India-Diplomatic, Business, Diaspora and Political Connectivity
Editor’s Desk One of the most inspiring observations of South Africa’s greatest leader Nelson Mandela was this: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Indeed it is arguably the most potent weapon of change. Education is abundantly empowering, enriching and enduring. No wonder that in India parents are pushing for their children’s education like never before. The gender gap in education is, happily, on the decline. More girls attend schools, colleges and universities than ever before in India’s history. It is helping India become the knowledge capital of the world. What remains critical, however, is keeping an eye on the quality of education being imparted. After all it is the special foundation on which we build our future. Towards this end the pioneering JIS Group has stood out like a beacon in Eastern India with its base in Kolkata, West Bengal. With over 35,000 students across 126 courseprogrammes in over 26 educational institutions run by the group, JIS has become a significant game changer in the private education sector. Ably led by Mr Taranjit Singh, its dynamic and soft-spoken Managing Director, the group has carved for itself an impressive niche in India’s education space. For the significant role it has played over the last two decades it has also been suitably recognized by industry, Government, professional associations. We bring you a report. Mauritius’s High Commissioner to India H.E. Mr Goburdhun was on a visit to Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh recently. He was accompanied all along by Mr Shool Pani Singh, Social Activist. They visited Athila village in the Rasra subdivision of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh to meet the family of Mauritius Prime Minister Mr Pravind Jugnauth. PM Jugnauth’s roots have been traced to Athila recently. PM Jugnauth’s grandfather had left the shores of India as a five-year-old boy, never to return. His own father, Sir Anerood Jugnauth has himself served as both President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. We bring you a photo essay covering the visit. There is a write-up on the recently concluded Surajkund Mela in Haryana where over 30 nations participated, with Thailand being the partner nation, and Maharashtra the theme state. We have a report on the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi—India Empire Magazine was a Media Partner at this prestigious event. There are several other articles of interest. Hope you enjoy going through our pages. Thank you.
Sayantan Chakravarty sayantanc@gmail.com www.indiaempire.com
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empire Volume 14 No. 9 February 2019 www.indiaempire.com RNI No.: DELENG/2005/16693
GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD Mr Inder Singh, Dr Rami Ranger, Dr Kamalanathan Sappani, Mr Mridul Pathak, Ms Priya Tandon Editor Sayantan Chakravarty Consulting Editor Yogesh Sood (Business and Commerce) Sipra Das (Photography) Kul Bhushan Jayant Borkar (Mumbai Affairs) Sanjay Sharma (BJP Affairs) Paras Ramoutar (Caribbean Affairs) Vishnu Bisram (New York) Premchand Ramlochun (Mauritius) Liladhar J. Bharadia (Kenya) Jay Banerjei (Toronto) Head—Art and Print Jaydev Bisht Additional Contributions From Rituraj Baruah, Haim Belmaker, Yogi Ashwini
Registered Office: N-126, II Floor, Greater Kailash I, New Delhi - 110 048. Contact: +91.11.2923.3647, +91.11.2923.1515. Our Associate Offices: Hyderabad: Abhijit Bhattacharjee, Tel: +91.9848033874. Mauritius: 28, Cnr. Jasmins and Lataniers Avenue Résidence Sunsetville, La Caverne, Vacoas 73310 Republic of Mauritius Trinidad and Tobago: 61 Main Road, Caparo, Trinidad, W.I. Canada: Suite 209 885 Progess Ave, Toronto, ON M1H G3G Canada New York: 260, Madison Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10016 ADVERTISEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: contactindiaempire@gmail.com info@indiaempire.com sales@indiaempire.com M: +91.9899117477, +91.98116.27971 Printed, published, owned by Sayantan Chakravarty. Editor is Sayantan Chakravarty. Published from N -126, II Floor, Greater Kailash I, New Delhi 110 048, INDIA. Printed at Archana Advertising Pvt. Ltd., C-78, Okhla Industrial Area, Ph-1, New Delhi 110020. All rights reserved throughout the world. Any kind of reproduction in any media is prohibited. All disputes are subject to jurisdiction of courts in Delhi.
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Sayantan Chakravarty is in a select group of 12 writers chosen by Scholastic Education to promote advanced English literature for schools worldwide. Included in the group are Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats, R K Narayan (Padma Vibushan and Sahitya Award winner), journalist and poet Walt Whitman, writer Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), poet Nissim Ezekiel (Sahitya Akademi Awardee), writer Jerome K Jerome (author of Three Men in a Boat), poet Edward Lear, Roald Dahl (16th on Time Magazine’s list of greatest British writers). Sayantan Chakravarty’s stories featured in Best of Indian Express of 25 years and among select stories in Best of India Today’s 25 years.
CONTeNTS
february 2019
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JIS GROUP .......................................................... 08 Giant education enterprise in Eastern India
PBSA .................................................................... 18 The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards
MAURITIUS DIARY .............................................. 14 Bihar, UP, Jharkhand visit by Mauritius High Commissioner
NBCC ................................................................... 35 Interview with CMD DIPLOMATIC DIARY ........................................... 27 Mission News
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DIPLOMATS TO INDIA EMPIRE ON LANDSLIDE VICTORY OF PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH HASINA The landslide victory of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League at the 11th Parliamentary Elections of Bangladesh is a clear demonstration of the whole-hearted support that she enjoys among our people for the continuation of her policy of peace, stability and development in Bangladesh and beyond. This victory will also enable us to further consolidate and expand the ever-increasing bilateral ties with our closest neighbor India, based on shared vision and mutuality of interest. —H.E. Mr Syed Muazzem Ali, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India
ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING Agriculture and food processing are a cornerstone of our commercial bilateral relations. India and Italy will co-chair on the 27th of February in Delhi the first Joint Working Group meeting on Agribusiness and food processing, convened by our two Prime Ministers in their Joint Declaration dated 30th October 2018. A delegation headed by Italy’s Vice Minister of Economic Development, Professor Michele Geraci, accompanied by relevant associations of industry and companies, will exchange views with their Indian counterparts headed by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, on the definition of an even more comprehensive cooperation in the field of food processing. The Italian representatives will moreover pay a visit to a Mega Food Park, in order to explore the potential of such innovative productive structures. —H.E. Mr Lorenzo Angeloni, Ambassador of Italy to India
ON CLEAN GANGA Clean Ganga Mission is one of the initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which aims to ensure the quality of water and environmentally sustainable development of the Ganga River, important and considered holy and purifier of Hindus. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte initiated the cleanup project of Boracay, one of the country’s most famous resort islands. Boracay was closed for six-month rehabilitation and re-opened to tourists in October 2018. Recently, President Duterte also ordered the cleanup of Manila Bay, a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila. On January 27, 2019, thousands of volunteers and government workers kicked off a historical cleanup drive of the Manila Bay, hauling tons of garbage to improve the surroundings. These efforts are part of the Philippine commitment to address environmental issues and protect the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology. —H.E. Ma. Teresita C. Daza, Ambassador of the Republic of The Philippines to India february 2019 | india empire
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DIPLOMATS TO INDIA EMPIRE ON INDIAN DIASPORA “India and Thailand share a cultural and historical relationship spanning centuries, even millennia. It is evident in Thai daily life. Meanwhile, our warm diplomatic relations are only seventy-one years young and do not yet reflect its fullest potential, especially in the economic field. Thailand’s Indian diaspora numbers around 250,000. It is not a large number and Thais of Indian origin have assimilated well into Thai society. Yet the Indian diaspora, with their active social organisations, plays a valuable role as a bridge linking India and Thailand, so that the “New India 2022” and “Thailand 4.0” set within the “ASEAN Community” can be each other’s engines of growth towards a sustainable and inclusive future.” —H.E. Mr Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of the Royal Thai Embassy in India
ON STRENGHTENING TIES WITH INDIA IN AGRICULTURE Agriculture, the backbone of both the economies of India and Senegal, is a sector where the realization of potential is very important. While responding to the very basic need of humans-food, agriculture is also an economic activity offering employment opportunities, means of livelihood and boosting trade among nations. Further, it is also a science that calls for innovation and modernization. The major strides made by India in agriculture such as the green and white revolutions and also the food processing industry, are worth emulating. Both India and Senegal are countries that are heavily agro reliant and the role of agriculture in strengthening ties between the two countries cannot be overlooked. Thus, the Government of Senegal attaches great importance to the modernization of agriculture which is at the core of the “Emerging Senegal Plan” (PSE). —H.E. Mr El Hadji Ibou BOYE, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal to India
ARCTIC ISSUES In the spring of 2018 we organized a think-tank event on Arctic issues. It may appear to most that India is very far away from the Arctic, but the truth is that what happens in our part of the world does affect India... We are encouraging India to become an active observer in the Arctic Council of which Finland has chairmanship till next spring (two-year term). So what I’m basically telling you is that what happens 7,000 km away in Finland and the Arctic region impacts what happens in India, and vice versa. —H.E. Ms Nina Vaskunlahti, Ambassador of Finland to India We would welcome views and comments from Missions at sayantanc@gmail.com 6
india empire | february 2019
CoVeR StoRY—eDuCAtIon
