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Published by : Corporate Communication Department, National Aluminium Company Limited, Nalco Bhawan, Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar - 751 013Chief Editor : Harish C. Pradhan, DGM(PR) Editor : Anil Bhatt, Chief Manager (CC) Photography : P. Acharya, Sr. Photographer

Designed and Printed at : Perfect Print & Graphics (P) Ltd., 154, Mancheswar Industrial Estate, Bhubaneswar - 751 010, Ph.: 2587834

You may send your feedback to abhatt@nalcoindia.co.in

Letters to the EditorBest among the lotI am a regular reader of Parichaya. Academically, I find it very useful for ourPost Graduate PR students. Of course, Parichaya is the best newsletter amongthe lot that we receive from various Public Sector Undertakings as well asMNCs. Congratulations.

J.S. Giri Rao, ReaderDepartment of Mass Communication, Berhampur University

Beautiful PresentationI received the latest issue of Parichaya. Some of my guests, who went through thenewsletter, were very appreciative of its beautiful presentation. Particularly, thecover and back cover pages of the issue are excellent. Thanks Nalco.

Meena Panda, Media ExecutiveSushree Suvadra Advt. Agency, Golebazar, Sambalpur

Informative & VibrantParichaya has always been very informative as well as colourful.Congratulations to its editorial team.

Arun Varma, AM (P&A-OL) The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd., Mumbai

Please include writings of noted writersThanks for sending across the Hindi edition of Parichaya. I sincerely appreciatethe efforts of Nalco in popularizing Hindi as official language. The layoutdesigns and photographs are of exceptional standard, worth appreciating.Though it is a news-based publication, I would appreciate if you could includefeatures by noted writers related to Hindi.

Devkinandan BishtDeputy Director, Dept. of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi

MotivationalThank you very much for publishing the news about my paper presentation inCanada, for which I received congratulations from many of my colleagues andseniors. Parichaya has always done a great job by publicizing the achievements ofNalconians, thereby motivating them and encouraging others.

S.K. Patnaik(received through e-mail) DM (Mines), Panchpatmali

Shri B.L. Bagra has joined Nalcoas Director (Finance) on February28. The post had fallen vacantfollowing the resignation of ShriS.C. Chhatwal in April, 2006. AChartered Accountant, Shri Bagrabrings with him 30 years of richexperience in Transport, Mining,Power and Seeds sectors. Beforejoining Nalco, he was with RITESas Director (Finance), s inceDecember, 2000.

Starting with Rajasthan StateElectricity Board in 1977, ShriBagra has worked in organizationsl ike Rajasthan State SeedsCorporation Ltd, Manganese Ore(India) Ltd, Botswana Railwaysand RITES. He is credited withdeveloping privatization andconcession division in RITES,where the company wassuccessful in putting up jointventures and bagging concessionsof railway systems in Colombia,Mozambique and Tanzania. Withhis joining, Nalco’s Board hasbeen further strengthened.

Sharing the success with ShriBagra is his wife Smt. Nirmala,daughter Dr. Meenakshi (adentist), sons Manish (settled inbusiness) and Manas (an ITprofessional) . On behalf ofNalconians, Parichaya welcomesSmt. & Shri Bagra, along with theirchildren to Nalco family.

Shri B.L. BagraOur New Director (Finance)For the year 2006-07, 107 projects with a

budget of Rs.623.95 lakh were identified tobe undertaken by Nalco in 7 blocks and 2NACs of Koraput district. Out of these, 84projects worth Rs.429.45 lakh are to beexecuted by the district administrationthrough various agencies and 23 projectsworth Rs.194.50 lakh by Nalco directly. ShriG.K. Behera, ED(M&R), handed over a

cheque for Rs.104.81 lakh to Smt. Shubha Sarma, IAS, Collector, Koraput, onDecember 18, towards 25% mobilization advance for starting the projects.

This too is Nalco

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[Excerpts from Republic Day Message]

The Republic Day is not a mere national celebration, itrepresents a cherished milestone in our quest for a new socialorder, with equality of opportunity for all the citizens of thecountry. The Republic Day is an occasion for introspection andevaluation of our past performance, strengthening our presentplans and programmes, as well as determining the future courseof action.

