To 01.02.2010 Managing Director, Britannia Industries Limited, Regd. Off. 5/1/A Hungerford Street, K O L K A T A – 700 017 (West Bengal) Ph. (033) 2287 0505 / 2287 2439 / 2287 2057 Fax (033) 2287 2501. Kind Attn.: Ms Vinita Bali. Dear Madam, Sub: Complaints regarding inferior quality of biscuits. I am very much grieved to inform you that despite my repeated written complaints to Shri Sharad Pawarji, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister, Department of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India, you and your responsible senior officials regarding the fungus infected biscuits, no proper response was/is forthcoming, actually I had expected prompt and reformatory actions from your end. But having received no solace from your end and being disappointed I have no other go than to resort to go to Consumer Court for redressal for seeking fair justice entirely to your costs and consequences. This is for your information. Thanking you, Yours sincerely, (Vinod Tapdiya) Indian Civilian 9301017222, 9826026023 Copies to: 1) The Hon’ble Chief Minister, M.P. Government, Indore 2) Minister, Food & Civil Supplies, Indore 3) The Collector, Indore 4) The Minister, Food & Civil Supplies, Govt. of M.P. Indore. 5) Mr. Neeraj Chandraraj The Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, 6) Mr. Rajesh Kumar Lal, The Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, 7) Mr. Alagu Balaraman, The Vice President – Human Resources & Process Architect, 8) Mr. P. Shyam Sunder, Vice President & Head of Quality, 9) Mr. Raju Thomas, Chief Financial Officer, 10) Mr. Atul Sinha, The Vice Presidet, New Business Development - Vinod Tapdiya

I am Ankur Verma,student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, B.Tech, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal. I wholeheartedly appreciate the sort of work done by this community in field of environment. I am too interested to work in field of renewable/ natural sources of energy.I think that we are ignoring the vast potential we have in form of natural sources of energy. I want to explore this area as much as i can and extract benefits for me and my society. National Solar Mission is really a great move in right time, taken by our honorable Prime Minister. - Ankur Verma

Dear Sir/ Madam, Best compliments from Shree Laxmi Institute for Women and Rural Development (SLIWARD), Dharwad. Karnataka, India Shree Laxmi Institute for Women and Rural Development, Dharwad is the registered non profit making voluntary organization involved in the service of underprivileged of the society for the last ten years. We have implemented the following important programs for the benefit of the community as a whole. • Women empowerment /Income Generating Activities • Health, HIV/AIDS • Environmental protection • Education • Protection of craft and culture • Agriculture • Rural Development • Market assistance for the members of SHGs • Vocational Training/Skill Development Programs • Entrepreneurship Development and • Micro finance. SLIWARD has formed hundreds of Self Help Groups in different backward districts of Karnataka for the Socio-economic upliftment and to rejuvenate the economic activities through income generating activities, training for empowering the women who are in distress in the rural areas. We have all the required updated documents including FCRA certificate. In order to address the burning problems of the community particularly in the rural sector we need your kind support from your esteemed organization to tackle the multifold problems to uphold the dignity of women and youth. I, therefore, request you kindly to inform about the availability of funds for the above mentioned projects to be implemented by our NGO. With kind Regards, Yours Sincerely Dr H V Shivappa President - Dr.H.V.Shivappa

STM publisher Research Publishing Services, Singapore, has announced the launch of its first journal – Asian Journal of Environment and Disaster Management (AJEDM). The journal claims to be the first journal focusing on environment and disaster related issues in the Asian region. Asia, being the center of urban growth in the last few decades, has also created severe environmental problems, and is prone to different types of natural disasters. Prof. Rajib Shaw from Kyoto University, Japan, and Prof. R. R. Krishnamurthy from University of Madras, India, serve as the chief editors of the journal. The editorial board includes leading experts in environmental and disaster management. Published twice a year, this journal provides a forum to communicate research findings, not only through academic research, but also incorporating field based action research. It will have wider authors and readers, which will include the research and academic community, non-government organisations, policy makers and international organisations. The print version of this journal will be released during the AUEDM workshop to be held at Bangkok during February 22–24, 2010. The first issue of this journal is now available online at: http://rpsonline.com.sg/journals/101-ajedm/2009/0101/1010101-toc.html- Baksar

I have to attend the Commonwealth Forestry conference 2010 at Edinburgh from June 28 to July 3,2010 for paper presentation.I am not getting financial support from my govt,so I wanted to know about few organisations which can help me for attending this conference. HU Khan Conservator Forest SFRI Jabalpur(MP) Pin 482008- H U khan

Dearth of Technical Manpower at CPCB - A serious concern An excerpt from an interview with Dr. B. Sengupta, Member Secretary, CPCB, India. In which he mentioned as "there is acute shortage of technical manpower, even in CPCB we have very less, for eg: in EPA of USA there are more than 18000 technical people while in entire CPCB we are hardly 150 technically qualified people. Mandates are very high but manpower is low". Reference: Sustainable Environment - September 2008 (page 16), www.sustainableenvironment.co.in- Kanna Kumar S.