“I’m proud for having created a Centre of Excellence” Mr Taranjit Singh is the Managing Director of JIS Group Educational Initiatives. He is widely acclaimed across Eastern India for his path-breaking and visionary contributions in molding future generations of modern India through his pioneering role as a catalyst and corporate leader. He heads the largest premier education service provider in Eastern India, having over 26 Educational Institutes, with over 126-course programs and over 35000+ students currently enrolled in these diverse academic programs. His visionary efforts were crowned with success through various awards and accolades like the most prestigious Mother Teresa International Award in Education category, Gurukul Award - Kolkata for his lifetime achievement by Lions Club Kolkata, the ‘Game Changer of the Year 2015 – Business’ award and so on. Mr Singh has taken an active role in promoting various business initiatives across multiple sectors such as Dairy, Iron and Steel, Logistics, Transport, film production and so on, other than the educational sector. He has held and continues to hold several key positions on various Regulatory and Professional Boards. Currently, he also holds the positions such as the President of Association of Professional Academic Institutions; Chief Patron of Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Member of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, Indo German Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Indian Industry, Indian Foundry Association and so on. JIS Group, under his leadership, sets a realistic agenda of sustainable development of the company to keep pace with their business processes in order to generate an overall positive impact on society. He spoke to India Empire on a range of subjects… On the present scenario of the Education Industry… Actually, I am involved in the education initiatives for the last 21 years, and I’ve seen a lot of upheavals in these years. I’ve seen that the quality of education is becoming a major part of the Education Industry since basically it is the sector which caters to the potent workforce for the industries. So, the industry is looking for the students who are capable of developing and fulfilling its demand. The Education Industry is acting as a bridge between the students and the Industry. On the philosophy of leadership… Actually, for me, leadership means to guide the students as a coach. As the President of APAI, for me, leadership is when I am taking care of my students or when the students are being guided by us. Leadership means taking care of the students and motivating them to develop their skills. So, I’m taking care of all my staff, faculty and infrastructure. So, to provide the student with the best resources, to cultivate their own potential and of course, to guide them in this course we as their mentors 8
india empire | february 2019
would navigate them to a bright and successful future. My leadership style is that things have to be really focused when I am doing something. On significant challenges and responsibilities… I had to face a lot of responsibilities and challenges given to me so as to make sure that JIS University is what it is today. To be honest, one of the challenges that I have faced was building a university which would be recognized by the Government bodies like UGC, AICTE, etc. The second challenge which I had to face was to decide how the infrastructure would be at my University as a centre of Excellence. What does the centre of excellence mean? It means certain parameters. It means that the faculty members must be very qualified, with industry expertise, recognized Publication, Ph.D., patents, etc. so that they can motivate the students to become a pioneer in their field. On the curriculum preparing students to be
Mr Taranjit Singh, MD, JIS Group
Industry-ready… We are implementing the curriculum in a way that the latest things have to be included in the curriculum. For example, when we are executing the CSE or Computer Science at the Engineering level, apart from the conventional courses, we have tried to add some Cyber Security Course, Robotics Data Analytics, AI, IOT etc. So, such subjects are included in the curriculum so that the student has the domain knowledge to apply for the companies they are going to work for. On steps taken to prepare students for performing their best in the Placement Drive… Placement is a common criterion for every private Institute. What we do differently starts from the 1st year, 1st semester. Our well-trained placement people groom the students with proper placement training. We have a placement training cell which has two segments, one being central and another is institutional. And the second segment is for monitoring things on a local level. What they are doing is that they are organizing the placement training, language learning, internship industry visit, etc. and everything else which makes the student understand the Industry needs. I am glad to announce that this time, we have achieved over 80% placements in our college. On his goal of making JIS a Smart University… My target is to make the University a Centre of Excellence and making it a smart University. For a Centre of Excellence, there are parameters like NIRF ranking. Obviously, one needs to update the parameters right now, for different
awards and accolades so that one is recognised by the government educational bodies as well as a private one as a Centre of Excellence. The second part, a smart University means a learning methodology which is more student-centric. In this regard, a student in a class is observed individually and the first thing that is pointed out is the gaps. On suggestions for students to handle usual career doubts… As you would recognize you need to get the support from your parents, faculties, colleagues or friends to glean that essential stuff that would help build one’s career. So, I advise you to be careful while understanding your part to pick up skills and knowledge with which you can be a responsible citizen of the country and make everyone else proud of you. On top qualities that an aspiring engineer must possess… To be an aspiring engineer you have to pick up the right college to understand which college is unique to boost you up to become a prolific Engineer with ample resources to conquer any challenge in the industry. To define the top qualities, I would find three types of students. First one is the student who can get numbers in examinations and papers but when the time comes for them to put their experience and knowledge into work they lose their confidence or rather their numbers hang heavily in their workplace. So, a student aspiring to be a successful Engineer should enrich himself/herself with ❐ the skills to be fit in the job world. february 2019 | india empire
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CoVeR StoRY—eDuCAtIon
JIS Group & JIS University Profile JIS Group Educational Initiatives is the largest premier education service provider in Eastern India, having 26 Educational Institutes with over 126 course programs and 35000+students enrolled into these diverse academic programs
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IS Group, an educational conglomerate today, had a very lean gesture at its start to translate the vow of Sardar Jodh Singh, the Founder and Chairman of JIS Group to serve society by being the torch bearer of knowledge, education and employment. JIS Group Educational Initiatives started its journey from 1998, keeping in front its mission – Igniting Minds, Empowering Lives with the opening of the college named Asansol Engineering College, at Kalyanpur, Asansol. Hereafter, Group in the year 2000 laid the foundation of JIS College of Engineering, Kalyani. This was followed by Narula Institute of Technology (NIT) (2001), Guru Nanak Institute of Technology (GNIT) (2003). In the year 2002 a Centre for Management Studies was launched at JISCE. In the year 2004, a separate School for Management Studies was launched at NIT. Encompassing diverse areas of technical education the Group forayed into health education with its first private Dental College in West Bengal – Guru Nanak Institute of Dental Sciences & Research (2003) and Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology in the year 2005. The Group also introduced hospitality education in its acclaimed institute Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management in the year 2005.Thus the endless journey of JIS Group in the field of education kept on surging forward. Subsequently, the Group also started JIS School of Polytechnic and Dr Sudhir Chandra Sur Degree Engineering College in 2009. Moreover, JIS started Engineering Colleges namely Greater Kolkata College of Engineering & Management (JV) and Abacus Institute of Engineering & Management (JV) as joint ventures. Recently a JIS University Act, 2014 (West Bengal Act XXII of 2014) came into force vide Government of West Bengal Notification No. 86-Edn (U)/OM-4L/2013, dated 3rd February, 2015. The University is operational since the year 2015 with the objective to provide instructions, teach10 india empire | february 2019
ing, training and research in various branches and specialized fields of study of Science, Engineering and Technology, Management, Law, Humanities, Science, Education, and other fields of study including the imparting of skills that have employment potential through the JIS Institute of Skill Development. Apart from this, the university would also offer innovative programs like Business Analytics, Fi-
nancial Services, IOT, AI, Robotics, Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing, Hospitality, Culinary Arts Health Care and so on. Besides the traditional undergraduate and post graduate courses, there would be integrated B.Sc-M.Sc courses in science subjects namely Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Geology, Geography, Biotechnology and Microbiology. The University provides PhD programmes in various subjects and streams. Students are offered foreign language classes and are also exposed to international student internships through various student exchange programmes with foreign universities. The University always encourages entrepreneurship and skill development among the students for promoting entrepreneurship, employability and self-employment. Students aspiring to study in JIS Group can be assured of quality education as all courses are duly accredited by University Grant Commission (UGC), National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Bar Council of India (BCI), United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT), National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), National Board of Accreditation (NBA), New Delhi and approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of India (DCI) and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) .The students can also enjoy sprawling campuses with a lush-green ambience having all technological conveniences. JIS Group Educational Initiatives is a unique model of amalgamation of a private initiative through several foundations offering graduate/postgraduate programmes with degree provided by state-run universities. JIS’s distinguished team of academicians with their pro-
