Chhattisgarh call centre helps tone public distribution system

September 25th, 2009 RAIPUR - Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday said the central government would extend all support to states to counter and defeat left-wing extremism in what would be a "long-drawn" fight.

August 13th, 2009 RAIPUR - India's worst Maoist insurgency hit state Chhattisgarh has been put on high alert after the Leftist rebels asked people to stay away from Independence Day celebrations Aug 15, the state police chief said here Thursday. "The entire state has been put on high alert in wake of possible Maoist attacks and their call for a boycott of Independence Day," Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwaranjan told IANS.

July 23rd, 2009 RAIPUR - Power utility NTPC Ltd has agreed to provide 35 percent of the electricity produced at its upcoming 500 MW stage-III Korba project to Chhattisgarh, a government statement said Thursday. "NTPC (formerly National Thermal Power Corp) has agreed to provide 175 MW power to Chhattisgarh from its 500 MW stage-III Korba project that will begin generation by February 2010," the statement said.

July 17th, 2009 RAIPUR - Above-average rainfall in parched Chhattisgarh since July 13, the first time this monsoon, has set paddy cultivation back on the track on about 3.5 million hectares. According to agriculture department officials, sowing has been completed in about 45 percent of the near 3.5 million hectares targeted for paddy cultivation in the state's 18 districts.

July 1st, 2009 RAIPUR - Overnight rains in almost all the 18 districts of parched Chhattisgarh have revived prospects of a good paddy output. The government has set a target of 65.5 million tonnes paddy output this season, based on the 57 million tonnes yield last season.

June 3rd, 2009 DHARWAD - Having come into existence only last year in June in Hyderabad, the State capital of Andhra Pradesh, Millet Network of India (MINI) today has over 90 members in 12 States of India. Millet Network of India (MINI) considers millets as "God's Own Crops", as it believes millets respond to multiple farming challenges being faced today.

February 10th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The eighth regional office of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to be inaugurated in the Orissa capital Thursday will benefit schools of three eastern states affiliated to the board, an official said Wednesday. The centre, to be be inaugurated by Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh, will initially function from a rented building, the regional office in charge, Piyush Sharma, told IANS.

January 28th, 2009 RAIPUR - GMR Energy will begin construction work on its ambitious, albeit contentious, 1,200 MW Chhattisgarh power project by September, a top company official said Thursday. 'The company will begin construction work by September and we are confident about completing the land acquisition within three-four months,' GMR Energy chief executive Raaj Kumar told newsmen here.

January 20th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will spend a whopping Rs.1,440 crore (Rs.14.4 billion) next fiscal to provide rice at Rs.2 a kilogram to about 3.7 million families. Of these, some 70,000 families will get it at Re.1.

January 17th, 2009 RAIPUR - At least 10 inmates of a juvenile centre on the outskirts of Chhattisgarh capital Raipur escaped from custody Sunday, the police said. '11 inmates ran away from Mana-based Juvenile Justice Centre Sunday but one was captured while 10 are still missing,' Superintendent of Police (City) Lal Umed Singh said.

January 17th, 2009 RAIPUR - In an attempt to end the power crisis in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh will supply about 300 MW electricity to the southern state, an official said Sunday. 'We have formally approved the Karnataka government's request.

January 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Terming safe driving as the right of every citizen, the Delhi High Court Thursday warned call-centre drivers of dire consequences if they drove rashly and beyond speed limits. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S.

January 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - A 25-year-old call centre employee who was reportedly driving on the wrong side of the road died when he crashed into a crane early Sunday because of poor visibility affected by thick fog, the police said. Puniya Nand Sharma, who worked in a call centre in Gurgaon, was returning to his east Delhi home in his Santro car and probably lost direction due to heavy fog near Harphool Singh Akhara in Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi, the police said.

December 31st, 2008 RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh government Thursday announced that it has split the state electricity board into five entities - one holding company and four others to manage transmission, distribution, production and trading. The new companies are - Chhattisgarh State Power Transmission Co.

December 27th, 2008 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh police, yet to register a maiden case against a smoker even after three months of ban on smoking in public places, say they have more serious jobs in hand in the Maoist insurgency-hit state. Top officers at the police headquarters here said the state police, having a strength of nearly 40,000 personnel for nearly 20.08 million population, were still looking for the first case against a smoker.