I strongly believe that Nalco has the right resources, rightexpertise and right infrastructure to become a Company of globalrepute. However, in a fiercely competitive world of business, wehave to mobilize all our resources in the best possible manner tostay ahead in the industry. If we have to maintain our leadershipposition in the industry, continue to provide better facilities toour employees and also contribute to the communitydevelopment, we have to work very hard. Organisations succeedor perish depending on the core values and work culture thatare practised by its people. The core values pursued by us areprimarily – customer satisfaction, harmonious and transparentworking conditions, concern for community and environment.Our work culture should lead to upgradation of skills, betterquality of products and services, reduction in wastages,conservation of energy and optimum utilization of resources.Our work practices should be more innovative, pragmatic andresult-oriented, in order to enhance productivity in the plantsand improve the quality of life of the people.

As a successful organization, we are keenly watched bythe Government and the society as well. Any complacency inperformance can damage our image beyond repair. We have towork collectively towards a better future for the Company. Thisis the best way we can serve our country and the people.

Organizations succeed or perish depending onthe core values and work culture

Shri C.R. Pradhan CMD I/c, Nalco

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NALCO PLAYS THE HOSTA meeting of Hindi Salahkar Samiti of Ministry of Mines, Govt.of India, was organized by Nalco at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, onJanuary 30. It was presided by Shri Sis Ram Ola, Hon’ble UnionMinister of Mines. Shri C.R. Pradhan, CMD I/c, headed the

Nalco delegation. Members of the Samiti from different parts ofIndia, including Non-Government members, Officers of theMinistry of Mines, Heads of PSUs under Ministry of Mines andHindi Officers, attended the meeting in large numbers.

Nalco’s commitment towards protection of environment wasreinforced with the installation of Automatic Chlorine LeakAbsorption System (ACLAS) at the CW Chlorination Plant, CPP,Angul. This feat was achieved by the Engineers of OperationSupport Department. Shri S.S. Manurkar, GM(CPP), inauguratedthe system on January 10. Earlier, chlorine gas leakage wasneutralized manually; but with ACLAS, it is monitored round-the-clock and the entire chlorine gas of 900kgs can be neutralizedwithin an hour.

Installation of ACLAS

Organized by QCFI, the National Convention of Quality Circles(NCQC-2006) was held at IIT, Kanpur, from December 20 to 23,in which more than 500 QCs from various organizationsparticipated. In the case study presentation, following QCs ofNalco’s S&P Complex have been awarded under differentcategories.

Our QCs Excel

QC BrahmajyotiQC Brahmajyoti of C&I Department, CPP, presented its case studyon: ‘Frequent Failure of Measurement of Primary Air Flow to Mill’,and bagged the ‘Excellent Award’.

The TeamLeader : Shri P.K. PadhiDy Leader : Shri K.M. BaghMembers : S/Shri S.N. Gadanaik, A.K. Nayak and N.K. DeoFacilitator : Shri D.K. SahuCoordinator : Shri S.N. Sahu

QC AnkurQC Ankur of Planning Cell, Smelter Plant, was adjudged ‘ParExcellence’ in the competition under pure service category. Thisis the first time that a team from pure service category of Nalco hasreceived such an accolade.

QC RasayanaQC Rasayana of M&R Complex participated in ICQCC-2006at Bali, Indonesia, from November 20 to 24. The teampresented a case study on ‘Difficulty in Analysis of CO2 inCausticisation Mud’.The TeamTQM Coordinator : Shri S.P. NandaFacilitator : Dr. P.K. BeheraMembers : Shri B.S. Pradhan, Shri S.K. Swain,

Smt. A. Behera, Smt. K.P. Jarlina Baxlaand Shri S.R. Patra

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The Chemical Disaster Prevention Day was observed at AluminaRefinery on December 4. Various activities, like release of anewsletter on Disaster Management, mock drill on HFO PoolFire, fire fighting demonstration and training programme forcontractors and contract workers, were organized to mark theoccasion. A presentation on ‘On-Site Emergency Plan of AluminaRefinery’ was given by Shri K.C. Sahoo, Manager (E&S)/CSO.Later in the evening, Shri P. Gaan, ED(M&R) and Shri B.N.Mohanty, GM(O&M), attended the concluding function as chiefguest and guest of honour, respectively. Shri S.K. Patnaik,DGM(SH&E), delivered the welcome address, while Shri AnandPrakash, Sr. Manager (E&S), proposed a vote of thanks.

Chemical Disaster Prevention RAILWAY PLATFORM RAISED

On public request, Nalco raised the height of theexisting Damanjodi railway platform at a cost of Rs.35lakh. It was formally inaugurated by Shri P.K. Routray,Director (Production), on October 30. Among others,Shri S.K. Vasudeva, GM(Mat), Shri R.C. Pati, GM(Proj),Shri S.V. Rao, GM (Finance) and Shri T.K. Shanmugam,DGM (Civil), were also present on the occasion.