lific contribution towards research and development has inspired thousands of students. In fact, JIS College of Engineering (JISCE) & Narula Institute of Technology (NIT) have been selected under Phase II, Subcomponent 1:2 and Subcomponent 1:1 respectively of the World Bank assisted, Technical Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) for the quality upgradation of engineering and technology education and procurement. All institutes under JIS Group equip the students with more than 222 Specialized Departmental Labs and libraries comprising of 3.26lacs books which are constantly updated. The JIS Group of Institutions has above 1508 faculty strength out of which 308 are PhD holders who published more than 177 books. A firm believer in quality education through practical learning, all member institutes under JIS Group stresses on practical training and hands on industry experience by arranging compulsory internships, regular industry visits in reputed corporate through their strategic tie-ups for their students. JIS in terms of diverse educational initiatives has become an ideal place for ensuring pursuits for future of the students fruitful. JIS Group Educational Initiatives has placed their students with major 350+ national and multinational brands such as TCS, Capgemini, L&T, Infosys, IBM, Cognizant, Ranbaxy, Glaxo, L&G, and Google. Students have also procured coveted placements in Govt. Organizations’ such as ISRO and BARC. The United Bank of India recruited our students from both Management and B Tech streams. Further, many have joined illustrious careers in UK, USA and Germany. Furthermore the alumni of JIS Group Educational Initiatives, whose numbers approximately soars above 1,00,000, have been recognised as societal icons across var❐ ious platforms in different industry sectors. february 2019 | india empire
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UNION MINISTERS INTERVIEWED BY
Mr Nitin Gadkari Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Shipping
Mr Dharmendra Pradhan When Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Mr Ananth Kumar Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers
Mr Anant Gangaram Geete Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises
Mr Chaudhary Birender Singh Minister for Steel
Ms Smriti Irani When Minister for Human Resource Development
Mr Radha Mohan Singh Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Mr Narendra Singh Tomar When Minister for Steel and Mines
Mr Ram Vilas Paswan Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Ms Uma Bharti When Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Mr Thawar Chand Gehlot Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment
Mrs Sushma Swaraj Minister for External Affairs and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs
Mr Shripad Y Naik Minister of State (IC), AYUSH
Mr VIjay Goel When Minister of State (IC) for Youth Affairs and Sports
Mr Babul Supriyo Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Ex) Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (IC)
Pictures by: siPra Das
(May 2014 onwards)
DIASPORA NEWS
DIASpoRA—mAuRItIuS
Journey with Mauritius HC Mauritius’ High Commissioner to India H.E. J. Goburdhun visited the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh recently. He was accompanied all along by Mr Shool Pani Singh, Social Activist. They visited Athila village in the Rasra sub-division of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh to meet the family of Mauritius Prime Minister Mr Pravind Jugnauth. PM Jugnauth’s roots have been traced to Athila recently. They also visited Gopalganj, Arrah, Jagdishpur to pay obeisance to Babu Veer Kunwar Singh, a notable leader during the days of Indian rebellion of 1857 and Bhikari Thakur, fondly remembered as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri. Ankit Pratap Singh captures the moment, and related events in the three states
High Commissioner Goburdhun being garlanded by Jay Prakash Yadav, a relative of Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, at Athila village in Rasra sub-division of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. An uncle of Mr Yadav who is 95-years-old recalled having heard from his own grandparents that the grandfather of PM Jugnauth, then only a boy of five, and his elder brother, about 16, left for Kolkata and then took a ship to a foreign land (Mauritius), never to return again. PM Pravind Jugnauth’s father, Sir Anerood Jugnauth has served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. Currently Sir Anerood, who has been interviewed by India Empire Magazine during an earlier visit to India, is a Member of the Mauritian Parliament 14 india empire | february 2019
High Commissioner Goburdhun meets with Chief Minister of Jharkhand Mr Raghubar Das in the presence of Mr S.P. Singh during the Global Skill Summit 2019
H.E. Mr Goburdhun and Mr S.P. Singh attend a function at Patna alongside Bihar Education Minister Mr K.N. Prasad Verma (second from right) and the Director of Doordarshan, Patna
LEFT: Jharkhand Governor H.E. Draupadi Murmu receives a copy of the book promoting Bhojpuri from High Commissioner Goburdhun. Mr S P Singh is in the centre. RIGHT: Ankit Pratap Singh with H.E. Mr Goburdhun at his office in New Delhi february 2019 | india empire 15
DIASpoRA—mAuRItIuS
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his wife Mrs Kobita Ramdanee-Jugnauth present a souvenir to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Minister of State in MEA General V.K. Singh, U.P. Governor H.E. Mr Ram Naik, U.P. BJP President Mr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Mr S.P. Singh and others
A delegation from Mauritius at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Varanasi
LEFT: High Commissioner Goburdhun presents a book that promotes Bhojpuri to J.P. Yadav’s father. RIGHT: H.E. Mr Goburdhun and Mr S.P. Singh with Mr Amar Kumar Bauri, Minister for Revenue and Land Reforms, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs in the Jharkhand Government. The High Commissioner was attending the Global Skill Summit 2019 in Ranchi 16 india empire | february 2019
DIASpoRA—mAuRItIuS
India, Mauritius review ties
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ndia and Mauritius reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral ties and discussed ways to further expand cooperation in areas like Blue Economy during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth on the sidelines of the PBD at Varanasi. “The two Prime Ministers reviewed the entire gamut of the long-standing and time-tested strategic relationship between both countries, based on deep emotional bonds of kinship and culture,” the External Affairs Ministry said in statement. It said the talks focused on initiatives to further strengthen the bilateral ties, including finalization of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement (CEPCA). India is Mauritius’s largest trading partner and has been the largest exporter of goods and services to the The Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in a Bilateral Meeting with the Prime Minister of Indian Ocean island nation Mauritius Mr Pravind Jugnauth, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in January 2019 since 2007. “The various ongoing bilateral development cooperation projects were dis- tury. The Mauritian PM received Minister for Commerce cussed and new proposals for critical partnership projects in and Industry Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi. “The Minister health, disaster management and energy were agreed upon,” reiterated that India accords great importance to the steady the Ministry statement. development of umbilical relations between our two coun“The leaders also discussed ways to expand further co- tries,” the External Affairs Ministry statement said. Mr operation in areas of Blue Economy and collaboration in Prabhu too noted that the early finalisation of the CECPA Africa.” would pave the way for giving a strong impetus to the close Earlier, delivering the keynote address as the chief guest bilateral economic partnership. at the inaugural ceremony of the PBD here, Mr Jugnauth Later External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also lauded India’s economic growth under Mr Modi and com- called on the visiting dignitary in Varanasi. mended New Delhi’s efforts to reach out to the Indian di“She noted that India-Mauritius bilateral cooperation aspora across the world. He also announced that Mauritius was comprehensive and multi-faceted and that our bonds is going to organise a Bhojpuri Mahotsav. date back centuries,” the statement said. “Our close multiAround 68 per cent of Mauritius’s total population of faceted relations have steadily developed over the years, over 1.2 million comprises people of Indian origin. Most based on the secure foundations of kinship and family ties, of them are descendants of indentured labour taken from and of shared values of democracy, tolerance, peace and ❐ India between 1834 and the early decades of the 20th cen- development,” it stated. february 2019 | india empire 17
pRAVASI BHARAtIYA DIVAS
PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARDS President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards on 28 eminent personalities and two organisations of the Indian diaspora for their contributions and achievements in various fields in Varanasi in January. The awards were conferred at the valedictory session of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on the concluding day of the three-day diaspora conclave
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The President, Mr Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, at the closing session of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on January 23, 2019. The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Ram Naik, the Union Minister for External Affairs, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, the Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Retd.) V.K. Singh and other dignitaries are also seen
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ccording to a list provided by the External Affairs Ministry, the awards were conferred in the fields of social, community and public service, business, business management, entrepreneurship, chartered accountancy, training and simulation, science, medical science, engineering, technology, architecture, academics, arts and diplomacy. Nihal Singh Agar, known for his services to the Hindu community in Australia, was conferred the award under the category of social service. Two organisations—Indian Community Association of Egypt and Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha—and Swami Saradaprabhananda of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, got the award for community service. Himanshu Gulati, a Member of Parliament in Norway, and Shamim Parkar Khan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were honored for public service. Under the business category, Ramesh Chotai of Canada, Amit Waikar of China, Bitthal Das Maheswari of Italy, Bhavdeep Singh Dhillon of New Zealand, Vinodan Verambally Thazhikuniyil of Oman and Girish Pand and Surender Singh Kandhari of the UAE were honoured. While Banwarilal Satya Narayan Goenka was conferred the award in the field of business management, Rajesh Chaplot of Uganda got it for chartered accountancy, Jagdeshwar Rao Maddukuri of Poland for entrepreneurship, and Purnendu Chandra Tiwary of Qatar for training and simulation. In the field of medical science, Guna Sekhar Muppuri
of Jamaica, Prakash Madhavdas Heda of the US, and Zulekha Daud of the UAE were honoured. Rajendra Kumar Joshi of Switzerland and Chandrashekhar Mishra of the US were honoured for their contributions in the field of science. Rajinder Nath Khazanchi of Bhutan got the award for civil engineering, Gitesh Jayantilal Desai of the US for structural engineering, P.V. Sambasiva Rao of Kenya for technology and Rajpal Tyagi of Kuwait for architecture. Malini Ranganathan of France and Gita Gopinath of the US were honored for their contributions in the fields of academics and arts. Veteran South African diplomat Anil Sookal was conferred the award in the field of diplomacy. The 15th edition of the PBD was organised by the External Affairs Ministry in partnership with the Uttar Pradesh government. ❐ february 2019 | india empire 19
pRAVASI BHARAtIYA DIVAS
“Be part of India’s growth story”
The President, Mr Ram Nath Kovind addressing the gathering at the closing session of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on January 23, 2019
