• Rural water supply: The Hebballi experience
• Indian Intelligence Bureau among top 5 in the world
• Flood situation worsens in Bihar

• Kumble cracks maiden Test ton
• Janmat TV re-christened as 'Live India'
• North-East's teledensity surges

The ball took the under edge of Kumbles bat and went past Matt Prior to fence for four, helping the Bangalorean to score his maiden Test hundred after playing nearly 17 years of top flight cricket... A precious feat was accomplished under a tad bizarre circumstance. Anil Kumble, perhaps eager to complete a missing milestone - with the bat for a change - jumped out of the crease to Kevin Pietersen and missed the swing, the panic-filled moment seemed to hang in there forever. But relief and joy followed immediately. The ball took the under edge of Kumble's bat and went past Matt Prior to fence for four, helping the Bangalorean to score his maiden Test hundred after playing nearly 17 years of top flight cricket. At the press do, Kumble could hardly conceal his delight. "We had a team meeting couple of days back and I mentioned that it is about time that our batters scored a hundred. And I never thought I would be the one to score a hundred. "In fact, I jokingly mentioned at tea time, when I was batting on 60, that may be it was my turn to go out there and score a hundred. I always believe that it is possible whenever I go out there. I never thought I would have to wait 117 Test matches, so it's very special," Kumble said. Kumble said he felt a sense of fulfillment after scoring the century. "I always would like to get a hundred in Test cricket. It is a sense of fulfillment in the sense that I have achieved what everyone dreams of. "When you start playing you always believe that you can bat, and I think throughout my career I have put a price on my wicket. I know as a bowler how difficult it is to get a wicket." The veteran leg-spinner also paid compliments to Sreesanth for giving staunch support. "The support I got from Sreesanth, obviously from Dhoni initially and then from Zaheer, was very important. Sree kept saying that you deserve a hundred and I will hang in don't worry. He probably came to close to getting a fifty himself." But Kumble was focused on the job to be completed. "I think we will wait for all the celebrations till the end of the Test. I think it is important for us to ensure that we win this Test." Meanwhile, M R Holla, principal of R V College Bangalore where Kumble studied, told this reporter over phone that he had watched every ball during the ace spinner's stint at the crease. He congratulated Kumble on achieving his new feat.

Courtesy: www.deccanherald.com, August 11, 2007

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The village of Hebballi in the Krishna river basin is a striking example of a successful and sustainable piped water supply in rural India. While challenges still remain, this experience shows that some steps towards equity and sustainability can be taken in many other places too. S Vishwanath reports. 05 August 2007 - Rural domestic water supply schemes in Karnataka are plagued by the usual ills and well-known deficiencies: dependence on ground water sources and hence lack of source sustainability; poor quality of electricity, which hampers water pumping; wastage from overflowing cisterns; bad quality of construction work; lack of institutional responsibility, especially for management of water; lack of a legal framework; etc. With the problems so wide-ranging, one struggles to find a success story in most parts of the state. And when one finds it, it's worth dwelling on its lessons. The village of Hebballi in Hosadurga Taluka of Chitradurga district, in the Krishna river basin is a striking example of a successful and sustainable piped water supply in rural India. Hebballi village is part of the Gram Panchayat of Hebballi, comprising 6 other smaller habitations. Until recently, it too had the usual problems of a dysfunctional water system based on community connections from an overhead tank. Most of the time this system did not work for want of maintenance. Water was available infrequently, and usually only for about 2 hours every day. Disputes, some leading to fights, were regular at the water point and the situation became worse in summer. A lot of this has been dramatically changed, following a total rehabilitation of the water system that was attempted under a Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) project; indeed, while some challenges still remain, there are also important positive lessons from this change that we could apply elsewhere. There are, principally, five metrics by which we can judge the sustainability of a drinking/domestic water system.

We may ask whether the system is sustainable on the following counts: Institutionally, and does it have democratic accountability? Socially, and does it take care of the poor and disempowered and provide access to all? Technically, and can it be managed and fixed locally by the institution in charge? Financially, and can it recover at least its Operating and Maintenance costs, plus add a little each month to a sinking fund? Ecologically, and can the source provide good quantity and quality water for a substantial period, say, at least 20 years?