Safety Week

Mines Safety Week was observed at Panchpatmali BauxiteMines, jointly by NMDC and Nalco, under the aegis ofDirectorate of Mines Safety, Bhubaneswar Region, fromDecember 14 to 20.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Nalco Mines Fire Station.Shri G.K. Behera, ED(M&R), graced the function as the chiefguest. Various safety stalls were set up at Nalco Club by staffand students of SVM, DPS and CISF (Fire Wing). On theconcluding day, Shri R. Kulsrestha, Director of Mines Safety,Shri C. Ramesh Kumar, Dy. Director of Mines Safety, Shri K.S.Sreedhara, GM(Mines), Nalco and other officials were present.Nalco Mines bagged four running shields in various inter-minessafety competitions. A musical troupe from Hyderabad regaledthe audience at the end.

Shri R.N. Jena, GM(Smelter), was awarded ‘International GoldStar Millennium Award’ at a Conference on Indo-NepalFriendship & Economic Co-operation, for excellence inpromoting Global Integration, in Kathmandu, on February 7.The Conference was organized by Citizens Integration PeaceSociety, Nepal-India Forum for Peace and Development.

At DamanjodiTo create AIDS awareness, Occupational Health Services, M&RComplex, observed the World AIDS Day on December 1. ShriR.C. Pati, GM(Projects), graced the function as the chief guest.Among others, Dr. S. Mishra, CMS and Dr. S.K. Patnaik, MS,were present on the occasion. To mark the occasion, bannerswere displayed and leaflets on AIDS awareness were distributed.

At AngulWorld AIDS Day was also observed at Zilla Krushi Bhavan,Angul, under the aegis of Viswa Yuva Kendra, sponsored byNalco and MCL.

Awarded

World AIDS Day

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At AngulNational Energy Conservation Day was observed by theEnergy Conservation Cell (ECC) at S&P, Angul, on December14. Shri A.K. Sharma, GM(O&M), Smelter and Chairman ofECC, presided over the function. Shri B.P. Singha, Convener,

Energy Conservation Daymade a presentation on the activities and future plans ofthe cell. Among others, Shri M.K.B. Nair, GM(R&D) andShri C. Sanyal, DGM (Carbon Plant), also addressed on theoccasion.

At DamanjodiTo mark the occasion, Shri G.K. Behera, ED(M&R) and ShriK.S. Sreedhara, GM(Mines), read out the Energy Policy atRefinery and Mines, respectively, highlighting the need forconservation. Study materials on Energy Management wasalso launched on the intranet by Shri G.K. Behera, ED(M&R).An elocution competition was organized among the studentsof SVM and DPS. Competitions like Kaizen on EnergyConservation, Poster and Slogan competitions were alsoorganized for the employees. Subsequently, the winnerswere awarded on the Foundation Day of the Company.

Angul Local Centre of Institution of Engineers (India)organized an All-India Seminar on ‘Advances in IndustrialAutomation’ at S&P Complex, Angul, on November 18 &

Seminar on Industrial Automation19. Shri C.R. Pradhan, CMD I/c, Nalco, graced the occasionas the chief guest and inaugurated the technical exhibition.Shri B.P. Singha, Convener, delivered the welcome address.Dr. L.M. Patnaik, Professor of Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore, delivered the key-note address. Shri A.K.Tripathy, Director General, CPRI, Bangalore and Shri U.B.Patnaik, ED(S&P), were the guests of honour. Shri A.K.Sharma, Chairman of the Centre, presided over thefunction. On the second day, technical papers werepresented and Shri P.K. Routray, Director (Production),Nalco, graced the concluding session.

TOLIC Meet

The 18th meeting of Town-level Official LanguageImplementation Committee (TOLIC) was held at the TrainingCentre of S&P Complex on December 20. Shri S.K. Sinha,Senior Commandant, CISF, Angul Unit, presided over themeeting and Shri S.S. Patnaik, GM(H&A)I/c, was the guestof honour. Shri Sudarshan Tarai, Member-Secretary of TOLICand Manager (Rajbhasha), delivered the welcome addressand coordinated the meeting. Representatives from localPSUs, Banks and Insurance Companies participated in themeeting.

Death Anniversary ofDr. Ambedkar

The Nalco SC/STEmployees WelfareAssociat ion, S&PComplex, observedthe 50th DeathAnniversary of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar on December 6.Shri U.B. Patnaik, ED(S&P),Shri R.N. Jena, GM (Smelter),Shri S.S. Patnaik, GM(H&A) I /c,Shri P.C. Sethi, DGM(H&A), CPP,Shri Charan Naik, President of theAssociation, Shri Bhaskar Naik, VicePresident, Shri D. Sethi, Secretary andothers paid floral tributes to the statueat the Ambedkar Park.

