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indianexpress: OUT of Pune’s annual credit plan of Rs 4,301.62 crore for 2007-08, the district will get Rs 100 crore for an integrated farm development model that will cover 1,850 villages. The project will see one farmer in each of these villages getting loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The farmers will also be trained in a farming model that will integrate sugarcane farming, horticulture, drip irrigation methods, cereals, vegetables, diary, fishery or even sericulture as per the soil structure.

Guardian minister Ajit Pawar, who was here on Thursday to announce the annual credit plan for Pune district, said Pune had a 16 per cent share of the state credit and it was good to see private banks participating in the rural credit plan. “Credit plan for Pune should be a role model for other districts,” he said. The private banks are HDFC and ICICI, while there are 19 national banks and two cooperative banks participating in Pune’s annual credit plan.

The annual credit plan for Pune district has risen by 26 per cent to Rs 4,301.62 crore for 2007-08. Bank of Maharashtra is the lead bank for Pune district. Out of the Rs 4,301,62 crore pie, commercial banks will account for Rs 3536.49 crore while cooperative banks in the district will bring in Rs 765.12 crore.

District collector Prabhakar Deshmukh, while presenting the plan, said the thrust area for the fiscal was integrated farming, food processing through the Rajashri Shahu Self-Employment Programme.

He said the integrated development model targeted making farming an economically viable option. “The traditional method looks at just one crop system and if there was any kind of natural calamity, the farmer faces tremendous losses. This integrated model looks at various options by also using the latest farming methodologies,’’ he said.

The process of shortlisting the farmers for being part of this pilot project is currently underway in consultation with the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri that designed the models with various options and the agriculture department. “Those farmers who have a minimum of 3-5 acres of land and who are willing to try out this model will be shortlisted by the agriculture department officials,’’ said Deshmukh.

indianexpress: CITY students are giving tough competition to their counterparts in neighbouring Mumbai in terms of performance in the Indian Institute of Technology- Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE). A total of 110 students from Pune have got ranks in the prestigious IITs across the country, as against 120 students from Mumbai. A total of around 250 students have been selected from Maharashtra.

The IIT-JEE is an entrance test for all the seven IITs at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Rourkee and Guwahati, and IT Banaras Hindu University and Indian School Mines University, Dhanbad. The test also screened students for admission to the three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Pune, Kolkata and Chandigarh, and the Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST).

“The number of students selected from Pune has increased considerably from only 2 students in 2001 and 48 students in 2006,” said director of IITians Prashikshan Kendra Durgesh Mangeshkar. A total of 44 students have been selected from IITians Prashikshan Kendra, which has an intensive two-year training programme after standard X.

Another highlight of this year’s IIT-JEE result is the selection of girls. “The stereotype is that very few girls get through the IITs. This year, two girls have been selected from Pune. Of these Sukhada Pendse has secured the 88th rank, while Sarika Aggarwal’s rank was 4,612,” Mangeshkar added.

Many students who appeared from Pune came from across the State. Like Jalgaon-based Shrikrishna Kotkar, who spent two years studying in Pune for his entrance exam. “My hard work paid off and my all-India rank is 962. I now plan to pursue energy technology as specialisation, with a focus on non-conventional energy sources,” said the jubilant Kotkar.

indianexpress:  FOR 59-year-old Meena Samarth, life had become intolerable when arthritic pain crippled her. “I could not walk and used to cry even while taking one step,” she said. After suffering for several years, Samarth finally underwent a surgery and got herself fitted with a Rotating Platform Flexion knee (RPF).

Designed by a New York-based orthopaedic surgeon of Indian origin Dr Chitranjan Ranawat, the RPF has been developed for Indian patients to accommodate the increased load and rotation in deep knee flexion to ensure implant stability and longevity.

According to Dr Sachin Tapasvi, Joint Replacement and Arthroscopy Surgeon, Jehangir Hospital, the RPF offers almost 155 degree of flexion and has had takers in the country with at least 4000 implants done in a period of one-and-a-half years.

An FDA approved mobile bearing knee, it is one of the largest technological advancements in knee replacement surgeries and has worked for many arthritic women patients in the country, a statement issued stated.

