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Briefing

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International News Mona Das Elected ...

News Desk Part-Night Lightings ...

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Social Media Most Followed Indian...

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Letter From the Editor

Red Tape Should be Eliminated to Flourish Economy

he ease of doing business score captures the gap between an economy’s performance and a measure of best practice across the entire sample of 41 indicators for 10 Doing Business topics (the labor market regulation indicators are excluded). For starting a business, for example, New Zealand and Georgia have the lowest number of procedures required. New Zealand also holds the shortest time to start a business (0.5 days), while Slovenia has the lowest cost (0.0). Australia, Colombia, and 115 other economies have no paid-in minimum. An economy cannot thrive without a healthy private sector. When local businesses flourish, they create jobs and generate income that can be spent and invested domestically. Any rational government that cares about the economic well-being and advancement of its constituency pays particular attention to laws and regulations affecting local small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Effective business regulation allows micro and small firms to grow, innovate and, when applicable, move from the informal to the formal sector of an economy. Like its 15 predecessors, Doing Business 2019 continues to enable regulators to assess and benchmark their domestic business regulatory environments. Doing Business advocates for both regulatory quality and efficiency. It is essential to have adequate rules in place that are easy to follow and understand. To realize economic gains, reduce corruption and encourage SMEs to flourish, unnecessary red tape should be eliminated. However, specific safeguards must be put in place to ensure high-quality business regulatory processes; efficiency alone is not enough for regulation to function well. What use is it when one can transfer property in just a few days and at a low cost, but the property registry contains unreliable information with incomplete geographic coverage? Doing Business exposes cases with evident discrepancies between regulatory quality and efficiency, signaling to regulators what needs to be reformed. Doing Business 2019 measures the processes for business incorporation, getting a building permit, obtaining an electricity connection, transferring property, getting access to credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, engaging in international trade, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency. Doing Business collects and publishes data on labor market regulation with a focus on the flexibility of employment regulation as well as several aspects of job quality. However, this regulatory area does not constitute part of the ease of doing the business ranking. Each of the measured business regulatory areas is important to nascent and existing entrepreneurs. However, as Doing Business data show, SME owners face drastically different realities across economies as they set up and operate their businesses. An entrepreneur in Uganda, for example, will spend nearly a month and undertake 13 procedures to set up a new company. The entrepreneur will then be required to manage another 18 interactions with different Overview. Doing Business captured a record 314 regulatory reforms. Worldwide, 128 economies introduced substantial regulatory improvements making it easier to do business in all areas measured by Doing Business. The economies with the most notable improvement in Doing Business 2019 are Afghanistan, Djibouti, China, Azerbaijan, India, Togo, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Turkey and Rwanda. One - third of all busi-

ness regulatory reforms recorded by Doing Business 2019 were in the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa. With a total of 107 reforms, Sub-Saharan Africa once again has a record number this year. The BRIC economies—Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and China—introduced a total of 21 reforms, with getting electricity and trading across borders the most common areas of improvement. The 10 top economies in the ease of doing business ranking share common features of regulatory efficiency and quality, including mandatory inspections during construction, automated tools used by distribution utilities to restore service during power outages, strong safeguards available to creditors in insolvency proceedings and automated specialized commercial courts. Training opportunities for service providers and users are positively associated with the ease of doing business score. Similarly, increased public-private communication on legislative changes and processes affecting SMEs are associated with more reforms and better performance on the Doing Business indicators. Once the construction of the warehouse is completed, the entrepreneur will need to wait another two months and cash out 7,513.6% of income per capita to obtain a connection to the electrical grid. In contrast, a Danish entrepreneur can expect to be able to register a new business in just 3.5 days, complete all required legal procedures to build a warehouse through seven steps in slightly over two months and secure a reliable electrical connection for about 100% of local income per capita. Differences in regulatory and institutional quality can affect how many new businesses are created and the dynamism of the private sector, which generates jobs and economic opportunities. In Denmark, the average number of newly registered companies is eight per 1,000 workers per year, whereas in Uganda this figure is less than one new company per 1,000 workers per year. Many factors explain this difference, including the level of business regulation. Doing Business, does not claim to cover all the areas pertinent to private sector development and growth. The report has a set of clear limitations; Doing Business data alone are not sufficient to assess the overall competitiveness or foreign investment prospects of an economy. Doing Business does not determine market size, the soundness, and depth of financial markets, macroeconomic conditions, foreign investment, security or political stability. However, the Doing Business indicators do offer insights for policymakers to identify areas for reform and improve the local business environment.

Connect with Hariom Tyagi

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Hariom Tyagi Editor, Observer Dawn

@harityagi2003 @harityagi2003 @harityagi2003 March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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News Desk

Ghana to Develop Forest Resources, Seeks Help From Chinese Firm

he Chinese firm is likely to help Ghana to develop its forest resources for better outcomes. A Memorandum of Understating (MOU) was also signed between the China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana on January 22, 2019 in this connection. The CEIEC Vice president, Liu Zhirong, said Xinhua that the cooperation would help Ghana utilize forest resources to benefit citizens in various ways. Ghana's forest resource management has long

Part-Night Lightings Have Ecological Benefits Too

f lighting is meant to ease and help human beings, darkness of nights highlights the ecological benefit. It leads the natural lifestyle of nocturnal pollinators, new research says. As such, switching off our street lights even for short periods in the night would not only save money, instead it will also protect nocturnal pollinators. A study, led by experts from Newcastle and York universities, has shown that turning off the lights even for just part of the night is effective at restoring the natural behavior of moths. The important role moths play in the pollination of plants -- potentially even including key food crops such as peas, soybean and oilseed rape -- is often over-

looked. But recent studies show that moths supplement the day-time work of bees and other pollinating insects. Night-lighting often disrupts nocturnal pollination by attracting moths upwards, away from the fields and hedgerows so they spend less time feeding and therefore pollinating. But in this latest study, published today in Ecosphere, the team found there was no difference in pollination success between partnight lighting and full darkness. Dr. Darren Evans, Reader in Ecology and Conservation at Newcastle University, who supervised the study, highlighted that at a time when local authorities are switching off the street lamps to save money, this study highlighted the environmental benefits of partnight lighting.

a conclusion that hundred percent of Norwegian cars would run on green energy by 2025.In a report published in the Norwegian newspaper, Dagens Naeringsliv, it has been said that the FRP would remove all gasoline cars soon. “If it happens so, Norway will become the first country in the world to commit to zero deforestation”, the report says. Emphasizing on possible ban on non-electric cars by 2025, the Chief Executive of US electric car company Tesla Motors,Elon Musk, lauded the announcement.

Petrol Powered Cars to be Banned by 2025 in Norway

been criticized for focusing on short-term economic value, beset by problems such as the lack of sustainable development, unplanned logging, illegal logging, and lack of technology and equipment for timber production and processing. "The actual expectation from CEIEC is to help and assist the Forestry Commission and the Ghanaian government so that they could utilize their reach forest resources to benefit the people and country," Liu said. CEO of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, KwadwoOwusu-Afriyie, said, "As I believe, Chinese are the best in terms of wood processing and related activities”. He added that the project would be a long-term one with the aim of a holistic development of the forestry sector for greater job creation and revenue for the western African country. nnn

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

fter motivating the manufacturers and the users to go for electrically powered motor-vehicles in Norway, now the government has decided to impose a complete ban on sale and purchase of all fossil fuel-based cars by 2025. With this, the country is heading towards becoming one of the most ecologically progressive countries on the earth. More than 25% cars in Norway are now being run off electricity. Politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have recently reached to

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Researchers Willing To Save Monarch Butterflies, Relocate Trees

n a move to save, protect and preserve the declining populations of ‘Monarch Butterflies’, the Mexico researchers are willing to move hundreds of fir trees from plains to mountains. Besides, the move is also meant to preserve the trees that serve the migratory butterflies as their winter habitats. A forest geneticist, Cuauhtémoc SáenzRomero in Morelia of Mexico has been relocating Oyamel firs (Abiesreligiosa) along the Biosphere Reserve of the Monarch Butterfly for over three years. The site is located about 100 kilometers Northwest of Mexico City. The reports regarding the results of the research is under process and is yet to be reviewed by the authorities. The case of the Oyamel fir trees, some scientists think the risk is worth it. “This is an example of a good experiment,” says Sally Aitken, a forest ecol-

ogist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. According to a report prepared by the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group in Tucson of Arizona, the number of monarch butterflies (Danausplexippus) in North America has dropped by more than 80% over the past 20 years. The decline has affected both the Eastern monarch population, which migrates from the northern and central United States and southern Canada to Mexico each autumn, and the smaller, Western monarch population, which migrates across western US states and winters in coastal California. Rising temperatures and habitat destruction at the butterflies’ breeding sites in the United States and Canada are the major drivers of monarch declines, says Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Located in the Continent of North America, Greenland is melting faster than the scientists anticipated earlier. The faster melting is however likely to lead a faster sea level rise, a recent study said. The experts and scientists concerned over

2019, Replaces CRZ –2011

eplacing the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms of 2011, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has on January 18, 2019 notified the CRZ norms – 2019. It has been issued under section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The main aim is to promote sustainable development based on scientific principles taking into account the natural hazards such as increasing sea levels due to global warming. The norms also direct to conserve and protect the environment of coastal stretches and marine areas, besides livelihood security to the

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Rapid Melting of ice in Greenland Worries Scientist nother bad impact of climate change is being witnessed over the past few decades in Greenland.

Union Govt. Notifies CRZ -

rise gradual rise of sea level over the past few years have basically focused on Greenland’s South-East and North-West regions where large glaciers stream iceberg-sized chunks of ice into the Atlantic Ocean. Those chunks float away and eventually melt. The largest sustained ice loss from early 2003 to mid-2013 came from Greenland’s South-West region. nnn

fisher communities and other local communities in the coastal area. As per the census report 2011, the A category of CRZ-III areas are densely populated with a population density of 2161 per square kilometer. Such areas have a No Development Zone (NDZ) of 50 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL) as against 200 meters from the High Tide Line stipulated in the CRZ Notification, 2011. In other hands, the B categories of CRZ-III rural areas have population density of below 2161 per square kilometer as per 2011 Census. Such areas have a No Development Zone of 200 meters from the HTL. As per CRZ, 2011 Notification, the Floor Space Index (FSI) or the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) had been frozen. In the CRZ 2019 Notification, the government decided to de-freeze the Floor Space Index and permit FSI for construction projects. nnn

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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Social Media

Most Followed Indian Stars on Instagram

Priyanka Chopra, Tops the list of Instagram with over 31.8 m followers across the world.

he most followed Indian Instagrammer in 2018 is the Bollywoods finest star, Priyanka Chopra, with over 31.8 m followers across the world. But over the past month, she is buzzing the internet after tying the knot of nuptial with pop star singer, Nick Jonas, who himself, has 18.4 m followers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Names Priyanka Chopra Deepika Padukon Virat Kohli Aliaa Bhatt Shraddha Kapoor Jacqueline Fernandez

No of followers 31.8 16.7 26.9 25.9 25.6 23.2

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

on Instagram. Bollywood actress, Deepika Padukone, with more than 29 million followers, appeared second in the list. She, too, tied the knot with the Bollywood actor, Ranveer Singh, in a private ceremony held at lake Como in Italy. Ranveer has about 16.7 m followers. The third on the list is none other than the superstar of cricket VIRAT KOHLI (26.9 m). He got married to the rising diva of Bollywood Anushka Sharma in Italy last year who herself has a whopping (21.5 m) followers. Virat is also the most followed cricketer not only in India but throughout the world. His fame is increasing day by day. *Virat also has a strong fanbase on twitter with a twitter count of 27.3m followers thus leaving behind the Instagram queens Priyanka and Deepika who have 25.3 m and 23.6 m respectively. nnn

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Deepika Padukon, Tops the list of Instagram with over 16.7 m followers across the world.

Virat Kholi, Tops the list of Instagram with over 26.9 m followers across the world.

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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Social Media

Alia Bhatt, Tops the list of Instagram with over 25.9 m followers across the world.

Shraddha Kapoor, Tops the list of Instagram with over 25.6 m followers across the world. 18

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March 2019

Jacqueline Fernandez, Tops the list of Instagram with over 23.2 m followers across the world.

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Top Five Indian Celebrities on Twitter

Like Other Social Media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also the most-followed Indian on Twitter. Modi boasts of 44.1 Million followers on this Micro-Blogging Platform. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), India too appears in the Top Ten Lists with 27.1 Million followers. The rest are from Bollywood or Cricket. Here's over to the ten most-followed Indians on Twitter.

Twitter handle: @narendramodi Followers: 44.1 million

1 Twitter handle: @SrBachchan Followers: 35.2 million

Twitter handle: @iamsrk Followers: 36.5 million

2 Twitter handle: @BingSalmanKhan Followers: 34.7 million

Twitter handle: @akshaykumar Followers: 28.2 million

5 March 2019

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International News

Earth Witnesses 4th Warmest Year Since 1880 In 2018

ndependent analyses conducted by National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have revealed that the Earth’s global surface has witnessed the fourth warmest temperature since 1880 in the year 2018. Earth's global surface has witnessed the warmest years over the past five years. “The year 2018 is yet another extremely warm year on top of a long-term global warming trend,” said. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Director Gavin Schmidt. Weather dynamics often affect regional temperatures, so not every region on Earth experienced similar amounts of warming. NOAA found the 2018 annual mean temperature for the contiguous 48 United States was the 14th warmest on record. NASA’s temperature analyses incorporate surface temperature measurements from 6,300 weather stations, ship- and buoybased observations of sea surface temperatures, and temperature

measurements from Antarctic research stations, the release explained. Warming trends are strongest in the Arctic region, where 2018 saw the continued loss of sea ice. Also, mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continued to contribute to sea level rise. Increasing temperatures can also contribute to longer fire seasons and some extreme weather events, according to Schmidt. “The impacts of long-term global warming are already being felt — in coastal flooding, heat waves, intense precipitation, and ecosystem change,” said Schmidt. With the US President, Donald Trump, administration withdrawing from the 2015 Paris accord on climate change, global warming has become a controversial subject in the United States. Trump has expressed skepticism over dire predictions of rising oceans and extreme weather events attributed to climate change.

spending by the German government came at a difficult time. German media reported on Monday that Germany's Finance Minister Olaf Scholz needed up to 25 billion euros to maintain the budget of the German government until 2023 due to lower tax revenues and higher expenditures. In addition, the German Economic Ministry had nearly halved its growth forecast for the German gross domestic product to 1 percent from originally 1.8 percent last week. Germany's Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen had reaffirmed the goal of spending 1.5 percent of Germany's GDP in military expenditures by 2024 during her visit to the Baltic States earlier this week but emphasized that it would be possible to spend a lot of money on "your armies" without "doing anything for NATO". Noticeably, the United States has long demanded an equal distribution of military spending among NATO member states. The US President, Donald Trump, had recently warned that the US would withdraw from the NATO alliance if all the alliance partners fail to spend two percent of their GDP on defense.