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elivering the valedictory address President Ram Nath Kovind urged Indians living in countries across the world to take advantage of the “billion opportunities” available in India and become a part of the growth story. “India today is a land of billion opportunities,” Mr Kovind said. “I invite each one of you to become a part of India’s growth story which is being etched by its billion minds,” he said. “We want to leverage your technology, knowhow and investment to power our Make in India, Digital India, Clean India and Skill India programmes.” Mr Kovind called upon the gathering to encourage people in their respective countries to visit India as knowledge providers and as tourists. Urging overseas Indians to connect with their ancestral villages and towns here in India, he said: “We want to change the braindrain of yesterday to brain-gain of today.” The President said that the Indian diaspora is among the largest in the world and its history
20 india empire | february 2019
is as rich and diverse as the diaspora itself. “In the past, our ancestors travelled to Southeast Asia as merchants and as monks,” he said. “Much later, many lived and prospered as traders and entrepreneurs along the Silk Route. And more than a century ago, under the indenture system, we witnessed millions of our people crossing the seven seas,” added. Mr Kovind said that members of the Indian diaspora are today commanding global heights while embracing their cultural ethos and diversity. “And while they do so, they must also preserve and strengthen their unity as a community.” He also said the Indian diaspora’s success and hard work have set an example. “They are the face of India and its identity abroad,” he stated. Stating that India is proud of them and their achievements, Mr Kovind said: “But what really makes their contributions stand out are the values that they espouse and live for. These are values that intrinsically remain Indian.”
Pictures © siPra Das
PHOTO GALLERY
LEFT: Indian President Ram Nath Kovind receives the President of South Africa Mr Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa at President’s House in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. RIGHT: Indian President Ram Nath Kovind receives the President of Argentina Mr Mauricio Macri at President’s House in the presence of Indian PM Narendra Modi
Visuals from the Republic Day Parade
LEFT: A splendidly decked up North Block during Beating the Retreat. RIGHT: BJP Parliament Members Bhupendra Yadav (centre), Anil Baluni and Anil Jain february 2019 | india empire 21
pRAVASI BHARAtIYA DIVAS
PM–PaSSPort, vISa ProceSSeS beInG eaSed
The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Mr Pravind Jugnauth at the inauguration of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on January 22, 2019. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Ram Naik, the Union Minister for External Affairs, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath and the Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Manohar Lal Khattar are also
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rime Minister Narendra Modi said overseas Indians that his Government is making efforts to ease the processes concerning their social security, passport, visa and PIO and OCI cards and that work is on to issue chip-based e-passports. Inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the Indian diaspora conclave, he said that the Government’s endeavor was that overseas Indians should stay “happy and safe wherever they are.” “The Government is trying to ease the entire processes concerning your social security, passport, visa, Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) 22 india empire | february 2019
Cards. We have taken a new step a few months back concerning overseas Indians. Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” he said. This, he said, will prepare a centralized system connected to the passport service for all of them. “Going one step ahead, work is on for issuing of the chip-based e-passport.” The Prime Minister said that along with passport, the rules related to visa were being simplified. “With the convenience of e-visa, you are also saving time and problems are also getting reduced. Many of you will also be familiar with the fact that our government has made the process of
RENEWaBlE ENERgY
The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi addressing at the inauguration of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on January 22, 2019
converting PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.” Mr Modi also urged Indians or people of Indian living abroad to contribute to the building of a new India and said that the changes that were coming in India were becoming new opportunities. “In this changing India, you can play a big role in research and development and innovation. The government is also trying to bring Indian start-ups and NRI mentors together on one platform. Defence manufacturing can also be an important sector for you.” PM Modi urged Indians living abroad to motivate at least five families around them to come to India. “Your efforts will play an important role in enhancing tourism in the country.” He said that in the last four years, India had taken a major step towards achieving its natural position in the world. “People used to say that India cannot change,” he said. “We have changed this thinking. We have made changes.” Stating that today India led the world in many fields, he said the International Solar Alliance was one such example. “It is also part of our goal of preparing solutions to India’s problems, that can also solve the problems of other countries. We are working with the application of local solution, global application.” Mr Modi added: “In the last four-and-a-half years, more than two lakh Indians stranded in crisis situations abroad have been helped by the government and its efforts.” Mr Modi’s Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, the chief guest at the event, commended India’s efforts in reaching out to the diaspora. Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the gathering. The theme of the convention was “Role of Indian diaspora in building a new India”. Mr Modi called this year’s PBD the “most successful” event saying the people of Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, have taken ownership ❐ of the three-day jamboree.
General V.K. Singh
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ndia called upon its diaspora to play a role in boosting the renewable energy sector, with Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh calling for suggestions from the participants at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on how to develop solar energy. General Singh outlined the achievement of the Government in attaining nearly 25gw of the 100gw target set for solar energy till 2022 at a plenary session on the role of Indian diaspora in capacity building for affordable solar power. He invited the audience to contribute with positive suggestions for successful implementation of the Government’s policies. India initiated the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the Paris climate summit in 2015. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the Paris climate summit in 2015, the ISA was conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on dealing with the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach. It is open to all 121 prospective member countries falling between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
february 2019 | india empire 23
uSA—InDIAn DIASpoRA LeADeRSHIp
Ms Kamala Harris
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S Senator Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, has directly confronted critics who questioned her black heritage, her record of incarcerating minorities as a prosecutor and her decision to marry a white man. In an interview in February with New Yorkbased The Breakfast Club radio, the show’s hosts asked the California Democrat to address a series of derogatory memes that have circulated on social media, CNN reported. One of the hosts cited a meme that said Harris is “not African-American” because her parents were immigrants born in India and Jamaica and she spent her high school years in Canada. “So I was born in Oakland, and raised in the US except for the years that I was in high school in Montreal, Canada,” Ms Harris responded. “And look, this is the same thing they did to Barack (Obama). This is not new to us and so I think that we know what they are trying to do. They are trying to do what has been happening over the last two years, which is powerful voices trying to sow hate and division, and so we need to recognize when we’re being played,” Ms Harris said. One of the hosts followed up by asking Ms Harris how she responds to people who question “the legitimacy of your blackness”. “I think they don’t understand who black people are,” 24 india empire | february 2019
Kamala Harris confronts critics Ms Harris replied. “I’m not going to spend my time trying to educate people about who black people are... I’m black, and I’m proud of being black... I was born black. I will die black, and I’m not going to make excuses for anybody because they don’t understand.” Ms Harris became the first Indian American and the second black woman to serve in the US Senate when she took office in 2017. Ms Harris, a former California state attorney general, also said that she makes no apologies for pursuing violent criminals to keep communities safe, but added that she wished she could have done more to affect change. She said the criminal justice system is deeply flawed but makes no apologies for pursuing violent criminals. The Senator was also asked about criticism she has faced on social media for marrying a white man, CNN said. “Look, I love my husband, and he happened to be the one that I chose to marry, because I love him--and that was that moment in time, and that’s it,” Ms Harris said. “And he loves me.” Last month, Harris officially kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign from her hometown Oakland. She is part of a rapidly expanding Democratic White House field that includes Senators Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar. Also expected to join the race is Vermont Senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. ❐
InDIAn DIASpoRA
nrI MarrIaGe bIll
nIla vIkhe-PatIl
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in February introduced the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indians Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill seeks to provide safeguards to Indian women who are trapped in fraudulent marriages with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). “Therefore, it is necessary that the marriage solemnized or otherwise in India or outMrs Sushma Swaraj side India shall be registered within a period of 30 days from the date of marriage,” the Bill’s objectives state. The Bill also seeks to amend the Passport Act, 1967 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. The proposed amendment to the Passport Act, 1967 would empower the passport authorities to impound or cause to be impounded or revoke a passport or travel document of a, NRI, if it is brought to his notice that the person has not registered his marriage within a period of 30 days from the date of marriage. The proposed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 would also empower the courts for issuance of summons and warrants through the specifically-designated website of the Ministry of External Affairs.