Institutional framework
In Hebballi, the village water supply and sanitation committee (VWSSC) under the Gram Panchayat is responsible for the system. This is true for the entire state of Karnataka, but works as envisioned in very few places. Members of the VWSSC are elected on an annual basis by all the villagers. The accounts are submitted on a monthly basis to the Gram Panchayat and are audited under the Gram Panchayat system. Democratic accountability and specific job responsibility for water and sanitation has been ensured.

Social framework
There are 236 houses and families in the village. 145 families are recognized as Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, and have identification cards to this effect. 185 individual water connections have been given so far, and 5 common taps cater to the rest of the households. There is access to the piped water supply to all. Special care has been taken of the Dalit families in the village by waiving connection charges, providing group connections and ensuring timely release of the same quality and quantity of water to them as to everybody else. Existing bore wells with hand pumps continue to be available, and provide water for those who need it free. These are also maintained in good condition by the VWSSC.

Technical framework
The source is underground water. It should be remembered that more than 92 per cent of the habitations in Karnataka source their water from bore wells. Two bore wells provide water to an overhead tank of 56,500 litres capacity. The bore wells have a 7.5 hp pump and an electrical system with a separate transformer has emerged to ensure adequate and high quality power when required. Distribution is then by gravity. The entire system is managed by one pump operator who has the requisite technical skills to trouble-shoot minor maintenance issues.

Courtesy: www.indiatogether.org, August 06, 2007

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Janmat TV, the news and current affairs channel from Broadcast Initiatives Ltd, a subsidiary of Sri Adhikari Brothers, has been re-christened as 'Live India' from August 03, 2007. The editorial team is led by Sudhir Chaudhry, Editor and CEO. The channel has switch to the 24-hour Live news mode from its current Programming mode, with the new positioning statement as 'Khabar Hamari, Faisla Aapka'. Live India has bureaus in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Srinagar. Broadcast Initiatives has invested around Rs 400 million for the revamp, which includes a complete renovation of the studio, an increase in the number of outdoor broadcast (OB) vans, installation of Newsroom Automation System that would provide live connectivity with all the channel bureaus, a new graphic machine called 'Vizard', virtual sets and colour schemes. Markand Adhikari, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd, said, "Live India is a 24-hour live news avatar of Janmat. We have been working very hard for the last five months to convert Janmat into a live news format. Live India is the outcome of the effort. We would like to provide viewers with credible news round the clock which is true and hard hitting."

Courtesy: www.televisionpoint.com, August 03, 2007

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India's Intelligence Bureau has been identified as being among the top five such outfits in the world, says the private American intelligence news gathering entity Strategic Forecasting (STRATFOR). According to STRATFOR, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), India's main domestic security and counter-terrorism force, exhibits efficiency and a certain level of sophistication, but has a reputation for brutality. strength lies in its ability to conduct surveillance. It is among the world's five best intelligence services when it comes to conducting physical surveillance, bugging hotel rooms and carrying out "black bag jobs" (covert or clandestine surreptitious entries into structures to obtain information. They include lock picking, safe cracking, key impressions, finger printing, photography, electronic surveillance (audio (bugging) or visual (micro cams)), mail manipulation (flaps and seals), forgery and a host of other related skills.) According to STRATFOR, however, efforts should be made to beef up intelligence capabilities to counter Kashmiri militants who have begun to target other parts of India. There is a fear in Indian intelligence circles that these attackers could set their sights on hi-tech firms operating within the country. Many of these companies have extensive operations in India's IT capital, Bangalore. Since the attacks in the United Kingdom, Indian authorities have asked information technology companies in Bangalore and Hyderabad, another high-tech hub, to step up security. Karnataka has even set up a new counter-terrorism unit for Bangalore on the lines of what exists in Mumbai. The Ahmed brothers' alleged connection to the failed bombings in Britain and the murder of Professor Emeritus M.C. Puri at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in late December 2005 is a sign that the threat is serious.

