Earth Hour this Saturday

NEW DELHI: This Saturday, Delhiites will once again join nearly a billion people in over 6,000 cities across the globe to observe the Earth Hour. Between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, they will switch off their electrical appliances and lighting fixtures to show their concern for the environment.

"BSES is committed to protecting the environment. We are again gearing up for the Earth Hour and hope to take this event to greater heights,'' said a BSES spokesperson. The discom is actively supporting the Earth Hour, an annual international event started by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It urges households and businesses across the world to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour at the appointed time to encourage them to protect the environment.

To tell consumers to switch off their non-essential lights on March 29, BRPL and BYPL have included an Earth Hour message in Synergy -BSES' monthly newsletter going to over 34 lakhs customers. SMSs have also been sent to over seven lakh customers and appeals have been made through their website .

BRPL and BYPL will also switch off lights at over 400 offices, spread across an area of about 950 sq kms, during the appointed hour. In 2013, New Delhi was announced India's 'Earth Hour National Capital 2013' in the Earth Hour City Challenge. Delhi had saved around 250MW (169MW in BSES area) last year.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

Withdraw orders that make Aadhaar card mandatory: Supreme Court

There has been widespread criticism that the UIDAI was compromising the privacy of Indians by giving the contracts for procuring bio-metric information about individuals to private companies.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the union government to withdraw all its orders that makes the Aadhaar card mandatory for availing various welfare schemes.

Hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar card, the Supreme Court further asked the Unique Identification Authority of India not share any information about an Aadhaar card with any government agency without permission of the card holder.

The bench comprising of Justices BS Chauhan and SA Bobde was told that the 'biometrics' on which the project is based are unreliable and untested as public funds were being siphoned off to private enterprises without much validation, CNN-IBN reported.

There has been widespread criticism that the UIDAI was compromising the privacy of Indians by giving the contracts for procuring bio-metric information about individuals to private companies.

The UIDAI is a government agency responsible for implementing the Aadhaar scheme.

The agency was established in February 2009 and owns and operates the Unique Identification Number database.

Earlier in 2013, the apex court had ruled that Aadhaar card is not mandatory for an Indian citizen to avail essential services.

576 million Aadhaar cards issued

A total of 576.16 million Aadhaar cards have been issued till Jan 31, with Maharashtra topping the list with 82.99 million beneficiaries, the government informed the Lok Sabha Wednesday.

Andhra Pradesh (79.06 million) and Tamil Nadu (44.33 million) were placed in the second and third spots, Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla said in a written statement.

They were followed by Madhya Pradesh (42.44 million), Karnataka (41.76 million), Rajasthan (38.33 million), West Bengal (34.92 million), Kerala (30.44 million), Gujarat (26.43 million) and Jharkhand (25.82 million).

with thanks : Yahoo News : LINK

Gems of Indian freedom !

83 सालों के बाद भी भगत सिंह, राजगुरु, और सुखदेव जैसे महान शहीदों को सरकार की तरफ से एक शहीद का दर्जा नही मिला. आख़िर कौन है इसका ज़िम्मेदार ?

Blood / Eye Donation Camp

"Samarpit NGO” is organizing  a Blood/Eye Donation Camp on Sunday, the 23 March 2014. from  10.00 am to 2:30 pm, at the premises of Dr. Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan, Karkar Dooma Institutional Area, Delhi-110032. We request you to bless the occassion by your esteemed presence and kind words about this noble cause and motivation to all donors.

Vinod Kumar

HAPPY HOLI

Now pay the raised Tariff by 1st April ?

kept requesting you all to participate in the rallying against the Tariff hikes. But none cooperated now friends kindly pay the raised Tariff by 1st April n others to follow.

Happy Holi !!

Good Day !

Bharat Tiwari

'hung parliament' in their own selfish interest ?

Dear Mr. Vohra,

While all of us appreciate your clarion call and laudable objective/aim, the present day politicians of various and innumerable parties do not wish to achieve this goal but to have a 'hung parliament' in their own selfish interest so that when their alliance comes to power they could bargain for prized and coveted posts in the cabinet to amass wealth and acquire fame but least interested in the overall development of the country so that we could become a strong nation and attain the forefront position, even surpassing China. But unfortunately we don't wish to achieve this position through our politicians! Why so many parties at the national and regional levels? 

Can we cannot force and forge and demand merger and unity amongst them so that we could also arrive at a two/three party system, as in USA or UK etc. so that the nation could march forward and we need not go begging for alms. It appears, unfortunately, that the AAP may finally spoil the broth and prevent achieving the two strong parties system at the national level. We should admit that both the major 'national parties' i.e. Congress and BJB have done a commendable job at the state and national levels whenever they are in power but due to lack of strong opposition and self-serving and corrupt politicians have spoiled the economy and failed to forge the national spirit amongst the people (aam aadmi) leading to corruption and chaos at various levels beyond measure. 

Unless and until we ruthlessly and religiously in spirit and letter eliminate corruption at various levels, starting from the top and then leading to the bottom, as corruption is more rampant with huge implications at the top, indirectly being helped by those in helm of affairs, including our bureaucrats who reaped the alms to the extent possible! 

I am extremely pained with anguish to witness the ways and means adopted by the foresaid twins i.e politicians and bureaucrats to exploit the country as a whole! Of course, we do now require a strong and solid party with a brute majority to resolve the problems being faced by the nation at various levels and do away with all free alms extended to the people for no logic or reason or justification indeed!

An aam aadmi (in the true sense).

T K Balu

Tribunal clears way for power rate hike

NEW DELHI, Mar 11, 2014, DHNS:

Asks DERC to create road map to help discoms recover arrears

Delhiites may suffer another power tariff shocker as the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) has asked the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to take an early decision on getting the huge accumulated arrears owed to the discoms cleared.

The three discoms of Delhi – BSES Yamuna Pvt Ltd (BYPL), BSES Rajdhani Pvt Ltd (BRPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) – had approached the APTEL a few months back complaining against fear of a prejudiced order from DERC against them.

Bank loans

After the hearing, the tribunal asked the DERC to create a road map for paying back the arrears of Rs 8,000 crore to the three discoms. This will give the discoms a chance to demand an enhanced power tariff to balance their accounts.

After the tribunal decision, the discoms will be able to get loan from banks to pay off their due to power generation companies (gencos) National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Pragati Power Corporation Limited Delhi (PPCL), Indraprastha Gas Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL) and Delhi Transco.

The NTPC had threatened to discontinue power supply to the Reliance Infra-backed discoms BYPL and BRPL is the fail to pay of the dues of RS 127 crore. 

The Supreme Court had asked the NTPC to not to cut the power supply till March 25 and asked the discoms to pay Rs 50 crore to the genco.

 “We welcome the order of APTEL directing DERC to take an early decision for liquidation of the huge accumulated arrears owed to the Delhi discoms. APTEL has clearly directed DERC to ensure sustainability of the business of the discoms,” said a BSES spokesperson.

Financial support 

APTEL has also recognised the need for financial support from the Government to ensure discoms recover their past dues, with minimum burden on consumers. 

DERC has already proposed last week a road map for payment of over Rs. 8,000 crore and interest thereon owed to the discoms, he added.

The subsidy on power tariff of 50 per cent on 0-200 and 201-400 units slab announced by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is also going to end on March 31.

It is understood that the DERC will allow the discoms for a hike in power tariffs next month.

with thanks : Deccan Herald : LINK

Happy Women's Day !

Chaupal on Delhi Aajtak after declaration of Elections 2014

Bhrishtachaar ka STING operation by Delhi Aajtak