As an advancement over the earlier Fixed bearing implant that offered approximately 125 degrees of flexion (knee bend), the Rotation Platform High Flexion offers upto 155 degree of flexion and 20 degree of internal/external rotation thereby giving more flexibility and increased mobility to patients.

The Rotating Platform High Flexion Knee does not wear out easily due to its rotating mechanism.

Patients who want to return to day-to-day activities such as gardening, kneeling for prayers or sitting on the floor, squatting and yoga require upto 130-150 degrees of flexion from their implants which the RPF facilitates. This is especially suitable for Indian lifestyles, the statement said.

indianexpress: The Piaggio Group is setting up a diesel engine manufacturing plant for its new family of engines in Pune. The group is planning to invest 65 million euro (approximately Rs 354 crore) over the next two to three years in the new plant.

“The plant is likely to come up at Chakan and will manufacture single engine and twin diesel engines for Piaggio’s requirements in India and the parent company in Italy,” Ravi Chopra, MD, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd said.

The Piaggio group is looking at making India the hub for its new family of engines. “At present, Piaggio is sourcing these engines from Greaves for our India requirements and this will continue,” he said.

Piaggio has launched its commercial four-wheeler in India under the name ‘Ape Truk’. The new plant will cater to the three-wheeler and four-wheeler requirements of Piaggio, Chopra said.

The new plant that is expected to commence commercial operations in 2009 will have a capacity of 2,00,000 units per annum. On the new four-wheeler, Chopra said the company’s Baramati plant has a capacity of 36,000 units per annum in the initial phase.

“The Baramati plant can be upgraded to 48,000 units depending on the market response,” he said. The company will initially focus on the load carrier segment before moving on to the passenger segment, Chopra said.

Based on the Quargo platform, ApeTruk is available in Chennai at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 2.15 lakh. Chopra said vehicle was launched in Kerala and will be available across India in six months.

indianexpress: PANTRY cars on Pune-Mumbai trains, including Sinhagad, Deccan Queen and Indrayani Express will continue to dish out cutlets, omelettes, beans on toast, pakodas. The Mumbai headquarters of the Central Railways has requested the Railway Board to take back their decision to drop pantry cars on short distance trains.

Till the word comes from the Railway Board, the pantry cars of the Pune-Mumbai trains will be part of the journey.

Pune division officials said Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) of Mumbai headquarters has sent a representation to the Railway Board requesting them to reverse the decision since “pantry cars are a passenger amenity.”

The Pune division of Central Railways was informed about the withdrawal of pantry cars from intercity trains that run on short distance on May 15.

For Railway Pravasi Sangh president Harsha Shah, it is the best gift for the Deccan Queen which will celebrate her 79th birthday on Friday. “The Deccan Queen was started on June 1 seventy-eight years ago. Regular passengers associate the train with its pantry,” she said.

indianexpress: THE district collectorate will send out SMSes in English and Marathi on people’s cellphones to warn them about rising river levels or any flood-related situation in the city through their SMS Blaster service, this monsoon.

The service, set up by Vritti Solutions, will use blue tooth facility to allow bulk messaging—as many as 1,000 SMSes at a time and will be in use from Friday. District project officer Ganesh Sonune, who is in-charge of the service, said the alert system will enable officers and citizens to get the latest information about rising water levels and areas they should avoid.

“It will help us give updates to officers from village, taluka and district level based on information from the irrigation department. It can help in quick evacuation if a flood-like situation arises. We have tied up with all service providers including BSNL, Air Tel and Idea to reach maximum number of cellphone users,” said Sonune.

The messages will read ‘Do not panic’ to ‘Please keep your mobile phone switched off during lightning’ or how much cusecs of water will be disbursed from the dams and which areas would be affected.

These updates will also be sent to officials in Mantralaya, divisional commissioner, district collector, additional resident collector, block development officer, police, hospitals, fire department and others. “Since we can send out thousands of SMSes at one time, we want to take the maximum benefit,’’ said Sonune.

In a flood-like situation, a continuous alert system through these SMSes will be given to enable citizens to be ready and not panic. “These SMSes will tell citizens what should be done in a situation and government officials can begin evacuation work faster,’’ he added

techtree: Lenovo has announced two new ThinkPad notebooks, T61 and R61, each with a 14.1-inch wide-screen, and featuring the latest Intel Centrino Pro/Duo mobile technology.