A Marathi-origin ‘mulgi’ (girl) has been re-appointed as an Advisor in the Sweden Prime Minister’s Office incharge of the crucial departments of Finance, Housing and Financial Markets, her family members said in Mumbai in February. Nila A. Vikhe-Patil, 32, will be working with the new Swedish Prime Minister, K. Stefan Lofven of the Social Ms Nila Vikhe-Patil Democrat and Green Party coalition government that assumed office on January 18. She is the granddaughter of late Union minister Balasaheb VikhePatil, who served under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Her father, Dr Ashok Vikhe-Patil said that housing and finance are crucial portfolios and she would be in-charge of the country’s central budget and taxes. A member of the Green Party, Nila is also an elected member of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation’s City Council. “This is her re-appointment to the post. In the previous government, Nila has handled departments like small and medium industries, social development, gender policy and the central budget for three years,” her proud father told IANS on Nila’s unique distinction.
abU dhabI’S trySt WIth hIndI
GandhI oratIon In UnSW
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has added Hindi as the third official language to be spoken in the city’s courts, alongside Arabic and English. According to the ADJD, this step was aimed at helping foreigners to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration proMr Yousef Saeed Al Abri cedures via unified forms available through the Department’s website, The Khaleej Times reported. “The adoption of multilingual interactive forms for claim sheets, grievances and requests, aims to promote judicial services and increase the transparency of litigation procedures,” Yousef Saeed Al Abri, undersecretary of the ADJD, said in February. “This is in addition to facilitating registration procedures to the public through simplified and easy forms and raising litigants’ legal awareness via interactive forms of the statements of claims, to ensure access to the legal materials related to the subject of the dispute.”
UNSW Sydney, one of Australia’s world-class universities, joined the Indian community and business leaders to commemorate India’s Martyrs Day--the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948--at the annual Gandhi Remembrance Ceremony and Gandhi Oration. Launched in 2012, the Mr Ian Jacobs Gandhi Oration is delivered by a person whose life work exemplifies the ideals of Gandhi. The Oration is preceded by a Remembrance Ceremony at the Gandhi bust on the Library Lawn of the 70year-old university that has one of the largest numbers of Indian students. The ceremony includes the lighting of a ceremonial lamp, the singing of two hymns and a minute’s silence before dignitaries place floral tributes on the bust of Gandhi. The events signify the close ties between India and UNSW. The university is the only higher-education institution in Australia to celebrate Martyr’s Day and is home to one of only two bronze sculptures of Gandhi in the country. february 2019 | india empire 25
DIpLomACY
Indian support to UK post-Brexit
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ndia will continue to extend support to the UK following Britain’s exit from the European Union, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam has said. According to a statement issued by the Indian Consulate in Birmingham, Ms Ghanshyam made these remarks during a meeting with British parliamentarians and councillors of Indian-origin when she made her maiden official visit to the Midlands in January after taking over as High Commissioner. In the meeting she thanked the parliamentarians for their continued support in implementing some of the Indian Government’s initiatives, which are in alignment with the British policies, and serves the interest of British-Indian communities. “She added that India is keen to maintain and further strengthen trade and economic linkages between the two countries,” the statement said. “She reiterated that the High Commission and the Consulate are actively promoting dissemination of information to British businesses and SMEs (small and medium enterprises to facilitate setting up their business in India and assured that regular seminars and events will be also organised to inform stakeholders about the latest developments and improvements in Government policies.” According to the statement, Ms Ghanshyam “reaffirmed continued support of the Indian government post-Brexit.” Members of Parliament who attended the meeting were James Moris, John Spellar, Eddie Hughes and Mike Woods from the House of Commons and Lord Mike Whitby from 26 india empire | february 2019
H.E. Ms Ruchi Ghanashyam the House of Lords. Lord Mayor of Birmingham Yvonne Mosquito was also present. Among the Councillors present were Arun Photay from Wolverhampton, Chaman Lal from Birmingham, Ram Lakha from Coventry, and Nitish Rout from Stoke-on-Trent. ❐
dIPloMacy
DIpLomACY
DEFENCE DIPlOMaCY
K
eeping regional security in mind, India has scaled up its defence cooperation with its extended neighbourhood in the last three years under New Delhi’s Neighbourhood First, Act East and Look West policies. Informed sources told the IANS that there has been an emphasis on defence exports with ‘Made in India’ products being a priority area. In the Maldives, where political turmoil took much of last year, the Indian establishment is now seeing the situation as getting stable as the Indian Ocean archipelago nation is critical for regional security from New Delhi’s perspective. According to the sources, India now has a number of coastal surveillance radar systems (CSRS) in the Maldives. The year 2018 started off on a wrong note in the neighbourhood with then Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, seen to have been distancing himself from India and leaning towards China, imposing a state of emergency in February. Yameen’s move was in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of nine opposition leaders, including former President Mohammed Nasheed. Pro-India Nasheed, who was in exile at that time, requested New Delhi to send an envoy, “backed by its military”, to secure the release of judges and political detainees, including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Though the Indian Army did not set its boots on the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, New Delhi kept calling for restoration of all democratic institutions there. The crisis came to an end in September when Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, put up as the joint opposition candidate, defeated Yameen in the presidential election. With Bangladesh too, defence diplomacy is on the upswing after Manohar Parrikar became the first ever Indian Defence Minister to visit the eastern neighbour. India has extended a $500-million line of credit (LoC) to Bangladesh to look at Indian defence products. With Sri Lanka too, a similar line of credit has been extended and there has been exchange of visits by high-level military officers between India and the island nation. India is also holding defence dialogues with Myanmar after that country’s transition to a civilian-led government following the general elections in 2015. “With Myanmar, we have worked on various issues, especially in the maritime domain,” one of the sources familiar with the developments said. Under the Act East Policy, India is building its defence ties with key Southeast Asian nations like Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. “We now have structured dialogues with Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia,” a 28 india empire | february 2019
source said. “We have signed an equipment-centred MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Philippines.” Extending further east, India has also boosted its defence ties with Japan and Australia. India, Japan and Australia, along with the US, are part of a quad revived in 2017 that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, a region that stretches from the east coast of Japan to the east coast of Africa. This comes in the face of China’s increasing footprint in the region and Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea. Japan and India have held air force exercises, which is a significant development. The two sides have also set up the first ever joint venture for defence equipment production. With Australia, there has been a considerable forward movement in the last three years, according to the sources. Apart from the armies and navies of the two countries participating in joint exercises, the Indian Air Force also participated in Exercise Pitch Black organised by the Royal Australian Air Force. However, the most remarkable transition in defence ties has been with India’s extended neighbourhood towards the west. The low-key defence relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has grown up considerably in the last two to three years. Apart from holding joint naval exercises, the UAE is now looking at India as a potential source of defence equipment. There have been positive outreaches from India to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. “We are now exploring the possibility of a joint army exercise with Egypt,” one source said. It is learnt that other countries like Jordan and Morocco are also engaging with India in a more active manner, especially in terms of counter-terrorism. India has also boosted its defence cooperation with Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turk❐ menistan and Tajikistan, according to the sources.
