Beyond India

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Total Pages 40 (Including Cover)

Published from New Delhi

RNI No: DELENG/2014/59495

Volume-3, Issue-5, April 2017, `20

A step towards 2019 election

Vol-3; Issue-5 April 2017

Dear Readers, Publisher Amit Kumar Gaur Editor-in-chief Ras Bihari Editor Archana Kharkwal Editorial Coordinator Dr. Praveen Tiwari Manvendra Kumar Dhwani Khanna Dibakar Kundu Sanjay Pati Tiwari Pt. Sushil Sharma Nikita Production Barkha Yadav Images Jinender Madan Circulation Sarthak Distribution Solution Bureau Office 24, Mohan Park, 2nd Floor Opp Metro Mall, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi-110092 Bihar Bureau PNT Colony, Anishabad, Patna Gaya, Bihar (Regional Office) Head Manpur Joda Masjid, Baba Market, Gaya Jharkhand Bureau : Near Nidan Kendra, Castar Town Railway Station Road, Deoghar, Jharkhand West Bengal Bureau 203C/A Block- B Lake Town, Kolkata 700089 Mumbai Bureau Room No-306, A Wing NG Palm, Ramdev Park New Cinemax, Meera Road East, Mumbai Chhatisgarh Bureau Plot No 454, Raipur Road, Tifra Awas Parsada, Bilaspur, Chhatisgarh Advertising & Marketing Arvind Krishna Digitech Solutions Creative & Layout: www.digitechsol.com Vol-2; Issue-11, October 2016 Owned, Published & printed by Amit Kumar Gaur at 14, Kishan Kunj Colony, Laxmi Nagar, Near LPS, New Delhi-110092 Printed at:- GS Graphic Arts, A-18, Narayana Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi-28 Editor Archana Kharkwal

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From the editor

Welcome to the April 2017 edition.

In five states, when the sweltering of the Assembly elections was in progress, few people had the idea that the Narendra Modi wave started from the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it was not even till 2017 assembly elections. The reason was probably that the solidarity of Nitish, Lalu and Congress in the Bihar assembly had softened the wave of Modi there. This led many pundits to opine that Modi's magic began to land. But the results of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections have exposed these superiors. The BJP won such a glorious victory in Uttar Pradesh, which nobody had imagined. Of course, Amit Shah's social engineering was also ‘hatohat’ with the wave of Modi, but now no one should doubt that the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party's caste and community are based on specially based politics. Borders have also been handmade. Now the losers and the team are engaged in analysis, while the winning BJP is busy fulfilling its promises and Agendas.

The BJP did not announce the chief ministerial candidate during the election.

Therefore after the election, there was a lot of drama about choosing the Chief Minister. Not all conclusions proved unfounded, but by making the yogi of Gorakhpur Aditya Nath the command of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP made another big bang.

During the election, all efforts were made to polarize castes and sects, but BJP's Chanakya Amit Shah made an inclusive equation of the caste community at the time of distributing the tickets that none of his cut could be found. By doing so, Mayawati had also done the equation of Dalit and Muslim, but she did not get success. The family discord of SP also proved to be good for the BJP. But the biggest step proved to entrust Yogi Adityanath to the command of Uttar Pradesh. On this one side, the BJP made it clear that its appearance has not changed continuously, but the yogi has been known for its alleged communal and raging ideas. He is in a fair way, calling his implications in Hindu-Muslim. In fact, he has been included in the BJP's select leaders whose dispute begins to open. But now the look has changed. To live in the Purvanchal then the Yogi Yogi says that the yogi who has ruled the slogan has become a leader of the whole kingdom. Along with that, he has made his move moderate. They have made it clear that discrimination in their governance will not happen to anyone-they all will work, but appeasement will not be of anybody. People have expectations from the yogi.

But the promise of making Anjama Gullasta hota hai kya. Yogi made the square as soon as he took over the chair. But it will stop flirting or the government's social oppression of the young boys and girls of the state will be the way, it is too early to say. The Yogi locked the illegal slaughterhouses. But this problem is seen not only for the protection of cattle but also being a major crisis on meat and business. The Yogi's trust, which has given trust to the free rule, is also going to be examined as it is being hit even on a large part of the Muslim community.

