• Nasscom, UGC Join Hands
• RIL Bags Gold Trophy for Export Performance
• Golden Temple Renamed

• Indian Photographer Wins UN Prize
• Italy Honours Navin Chawla

Resmi C Senan of India won the top UN prize in a global competition on environmentally significant photography, beating entries from nearly 170 countries. Senan won $20,000 for her photograph of deer scavenging on a rubbish heap in the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) International Photographic Competition. The UNEP announced Senan's top position, followed by second place for a photograph showing wealthy homes against a backdrop of slums and a third where a Buddhist monk is draping a cloth around a tree trunk. "The ability of the human eye and the camera lens to illuminate the beauty and tragedy of the world is brought into sharp focus by our fourth International Photographic Competition," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said. The winners of the gold in the three categories of the UNEP International Photographic Competition on the Environment, sponsored by the global photographic company Canon, were: Resmi C Senan of India for the $20,000 gold in the general category for her portraits of deer feeding on refuse and rubbish tips; Monica Alexandra Terrazas Galvan of Mexico for the $5,000 gold in the youth category for her simple but stark portrayal of the gap between rich and poor through the imagery of affluent housing set above the slums below; Chamaiporn Pongpanich of Thailand for $2,000 gold in the children's category for a moving and reverential portrait of monks, draping a brown and gold cloth round the trunk of a huge tropical tree. More than 32,000 photographs were submitted, nearly double those of the previous competition five years ago, for this year's contest under the theme "Focus on Your World".

Courtesy: The Pioneer, March 19, 2005

Back to Index

After months, possibly years of hand-wringing about the lack of an effective interface between industry and academia, the National Association for Software and Service Companies has joined hands with the University Grants Commission to "strengthen professional education (through curricula, faculty, infrastructure, pedagogy improvements) in line with the IT industry's requirements of demand for skilled professionals." The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding which is aimed at further "catalysing the interface between academia and industry," a Nasscom statement said. Nasscom says that the interface had to be there because of the growth in the IT and ITES-BPO segment. "Today, India is increasingly acknowledged as the emerging 'services-hub of the world' with a large share of the global IT/off-shored IT-enabled services market. This has been possible due to the availability of skilled manpower," the release added. It says the total number of IT and ITES-BPO professionals employed in India has grown from 2,84,000 in 1999-2000 to over one million in 2004-05, growing by over 1,50,000 in the last year alone. Around 2,50,000 engineering degree and diploma holders enter the workforce annually, with the majority entering the IT industry. Nasscom and UGC will jointly undertake a "Faculty Development Programme" for the upgradation of the skill-sets and knowledge base (in the area of emerging technologies, project management skills related to information technology) of the existing technical faculty in partnership with the IT industry, it said.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, March 18, 2005

Back to Index

The Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Navin B. Chawla, was presented the Mazzini Award by the Italian Ambassador in New Delhi, Antonio Armellini, on Tuesday in recognition of his efforts to forge a new relationship with Italy and strengthening existing bonds. The award has been instituted by the Italian Government to celebrate the birth bicentenary of the writer and politician, Giuseppe Mazzini. The award seeks to honour prominent personalities for their work in strengthening cultural links with Italy.

Courtesy: The Hindu, March 18, 2005

Back to Index

Reliance Industries Ltd and Indo Rama Textiles Ltd have bagged Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council's (SRTEPC) gold and silver trophies respectively for best overall export performance in 2003-04. Reliance also bagged gold trophies for best exports performance in polyster staple fibre and polyster filament yarn segments respectively in 2003-04. Rajasthan Spinning and Weaving Mills Ltd received bronze trophy while Banswara Syntex and Sutlej Industries Ltd received trophies as fourth and fifth best overall export performers in 2003-04, SRTEPC said in a release here on Monday. Indian Acrylics Ltd and Madura Coats Pvt Ltd won gold trophies in acrylic fibre and polyster spun yarn segment respectively, it said. Dicitex Decor Exports and Euro Vistaa Trading Company Ltd have bagged gold and bronze trophies for best export performance as merchant exporters, it added.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, March 08, 2005

Back to Index

The Sikhs' holiest shrine here will henceforth be referred to not as the Golden Temple, which is a British name and thus unacceptable, but as Harimandar Sahib, SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur said.SGPC was issuing circulars to all Sikh organisations across the world to use the new name. Kaur said in future all printing material, letterheads of SGPC, the word Golden Temple would strictly be omitted.

Courtesy: The Statesman, March 04, 2005

Back to Index