Global prices are now higher than in Indian market Natural rubber (NR) exports from India, which stood at an extremely low level for the past three years, may pick up in the second half of the current financial year, taking advantage of the spurt in international price, according to the Rubber Board. Owing to the price advantage, the NR exports during this year might touch the 5,000-tonne mark, a Rubber Board press note on Saturday said. The price of NR in the indigenous market was at a higher level over the international market since December 2013. However, this gap has come down in the third quarter of 2016 with global prices picking up from the second half of November. International prices now hover at a higher level than the Indian market prices. A combination of reasons could be attributed to the present spurt in global NR prices, which include increased demand from China, upward trend in crude prices, appreciation of the US dollar, and the speculative trend marked by the surge i
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Visit of Forest Dept. officials to projectsite triggersconcern among conservationists Conservationists are peeved at the repeated attempts of the State government to revive the expansion plans of a mini-hydel project bisecting the wildlife corridor. The proposed expansion of the project, at Sattegala at the edge of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, has been rejected twice by the State Board for Wildlife. The visit of senior officials of the Department of Forests to the site near Gaganachukki–Bharachukki waterfalls and forest area close to the wildlife sanctuary in Kollegal has triggered fresh concerns as it is being perceived that the officials are under pressure from the State government to clear the project. This, despite the wildlife board recommending that the existing plant — for which permission was issued in 2011 — be closed once the lease expires. A senior department official confirmed that senior officials visited the Gaganachukki–Bharachukki area to inspect the site of
You may soon not have to worry about carrying physical identity documents at metro airports as a plan for biometric authentication of flyers is all set to take off. After the successful pilot run for Aadhaar-based airport entry authentication for passengers at the Hyderabad airport, the Mumbai and Bengaluru airports are planning to take up similar pilot projects. Hyderabad pilot project The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad started a pilot project last year allowing passengers to enter their Aadhaar number at kiosks set up at one of the entry gates. The authorities now plan to implement the exercise at all entry gates. However, the move will not be mandatory and passengers without Aadhaar numbers can proceed after showing physical identity documents at the airport entry gate. “After successfully completing the POC [proof of concept] at the Hyderabad airport, we have formally asked UIDAI [Unique Identification Authority of India] to recognise us as auth
Two senior-most officers superseded in surprise decision In a surprise move, the government on Saturday announced that Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat will be the next Chief of Army Staff. Against tradition The appointment goes against the long-held tradition of appointing the senior-most eligible officer to the post. By this criterion, Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command, should have been appointed. Air Chief Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, presently the Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), has been appointed the next Air Chief. “The next Army Chief will be Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat with effect from the afternoon of December 31,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson said. Army Chief General Dalbir Singh and Air Force head Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha will both retire on December 31. 1983 precedent Lt. Gen. Bakshi is widely respected as a highly competent and professional officer. The last time the senior-most eligible officer was not appointed was in 1983 when Prime