FoReIGn AFFAIRS
Dr Momen calls on PM Modi
Dr A. K. Abdul Momen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, calls on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February Dr A. K. Abdul Momen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February. The Prime Minister congratulated Dr Abdul Momen on his appointment as the Foreign Minister, and appreciated his gesture of selecting India as the destination for his first foreign visit. Dr Abdul Momen briefed the Prime Minister on recent developments in the bilateral relationship. The Prime Minister said that India-Bangladesh relations have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years. He reaffirmed India’s commitment to work with Bangladesh to build on this momentum during the new term in office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. MOU Meanwhile, India and Bangladesh signed an MOU for training 1,800 Bangladesh civil servants at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) an institute under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Govt. of India, over the next 6 years. The MOU was signed between the NCGG and the Ministry of Public Administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on February 8, 2019 during the visit
of the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. The collaboration represents a historic milestone in training and capacity building programs between India and Bangladesh. The participants of the training program will be selected amongst Additional Deputy Commissioners/ Additional District Magistrates, Upazila Nirbahi Officers, Deputy Director Local Government, Senior Assistant Secretaries, Senior Assistant Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners (Land) and Officers of equivalent rank in the Ministries from Bangladesh Civil Service (Ad❐ ministration) cadre. february 2019 | india empire 29
DIpLomAtIC neWS
ZAMBIA BENCHMARKS ON INDIA’S HORTICULTURE Kapijimpanga said. ZAMBIA is benchmarking from India She said Zambia was yearning for inon how to grow the Country’s horticulture frastructural and administrative facilities sector and organic agricultural products, for marketing like warehousing, transZambia’s High Commissioner to India Juportation (domestic and international), dith Kapijimpanga has said. “The hortimarket chain, loading and off loading cultural sector, Mrs. Kapijimpanga added, among others. “Zambia is interested in “is poised to be one of the most successclusters where farmers are more inclined ful sectors within the agricultural industry towards a related produce especially mushin Zambia.” She however, said smallholder room, tomato, honey, horticulture and farmers were hindered by limited access to others,” Mrs. Kapijimpanga said. The markets, finance, farm inputs and lack of High Commissioner said Government modern technology. “India is experienced through Citizens for Economic Empowin marketing horticultural products across erment Commission (CEEC) was prothe world after overcoming difficulties H.E. Mrs Judith Kapijimpanga moting that farmers coming in clusters compounded by lack of infrastructure,” would be provided loans for the purchase of crops and Mrs. Kapijimpanga said. She was speaking at the India International Horticulture along with facilities of central processing unit. And Progress Harmony Development (PHD) National Market in Sonepat, in the Indian State of Haryana, organised by the Government of Haryana and Progress Harmony Apex Chamber Secretary for International Affairs Niraj said Development (PHD) Chamber of Commerce and Industry he was happy to work with Zambia to promote grass-root as an institutional partner. “I wish to invite stakeholders in level farmers to have strong national and international linkIndia to take part in the Provincial Investment Expos set ages. This was contained in a statement released by First for Southern and North Western Provinces in Zambia to Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in share experiences on agribusiness and biotechnology,” Mrs. New Delhi, India, Bangwe Naviley.
Pictures © siPra Das
PHOTO GALLERY
LEFT: Acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal with the Budget at North Block. RIGHT: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Tomar arrive for the Budget Session of Parliament 30 india empire | february 2019
DIpLomAtIC neWS
DANISH CULTURAL INSTITUTE In a bid to boost people-to-people ties and cultural exchanges, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen in January inaugurated a Danish Cultural Institute (DKI) in New Delhi. “This year, we will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties,” Mr Rasmussen said at the inauguration ceremony. “We live in times of uncertainty but we have a long-lasting friendship,” he added. Stating that people of both countries should respect each other’s culture, Mr Rasmussen expressed the hope that the new centre “will bring India and Denmark closer”. He also referred to his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar and said that both agreed “to take our relationship higher”. Headquartered in Denmark, DKI has been engaged in fostering mutual understanding between people and cultures since 1940. It also has branches in Belgium, Brazil, China, Latvia, Poland and Russia. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Thomas Sehested, Director of the India branch of DKI, said that the new branch in India will work to create new partnerships, new collaborations between the two countries. “India is such a huge source for inspiration when it comes to culture and we look forward to long lasting partnerships between
(L-R) Ms Camilla Mordhorst, CEO, DCI India, Mr Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark & Mr Flemming Besenbacher, Chairman of the Carlsberg Group & the Carlsberg Foundation our people--also in the field of cultural exchange,” Mr Sehested said. The decision to open a branch of the DKI in India was taken in April 2018 during a meeting between Mr Rasmussen and Mr Modi on the sidelines of the IndiaNordic Summit in Stockholm.
UZBEK DELEGATION Ahead of the first State visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan, senior representatives from the delegation of Uzbekistan in January held a series of discussions with an esteemed panel of experts at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses--India’s premier research institute all aspects of defence and security and the Vivekananda International Foundation--a distinguished think tank that focuses on enhancing India’s role in global affairs. The distinguished panel of experts discussed the scope for collaboration in various areas, such as regional peace and stability in Central Asia (especially in the case of Afghanistan), the vast potential for foreign investments in Uzbekistan and the expansion of trade and connectivity between the two countries. The discussions between attending experts constituted a wide range of areas and both sides emphasized the need for a profound partnership in the fields of defense and equipment manufacturing, education, pharma, tourism and trade. Highlighting, India and Uzbekistan’s similar path of transformation, officials on both sides emphasized the need for joint work, and guidance in sectors that have been flourishing in India – like, their efforts in the field of information technology and innovation, which have been truly remarkable. Uzbekistan is keen to collaborate and expand the scope of knowledge in these areas. The discussion was attended by H.E. Mr Sodiq Safoyev,
The Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi meeting the President of Uzbekistan, Mr Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the sidelines of the 9th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, at Mahatma Mandir, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on January 18, 2019 First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan, Ilhomjon Nematov, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to India H.E. Farhod Arziev and Mr Akmal Burkhanov, Development Strategy Center, MP, Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan, among other senior officials from the Republic of Uzbekistan. february 2019 | india empire 31
DIpLomAtIC neWS
FINLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Members of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in India (FINCHAM) convened their first plenary session on December 13, 2018 at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi. The Meeting was well attended by members, including the honorary members - Her Excellency, Ms Nina Vaskunlahti, Ambassador of Finland in India, Mr Mikko Potsonen, Counsellor, Embassy of Finland, and Mr Jukka Holappa, Commercial Counsellor, Business Finland. Mr Manoj K Bharti, Additional Secretary, Economic Diplomacy Division, MEA and Ms Nidhi Mani Tripathi, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce were present. Appointments
of the four existing Board Members—Mr Neeraj Sharma, (Managing Director & President, Wärtsilä India), Mr Amit Gossain, (Managing Director, KONE India), Mr Sanjay Aggarwal (Managing Director, Fortum, India), and Mr Sanjay Malik (Senior Vice President and Head of Nokia India) were approved. Mr Neeraj Sharma was nominated and appointed as the Chairperson and Mr Amit Gossain was nominated and appointed as the Vice Chairperson of FINCHAM. Additionally, two new members—Mr Ajey Mehta, (VP and Country GM, HMD Global) and Mr M C Suresh Kumar (Managing Director, Cargotec, India) were also nominated to the Board of Directors.
