Rainbows on stamps

 

Date of Issue : 2 February 2010

I came across these lovely rainbows on stamps.In this set each stamp is in Rainbow colors. It was issued on Girl Guiding by Royal Mail on 2 Feb 2010.

Girl Guiding UK Miniature Sheet

For this miniature sheet the emphasis was firmly on ‘fun’, with each of the stamps designed to bring out the sheer enjoyment of being part of the Guides, and displaying some of the many activities enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of girls around the UK.

1st Class – Rainbows

Rainbows are aged from five to seven (four to seven in Northern Ireland).

56p - Brownies

Brownies are aged from seven to ten.

81p - Guides

Guides are aged from ten to 14

90p - Senior Section

 

 

Indian Theme on foreign stamps…

                            - Kenneth Sequeira

Chukha Hydel Project

Indian President Shri. R. Venkatraman inaugurated this project in October 1988

Cementing A Friendship

The inauguration of Chukha was notable in other respects as well. Its sheer size and logistical complexity dwarfed all other public works projects in Bhutan combined.

It was also a milestone in the regional co-operation, with an amicable deal worked out to share the renewable hydropower resource for the benefit of both countries.At the inauguration, President Venkataraman said the Project symbolized the firm friendship between India and Bhutan. With Chukha, the Bhutanese economy took a leap forward.

The 336MW Chukha hydel project, which harnesses the waters of the Wong Chhu or Raidak River, was historically one of the largest single investments undertaken in Bhutan, and it represented a major step toward exploiting the country's huge hydroelectric potential. It was built by India on a turnkey basis, with India providing 60% of the capital in a grant and 40% in a loan at highly concessional terms and conditions. In the arrangement, India receives in turn all the electricity generated from the project in excess of Bhutan’s demand at much cheaper prices than India’s generation cost from alternative sources. Located between Thimphu and the Indian border, a 40 metres (130 ft) diversion dam was built at Chimakoti village, 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) upstream of the confluence of the Ti Chhu and Wong Chhu rivers. From the dam water was diverted through 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) long tunnels to a fall of more than 300 metres (980 ft) to Chukha power house for generation of electricity. Construction started in 1974 and completed in 1986-88.

The construction of Bhutan’s first mega power project, the 336 MW Chhukha hydro-electric project on Wangchu river began in the 70s. The Nu. 2,460 million turnkey power plant was funded by the Government of India which provided a 60 percent grants and 40 percent loan at 5 percent per annum repayable in 15 years in equated annual installments. The first repayment was to be made 3 years after each withdrawal of the loan.

The project was successfully commissioned in 1986 but the project was handed over to Bhutanese management only in June 1991. The beneficiaries of the hydro plant outside Bhutan are West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) of India. A large portion of the power generated is exported to India. Till Tala hydropower project was commissioned Chhukha was the biggest contributor to Bhutan’s exchequer.