IGNOU to tie up with Indian army

New Delhi,

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) IGNOU will soon tie up with Indian army to set up community colleges in its cantonments and other defence establishments to impart education in market-driven courses and soft skill programmes.

"The courses will be for army personnel and their family members to help the unemployed members secure employment," varsity officials said, adding the programmes will also be useful for those personnel who are looking to start a new career after retirement.

The faculty will comprise teachers from IGNOU as well as from the defence forces.

Other details of the project and the funds are being worked out, they said.

IGNOU had recently started 100 community colleges in various parts of the country with an aim to help the underprivileged avail quality education, besides targeting drop outs.

PTI

No contact with Andhra CM's chopper: Home Ministry

New Delhi,

New Delhi, Sept 2 (PTI) There has been no contact with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, whose helicopter has been missing for over five hours now now after he took off from Hyderabad this morning, Home Ministry sources here said.

"There has been no no contact established with the helicopter," sources in the ministry said.

They said the situation was being monitored byHome Minister P Chidambaram and top officials who are in touch with

Andhra Pradesh government officials.

The Home Ministry spokesperson said two Air Force helicopters have been dispatched for search operations.

Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar told PTI that there was no no information about the whereabouts of the helicopter. The Home Ministry was coordinating search operations, he said

PTI

Economy not as bad as it looks; drought can be managed: PM

New Delhi,

New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said too much pessimism about the economy was unwarranted, as effects of the global financial downturn have begun wearing out and that the drought too can be easily managed.

"We are in a very strong position to manage the consequence of drought. Our food stocks in particular are very high...we should not be over-pessimistic", he said in his concluding remarks at the meeting of the full Planning Commission.

The country has a buffer food grain stock of 50 million tonnes, enough to meet the requirement of the public distribution system for 13 months.

Chairing the first meeting of the full plan panel in his second term, Singh said the economy has to deal with the lingering effects of global slowdown and impact of drought, but it also has underlying strengths built over the years.

PTI

Economy not as bad as it looks; drought can be managed: PM

New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said too much pessimism about the economy was unwarranted, as effects of the global financial downturn have begun wearing out and that the drought too can be easily managed.

"We are in a very strong position to manage the consequence of drought. Our food stocks in particular are very high...we should not be over-pessimistic", he said in his concluding remarks at the meeting of the full Planning Commission.

The country has a buffer food grain stock of 50 million tonnes, enough to meet the requirement of the public distribution system for 13 months.

Chairing the first meeting of the full plan panel in his second term, Singh said the economy has to deal with the lingering effects of global slowdown and impact of drought, but it also has underlying strengths built over the years.

PTI