This se-tenant of two stamps sybolizes, the Indian tradition of unity in diversity and the concept of one people, one world - integral to Indian civilization. The se-tenant depicts the Tabo Monastery situated in the picturesque Lahul and Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh. This monastery is more than 1000 years old. The first stamp depicts the monastery as it stands in Spiti over-shadowed by snow-clad mountain while the second is a reconstruction of a painting from the southern wall of the main hall which forms part of the continuous painted frieze. The frieze consists of complex narrative units structured by the steps taken by the hero, Sudhana, on the path towards his goal of ultimate realization, and mostly relates Sudhana's visits to various spiritual friends (kalyanamitra) in the pursuit of his quest.

    The First Day Cover alongwith the information sheet is available on sale at all Philatelic Bureaux/Counters and at selected Post Offices.

KARGIL TO ORISSA - DEVOTED DEFENCE FORCES

    The year 1999 saw the defence forces beat back the Pakistani aggression in the icy heights of Kargil and also bring succour to the cyclone devastated planes of Orissa typifying their devotion to varied calls of duty.The country entered a new era of missile technology with the test firing of AGNI-II with a range of over 2000 km. And the Defence Ministry has ensured a smooth transition into the year 2000 with Y2K readiness for all types of weapon systems, ground and airborne systems, communication, aviation, ships and logistics besides defence production units.

    The two month-long Kargil operations from mid-May to mid-July were marked by unparalleled acts of bravery by our armed forces who inflicted heavy casualties on the aggressors. The Pakistan side was estimated to have suffered 772 dead. On our side, 519 army personnel and five from air force laid down their lives. The Indian Air Force was pressed into service on May 26 and the Indian Navy made tactical deployment of the combined Eastern and Western Fleet to seize the initiative at sea.

    A grateful nation came out in support of our valiant soldiers with spontaneous outpouring of solidarity and contributions. In recognition of their courage and dedication, the Government announced four Param Vir Chakras, nine Mahavir Chakras and a host of other gallantry awards. The welfare package for the armed forces was thoroughly revamped. The ex-gratia for the Kargil martyrs was raised to Rs.10 lakh besides assistance for house, Children's education and others from the National Defence Fund. A Committee under the Chairmanship of the Defence Minister, Shri George Fernandes was set up by the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, to bring in uniform welfare assistance.

    Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, the drive by our armed forces against militants and foreign mercenaries was stepped up and more than 1000 of them were killed. The Prime Minister cautioned the Commanders of the three services against possible escalation of proxy war after the military took over in Pakistan. The recent militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir were attributed to their growing frustration and increasing presence of foreign mercenaries among others.

The super cyclone in Orissa brought out the humanitarian role of the armed forces who were asked to provide relief and rehabilitation. Over 5000 army personnel were deployed in the disaster stricken areas to help in evacuation, distribution of food items, restoration of communications and medical aid. The Indian Air Force flew more than 400 sorties and airlifted 1370 tons of load. The Indian Navy cleared Paradip Port and salvaged more than 50 boats.

    The country crossed a major milestone when AGNI-II was test fired on April 11. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) achieved perfection and sophistication of a very high order by carrying out the launch in text book fashion with pin-point accuracy. The DRDO Chief, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam was appointed Principal Scientific Adviser to Government with Dr. V K Aatre as his successor in DRDO.

    The Defence Minister articulated the long-felt need for raising the defence allocation to 3 per cent of GDP from the present level of about 2.3 per cent. Whether or not the desired level is achieved by next year, the increase would give a push to the modernisation programme of the armed forces. Major improvements have been effected in the logistic support to troops in Siachen. These included improved automatic grenade launcher, disposable rocket launchers, night sight for weapons, light weight binoculars, upgraded ammunition for 155 mm guns, new sub-machine guns, better communication, clothing and medical facilities, laying of fuel oil pipeline and surfacing of roads. A new military hospital for Siachen is also in the offing.

    A major success in Kargil was the indigenously manufactured INSAS rifles. A modernisation programme of our ordnance factories some of which date back to the last century is underway contemplating an investment of Rs.1241 crore during the Ninth Plan period. India's defence products were showcased in our first International Exhibition on Land and Naval Systems, DEFEXPO in New Delhi.

MANY MULTI-NATIONALS RESPOND TO POLICY CHANGES

INDEX OF MINERAL'S PRODUCTION MOVES UP TO 121.15

TOTAL VALUE OF MINERALS PRODUCTION IS RS. 41,052 CRORE

    Minerals are very important component of national wealth. Therefore, there has to be a well-laid and definite policy for their exploitation to meet present and future needs of the country. Nature has endowed India with a rich bounty of mineral wealth. For proper and planned tapping of the mineral wealth, the Central Government announced a National Mineral Policy way back in 1993. In the year under review efforts were continued to consolidate the on-going process of achieving the objectives of the Policy.

