In a message, Union Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani said that Hindi has played vital role in bringing a unified platform besides its contribution in raising patriotism during freedom struggle. Eminent persons and saints from non-Hindi areas have equally contributed towards its propagation. He also reminded of the great role of Hindi as a link language which brought all the national leaders together under the able leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.

    He mentioned that during last 52 years the use and capability of official language has greatly enhanced. Now-a-days it is not only widely used in the different faculties of medicine, science and technology, agriculture, computer and

    Human Management but writing of original text in Hindi itself has become much easier and simple. Shri Advani emphasised that creative work in Hindi is very much possible now.

    The Home Minister also cautioned that our country is standing on the threshold of the new millennium. This fact has to be kept in mind while talking about the growth and prosperity of the official language. Present age is the age of great change. New era will witness the revolution in information sector. In the international market cut-throat competition is going on. Every country is trying hard to augment the speed of development, added Shri Advani.

    He expressed hope that India would emerge as a great power with its ancient history, glorified culture and vast natural and human resources. Hindi has to be adopted keeping in view the expectations of the new era and the new researches taking place every day in the field of information technology so that it can play its role in the development of nation. In this context he advised that the Golden Jubilee celebration is also an occasion for serious introspection and analyzing our achievements in fair manner.

    Shri Advani called upon people to take pledge, having abiding faith in Constitution to contribute for the growth of the official language sincerely.
 
 

    Following investigations by the Department of Company Affairs, out of 159 companies listed by SEBI, names of three companies were repeated twice in the list. Out of the remaining 156 companies, 8 companies are under liquidation and one company under Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) proceedings. The assets of one company each have been taken over by the Karnataka State Government and the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation respectively. Seventy Companies are available at their registered offices, but prosecutions have been initiated against 41 companies for non-filing of documents.

    Enquiries against 63 companies are still going on and in respect of 32 of them inspection under Section 209A of the Companies Act, 1956 has been ordered. Police complaints have also been filed against 6 such companies. Only 12 companies were not found at their registered offices. Prosecutions have been launched against 7 of these companies and police complaints filed against the remaining 5 companies.
 
 

    Foreign exchange earning from the Tourism sector continued to remained second highest after Textile. It was Rs. 936.24 crores during August, 1999. So far, this year Tourism has fetched Rs. 7849.24 crores foreign exchange for the country which is 8.2 per cent higher than the corresponding period of previous year.
 
 

    Talking about the problems faced by Northeast Frontier (NF) Railways,the Minister suggested that a special action plan for the NF Railway should be prepared on safety and security, so that the movement of rail traffic in the region could be made smooth and trouble free. Shri Naik asked the General Managers to strengthen the confidence of the people in the Railways which is the lifeline of the nation and is still regarded as the safer mode of travel.

    Earlier, addressing the Conference, Railway Board Chairman, Shri V.K. Agarwal informed that a group will be formed in the Railway Board to formulate a comprehensive safety plan which will identify areas, time frame and resources for all safety related activities. He said that instructions have already been issued to all the Railways for streamlining safety related measures.
 
 

    Financial assistance is granted to SCs and STs under the scheme of Overseas Scholarship to enable them to pursue higher studies in technical fields abroad. A total number of 532 students had benefited under this scheme upto March, 1999.
 
 

    The problems raised by units covered textiles related issues, frequent visit by inspectors of various departments from the State Governments, difficulties being faced with customs/central Excise staff, reimbursement of CST, applicability of income Tax holiday in certain situations, availability of duty free HSD and furnace oil, unviable duty structure on domestic sales, applicability of MODVAT/DEPB benefits, SIL on deemed exports, exemption from State sales tax, disposal of waste and scrap, procedural formalities of job working etc.

    It was noted that many units were not cleared about the provisions of EXIM policy and procedures and latest customs and central excise circulars had not percolated down to the units. The conference was helpful in resolving many of the problems presently being faced by the EOUs.

    Ministry of Commerce proposes to organize similar open houses through video conference for EOUs in other States also as also for specific sectors like floriculture and aqua culture on regular basis.
 
