The Hindu Business Line : Centre to launch tech missions in social, economic sectors

TO continue the work that the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had initiated, the Government is expected to launch-half-a dozen technology missions in social and economic sectors.

These would be announced by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, either on October 2 or November 14 with the specifics, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office has said.

He was in the city to address the 70th annual general meeting of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA).

Mr Chavan said the Centre is all set to launch the food-for- work programme in 150 districts in the country.

The blueprint has been drawn up and this is expected to be implemented any day. He noted that the former NDA Government had drawn up a list of these districts under the aegis of the Shram Vikas Yojana.

He said this would form a part of the employment generation scheme to be launched in the country soon. The MCCIA, which has always been raising the issue of the absence of an airport in Pune found a ready reply from the Minister as he pointed out that "merely pushing for an airport is not enough. One has to find a viable and innovative financial model for it. We are looking at the model of the greenfield airport in Bangalore and the first private-public partnership airport at Kochi and are all ready to support the international airport cause for Pune, if an appropriate innovative model comes up."

He pointed out that the Maharashtra's special economic zone project should become a national project and added that the State would get its due. Mr Atul Kirloskar, the outgoing president of the MCCIA in his speech noted that a recent survey conducted by the Airports Authority of India pegged five-fold growth in passenger as well as cargo traffic through the Pune airport in the near future. Passenger traffic is expected to rise from five lakh passengers per year to 25 lakhs, while cargo would increase from 6,500 tonnes per annum to almost 30,000 tonnes during the same period.

He added that the site for the airport had been chosen by the Maharashtra Government, the Airports Authority of India and had been cleared by the Defence but "unfortunately when things were moving, the elections came in the way."

Mr Ravi Pandit, Chairman and Group CEO of KPIT CumminsInfosystems Ltd, would now take over from Mr Atul Kirloskar for the current year.

Earlier Mr Chavan presented the Dr R.J. Rathi awards for environmental pollution control in industries to Bajaj Auto Ltd,Waluj, Aurangabad and Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd, Khadki.

The purpose of the award, instituted a decade ago, is to provide encouragement and recognition to the efforts made by industries in Maharashtra towards control and abatement of environmental pollution. About 13 entries had been received for the award.

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