Germany Plans High Defense Expenditure to NATO

ermany promises to increase its military spending to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2024. The new modus operandi of the German government came into notice only after a media report, regarding a strategy paper submitted by the German Government to NATO on February 5, 2019, published in Germany on February 6. As per the report published in a German news agency (DPA), the increase will continue even years after 2024. The agency also cited the strategy paper, which was submitted to NATO. However, the German strategy paper did not include plans or figures on how to achieve the target of 1.5 percent until 2024. In order to meet the set targets, Germany's defense budget would need to increase from 43.2 billion euros (49.2 billion US dollars) to around 60 billion euros in 2024, depending on the development of Germany's GDP NATO sources said that the German strategy paper would probably not meet the expectations in NATO headquarters, especially not those of US President Donald Trump, DPA reported. The financial commitment for military

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Mona Das Elected As Washington State Senator

ihar-born, Mona Das has been elected as a Senator of the 47th district of the State of Washington in the United State in her first attempt. Das felt pride in her ancestry with the Gita in her hand during the oath ceremony took place on January 14, 2019. As per her family origin, she belong Dariapur village of Kharagpur division in Munger district of Bihar. Das, who reportedly defeated two-term to the sitting Republican Party Senator, Joe Fain, will serve as the Vice Chair of the Senate Housing Stability and Affordability Committee. Besides, Das will also serve on the Senate Transportation Committee, Senate Financial Institutions, Economic Development and Trade Committee, and the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee. Mona Das, 47, was migrated to the US along with her parents when she was just eight months old. While, Das’s father, Subodh Das, is an engineer and lives in St

Louise MO, her grandfather, Dr. GN Das, is a retired civil surgeon from Gopalganj district and used to work at the Bhagalpur Medical College Hospital and Darbhanga Medical College Hospital. Mona Das’ address began with greetings on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which was celebrated a day later in India on January 15. In her message, Das said, "Like Mahatma Gandhi and the incumbent prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, is a great and dynamic leader. Education plays a pivotal role in everyone’s success, especially among the girls, as such educating a girl you have educated entire family and successive generations as well”. After being elected as a Senator, Das has resolved to encourage the girls and push them forward. Talking about her ancestral place, Das said, “Once, I have planned to visit my ancestral home in Dariapur in Bihar and travel through the rest of India to learn more about the immensely diverse cultures of India”. nnn

the project in view of sufficient generation capacity already lined up for the next few years, a media reports suggested. According to the report, the Pakistan Government has however appealed the Chinese counterpart to formally delete the project from the CPEC list. Quoting the statement of the Pakistan Minister for Planning and Development, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar, during the 8th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting that was convened last month, a senior Government officer in Pakistan had said, “We have proposed to remove the Rahim Yar Khan imported fuel power plant (1,320MW) from the CPEC list, in order to provide structure optimization space for the subsequent power market of Pakistan”. In other hand, the Chinese side suggested that a joint study on optimization of energy mix be carried out at the earliest.

Pak to Stall Major Coal-Based Power Plant Project Under CPEC he Pakistan government has decided to postpone a major coal-based power plant project under the $ 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The concerned Government authorities have quoted that sufficient generation capacity were already lined up for the next few years. CPEC is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and it connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with Xinjiang province of China. Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had initiated the construction of the 1320 MW Rahim Yar Khan Power project by China. But recently, the Pakistan Prime Minister and the leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, officially conveyed to Beijing that the Pakistan Government was no more interested in

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March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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International News

Tulsi Gabbard to Contest US Presidential Polls in 2020

ulsi Gabbard (37), the Democratic U n i t e d States representative of Hawaii, has reportedly claimed that she would contest upcoming presidential elections against Donald Trump in 2020. By this, she became the foremost member of the Democratic Party pursuing a challenge to the incumbent Republican President, Donald Trump. "Although, I have decided to contest the election but will make a formal statement soon”, Gabbard told in through a media report the US. The 37-year-old, Hawaii repetitive in the US, who had been a liberal and Iraq War veteran told the media. Gabbard is the first Hindu and first Samoan-American elected to the US Congress. “The issue of war and peace would be the main focus of my campaign”, Gabbard noted. In 2016, Gabbard appeared as headlines by quitting a leadership post at the Democratic National Committee over the party`s decision to limit the number of debates between Clinton and

Sanders. Other Democratic candidates for presidential elections in the US could be Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand as well as former the Vice President, Joe Biden. Besides, the former US President, Barack Obama`s, housing secretary, Julian Castro, also formed an exploratory committee. The experts believe that Gabbard may remain popular along with some liberals. But she will have serious competition with other candidates on the left flank of the party. Among other controversies, Gabbard was also was drawn to criticism for secretly meeting with Syria`s President Bashar alAssad during a 2017 trip to the war-ravaged country. Iowa holds the first presidential nominating contest in 13 months. Warren informally kicked off the 2020 Democratic presidential nominating fight on visit last weekend to Iowa, condemning the corrupting influence of money on politics and lamenting lost economic opportunities for working families.

Pak-India Peace Calendar To Spread Peace

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mong other major development towards global peace, a Pakistan-India peace calendar has been released in New Delhi to spread out a message of peace to enhance bilateral ties between Pakistan and India. Its an initiative of the ‘Aaghaze-Dosti’, an India based Non – Government Organization, which works to build up peopleto-people relations between Pakistan and India through its voluntary network of people across the region. The calendar features a number of the painting of school students from Pakistan and India on the various themes. Almost six paintings were selected from each country to publish in the form of a calendar. “The initiatives such as the start of bus,

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

train and trade services across borders have brought happiness to people, and hence more such steps should be taken in days to come”, said a writer and one of the former close aides of the late Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee nnn

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United Kingdom Govt Orders Vijay Mallya’s Extradition

he United Kingdom (UK) Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, has given a green signal to the extradition of fugitive liquor baron, Vijay Mallya, on December 10, 2018. A UK court had held Mallyaas guilty in much-hyped money laundering case in India and ordered his deportation to his native country. The UK Home Office, however, upheld the court’s ruling. “The Secretary of State, having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Vijay Mallya’s extradition to India,” sources from the UK Home Office said in a statement. Mallya is accused of conspiracy to defraud, making false representations and money laundering offenses in India. In a tweet, Mallya said he would initiate the appeal process. The government of India has, however, welcomed the extradition order stating that the authorities have taken note of the UK Home Secretary’s decision on the order for Mallya’s extradition to India. “We welcome the UK’s decision and hope for the early completion of the legal

process regarding Malya’extradition”, a GOI official said. Malya’ slegal team had previously indicated their intention to appeal the extradition — will now have two weeks to appeal. “Vijay Mallya is accused in India of conspiracy to defraud, making false representations and money laundering offenses”.

usual levels even for the coldresistant Russians earlier this week. Soon after the situation changed, hundreds of social media users have started posting photos and videos under the “hashtag dubak challenge” or the "cold challenge," showing people throwing boiling water into the freezing air and it instantly condensing into an elaborate pattern of ice crystals. The rare cold spell has subsided since the hashtag took off last week, with temperatures in Siberia's largest city, Novosibirsk, climbing to a high of minus 27 degrees Centigrade (minus 18 Fahrenheit) last week.

As per Britain’s extradition rules, the UK Home Secretary had only two months from the judgment to determine whether to order the extradition

People in Russia Observe Cold Snap Through Social Media young woman sprinkles boiling water into the freezing air. The tiny water bodes instantly condense into an elaborate pattern of ice crystals in Irkutsk, Russia. Residents of Russia's Urals and Siberia where temperatures recently plunged to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit have taken to social media to celebrate the cold. its unusually low even for the cold-resistant Russians. Citizens are living across the Urals and Siberia in Russia, where the temperatures went down to minus 40 Degree Celsius over the past few days, are now rejoicing the rampant chilled weather through social media. The average temperatures across those areas have plunged to un-

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Budget Outlook

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The interim Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, pronounced required measures meant to address the grievances of peasants, the middle class and the unorganized sector while delivering his budget speech in Lower House of Parliament on February 1, 2019

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Budget Outlook By Anurag Tiwari and Sourav Tyagi

Interim Budget 2019: An Overview

he Interim Budget 2019 as presented by the Union Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, is the last Budget of the BJP lead NDA government ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019. It makes an effort to balance between the short term and long term economic goals of the country. The last budget of the incumbent NDA Government unveiled mega announcements for the middle class, rural citizens, farmers, and unorganized sector workers. Keeping an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the government made a slew of announcements to keep the masses happy with a tax rebate for the salaried class, direct income for farmers and other social sector schemes. Being a Chartered Accountant by profession, Goyal began his first budget speech by recounting the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his four-year tenure at the Centre. During his hour-long speech, Goyal stressed the fiscal deficit had been brought down to 3.4% of GDP in the revised estimate of 2018-19 and India is moving towards building a New India by 2022. He concluded with the remark that it was not merely an Interim Budget, but a medium of the country’s development journey and ‘Development’ has become a mass-movement during the tenure of Modi Government.

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An Interim Budget usually doesn't list out new schemes or doesn't unveil any policy measures. The government will present the vote on account for the next four-to-five months. A full-fledged Budget will be presented after the House reassembles after the general election.

Significant features of the Union Budget 2019 For Each Sections: Middle Class As it is widely said that the total growth and development of the country depend upon the major contributions of the middle-class people, that comprise almost half of the total populations of the country. The middle class is considered to be the backbone of the economy in the country.

important announcements for the salaried/middle class are as follows: 1.

The Minister announced a tax rebate for income up to Rs 5 lakh per annum. Standard deduction was raised up to Rs 50,000 from Rs 40,000. Persons with gross income up to Rs 6.50 lakh need not to pay any income tax if they make investments in provident funds, specified savings and insurance. Goyal also announced the tax exemption on national rent on second self-occupied house. The capital gains exemp-

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tion under Section 54 was made available on two house properties.

Agriculture Sector / Farmers Many of the proposed plans, as has been announced in this budget, touched upon the issue of empowerment of farmers and poor in rural Economy of the country.

The main objects are: 1.

The proposed Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi emerges as an important policy instrument for marginal farmers. According to this plan, Rs. Six thousand per year will be given to the farmers holding land up to 2 hectares (5 acres) through Direct Benefits Transfer(DBT) scheme with retrospective effect from December 1, 2018. A sum of Rs. 75000 Crore is allocated for this plan alone. The government will allocate INR 60,000 Crores towards the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment scheme [MGNREGA] for 2019-20. It is proposed to launch a mega pension yojana namely Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan for the unorganized sector workers with monthly income up to INR 15,000. This pension yojana shall provide them an assured monthly pension of INR 3,000 starting from the age of 60 year, on a monthly contribution of an affordable amount during their working age. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is being allocated INR 19,000 Crores in 2019-20 and a total number of 1.53 Crores houses would be constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Special measures have been taken for animal Husbandry and livestock. Special allocation has been made for Rashtriya Gokul mission and Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, which is meant to increase the production and quality of cows. A sum of Rs 750 crore has been allocated for this Mission. This apart, a provision of 2% interest re-

bate for farmers pursuing animal husbandry has been announced. All farmers affected by severe natural calamities will get 2% interests subvention and additional 3% interest subvention upon timely repayment. tThe decision has taken to increase MSP (minimum support price) by 1.5 times the production cost for all 22 crops.

Small Scale Business: Small Business under the purview of Start-ups and MSME (Micro small and medium Enterprises) are going to be the LifeLine of Indian Economy. The BJP led NDA Government, however, emphasized these sectors. Henceforth, the major announcements in this interim budget are: 1.

A provision for 25% of sourcing for government projects will be from the MSMEs, of which 3% will be from women entrepreneurs. Within the next 2 years, all verification of tax returns to be done electronically without any interface with the taxpayer. A scheme of sanctioning loans up to INR 1 crore in 59 minutes has been launched to strengthen the MSME sector. Also, GST registered SME units will get 2% interest rebate on the incremental loan of INR 1 Crore and additional 3% interest subvention on timely repayment of the loan. GST aims to benefit small traders, manufacturers and service providers and hence, an exemption from GST is granted to small businesses by increasing the turnover limit from INR 20,00,000/- to INR 40,00,000.

As per the above announcements, special attention has been given to banking sector reforms and Prevention of Black Money. Measures have been implemented to ensure Clean Banking and

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Budget Outlook

recognition of NPAs through a transparent and accountable process. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code (IBC) is one of the reforms, which helped in the recovery of non-performing loans while preserving the underlying businesses and jobs.

Expert views Interim Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, managed to strike the right balance between growth and fiscal prudence, which DStreet (sharemarket) Analysts’ community gave a steady score of 4, out of 5, for the last Budget by the incumbent government. The fiscal deficit target of 3.4 percent of GDP for FY – 2019 and FY – 2020 is encouraging and was welcomed by the DStreet. The Budget proposals are mostly positive for sectors related to consumption, which include FMCG, auto, consumer durables, banks, and Mr. N.S. Venkatesh, fertilizer/agriculture. “MuChief Exe., Associations of tual Funds sector would Mutual Funds in India benefit from the additional cash in the hands of the farmers and the increased savings for the salaried class. The other welcome step is the increase in the TDS limit on deposits which would ease the hardships faced by the depositors.” “The pension scheme for the unorganized sector workers and the raising of the income tax exemption limits are very progressive”,

AMIT SHAH "This interim budget has met the expectations of every section of the society, including farmers, laborers, and the middle class. Further, he said that the Union Government was dedicated to the welfare of all sections of the society", said the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), National President, Amit Shah.

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said NS Venkatesh, Chief Executive, Associations of Mutual Funds in India. The Whole Time Director & Chief Executive Officer, LIC Mutual Fund, Raj Kumar, said, “The budget is positive for consumption and rural economy. We do not find any negativity. The fiscal Tax compliance will also improve due to higher slabs Mr. Ankit Tiwari and a few other factors”. Director “The Modi government Lecturedekho.com has seemingly, once again managed to defy the convention by pulling off a Budget that seems more like a full Budget rather than an Interim Budget”, Jayant Manglik, President, Religare Broking. “The government also unveiled the development for the next decade and said it would focus on ten key areas which include setting up of social and physical infrastructure, creating a digital India with one lakh digital villages in the next five years, highway development, food self-sufficiency, and health among others”, he said. However, proper implementation of all announced Plans and upcoming schemes depend upon the comeback of Modi led NDA Government in the center. And hence, it would be most remarkable points to see how the BJP led NDA Governments to implement all such plans, especially if the saffron party comes to power in 2019 LS polls. CS, Ankit Tiwari - “It was the first time, especially after the in-

P CHIDAMBRAM Criticizing the interim budget 2019 as presented by the caretaker Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, the senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, said that this budget was not going to benefit the poor sections of Indian society. “As per our views the facilities were not given as much as the poor citizens needed for years”, Chidambram added. “Sections of budgetary allocations show that the BJP government has violated the Constitution by moving ahead with its election agenda”, the former union minister reiterated.

