India Says

As part of their special responsibilities, Information Technology industry in India is slowly showing its concern for the blinds by offering jobs, guidance and other services.

IBM, Mphasis, Infosys-BPO, SAP India and Adithi Technologies are some of the companies which have started inducting the visually-impaired. “Though the pace is slow but the industry is open for the visually-impaired,” said Shanthi Raghavan, founder of Bangalore-based EnAble India.

Industry major IBM, in association with EnAble India, had recently conducted a three-week training programme in Bangalore for faculty giving training to the visually impaired. The features of the training include teaching right computer teaching techniques to address the IT skills of their students.

“It was for the first time that an IT company in India has come up with such an initiative for the visually impaired,” said Raghavan. This will enhance the employability of at least 450 people this year.

Finally, BSP supremo Mayawati has take the decision that was looking as most obvious after Mayawati’s dinner with Sonia Gandhi on Monday. Mayawati has announced in a press conference today that BSP would support the UPA candidate in the race of the Presidential poll.
Now, the road ahead for Shekhawat’s is looking tough as the numbers are supporting UPA. However, UPA is still undecided to whom it should make the candidate in the presidential race.

UPA is facing difficulties to find a leader of Shekhawat’s stature and the reports are saying that Sonia may go for the name of Home minister Shivraj Singh Patil. However, Mayawati, while addressing a press conference, said that she and Sonia Gandhi have been agreed on a name but the name would be disclosed in some time.

Mayawati said further that she never thought to support the NDA candidate by saying that her party will not side with the communal forces. Later, she also has said that the BSP has not put forward any demand to Congress for her support in presidential poll.

Shekhawat’s polling managers will have to work hard to secure the support of parties other than NDA alliance. The support of the ‘Third Front’ will be necessary for Shekhawat’s presence in the race for the post. Now, all eyes will be on the UPA’ choice that would be decided by none other than Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

According to recent reports, Shekhawat has decided to contest the election as Independent candidate and would ask different parties to support him for his non-party stature in Indian politics since he became the Vice president of India.

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Bigfoots are roaming in northeastern jungles? The forest officials are now ready to begin a hunt for the hairy giants in the jungles of North-eastern region. Some terrified villagers of the region have said that they have seen some ‘Bigfoot’-type hairy giants in the jungles. The villagers have also said it they have seen the Bigfoots on many occasion in the jungles.

The district administration and the forest officials have planned to begin investigation to know the truth behind the roaming of the Bigfoots in the jungle. Sometimes, the local people talk about the existence of the Bigfoot-Hairy giants in the jungles in northeast region for years. In recent past, the villagers have claimed on several times about that they have seen Bigfoots roaming in the jungles.

According to the district officials, a team of wildlife officials and other experts are ready to conduct a study to know the reality whether Bigfoots are there or not. Some scientists say that the existence of such Bigfoots are baseless because there is no any solid physical proof of their presence in the jungles. On the other hand, some experts say that the hairy giant Bigfoot could exist in dense jungles.

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India’s 17th century marvel monument, Taj Mahal, has been found place among the top 10 wonders of the world. Now, One month is to go to decide the names of seven wonders and Indians are on the drive to vote for Taj to make it as Seven Wonders of the World. There is a need for some more votes in the last round of voting to secure the place for Taj in Top seven wonders.

The organizers of the New Seven Wonders of the World has said on Friday that the Acropolis in Athens and Mexico’s Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza have been listed among the leaders in the list of seven wonders.

The monuments, which would get maximum votes, would be placed in the list of new Seven Wonders of the World. The online voting and voting by phone call for the final list of the New Seven Wonders will be on till July 7.

The voters can go to the website new7wonders.com and cast votes. The voters can also call the New Seven Wonder Foundation on the number 0044 870 062 3748 to cast their votes in favor of their favorite wonders. Till now, more than 50 million people have been voted through online voting and by phone call to choose the favorite man-made wonders.

On July 7, the organizers would count the votes and would announce the top seven new wonders of the world. This is the time to vote for the India’s one of the greatest wonder to make as the top seven wonders in the world. So, one month is to go… Vote for Taj…

An Indian hair stylist, Rajkumar Bhati (left) applies color after giving a customer a hair cut in the shape of the Taj Mahal as part of a campaign in Ahmadabad, India.

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The India US civil nuclear deal now needs a better push from higher level of political leadership from both India and US. To do the needed act, Manmohan Singh may meet with George Bush to break the deadlock in the deal. Currently, Manmohan Singh is on visit to Germany for the G8 summit. The report says that Singh is likely to meet Bush in to discuss on the Nuclear negotiations.

The meeting will work as the last push for breaking the stalemate on the much-hyped nuclear agreement between both countries. India has showed its concern on several occasions that it may not lose the reprocessing rights. At the same time, India has also indicated that it has unique proposal that may help to make the deal operational.

The officials from both countries were in talks on the 123 agreement. Earlier, India Foreign Secretary S S Menon and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns had discussed on the points of 123 agreement but that did not result in any positive output.

Still there are some theoretical and technical gaps between both cpuntries on the civilian nuclear deal and it needs a better political push now that may create a way to make the deal operational as soon as possible.