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Best Technical PaperDr. P.K. Pattajoshi , J r . Manager, M&RComplex, Damanjodi, was awarded at theannual function of the Society for Geoscientists& Allied Technologists (SGAT) at Bhubaneswaron December 17. His technical paper: An

Approach to Mathematical Modeling of Air Pollution Indiceswas adjudged the best, for which he received a cash prize ofRs.3000 along with a citation from Prof. Dr. Trilochan Pradhan,former Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University.

AwardedShri S.S. Pattanayak, CM (Chem. Lab), CPP,has been awarded the prestigious designationof Chartered Scientist by the Science Councilof England. He is now entitled to affix CSciafter his name. He is the only one from Orissato achieve this distinction through Royal

Society of Chemistry, London. Besides, Shri Pattanayak is a lifemember of Indian Society of Analytical Scientists, Mumbai anda Fellow of Institute of Chemists (India), Kolkata

Best Trainee AwardShri Malay Padhy, Technician, Planning Cell,has been adjudged as the Best Trainee amongthe 288 JOTS of 2006 batch, at S&P Complex,Angul. For this, Shri Padhy was handed overthe Bhutia Memorial Award and a cash prizeof Rs.1000, during Republic Day celebrations.

Dr. C.R. Mishra,DGM(R&D), CorporateOffice, has received the‘7th Rajdhani PustakMela Puraskar’ for hispopular science book‘Bigyanara ManabiyaRupa’. Shri J.B. Patnaik,former CM of Orissa,handed over a memento,a citation and a cashaward of Rs.1000 to Dr.Mishra on December 12.

Subsequently, Dr. Mishra also received the ‘Sukumar – SunandaJanapriya Bigyan Puraskar’ instituted by Bigyan Prachar Samiti,Cuttack, on December 31.

On the 27th Foundation Day Function of Nalco, Dr. Mishra’s6th book on popular science, named Gyanara Aiswarjya, wasreleased at Bhubaneswar. Through this book, the author hastried to reach out to the common man, propagating the Missionof Science and Technology and its impact on the society. Amongother things, the book highlights the Indian Science andTechnology Scenario, Indian Moon Mission, Contributions ofHomi Bhabha to Indian Science, Bio-technology and the ThirdWorld, Life & Works of Raja Ramanna, Life & Works of KiranMajumdar Shaw, ISRO and Indian Space Research, Kavli Prize,CSIR and its Vision for the 21st Century, Application of NuclearPower, Knowledge Business etc. The book contains 34 suchfeatures. The book will be useful in fostering the scientific spiritamong the students of schools and colleges.

Nalco SC/ST Employees Welfare Association, Damanjodi, inassociation with Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Academy, Orissa,organized the 3rd All Orissa State-level Dalit Sahitya Conferenceon December 10. Justice M. Papanna, former Justice of OrissaHigh Court, graced the conference as the chief guest while ShriP.K. Routray, Director (Production) and Shri G.K. Behera,ED(M&R), were the guests of honour. Dr. Bhagbat Shukla,Principal, SVM, was the chief speaker and Shri S. Lakra, Presidentof the Association, presided over the meeting. Shri T.R. Nial,Secretary of the Academy, presented a report. Smt. SwatiChatterjee, Teacher, SVM, Shri S. Lakra, President, NSSTEWAand Shri Bijaya Acharya, Journalist, were felicitated on theoccasion.

Shri G.C. Naik, EA (Admn.), Operation Department, M&RComplex, has received the Mahatma JyotibaPhule Award – 2006 from Bharatiya DalitSahitya Academy, at a function held atTalkotora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, onDecember 1&2. He is also the State GeneralSecretary of All Orissa SC/ST & MinorityEmployees Welfare Association and President,Nalco Employees Association, M&R Complex.

Shri Ravi Joshi, Chief Manager (Admn.), Delhi Office, opted forvoluntary retirement and was relieved from the services on January30. The staff of Delhi Office accorded a touching farewell to ShriJoshi, who had put in more than 25 years of service with Nalco.

Farewell

Shri Gurudev Rout , Sr . Technician(Operation), CPP, has voluntarily donatedblood 12 times. In 1996, Shri Rout donatedblood for the first time at the Nalco HospitalBlood Bank, and since then, he has beendonating blood to various blood banks.

