WE THE STATE 30th ISSUE

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8 BHOPAL April 22 to April 28, 2013 Bihar among most spenders on VIP security NEW DELHI/PATNA Despite Chief Minister Nitish Kumar persistently pressing for a special assistance package from the Centre for Bihar to give boost to state’s miserable economy, still the “backward state” spends a whopping sum of Commerce Bhopal jewellers fear shortage of gold BHOPAL If you are thinking of buying gold, you might as well hurry. While the retail gold market in city has been riding high - having recorded almost 50% hike in sales during the past few days due to the dip in the prices of the yellow metal -- a crisis might be looming in the coming days. The bullion and coin wholesalers have almost stopped the supply due to the price slump, and the impact of the restricted flow of the metal to retail market might start showing soon in form of shortage of raw material. Thus, jewellery and other retail gold items might get hard to come by in the near future even as the marriage season has commenced. Bhopal's New Market Sarafa Association vice-president Manoj Agrawal said that the market for gold is uncertain and the prices might go down further. The combined effect of sharp rise in sales by about 50% and the decision of the bullion traders to hold back their stock in hope of a surge in prices, could create a serious shortage of gold in the coming days, he said. Amrapali Jewelers manager Subodh Soni said, "We suffered huge losses due to sudden decrease in gold rate, but increase in selling of gold by up to 50%-70% has compensated our losses. The market is on boom due to Pushya Nakshatra (on Thursday) and the wedding season." Gold sold at Rs 26,400 per 10 grams and silver at Rs 45,000 per kg on Thursday. Small jewellery shop owners have already started feeling the impact of short-supply. Tirupati Jewelers owner Chintu Agrawal said, "I think in the coming days there will be a major problem for both buyers and retailers." He, however, added that during the last three days, the sale of gold doubled and Pushya Nakshtra made a big difference. Wholesale supplier Jai Mohan Agrawal, however, disagreed that hoarding of bullion was a trend. "Some suppliers might have possibly blocked the bullions, but it doesn't apply on all the wholesalers. I have not stopped supply of coins to the retailers. And I am happy with the decline in the price of gold, because it has got the market going again." Demand for engineering talent declining in IT industry: Report Demand for engineering graduates in the IT industry is reducing due to slowdown in revenue growth, change in business mix and preference for science graduates to lower costs, says a new report. "We attribute slowdown in absorption of engineering talent to slowdown in revenue growth rates of Indian IT, change in nature of demand (BPO and infrastructure management services) and effort by companies to lower cost of delivery by recruiting science graduates for delivery of services," a Kotak Institutional Equities report said. The report said business mix of Indian IT is changing with incremental growth accruing from analytics, consulting, BPO etc., which requires employees with different skill profiles. "Protectionism and expansion of delivery network to other low-cost locations such as Mexico, China and Eastern Europe are leading to accelerated hiring by companies outside India," it said. The report said TCS recruited over 5,000 non-Indians in the past four quarters while Infosys has significantly stepped up hiring in local geographies. "In addition, many new deals involve re- Rs. 141.95 crore annually to provide security cover to its 3591 VIPs, much higher than other richer states. Considering Bihar’s per capita income of just over $430, the colossal expenditure on VIP security raises questions over government’s fiscal management. badging of client employees. This reduces demand for Indian engineering talent," it added. The report said supply of engineers has also increased aggressively over the past few years. "India now trains more engineers annually (1.5 mn) than China (1.1 mn) and the US (0.1 mn) combined. This may lead to meaningful underemployment or stagnating wages," the report said. Excess supply will give companies flexibility to recruit in line with requirements, it added. WE THE STATE Rajasthan doubles alcohol revenue in five years Jaipur: Despite tall claims to curb alcohol consumption in the state, the revenue of excise department has almost doubled ever since the Congress government came to power in 2008. In 2007-08 the revenue of the excise was Rs. 1,805.12 crore which rose to almost 100 percent in 2011-12 to Rs. 3,287 crore. Till Decem-ber 2012 the department has already earned Rs. 2,803.72 crore which is likely to break all previous records by the end of financial year in March 2013. Of total revenue received in 2011-12, Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is the highest contributes with Rs. 1,298.63 cr. followed by country liquor Rs. 913.64 cr., beer Rs. 666.01 crore and others Rs. 408.72 cr. Meanwhile, with an eye on assembly elections this year, the state government is planning to impose a ban on liquor across the state and has formed a five-member committee to submit its report within six months to the government. NRI deposits in Kerala stands at Rs. 62,708 crore Thiruvananthapuram: The bank deposits by Non-Resident Indians (NRI) in Kerala stood at Rs. 62,708 crore till December 2012, bankers said on March 26. There are now around three million Keralites who work in foreign countries, close to 90 percent of them in the Middle East countries. Maximum deposits were done in the State Bank group, which attracted 40.58 percent or Rs. 25,445 crore of the total deposits. The private sector banks aggregated a total NRI deposit of Rs. 23.395 crore. The semi-urban areas of Kerala accounted for 62.85 percent of the deposits followed by 31.34 percent in the urban areas with the rural diaspora accounting for a mere 5.81 percent of share in the deposits. Within the State Bank group, Kerala’s own State Bank of Travancore led with Rs.17,258 crore of NRI deposits.