The notebooks feature innovations such as: a new top cover roll cage for better durability, improved cooling system, Ultra Connect II for enhanced wireless connectivity, and battery stretch control option for longer battery life.

Anoop G Nambiar, Vice President of Strategy and BT, Lenovo India, said, “Improvements in durability, reliability, and wireless connectivity will offer superior user experience to customers, and also enhance productivity.”

The top cover roll cage reduces stress on the LCD screen by 25 percent on an average, while the improved cooling system reduces surface temperature by up to 10 percent, Lenovo claims. Ultra Connect II helps reduce effects of conductive material and LCD noise, thus improving WWAN and WLAN performance.

The notebooks promise up to 15 percent longer battery life, and better security with integrated biometric fingerprint reader, and smart card reader. They offer several different connectivity options.

Apart from T61 and R61, Lenovo has introduced its thin-and-light 3000 N200 15.4-inch wide-screen notebook featuring Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology.

The N200 offers WLAN, 10/100 Ethernet, and Bluetooth connectivity options, as also an integrated fingerprint reader for enhanced security.

techtree: In a technological break-through, Microsoft is reportedly today introducing a first-of-its-kind coffee-table shaped surface computer, called ‘Microsoft Surface’ at a technology conference in California.

The company says that ‘Microsoft Surface’ turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content, through natural gestures, touch, and physical objects.

‘Microsoft Surface’ has an intuitive user interface that works without a traditional mouse or keyboard, allowing people to interact with content and information on their own, or collaboratively with their friends and families, just like in the real world. It also has a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time.

In a statement, Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft, said, “With ‘Surface’ we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology. We see this as a multibillion-dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realizing that vision.”

“Consumers now have an entirely new way to get the information they need, turning their everyday tasks into enjoyable and engaging experiences. There are hundreds of thousands of restaurants, hotels, and retail locations that are looking to give their customers unique and memorable experiences that ‘Surface’ will provide,” added Pete Thompson, General Manager of Microsoft Surface Computing.

techtree: Recently, Logitech announced its AudioStation Express portable speakers that the company says are compatible with current and future generation Apple iPods having a dock connector at the base.

The AudioStation Express speakers come in a compact, durable design, along with a protective case and a wireless remote, packing an array of flexible power options. According to Logitech, this makes them an ideal choice for both home and the outdoors.

With two 2.5-inch Max-X high-excursion drivers and a bass port, the speakers deliver dynamic full-range sound quality. They support the Universal Dock Adaptor specification from Apple. So, both current and future iPods with a dock connector at the base would be compatible to play music with them.

Besides, users can watch their iPod photos and movies on their televisions with the help of the video output jack located on the back of the speakers.

The speakers are compatible not only with iPods, but also with other audio devices, including CDs, MP3- and portable DVD players, thanks to an auxiliary 3.5-mm input feature.

In terms of power options, the speakers can run on AC power when used indoors, and they can run on AA batteries when used out-of-doors. with the included AC adaptor, they can be used to recharge the iPod battery.

Commenting on the new speakers, Moninder Jain, Director, South Asia, Logitech, said the AudioStation Express delivers directly on consumer desires, enabling people to play and share their music, around the home on AC power, or outside on batteries.

techtree: Google has announced “Google Gears” for developers; an open source technology for creating offline Web applications.

“Google Gears” marks an important step in the evolution of Web applications because it addresses a major user concern: availability of data and applications when there’s no Internet connection available, or when the connection is slow or unreliable.

Reportedly, the new software will run both online and offline, affording users the flexibility to work anytime anywhere, including at the remotest of locations. All the user needs to do is install a plug-in into Web browsers, and the software will open an offline door to applications that till now were accessible only via an Internet connection.

Google hopes that in the long term, “Google Gears” will help the industry as a whole move towards a single standard for offline capabilities that all developers could use.

Eric Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Google, said, “With ‘Google Gears’ we are tackling a key limitation of the browser in order to make it a stronger platform for deploying all types of applications, and enabling a better user experience. We believe strongly in the power of the community to stretch this new technology to the limits of what’s possible, and ultimately emerge with an open standard that benefits everyone.”