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RAHUL GANDHI All India Congress Committee (AICC) Chief, Rahul Gandhi, said that the interim budget was not like any surgical strike but the upcoming General Election 2019 would appear just like a ‘surgical strike’ on the Modi government. “The interim Finance Minister did not say anything about rising unemployment in his budget speech. Instead, he just highlighted that the recent report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), which was leaked to the media, showed the unemployment in the country had broken the record of 45 years in the year 2017-18”, Gandhi stressed.

dependence, when a Chartered Accountant has presented a union budget in the parliament. The budget, indeed, highlighted positive repercussions for farmers almost all sections of the society. Especially, the middle-class families, small scale industries and farmers are the most privileged sections among others. Another positive point is that highest fund has been allocated to the Army”, said Ankit Tiwari, a senior Company Secretary and the Co-founder of LectureDekho.com.

Union Budget 2019-20 Appears ‘Growth Engine’ of NE: says TU, Vice Chancellor

NITISH KUMAR Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, termed the Interim Budget – 2019 as a creative step of the NDA government and said that it would strengthen the rural economy of India. Speaking to the media, Kumar welcomed the Union Government’s decision to transfer a sum of Rs.6000 directly into farmers’ account. He also appreciated the government’s decision of tax rebate for taxpayers with earnings of Rs 5 lakh.

The Union Budget 2019 – 20 may prove to be a ‘Growth Engine’ for expected developments across North-Eastern states of India. The intellectuals and academicians of Tripura University reviewed the recent budget proposal amid wide presence of faculties and scholars in asserted that it would turn into a ‘Growth Engine’, for North-Easts in days to come. “The Union budget has appeared to be a unique instrument for promoting growth and development in the agricultural sector. It is also providing security to the farming community for ending up decades-long uncertainty among the underprivileged sections of the country”, said the Tripura University, Vice-Chancellor, Prof V L Dharurkar. He appreciated the Union Finance Minister, Piyush Goyal, and said that the move was extremely bold, which was long awaited and much needed for the country towards greater interests of the country. “Besides, offering benefits to the common man, providing higher cap in income tax relief, the budget proposal tried to address sector-specific issues”, Dharurkar added. Meanwhile, the research scholars and the faculty members appreciated the fiscal prudence of the government that ensures maintaining the fiscal deficit at 3.4 percent. In the size of Rs 27.84 lakh crore budgets, the expenditure heads indicated the increase of 13 percent over last year, which will further increase the economic activities in the country. As such, the chances of employment generation are higher and growth in both primary and secondary sectors would be impressive. nnn

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Shining Star

Affordable Premium Apartments by GrihaAawas

ampant constructions of building and availabilities of luxury houses including multi-storied buildings, villas, and multiplexes have cast positive impact in the Indian society. But ironically, a large chunk of middle-class families, who are being considered as the most significant contributor to the community, are still deprived of their basic needs like healthy food, comfortable environment, the especially conducive house where they could expect stress-free breath. Apart from others, financial constraints seem to be a big setback for them. More than 70% of people in the country belong to the middleclass families with their different income ranges between 20k –

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40k per month. The low incomes concerning the increasing mandatory expenses have however confined them within the limit of expected normal life. Usually, the minimum available income for availing loan is above Rs 25k. Even as a substantial family avail loan amount of Rs 15 lakh, 20 lakh or so still it’s a reverie for him/her to avail a comfortable house close to their workplace, situated in different metropolitan or the big city. One needs to spend at least 40 – 45 lakh to buy a comfortable 2 BHK house to live on the house with his parents, wife, and kids. As a consequence, majorities of those sections are forced to live in areas where they don’t deserve. Being a well-educated and fully qualified, apart from making major contributions to the sus-

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tainable development of society, they deserve something better. As such, our main ambition is to make affordable houses that can be offered to work for those deprived classes and the major contributors to all-around the development of society. Apart from the common private or government employees, we are now focusing on the Jawans of military or para-military forces, who belong to the low-income group. These were the words of a 43 – year – old dynamic real estate developer, Ashwani Gupta, who came up with a fresh project named - SPLS AwasiyaYojna under the purview of‘GrihaAawas’. Apart from getting approval from the Ghaziabad Development Authority, the project has also been approved under the Affordable Housing Policy of Uttar Pradesh Government. “Now, we want to work for satisfaction instead of concentrating only on money making activities. The truth is that we can earn money as much as we wish through different means, but the very term ‘self-satisfaction’ has its place in life. As such, by providing comfortable houses at an affordable price to those needy people would certainly give us utmost satisfaction”, asserted Gupta, while offering his utmost gratitude to the UP Government for their kind cooperation in completing his dream project. “We have always been supported by the concerned Government authorities to reach out the masses, mainly the citizens with low income”, he added.

What is ‘GrihaAawas’: Its a premium project mainly meant to offer premium apartments to the buyers with the required basic facilities. These include a playground for kids, parks, Swimming pool, car parking etc. Significant details of the Project – ‘GrihaAawas’The buyers can choose a 2BHK apartment sized between 528 and 722 sq. Ft. on affordable prices ranging between Rs 13 lakh to 18 lakh. Mr. Ashwani Gupta Speaks Observer Dawn: With overall 25 – years work experience in different fields including in Computer Hardware, Accounting, marketing and other areas as an employee, Gupta also set a micro-level manufacturing unit to run a small business across Delhi/NCR. Con-

sequently, in 2002, he ventured into the Real Estate sector in 2002. During an exclusive interview with the Observer Dawn, Mr. Gupta hoped a better tomorrow for commoners: OD: What is your ambition? Ashwani Gupta : Unlike other professionals, I believe in innovations and gathering & sharing of new ideas. I think we can master every sector by maintaining consistency and applying new techniques. Hence, right from the beginning of my career, which started as an employee to a manufacturer and then to a Real Estate Developer, I have always gained a new experience. As time passed, our priorities and level of satisfaction changed. And hence, we have aimed to build‘GRIHA AWAS’ an affordable housing Brand, as a dream destination of a common man. OD: What is your work style? Ashwani Gupta : Basically, building a solid foundation by the three most essential elements including Commitment, Trust and Timely delivery is our trademark. These elements not only form our existence but also inspire us at every juncture and lead our eternal journey towards perfection. OD: What is your Hobby? Ashwani Gupta :I love sports, basically Golf and Racing. This apart, I also love singing and listening to good songs and music.. OD: What kind of vehicle you like most? Ashwani Gupta : I like SUV type vehicles as it offers more comforts along with safety and security, though I own a Jeep now. OD: Do you have a choice of favorite color? Ashwani Gupta : Yes, I do have. So far as my get up is concerned, I usually wear black pant and blue shirt along with respective blazer or coat. OD: Being a renowned real estate developer, how many houses have you successfully delivered as of now? Ashwani Gupta : As of now, I have already delivered more than a thousand houses including commercial complexes and residential houses comprising 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK and 4 BHK have been. While about two thousand are under. nnn

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Cover Story

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LORD OF DOING BUSINESS

by Hari Om Tyagi & News Desk

ndia was being deprived of its glow. Corruption, Blackmarketing, Weak economy and such others were taking the country to a mislaying index. Things were going down every single day, and people were seeking a change in the country and the government. So, citizens of our country went on a decision point and voted for the Prime Minister they needed, Narendra Modi. The time when a tea vendor became India's Prime Minister, things went on to a new path, and people started believing him and his decisions which were seeming to be more promising. And this made the journey from Chaiwala now recognizing as Businesswala. Modi joined BJP in 1987, and a year later he was made the general secretary of Gujrat. In 2001 he was sworn of Chief Minister of Gujrat. Soon his magic was on full swung, and the whole country was behind him. Mr. Modi was not stopped here but also uplifted his party, and the BJP under Modi stormed to power in 2014. His clear vision and strong will power make him different from other leaders. Now he becomes one of the famous leaders not only in India but also in the world. As a Prime minister, Modi worked for India to make a business hub of the world. He started many programs and took a strong move to

boost Indian Business. Demonetisation, Jan-Dhan Yojana, Digital India, Smart Cities, Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, Make In India, UDAAN Yojana, Startup India, Bullet Trains are some major step taking by Modi Government. There has been a greater reliance on technology and a greater emphasis on delivery. The government worked rapidly on the schemes, such as direct transfer of subsidies to beneficiaries and the road building and power generation programmes. India has vastly improved its business regulations and also made even more significant improvements in the time and effort it takes to get construction permits. By taking severe business regulatory reforms PM Modi has taken country's economic growth to a very different level as India Jumps 54 Spots in 2 years on World Bank's ease of doing Business index and also Country is Amongst this years, top 10 performers. Prime Minister Modi's vision and the effort to achieve it will help increase prosperity and give India, and it's people the opportunity to achieve their highest in spirations. Recently World Bank published its report on the ease of doing the business of 190 countries and India got 77th rank in this list. Now the world is witnessing rapid economic and social changes. The people of the country once seen a vision of change and growth and now the decisions of Modi government are making them true, the person behind all these efforts is nobody but PM Narendra Modi. He is an undebatable man in the world who is leading his country to the path of the fastest economic growth. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we are naming him as Lord of the ease doing business. The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report. India has recorded a jump of 23 positions against its rank of 100 in 2017 to be placed now at 77th rank among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank. India's leap of 23 ranks in the Ease of Doing Business ranking is significant considering that last year India had improved its rank by 30 places, a rare feat for any large and diverse country of the size of India. As a result of continued efforts by the Narender Modi Government, India has improved its rank by 53 positions in the last two years and 65 positions in Modi Government tenor. The Doing Business assessment provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle. The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of an economy to the global best practice. This year, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DTF score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 in the previous year. India has improved its rank in 6 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

Cover Story Name - Narendra Damodardas Modi Designation - Prime minister of India Family - Mother- Heeraben Modi, Father - Damodardas Mulchand Modi, Spouse - Jashodaben Modi. Prominent DecisionsHobbies - Reading books, to meet new people and listen to them, to understand the young generation, Religion - Hindu Siblings - Soma Modi, Amrit Modi, Vasantiben Hasmukhlal Modi, Prahlad Modi, Pankaj Modi Date of Birth -17, Sep 1950

Frontier score) on seven out of the ten indicators. But, the most dramatic improvements have been registered in the indicators related to 'Construction Permits' and 'Trading Across Borders'. In the grant of construction permits, India's rank improved from 181 in 2017 to 52in 2018, an improvement of 129 ranks in a single year. In 'Trading across Borders', India's rank improved by 66 positions moving from 146 in 2017 to 80in 2018. The changes in six indicators where India improved its rank are as follows: The economic policies of Modi's government focused on privatization and liberalization of the economy, based on a neo-liberal framework Modi liberalized India's foreign direct investment policies, allowing more foreign investment in several industries, including in defence and the railways. The government also lowered corporate taxes, abolished the wealth tax, reduced customs duties on gold, and jewelry. In October 2014, the Modi government deregulated diesel prices.

Make In India Programme In September 2014, Modi introduced the Make in India initiative to encourage foreign companies to manufacture products in India, with the goal of turning the country into a global manufacturing hub. Supporters of economic liberalization supported the initiative, while critics argued it would allow foreign corporations to capture a greater share of the Indian market. Modi's administration passed a land-reform bill that allowed it to acquire private agricultural land without conducting a social impact assessment, and without the consent of the farmers who owned it. The bill was passed via executive order after it faced opposition in parliament but was eventually allowed to lapse. Modi's government put in place the Goods and Services Tax, the biggest tax reform in the country since independence. It subsumed around 17 different taxes and became effective from 1 July 2017. On 25 June 2015, Modi launched a programme intended to develop 100 smart cities. The "Smart Cities" programme is expected to bring Information Technology companies an extra benefit of 20 billion (US$280 million). In June 2015, Modi launched the "Housing for All By 2022" project, which intends to eliminate slums in India by building about 20 million affordable homes for India's urban poor.

Demonetized: Curbing Corruption, Black Money In his first cabinet decision, Modi set up a team to investigate black

money. On 9 November 2016, the government demonetized 500 and 1000 bank notes, with the stated intention of curbing corruption, black money, the use of counterfeit currency, and terrorism. In the subsequent year, the number of income tax returns filed for individuals rose by 25%, and the number of digital transactions increased steeply. Over the first four years of Modi's premiership, India's GDP grew at an average rate of 7.23%, higher than the rate of 6.39% under the previous government.

Foreign policy

Modi invited all the other leaders of SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony as prime minister. He was the first Indian prime minister to do so. Modi's foreign policy, similarly to that of the preceding INC government, focused on improving economic ties, security, and regional relations. The Modi administration tried to attract foreign investment in the Indian economy from several sources, especially in East Asia, with the use of slogans such as "Make in India" and "Digital India." As a part of this policy, the Modi government completed India's application to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is led by China and Russia (SCO). The government also tried to improve relations with Islamic nations in the Middle East, such as Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with Israel. Modi added five bilateral strategic partnerships to the 25 that had been agreed by his predecessors Singh and Vajpayee. During the first few months after the election, Modi made trips to some different countries to further the goals of his policy and attended the BRICS, ASEAN, and G20 summits. One of Modi's first visits as prime minister was to Nepal, during which he promised a billion USD in aid. Modi also made several overtures to the United States, including multiple visits to that country. In 2015, the Indian parliament ratified a land exchange deal with Bangladesh about the Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Bangladesh enclaves. Modi's administration gave renewed attention to India's "Act East Policy," and involved directing Indian foreign policy towards East Asia and Southeast Asia. The government signed agreements to improve land connectivity with Myanmar, through the state of Manipur. It represented a break with India's historical engagement with Myanmar, which prioritized border security over trade. Modi had made hundreds of trips to four dozen countries with the intent of strengthening diplomatic relations. nnn

WORLD BANK EASE DOING BUSINESS RANKING-2019

n economy cannot thrive without a healthy private sector. When local businesses flourish, they create jobs and generate income that can be spent and invested domestically. Any rational government that cares about the economic well-being and advancement of its constituency pays special attention to laws and regulations affecting local small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).