 

    Articles 22, 23 and 24 of the TRIPs Agreement deal with the provisions on geographical indications. According to the Agreement, members must provide means to prevent the use of any indication which misleads the consumer as to the origin of goods and any use which would constitute an act of unfair competition.

    Separately, India has also submitted in the General Council of the WTO several proposals on issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the preparatory process for the Seattle Ministerial Conference. These include proposals relating transfer of technology at fair and reasonable cost to the developing countries and protection of biological diversity.
 
 

    In this context, the Ministry has categorically denied the report appearing in a section of the press which had stated that the Ministry is considering not to open any quota under FCFS system during the year 1999 to safeguard the interest of NIE (New Investors Entitlement) exporters.

    It may be mentioned here that the Textile Ministry, in order to achieve maximum utilisation of quota levels available under the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), has been announcing a long-term export quota policy and the current policy is valid for a three-year period from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1999. Under the export quota policy, the available quotas are distributed under different systems of allocation, such as Past Performance Entitlement (PPE), First-Cum-First-Served (FCFS), Manufacturer Exporters Entitlement (MEE), Non-Quota Entitlement (NQE), Powerloom Exporters Entitlement (PEE), New Investors Entitlement (NIE) etc. The garment export entitlement policy is implemented by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC). A new quota policy is being formulated for the year 2000 onwards.
 
 
 

    The salient features of the scheme are:

• Air India will offer GOI officials, above the rank of Under Secretary, a ticket for one of his family members on payment of a surcharge.
• Only spouse and children are eligible.
• This scheme is valid for round trip journeys only. The travel of the official and companion must be as per the approved itinerary, and the travel on outbound/return sectors must be together.
• The scheme is valid for the published full fare first class and executive class, and full fare economy class tickets only.
• The prorate outgo for interline travel of his family member, if any, shall be collected from the GOI official while issuing the ticket.
• No upgrade or layover shall be given when such a family ticket is availed of. The notation "GOI Family Travel Scheme Availed" shall be made on the ticket of the GOI official.
• The surcharge for the accompanying family member to be charged is as follows:

 
 
'24'

    The existing licensees of cellular services on their migration to the New Telecom Policy-99 (NTP-99) regime in terms of migration package already offered to them, will also be permitted to expand their networks using any other technology or the GSM technology to which they have been bound so far as per the existing licences.

    The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) would operate cellular services under the same terms and conditions of licence as would be applicable to private operators. In keeping with the objectives of NTP-99, DoT and MTNL would be permitted to operate cellular mobile services under provisional licence till the terms and conditions of new licences are finalised for which recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have already been sought. The final terms and conditions would be applicable to all licensees under NTP-99 including MTNL and DoT. The licence fee, thus, received would be reimbursed to DoT to provide resources for meeting the immense rural and social obligations.

    The NTP-99 which was adopted by the Government from 1^st April 1999, envisages that CMSP under the new licensing regime shall be free to provide all types of mobile services using any type of network equipment that meet the relevant International Telecommunication Union (ITU)/Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) standards.
 
 

    The release of special postage stamps on distinguished literary figures, whose works when viewed in totality, emphasise the linguistic harmony of the country. Jhaverchand Kalidas Meghani was a poet, a lyricist writing folk songs, a social-cultural-historical novelist, short story writer and educationist. His stirring poems and songs inspired freedom fighters and Gandhiji gave him the honoured epithet of "Rashtriya Shayar". Kazi Nazrul Islam, a poet from Bengal, began his literary career by contributing to periodicals and his poems were noted for their intensity of emotions. His contributions inspired the people to join the movement for independence. Shri Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', called the "Rashtrakavi" evoked the spirit of nationalism on account of his inspiring patriotic composition. A philosopher-poet, Shri Dinkar who rose upon the Hindi literary scene like the proverbial 'Sun'. Rambriksh Benipuri hailed from Muzaffarpur in Bihar took active part in the freedom movement. He wrote many plays, radio features, novels, stories, word-sketches and reminiscences which brought-forth many literary master pieces.

    The First Day Cover alongwith the information sheet is available on sale at all Philatelic Bureaux/Counters and at selected Post Offices.