    The policy changes have attracted many multi-national companies for investment in exploration of base metals, noble metals and other scarce minerals. Sixty six proposals for prospecting over large areas in pursuance of the guidelines issued by the Department of Mines in October 1996 were cleared November 11, 1999, covering an area of about 90,800 Sq.Kms. in the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Prospecting licences have been granted in favour of Indian subsidiaries of well- known international mining companies. These include CRA Exploration India Pvt. Ltd., Metmin Finance and Holding Ltd., BHP Minerals India Pvt. Ltd., Meridian Minerals India Pvt. Ltd., RBW Minerals Industries Ltd., WSIL Minerals Sands India Pvt. Ltd., Phelps Dodge Exploration India Pvt. Ltd. etc. besides one public sector company viz. Hindustan Zinc Ltd.

    The Department of Mines had constituted a Committee in February, 1997 under the Chairmanship of the then Secretary (Mines) to review existing laws and procedures for regulation and development of minerals with a view to simplifying procedures, delegating more powers to State Governments and suggesting measures to prevent illegal mining, etc. In the light of the recommendation of this Committee, and to further operationalise the policy initiatives; the Government is considering greater delegation of powers to the State Governments and major procedural simplification by amending the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957. The Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act Amendment Bill, 1999 has been passed by the Parliament on the December 13, 1999 and became an Act on December 20, 1999.

    In January, 1999, the Government deleted Rule 75 (2) of Minerals Concession Rules, 1960 and abolished the provision concerning prospecting/mining on contract with State Governments without valid licences/leases. On June 1,1999 the Government has notified Granite Conservation and Development Rules, 1999 for ensuring systematic development and conservation of valuable granite assets of the country.

    A National Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Mines), co-chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests was constituted on the April 15, 1998 to monitor and review Environmental Aspects of Mining Activities.

    A Multi-Disciplinary Committee appointed in April, 1998 is studying in detail the entire taxation regime applicable to the mineral sector so as to suggest appropriate tax structure conducive to rapid development of minerals and minerals based industries in the country.

    Government has also appointed in October, 1998 a Study Group to make recommendations for revision of royalty rates for major minerals (excluding coal, lignite and sand for stowing) which is due in April, 2000. The deliberations of the Study Group are in progress.

    The Department of Mines, has constituted a Group on Marble Development (GMD) in September, 1999 with a view to look into the various problems related to mining, value addition and exports, etc. of marble and suggest appropriate measures to overcome the bottlenecks affecting this industry. This Group will work under the overall guidance and supervision of Granite Development Council.

    The index of minerals production (base 1993-94=100) for the year 1999-2000 is estimated to be 121.15 as compared to 120.54 for 1998-99, showing a marginal growth of 0.5 percent.

    The total value of mineral production (excluding atomic minerals) during 1999-2000 is estimated to be Rs. 41,052 crores, which shows an increase of 1 percent over that of the previous year. During 1999-2000, fuel minerals have accounted for Rs. 33,678 crores or 82 percent, metallic minerals Rs. 2,976 crores or 7 percent and non-metallic minerals (including minor minerals) Rs. 4,398 crores or 11 percent of the total value.

    The 25^th meeting of the Minerals Advisory Council was held on April 5,1999. Several agenda items reflecting the concerns of the user-industry, the regulatory authorities including the Central and the State Governments, issues pertaining to the impact of mining on environment and forests issues, issues relating to exploration - both on-shore and off-shore, production and internal distribution of minerals, human resources development in the mineral sector, export and import of minerals, as well as fiscal and other miscellaneous matters were discussed in the meeting.

Granite Conservation and Development Rules, 1999 have been notified on June 1, 1999 for conservation and systematic development of and scientific mining to conserve the granite resources and to prescribe a uniform frame-work with regard to systematic and scientific exploitation of granite throughout the country.

    Amendment to the Mining Lease (Modification of Terms) Rules 1956 has been notified on June1, 1999 to bring the provisions of the Mining Leases (Modification of terms) Rules, 1956 at par with those in the Minerals concession Rules 1960 and the Minerals Conservation and Development Rules, 1988.

    Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development ) Amendment Bill, 1999 for carrying out amendments in the Mines & Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957 has been passed by the Parliament and amendments gazetted on December20,1999.

    Efforts are on to further improve upon the National Mineral Policy.

    Dr.N.C.Nigam will be the new chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education. The appointment is for a period of three years.