The sect belonging to the Yogi belongs to Gorakhnath itself, in which the HinduMuslim has been the place for everyone. It is the Nath sect of the people who give up the world's greed and love for society. At the moment, we also hope that Uttar Pradesh will decide the new destination in the state of Yogi and will come out of the nightmare, which till now has been entangled in the temple-mosque, graveyard crematorium and Jant-Pant. Hopefully Yogi will surely find this Joginiya of UP.

We look forward to strengthening the conversation with all readers through our social media platforms on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

See you next month.

Jai Hind Archana Kharkwal We always try to keep you updated with news/views/latest trend and exclusive happenings around the world. Inside this edition, you will find the latest developments and news from PSU's plus all the regular columns and features.

Read our e-magazine @ www.beyondindia.in

Beaurocracy Watch Rajeev Kushwah appointed CVO, MRPL Rajeev Kushwah, ITS(97), has been appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL). He is an Electrical Engineering graduate with Post graduation in Industrial Engineering from NITIE, Mumbai.

Kushwah was earlier working as Director (Telecom Enforcement, Resources & Monitoring) in the Department of Telecom with 18-years of experience.

During his tenure working with the Telecom Department, he played a vital role in planning of transmission network for western India for the roll out of Broadband and Mobile services.

In 2006, he was awarded with “Sanchar Seva Padak”.

successfully commissioned two units of 270 MW Thermal Power Project at Rattan India Nasik Power Limited’s 5x270 MW plant located at Sinnar in Nasik District of Maharashtra.

With the commissioning of these units, BHEL has now commissioned eight sets for Rattan India in Maharashtra, three sets at Nasik and five sets at Amravati. In addition, two more 270 MW units are presently in advanced stages of completion at Nasik, it said in an official statement.

BHEL’s scope of work in the project envisaged design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of Steam Turbines, Generators, Boilers, associated Auxiliaries and Electricals, besides state-of-theart Controls & Instrumentation (C&I) and Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs).

Credible Chhattisgarh to RK Singh, IAS, woo N India investors appointed CVO, FCI Come April 24, CSIDC in collaboration with PhD Chamber is organizing an investors’ meet cum B2G meeting entitled “Credible Chhattisgarh – An Incredible Launch Pad for Your Business”, aimed to generate interest of the investors from North India in the Electronic and Defense sectors.

The event scheduled to be held at PhD House in New Delhi will hold interactive session followed by one –to-one meeting between government officials and investors.

BHEL commissions two power projects in Maha

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) announced to have

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Rajesh Kumar Singh, IAS (KL:89), has been appointed as the Chief Vigilance Officer in the Food Corporation of India under the Department of Food and Public Distribution for a combined deputation tenure of seven years. His appointment is vice Anil Kumar Khachi, IAS.

Govt okays Purchase Preference policy for PSUs

Aiming at encouraging suppliers and service providers to adopt 'Make in India' practices, the Cabinet has approved a policy to provide Purchase Preference in all

April 2017 New Delhi

the Public Sector Undertakings under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Cabinet also decided to constitute a steering committee to oversee the implementation of the policy. The Committee would carry out annual review and recommend continuation of the policy from year-to-year basis.

Under the policy approved, the targets of Local Content (LC) will be stipulated for certain oil and gas business activities.

The manufacturers or service providers who meet the local content target would be eligible for purchase preference for a stipulated portion of the purchase order on matching such price.

Lekh Raj appointed Dir (F), EPIL

Lekh Raj has been appointed as Director (Finance) of Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL) for a period of five years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Raj was serving as AGM in NTPC.

Applications invited for Dir (O&C), KRCL

Applications are invited for the post of Director (O&C) in Konkan Railway Corporation Limited.

The last date for the submission of applications is May 30, 2017.

CEL bags Hindustan Ratna PSU Award

Central Electronics Limited, a PSU under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, has bagged Hindustan PSU Award under Best Turnaround Strategy category.