A Noble Act

Felicitation

Dalit Sahitya Conference

Fostering Scientific Spirit

Shri S.N. Johri, Former CMD, Nalco,felicitating Dr. Mishra

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Nalco joined the Nation in celebrating the 58th RepublicDay. Flag hoisting, march past, sports and cultural activitiesmarked the occasion at Sites and Offices of the Company.

At BhubaneswarAt the Corporate Office, Shri C.R. Pradhan, CMD I/c, hoistedthe tri-colour and paid homage to the architects of the largestdemocratic republic of the world. Shri Pradhan alsoinaugurated a rose garden in the premises. An attractivetableau, depicting Nalco’s various activities as a responsiblecorporate citizen, took part in the State-level parade atBhubaneswar.

At AngulShri U.B. Patnaik, ED(S&P), hoisted the national flag andreceived the guard of honour at the joint parade by Jawansof CISF and G-4 Security Force, as well as students of SVMand DPS, at Biju Patnaik Sports Complex. As in previousyears, Sarjana Suggestion Awards were given away toindividual employees and groups of Smelter and CPP by theGMs. Shri Patnaik also awarded prize to outstanding NCCCadet Ms Bhabana Rathi. Shri Patnaik, accompanied by ShriS.S. Pattnaik, GM(H&A) I/c, graced the celebrations at thenearby hutting school and paid a goodwill visit to NakulChandra residential school for blind, deaf and dumb atBalaramprasad village.

58th Republic D

At DamanjodiShri G.K. Behera, ED(M&R), unfurled the tri-colour andinspected parade contingents comprising CISF Jawans,

Shri C.R. Pradhan, CMD I/c, inspecting the parade

Inau

guration

of Rose G

arden

at Corporate O

ffice

At S&P Complex, Angul

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Day Celebration

Group-4 Security Personnel, DPS and SVM students. ShriBehera, also handed over the best turn out trophies to 9cadets and best contingent shield to NCC girls of DPS,Damanjodi. The Sarjana Suggestion awards were also handed

over on the occasion by Shri S.K. Vasudeva, GM (Materials),Shri P. Gaan, GM(AR), Shri B.N. Mohanty, GM(O&M), ShriR.C. Pati, GM (Projects), Shri K.S. Sreedhara, GM (Mines),Shri A. Jha, GM (Construction) and Shri R.P. Swain,GM(H&A) I/c. The final matches of Annual Athletic Meetwere organized by Sports Cell to mark the occasion. Foodpackets were also distributed among the tribal hostelers ofGovt High School at Mania, as a goodwill gesture.

At Vizag

At the Port Facilities, Shri S.K. Patra, GM(PF), hoisted thenational flag and received the guard of honour from APSPF.In his address, he enumerated the achievements of theCompany in general and Port Facilities in particular,including the recent achievement of 400th shipment.

Best tableau award at district-level parade

At Panchpatmali Mines

At Port Facilities, Vizag

Nalco tableau at State-level parade

At M&R Complex, Damanjodi

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Hindalco to buy Novelis for $6 bnHindalco has announced the acquisition of Canada-basedaluminium firm Novelis for $6 billion. The all-cash acquisitionwould make Hindalco the largest rolled-aluminium productsmanufacturer in the world, a statement said. This acquisitionwould also put this copper and aluminium giant in the Fortune500 list, three years ahead of target.

Novelis is a leader in aluminium products across Europe and Asia,with a presence across 11 countries and employing 12,500 people.Hindalco will take over Novelis’ debt of $2.4 billion, which wouldbe included in the purchase price, the company said.

(Source: TOI 12.02.07)

Hindalco deal may not impact aluminium pricesThe $6-billion Hindalco deal to take over US-based NovelisInc is unlikely to have any impact – at least in short term – on

domestic aluminium prices as they arebenchmarked against London Metal

Exchange (LME) rates.

“The deal will catapultHindalco’s flat rolled

product capacity from 2

lakh tonnes to 32 lakhtonnes per annum and

elevate the company toleadership position in the

business. The profitability ofHindalco can go up over a period of time,

but I don’t see any impact on aluminium prices,” said MrShivanshu Mehta, Assistant Vice-President, NCDEX.

(Source: Business Line, 13.02.07)

Rusal weighs counter bid for NovelisEven as Hindalco stock continued to be battered on investorconcerns about its plan to buy Novelis, unconfirmed reportshave indicated that Russia’s aluminium giant Rusal is exploringoptions of putting in a counter bid for Novelis. Rusal, the world’slargest aluminium and alumina producer, has publicly said thatit intends to have an increased presence in high value segments,where Novelis is the world leader. Rusal, which was formed inthe late 90s through a string of acquisitions by Russian billionairesRoman Abramovich and Oleg Deripaksha, has the financialmuscle to go in for an aggressive bidding.Hindalco, India’s largest metals producer, surprised the globalmetal world by announcing its intention to pay the shareholdersof Novelis $44.93 per share, or $6 billion, to buyout the US-based company, a move that would give the Indian firm controlover specialized aluminium products and a toehold in themature markets of Europe and North America. Hindalco’s offer

has been cleared by the Novelis’ board but is yet to be approvedby its shareholders.