    Dr. Nigam served as Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, during 1989 - 94. He was Vice-chancellor of Goa University (1995-96) and University of Roorkee (1996 - 99). Dr. Nigam has authored two books on Random Vibrations : Introduction to Random Vibrations and Applications of Random Vibrations.

    Dr. Nigam has received the Wisitex-91 Award for his contributions towards application of Science and Technology to national development and Distinguished Alumni Award-91 of the California Institute of Technology.

    The pre-budget consultations with various representative groups is beginning from 5^th January, 2000. Union Finance Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha will hold these meetings with representatives of industry, agriculture, trade unions, small-scale industry, consumer organisations, etc. The schedule of various meetings is as below:

    During these discussions, the Finance Minister will elicit opinion from wide cross section of the society. These suggestions will be considered while finalising the next budget.

    The President, Shri K. R. Narayanan has greeted the people on the occasion of New Year.

    In his message, the President has said:

    "As the sun rises over the year 2000, may it bring peace, prosperity and happiness to all our people. Let us take a new year's resolve to work to meet the exciting challenges of the new millennium and promote unity and harmony among all Indians.

    I have great pleasure in extending warm greetings and good wishes to all fellow citizens."

    The Year 1999 is very significant for the Petroleum Sector. On the one hand efforts to establish new oil fields received a fillip with discovery of oil at 4 new sites, the refining capacity reached 103.34 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA). A breakthrough was achieved with the signing of sales-purchase Agreement for import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Qatar. As many as 70 lakhs new LPG domestic connections were approved for release so that the waiting list for LPG connections is completely wiped out by the end of next year. Several steps were undertaken to make available eco-friendly and high quality products.

    Oil was found at four places. At Moran (Assam) discovery was made by Oil India Ltd. (OIL) with 5-6 million MT reserve estimates based on drilling at one well and is likely to go up. Oil for the first time was discovered by private investors in the country in Barmer district (Rajasthan) with crude oil outflow at 2000 barrels/day from a new well and by ONGC in Krishna-Godavari Basin and in Cambay basin. A major gas strike was made by ONGC in Bombay off-shore with a likely yield of 5-6 billion cubic metric of gas. To boost oil exploration efforts in India, bids for as many as 27 blocks were received by the close of Bidding in August. The award of these blocks under the investor friendly New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) will be finalised very soon, ensuring speedy award of blocks for exploration.

    The Prime Minister set up a Group of Ministers to formulate Hydrocarbon Vision 2025 for oil sector so that maximum long-term and short-term oil security could be earned for the country. In order to prepare a road map for the future, six sub-Groups covering the entire Petroleum Sector Operations have been set up to prepare a vision for petroleum industry on (i) strategy for exploration and production covering technology and environmental issues (ii) development of refining, marketing, transportation and infrastructure requirements based on demand and supply projections (iii) development and utilisation of natural gas, including LNG, alternative fuels such as CBM, hydrates, DME and coal gasification, in the context of the emerging global oil and gas scenario (iv) restructuring of oil industry, including disinvestment, role of Government and regulatory structures (v) pricing and tariff reforms and (vi) long term external policy for the hydrocarbon sector including oil security.

    The Comprehensive Report of the Group of Ministers on Hydrocarbon Vision 2025 is expected to be finalised soon.

    A Sales-Purchase Agreement was signed for import from Qatar of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) the preferred feedstock for several industries. Under this Agreement, signed between Petronet LNG Limited (a joint venture of Oil PSUs) and M/s Rasgas of Qatar, LNG will be received at Dahej, Gujarat (5 MMTPA) and at Cochin, Kerala (2.5 MMTPA) by mid-2003. Apart from Petronet LNG Ltd., there are several other initiatives from the private sector in importing LNG at various locations in India. Prominent among these initiatives are those of M/s British Gas at Pipavav (Gujarat), M/s Enron at Dabhol (Maharashtra) and M/s TOTAL-TATA in association with Gail at Trombay (Maharashtra). The import of gas is being pursued in view of its growing demand and limited availability from domestic areas.

    To meet the longstanding demands of oil producing States the rate of "On Account Royalty" payment was raised to Rs.750/tonne from Rs.578 per tonne with effect from June 1999 subject to a limit of 20% of the well head value of crude oil. The provisional royalty rate of Rs.528/tonne for 1993-96 was also raised to Rs.539.8/tonne and the resultant arrears have been paid to the States.