CEL, which has pioneered Solar Photovoltaics in the country, has the distinction of having

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manufactured India’s First Solar Cell in 1977 and India’s First Solar Panel in 1978 and installed India’s first solar power plant in 1992. More recently, CEL developed India’s first indigenous flexible solar panel for use on the Science Express in 2015.

ONGC CMD nominated to governing body of CSIR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his capacity as ex-officio President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, has nominated ONGC Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh K Sarraf as the member of the prestigious governing body of CSIR. 59-year-old Sarraf has been nominated to the governing body of CSIR for a period of three years.

The governing body is the apex body of CSIR for all decision making processes.

The CSIR is a leading scientific Research and Development organization set up with a mandate to promote guide and coordinate scientific and industrial research in the country with its 38 R&D laboratories and Institutes. Eminent and learned personalities from various fields are nominated to the governing body as members.

Sarraf has an experience of over three-and-a-half decades in the oil and gas industry. He is also an

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associate member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

BSNL to set up 70,000 hotspots in 2 yrs: CMD

State-run BSNL will set up 70,000 hotspots over the next two years to augment its partially rolled-out 4G mobile services, a senior official of the PSU has said.

BSNL had earmarked around Rs 4,300 crore for capital expenditure in the current fiscal. It would set up about 35,000 hotspots this fiscal and plans to have another 35,000 by the end of the next fiscal, Anupam Shrivastava, CMD, BSNL said.

"BSNL presence is must for healthy competition in the industry and for the benefit of consumers. They have already installed around 5,000 Wifi hotspots and is going to install 35,000 more wifi hotspots this fiscal and planning another 35,000 to provide quality service to consumers," Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha said at a book release and network expansion function of the company.

In the past few days BSNL had been very competitive and supportive for consumers to take on fierce competition in the telecom sector.

"If we see the data usage of the past few days in India, I believe Indian consumers may have surpassed the data usage level than those in the US and China.

People were paying earlier Rs. 200 per GB for data and now they are getting 1 GB for around Rs. 10. This is good for consumers," Sinha said.

Shrivastava said the hotspots will give seamless connectivity to the customers of BSNL and partially roll out its 4G services.

He said the WiFi hotspots would have a common equipment that would be linked to BSNL's mobile network and will be used for providing 4G service by the company.

The event was organised for releasing a book ‘Healing the Future’ witten by BSNL Chief Vigilance Officer Deepak Kashyap on yoga and spirituality.

On the occasion, BSNL has launched two services namely Capex based Wi-Fi Service and launching GSM BTSs for Hyderabad.

Under CAPEX based Wi-Fi service, BSNL has started a Network Operating Center (NOC) and a Network Management System (NMS) at Bangalore, the PSU said in a statement.

The Minister inaugurated 120 GSM BTSs for Hyderabad covering both rural and urban areas of the city to provide 3G services to mobile users of BSNL.

SAIL records 12% growth in sales, prod

SAIL, India’s largest steelmaking company, has registered a growth of 12 per cent in steel production and sales of over 13 million tonnes during 2016-17.

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Beaurocracy Watch The record is said to be the best-ever production and sales in its history - the Chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), PK Singh announced after reviewing the strategic sales initiatives charted out by the company’s marketing team for the current financial year.

SAIL Chairman had scrutinized the marketing plans of each product category and provided guidelines for ensuring seamless supplies of SAIL steel both in the domestic and international markets. He said, “We can achieve our targets through greater synergy amongst various units of the organization.”

CEL MD, N Shinghal bags Udyog Ratna award

Udyog Ratna Award, which is considered as the Jewel of the Industry Award, was conferred to Nalin Shinghal, Chairman and Managing Director of Central Electronics Limited (CEL), for his outstanding contribution to the Economic Development of the country.

Shinghal is a Commonwealth Scholar and has a PhD in Transport Economics from the University of Leeds, UK. He has published numerous articles in the areas of Transport Economics and Logistics.

