New WTO texts good basis for talks: Kamal Nath

New Delhi -- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today permitted the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) to acquire 12 new building vessels with an investment of over 31 million rupees.

It also specified the size and categories of these vessels to be acquired--four number Aframax Tankers of about 110,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) each, two numbers Large Range-II size Product Tankers of about 95,000 DWT each.

It also included four numbers Panamax Bulk Carriers of about 75,000 DWT each and two numbers Cellular Container vessels of about 5000 TEU (Twenty Equivalent Unit) capacity each.

The SCI will be allowed to avail external financing upto the extent of 80 percent of contract price of each vessel. The loan would be sourced either from the domestic or the international market.

In case the SCI resorts to external commercial borrowing (ECB) funding, it would seek necessary approval from the Government.

The SCI will be allowed to pay the balance 20 percent of the contract price from its internal resources.

The acquisition of new vessels will lead to augmentation of SCI‘s tonnage to meet the increased demand for crude oil transportation in the coming years.

It will also enable it to cater to most of the country‘s crude transportation requirements so as to reduce dependence on the foreign flag vessels and as per the current policy of the Government.

The induction of vessels would also result in net foreign exchange savings for the country. (ANI)

By Ruchi Gupta

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): India on

Friday launched Asia‘s first online registry of clinical trials, making them publicly accountable.

This is a major step towards accountability, transparency and information sharing on clinical trials, which are a slowly but steadily increasing in India.

"With the launch of this Registry, India will be among the select countries like Australia, the UK and the US that are making researchers accountable through registration and public disclosure of clinical trials," said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Professor N. K. Ganguly while launching the registry (www.ctri.in).

All clinical trials conducted in India are to be prospectively registered in the Clinical Trials Registry - India (CTRI) before enrolment of the first human participant.

Prof. Ganguly said that WHO International Clinical Trials Registry (ICTR) proposes to make India an associate member, which will make CTRI a regional registry through which researchers in Nepal and other neighbouring countries will be able to register clinical trials in it.

It is being hoped that CTRI will serve as a Primary register for the WHO-ICTR and register all trials in India.

India hastened the launch of CTRI so as to become the first Asian country to have a registry for clinical trials. The move was expedited since China is scheduled to launch its own registry on July 25.

The trials that are properly registered will be considered for publication by many international journals.

The CTRI will be used to provide a corrective system against "positive result bias" and "selective reporting" of research result to peer reviewed publication, to increase awareness and accountability of all the participants of the clinical trials and for public access.

The trial involving human participants for any intervention -- drug, surgical procedure, preventive measures, life style modifications, devices, educational or behavioral treatment, rehabilitation strategies and complementary therapies -- are expected to register the trial in CTRI.

The 20 items that meet the requirements of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) will have to be declared at the time of registration.

Although registration is voluntary, some fields are mandatory.

Public title of study meant for the layman, scientific title, Ethics Committee‘s approval status, regulatory clearance obtained from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), status and phase of trial are some of the areas mandatory for registration.

Incomplete entries will be given a provisional registration number that will not suffice for purposes of publication in journals that endorse the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for trial registration.

If all the necessary fields are filled with valid and informative entries, the trial will be officially registered and allocated a unique registration number.

Registration of trials in the CTRI is free and the CTRI will be searchable free of charge.

The CTRI has been set up by the ICMR‘s National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS) and is jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), WHO and ICMR.

Clinical trials are a booming business today, making India a preferred clinical trial hub. In 2003, an estimated 70 million dollars revenue was generated from clinical trials, which is expected to increase to 200 million dollars in 2007 and 1.5 billion dollars by 2010. (ANI)

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the dispensing of control over jaggery (gur) and for amending the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966.

"The new amended order will be called the Sugarcane (Control) Amendment Order, 2007", sa

id Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi.

The amended order will help sugarcane farmers to dispose off their cane and get a higher cane price.

According to a senior government official, the move is aimed at helping small-scale jaggery industries to grow. (ANI)

Bhuj, July 20 (ANI): As India moves ahead to celebrate its 61st Independence Day, a large number of soldiers deployed at the Rann of Kutch take pride in the fact that they are contributing to national security, though braving hardships rarely heard by anyone.

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel face a blazing sun and vast marshy stretches while maintaining constant vigil on camel-back , fast patrolling boats and foot along the India-Pakistan border.

The BSF personnel present a picture of commitment and camaraderie during their multi-pronged operations over 500 kilometres in Gujarat‘s Bhuj region, Sir Creek and the Rann of Kutch.

It remains a highly guarded life here, since the border areas are never free from infiltrators, smugglers and illegal migrants. Consistent vigil with alertness is the key to prevent it.

Despite facing such hardships every day, the patrolling personnel often come across fully armed insurgents sneaking into Indian territory with detonators and other destructive devices.