    Refining capacity reached 103.34 MMTPA with two new refineries commissioned this year. Jamnagar (Gujarat) refinery of Reliance Industries with 21.39 MMTPA capacity and Numaligarh (Assam) with 3.00 MMTPA have substantially augmented domestic refining capacity. This greatly reduces import dependence for oil products and saves the precious foreign- exchange for the country as a result of added refining capacity. There are now 17 Refineries in the country of which 15 are owned by Public Sector Oil Companies. Of the remaining two, one is a joint venture between public sector Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and India Rayon and Industrial Limited (Gujarat) and the other is a Private Sector Refinery.

    GAIL also commissioned its Rs. 2500 crore UP Petrochemical Complex with a capacity of 2,60,000 MTPA of HDPE and LLDPE.

    To ensure required supply of crude oil to the existing refineries, a new Haldia-Barauni Crude Oil Pipeline of 4.2 MMTPA capacity was commissioned in February 1999. IOC has completed augmentation of capacity of Salaya-Viramgram- Koyali Crude Oil Pipeline (Salaya-Viramgram- form 17.2 MMTPA to 21 MMTPA and Viramgram-Koyali form 5 MMTPA to 6.5 MMTPA) during September 1999. IOC has also taken up augmentation of capacity of Haldia-Barauni crude oil pipeline from 4.2. MMTPA to 7.5 MMTPA at an estimated cost of Rs. 472 crore with expected completion by February, 2002.

    IOC completed the augmentation of capacity of Kandla Bhatinda Product Pipeline to 7.5 MMTPA. Further, the Branch pipeline to Budge Budge from the existing Haldia-Mourigram-Rajbandh product pipeline has been completed by IOC during September, 1999. The Vadinar-Kandla Pipeline, Mangalore-Bangalore Pipeline, Cochin-Karur Pipeline, Bina-Jhansi-Kanpur Pipeline and Chennai-Madurai Pipeline projects are under implementation by Petronet India Ltd. Petronet India Limited is a non-Government Holding company which has been formed by Oil Companies for the purpose of implementation of petroleum product pipelines.

    LPG supply to households in hilly areas is being made on demand with effect from September 1999 reducing their requirement of firewood for domestic use. Government has approved release of 70 lakh new domestic gas connections during 1999-2000. The new Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Ram announced that the government plans to wipe out entire waiting list for LPG connections by December, 2000. Government approved a joint-venture of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Petronas (Malaysia) to import LPG at Haldia to cater to domestic and industrial demand in Eastern India. Another Oil PSU, GAIL was given approval to set up Gandhar Gas Processing Unit with annual capacity to fill 15 million LPG cylinders.

    To make available environment friendly fuels, sulphur content in diesel will be reduced to 0.25 per cent by weight (Extra Low Sulphur HSD) and is envisaged to be introduced by January 2000 in the entire country. Diesel Hydro De-Sulphurisation (DHDS) facilities for production of diesel with 0.25% Sulphur have been commissioned at IOC-Koyali, IOC-Panipat, IOC-Haldia, IOC-Mathura, BPCL-Mumbai and MRPL-Mangalore refineries. Supply of Extra Low Sulphur HSD has been made available in whole of NCR and other metro cities. Similarly unleaded petrol will be made available throughout the country by March 2000.

    To curb adulteration of petroleum products, a special campaign was launched from 29th November to 3rd December 1999 on the direction of the Petroleum Minister. As many as 1888 Retail Outlets were checked and 129 cases of suspected adulteration and 18 cases of seal tampering were detected. Government held a conference of Ministers and Secretaries of States/UTs to focus on the need of strict action against adulteration and to remove bottlenecks in smooth and easy availability of quality petroleum products in all parts of the country.

    The rationalisation of Excise and Custom Duty in the General Budget 1999-2000 was carried out with reductions in duties. Restrictions on full availability of MODVAT on oil products was lifted. The specified capital goods and consumer goods imported by ONGC and OIL for petroleum operations have been exempted from Customs Duty at par with imports under NELP. Besides, crude oil other petroleum products were kept outside the applicability of uniform surcharge of 10 per cent on basic duty. To make much needed finances available for the development of Roads/National Highways and social sector, a Re.1 per litre cess on High Speed Diesel was introduced to annually contribute an additional about Rs.5000 crore. A similar cess was imposed on Petrol in June 1998.

    Shares of the Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) were sold in both domestic and global markets. The global depository receipt (GDR) issue in November, 1999, fetched Rs. 945 crore against sale of 135 million shares at a price of Rs. 70/- per share. This issue compared favourably with the domestic offer of 85 million shares in Feburary, 1999, out of which only 30 million shares were subscribed at a price of Rs. 60 per share. The positive response to the global offering indicates investors' confidence in the performance and the strength of Indian economy.