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Effective business regulation affords micro and small firms the opportunity to grow, innovate and, when applicable, move from the informal to the formal sector of an economy. Like its 15 predecessors, Doing Business 2019 continues to enable regulators to asses sand benchmark their domestic business regulatory environments. Governments around the world set a new record in bureaucracy busting efforts for the domestic private sector, implementing 314

business reforms over the past year, says the World Bank Group’s Doing Business 2019: Training for Reform report, released. The reforms carried out in 128 economies, benefit small and medium enterprises as well as entrepreneurs, enabling job creation and stimulating private investment. This year’s reforms surpass the previous all-time high of 290 reforms two years ago. “The private sector is key to creating sustainable economic growth and ending poverty around the world,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Fair, efficient, and transparent rules, which Doing Business promotes, are the bedrock of a vibrant economy and entrepreneurship environment. It’s critical for governments to accelerate efforts to create the conditions for private enterprise to thrive and communities to prosper.” The report finds that reforms are taking place where they are most needed, with low-income and lower middle-income economies carrying out 172 reforms. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a record number of 40 economies implemented 107 reforms, a new best in number of reforms for a third consecutive year for the region. The Middle East and North Africa region scaled a new high with 43 reforms. The indicator Starting a Business continued to see the most improvements, with 50 reforms this year. Enforcing Contracts and Getting Electricity saw milestone reforms, with 49 and 26, respectively. In the World Bank Group’s annual ease of doing business rankings, the top 10 economies are New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark, which retain their first, second and third spots, respectively, for a second consecutive year, followed by Hong Kong SAR, China; Republic of Korea; Georgia; Norway; United States; United Kingdom and FYR Macedonia. In notable changes to the top 20 ranked economies this year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joins the grouping for the first time, in 11th place, while Malaysia and Mauritius regain spots, in 15th and 20th places, respectively. During the past year, Malaysia implemented six reforms, Mauritius five, and the UAE four. The reforms in Mauritius included the elimination of a gender-based barrier to equalize the field between men and women in starting a business. This year’s top 10 improvers, based on reforms undertaken, are Afghanistan, Djibouti, China, Azerbaijan, India, Togo, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Turkey and Rwanda. With six reforms each, Djibouti and India are in the top 10 for a second consecutive year. Afghanistan and Turkey, top improvers for the first time, implemented record single-year reforms, with five and seven, respectively. “The diversity among the top improvers shows that economies of all sizes and income levels, and even those in conflict can advance

the business climate for domestic small and medium enterprises. Doing Business provides a road map that different governments can use to increase business confidence, innovation, and growth and reduce corruption,” said Shanta Devarajan, the World Bank’s Senior Director for Development Economics and Acting Chief Economist. This year, Doing Business collected data on training provided to public officials and users of business and land registries. A case study in the report, which analyzes this data, finds that mandatory and annual training for relevant officials is associated with more efficient business and land registries. A second study finds that regular training for customs clearance officials and brokers results in lower border and documentary compliance times, easing the movement of goods across borders. Two other case studies focus on the benefits of accrediting electricians and training of judges. “This year’s results clearly demonstrate government commitment in many economies, large and small, to nurture entrepreneurship and private enterprise. If the reform agendas are complemented with training programs for public officials, the impact of reforms will be further enhanced, new data show,” said Rita Ramalho, Senior Manager of the World Bank’s Global Indicators Group, which produces the report. Since its inception in 2003, more than 3,500 business reforms have been carried out in 186 of the 190 economies Doing Business monitors. By region, East Asia and the Pacific is home to two of the world’s top 10 Doing Business economies, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR, China. Additionally, China is one of this year’s top 10 improvers, advancing more than 30 spots to 46th place in the global rankings. The region’s economies carried out a total of 43 reforms in the past year, with a major push seen in the areas of Starting a Business and Getting Electricity. Europe and Central Asia also hosts two of the world’s top 10 economies this year, with Georgia moving up to 6th place (from 9th last year), and FYR Macedonia edging up one spot to 10th place. The region also hosts two of this year’s top improvers, Azerbaijan and Turkey. The pace of reforms accelerated in the region, with 54 reforms implemented during the past year, compared with a revised number of 43 reforms the previous year. While reforms in the region covered all areas of Doing Business, many improvements focused on easing construction permitting and cross border trade. A total of 25 reforms were carried out in Latin America and the Caribbean in the past year. Brazil made the most improvements, with four reforms. The bulk of the reforms in the region were aimed at improving the legal rights of borrowers and lenders with

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

Cover Story respect to secured transactions, and the process of starting a business. Economies of the Middle East and North Africa significantly accelerated the pace of reforms in the past year, with 43 reforms, compared to 29 the previous year. This year, the region hosts an economy in the global top 20 grouping, with the United Arab Emirates’ maiden entry in 11th place and one top improver, Djibouti. However, the region continues to lag on genderrelated issues, with barriers for women entrepreneurs in place in 14 economies. In a first for South Asia, two of the region’s economies earned coveted spots in the global top improvers. India continued its reform agenda, implementing six reforms in the past year and advancing 23 spots to 77th place in the global ranking. India is now the region’s top-ranked economy. Afghanistan, with five reforms, moved up 16 spots to 167th place in the global rank-

ings. Collectively, the region’s economies carried out 19 reforms in the past year. Many of the reforms focused on improving starting a business, access to credit, paying taxes and resolving insolvency. Sub-Saharan Africa set a new milestone for a third consecutive year, implementing 107 reforms in the past year, up from 83 the previous year. In addition, this year also saw the highest number of economies carrying out reforms, with 40 of the region’s 48 economies implementing at least one reform, compared to the previous high of 37 economies two years ago. The region is home to four of this year’s top 10 improvers – Togo, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Rwanda. While reforms in the region were wide-ranging, many improvements focused on easing property registration and resolving insolvency.

Countries Set a New Milestone Implementing Reforms ership and control structures and requiring greater corporate transparency.

Afghanistan

✔✔ Paying taxes ✔✔ Starting a business Afghanistan made starting a business less costly by reducing the fees for business incorporation. ✔✔ Getting credit Afghanistan strengthened access to credit by enacting a new insolvency law. Secured creditors are now given absolute priority over other claims within insolvency proceedings. ✔✔ Protecting minority investors Afghanistan strengthened minority investor protections by requiring greater disclosure of transactions with interested parties, easing shareholder suits by extending access to documents and evidence during trial, increasing shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions, clarifying own-

Afghanistan made paying taxes easier by adopting a new tax administration and law manual with clear rules and guidelines on tax audit, and by automating the submission of tax returns. ✔✔ Resolving insolvency Afghanistan made resolving insolvency easier by improving the continuation of the debtor’s business during insolvency proceedings, introducing the reorganization procedure and granting creditors greater participation in the proceedings.

by introducing an expedited process for limited liability companies that includes company incorporation, book legalization, tax and social security registration.

Belarus ✔✔ Starting a business Belarus made starting a business easier by abolishing the requirement to register the book of Registry of Inspections and allowing its purchase within six months of incorporation. ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Belarus made dealing with construction permits easier by streamlining the process at the one-stop shop.

Argentina ✔✔ Starting a business

Bulgaria

Argentina made starting a business easier

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Labor market regulation

Bulgaria amended its legislation to extend the duration of the contribution period that is required before an employee can become eligible for unemployment protection.

Cambodia ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Cambodia made dealing with construction permits less costly by reducing the fees to obtain a building permit.

Cameroon ✔✔ Starting a business Cameroon made starting a business easier by publishing notices of company incorporation online through the one-stop shop. ✔✔ Enforcing contracts Cameroon made enforcing contracts easier by adopting a law that regulates all aspects of mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.

✔✔ Dealing with construction permits China streamlined the process of obtaining the building permit, the certificate of completion and registering new buildings with the real estate registry. It also improved its building quality control by introducing stricter qualification requirements for professionals in the construction industry and improving public access to information. This reform applies to both Beijing and Shanghai. ✔✔ Getting electricity China made getting electricity easier in Beijing and Shanghai by expanding network capacity so that all connections of power loads of 160kW or less are now made directly to the low voltage network, for which the connection process is carried out entirely by the utility free of charge. The time to obtain an electricity connection was also reduced thanks to the rollout of a new mobile application for customers. ✔✔ Registering property

Canada

China made registering property easier by streamlining administrative procedures and by increasing the reliability and transparency of its land administration system. This reform applies to both Beijing and Shanghai.

✔✔ Enforcing contracts

✔✔ Protecting minority investors

Canada made enforcing contracts easier by introducing an e-system that allows plaintiffs to file the initial complaint and pay court fees electronically.

China strengthened minority investor protections by increasing shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions, clarifying ownership and control structures and requiring reimbursement of legal expenses incurred by shareholders. This reform applies to both Beijing and Shanghai.

Labor market regulation Canada amended its legislation to increase paid annual leave after five and ten years of employment and introduced two days of paid sick leave.

China ✔✔ Starting a business China made starting a business easier by launching online company registrations and by simplifying social security registrations. This reform applies to both Beijing and Shanghai.

China reduced the time and cost to export and import by implementing a single window, eliminating administrative charges, increasing transparency and encouraging competition. These reforms apply to both Beijing and Shanghai.

Denmark ✔✔ Enforcing contracts Denmark made enforcing contracts easier by introducing an online platform that allows users to file the initial complaint electronically and judges and lawyers to manage cases electronically.

Finland ✔✔ Paying taxes Finland made paying taxes less costly by reducing the labor contribution rates paid by employers and by introducing a new and more efficient online portal, MyTax, for filing corporate income tax returns.

France ✔✔ Getting electricity France made getting electricity easier by streamlining the application process and reducing the time for the external works. ✔✔ Registering property France made registering property easier by implementing an electronic registration system and improving efficiency at the land registry.

✔✔ Paying taxes

China made paying taxes easier by abolishing the business tax, allowing for joint filing and payment of all stamp duties and by implementing several administrative reforms to lower the compliance time. These reforms apply to both Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the housing fund rate paid by the employer.

France made paying taxes less costly by decreasing the corporate income tax rate, increasing the rate of the competitiveness and employment tax credit (CICE) and decreasing the rates for the territorial economic contribution as well as social security contributions paid by employers. Labor market regulation France amended its labor code to modify the amount of severance payments for employees after one, five and ten years of employment.

✔✔ Trading across borders

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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Greece ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Greece streamlined its construction permitting process as building owners must now use their in-house engineer for the intermediate inspection, as opposed to the municipality.

✘✘ Registering property Greece made registering property more burdensome by requiring a property tax certificate for registering a property transfer.

Hong Kong SAR, China ✔✔ Getting electricity Hong Kong SAR, China, made the process of getting an electricity connection faster by establishing a specialized task force to undertake the trenching, excavation and reinstatement of the underground cables.

Hungary ✔✔ Paying taxes Hungary made paying taxes less costly by decreasing the social tax rate paid by the employer and by reducing the corporate income tax rate to a flat rate.

India ✔✔ Starting a business India made starting a business easier by fully integrating multiple application forms into a general incorporation form. India also replaced the value added tax with the GST (Goods and Services Tax) for which the registration process is faster. These reforms apply to both Delhi and Mumbai. At the same time, Mumbai abolished the practice of site inspections for registering companies under the Shops and Establishments Act. ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits India streamlined the process of obtaining

a building permit and made it faster and less expensive to obtain a construction permit. It also improved building quality control by introducing decennial liability and insurance. This reform applies to both Delhi and Mumbai.

istrations and by reducing notarization fees in both Jakarta and Surabaya. Also, different registrations were combined at the onestop shop in Surabaya.

✔✔ Getting electricity

Indonesia made registering property easier by reducing the time to solve land disputes at the first-instance court and enhanced the transparency of the land registry. This reform applies to both Jakarta and Surabaya.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission reduced charges for low voltage connections. Getting electricity was also made easier in Delhi through a reduction in the time for the utility to carry out the external connection works. ✔✔ Getting credit India strengthened access to credit by amending its insolvency law. Secured creditors are now given absolute priority over other claims SUMMARIES OF DOING BUSINESS REFORMS IN 2017/18 141 within insolvency proceedings. This reform applies to both Delhi and Mumbai. ✔✔ Paying taxes India made paying taxes easier by replacing many indirect taxes with a single indirect tax, the GST, for the entire country. India also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the corporate income tax rate and the employees’ provident funds scheme rate paid by the employer. This reform applies to both Delhi and Mumbai. ✔✔ Trading across borders India reduced the time and cost to export and import through various initiatives, including the implementation of electronic sealing of containers, the upgrading of port infrastructure and allowing electronic submission of supporting documents with digital signatures. This reform applies to both Delhi and Mumbai. Labor market regulation India (Mumbai) changed regulations pertaining to weekly holiday work, overtime hours and paid annual leave.

✔✔ Registering property

✔✔ Getting credit Indonesia improved access to credit information by distributing data from retailers and utility companies. This reform applies to both Jakarta and Surabaya.

Iran, Islamic Rep. ✔✔ Paying taxes The Islamic Republic of Iran made paying taxes easier by introducing an online system for filing social security contributions, allowing the possibility of filing value added tax refund claims online, amending corporate income tax returns online and making payment of additional tax liability at the bank. ✔✔ Trading across borders The Islamic Republic of Iran made exporting and importing easier by enhancing the national trade single window.

Israel ✔✔ Registering property Israel made registering property easier by reducing the time needed to obtain a municipal tax clearance certificate and by increasing the transparency of the land registry and cadaster. Labor market regulation Israel changed regulations pertaining to working hours per week, overtime hours and maternity leave.

Indonesia ✔✔ Starting a business Indonesia made starting a business easier by combining different social security reg-

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

Italy ✘✘ Paying taxes Italy made paying taxes more costly by in-

troducing lower exemptions on social security contributions paid by employers for employees hired between January 1, 2016, and December 12, 2016.

Kenya

quirement. ✔✔ Protecting minority investors Kuwait strengthened minority investor protections by requiring an independent review of related-party transactions and clarifying ownership and control structures.

Mauritius

✔✔ Registering property

✔✔ Starting a business

Kenya made registering property easier by introducing an online system to clear land rent rates.

Malaysia

✔✔ Getting credit

Malaysia made starting a business easier by introducing an online registration system for the goods and service tax.

Kenya strengthened access to credit by introducing a new law on secured transactions that created a unified secured transactions legal framework and establishing a new unified and notice-based collateral registry. ✔✔ Protecting minority investors Kenya strengthened minority investor protections by increasing disclosure requirements, regulating the approval of transactions with interested parties and increasing available remedies if said transactions are prejudicial, increasing shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions and requiring greater corporate transparency.

✔✔ Starting a business

✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Malaysia streamlined the process of obtaining a building permit and made it faster to obtain construction permits. ✔✔ Getting electricity Malaysia made getting electricity easier by eliminating the site visit for new commercial electricity connections. ✔✔ Registering property Malaysia made property transfer simpler by implementing an online single window platform to carry out property searches.

✔✔ Paying taxes

✔✔ Trading across borders

Kenya made paying taxes easier by merging all permits into a single unified business permit and by simplifying the value added tax schedule on its iTax platform.

Malaysia made trading across borders easier by introducing electronic forms and by enhancing its risk-based inspection system. Malaysia also made importing and exporting easier by improving infrastructure and the port operation system at Port Klang.

✔✔ Resolving insolvency Kenya made resolving insolvency easier by facilitating the continuation of the debtor’s business during insolvency proceedings, providing for equal treatment of creditors in reorganization proceedings and granting creditors greater participation in the insolvency proceedings.

mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Labor market regulation Mali introduced language guaranteeing equal remuneration for work of equal value in the legislation.

✔✔ Resolving insolvency Malaysia made resolving insolvency easier by introducing the reorganization procedure. Labor market regulation Malaysia changed regulations pertaining to unemployment protection.

Mauritius made starting a business easier by linking the database of the business registry with the database of the social security office. Mauritius also eliminated the requirement for married women to provide a marriage certificate when applying for a national identity card. ✔✔ Registering property Mauritius made registering property easier by increasing the transparency of the land administration system. ✔✔ Protecting minority investors Mauritius strengthened minority investor protections by clarifying ownership and control structures and requiring greater corporate transparency. ✔✔ Paying taxes Mauritius made paying taxes easier by introducing an expedited processing system for value added tax refunds and by upgrading its online platform to allow for the online submission of invoices and amended corporate income tax returns. ✔✔ Trading across borders Mauritius made exporting easier by introducing a risk-based management system.