Hello, We are residents of Nilgiris, and the massive Natural destruction in July and in September, has ravaged the District.We are a group of concerned Citizens, who want to start a program on Collecting Commercial Plastics generated everyday. Plastic has invaded the poorest of the Tribal population living in Masinagudi. Through the segregation of Plastic at the source, their homes. We cannot put up any unit, which involves melting of Plastic carry bags. The best we can do is collect, bale them abd send them to recycling plants at Karur or Bangalore.PLEASE HELP US, Help Save The NIlgiris- Sacchi.Rajgopal

Community Conservation Initiatives (CCIs), is one of the areas, which needed more attention, time and money with good and interested volunteers (including organizations). as several CCIs have gone unnoticed, but still documenting all such good practices and bringing them to limelight is the most important and vital thing to realize the objective of creating space for them. The spirit of Article 51 A of our constitution can be strengthened through this activity and the final goal of the activity should be to Promote the Culture of CCI by many communities across the nation covering different types of resources. Towards this, advocacy also is necessary before developing protocols for recognizing and rewarding the CCIs. The aspect of space in curricula, informally some of the most familiar CCIs are taught and discussed in different subjects at schools, colleges and PG studies. However, the way they are dealt with is only for information sake, but in no way they can motivate or inspire the students (future citizens) to think of practicing some of these relevant to them, or their communities. Thus, there is a need to reorient the way of handling the subject in the curricula is important. The learning’s should motivate to Promote the Culture of CCI.http://cciori.org/- Kanna Kumar S.

SEEKING JOB ASSURANCE: Students of Forest College and Research Institute at Mettupalayam who came to Coimbatore on Monday to submit a petition to the Collector. – Coimbatore: Students of B.Sc Forestry from the Forest College at Mettuppalayam on Monday petitioned the Chief Minister seeking reservation in direct recruitment of range officers in Tamil Nadu Forest Department. The students are on strike for the last couple of days. On Sunday they signed a banner with blood. The National Commission on Agriculture of 1976 recommended that agriculture universities in the country should start forestry education. Based on this, 14 agriculture universities started the B.Sc Forestry courses. According to the recommendations of the State Planning Commission 1972, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University started B.Sc Forestry as a four-year professional course from 1985-86 and M.Sc Forestry from 1989-90. Despite the recommendation of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests for earmarking 25 per cent in direct recruitment for B.Sc Forestry students, Tamil Nadu Government has not done so. This resulted in successive batches of B.Sc forestry students remaining jobless. The main demand of students was to reserve the 100 per cent ranger posts in the direct recruitment for the B.Sc Forestry students (now called for by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission) for the benefit of students who remained unemployed or under employed for the last 21 years. Some other States have already issued a GO. The other demands were:M.Sc Forestry graduates who are technically and scientifically skilled should be given 100 per cent reservation in the direct recruitment to fulfil the scientific and management aspects. As in the case of Agricultural Officer, Horticultural Officer, Fisheries Officer and Forest Officer, B.Sc Forestry students should be considered for National Bamboo Mission, Watershed Projects and Wasteland Development. Managers and Technical officers in the forest plantation corporations such as TANTEA, TAFCORN, Arasur Rubber Corporation, TNPPL and at the Tamil Nadu Forest Research Institute at Kolapakkam. Students also demanded appointment of B.Sc Forestry graduates in the Van Vigyan Kendras in the 30 districts of Tamil Nadu to meet the scientific and technical needs to educate the farmers/tree growers in the State. http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/24/stories/2009112459170300.htm Mr. Rajeev Verma (THE GAP): More than 75% of the forest department officials are under powered in terms of their knowledge, skill and understanding of forestry, on the other hand the trained professionals are biting the dust. Paradoxically, when the career opportunities, of postgraduate students of forestry was explored it was found that these students are highly dependent upon research fellowships provided by forest research institutes, which however do not provide a secure career option as there is no intake of skilled manpower. The dependency is really high as forestry has not been included in the subject list of examinations held by UGC (NET). On the other hand, Agricultural Research Service exams conducted by Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board have not recruited any scientists in forestry and related streams for the last two years. Students from these research institutes are dependent upon career opportunities provided by small NGOs where they are bound to work in project-oriented environments with short-term career prospects. Though leading organizations are also involved, due to the corporate set-up their prime intake is of managers and not researchers. The opportunities provided by pulp and paper industries are also limited in scope. The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, an autonomous institute under MoEF, provides postgraduate managerial diploma in forestry but looking at its past placement records, it can be inferred that significant manpower goes to the corporate sector. Regular examinations in the forestry sector of the Indian Forest Services are tough to crack due to less number of posts and being open to all science graduates. Examinations conducted by State Forest Services are not regular and are held only on the availability of posts. This overall scenario presents a difficult situation to all forestry graduates regarding career opportunities. Hence it is of immense importance to take proper governmental and institutional initiatives to work out a timely solution to this bottleneck situation. http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/oct102006/855.pdf In the words of Dr. Manmohan JR Dobriyal: This is genuine demand of forestry garduates and all state goverments in their respective states must regulate the same. Why there is duplicacy and retraining in rangres , IFS etc when a full falgged trained manpower is avilable in the country. I am also an forestry garduate passout in 1998 from Pantnagar university and same condition is in UP and Uttarakhand where these graduates are coimng since 1990. If our sensible minister of MoEF Mr. ramesh ji look into this matter a roadmap can be traced for these graduates otherwise goverment should close these kind of programmes. Forestry is unique sector as totally under goverment control so students have no other option like other graduates who can go to private sector. Yes goverment give commercail firms these forests for management then we r comparable to other sectors. Therefore goveremnet must look into this vital issue is keep on pending since 20 years.- Kanna Kumar S.

I am so happy to see my report on water mill of HP in this portal. I wrote this report some 18 years ago helped by a CSE Journalists' fellowship. I'll be happy to be of some help. Regards. - Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee