with five exclusively for women.

g)         It is envisaged to establish three new Bull Mother Farms and to cover more than 18 lakh animals under scientific breeding. Five new animal hostels during 2012-13.

There are many issues and instances of injustice done to Gujarat and mentioning just few Shri Narendra Modi said the Central government passed the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 without making any financial provisions and simply levied financial burden on the states. He also lamented that out of Rs 6500 crore under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), only 3400 crore was approved by the Centre. In contrast, he highlighted that the State government will construct 350 new secondary school buildings and 73 new model schools and girl hostels during the current year.

Gujarat produces the maximum vegetables in the country after West Bengal and is on the way of becoming the horticulture hub of India. Gujarat Chief Minister also criticized the anti farmer policies and decisions of the Central Government which has led to widespread distress, agitation and anger amongst farmers in Gujarat. He said Gujarat contributes 1/3rd cotton production in the country. More than 40% cotton seeds and 50% cotton export from India is from Gujarat.

He added that arbitrary banning on cotton export has laid to Gujarat farmers heavily loss of Rs. 14,000 crore in last year. They will also be losses in the current year. Textile Ministry attempts to bring the license raj stiffed in backward direction. 

In the meeting, Gujarat Chief Minister pointed out several issues which are pending with various Ministries in the Government of India which include considering DDP areas at par with DPAP areas for funding under A.I.B.P. Scheme, anti-farmer policy on cotton exports, discrimination against Gujarat for CST compensation, non-payment of royalty etc. Shri Modi said that these issues are affecting the development as well as pace of development of the State and its financial resources. Despite repeated representation from the State Government at various levels, there is no positive response from the Central Government. It is unfortunate that some issues remain pending for years together without resolution which leads to a feeling of injustice.

Shri Modi said that UPA has done great injustice to Gujarat by not allocating KG basin gas and low priced gas of LNG for transportation in Ahmedabad city gas network.

Referring  several successful initiatives taken on reduction of IMR, MMR and strengthening healthcare services in State during the Eleventh Plan  Shri Modi said “We were able to achieve reduction of four points in IMR in a single year (SRS 2010) and the current rate is 44 per thousand live births. Reducing IMR to thirty by 2015 is an important goal for Gujarat. As per SRS 2010, achieved Safe delivery rate is 91.2 and Institutional delivery rate is 79.8%”.

The expansion in irrigation and water management with the spread of drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation, provision of Soil Health Cards for all land holders, preparation of village wise soil fertility maps (including micronutrients) as well as several others innovations and initiatives like Krishi Mahotsav has resulted in Gujarat achieving 10.8% agricultural growth during the last decade. Under micro irrigation scheme it is proposed to cover 2.5 lac hectares in the current year.

Shri Modi urged the Deputy Chairman to assist the State in expediting the requisite approval for the Sardar Sarovar Project as early completion of the Project would be in the overall interest of the nation. He further said it would be in the national interest for the Central Government to permit Gujarat and other States to buy imported gas and produce electricity and supply the same to NTPC.

“There is an urgent need for the Planning Commission to provide special allocations for urban areas in the Twelfth Plan. There has been considerable delay in announcement of a revamped JnNURM to effectively address the concerns of smaller towns and ensure proportionately higher allocations for the more urbanized states.”

Gujarat Ministers  Shri Vajubhai  Vala, Shri Saurabhbhai Patel, Shri Ranjitbhai Gilitwala, Vice-Chairman, Planning Commission Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Chief Secretary Shri A. K. Joti and senior officers from the State Government participated in the meeting.