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The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the third review of Burundi's economic performance under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement. The completion of the review was on a lapse of time basis, effective February 10, 2010, and enabled the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 6.6 million (about US$10.1 million) under the arrangement. This will bring total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 26.4 million (about US$40.5 million).

The Design Clinic Scheme, for Design expertise to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, is part of National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) during the 11th Plan Period is being implemented by the office of Development Commissioner (MSME), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.

New Delhi: Shri Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, during his meeting with Mr. Sergei Sobyanin, Deputy Prime Minister and Mr. Victor Khrihtenko, Minister of Industry & Trade, Russia here today, referred to the strategic relationship that exists between the two countries and expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation in trade and other areas will continue to register healthy growth.

New Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission disposed of 468 cases during December 2009 referred to it for advice. The Commission advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 70 officers. Of these, 20 were from public sector banks, 17 from M/o Railways, 11 from Northern Coalfields Ltd., 4 from Western Coalfields Ltd., 3 from MCD, 2 each from Ministry of Home Affairs and Central Board of Excise and Customs. The remaining 9 cases pertained to different departments of the Government of India and PSUs.

Meeting of the Executive Committee of Partners in Population and Development (PPD) was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad in Sheraton Hotel, Dhaka on the 15th of February, 2010.

New Delhi: The Cabinet Secretary of India, Shri K.M. Chandrashekhar has called for bench marking of public services in the SAARC region and to make them user friendly by adopting e-governance.

In view of the enormous potential for saving fossil fuels, specifically diesel, presently being used in rice mills for meeting their captive power requirements, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has recently launched new scheme for promoting rice husk based biomass gasifier systems.

Agriculture negotiations from 1 to 12 February 2010 saw some useful consultations on remaining issues, New Zealand Ambassador David Walker, who chairs the talks, reported to delegations at the end of the fortnight.

Will India's affluent professionals never stop fighting self-serving battles to defend their privileges even when doing so blatantly violates the public interest? Going by the reaction of the organised medical profession to the government's proposal to train a special category of rural doctors for a shorter duration than the MBBS course, that seems to be the case.

The forthcoming India-Pakistan talks are likely to take place in a listless atmosphere devoid of hope. The expectations of a forward movement which marked the previous dialogues are clearly absent this time. Instead, the feeling is that while India is holding the talks under pressure from America, Pakistan is unsure of the outcome. An indication of Islamabad's jittery reaction could be seen in foreign minister Mehmood Shah Qureshi's intemperate outburst about India having had no option but to bend in calling for the talks.