9 BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh can expect a big jump in wildlife tourism, as Palpur Kuno, set to get lions from Gir, would be the only habitat in the world to have three big cats, the lion, the tiger and the panther in one habitat. Lion tourism attracts a sizeable number of visitors in Gujarat. This was the principal reason for Gujarat refusing to let the lions go to MP, a move which would make Gujarat lose its unique position of being the only state in the country to have Asiatic lions. Also, Palpur Kuno is geographically located very close to the renowned Ranthambhor tiger reserve in Rajasthan that attracts sizable foreign and domestic tourists. Kuno Palpur is about 100 km from Ranthambhor and tourists that visit Ranthambhor could also add Palpur Kuno in their itinerary. The habitat comprises of dry deciduous shrub vegetation. The most common trees are kardhai and saalai. Being dry in nature, the area offers very good visibility of wildlife. A total of 24 villages have been relocated from the reserve and the former agricultural fields BHOPAL April 22 to April 28, 2013 of the village have developed in grasslands that are ideal habitat for game. The sanctuary has registered the presence of tigers that have returned to the area in the last few years. Panthers are also found in the reserve. Restrictions imposed on number of tourists at the prominent tiger reserves of the state like Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench could also be an advantage for Palpur Kuno. Presently, Palpur Kuno has very basic tourist amenities and hardly any tourist traffic. The sanctuary has a forest rest house located on the banks of the river Kuno and the closes hotels are at Shivpuri and Sheopur. "We will examine all future prospects and plan to strengthen our presence in the area," said managing director, MP state tourism development corporation, Raghwendra Kumar Singh. "I am aware of a few hotel and lodge owners who were looking to set up shop in Palpur Kuno. However, no one was sure whether the lion project would eventually be executed. Now that it has happened, I anticipate a big rush for Palpur Kuno," said former MLA and treasurer of the eco-tourism society of Heritage & Tourism India (ESOI). From the management and protection point of view, the Palpur Kuno sanctuary would present a fresh set of challenges to the forest department. One of the key reasons cited by Gujarat in the WE THE STATE Kerala beyond the backwaters Kerala is famous for its backwaters, luscious green terrain and laidback environment, but Kerala has much more to offer outside of its usual tourist hotspots. Sean Sequeira lists out the best of the lesser known destinations in Kerala. ATHIRAPPALLY WATERFALL Known as 'The Niagara of India', Athirappally Falls is best seen during or after the monsoon. Apart from the views of the waterfall, there is plenty of other sightseeing for wildlife enthusiasts including fauna like the Lion Tailed Macaque, Great Indian Hornbill and Cochin Forest Cane Turtle. Getting there Closest airport: Cochin International Airport Closest railhead: Chalakudy Places to stay Riverok Villas(Rs 1,226 per night) KTDC Tamarind Kalady(Rs 1,097 per night) VAGAMON MEADOWS A fairly unknown destination, Vagamon is a hill station located 1,100 meters above sea level which is nicknamed Scotland of Asia. The most enchanting highlights of Vagamon are the beautiful valleys and meadows which are covered green by the thick flora. The meadows make for an excellent picnic destination. Getting there Closest airport: Cochin International Airport Closest railhead: Kottayam Place to stay Green Meadows (Rs. 3,000 per night) Chamundi Hill Palace (Rs. 1,600 per night) Unique Palapur Kuno sanctuary set to give tourism boost BEKAL FORT The largest fort in Kerala, Bekal Fort was built from the sea up. There is plenty to explore in this fort; stairways and tunnels, a water tank, temples and mosques nearby and plenty of views of neighbouring towns from the observation tower. There is also a beach adjacent to the fort. Getting there Closest airport: Mangalore Domestic Terminal Closest railhead: Kasargod Place to stay K-Tees Residency (Rs 1,800 per night) Chandralayam Homestay (Rs. 1,500 per night) Edakkal Caves are located 1,200 metres above sea level in the Ambukuthi Mala mountain. The caves have pictorial writings with human and animal figurines. which date back upto 7,000 years and are rumoured to have been made by the Neolithic man. These are the only known carvings in south India which date back to the Stone Age. Getting there Closest airport: Kozhikode International Airport Closest railhead: Kozikhode Place to stay The Edakkal Hermitage (Rs 2,750 per night) Green Mountain Cottages (Rs 1,046 per night) SC in not wanting to part with the lions is the poor protection record in Madhya Pradesh. "All arrangements required to accommodate the lions once they are here are in place," said CCF, lion project, Sudhir Kumar.
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Page 5 and 6: 5 DINESH BAHUVA Email: dbahuva@gmai
Page 7: 7 BHOPAL April 22 to April 28, 2013
Page 11 and 12: 11 BHOPAL The very same day he gave

WE THE STATE 30th ISSUE

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