Recently, India’s external affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said that both countries have their own limitations on this matter. According to him, the government of India has its own compulsions and the US has its own legal limitations. Later, he suggested to find out a middle ground to solve the matter.

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Dubai, it seems, is being the destination of drug-party lovers of the Asian region. The detention of two high profile Indians, DJ Aqeel and Harinder Singh, managing director of Percept Holdings raised questions regarding the drug net in recent days.

According to the report, the Dubai police arrested Harinder and two others associate with Ecstasy pills at Dubai airport. Later, the urine samples of all three have come as positive. They may be awarded jail upto four years in prison according to anti-drugs law in Dubai.
One day before of Harinder’s detention, the Dubai police had arrested India’s best-known DJ’s, DJ Aqueel under the charges for the possession of drugs.

However, his wife and other friends said that somebody framed him in the case. On the other hand, Harinder’s friends have said the similar things that Percept MD is being framed by some one in the issue.

Earlier, the well-known designer Prasad Bidappa, actor Vijay Raaz, Farhan Azmi, son of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi and Bobby Chabbria, son of car designer Dilip Chabbria were already caught in the drug net in Dubai.

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The Nielson survey has revealed that Indian Consumers are the most cheerful and the confidence in Hong Kong consumers is at unprecedented high. The Scandinavians are also optimistic, while Japanese, South Koreans and Hungarians are among the most unenthusiastic consumers in the world.

At the global level, 40 per cent of consumers are optimistic for the next 12 months and they have a hope that the coming 12 months will be good time to buy things. The report says further that 60 percent consumers in India, Hong Kong and Scandinavia say that the coming 12 months will be better one to buy anything.

At the same time, the Consumer sentiment takes 2 points low from a previous survey. The survey was conducted in the month of April and received response from more than 26,000 Internet users in 47 markets across the world. The Neilson survey was based on a questionnaire with a maximum possible score of 200 points. In this index, India ranks first with 135 points, Norway at the second place with 132 points and Denmark ranks third with 127.

The survey reveals further that Hong Kong ranks fifth with Vietnam on 118 and New Zealand ranks at 4rth place with 120 points. On the other hand, Hong Kong’s score has gone up with 7 points from six months ago to a record high and marked the biggest jump in confidence of all 47 markets.

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TATA Steel, India’s largest steelmaker, has become the sixth largest global steel maker after taking the Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus in a US$13.7 billion deal. Earlier, Tata steel was at 56th rank among the largest steel groups before the deal that was completed on April 2. Now, the company has said that the global steel demand is going up by 5.9 per cent to 1.179 billion tonnes.

Eyeing on the growing global demand, the Tata Steel has planned to expand company’s base in Southeast Asia by buying steel firms. According to the MD B Muthuraman, Tata has planned to purchase mines and factories in a practice to spread out its range of products. He said that the Tata group is looking for acquisitions in the steel wires business in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia.

The Tata steel wants to move into high grade, higher-value add wires used in tyre cords and oil tempered wires through acquisitions in this region by consolidated the fragmented industry. Earlier, Tata steel had taken a minimum 65 per cent stake in a Vietnamese steel plant joint venture. The complex will use raw materials from the Thach Khe iron mine, in which Tata will hold a 30 per cent stake.

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India has been declared by several reports as one of the fastest growing mobile market in the world. But, experts says that the best is yet to come as India may add more than 10 million more subscribers per month by the end of the year. This would become possible because of cheaper rentals, low calling cost and no roaming charges order by TRAI to mobile service providers.

T.V. Ramachandran, head of the Cellular Operators Association of India said that this is not a surprising thing and this is not the end of the story. The best is yet to come. We haven’t seen anything yet. India has the cheapest call rates in the world that is as low as 2 cents a minute.

The different cellular service providers have introduced different attractive plans to the customers such as lifetime subscriptions and lower rentals. These plans have dramatically increased the number of mobile users in India. The telecom companies are planning to increase its strength of mobile users to double from existing numbers. India is likely to increase the number of telephone users from 212 million to 500 million by 2010.

Now, the telecom companies are planning to enter into the rural part of the country where they would find a huge market with great scope to expand their customer base.
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Finally, a drop in polio case has been reported in the western Uttar Pradesh. In recent times, the numbers of polio cases were reported from different parts in the country, especially form UP. But in last six months, not a single polio case was reported from the region. In 2006, there were 245 cases reported from the state that was the highest count in the country. The experts have said that the single strain vaccine seems to have worked to restrict the new polio cases in the state.

Two years ago, the government introduced the single strain vaccine that gives three times the immunity the older vaccine does. Dr David Heymann, Director General’s Special Representative on Polio, WHO said that with the help of the vaccine, the P1 virus may not come back in this area.

However, the government is still not ready to take it easy because in post monsoon season, the P1 virus breeds easily because of poor sanitation. So, the administration is making plans to initiate different immunization rounds in UP and Bihar. Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare said that the government have planned to spend Rs 1300 crore in this year only in more than 9 to 10 health programs.

India’s reputation took a deep low when more than 250 polio cases were reported from a single state in 2006. The growing international pressure, on India to wipe out polio, forced the government to take strong steps to stop further polio cases and that was resulted in no case in last six months in western UP.

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