Conservation of bio-diversity will be an important aspect of the new master plan formulated for Mount Abu, the only hill resort in Rajasthan, while the tribal population of the hilly terrains will be given employment and steps taken to promote eco-tourism and construct an urban "Haat' at the popular tourist destination.

The Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2008 beginning here this Monday is going to be a major pan-Indian travel mart, focusing for the first time on in-bound travel. As many as 163 key foreign tour operators and travel writers from 42 countries are scheduled to join the which will have 200 booths showcasing and marketing various tourism products in India.

RAJINDER SINGH, India's river man, is distressed at the state of the rivers and demands a quick solution

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 Urban Improvement Trusts in Rajasthan will speed up the process for regularisation of slums in the cities and residential colonies developed on agricultural land. The move is expected to provide much-awaited relief to the residents of these areas. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, presiding over a meeting of the trusts here, said giving title deeds to the poor people living in these colonies would meet their aspiration for owning a house of their own. She said the regularisation work should be completed in a specified timeframe.

The Rajasthan Government on Thursday released the first instalment

The Chhabra super thermal power station under construction in Baran district of Rajasthan crossed an important milestone on Wednesday with the successful completion of the boiler's hydraulic test in the first unit of 250 MW capacity. The unit is scheduled to start power production in August this year. The super thermal power project, being constructed in Chowki Motipura village, will initially comprise two units of 250 MW each. The second unit is likely to be functional by November this year.

A day after senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders held a demonstration here in protest against inflation, the Rajasthan Government on Wednesday decided to continue procurement of wheat and prevent hoarding of essential commodities to check escalation in prices. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari issued instructions at a review meeting here to ensure distribution of the full quota of foodgrain allocated to the families living below and above the poverty line with complete transparency. The State Government would strengthen the PDS for meeting the targets, he said.

People have seen a change in their quality of life, thanks to the solar lighting system. "My son stays up later than all of us, studying through the night," says Guddi Devi, a resident of Dabkan- Kartikeya Singh, Alwar It is a simple device but it has shrunk the nights in Rajasthan's countryside. Over the past decade, thousands of families in the state's remote villages, unconnected with the grid, have installed solar lighting systems at their homes, which harness solar energy to generate electricity.