COMOROS CULTURAL FORUM
In January the Global Headquarters dent of the corps for a term of three of International Chamber of Media years, Formation of Cultural forum is a and Entertainment Industry (ICMEI) powerful action which is going to supat Noida Film City was bubbling with port me,” added Mr Ganju. new energy when Indo Comoros CulA poster with the flags of both the tural Formed was announced on the arcountries India and Comoros was rerival of Mr K.L. Ganju, Consul General leased as a mark of respect to the corof Comoros to India for Asian Acaddial relations the two nations have. Mr emy of Film & Television (AAFT) and Ganju nominated Dr Marwah, President of ICMEI and Marwah Studios as International Film & Television Club’s the Chair of the forum. Dr Marwah 12th International Festival of Cellpresented the Patronship of the Forum phone Cinema. to Mr K.L. Ganju. A formal MOU will “We are proud in joining hands and be signed between the two countries in expanding our cultural business and culH.E. Mr K L Ganju a short period of time where ICMEI tural diplomacy through ICMEI. We are will support the office of Consul Gensure we will be able to deliver better and eral with large number of cultural activities.” We are keen in bigger results under the leadership of great international developing and promoting relations between India and Coleader Dr Sandeep Marwah and his efficient team,” said Mr moros through art and culture which is our specialization,” Ganju. “I am lucky as this is the first event I am attending said Dr Sandeep Marwah. after being elected in the General body meeting of honorary consular corps Diplomatique-India (HCCD-I) as the Presi32 india empire | february 2019
33RD SuRAj KunD InteRnAtIonAL CRAFtS meLA 2019
rIot oF InternatIonal colorS By Yogesh Sood
T
he 33rd edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela, a 17-day extravaganza, saw the participation of 30 nations, unprecedented in terms of numbers. Surajkund, meaning literally the Sun Lake, is an artificial reservoir built on Delhi’s southern ridge around the 10th century. By this millennium old site now takes place the gigantic fair, according to some the largest of its kind in the world. It is hosted jointly by the Surajkund Mela Authroity, Haryana Tourism, the state of Haryana and the federal ministries of Culture, Tourism, Textile, External Affairs. Maharashtra was the partner state. Thailand was the partner nation. Besides, there was enthusiastic participation from Nepal, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, South Africa, Austria, Netherland, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Ghana , Seychelles, Ethiopia, Morocco, Palestine, Bhutan, Uganda, Armenia, Maldives, Sudan, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Korea. Many of the foreign participants brought along troupes of artistes who performed daily and enthralled the sizeable audience keen to lap up the mesmerizing cultural fare. For instance, thrilling performances from folk artistes from Ghana, Egypt, Thailand, Zimbabwe and many more were delivered to the audience. The festival has come to occupy a place of pride and prominence in the international tourism calendar for its display of crafts, culture and cuisine of India in an aesthetically created ambience. During the 17-day long Mela this year the crafts-persons provided a live demonstration of how they
create their stuff. Another USP of the mela is that direct buying--selling takes place and there are no middlemen involved for either placing orders or buying of the products. Some of the very fine hand-woven silk, cotton fabrics and sarees with traditional hand embroideries are showcased here. Besides this, ethnic home furnishing, décor items, jewellery, wooden toys, herbal products et al are also on display. Maharashtra that had the honor of being the ‘Theme State’ at the Mela showcased its unique cultural and rich heritage through various art forms and handicrafts. Hundreds of artistes from Maharashtra performed folk dances. From traditional dances and art forms to ballets based on Shivaji Maharaj, there is a bouquet of heritage and culture from Maharashtra to enthrall the audience. Also a replica of Maha Dwar or Maha Darwaza, the main entrance of the historic february 2019 | india empire 33
33RD SuRAj KunD InteRnAtIonAL CRAFtS meLA 2019
hill fort of Raigad renovated by Chhatrapati Shivaji, was the main attraction. Mr Devendra Fadnavis, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Maharashtra inaugurated the 33rd Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2019 at Surajkund, Faridabad in the august presence of Mr Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Haryana, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, Hon’ble Tourism Minister, Haryana, Mr Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism & Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Government of Maharahtra, H.E. Mr Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Amabassador of Thailand in India, Mr Krishanpal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, Mr Vipul Goel, Industries Minister, Haryana, Mr Jagdish Chopra, Chairman, Haryana Tourism Corporation and other International dignitaries as well as members of the diplomatic corps from various countries. Mr Vijai Vardhan, additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Haryana Cum Vice Chairman, Surajkund Mela Authority, stated that the Surajkund International Crafts Mela has grown leaps and bounds since its inception and this year the participation has increased even more especially by foreign nations and it is an honour to host such skilled craftsperson here. Like every year the mela spread the colours of tradition and heritage of India and will be a grand experience for everyone. Mr Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India stated that Surajkund International Crafts Mela has attained such great heights and today it is recognized across the world. It is a showcase of talent and exhibition of heritage of India. Mrs Vinita Singal, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Maharashtra stated that Maharashtra has brought treasure for visitors and patrons with 5 major gates, replica of Raigad fort, 200 artisans. She further stated that Maharashtra will showcase its history of textile starting from 17th century in the form of a unique fashion show. Tourism Minister, Haryana, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma expressed happiness that this Mela is a symbol of pride and has brought great repute for the state of Haryana. He further added that this Mela a great platform to market handicrafts and offers craftsperson a global market. He stated that with growing popularity, the Mela has also increased in its stature and size with more craftsmen, countries and stalls this year. Visitors were greeted with sights and sounds of Maharashtra and Thailand on a beautiful wintery morning. H.E. Mr Chutintorn Gongsakdi, Ambassador of Thailand 34 india empire | february 2019
in India stated that “Talking about arts and crafts among skilled artisans and artists, reminds me that in our own Thai language, we use the word “Silapa” to mean Art. This is yet another civilizational link (among many) between Thailand and India, as it is the same word as Shilpa and Shilpagram in Sanskrit and Hindi. It is always invigorating to be dazzled by beautiful works of arts every once in a while” Surajkund International Crafts Mela has given impetus to tourism sector in totality. He stated that Thailand’s association with the Mela will strike a new chord between the people of both the nations and help promote each other’s culture and art forms. As a Partner Nation, “the Government of Thailand has led 38 Thai MSMEs to participate in the today’s event since, like India, we believe that MSMEs are the lifeblood of all economies. Thailand was once a Partner Nation for this event in 2012 and we come back to express our commitment to build strong linkages among MSMEs of Thailand and India and to appreciate the diversity of crafts from many countries.” Mr Vikas Yadav, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism stated that this edition of Surajkund international Crafts Mela will set yet another benchmark with its ever increasing participation of artists and performers especially from foreign nations. This Fair is also a must visit for craft and handicraft enthusiasts as well as foodies who want to experience new flavours and cuisines. Egyptian performers are one of the most popular groups here at the mela and they gave a mesmerizing performance with Al Saeedi dance, which is a dance of celebrations where the performers made interesting maneuvers with sticks accompanied by foot tapping music. Performers from Zimbabwe took every one to a fantastical world of Africa with a rendition inspired by the age old hunting tradition. Full of energy and cultural vibe, the dance troupe introduced every one present, to the heritage of their land with dance, drums and singing. Other nations from Africa too captivated the audience like Niger with their singing and dance prowess, South Sudan with a dramatic story telling in the form of a dance, Zambia with its daredevil acts and dance, Ghana with their soulful singing. Ethiopia won many hearts with their engaging and foot tapping musical performance. Kyrgyzstan was another favourite here at the mela. The performers presented dances like the Moras dance and gave a glimpse of ❐ the beauty and heritage of their land.