Courtesy: www.intellibriefs.blogspot.com, August 03, 2007

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The North Eastern region is catching up very fast in telecom expansion with tele-density increasing from 4.15 per cent to 10.11 per cent between January to July this year against the national increase from 16.83 per cent to 19.86 per cent. As the tele-density of north-east was projected at 14.26 per cent by end of this year, BSNL has declared this year as the 'Year of telecom for North-East', doner minister Manishankar Aiyar told newsmen after the conclusion of a two-day 7th North Eastern Council sectoral summit on it and telecom here today. Although the hill states recorded impressive expansion, the tele-density network in Assam, however, was only 2.80 per cent during the period, he said. The region recorded more than four per cent increase in broadband services with 13 towns being provided the service. It would be extended to 87 others by March next year, he said. Stating that pre-paid roaming should be allowed in the region, the meeting decided to take up the problem of pre-paid mobile service customers not getting access from outside the north-east with the Union Home and Defence Ministries. The meeting also insisted that the centre should work towards a 'one India plan for bandwidth' to lessen the suffering of N-E states as the cost of bandwidth in the region was much higher that the rest of the country. To overcome the problem of laying underground optical fibres in hilly terrain, it was decided that the NEC would fund a master plan to be prepared by power grid corporation to use its network of electric towers and poles for expansion of the overground network cables.

Courtesy: www.zeenews.com, August 03, 2007

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The overall flood situation in Bihar on Wednesday worsened with swollen Kareh breaching its embankment at two places, inundating vast areas of Darbhanga, Samastipur and Begusarai districts as all major rivers were in spate due to heavy rains in their catchment areas. Swirling waters of Kareh, Bagmati and Kamala Balan continued to wreak havoc in all the 18 blocks in Darbhanga district, worst-hit by floods, where over 24 lakh people have been affected by the deluge, official sources said. District Magistrate, Samastipur, M Shravana Kumar said that Kareh breached its Hayaghat-Marachin embankments at Shivajinagar and Hasanpur along 50-metre and 75-metre stretches inundating hundreds of villages. The district administration engaged local boats to evacuate the marooned people as the flood-fighting operations continued on a war-footing, he said. The situation was likely to aggravate further with all the major rivers, including Burhi Gandak, Gandak, Bagmati, Mahananda and Kosi, already flowing above the danger mark at several places along their course, once again rising menacingly following incessant rains in their catchment areas, sources said. In West Champaran district the situation is equally grim following breach in the embankment of river Sikarahana at village Mahana near Bettiah, sources said. According to Central Water Commission report, all major rivers were maintaining rising trends following heavy downpour in their catchment areas in the past 24 hours. Burhi Gandak was flowing 155 cm, 139 cm, 237 cm, 259 cm and 14 cm above the danger mark at Lalbegia, Sikandarpur, Samastipur, Rosera and Khagaria, respectively, the report said. Bagmati too continued to flow 116 cm and 274 cm above the danger level at Benibad and Hayaghat. At Sahebganj, Ganga was flowing 41 cm above the red mark while water level of Gandak crossed the danger level at Chakia by 45 cm. Similarly, Kamala Balan was above the danger mark by 146 cm at Kamtaul, 223 cm at Ekmighat and 23 cm at Jhanjharpur while Kosi was flowing 175 cm, 17 cm and 08 cm above the red mark at Baltara, Basua and Kursela, the report said. State Water Resource Department sources said engineers were engaged to carry out the flood-fighting operations at places where rivers were putting pressure on the embankments and causing erosion, by placing polythene crates filled with empty cement bags. Around five million people were affected in the floods in over 2000 villages spread over 12 districts, the sources said. Standing crops, private and public property worth over Rs 30 crore had been damaged in the calamities which claimed at least 25 lives. Governor R S Gavai undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas yesterday and called an all-party meeting to discuss measures to be taken to tackle the situation here this evening. Railway minister Lalu Prasad is also scheduled to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas on Wednesday afternoon.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, August 01, 2007

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