Mexico ✘✘ Dealing with construction permits Mexico (Mexico City) made dealing with construction permits more expensive by amending the tax code.

Kuwait

Mali

✔✔ Starting a business

✔✔ Enforcing contracts

Kuwait made starting a business easier by eliminating the paid-in minimum capital re-

Mali made enforcing contracts easier by adopting a law that regulates all aspects of

Morocco ✔✔ Starting a business

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

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Morocco made starting a business less costly by abolishing the deed registration fee and stamp duties. ✔✔ Registering property Morocco made registering property easier by increasing the transparency of the land registry and cadaster and by streamlining administrative procedures.

performance and the progress of cases through the court.

Nepal ✘✘ Paying taxes Nepal made paying taxes more difficult by introducing a new labor contribution (gratuity contribution), medical insurance and accident insurance paid by the employer.

✔✔ Trading across borders Labor market regulation Morocco made exporting and importing easier by implementing a paperless customs clearance system and improving infrastructure at the port of Tangier. ✔✔ Resolving insolvency Morocco made resolving insolvency easier by facilitating the commencement of proceedings, encouraging the continuation of the debtor’s business during insolvency proceedings and by making insolvency proceedings more accessible for creditors and granting them greater participation in the proceedings.

Nepal changed regulations pertaining to fixed-term contracts, probationary periods, working hours, paid maternity and sick leave, night work for women, thirdparty approval in case of redundancy and unemployment protection.

New Zealand ✔✔ Starting a business New Zealand made starting a business less expensive by reducing the fees for name search and company incorporation.

✔✔ Trading across borders Nigeria reduced the time needed to export and import by implementing joint inspections, the NICIS2 electronic system and around-the-clock operations at Apapa Port. This reform applies to both Kano and Lagos. ✔✔ Enforcing contracts Nigeria (Lagos) made enforcing contracts easier by issuing new rules of civil procedure for small claims courts which limit adjournments to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances.

Norway Labor market regulation Norway amended its legislation to allow for night work until 11:00 PM if an employer and employee enter into a written agreement.

Oman ✘✘ Paying taxes

Myanmar ✔✔ Starting a business

Nigeria

Myanmar made starting a business less expensive by reducing the registration fee.

✔✔ Starting a business

✔✔ Getting electricity Myanmar improved the monitoring and regulation of power outages by beginning to record data for the annual system average interruption duration index (SAIDI) and system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI). Myanmar also made getting electricity SUMMARIES OF DOING BUSINESS REFORMS IN 2017/18 145 more transparent by publishing electricity tariffs online.

✔✔ Getting electricity Nigeria made getting electricity easier by requiring that the distribution companies obtain the right of way on behalf of the customers and by turning on the electricity once the meter is installed. This reform applies to both Kano and Lagos. ✘✘ Registering property

Namibia ✔✔ Enforcing contracts Namibia made enforcing contracts easier by making performance measurement reports publicly available to show the court’s

Nigeria made starting a business easier by reducing the time needed to register a company at the corporate affairs commission and introducing an online platform to pay stamp duty. This reform applies to both Kano and Lagos.

Nigeria (Kano) made property registration less transparent by no longer publishing online the fee schedule and the list of documents necessary to register a property.

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

Oman made paying taxes more costly by increasing the corporate income tax rate and by eliminating the tax exemption on the first 30,000 Omani rials ($78,000) of taxable profits.

Pakistan ✔✔ Starting a business Pakistan made starting a business easier by enhancing the online onestop registration system, replacing several forms for incorporation with a single application and establishing information exchange between the registry and the tax authority. This change applies to both Karachi and Lahore. ✔✔ Registering property Pakistan (Lahore) made registering property easier by streamlining and automating administrative procedures and by increasing the transparency of its land administration system. Pakistan (Karachi) made registering property easier by increasing the

transparency of the land registry. ✔✔ Resolving insolvency Pakistan made resolving insolvency easier by introducing the reorganization 146 DOING BUSINESS 2019 procedure and improving the continuation of the debtor’s business during insolvency proceedings. This change applies to both Karachi and Lahore.

The Philippines strengthened minority investor protections by increasing shareholders’ rights and role in major corporate decisions and clarifying ownership and control structures. ✘✘ Trading across borders The Philippines made trading across borders more difficult by increasing the number of inspections for importing, thereby increasing the average time for border compliance.

Panama ✔✔ Paying taxes

Poland

Panama made paying taxes easier by establishing an online system for filing and payment of corporate income tax, value added tax and real estate tax.

✘✘ Paying taxes

Peru ✔✔ Starting a business Peru made starting a business faster by reducing the time required to obtain the municipal license and building safety technical inspection from the district council.

Philippines

Poland made paying taxes more complicated by requiring the monthly reporting of value added tax returns, extending the list of goods and services subject to a reverse charge mechanism and introducing new reporting obligations for SAF-T files. ✔✔ Enforcing contracts Poland made enforcing contracts easier by introducing an automated system to assign cases to judges randomly.

✔✔ Dealing with construction permits The Philippines improved risk management practices in the construction sector, with latent defect liability insurance now commonly obtained by industry players.

Qatar made starting a business easier by removing the requirement to open a bank account to deposit the minimum capital. ✔✔ Getting credit Qatar improved access to credit information by guaranteeing borrowers the legal right to inspect their credit data from the credit registry.

✘✘ Starting a business Romania made starting a business more cumbersome by introducing fiscal risk assessment criteria for value added tax applications, thereby increasing the time required to register as a value added tax payer.

Russian Federation ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits

Portugal ✘✘ Registering property Portugal made registering property more burdensome by reducing the number of officials that can register property transfers.

✔✔ Starting a business The Philippines made starting a business easier by simplifying tax registration and business licensing processes. At the same time, the Philippines increased tax registration costs.

✔✔ Starting a business

Romania

✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Peru strengthened construction quality control by imposing stricter qualification requirements for professionals in charge of technical inspections.

Qatar

Russia made the process of obtaining a building permit faster by reducing the time needed to obtain construction and occupancy permits. Russia also increased quality control during construction by introducing risk-based inspections. This reform applies to both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Puerto Rico (U.S.) ✔✔ Enforcing contracts

✔✔ Getting electricity

Puerto Rico (territory of the United States) made enforcing contracts easier by introducing a web-based platform that offers lawyers a single access point for electronic filing of the initial complaint and for electronic payment of court fees. The system also allows lawyers and judges to manage case files throughout the litigation process.

Russia made getting electricity faster by imposing new deadlines for connection procedures and by upgrading the utility’s single window as well as its internal processes. Getting electricity was also made cheaper by reducing the costs to obtain a connection to the electric network. This reform applies to both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

✔✔ Protecting minority investors

March 2019 OBSERVER DAWN

Cover Story

✔✔ Paying taxes Russia made paying taxes less costly by allowing a higher tax depreciation rate for fixed assets. This reform applies to both Moscow and St. Petersburg. ✔✔ Trading across borders Russia made trading across borders easier by prioritizing online customs clearance and introducing shortened time limits for its automated completion. This reform applies to both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

registration.

fees. ✔✔ Getting electricity

✔✔ Getting electricity South Africa improved the monitoring and regulation of power outages by beginning to record data for the annual system average interruption duration index (SAIDI) and system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI).

Sri Lanka Saudi Arabia

✔✔ Dealing with construction

✔✔ Getting electricity Saudi Arabia improved the reliability of electricity supply by imposing a new compensation scheme to incentivize the utility to improve service reliability.

permits Sri Lanka made dealing with construction permits easier by launching a single window, increasing transparency by providing online access to building regulations and reducing the processing times to issue several building certificates.

✔✔ Protecting minority investors

✔✔ Registering property

Saudi Arabia strengthened minority investor protections by providing clear rules for the liability of directors and increasing the role of shareholders in major decisions.

Sri Lanka made property registration easier by implementing a single window to streamline the process of delivering several certificates and increased transparency by providing online access to cadastral information.

Thailand made getting electricity easier by streamlining the number of procedures needed to obtain a new connection. Thailand also increased the transparency of electricity tariff changes. ✔✔ Paying taxes Thailand made paying taxes easier by enhancing its online platform for calculating and filing corporate income tax. ✔✔ Trading across borders Thailand made trading across borders faster by introducing the E-Matching system for electronic cargo control, thereby reducing the time for border compliance.

Tunisia ✔✔ Starting a business

✔✔ Trading across borders Saudi Arabia made exporting and importing easier by launching a new electronic single window and extending the hours of operation of customs at the Jeddah port.

Tunisia made starting a business easier by combining different registrations at the onestop shop. ✔✔ Registering property Tunisia made registering property easier by increasing the transparency of the cadaster. ✔✔ Protecting minority investors

✔✔ Paying taxes Sri Lanka made paying taxes easier by introducing online systems for filing corporate income tax, value added tax and employee trust fund contributions.

Tunisia strengthened minority investor protections by improving disclosure requirements of related-party transactions to the public and by requiring disclosure of directorships and primary employment. ✔✔ Paying taxes

✔✔ Enforcing contracts Saudi Arabia made enforcing contracts easier by introducing an e-system that allows plaintiffs to file the initial complaint electronically and amending the civil procedure rules to introduce time standards for key court events.

✔✔ Enforcing contracts

South Africa

Thailand

✔✔ Starting a business

South Africa made starting a business easier by reducing the time for online business

Thailand made starting a business less costly by introducing fixed registration

Sri Lanka made enforcing contracts easier by introducing a pre-trial conference as part of the case management techniques used in court.

Tunisia made paying taxes easier by not extending the exceptional corporate income tax contribution introduced in 2016.

Turkey ✔✔ Starting a business

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

Turkey made starting a business easier by removing the paid-in minimum capital requirement and by eliminating the notarization of company documents and legal books.

✔✔ Dealing with construction permits

✔✔ Paying taxes

Turkey increased the transparency of its building regulations by publishing online all pre-application requirements needed to obtain a construction permit. Turkey also strengthened construction quality control by imposing stricter qualification requirements for professionals in charge of approving architectural plans.

United Arab Emirates

✘✘ Registering property

The United Arab Emirates made getting electricity easier by eliminating all costs for commercial and industrial connections of up to 150 kilo-Volt-Amperes (kVA).

Turkey made registering property more expensive by increasing the costs of transferring property. ✔✔ Getting credit Turkey strengthened access to credit by extending the security interest to products, proceeds and replacements of the original collateral; secured creditors are now given absolute priority over other claims, such as labor and tax, both outside and within bankruptcy proceedings. Turkey also improved access to credit information by reporting data on arrears from telecommunications companies. ✔✔ Paying taxes Turkey made paying taxes easier by improving the online portal for filing and payment of taxes.

✔✔ Starting a business The United Arab Emirates made starting a business easier by improving online registration. ✔✔ Getting electricity

✔✔ Enforcing contracts Vietnam made enforcing contracts easier by making judgments rendered at all levels in commercial cases available to the public online.

✔✔ Registering property The United Arab Emirates made registering property easier by increasing the transparency of the land administration system. ✔✔ Getting credit The United Arab Emirates strengthened access to credit by introducing the possibility of granting a nonpossessory security right in a single category of movable assets without requiring a specific description of the collateral, by allowing out-of-court enforcement of the security interest and by establishing a unified and modern collateral registry.

Zimbabwe ✔✔ Starting a business Zimbabwe made starting a business easier by reducing the time needed to obtain a business license. ✔✔ Dealing with construction permits Zimbabwe made dealing with construction permits faster by issuing building permits through a one-stop shop. ✔✔ Getting credit Zimbabwe improved access to credit information by increasing the coverage of the credit registry and providing consumer and commercial credit scores to banks and financial institutions.

✔✔ Trading across borders

United Kingdom

Turkey reduced the time and cost to export and import through various initiatives, in44cluding expanding the functionalities of the national trade single window, enhancing the risk management system and lowering customs brokers’ fees.

✔✔ Getting electricity

✔✔ Enforcing contracts

United States

Turkey made enforcing contracts easier by publishing judgments rendered at all levels in commercial cases and by introducing financial incentives for mediation.

Labor market regulation The United States (New York City) changed regulations pertaining to parental leave.

The United Kingdom made getting electricity faster by implementing several initiatives to expedite the external connection works performed by sub-contractors.

✔✔ Resolving insolvency Vietnam Turkey made resolving insolvency easier b y introducing the possibility to obtain postcommencement credit, improving voting arrangements in reorganization and granting creditors greater participation in the proceedings.

Vietnam made paying taxes easier by no longer requiring hard copy submission of the value added tax return and allowing joint payment of the business license tax and value added tax. Vietnam also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the employer’s contribution to the labor fund.

✔✔ Starting a business Vietnam made starting a business easier by publishing the notice of incorporation online and by reducing the cost of business registration.

✔✔ Enforcing contracts Zimbabwe made enforcing contracts easier by making judgments rendered at the appellate and supreme court level in commercial cases available to the general public online. Doing Business 2019 is the 16th in a series of annual reports investigating the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. The report provides quantitative indicators covering 11 areas of the business environment in 190 economies. The goal of the Doing Business series is to provide objective data for use by governments in designing sound business regulatory policies and to encourage research on the important dimensions of the regulatory environment for firms.

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International Relations of India International Relations

By Pravin Mishara

roadly known for its multi-cultural and multi-religious activities, India has been the hub of various ethnic groups since time immemorial. Despite diversities, the citizens often appeared united and stood together to celebrate the occasions as well as to defy the crisis. Going back to the centuries-old history, we come across that the division of languages between Northern Indo-European, SouthernDravidian or others has often echoed the arrival of foreign invaders from premedieval periods to 18th centuries.

