ICC May Allow Two Bouncers an Over in ODIs

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) cricket committee has recommended the number of bouncers permitted in a One Day International (ODI) over be increased to two. They also concluded the bowling powerplay be removed and the number of fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle reduced from five to four.

The committee's recommendations will be ratified by the ICC Board in Kuala Lumpur later this month, if they are incorporated into ODI playing conditions the mandatory Powerplay of 10 overs at the start of each innings will remain but only one period of five overs will now be nominated as a Powerplay, to be taken by the batting side and completed by the 40th over.

The changes are designed to "improve the balance between bat and ball and to create an identity for ODIs distinct from the Test and Twenty20 formats," an ICC release stated.

The committee decided there had been little impact from two five-over Powerplays being taken between the 16th and 40th overs, but did think using two new balls from each end had proven successful — both measures were recommended at last year's meeting.

Other recommendations of the committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, were that the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method of calculating scores in rain-affected matches should remain. An Indian mathematician, V Jayadevan, had proposed his system — the VJD method — replace D/L but the committee unanimously agreed there was no evidence of any significant flaws in the D/L method nor that any improvements could be offered by the VJD method.

In addition, to improve over-rates, it was recommended that drinks should not be brought onto the field other than at official drinks breaks and players should always assume a not-out decision following a review and be ready to immediately resume play after the decision is made.

Jamia Felicitates First Anglo Arabic Girl's Batch

Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung felicitated 15 girl students, the first batch of girls who have recently been admitted to the 300-year-old Anglo Arabic School in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

The Anglo Arabic School has made history by admitting girls for the first time in its over 300 year existence. Having started off as Madrasa Ghaziuddin around 1692, the school had remained an all-boys school thus far.

"This is the girls' first step towards better schooling. The change will come gradually," said Jung.

"Modern education has started arriving for girls from the community," added Jung, who is also chairman of the school and president of the Delhi Education Society.

The school in Delhi’s Ajmeri Gate area has produced the likes of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, Liaqat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan, JN Dixit, former national security advisor and foreign secretary, among many other luminaries.

In a significant move, the managing committee of the school, in a meeting held on March 26, decided to open its doors to girls. However, this decision was not considered favorably by the staff of the school, which is predominantly male, and it seemed at the time that this decision would not be implemented.

After a PIL filed by an M.Phil. student of JNU, Fatima Alvi, the Delhi High court and police were directed to ensure that the school's managing committee's decision is implemented.

Following the high court order, the school management swung into action and has so far admitted over 15 girls in Classes 6 to 11. The number is expected to increase in the comings days. Mehvish Rehmani, Darakshan Fatima and Gulafshan Fatima were the first applicants to secure admissions in the institution in Classes 11 (Commerce with Maths) and Class 7 respectively.

IIFA Awards 2012 in Singapore From June 7–9; Ranbir, Bipasha, Shahid to Perform

The forthcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards night will be held in Singapore From June 7–9, 2012. The father-son duo of Rishi and Ranbir Kapoor might share the stage together for the first time.

The awards night will also see performances by Sonakshi Sinha, Bipasha Basu, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Ranbir says he will enthrall his fans in Singapore by performing on hits like "Sadda haq" and "Tai tai phish," as well as "one surprise."

The flamboyant actor rarely performs at award functions, but the fact that ace dancer Prabhu Deva was choreographing his IIFA act drew him.

"It is not that I don't perform. I did not have the confidence to come on stage and perform. This time Prabhu Deva is choreographing and I love his choreography.

"So I wanted to perform. Prabhu is a dancing star not only of India, but of the world. He is better than Michael Jackson," Ranbir said.

Goa Bans Water Sports, Swimming on Beaches for Monsoon

Ahead of the coming monsoon, the Goa government banned water sports along the state's 105-km coastline on Friday, June 1, 2012. It also cautioned tourists and local residents against swimming in the sea, which gets churned dangerously by the lashing monsoon winds.

"The permission granted by the Captain of Ports for plying off water sports vessels within the state of Goa has come to an end. Therefore, all the water sports operators plying their vessels within the state of Goa are hereby directed to stop their operations immediately," a state government directive said.

The statement, issued by the state information and publicity department, also said that water sports operators, who continue with popular water sports operations like jet skiing, speed boating, banana boating, para-sailing and the like, would be banned from water sports-related activity.

"The vessel shall be confiscated and auctioned," the statement said, adding that the directives were issued because "during the monsoon, the sea is rough and hence dangerous for swimming."

"All tourists as well as the general public are therefore hereby cautioned not to venture into the sea so as to avoid untoward incidents which may include death due to drowning," it further said.

According to figures released by the Goa government, nearly 2.7 million tourists arrived in Goa during the October 2011–March 2012 season, out of which nearly half a million were foreigners.

India to Launch 16 New Nuclear Reactors

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will launch 16 reactors at an outlay of Rs 2.3 trillion ($40 billion) during the 12th Plan period (2012–17), a top official of the atomic power operator said.

"We have to launch eight 700 MW pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and eight light water reactors (LWRs) involving a total outlay of Rs 230,000 crore (Rs 2.3 trillion). The LWRs will be from foreign companies," SK Jain, who retired as NPCIL chairman and managing director, said in an interview.

According to him, the eight 700 MW PHWRs would come up at Kaiga in Karnataka, Gorakhpur in Haryana's Fatehabad district, Banswada in Rajasthan and Chutka in Madhya Pradesh.

