An initiative for manufacturing and marketing of tulsi garlands in the remote Behtana village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan has ensured profitable monetary returns for nearly 150 women who were earlier waging a daily struggle against poverty.

The water-starved Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, whose Unesco status of world heritage site is under threat due to persistent water crisis, can finally soak some hope. The Supreme Court-constituted central empowered committee (CEC) has sanctioned Rs 65 crores to this sanctuary for water harvesting projects and maintaining its aquatic ecology.

The public sector Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam has formulated an ambitious plan for supply of electricity to 693 villages and 1,296 hamlets in seven districts of Jaipur, Bharatpur and Kota divisions this year with an expenditure of Rs.197.57 crore. The Chairman and Managing Director of Jaipur discom, R.G. Gupta, said here on Thursday that the villages to be electrified during 2008-09 would include 96 where no power transmission lines presently exist. Over 4 lakh families, including 2.96 lakh living below poverty line (BPL), inhabit these villages.

The recent tripping of power supply lines of the Northern Grid has aggravated the shortage of electricity in Rajasthan, which is facing a paucity of 1.5 crore units a day against the demand for 11.2 c

The Rajasthan Cabinet has decided to amend the State's laws on exporting/transporting cattle in order to facilitate export and migration of the high quality Nagauri calves to other parts of the country. However, there is a catch: the bovines would be allowed to be transported to the States where a ban on cow slaughter already exists. Conceding the long-time demand of farmers from Nagaur district, the Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje decided to carry out amendments to the Rajasthan Cow Slaughter, Prohibition and Regulation of Temporary Migration and Export of Bovine Elements Act, 1955. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore, who briefed journalists later, said the Government had acted on the recommendations of a Cabinet committee headed by Home Minister G. C. Kataria in this regard. The amendments would allow export of Nagauri calves above the age of 2 years for agricultural and dairy purposes, he pointed out. Nagauri bulls are know for their quality and resilience and even in the current Assembly there has been an outcry from the MLAs from Nagaur district for lifting the ban on the sale and transport of calves. The ban made it unviable for the farmer to breed the Nagauri variety, which eventually was leading to its extinction, they had pointed out. More autonomy In another decision the Cabinet resolved to accept the recommendations of the A. K. Vaidhyanathan Committee to provide more autonomy to the cooperative bodies in the State. The State would carry out about a dozen amendments and insert Section 47 A in the Rajasthan Cooperative Act to facilitate the increased autonomy. The Cabinet also decided to launch urban development projects in 15 towns of the State with financial assistance totalling 273 million US dollars from the Asian Development Bank. The project, with a funding format of 70:30 (70 percent from ADB and the rest from the State Government and local bodies) would carry out schemes on drinking water, sewerage, drainage, road, flyovers, development of slums and heritage properties besides garbage management and improving fire-fighting. The beneficiary towns would include Alwar, Bharatpur, Sikar, Churu, Sawai Madhopur, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jhalrapatan. Mr. Rathore said the Government proposes to amend the Rajasthan Financial Act, 2006, to relax conditions for filing petitions in the case of disputes over land tax assessment.

The Rajasthan government believes that it has a right over every raindrop and makes a move to demolish a water harvesting structure set up by local people to meet their water requirements