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

Hence, giving a boost to the massive pluralism and following the footprint of our ancestors, the authorities are so far succeeded in maintaining the centuries-old good relations with almost all nations across the world. As a result, India is adored by the fellow nations for its generic thoughts and liberal foreign policies. Recently, the Government of India has emphasized on 'nonalignment' of foreign policies to look after the direct interest of the nation, apart from addressing common issues like cultural, social, educational, environmental and healthcare to revitalize the bilateral relations with other countries. nnn

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INDIA – UAE Relations

Recent visits of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, that were subsequently followed by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to India, ultimately brought laurels to both the nations. These would forecast in multilevel transformations.

ndia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have a history of over hundred-year bilateral relations. Focusing on multi-dimensional development plans, the two nations have maintained its relationship in the areas of economic, political and cultural growths. Ongoing chain of trades and commerce, in other hands, has emerged as a major reason behind strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two nations over the past few years. The enormous growth in the multi-lateral investments from the public as well as private partners from both sides has undoubtedly given a new dimension to their old relations. As a result, uni-

formity in the areas of technology, the real estate sector, etc. has witnessed many-fold growth in recent years. Centuries-old undeniable relationship and strong bond between the UAE and India can be witnessed from the facts that the largest expatriate community in the UAE is the Indian. Out of the total expat populations of almost 8.447 million in the UAE, about 28% are Indian. As per the recent media reports, there are about 2.623 million people in UAE who belong to the Indian community. “While Indian tourists visit UAE to spend their vacations or to enjoy the geographical settings, the Emiratis mainly visit here, to avail better healthcare facilities and other purposes”, said an International Relation (IR) Expert. nnn

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Bilateral Relation Gains High Momentum In Four Years International Relations

n spite of the fact that the bilateral relations have received gradual impetus from time to time, the relationships and strategic talks, between the two giant nations, have gained high momentum over the past four year. The trend of relationship between them acquired a new shape due to the continuous exchange of high-level visits by the concerned Government authorities or the representatives. The two recent visits of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to the Gulf country and the consequent visits made by his UAE counterpart or their representatives over the past four years, is being considered as the beginning of a new era. The experts however termed entire activities as the foundation of strategic partnership between India and the UAE. In mid-2015, when the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, made his first visit to the UAE, he received a red-carpet welcome by his UAE counterpart and other top dignitaries. With his arrival in Abu Dhabi in 2015, Modi became the first Indian leader to have visited UAE, after Indira Gandhi, over the past

38 years. As a result of Modi’s historic visit to UAE, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited India in February 2016. Nahyan, who stayed almost three days in India, has had an extensive discussion on various points including bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interests. The top authorities of both the countries however reached into a broad consensus and signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) on various vital issues like widespread cooperation in renewable energy, cooperation in combating cybercrime, facilitation of Institutional Investors in infrastructure, cultural exchange, skill developments, currency Swaps, insurance, and space. Subsequently, the Crown Prince of Dubai on his three-day visit to India arrived here on January 24, 2017. Though, he was greeted and welcomed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, before participating in Republic Day parade as the Chief Guest. nnn

n February 2018, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, made his second visit to the UAE and held wide-ranging talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Both the leaders, however, agreed on certain points of mutual interests and signed a historic pact awarding a consortium of Indian oil companies, a 10% stake in one of Abu Dhabi’s offshore oil fields. Again they signed five agreements related to the energy sector, railways, manpower, and financial services. The Crown Prince, while expressing his view before Modi’s second visit to the UAE, Tweeted, “We warmly welcome our state guest and valued friend, the Indian Prime Minister H.E.@narendramodi to the UAE. His visit reflects our longstanding historical ties and is the testament to our friendly bilateral relationship”.

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Future Impacts of the PM Visits

he Defense Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while talking to the media reiterated that the relationship between the UAE and India had grown up from a commercial and friendly nature to gain strategic depth. “The PM’s visits proved productive and are a confirmation of the mutual benefits of the India-UAE ties”, Sitharaman added. “The recent activities clearly show that we are a success in maintaining our decades-old relationship between India and the UAE. We are also looking for a significant amount of investment by the UAE in India in days to come” said Mr. Vipul, the Consul General of India in Dubai, UAE. The CGI was delivering his speech during the hours-long event ‘India – UAE Business Summit and Awards – 2018’ held at Dubai in September 2018. “Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest investors into India’s real estate as a sovereign fund, and the EMAAR, another

real estate company, are operating in India for many years. So far as opportunities are concerned, I think the opportunity for investments from UAE into India is just starting in many ways”, said another speaker of the event, Gagan Randev, adding that the recent activities would certainly refresh the bilateral prelateship between the two nations. “FEMA, RERA, and GST have been made very friendly in recent times. Besides, other factors, the kind of Housing, we have in Mumbai and Delhi, are giving us 5-6% of the return. The recent changes have made entire procedures easier”, said Jai Kumar Tejwani, the Managing Partner of Jai Kumar Tejwani & Co. of Chartered Accountants. The strategic relationship between India and UAE reaches new heights in recent years.

Economic Ties to Go Stronger Than Ever T

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he UAE gradually turned as one of the largest international investors and trading partners of India; Recently Abu Dhabi Week was observed in Mumbai to encourage investment in the country. In other hands, Adnoc is all set to store strategic oil reserves in any strategic location in Southern India; The most vital upshot of the recent talks is that both, India and the UAE, are looking forward to expanding their global influence; The two nations, together, have stepped up to combat extremism and terrorism. They have also shown their desire to collaborate on security and defense sectors in days to come. nnn

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International Relations

“The recent visits of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, which was followed by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to India as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations, have obviously brought laurels for both the nations. These would forecast in multilevel transformations and the relationship in all sectors”, says Vipul, the Consul General of India in Dubai. Vipul, Consul General of India in Dubai.

Significant Moments in the Bilateral Ties Between India and the UAE • • •

•

The father of the nation, late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, strengthened ties by visiting India in 1975. In 1981 the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, visited UAE on a three-day visit at the Abu Dhabi. In 2003 the Indian President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, visited Abu Dhabi and met with students at the Higher Colleges of Technology. In 2007, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited India. He discussed several issues of mutual interest with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Indian President, Pratibha Patil, made an official visit to the UAE in 2010 and met UAE’s Foreign Trade Minister, Shaikha Lubna.

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Fallouts

Incessant ascent visits by the higher authorities of both the countries however resulted into a strong trading relationship. The Major fallouts may be summarized as the imports from the sub-continental nation went up to $31 billion during 2016-17. In other hand, as per the information procured from the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, the UAE exported $21-billion-worth of goods during the same period.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), often termed as the Emirates, is a country in Western Asia at South-East end of the Arabian peninsula on the Persian Gulf. It borders Oman to the East and Saudi Arabia to the South. It also shares a portion of maritime borders with Qatar to the West and Iran to the North. The Absolute Sovereign monarchy is a federation of seven emirates consisting of Abu, the capital city, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al, Sharjah, and Al Quwaih. Their boundaries are complex. Each emirate is governed by a ruler; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the rulers serves as the President of the UAE.

INDIA

Known as the Republic of India, the country is situated in the Southern part of Asia. It is the 7th largest country concerning area and is a 2nd most populous country in the world. While the subcontinent is surrounded by the India Ocean on the South and the Arabian Sea on the South-West, the Bay of Bengal covers the land on the South-East. The country shares its land borders with Pakistan to the West China, Nepal and Bhutan to the North-East and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the East. In the Indian Ocean, India is close to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

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Technology

Decoding the NFV Security Decoding the NFV Secuirty Series -1

5G is not a replacement of another G, instead its next-gen wireless network technology. It will not only change the dynamics of existing technology, but it will also help in increasing data speed, producing ultra-low latency, supporting the connectivity of unthinkable number of devices, accelerate the energy efficiency & flexibility of network elements.

s NFV is in spiraling mode, the concern for security emerges as a new challenge for the service provider. Many of them have however taken this issue to the priority. The acronym â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NFV/SDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is among the widely By Nidhi Sharma used term in the present scenario. It does not only enhance agility but also saves the rising cost and help the business move more efficiently. The market potential of NFV/SDN industry is huge, and as per the Global Insight Inc., its market size is set to be a 70billion-dollar industry by the year 2024 and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the reason its security implications are of paramount concern. As we develop more powerful cloud architectures and virtualize more of our infrastructure, we need a better understanding of the changing security implications, best practices and threat models of a virtual network. Network virtualization has myriads of advantages; however, advantages come with resounding challenges and to address those challenges, experts and researchers put their head deep onto its grey areas. Security parameters are of utmost importance and

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need to be addressed with absolute priority if NFV has to be a great success in the future. As 5G is all set to be on the rollout stage, the role of NFV becomes more significant, given the widespread impact of NFV on 5G. 5G is not a replacement of another G, instead its next-gen wireless network technology. It will not only change the dynamics of existing technology, but it will also help in increasing data speed, producing ultra-low latency, supporting the connectivity of the unthinkable number of devices, accelerate the energy efficiency & flexibility of network elements. As such, the impact of 5G would be much bigger in scale &the NFV has to play a vital role in making 5G a huge success. While Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) throws new challenges to the security framework, it also caters unique opportunities for addressing security problems because of the unprecedented scale, flexibility and central control it affords. Compute, storage and network resources can be optimally allocated and stitched together, as required by the security policy. A recursive divide-and-conquer approach can be used to address NFV security, with security schemes applied at the platform, virtualized network zones and application levels. To reduce complexity, a centralized approach that leverages automation

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Securing Hypervisor capabilities is hugely recommended. NFV’s use of virtualization, general-purpose hardware, and its ability to increase automation will both save costs and reduce time to market for new services and applications. However, new technology brings new threats as is the stated principles in the security domain. New layers, components, interfaces, and capabilities open up new avenues for attack by scrupulous agents. This may endanger the entire NFV ecosystem. Hence, it has to be secured and protected by the smart and dynamic security system. To secure NFV, one needs to understand its architecture and the nitty-gritty of NFV security. There are multiple approaches to provide a secure and protected NFVI & I have dealt the issue through my lens of knowledge to discuss NFV-specific threat. Securing a hypervisor is of paramount importance. Thronging multiple virtual machines onto a single physical server always sends you at a risk table. If attackers can intrude the software that orchestrates the whole virtual environment – the hypervisor, or virtual machine monitor – they can take control of every virtual machine under its control, and all the data stored on them.

Hypervisor introspection APIs is powerful tools to perform deep VM analysis and potentially increase VM security.

Hypervisors are assumed to be robust and secure, but, like any other piece of software, they will inevitably contain vulnerabilities, which, if discovered by an attacker, could be exploited. The Hypervisor is prone to extreme security threat because it is simply a piece of software, and once this is compromised, it can lead to the serious destruction of the entire architecture of NFV. Though there are two types of Hypervisor: • Type one Hypervisor- hypervisors run directly on the system hardware – A “bare metal” embedded hypervisor; • Type two hypervisor- hypervisors run on a host operating system that provides virtualization services, such as I/O device support and memory. The risk lies where the hypervisor type two runs as software piece in the virtualized environment and when an attacker manages to break into a hypervisor by compromising some VNFs running over it. This attack can impose great risk once successfully carried out. This is also called VM escape attack. By using tools and VNF network connectivity with the cloud management network, the attacker gains access to the hypervisor management API and then the attacker breaks into the hypervisor to inflict maximum damage. There are few important security parameters that have to be considered to secure hypervisor in NFVI in such a scenario • •

•

Keep hypervisor up to date by deploying regular patches, failure in doing so may cost dearly. Disable all services that are not in use. For example, SSH and remote access service may not be needed all the time; therefore, it would be a good idea to enable these services only when needed. Idle services are the most vulnerable items for intruders for any possible attack. Proper isolation between Hypervisor and Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) are key to ensuring a robust and secure Hypervisor. Hypervisor Introspection can easily detect the rootkit and bootkit inside the VM. By adding introspection capabilities, the hypervisor’s functionalities are greatly

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Technology

•

enhanced, enabling it, among other things, to monitor network traffic, access files in storage, and read memory execution. Hypervisor introspection APIs are powerful tools to perform deep VM analysis and potentially increase VM security. An unauthorized modification and can guard against bugs and misconfigurations in the hardened hypervisors. Use Software vulnerability management procedure to make sure the hypervisor is secured from attack.

Existing hypervisors are not designed or targeted to meet the requirements for NFVi, and further collaborative efforts are needed to enable NFV features. There is much ongoing research to make a robust & secure hypervisor in this area, and few companies are making waves, Citrix in collaboration with Bitdefender created HVI to protect all four stages vulnerability: the vulnerability exists, the vulnerability is discovered, the vendor releases a patch, and the customer applies the patch. All four stages are protected by HVI. Similarly, Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform vouch for more secure and robust NFVI, and in this sequence, it uses the high-performance Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor as, it claims, this forms a more stable, secure and reliable operating system. The following are initial enhancements to Real-time KVM for NFV: • Minimal Interrupt latency variation for data plane VNFs • Minimal Timing Variation for Timing correctness of real-time VNFs can be achieved by timing correctness for scheduling operations, such as Radio schedule. • Minimal packet latency variation for data-plane VNFs which can be achieved by packet delay variation, which applies to packet processing. In recent times, DevOps, the methodology that removes the traditional boundaries between development, deployment, and production, and embraces continual improvement, has greatly increased system reliability & security. Hence many companies are coming forward in this area and putting their efforts and

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money as NFV is future & no one wants to be left behind. Multi-Tenancy Multitenancy is an important concept in virtualization and getting customers comfortable with the concept of “communal living” requires a shift in how enterprises view data security. The “book” definition of multitenancy is a computing or networking model where several clients use the same resources on a ‘shared infrastructure. Increasing number and type of applications are moving to the cloud but unfortunately, traditional network infrastructures are not near agile enough to support them. Traditional networks are not designed for the cloud or to connect virtual endpoints within a cloud environment. Originally, they were invented to connect physical endpoints together. We are beginning to see the introduction of the software-based network in the form of overlays used However, there are myriads of security challenges in a shared infrastructure that could be very detrimental if not dealt with carefully & logically. Comprehensive security is a major concern in multi-tenancy environments and breaches in one tenant can affect others leading to the chain reactions. Beach heading is the process of an attacker jumping from one compromised location to the other should not be permitted. And if a tenant becomes compromised, traffic pattern and analytics should be provided, enabling the administrator to block then the irregular traffic patterns caused by the attacker. In another way, once the VNF is compromised, it should be immediately detected, and a newly upgraded VNF should be launched in place of affected one and affected VNF should be decommissioned and dispatched to the forensic lab for further investigation. Life seems safer when you know you have your operating system and your virtual machine (VM) protecting your data. With multitenant SaaS, all that stands between your data and others is the competency of the software developers at the SaaS provider. The bigger issue is the potential for either a software bug or a configuration error that inadvertently allows one customer to see, access, or even modify another client’s data. This is a risk that is unique to the multitenant SaaS model because of the shared data-

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base of customer data. Another commonly cited concern with SaaS multitenancy is that the provider typically holds all of the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data. Over the years, this data could become a significant asset for a company, and access to this asset is controlled by a third party. Third-party control of your assets is a risk, of course, but most of the companies in this space have mechanisms to easily export client data, and there are many third-party tools and services that enable customers to back up and download copies of their data. This not only mitigates the risk, but it also lowers the barrier to switching from one provider to another, which incents the providers to provide high-value service. So, what are the best possible solution to mitigate multi-tenancy splurge and the problem arising out of it in NFV? The pattern-based reengineering and architectural refactoring method for transforming legacy enterprise applications designed for single-tenant access into multitenant applications that satisfy the architectural principles required for successful SaaS deployment in cloud environments. The appropriate separation of tenant data is one of the most critical properties of multi-tenant applications that process sensitive enterprise data because it directly affects the success or failure of SaaS solutions; data separation violations can have disastrous economic and legal consequences for both service consumers and service providers. As a minimum, multitenant SaaS applications should pass a compliance audit to gain evidence and confidence that enterprise data will not be accessible by competitors using the same SaaS solution. Therefore, the reengineering of legacy applications and the development of new multitenant SaaS solutions should prioritize this critical requirement to preserve tenant data separation on all application and data storage levels. Ideally, the application architecture should make it easier for developers, testers, and compliance auditors to confirm this property, for example, through focussed testing and code reviewing. The multitenancy aware architecture extends existing enterprise application architecture patterns on the three logical architectural layers; User interface; Business logic processing and Data access It is duly reflected in the Model-View-Controller pattern into multitenancy-enabled variants that satisfy required multitenancy-specific requirements. Most importantly, the presented

approach preserves the tenant data separation property to guarantee data integrity and data confidentiality of sensitive tenant user and application data. Experience with this approach shows that the resulting multitenant software architecture and supporting patterns-based reengineering and architectural refactoring method are better suited for a systematic analysis and testing for the presence of tenant separation defects than ad-hoc evolutions of existing architectures. This evaluation can demonstrate that the investment into a pattern-based and method-supported approach to achieving multitenancy can pay off because it reduces the risk of data privacy/integrity breaches (among other security threats) and also simplifies maintenance, compliance auditing, and further evolution of the cloud application.