He has worked in various

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Private Sectors, Public Sectors and Government sectors. He has served as the Director Tourism and Marketing head of the Travel and Tourism business under Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited.

Udyog Ratna Award is conferred by the Institute of Economic Studies (IES), India. The selection is done by a panel of judges who are usually an eminent citizens with economic backgrounds.

PSU gets major LED street lights contract

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will be replacing street lights with LED street lights in a large number of cities.

EESL is a Joint Venture Company of PSUs of Ministry of Power. 544 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have entered into an implementation agreement with EESL for replacement of street lights with LED street lights till 03.04.2017. EESL is playing an important role as a catalyst in replacing the lights, while several other suppliers are also engaged in the same. Giving this information in the Lok Sabha Power Minister Piyush Goyal said that the target is to replace 3.5 crore conventional street lights by LED street lights, till March 2019.

As on April 03 over 19.67 lakh conventional street lights have been replaced with LED street lights.

Tata sets up solar microgrid project in Odisha

The Industrial Energy (IEL), a joint venture of Tata Power and Tata Steel, has set up a solar microgrid project at Baliapal

April 2017 New Delhi

village, Kalinganagar in Odisha's Jajpur district to provide uninterrupted power to 255 people in Baliapal village.

This rural electrification project is said to be managed by the village development committee (VDC) - a first of its kind in Odisha where the community has contributed 10 per cent of the total project cost and the balance 90 per cent is provided by the IEL.

BEL achieves turnover of Rs 8,800 Cr

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has ended the year 2016-17 by registering whopping top line figure of Rs 8,800 Crore (Provisional), a growth of about 17 per cent over the previous year’s turnover of Rs 7,522 Crore.

Some of the flagship projects extended during the year includes Akash Weapon System, Hand held Thermal Imager with Laser Range finder, 3D Tactical Control Radar, Weapon Locating Radar, Upgraded L-70 Gun, Fire Control System, Hull Mounted Radar, Radio Relays,Elements of Integrated Air Command and Control System, Ship Borne EW Systems etc.

The Chairman and Managing Director of BEL, M V Gowtama, said, “During the year the company’s main focus has been on Indigenization to achieve self reliance, capacity building and expansion and increased outsourcing to SME sector. Also has been able to maintain good order acquisition this year.

"These effects will enable BEL to continue to have sustained growth while effectively addressing the future opportunities in defence business,” he said.

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India will have only BSIV fuels:Govt Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan formally launched BS-IV grade transportation fuels across the country recently.

To mark the historic occasion of the launch of BS-IV fuels across the country, the Minister symbolically commenced sale of the eco-friendly and low-emission fuels from 12 different locations across the country through live video links - Varanasi, Vijayawada, Durgapur, Gorakhpur, Imphal, Bhopal, Ranchi, Madurai, Nagpur, Patna, Guwahati and Shillong.

The Minister said that with the launch of the BS IV Fuel, a new era of clean transportation fuels has begun. This era will benefit the people by substantially reducing pollution levels everywhere.

Pradhan said now India will have “Only BS-IV” fuels.

post. A software engineer, Singh started his career with ONGC in 1985 and joined Gail in 1986 when the gas industry was at its nascent stage. Since then, Singh has been involved in the execution of prestigious projects of GAIL including the country's first arterial gas pipeline -- HaziraViajipur-Jagdihpur line.

His current responsibility entails expanding gas market and ensure capacity utilisation of Gail's pipeline network. As a director on the company's board, once his appointment is cleared by the pertinent Cabinet panel, his scope of work would expand to include driving future growth in gas use in line with the government's aim of creating a gas-based economy.

BHEL and Indian Railways tie-up for Rooftop SPV Systems

RK Bahuguna gets extension as CMD, RCIL

The tenure of RK Bahuguna as Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Rail Tel Corporation of India Limited has been extended till September 30, 2017.