InDIAn GoVeRnment—pSu WAtCH
Ready to take up any stalled project if commercially viable: NBCC CMD By Rituraj Baruah Mr Anoop Kumar Mittal
A
t a time when there are a few or no takers for stalled residential projects, the public sector construction major NBCC (India) Limited is willing to take up such properties for completion, provided they are commercially viable and do not hurt the company’s balance sheet. After agreeing to take up few incomplete projects of Amrapali Group, NBCC is now looking to take up the incomplete housing projects of Jaypee Infratech. In an interview to IANS, NBCC CMD Anoop Kumar
Mittal said that the company is willing to take up any stalled realty project for completion if it seems profitable. He said that being a Board-governed company, it would take decisions based on commercial viability of the projects. “Wherever there will be some opportunity we can complete the stalled projects without compromising the balance sheet and profitability or whatever commercial interest we have... We are ready to take those projects,” he said. Speaking of the Amrapali projects, he said that part of the work has started. The Supreme Court last month gave a go-ahead february 2019 | india empire 35
InDIAn GoVeRnment—pSu WAtCH
to NBCC for completing the construction of two projects of the Amrapali Group. Regarding upcoming redevelopment projects, Mr Mittal said that it is currently working on the design and Detailed Project Reports (DPR) of Air India’s two land parcels at Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Vasant Vihar in the national capital. In September, the national carrier gave an in principle approval to NBCC for monetising or redeveloping the non-core assets in the city. The projects assume significance as the property at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place is likely to be another major commercial hub in the heart of the national capital. The plot at Baba Kharak Singh Marg is spread across 3.54 acres while that in Vasant Vihar which houses Air India’s staff colony spreads across 30 acres. The CMD also said that its bid for the bankrupt Jaypee Infratech at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is a major target ahead and if approved, it would be a “big work”. Talking of the financial growth of the
company, Mr Mittal said the company aims a minimum growth of 30 per cent in its profit and revenue for the financial year 2019-20. “In 2019-20, our plan is that minimum 30 per cent growth in top line and bottom line in all our business verticals.” On the issues faced by the real estate sector, he noted that although the there has been an uptick in sales in the past few months, demand still remains a concern. He observed that realty players along with the government should come up with a mechanism to maintain stock of unsold inventory in the local or district level and gauge the demand-supply parity. “I feel that there should be some mechanisms before local bodies allow any developer to start the project. They should also see whether that demand is still available in that area. There should be some mechanism,” Mr Mittal told IANS. “Before sanctioning the houses that kind of analysis should be done. There can be some variation in that, 5-20 per cent, but there should not be variation of 300-500 per cent,” he said. ❐
Clock-wise from top: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia at an AICC meet (top). The opposition rally in February with Mamata Banerjee addressing (top right) and leaders raising arms jointly (right)
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Pictures © siPra Das
PHOTO GALLERY
CoLumn—mentAL HeALtH
INTERFACE OF SPIRITUALITY/ RELIGION & MENTAL HEALTH co-eXIStence & MeltInG Pot oF relIGIonS – JerUSaleM
Mr Haim belmaker
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erusalem is the holiest city in the world for Jews, one of the two holiest cities in the world for Christians and the third holiest place in the world for Muslims after Mecca and Medina. In a 1 square km area of Jerusalem, there are numerous holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims including the Western Wall of the ancient Jewish Temple that existed on the site from about 1000 BCE until 78 AD, the Via Dolorosa of Christ’s last day in 33 AD ending in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher built on the site of his crucifixion and burial, and the Muslim Al-Aqsa Mosque where Mohamed is said to have ascended directly into heaven. These sites often overlap. Members of the three Abrahamic religions often included common themes in their founding stories. This sometimes resulted in common thematic understandings, but sometimes in competitiveness and jealousy that led to the intentional construction of one holy site in an attempt to destroy the meaning for members of a previous religion that had worshipped at that very same physical place. This phenomenon in Jerusalem regarding the three Abrahamic religions is not unknown in other areas of the world where Buddhism and Hinduism often evidence both common roots and jealous competitiveness between themselves and other religions. Several academic disciplines have developed in Israel as elsewhere in the world to: 1) enhance understanding of “the other” within the Abrahamic religions 2) enhance the ability of those individuals who use religion as an important part of their psychological life to avoid a conflictual approach with other religious believers and to accept other beliefs while continuing to derive spiritual and emotional succor from their own beliefs. An important development in Israeli psychiatry over the last 15 years has been a widespread acceptance of the usefulness of “mindfulness” derived from Buddhist theory and practice as an integral part of psychotherapy in Israel. Almost all Israeli psychologists and a majority of Israeli psychiatrists have been trained in using mindfulness beginning with seminars given in Israel by the famous therapist of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) Linahan and in more recent years the seminars by local leaders such as Nochi Alon and others. Mindfulness training has gone on both in psychiatric hospitals and in private practice settings and has had a great effect to increase the prestige of Eastern religious values among the Jewish majority psychiatric profession in Israel. My own work in psychiatry and religion began in the mid
1970’s when I taught for several years a course on psychiatry for clergy (rabbis) in training at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. I learned to my surprise as a psychiatrist that most young clergy students did not know the basic concepts of schizophrenia, manic depressive illness, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression and teaching basic diagnosis was found very useful by them. They also found it useful to understand when they might need to consult, to refer to a practitioner for psychiatric treatment and how could they relate to what disorders might be appropriate for supportive counseling by a clergyman versus what disorders should be referred to a medical professional or a psychologist. Another important tradition in Israel that may reverberate in our World Psychiatric Congress on Religion/Spirituality and Psychiatry 1st-4th December, 2019, Jerusalem, is the study of the analysis of religious texts using psychiatric insights. The founder of the World Psychiatric Association Section on Religion and Psychiatry is Prof Herman van Praag of the Netherlands, who also spent several sabbatical years over the course of his long career in Israel, who analyzed King Saul of the Bible psychiatrically. Another area for which our local psychiatric association is famous is the study of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and its relationship to Judaism. Articles have also been published in other religions such as the case histories of “scrupulosity” in Catholic theological texts used by priests in confession and also in Hindu patients in India suffering from obsessions relating to rules about the killing of other living things when extended to creatures such as insects that can occasionally lead to paralyzing anxiety. Last, but not least, one of the founders of modern psychiatry is of Sigmund Freud who served on the Board of Trustees of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from its founding in 1920. He wrote avidly about Judaism especially in his book “Moses and Monotheism”. To my knowledge the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the only university in the world that has an endowed Sigmund Freud chair of psychoanalysis, which was endowed by donations raised by the World Psychoanalytic Association. ❐ —Haim Belmaker, Chair, Local Organizing Committee, International Congress in Spirituality and Psychiatry. 1st-4th, December 2019 Jerusalem, Israel. www.rsp2019.org
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CoLumn: YoGI ASHWInI
mInD AnD BoDY
THE PURPOSE OF Seva By Yogi Ashwini yogi asHwini
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hen we talk of meditation, we are actually talking about hypnosis; the two words are synonyms, for those who understand both. It is dhyan, which I am referring to in this article. The present day human being is a devolved version of the beings of the vedic period, where dharma was foremost— even before self and therefore the pollution levels of air, water and soil were negligible. It is only when the human being began retracting his vision towards his individual self and finally, in today’s yug, not looking beyond oneself, the environment responded and a plethora of diseases and problems of all kinds—mental, emotional and physical took gigantic and multi-faceted forms. The human race today is on the verge of extinction only due to its myopic vision of creation, limiting to oneself only—the self-destructing philosophy of I, me and myself...all this leading is to a low level of consciousness and vice versa, a vicious circle. The practice of dhyan is a clear exit route from this, but dhyan comes with certain preconditions. Patanjali said yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dhaarna, DHYAN. Sounds complicated and also very cumbersome to the modern level of consciousness, but it is a natural daily practice for those who are evolved. I have given an equation which would lead to the state of dhyan...an exit route to all present day maladies: Service/seva leads to good karmas, which leads to dhyan, which leads to gyan, which leads to vairagya, which leads to reality and bliss. In the present yug, there is no other way. If you attempt dhyan otherwise, without the preconditions, then you will only be doing meditation or a self-hypnosis and just fooling yourself. You will give it up after a while as thoughts will never leave you and you will get frustrated, dhyan will
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never happen. Service or seva is the first step. The stronger is your seva, the faster you climb up the ladder of evolution. The strength of seva here does not refer to the amount of money or time you direct towards charity alone. If a person’s monthly income is Rs.1000 and he puts aside Rs100 towards charity, it is seva for him. If another person puts aside Rs.10000 but if his monthly income is 50,00,000, then even though his charity amount is 100 times the former, it is not seva. Seva is as per the capacity of a person. Skandh Purana states, nyayoparjita vittasya dashamanshena dhimataḥ kartavyo viniyogashcha ishvaraprityarthameva cha. From the wealth you have earned by rightful means, take out onetenth, and as a matter of duty, give it away in charity. Dedicate your charity for the pleasure of God. Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all prescribe similar contributions in the name of daswandh, tithe, alms and zakat. Only when one does seva as per his capacity do the karmas start improving, and it is only good karmas which can lead you to dhyan. At Dhyan Ashram we teach dhyan, the way it is, through the practice of Sanatan Kriya under a Guru, free of cost. For us it is not a business but a seva, which takes us to higher planes of consciousness. A seeker should always look for preconditions whenever he/she wants to venture on this path, which are: Dhyan should be a sadhna, not a business. There should be a living Guru, for only he/she can give you the vision and experience of shakti. The Guru should exude the glow and health which you have been promised. The purpose of dhyan should be evolution and nothing else, sanitised of any commercial activity. ❐
—Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Ashram and can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com