There are other equally significant aspects of multitenant systems, such as performance, availability, reliability, and faulttolerance, or scalability, load balancing, or RESTful microservices. Expected thought process must be to improve the practical adoption of pattern-oriented architecting and architectural refactoring through Web-enabled architectural knowledge management systems for pattern-based solutions, that can be integrated into other tools used by software architects during initial design as well as maintenance and evolution, for instance, modeling and architectural decision management tools should be in future agenda for research community. As 5G is all set to be on the rollout stage, the role of NFV becomes more significant, given the widespread impact of NFV on 5G. (The Writer is a Senior IT Professional & Blogger) nnn

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Cover Story

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Launch Pad

India’s Premier, IIT Hyderabad, Launches B. Tech Honor View 20 Launched With Punch-hole In Artificial Intelligence Display, 48 MP Camera in India

hose willing to pursue a Bachelor in Technology (B. Tech) in ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI), need not go abroad. They can study it here, in India, too. Kudos to IIT Hyderabad, one of the premier institutes for tech studies in India that launched this course from the upcoming session in 2019. After this development, IIT Hyderabad turned to be the first to start B. Tech. Program in AI in the country. The selection process would be the same as is being done through the Joint En-

fter Paris, now the Honor View 20 launched the global version of the Honor V20 in India. This is the Honor's newest flagship smartphone offering an impressive design including a punch-hole display and a unique back glass design. It also highlights a massive 48 MP rear camera and a Kirin 980 chipset under the hood. The Honor View 20's price in Europe starts at 569 Euro (Approximately Rs 46,000) for the base model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also announces the special edition Moschino version of the View 20 that offers 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage at 649 Euro (Approx Rs. 52,500). While the European prices are pretty steep, it is rumoured that the View 20's pricing in India will be a lot more

competitive to take on the OnePlus 6T, and may be priced somewhere around Rs 35,000.

later it will be assembled. “Initially we expected that the bike will be priced under Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom) as at the time of its launch, but the price exceeded”, the KTM officials said adding that the bike was further developed for easier CKD operations. Once the bike is launched, the 790 Duke will be the most expensive bike from KTM in India. Special features: LED headlight, TFT screen, suspension, Brakes, Wheels, Tyres, and the Swingarm can be localized.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS: The price of Honor View 20 starts at 569 Euro in Europe It offers a punch-hole display comprising a 25MP camera Prior to this, the Honor View 20 was launched in Paris.

Luxury Bike ‘KTM 790 Duke’ to be Launched in India

trance Examination (JEE), The first batch, which is likely to start from the upcoming session in 2019, will comprise 20 students. The IIT-Hyderabad will be the third such Institution in the world to have launched this course. Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offered this course so far. “The main motive is to create a complete ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence Academics and Research at IIT Hyderabad. This involves B.Tech, M.Tech. and different Minor Programs in AI. Moreover, the R&D will be strongly entwined with academics”, said Prof U.B. Desai, the Director, IIT Hyderabad. nnn

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ow it’s no more secret that the ‘KTM 790 Duke’ will soon be launched by March 2019. The new twin-cylinder is expected to be priced around Rs 8 to 8.5 lakh (onroad). At this price point, it will compete against fourcylinder rivals such as the Suzuki GSX – S750 and Kawasaki Z900 are priced at Rs 7.46 lakh and Rs 7.68 lakh respectively as an ex-showroom price in New Delhi. As per the reports, the KTM 790 will not be manufactured in India. It would be brought to our shores as CKD kits and

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New 2019 ‘Maruti Suzuki Wagon R’ Launched in India for Rs 4.19 Lakh, Get 7 Variants

ith a comfortable starting price of Rs 4.19 Lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), Maruti Suzuki has launched another predicted Next-gen Wagon R on January 23, 2019 in India. Recently, the company has started booking for the tall-boy hatchback that was built on Suzuki’s 5th-generation Heartect platform and is comparatively longer and wider than the incumbent product of the company. A total of 7 variants are available to choose in the New Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, with the top spec model priced at Rs 5.69 Lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Details Though prices vary place to place, the price

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R LXi 1.0L Manual Maruti Suzuki Wagon R VXi 1.0L Manual Maruti Suzuki Wagon R VXi AGS 1.0L Maruti Suzuki Wagon R VXi 1.2L Manual Maruti Suzuki Wagon RZXi 1.2L Manual Maruti Suzuki Wagon R VXi AGS 1.2L Maruti Suzuki Wagon R ZXi AGS 1.2L

– Rs 4.19 Lakh – Rs 4.69 Lakh – Rs 5.16 Lakh – Rs 4.89 Lakh – Rs 5.22 Lakh – Rs 5.36 Lakh – Rs5.69 Lakh

breakup of the new Maruti Suzuki Wagon R (Mainly, the exshowroom price in New Delhi): View: The newly launchedMaruti Suzuki Wagon R gets that boxy outline. While, in the front, the car gets matte black grille and lower bumper and completely redesigned tall headlights, it gets floating roof design as are being seen on the Ertiga and Swift.

South Korea’s KMC to Launch SP2i Mid-SUV in India in 2019

outh Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles and one of the subsidiaries of Hundai-Kia automotive group, Kia Motor Corporation (KMC) is all set to launch its Mid-Sports Utility Vehicle SP2i in 2019 in India. Besides, the company has planned to launch a new car every six months after the launch of its first product in India. Earlier, Kia Motors has showcased its products Carnival and Niro in neighboringPuducherry, a company statement said recently. "Completely, equipped with powerpacked performance and world-class quality, the Kia SP2i will probably be launched by the second half of 2019 in India. It will be ", the statement adds.

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The SP2i will be manufactured at the company's Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh and the rollout is expected in the second half of 2019. Kia Motors had in April 2017 signed anMoUwith the Government of Andhra Pradesh to set up the facility at an investment of around USD 1.1 billion.Spread across 536 acres, the plant will have an annual installed capacity to produce three lakh vehicles. It would create over 3,000 direct and 7,000 indirect jobs in the region. As it is believed that the KMC’s entry into Indian market would help the company in establishing other plants in India, USA, China, Slovakia and Mexico Korea. nnn

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Special Story

Thai King Passes Royal Order Defying His Older Sis’s Career in Politics

“Even though she relinquished her title according to royal laws ... she still retains her status and position as a member of the Chakri dynasty” - Maha Vajiralongkorn By Kaweewit Kaewjinda

haos and confusion rocked the Thai politics after the King, Maha Vajiralongkorn, made a historic order, scuttling his sister’s move to become a candidate for the prime minister’s office in upcoming parliamentary elections. The King’s elder sister, Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, had announced that she would be a probable candidate for the PMO after parliamentary elections scheduled on March 24, 2019. The situation turned volatile, and massive protests were witnessed across the region. This was the first time when a huge retaliation and street violence was seen over the past decade. The Princess’nomination as a candidate was indeed, a surprising step, not only because it would have broken a taboo on a senior royal running for public office, but also because it would have allied her with the Thai Raksa Chart Party, considered by many royalists to be unsympathetic to the monarchy. It is one of several parties linked to the political machine of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications billionaire who roared to power in 2001 with populist policies that made him practically unbeatable. The army eventually ousted him from the prime minister's office in a 2006 coup.

OBSERVER DAWN March 2019

The turn around in Ubolratana's fortunes was also seen as startling because the siblings are thought to be close and it was considered unthinkable that Ubolratana would make her move without her brother's permission. What had happened behind the scenes is unlikely to become public, because the Thai royal family's private affairs are rarely leaked. Vajiralongkorn tried to soften the blow by acknowledging that his 67-year-old sister has already relinquished her formal royal titles, and he praised her for conducting charity work and otherwise earning the love of her family and the Thai people. But his order stressed that Thailand's constitution insists that the king and those around him stay above politics, and the principles of democratic government also put politics off-limits. "Even though she relinquished her title according to royal laws ... she still retains her status and position as a member of the Chakri dynasty," the king's order said. "Bringing high-ranking royal family members to be involved in the political system, in any way, is an act that is against the ancient royal protocol and national custom and culture, and is seen as a highly inappropriate act," the statement added. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, the preferred candidate of

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the military, is considered to be indelibly loyal to the monarchy. He led the 2014 military coup that ousted Thailand's last elected government, which had been backed by Thaksin. Prayuth had been considered the front-runner for the March election because changes in the constitution and election rules implemented by his government make it difficult for political parties without military backing to capture the prime minister's post. Thailand also has a draconian lese majeste law which punishes defamation of the immediate royal family with up to 15 years in prison. While it does

not technically apply to Ubolratana, who lost her highest royal titles when she married an American more than four decades ago, its scope has been widened in recent years to almost anything that sullies the royal institution, making criticism of the princess highly problematical. Before the king's statement, Ubolratana had issued a statement on Instagram saying she has "no special privileges above the Thai people under the constitution." "This act of mine, I have done out of sincerity and intention to sacrifice in this request to lead the country to prosperity," she said. Parliament has had members who were dis-

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Special Story

tant relatives of the monarch. Ubolratana falls into a gray area since she is commonly called a princess and treated as such, despite losing the royal designations after her marriage. Soon after she was registered as a candidate, a political party supporting Prayuth filed an objection with the Election Commission, arguing that the action broke the rules banning the use of the royal institution as part of a political campaign. Several other complaints followed, mostly from conservative royalists, exposing a possible vulnerability in her plans. Ubolratana is the first-born of four children of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, with the current king the second-born. She was virtually disowned by her father in 1972 when she married American Peter Jensen, who was a fellow student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They settled in the

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United States where they had three children. They later divorced and she moved back permanently to Thailand in 2001. Since then she has thrown herself into charity work, especially her "To Be No. 1" foundation to fight youth drug abuse. She also frequently promotes Thai tourism and movies at international forums. In general, like most of the royal family, she publicly kept herself aloof from Thailand's recent political turmoil. For most of Bhumibol's reign from 1946 to his death in 2016, the revered and humble monarch was a stabilizing force in Thai politics. But the election of Thaksin in 2001 was transformative for Thailand. His populist policies delivered unmatchable electoral majorities, but he was resented by the traditional ruling class, including royalists and the military. Violent street protests and two military

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coups have marked the years since. Thaksin went in exile in 2008 to avoid serving jail time on a corruption conviction he insists was politically motivated. His well-funded political machine returned his allies to power twice, and his maneuvering was seen as the key element in arranging for Ubolratana's selection by a Thaksin-affiliated party. Most political observers agree that Thaksin aggressively pursued good relations with the current king and friendship with the princess herself. These links were formed as royalists, and others loyal to Bhumibol accused Thaksin of showing disrespect for the throne, and even of harboring secret republican tendencies. In 2016, when Vajiralongkorn succeeded to the throne of Thailand, the intellectual wings marked him as he was tightening his grip on power by allying himself closely with the army.

And hence, the surprising step by the princess was being considered to have been approved by the King. The situation, however, turned topsy-turvy leaving several questions unanswered. Sections of the intellectual wing were in thought whether the long-lasting partnership of the Kingdom was in anarchy. Thailand also has a draconian lese majeste law which punishes defamation of the immediate royal family with up to 15 years in prison. While it does not technically apply to Ubolratana, who lost her highest royal titles when she married an American more than four decades ago, its scope has been widened in recent years to almost anything that sullies the royal institution, making criticism of the princess highly problematical. (The Writer is Associated Press contributor). nnn

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SURAJKUND

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Event

T By Yogesh Sood

he much acclaimed 33rd Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Surajkund, Faridabad from Ist to 17th February 2019 offered an ideal platform to hundreds of national and state awardees craftspersons to interact with

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their foreign artisans and master craftsmen counterparts and ex- state is a matter of pride for the state with its vibrant culture and hibit their art in a rural ambiance. Jointly hosted by the Suraj traditions. Kund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Chief Minister, Haryana Manohar Lal, unveiled the ‘Special Ministries of Tourism, Textile , Culture , External Affairs and Postal Cover’ along with a special collection on ‘Surajkund InGovernment of Haryana ; the festival has come to occupy a place ternational Crafts Mela. He said that as per Indian tradition ‘the of pride and prominence on the International tourism calendar world is one family’ SurajkundMela becomes a platform for infor its display of crafts, culture, and cuisine of India in aesthet- teraction on a global level, which will bring peace and prosperity ically create ambiance. There is also enthusiastic participation amongst nations. He also announced that Mahendragarh and Krfrom 30 countries including Nepal , Afghanistan, New Zealand, ishna Circuit would be linked to boosting tourism in the state. He Uzbekistan,Krysgstan, Tunisia , Zimbabwe , Burundi , Senegal , also stated that a memorial would be made in honour of the Zambia , Comoros, Turkey, Egypt , Syria , South Africa, Austria, Maratha soldiers who fought the Third battle of Panipat. Netherland, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Nigeria, Tajikistan, In 2013, the Mela was upgraded to an international level, and now Bangladesh, Lebanon, Ghana ,Seychelles , Ethiopia, Morocco, artisans and cultural performers from across the globe look forPalestine, Bhutan etc. ward to participating in this mega event. The Mela was first Maharashtra, the ‘Theme State of the 33rd International Crafts hosted in 1987 to showcase richness and diversity of Indian handMela 2019, showcased its unique cultural and rich heritage icrafts, handlooms, and the cultural heritage. During the 17- day through various art long Mela this year the forms and handicrafts. craftsperson gave a live Also, a replica of Mademonstration of how haDwar or MahaDarsome of the very fine waza, the main hand-woven silk, cotentrance of the historic ton fabrics and saris hill fort of the Raigad, with traditional hand renovated by Chhatraembroideries are showThe visitors of the Suraj Kund Mela are being welcomed with a pati Shivaji was the cased here. Besides unique idea called ‘Apna Ghar’ of Haryana. This ‘Apna Ghar’ main attraction of this this, ethnic home furhouses the real traditional lifestyle of Haryana. The architecture year’s Mela. nishing, décor items, with arches associated with the state, the open veranda and rooms Inaugurating the Mela, wooden jewelry toys, reflect the true rural persona of a Haryanvi village house. The Chief Minister, Mahaherbal products, etc. décor inside is typically rural with a king-sized charpoy, agriculrashtra Devendra Fadalso were also on distural tools, ethnic dresses etc. Visitors throng the place with much navis said that play. awe and wonder. Some feel nostalgic about their roots, while for many it is a discovery of a new culture. Visitors take photographs participation from over This year, 33rd Suraj with various artifacts and interact with the traditional craftsper30 countries in the 33rd Kund International son in Apna Ghar. edition of Surajkund Crafts Mela more than Shri Muthoo Khan, from Haryana, gave a live demonstration International Crafts 30 countries particiwith his traditional loom at the ‘Apna Ghar’. He stated that ‘he Mela signifies the pated in the 17 day– and his community are an expert in handlooms and specialize in growing importance of long Mela, this making bed sheets and light quilts”. this Mela which offers includes the Partner Similarly, the theme state –Maharashtra has created a traditional an ideal platform for Nation- Thailand. H.E. Marathi house which presents the traditional style of architecture with a veranda as the central figure and living areas and rooms the hardworking clan Mr. Chutintornsurrounding it. Folk artists from Maharashtra sit in the veranda of the craftsperson. Gongsakdi, Ambassaand greet the audience with bhajans sung in praise of VithalBTourism is uniting dor of Thailand in hagwan. The folk artist, Chintamani says he and his fellow artists India into one entity. India stated that “Thaihave come from Sholapur, Maharashtra and use instruments like The participation of land’s association with Taal, Veena, and Harmonium to recite their bhajans. It is an ageMaharashtra as theme the Mela will strike a old art which we have inherited from their ancestors”.

Experience the lifestyle of Haryana and Maharashtra

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new chord between the people of both the nations and help promote each other’s culture and Tourism. As a Partner Nation, “the Government of Thailand has led 38 Thai MSMEs to participate in the event since, like India, we believe that The Theme State of the 33 rd Surajkund International Crafts Mela, Maharashtra, showMSMEs are the lifeblood of all cased the splendor of the state’s traditional styles through a unique fashion show held in economies. Thailand was once a the grounds of Hotel Rajhans, Surajkund.The richness of Maharashtra’s traditional wearwhich embodies the native craftsmanship was showcased through the well-choreographed Partner Nation for this event in fashion show. The Fashion show took the audience back in time to the 18th century in the 2012, and we come back to express first round. The models Sashayed down the ramps in traditional clothes of the; Katkari our commitment to build strong Samaj. The male models displayed the Dhoti and female models adorned the kashtha coslinkages among MSMEs of Thaitumes. These clothes represented the need and practicality of the times, thus they were land and India and to appreciate the worn in a particular way to ease the working styles. The second round of the fashion show diversity of crafts from many counstepped into the 19th Century, which presented the famous Saari also called the 9-yard tries.” Saari. The Nauwarisaari during the time was a part of the Lavani Culture and was a part Vijai Vardhan, Additional Chief of the traditional attire worn for the Lavani Dance. Models wore the Nauwarisaari in the Secretary, Tourism, Haryana Cum most colourful forms with intricate traditional border-work from the state of Maharashtra. The male models displayed the traditional Dhoti coupled with Kurta, traditional Hats, Vice Chairman, SurajkundMela etc. that was as part of the traditional wear of the 19th Century Maharashtra. The fashion Authority, stated that like every show also leads one to contemporary times where the traditional dresses took more modyear the Mela spread the colours of ern hues, transforming traditional threads into fashion statements. This round focused tradition and heritage of India and on the Groom and Bridal wear. The traditional Lehngas wore a royal look and shimmered will be a grand experience for with intricate works of traditional embroidery. The male models too strutted down the everyone. ramp clad in cotton silk Kurtas teamed up with Pajama, Churidars, Coats, and SherwaYogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Minnis. The unique show took the audience back in time and back again and created an ever istry of Tourism, Stated that Suralasting impression with its unique concept and a thrilling show. jkund International Crafts Mela had attained such great heights and it is recognized across the world. It is a showcase of talent and exhibition of the heritage of India. Ms. Vinita Singhal, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Maharashtra cuisines. stated that Maharashtra had brought treasure for visitors and pa- Beats of dhols and troupes of day performers were seen and heard trons with five forts, 200 artisans. She further stated that Maha- in every nook and corner of the Mela ground making rounds to rashtra would showcase its history of textile starting from the 17th entertain visitors. As the day progressed, the ambiance began even more colorful. The amphitheater or the Chaupal was packed to century in the form of a unique fashion show. Tourism Minister, Haryana, Ram Bilas Sharma said “this Mela a the brim and spectators witnessed thrilling performances by vargreat platform to market handicrafts and offers craftsperson a ious folk artists from India as well as foreign nations. Thrilling global market. He stated that with growing popularity, the Mela performance from folk artists from Ghana, Egypt, Thailand, Zimhas also increased in its stature and size with more craftsmen, babwe and many more brought to the audience never before seen countries, and stalls this year. Vikas Yadav, Managing Director, art forms. Equally, enchanting presentation came from the Indian Haryana Tourism stated that this edition of Surajkund interna- participants from Punjab with artists performing the mesmerizing tional Crafts Mela is also a must visit for craft and handicraft en- Ek Tara and the foot-tapping Bhangra tunes and dances. Mahathusiasts as well as foodies who want to experience new flavours rashtra showcased the traditional dances of Lavni and palki. Thailand shines in the crowd with its unique crafts products and

Maharashtra Brings its History of Ethnic Wear in Fashion Show

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The partner nation – Thailand has come with the most interesting craft items that one can look for. From highly detailed decorative items, herbal care products to handmade casual wear, there is something for everyone. Ringing in the message of going green and saving the environment, Kamoalthip from Thailand has brought fascinating decorative items from her country. A special cactus plant is being offered by her who has anti-radiation properties to be used at home to protect the environment from radiation. Along with that handmade ceramics, Rose Wood carvings and decorative items inspired by the elements on the bottom of the ocean are a treat to see. For those looking for the best in skin care and herbal products, Nucharee Nilsuwan is offering authentic herbal products made from rare herbs and traditional Thai methods. Exclusive perfumes made by her team are a favorite amongst visitors.PitakIntawong has bought hand carved decorative items that are been loved by every visitor, made by mango wood and designed by his wife is what makes these craft items so special according to him. From flower pots, lamps, to doorbells each creation of the duo is worth collecting. For those looking for a style statement, handmade tshirts and other casual dresses will add spice to your wardrobe. Boodsaya from Thailand says that tie-dye prints and use of natural colours make these clothes unique and are highly fashionable. Food the food lovers, the Thai section at the food court is dishing out some of the most authentic flavours. Chef Soi from Thailand says that prawn dish called Tom Yum and the Thai Noodles are being loved by everyone here. Apart from that authentic Thai Soups and curries are a big hit amongst the visitors. For those looking for a real lip smacking experience, this is a place to be. Miniature Mughal paintings make a life-size impression One of the unique works of art and exceptional talent is that of the miniature Mughal painting brought here by Kailash from Rajasthan, who specializes in this art. He states that many details in the paintings are so intricate and minute that one needs a magnifying glass to see them in full detail. Kailash says this is a traditional work handed down generations and they have further added innovative mediums to promote this art. He is using old postcards and adding interesting miniature Mughal el-

ements and paintings to create very interesting collector’s items. He even owns vintage paperwork of the royal times on which he adds spice with his art and creates an entirely new masterpiece. Another artist Gopal Prasad Sharma has also brought the same art from Rajasthan. He states with enthusiasm that his work is unique because of the creativity and the finest detail involved in making it. Creativity in fish Scale One of the fascinating handicraft talents comes from West Bengal with Ms. Pushpa Bakat. Her entire work is made from Rohu and Katla fish scales which are glued together to make artistic masterpieces. Her works include highly detailed decorations, GautamBudhhaunder a tree and the KrishanArjunRath which is making visitors stop at her shop at the first look. She states that her creations take a few days to months to complete and for this work and she has won the state award three times. Surajkund is a mélange of arts and crafts, and a must visit place for admirers of such talent.

Haryana is the new trendsetter at the 33rd Surajkund International Crafts Mela A unique fashion show welcomed fully packed ‘Chaupal’ with a scintillating display of Haryana’s traditional dresses with a modern twist. The models sashayed on the ramp wearing cultural dresses from various parts of Haryana. From age-old costumes to modern renditions, the fashion show won the hearts of all the spectators present there as they cheered and applauded throughout the show. The interesting thing is that cultural participants volunteered as models and even officers of Haryana Tourism enthusiastically took to the ramp in their most Suraja Kund stylish avatars. Dresses like dhoti, kurta, International Crafts Mela traditional Pagri and props like Hukka A haven for Food Lovers made Haryana come alive on the stage. Not only do the beautiful sounds of music Young models in the modern version of and drums reverberate through the beautiful chilly mornings, but the ambiance of cultural dresses set new trends for many the Mela is also filled with an inviting mix to follow. The women folk mesmerized of aromas from the food court. A foodies the audience with fascinating threads paradise as they say, the food court has aland weaved of Haryana as they showmost everything for those looking for a cased the best of what the state has to sumptuous treat. After bagging the best of offer. The fashion show highlighted varhandlooms and handicrafts, it was the ious dresses which are identified with multi-cuisine Food Court tantalizing the the state of Haryana like colourful dutaste buds with a scrumptious spread.

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pattas, Dhoti- Kurta, Shalwar, Jamphar, Gaati, Ghaghra, Ghaghri, Khara, Lehnga, Chundri, Wayal, Dupatta, Garkhi, Kamri, Stole, Leh and Chayema. It was fashion and tradition coming together for a grand show. Participants from Thailand and African nations like Uganda gave a new flavour to the fashion as they walked the ramp in Haryanvi dresses fused with their traditional native wear. What transpired was an elated audience and ovation from every corner of the amphitheater as these international models Jaleba- the king-sized sweet For those with a sweet tooth, a king-sized version of jalebi aptly named ‘Jaleba’ is ready to satiate your hunger. The specialty of this jalebi is its enormous size, and the preparation is done in Pure Ghee. Every single Jaleba weighs more than 250 grams and is worth every penny given its sweet taste and delightful texture which leaves you wanting for more. Thai delights The Thai corner is dishing out the best of the cuisines from the land of smiles. Serving with a big smile, Chef SangchaiLerdpakai from Thailand says ‘Every visitor is loving pad Thai', and it is offered with a choice of Chicken and prawn. Green curry with rice, Som Tam and chicken wings are also one of the most delectable choices here at Thai Corner. For those looking for traditional sarees, craftsmen from across India are here with best of ethnic sarees which are one of the most favorite handicrafts and handlooms items in the shopper list. From North India to South India, there is a vast array of choice for this glamorous traditional wear.Mr. Junaid from Gujarat is showcasing Sarees with Bandhani handiwork. He states that this is a craft that has been handed down generations, and these Sarees reflect the culture and tradition of the land of Kutch. The sarees are intricately designed and are being loved by many women. Mohammad Aslam from Uttar Pradesh has brought the ever famous BanarasiSaree. He states that these sarees are among the most beautiful sarees in India and are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery. The sarees are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design. A must buy for those who are looking for bridal wear in sarees. Some craftsperson from the theme state- Maharashtra is displaying the PaithaniSarees which are very popular amongst shoppers at the Mela. Find designs that are simple to highly ornate design in this category. These sarees are woven by hand and made from very fine silk; it is considered as one of the richest saris in India. Paithani is characterized by borders of an oblique square design, and a pallu with a Peacock design. Plain as well as spotted designs are also available.

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Apart from these, an array of other ethnic sarees from Rajasthan and cotton sarees from Bihar are being lapped up by shoppers in large numbers. The Mela is a must visit for anyone one who wants to spruce up their traditional wardrobe with highly intricate handmade sarees. A treat for art connoisseurs SurajkundMela is a perfect place to explore the vast reservoir of Indian art and paintings from across the nation. Indian folk artists have brought with them the traditional art, which is attracting the art collectors, lovers and patrons’alike. From paintings to intricate woodwork, the Mela is brimming with talent of traditional artists. One of the unique works of art is the Patta Chitra from Odisha. Different artists from the state have got these unique paintings. Although a couple from the Odisha is creating beelines of art admirers, with their highly intricate and detailed Pattachitra paintings; palm leaf engravings. Sarat Kumar Pradhan and his wife Saudamini have been coming to the Surajkund Mela from Odisha since years and say that every year patrons of our art are increasing in numbers. Both husband and wife are National and state award winner respectively. Their paintings depict epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana in pictorial form. They say it takes days and months to paint one masterpiece, but they say the most satisfying feeling is being appreciated for carrying on the legacy. S. Kesavan along with S. Kalaidelvi from Tamil Nadu has brought the ever famous Tanjore paintings to the Mela. These paintings boast of delicate layers of work comprising different materials and the use of pure gold foil to make a masterpiece. He states that it takes a lot of hard work and precision to make these paintings and can take even a month to finish one. Arty decorations with detailed engraving on brass are being lapped up by visitors and admirers alike. Nadeem Hassan from Uttar Pradesh has showcased brass decorations which boast of detailed Marodi and Bidri work. He states that these brass creations are trendy with people who like to decorate the interiors with art and craft. From tiny decorations to lifesize vases, there is much to admire and collect here, for those who love art and craft there is a limitless choice to shop. The unique show took the audience back in time and back again and created an everlasting impression. Surajkund is a mélange of arts and crafts, and a must visit place for admirers of such talent. nnn

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PM launches Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana For Indian Diasporas

ndian Diasporas between the age group of 45 to 60 years would now undertake a tour of religious places across the country. The pilgrims would, then, be rejoined with their roots. These were the announcements of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in his speech during the launch of the new flagship scheme — the ‘Pravasi TeerthDarshanYojana’ in Varanasi on January 22, 2019. It would be a government-sponsored tour which will be undertaken twice a year. While the first batch of almost 40 Indian-origin people, who attended the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi, is likely to start by March 2019. "The participants would be offered tours of renowned religious places of all major religions in India. Entire expenses including the airfare from their origins to destinations and vice – versa would be given by Union Government", a GOI Officer said. "Although the scheme is meant for all diaspora, the first preference would be given to people from 'Girmitiya countries' like Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica”, the officer added. “The NRIs can play a vital role in growth and development of ‘start-ups’ and defense manufacturing sectors. Keeping the welfare of the Indians living overseas and looking after other important aspects, we have simplified passport and visa rules. Besides, the provision for e-visa had been made to make the

process

easier

for

them to travel”, Modi said in his inaugural speech. "We are emphasizing strengthening departmental coordination so that the authorities concerned could be connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide”, the Prime Minister said adding that this would set up a centralized system for them.

Important Highlights •

•

• •

Indian diaspora belonging to the group of 45 – 65 years will be taken for this pilgrimage under the scheme, PravasiTeerthDarshanYojana’ Entire pilgrimage would be a government-sponsored including their journey from origin to destination and viceversa. Following the required eligibility criteria, the candidates apply as per their convenient. The first preference will be given to people from 'Girmitiya countries' such as Mauritius, Fiji. nnn

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