Gajendra Singh appointed Dir (Mktg), GAIL

Gail, is set to get a new director (marketing) in Gajendra Singh at a time when the government is pushing to create a gas-based economy. Singh, who is executive director in Gail at present, has been chosen by the Public Enterprises Selection Board from among 10 candidates short-listed for interviews for the

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BHEL has bagged order of 2 MWp Roof Top SPV Systems to be installed at Diesel loco Modernisation Works (DMW), Patiala . Contract agreement was signed between BHEL & IROAF (Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels) in the presence of Mr. Amitabh Mathur, Director (IS &P), BHEL and Mr Ravinder Gupta CAO (IROAF).

Improve cleanliness: UD Secy to DMRC

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

(DMRC) has been asked to emphasize on improving cleanliness in its vicinity.

They have been further directed to initiate the drive by developing an institutional mechanism for regular engagement with the large and growing number of metro users.

The Secretary of Urban Development, Rajiv Gauba, on Tuesday took stock of the situation jointly with MD of DMRC, Mangu Singh, regarding various aspects of functioning of DMRC. Mangu in his presentation has highlighted the efforts being made by DMRC to sustain the positive brand value of Delhi Metro. He said that over 99 per cent punctuality in services is being continuously maintained and there has been a 17 per cent decline in the incidents affecting punctuality since 2014.

While acknowledging DMRC for its unwavering focus on ensuring highest standards in respect of punctuality, safety, rolling stock utilization, hygiene inside the stations, Gauba suggested that attention need to be given to cleanliness in the surrounding of metro stations which is a prime duty of every civic agencies.

Gauba suggested that MD of DMRC should engage the large number of metro users on a sustained basis for making them partners in further improving the brand value of Delhi Metro. He also suggested that an effective social media platform could be created for better results.

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April 2017

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Cover Story

BJP sweeps UP, U'khand;

Congress returns in Punjab Prime Minister Narendra Modi led his party to a stupendous victory in UP on Saturday, ending the BJP’s 14-year exile in India’s most populous state, considered the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Indian politics.

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April 2017 New Delhi

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Amit Kumar Gaur

he BJP with its allies Apna Dal (Soneylal Patel) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) won a near four-fifths majority in the 403-seat Assembly, trampling the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and decimating the state’s other regional boss Mayawati. The BJP combine won 325 seats, while the Congress won only 7 seats and Samajwadi Party just 47. BJP alone won 312 seats.

The BJP won an absolute majority in Uttarakhand too, defeating the Congress that was racked by infighting in the last term in governance. While the

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BJP won 57 seats, the Congress could manage just 11.

Congress won Punjab with a resounding majority of 77 seats. This result was as predicted, in a state where popular sentiment was against the SAD-BJP coalition that has ruled the state for the last two terms. Surprisingly, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party did not fare as well as expected, but ended up second with 20 seats.

BJP seriously dented the Congress' chances of winning Manipur for the fourth consecutive term, winning 21 in the 60-seat Assembly to the Congress' 28. The Manipur Assembly may be hung but popular Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh defeated political

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Cover Story

Vote Share of political Parties

BJP- 39.7 % -Total Vote 3.44 crores Bahujan Samaj party- 22.2 % Total Vote 1.92 Crores Samajwadi party- 21.8 % -Total Vote 1.89 crores Congress- 6.2 % Total Vote 54.17 lakh

West Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Total seatsX- 403

Awadh Pradesh 325 54 19

Poorvanchal

Bundel Khand 5

debutant and activist Irom Sharmila, who could win only 90 votes. Goa too has returned a hing Assembly with the Congress emerging as the single largest party again, winning 17 of the 40 seats. BJP has won 13.

The BJP suffered a big reverse when Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar lost to his Congress rival from Mandrem. Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat (Congress) won from Margao constituency.

Though both Manipur and Goa have not delivered a decisive mandate, BJP party president Amit Shah said Saturday evening that his party was confident of forming the government in both these states.

"I give my heartfelt thanks to the people of Uttar Pradesh. This is a historic victory for the BJP; a victory for development and good governance," Prime Minister

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April 2017 New Delhi

Narendra Modi told his 28 million followers on Twitter after the results.

On the next chief minister in Uttar Pradesh, BJP leaders said the decision would be taken by the BJP parliamentary board and the legislature party soon.

The UP mandate, that reaffirmed Narendra Modi's standing among the masses, is seen as an endorsement of his popular agendas, especially demonetisation.

The previous best showing by BJP in UP was in 1991, at the height of the Ram Janam Bhoomi movement, when it got majority on its own winning 221 seats out of the 425 in an undivided state.

In Punjab, Congress President Amarinder Singh, who is the party's chief ministerial face, thanked people for their overwhelming support. The Congress legislature

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party will meet tomorrow to elect its leader, he said. Overjoyed BJP workers in Uttar Pradesh broke into celebrations and raised victory slogans across party offices in the state. Workers raised slogans like ‘Chappa Chappa Bhajpa’, ‘Kahan pade ho chakkar mein, koi nahin hai takkar mein’ and ‘Modi Modi’.

The ruling Samajwadi Party’s office wore a deserted look.

BJP party chief Amit Shah told the media that Uttar Pradesh’s phenomenal win was a vote for the ‘politics of performance’ which had effectively silenced the 'politics of casteism, appeasement and dynasty'. He announced that the BJP had done extremely well in the traditional Nehru-Gandhi bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareilly parliamentary constituencies by picking up 6 of the 10 Assembly seats here. “We had not done well in 2014,” Shah said.

Hailing Narendra Modi as the ‘most popular leader since Independence’, Shah said the people voted for Modi because he had come good on his 2014 poll promises and established himself as a pro-poor leader.

Shah also said the five-state mandate today was a tight slap on the face of the Opposition that ran a smear campaign against Modi.

In UP, the Samajwadi Party

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dug its own grave last year in the middle of an intense power struggle with party patriarch

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav did not mince words when he said the people of Uttar Pradesh had been misled by the BJP. “I built expressways, perhaps the people wanted bullet trains,” Akhilesh said. “I waived Rs 1600 crore of farmers’ loans. I expect the next government to waive loans of all farmers in India,”

Mulayam Singh Yadav and brother Shivpal on one side and son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and cousin Ramgopal on the other.

The two factions sacked each other from party posts in a freefor-all earlier this year, even fighting for the party symbol. This was before Akhilesh decided to tie up with the Congress to thwart a resurgent BJP. That obviously did not go down too well with the grassroots as the results now show.

There have been loud grumblings from SP leaders that Congress candidates had contested against the Samajwadi Party in certain constituencies paving the way for the BJP to take advantage of the vote divide. Outgoing Chief Minister

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Cover Story

Punjab Total seats- 117

Uttarakhand Total seatsX- 70 57

77 20

11 02

18 02

Akhilesh Yadav did not mince words This BJP win will also congratulated party leaders and when he said the people of Uttar boost its strength in the workers for the victory in UP and Pradesh had been misled by the Rajya Sabha where the Uttarakhand. He also greeted the BJP. “I built expressways, perhaps Congress-led opposition people for keeping faith in the BJP. the people wanted bullet trains,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh Akhilesh said. “I waived Rs 1600 has been able to block the described the BJP's performance crore of farmers’ loans. I expect the government's legislative as "a mega victory", saying the party had changed the political next government to waive loans of all agenda due to its narrative in the country with farmers in India,” he added. Akhilesh numerical superiority. this win. "This is not a victory maintained that he did not regret the coalition with the Congress. “Two but a mega victory. The BJP has young leaders went out to the people and it was a changed the political narrative of the country by good thing,” he said. touching new heights of success in Uttar Pradesh Party leaders said the alliance may have helped the and Uttarakhand," he said amid scenes of jubilation Congress but it certainly did not do anything for the SP. This victory in Uttar Pradesh will be a boost to BJP president Amit Shah's authority as capturing power here has been the dream project for the party after it was reduced to the margins in a state it ruled for much of the 1990s.

