Alternate fuels like CNG must be embraced for cleaner environment and as a part of its effort to propound the alternate fuel theory and Ford Motor Company is working with IIT-Chennai and IIT-Delhi, an expert from the company said on Tuesday.

"We will take more engaging activities with the IITs in India to find a solution to the energy problems. Ford has already created a Ford Research Chair at IIT Chennai and Delhi and will leverage R&D with the skills available in IITs," Dr Haren S Gandhi, a Ford Technical Fellow at Ford Motor Company’s Research laboratory, told reporters here.

Claiming that Ford had created the largest variety of alternate fuel vehicles in the world, Dr Gandhi said ethanol fuel, which was primarily made out of sugarcane, could be used to tied over the energy crisis. "Energy situations can be impacted by the use of the ethanol based fuel," he said.

On the use of nanotechnology — a science of manipulating materials at the atomic or molecular level — in the automobile industry, he said Ford was one of the first automakers to apply nanotechnology to its product especially in exhaust catalysis and emission controls, which are nano-based systems.

Dr Gandhi said, "Crossover vehicles are a fast-growing segment in the market today as they provide a creative solutions by the use of fossil fuel. It will also help offset the carbon emissions from the vehicles".

"We have aggressive plans to develop hybrid in all segments of vehicle," he added.

The Central government has increased the amount sanctioned to promote 53 tourism projects in the entire Northeast region by a staggering 75 per cent to Rs 127.53 crores for the period ending February 2006. According to an Assocham study, the department of tourism, ministry of tourism and culture, in the entire fiscal of 2004-05, had sanctioned Rs 72.75 crores for 32 projects for the states in the northeastern region with a view to promote various tourist destinations and spots.

The study was based on the latest figures released by the department of tourism in the form of State-wise tourism projects sanctioned for various states during the year 2004-05 and 2005-06 (upto February, 2006). According to the chamber, the government had realised the potential of economic activities in such states to positively impact the growth of tourism and tourism related activities in the country.

In the case of Assam, the number of projects sanctioned for tourism promotion in 2004-05 stood at six with the corresponding allocation amount of Rs 9.56 crores, however, by February 2006, the department had increased the number of projects to eight, for which sanctioned amount was increased to Rs 21.25 crores.

For Arunachal Pradesh, Rs 22.40 crores had been sanctioned for 10 projects while nine projects had been given the green signal for each of the states of Mizoram and Nagaland, while 14 had been sanctioned for Sikkim and only three for Tripura during the February 2006 period. The amount allocated for the states varied between Rs 22-71 crores. Jammu and Kashmir had been allocated Rs 66.56 crores for 22 projects.

The state of Uttar Pradesh is also reported to be the beneficiary of allocations