    The Government divested a small portion of its stake in ONGC, IOC and GAIL in early 1999. These shares were cross-sold to these very companies. The equity swap is expected to created synergies among the three national oil companies. IOC and ONGC have signed a Memorandum of Strategic Alliance in line with Government's desire to have strong and global PSUs having vertical integration.

    Oil Sector contributed wholeheartedly to national cause with Rs. 80 crore were donated to National Defence Fund and Rs. 39.5 crore to Orissa Cyclone Relief. The government formulated a scheme of providing petrol pumps/LPG distributorships to the widows/next kin of Kargil martyrs. So far 116 retail outlets/LPG distributorships i.e. 65 LPG distributorships and 51 retail outlets have been approved. In addition to the petrol pumps/LPG distributorships would be handed over to the widows/next of kin fully functional along with the working capital. While developing a retail outlet, oil companies would be spending more than 40 lakhs on retail outlet and Rs. 20 lakhs on LPG distributorship.

    On the eve of Republic Day 1999, "Prime Minister’s Self Employment Scheme of Oil Companies" was announced to provide about 10,000 kerosene dealerships one each at Block headquarters. Steps are underway to implement the scheme.

PRIME MINISTER'S NEW YEAR ADDRESS

    Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's address telecast on Doordarshan on the eve of New year today:

    "My dear countrymen:

    Tomorrow the world enters a new century and a new age.

    A new chapter in the history of mankind begins as the Sun sets for the last time in the 20^th century.

    This is an occasion for cheer and joy.

    Doubly so because the ordeal of our sisters and brothers, of the little children, held hostage by the hijackers of an Indian Airlines plane is nearing an end. They will soon be back with their families to usher in the New Year.

    As you are aware, the hijackers had demanded the release of 36 terrorists. We were able to substantially scale down their demand.

    In dealing with the hijackers, Government was guided by two concerns: the safety of the passengers and the crew, and the long-term, overall interests of our country.

    The hijacking, diabolic and evil as it is, is but the latest manifestation. We must not spare any effort, India shall not spare any effort to thwart the phenomenon of terrorism itself.

    For two decades now, this menace has exacted a cruel price from us in India. Thousands of innocent, defenceless men, women and children have been done to death. Tens of thousands of families have lost their home and hearth.

    Surely, the time has come for the world to confront this evil, to act in concert and crush it.

    The battle against terrorism can be won.

    By all nations acting together. By outdoing the terrorist in patience, in technology, in strength, in intelligence.

    India shall join hands across nations to rid the world of this crime against humanity.

    Let this be our first resolution for the New Century.

    Along with terrorism, the twin curse of poverty and illiteracy have to be wiped out. We have to ensure that every Indian has a shelter and the poorest of the poor access to a life of dignity.

    We have to break down barriers of caste, language and religion. We have to erase artificial boundaries that separate Indians from Indians. We have to remove all forms of discrimination, especially discrimination against women.

    The key to this new society is fast economic development and rapid social change. We have to ensure growth with equity so that every Indian benefits from India’s prosperity.

    Let this be our second resolution for the New Century.

    We have to excel – as individuals and as a nation.

    We have the best talent in science and technology. Our sportsmen are rated among the best in the world. Our teachers are in demand in the best universities abroad. Our farmers defy great odds to produce record harvests. Our industry has the potential to stand up to all competition.

    The closing decades of the 20^th century have fetched a bounty of opportunities. New vistas have been opened up by discoveries that could not have been imagined even 20 years ago.

    With such talent and resources, we can excel as a nation. We must seize the opportunities of the coming era to emerge as a mighty nation whose strength shall lie in her achievements.

    Let this be our third resolution for the New Century.

    On January 26 we will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Republic.

    The Constitution of India has served as the beacon for our democracy, establishing the rule of law and the supremacy of the people. In 50 years we have grown to become a vibrant democracy, and the world’s largest.

    But while the spirit of democracy and the faith of the people in a democratic system have survived the test of time, our institutions have begun to show signs of corrosion. That needs to be checked and rectified immediately.

    To ensure the health of our democracy, our institutions need to be strengthened, with your help, to meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

    Let this be our fourth resolution for the New Century.

    We enter the 21^st century with a civilisational history that stretches back to more than 5,000 years.

    From time immemorial, we have nourished traditions and values. They are our real strength. They are the gift India has preserved for the world through ages. They are the truths to which the world has now begun to turn -- for direction, for solace, for wisdom.

    As Sri Aurobindo said:

    Let us make that vision come true.

    Let us make the New Century an Indian century.

    May 2000 and the decades beyond truly be a new age, a new era of security and brotherhood among all peoples and prosperity for all nations. Jai Hind !"