Shah has been seen as the architect of the party's outreach to various social groups, mostly OBCs and Dalits. Amit Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pro-poor policies for his party's big win in Uttar Pradesh. "This is the victory of the corruptionfree rule and pro-poor policies under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he tweeted as he

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April 2017 New Delhi

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Goa

Manipur

Total seatsX- 40

Total seats- 60 13

21

17

28

10

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at party offices in UP with one party leader saying Holi had come a day early.

Singh said the BJP's win in the elections was a win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's credibility in the public, his able leadership and the party's commitment to good governance. "The credit goes to the organisational ability of our national President (Amit Shah) and the hard work of party workers. We thank the people of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand for handing us a historic victory," he said.

This BJP win will also boost its strength in the Rajya Sabha where the Congress-led opposition has been able to block the government's legislative agenda due to its numerical superiority.

The Congress, on the other hand, has sought to insulate party vice president Rahul Gandhi from any negative fallout saying poll results are never a referendum on any single individual.

Uttar Pradesh: The most riveting contest was in Uttar Pradesh, which is seen as a gamechanger and a virtual referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and his reforms agenda.

In 2012, the Samajwadi Party swept to power defeating incumbent chief minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party which had got an absolute

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majority in the previous elections.

SP had won 224 seats of the 401 it contested, garnering a vote share of 29.15 per cent with an upswing of 3.72 per cent over the last elections.

The BSP had got 80 seats with a 25.91 per cent vote share. The BJP managed 47 seats with 15 per cent vote share, while the Congress got 28 seats with 11.63 per cent vote share. In the 2014 general elections, however, the BJP captured Uttar Pradesh, winning 71 of the 80 parliamentary seats. It got a vote share of 42.30 per cent. The SP managed only 5 seats with a vote share of 22.2 per cent, the Congress and Apna Dal got 2 seats each while Mayawati was left high and dry.

Punjab: Congress wrested power in 117-member Punjab

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Cover Story Assembly. All exit polls had predicted a wipeout for the ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance and contest is seen between the Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. The Shiromani Akali DalBJP combine came to power in Punjab in 2012 for the second term, winning 68 of the 117 seats.

The total vote share of the combine was around 42 per cent. The Congress won 46 seats with a vote share of nearly 40 per cent, while Independents got 3. In the 2014 general elections, the Aam Aadmi Party won 4, the SAD-BJP alliance 4 and Congress’ UPA 3 – down from 8 in 2009. But incumbency hangs heavy on the SAD-BJP alliance this time in the face of a resurgent Congress and dark horse AAP.

Goa: In 2012, the BJPMaharashtrawadi Gomantak had defeated incumbent Congress-led

by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, getting 24 of Goa’s 40 seats. The BJP won 21 seats. Between the two, they lapped up a vote share of 41 per cent. In 2014, the BJP picked up both Lok Sabha seats in Goa –

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taking one away from the Congress.

Uttarakhand: In 2012, the BJP tried to cash in on former chief minister BC Khanduri’s clean image but bagged only 31 of the 70 seats putting Congress in the driver’s seat. The Grand Old Party had emerged as the single largest party with 32 seats and 33.79% vote share,

April 2017 New Delhi

but the BJP lost with a very small margin and got 33.13% vote share.

The BSP could only win in three seats of the 70 it contested, with 12.19 vote share. In the 2014 general elections, BJP cast its spell on Uttarakhand and won all five seats form the state with 55.30% vote share.

Manipur: Congress’ Okram Ibobi Singh has ruled in Manipur for 15 years.

Congress emerged as the lone giant in 2012 Manipur Assembly polls and achieved a hat-trick win by securing 42 of the 60 seats in the state. It was sweet victory for Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh as the party got 42.42 vote share.

The All India Trinamool Congress came second with 7 seats and 17% vote share. BJP could not make a mark in the state and did not win a single seat. In the 2014 general elections too, Congress reigned supreme and won both the seats in Manipur. n

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Opinion

Why did BJP face defeat in Punjab, Goa? While the Congress soared to a landslide win in Punjab, it was ahead of the ruling BJP in Goa with leads for most seats available.

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Jaswinder Singh

he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have won in a landslide in Uttar Pradesh in the 2017 state elections, but its fortunes in two other states it previously held – Punjab and Goa – have not been so good.