Announcing the acquisition, Hindalco MD Debu Bhattacharyasaid that regulations stipulate a $100-million break fee payableto Hindalco, if a competing bid is made and if in the event, thedeal is derailed.

(Source: The Economic Times, 15.02.07)

Global aluminium tightly balancedThe year 2006 was a dream year for most commodities, alsofor aluminium when prices peaked at $3,275 a ton on theLondon Metal Exchange on May 11. Since then there has beenconsiderable action that has seen metal prices draw down.Aluminium is now in the $2600 zone. This has been quite inline with other base metal prices like copper and zinc.Lower prices have a telling effect on most aluminium companiesin India, especially Hindalco and Nalco. One of the reasonsfor the Aditya Birla Group to aquire Novelis is the reduction involatility of earnings that are commodity price driven.

(Source: The Financial Express, 13.02.07)

HAL & Nalco among PSUs cleared for Navratna listA high-level government panel has admitted seven more publicsector firms, including Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and

National Aluminium Company (Nalco), into the covetedNavratna club, taking its membership to 16.

While nine companies were in the fray, the Apex Committeeheaded by Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi cleared seven nameslast week, official sources told PTI. Now, only the respectiveministers have to sign the necessary documents, they said. Othercompanies who have been conferred the status are BharatElectronics Ltd, National Mineral Development Corporation,Rural Electrification Corporation, Power Grid Corporation ofIndia Ltd and Power Finance Corporation.

They join the league of nine companies - BHEL, NTPC, SAIL,BPCL, HPCL, GAIL, ONGC, IOC and MTNL. The Navratnastatus would greatly enhance the financial and administrativepowers of Boards of these seven public sector enterprises.

(Source: PTI, 20.02.07)

Global alumina output slightly up in 2006Alumina production, both globally and in Asia, has shown arise in 2006 as compared to previous year, points out theLondon-based International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Theglobal spot alumina prices have also shown considerablerecovery, on better demand conditions from key users.

According to IAI, globally, production in 2006 was 58.39 milliontonnes, compared to 56.15 million tonnes previous year.

(Source: Business Standard, 22.02.07)

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Have you ever wondered why migrating geese fly in aV-formation?

As with most animal behaviour, God had a good reasonfor including that in their instincts.

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the birdfollowing.

In a V-formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% moreflying range than if each bird flew alone.

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feelsthe drag of trying to fly alone. So, it quickly gets back intoformation.

Like geese, people who share a common direction andsense of community can get where they are going, quickerand easier than those who try to do it alone.

When a leading goose gets tired, it slides back in theformation and another goose flies ahead in that position.If people had as much sense as geese, they would realizethat ultimately their success depends on working as ateam, taking turns in doing the hard tasks, and sharingleadership.

Geese in the rear of the formation make a typical honkingsound to encourage those in front to increase their speed.

Friends may not be able to pull you up; but,they will still think of ways not to let you fall !

HRD

WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR

A LESSONGEESE

It is important that such honking from behind beencouraging.

When a goose gets sick or wounded, two other geesedrop out of formation and follow it down to help andprovide protection.

They stay with the unhealthy member of the flock until itis either able to fly again, or dies.

Then they fly out again with another passing flock or tryto catch up with their own.

May we be so sacrificial, that we may be worthy of suchfriends in our time of need.

You don’t have to be a scientist to learn from God’smarvellous creation; you only need to stop long enoughto observe and let God reveal His wonders to you.

(Contributed by: Shri R. Gopal, SM(IE), M&R Complex)

from

They stay with the unhealthy member of theflock until it is either able to fly again, or dies

Besides financial support of Rs.10 lakh, Nalcoparticipated in the prestigious tribal festival ofKoraput ‘Parab 2006’ by putting up a stall. Shri G.K.Behera, Executive Director (M&R), inaugurated thestall, which was highly appreciated by all.

The 21st Annual Day of Sri Aurobindo Study Circle was celebrated

on December 17 at Nalconagar, Angul. Shri Brahmananda Dash

of Pondicherry Ashram unfurled the spiritual flag, while Pt. K.C.

Nanda Sharma, Ms. K.L. Mohanty and Shri S.C. Kar delivered the

spiritual discourses.