B.S. Sangala, Assistant Commandant, 124 BSF, 1111 Border Outpost (BoP), admitted to the miserable condition of his duty-bound personnel.

He says that visits by VIPs usually prove a blessing in disguise.

"When VIPs or the press corps comes, conditions improve. Otherwise, it is very tough to live here." Sangala says.

"We are provided normal food and clean drinking water is rarely available. There are snakes and scorpion everywhere," he adds.

M. P. Upadhyaya, a head constable with the BSF endorsed his chief‘s views, adding that at times the water was both salty and rusty. (ANI)

Srikhand Mountain (Himachal Pradesh), July 20 (ANI): The untimely melting of the ice lingam at the Amarnath Shrine may have disheartened many Lord Shiva devotees, but several other devotees are now heading for the Srikhand peak in Himachal Pradesh.

Devotees undertake this pilgrimage to pray to a "Shivaling" or, the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva said to be located at the top of the mountain.

Located at 5,155 meters above sea level, the Srikhand Mahadev peak resembles the "Shivling".

This year‘s pilgrimage began on July 16 and will last till the end of August.

Srikhand mountain is revered as Lord Shiva‘s place of meditation.

The mountain‘s eastern part falls in the Shimla District, whereas its western part falls in Kullu District. The pilgrimage begins from three points-Sarpara and Jeeri in Shimla and Nirmu in Kullu.

People accompanying the "Charri" pray at three stopovers before commencing the journey, chanting slogans in praise of Lord Shiva.

A lot of devotees accompany the "Charri" or, the holy stick.

Slogans like "Bum Bum Bhole", "Jai Baba Ki" and others hailing Lord Shiva reverberate through the mist-laden forests here, Lord Shiva devotees undertake one of the most arduous treks to a shrine atop the rugged Himalayan Mountains.

The uphill journey to Srikhand is arduous and very steep. It takes four to seven days to complete. But the committed Shiva devotees visit the hill top for a glimpse of the Srikhand Shivaling, which is partially covered with snow.

The State tourism department organises pil

grimage tours for all. Locals, however, feel that much more can be done for the development of the place.

Marmukund Kashyap, said: "We want the government to take steps to make the pilgrimage safe and joyful."

Himachal Pradesh has been known as "Devabhoomi", or the Abode of Gods for centuries. The splendid height of the Himalayan ranges, the State‘s scenic beauty and the aura of spiritual calm showcases.

The presence of over 2,000 temples also adds lustre to the cultural heritage of the State. (ANI)

Nayagarh (Orissa), July 20 (ANI): Orissa police have raided hospitals and pathological laboratories after recovery of seven bodies of female infants near Duburi foothills in Orissa‘s Nayagarh District.

Police conducted raids jointly with health officials and social activists yesterday, and registered cases of female infanticide. They also sealed several unregistered pathological clinics and private hospitals in Nayagarh district.

"Investigation is going on regarding the case. The identity of sweepers and attendants who are engaged in disposal works are being verified. Moreover, ultrasound machines used for gender verification are also being verified and three ultrasound machines have been seized," said Tariq Ahmad, Inspector In-charge of Nayagarh Police Station.

The data of the machines will be studied by experts, based on which further investigation will be done, Ahmad said, adding that arrests would soon be made.

Social activists, meanwhile, charged negligence on the part of the state administration, and said police delayed registering a case against the suspects.

Local residents said that three infants were found dumped a month ago at the same spot but the police took no action.

"We observed there in Nayagarh that there are lot of nursing homes which have come up and they haven‘t got themselves registered, and even the ultrasound clinics. How come it happened in such a district headquarter, because you have a district hospital over there, you have the CDMO there, you have the entire district administration over there. But how these things have taken place, it is beyond our imagination," said Sneha Mishra, social activist. (ANI)

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said on Friday that new WTO compromise proposals provide a good basis for starting intensive negotiations on a global trade pact.

"Well, I just had a talk with Pascal Lamy and I Think this is a text which is not a text of convergence, but this is a text which leads to intensive negotiations. We hope that in September negotiations start," Nath told reporters on the sidelines of a conference.

"It is a package... at least; now, there are certain parameters, so we can move forward," Nath added.

In an attempt to break the deadlock, diplomats chairing the WTO negotiations floated detailed compromise texts on Tuesday, spelling out ranges of cuts for farm subsidies and a formula for import tariff cuts on agricultural and industrial goods.

Doha was launched shortly after the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001 in a bid to shore up confidence in the world economy, but it has been mired in problems and risks being put on hold for several years if a deal is not reached soon.

Developing countries like India and Brazil are seeking both to bring down rich nations‘ barriers to their farm products and a scaling back of what they call trade-distorting subsidies to farmers in Europe and the United States.

But they are concerned about opening their markets up too

much to imports of industrial goods from developed nations.

Negotiators are due to convene in Geneva next week and then recess until September. (ANI)