The 16 reactors are in addition to NPCIL's four 700 MW PHWRs under construction — two at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (units 7 and 8) and two at Kakrapara in Gujarat — at an outlay of Rs 22,000 crore.

The NPCIL currently generates 4,780 MW of power. The new additions of 4,800 will take this to 9,580 MW. A 500 MW reactor to be commissioned by another company, Bhavini, will take India's installed nuclear power capacity to 10,080 MW by the end of the 12th Plan.

This will be three percent of the 300,000 MW generation capacity planned by 2017. India currently generates a little less than 200,000 MW of power.

"Eighteen overseas banks have come out for arranging debt to NPCIL's expression of interest that was floated recently. Four have said they would underwrite the entire debt funding for our projects," Jain said.

According to him the company is looking at external commercial borrowings (ECBs) and export credit agencies (ECA) for funds and over a month ago, NPCIL raised $250 million through ECBs.

He said three public-private-partnership joint venture companies have been incorporated and the projects would be soon allotted for them after the Atomic Energy Act is amended to allow such tie-ups in the nuclear field.

NPCIL has entered into a three-way joint venture with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Alstom for manufacturing turbines for the 700MW PHWRs.

The atomic power plant operator has another joint venture with Larsen and Toubro for making forgings for nuclear power plants.

Haryana Hikes License Fee on Property

The license fee for properties in Haryana has been increased, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Friday, June 1, 2012.

Hooda said the cabinet approved the proposal of the Town and Country Planning department to increase the license fee for residential plots, group housing and industrial colonies.

The cabinet also approved increase in conversion charges for hotel, motel with banquet facility and resorts projects.

M&M to Invest Rs 4,000-cr in Tamil Nadu

India’s automobile major Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) plans to build a vehicle plant at an outlay of Rs 4,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, a top company official said.

Anand Mahindra, vice chairman and managing director, along with other officials, met Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on this on June 1, 2012.

Mahindra said: "We are on an exploratory visit. The meeting is to discuss an exploration for a new investment for an automotive plant."

The company is looking at other states for investment as well. The proposed investment will probably be the single largest investment in the automotive sector.

M&M President (Automotive Business) Pawan Goenka said the meeting with the chief minister was the first "and we are looking for land and the incentive package that the state can offer."

He said the investment for the proposed plant will be around Rs 4,000 crore.

Delhi to Remember MF Husain on His First Death Anniversary

Close friends, fans and fellow artists will remember Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India's greatest contemporary artists, on his first death anniversary on June 9, 2012 with a commemorative program, "Remembering Husain," at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi.

The artist died in exile in London. He was 96.

The tribute will bring to light another lesser known art of Husain — calligraphy — that he had mastered. While painting mythological compositions from the epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata at the home of art connoisseur Badrivishal Pitti in Hyderabad, he penned his thoughts and all that he felt in an elaborate painted calligraphic diary which he named, "Harf va Naksh."

The service will be hosted by the Raza Foundation, a non-profit arts and culture promotion body, set up by the oldest of the surviving progressive artists, SH Raza.

Historians say Husain learnt the art of calligraphy early in life and practiced the "Kulfic Khat," a form of stylized calligraphy with its geometric form. He learnt to write poetry in a madrassa in Baroda, where he stayed with his uncle. Poetry stayed with him all through his life.

The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), a progressive cultural organization in the Indian capital which was working with the artist to preserve his legacy, is planning a "mount a street van exhibition of reproductions of Husain's work, along with the lanterns and umbrellas — Husian's aesthetic icons," said Ram Rahman, a senior functionary of the organization.

BHEL Gets Rs 1,143-cr Order From NTPC

India’s state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has received a contract, worth Rs 1,143 crore, from India's largest power generation utility National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for setting up a 500-Mw power generating unit at its Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station in Madhya Pradesh.

BHEL's scope of work in the contract envisages design, engineering, manufacture, supply and erection & commissioning of Steam Generator and Steam Turbine Generator along with associated Auxiliaries and Controls & Instrumentation.

The equipment for the project will be manufactured at BHEL's Trichy, Ranipet, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Bhopal Plants, while the company's Power Sector, Western Region, will be responsible for erection and commissioning of the equipment.

The company has established the capability to deliver power plant equipment of 20,000 Mw a year.

AIIMS II Construction Begins in Haryana

The construction of the second campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-II), perhaps bigger than the one in Delhi, began in a village in Haryana's Jhajjar district on May 30, 2012. It is being built at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

The new institute would house many such facilities which could not be created in the Delhi AIIMS due to lack of space.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, laid the foundation stone in Badhsa village.

The minister announced that the AIIMS Outreach OPD would be completed in next four months time, a nursing school would be set up through National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and 5 to 10 per cent reservation would be given to youths of Badsha village in class-IV and other non technical jobs in the upcoming AIIMS-II.

He described it as the 'Baadshah' (king) of the health institutes in the country. He said that this AIIMS-II would have a research institute, where the best health policies would be drafted.

The new AIIMS will also house a National Institute where cancer, heart and infectious diseases would be treated. He said that new technologies to provide health treatment at reasonable prices would also be researched.

Azad said that AIIMS is a big project and would take five to six years in completion. In the mean time, Outreach OPD would provide health services like general medicine, orthopedics, gynecologists and ENT among others.

He said that the government was looking for the required measurement of land in the neighboring NCR region to set up a branch of AIIMS-II. This branch or the second campus of AIIMS-II at Badhsa will see modern, state of the art tertiary level health care being offered by several departments of AIIMS.