Aurobindo Study Circle

Fulfilling a long-cherished desire of the employees, a beautiful Kalyan

Mandap, named ‘Asheervad’, was constructed at a cost of Rs.64 lakh

at Damanjodi. It was inaugurated by Shri P.K. Routray, Director

(Production), on December 10.

New Kalyan Mandap

Nalco in Parab 2006

A relief team, led by Shri S.S. Patnaik, GM(H&A) I/c,visited Bentapur village, near Angul, on December4, where about 15 families were badly affected in afire disaster. Relief materials, including rice, utensils,dhotis and sarees, were distributed among the firevictims, in the presence of local Sarpanch and Nalcoofficials.

Relief for Fire Victims

KaleidoscopeKaleidoscope

At AngulNalco Ladies Club of Angul organized a cooking competitionamong the members on December 20. The jury, headed bySmt. Promodini Patnaik, President of the Club, appreciatedthe range and quality of items, urging others to participate.

Cooking Competitions

At DamanjodiEarlier, with the initiatives of Smt. Puspanjali Routray, FormerPresident and Smt. Sandhya Behera, President, Nalco LadiesClub of Damanjodi also organized a cooking competitionamong the members on December 6, in which different typesof snacks and sweets were prepared. Smt. Mamta Rani Daswas adjudged first, while Smt. Seema Kumari andSmt. Satyabati Rao, stood second and third, respectively.

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SPORTS

Shraddhanjali & Ranjeeta inPre-Olympics SoccerNalco’s footballers Shraddhanjali Samantray and RanjeetaMohanty represented the Indian Women’s Football Teamand played against South Korea in Pre-Olympic qualifiers atSeoul and Chennai.

The 2nd All India Genbu-Kai Invitat ional KarateChampionship was held at Ispat Indoor Stadium, Rourkela,from December 14 to 17. Representing Utkal Karate School,Nalconagar, Nalco children won six medals in differentcategories: Alison Lugun (1st in girls Kata & 3rd in Fight),Sidhant Sekhar Barik (2nd in boys Kata), Jagatjeet Pattanaik(2nd in boys Kata), Anita Lugun (2nd in girls Kata) andDinesh Pattanaik (3rd in boys Kata). All of them are beingtrained by Sensei Jayadev Pattanaik, III Dan black belt, whowas felicitated as a senior instructor in the championship.

Karate Champs

Runner-up

The 22nd annual sports of SVM, Angul, was conducted fromDecember 21 to 24. Shri U.B. Patnaik, ED(S&P), graced theinaugural session as the chief guest. Dr. S.S. Bahinipati,Principal, delivered the welcome address. Shri R.N. Jena,GM (Smelter) & President, School Management Committee,presided over the function. Shri S.C. Rath, DGM (Finance),Shri A.K. Sahu, DGM(H&A), Dr. S. Soren, DGM(MS), Dr.S.N. Sahu, Vice-Principal, SVM and Shri B.B. Nanda,Secretary, were also present on the occasion. Prizes andcertificates were handed over to the winners on theconcluding day.

SVM Annual Sports

SVM, Angul, has emerged as the champion in All Orissa +2Inter-college Table Tennis Tournament, which was held atNalco Nagar from December 1 to 4. The Council of HigherSecondary Education, Orissa, had organized the tournament.

SVM bags Champions Trophy

Shri D. Gope, Chargeman, ElectricalDepartment, M&R Complex, emerged asthe runner-up in the veterans singles atthe Inter-district State Table TennisChampionship, held at Ispat IndoorStadium, Rourkela, from November 3to 7. The championship was organizedby Rourkela Steel Plant, under the aegis

of Orissa State Table Tennis Association. Earlier in 2005,Shri Gope had won a bronze medal in the nationalchampionship at Hyderabad and also represented the Indianveterans’ table tennis contingent, to Germany, in 2006.

Silver for AnuradhaNalco’s ace athlete Anuradha Biswal baggeda silver medal in 100 metres women’shurdles at the National Games held atGuwahati from February 9 to 19.

OUR SCHOOLSYoung Painter

Jayanta, son of Shri B.K. Swain, working asChargeman in C&I Department, CPP and astudent of Class VII of SVM, Nalconagar, hasbeen awarded ‘Balachitra Rathna’ in theInternational Children’s Art Competition. It wasorganized by Korsala’s Wonder Art World,Amalapuram.

Budding TalentJoykiran, son of Shri M.N. Toppo, ExecutiveAsst. (Mktg) and a student of Class VIII, LoyolaSchool, Bhubaneswar, participated in theInternational Inter-school Competitions forjunior classes ‘EUREKA-2006’ from November24 to 27 at Lucknow, organized by CityMontessori School.

