Up to 74 pc FDI in non-scheduled airlines being considered

NEW DELHI, Aug 23 (UNI) The Government is considering allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 74 per cent in cargo, non-scheduled airlines, helicopter and seaplane operations, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel informed the Lok Sabha today.

X X X PIO: The Government is also considering allowing participation of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) in domestic civil aviation sector through the FDI route, Mr Patel said in a written reply.

X X X TRAINING INSTITUTES: The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has received proposals for setting up 37 flying training institutes in various parts of the country.

Five proposals each are from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, four from Rajasthan, three each from Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, two each from Karnataka and Chhattisgarh and one each from Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Mr Patel said.

He said DGCA had not renewed the licences of 16 flying training institutes which were found to be not conforming to the laid down guidelines. These institutes had been asked to take corrective measures for their revival.

X X X HERITAGE: The Government proposes to set up a Heritage Sites Commission.

The proposed draft Heritage Sites Commission Bill is under the consideration of the Law Ministry, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said.

X X X LIBRARIES: The Government will create an integrated bibliographic database of National Library, Kolkata, Central Secretariat Library, Delhi and other major libraries at a cost of about Rs 10 crore during the XIth Plan.

Towards this end, electronic bibliographic database is being created at select libraries which will be subsequently linked, Mrs Soni said.

X X X GAS PRICING: The Union Cabinet Secretary, which was asked to go into the issues related to gas pricing, has submitted his Report to the Government, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel said.

Following concerns expressed by the Andhra Pradesh Government over the market-determined pricing of gas by Reliance Industries Limited, the Centre has constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers to consider issues related to gas pricing under the NELP regime.

X X X BIO-DIESEL: The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has taken steps to begin commercial production of bio-diesel, Mr Patel said.

The Corporation has asked the Chhattisgarh Government to participate in bio-fuel plantation.

X X X RAIL WHEELS: The Railways is facing shortage of rail wheels. As against the total annual requirement of 2,40,000 wheels, the manufacturing capacity of the two indigenous sources-- Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore, and SAIL, Durgapur-- put together is about 2,00,000 wheels, Minister of State for Railways R Velu said.

To supplement the production capacity of these two factories, a new wheel manufacturing factory in Chhapra, Bihar, has been sanctioned and the project is planned to be completed by January 2010. Indigenous development of special type of wheels has also been taken up.

X X X TRAINING: The Railways has made training abroad mandatory for its officers to improve manpower and systems productivity, Mr Velu said.

X X X HOARDINGS: The Railways is expected to earn about Rs 47 lakh from commercial hoardings on railway land during 2007-08, the Minister said.

X X X FOOD TECHNOLOGY: The Government proposes to upgrade the Paddy Processing Research Centre at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahai said.

The Ministry proposes to upgrade this institute to a national level and widen its mandate to cover other crops such as millets, oil seeds and pulses, he said.

UNI