Poetess Felicitated

Smt. Nihar Manjari Mohapatra, Teacher, SVM, Nalconagar,Angul and wife of Shri P.K. Panigrahi, Manager (Finance), M&R,Damanjodi, has been felicitated for her poetic contributions byState Council for Artistic Research and Training, Govt of Orissa,at the 6th State Award Ceremony – 2006. Smt. Mohapatrareceived a citation from Smt. Surama Padhi, Minister of Statefor Co-operation, Govt of Orissa, at a function in Bhubaneswaron December 25.

Little ArtistShreeyanka, daughter of Smt Sunanda, EA(PR)& Shri Uttamananda Rout, Sr. EA (Projects), anda student of Class III, DPS, Nalconagar, wasawarded a Certificate of Merit in the 11thInternational Inter-DPS Children’s Art Exhibitionheld at DPS, Ranipur, Hardwar.

Seven children of School of Art & Craft, Damanjodi viz. ManabiSamal, Smruti Snigdha Nayak, Debabrati Dash, Bibek Pradhan,Anita Majhi, Anwesha Das and Ananya Mishra, were awardedby Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi for their paintings at Bhubaneswaron February 5. These young painters had participated in the18th State-level Child Art Competition, at Koraput.

AwardedAll-Rounder

Subhojit, son of Shri P.C. Panda,Manager (S), Corporate Office, and astudent of +2 first year science, BJBCollege, was awarded 1st prize in aState-level Spot Nature PaintingCompetition, organized by RegionalMuseum of Natural History,Bhubaneswar. He also secured 1stprizes in Art and English Essaycompetitions organized by BJB JuniorCollege, Bhubaneswar. Earlier, he

had been adjudged the best all-rounder of Class-X for 2006-07by D.A.V. Public School, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar.

YRC Volunteers’ Meet

A State-level inter-college Youth Red Cross (YRC) Volunteersand Counsellors training was held at the Women’s College,Angul, on October 28 & 29. A blood donation camp was alsoorganized to mark the occasion. 15 YRC Volunteers of SVM,Nalconagar, Angul, led by Shri Bichitrananda Nayak, YRCCounsellor, attended the camp, donated blood and won prizein quiz competition.

Making a Mark

Children with their Art Teacher Shri Samir Barik

R. Shrihita, Lovejeet Singh Naik, Anupriya Mridha and AnanyaMishra, all students of DPS, Damanjodi, were awardedconsolation prizes in the ‘Hindu Young World PaintingCompetition’ held at Visakhapatnam on November 19.

Shrihita Lovejeet Anupriya Ananya

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HEALTH

Every technological leap brings along fears about health hazards. Cell phonesare no exception. These mobile phones emit low levels of radio frequencyradiation, known as RF. This is somewhat similar to the radiation generatedinside microwave ovens or by radars, but very much lower in intensity.These phones emit RF at all times, but the emitted power is much higherwhen the phones are in use than when they are in stand-by mode.

Much of the health concern is related to use of mobile cell phones, sincethese have built-in antennas. On the contrary, a cordless phone, which has abase unit connected to the telephone wiring in a house, is considered safe.

As one is aware, high levels of RF can produce biological damage due toheating effects. But, cell phone antennas use low frequency electromagneticwaves to communicate with base stations. The radiation emitted at thesefrequencies cannot possibly break chemical bonds in body’s cells; but, therecould be other biological effects. Some researchers are concerned becausecell phone antennas concentrate their energy in a very small region againstthe head, during a conversation.

One recent study found that cell phones affect the brain’s electrical activity.Fifteen young men were exposed to cell phones that were turned on and off.When the phones were on, neurons on the near side of their brain wereslightly more active. The effect lasted for at least an hour. If this is indeed aproblem, children are at the highest risk, because they have thinner skullsthan adults.

However, no clear picture of the biological effects of this type of radiationhas emerged so far. Therefore, the current knowledge is inconclusive to statewhether cell phones are safe or not. Nevertheless, if one is interested inminimizing the potential risk, there are some simple steps that need to betaken:

Avoid keeping cell phone near to the heart.

Reduce the amount of time spent on cell phone. Rather, use aconventional phone or cordless phone whenever possible.

Purchase a phone with a low SAR rating [The unit used to measure theradiation emitted by mobile phones is called Specific Absorption Rate(SAR), in units of watts of power absorbed per kilogram of tissue (w/kg).The permissible limit for mobile phones is 1.6 w/kg of RF.]