In Punjab, the BJP, in an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had won 68 of the 117 Assembly seats in 2012. This time however, the SAD-BJP alliance was relegated to third place, winning just 18 out of the 117 seats and finishing behind Congress and AAP. In Goa, the BJP had swept to victory in 2012, winning 21 of the 40 seats in the state Assembly. However, this time, it finished second behind the Congress, winning just 13 seats while the grand old party grabbed 17.

Conceding the election after the BJP slid to a minority, CM Parsekar said that he feared the

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Congress would take the state back by at least 10 years, but the people's mandate had to be respected.

The Congress swept to victory in Punjab, seemingly on Captain Amarinder Singh’s strong persona and a promise to wipe out the drug menace from the state. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), tipped to win by many pollsters, had to eat humble pie, but still managed to perform better than the ruling SADBJP. The flourishing drug trade, unemployment, farmer suicides and the problem of land mafia seem to be factors which led to a nosedive in the fortunes of the ruling alliance in Punjab.

The ruling Badals in Punjab had been accused of complicity in the rampant drug trade in the state, and the Congress and AAP made the most of this opportunity to undermine SAD’s fortunes in the elections. Both the Congress and AAP promised to end drug trafficking in Punjab within months if

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April 2017

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Opinion

elected to power. from Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte.

Secondly, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Unlike in other parts of the country, the BJP Singh is believed to have a strong following among organisation in Goa did not seem to be cohesive, farmers in the state, and has held the state unit with Parsekar being generally unpopular. There together even as the party has had been demands to bring back unravelled on the national stage. The ruling Badals in Punjab Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Punjab also has the highest had been accused of as the CM, or at least as the CM percentage of Scheduled Castes complicity in the rampant face, in Goa prior to the election, in the country, at around 31 drug trade in the state, and but this never materialised. per cent according to the 2011 Parrikar himself seemed open to the Congress and AAP made the idea of returning as the Goa census. The Dalit vote is likely to have been divided between AAP the most of this opportunity CM. “I have lost 4kg in Delhi because of the food. I like Goan and Congress, especially given to undermine SAD’s food. You can interpret this the the atrocities on Dalits committed fortunes in the elections. way you want,” he said recently in other parts of the country by ‘Gau Rakshaks’ on the matter during the Goa election campaign, of consuming beef. Moreover, the SAD’s core vote when asked if he will be returning to the state if BJP bank has historically never included Dalits. The wins. However, the BJP, in perhaps a telling move, desecration of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth did not name Parsekar as its CM face for Goa either.

Sahib in November 2015 in Punjab led Opposition The Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP) which parties to claim that the culprits would be brought was in an alliance with BJP earlier, broke away to book after the 2017 polls. Copies of the Bhagavad from it in 2016, further weakening the government’s Gita and the Quran were also found desecrated on mandate in Goa. The MGP in fact, put up candidates another occasion, all of which led to mass protests against the BJP in the state this time. The influence in the state which the ruling alliance could not of Dayanand Bandodkar, the state’s first CM, still holds in Mandrem constituency and Parsekar was handle effectively.

The SAD-BJP, having been in power for two terms, unable to overcome it. likely also faced the anti-incumbency factor which Moreover, the revolt by sacked RSS Goa chief led to the government’s demise in Punjab.

Subhas Velingkar last year, breaking away from However, the ruling alliance has still done better the parent organisation and campaigning against than most pollsters imagined. While most exit polls the BJP in the state by forming his own party, may predicted under 10 seats for the SAD-BJP alliance, also have dented BJP’s fortunes in the state.

However, contrary to expectations, the problems it is leading on 18 seats out of 117.

In Goa, the BJP suffered a major setback on within the BJP in Goa did not translate into seats Saturday with incumbent Chief Minister Laxmikant for the AAP. Instead, the Congress has become the Parsekar losing his seat. Parsekar had to face a big gainer in Goa and has a real shot at forming a tough challenge in his constituency of Mandrem government at present. n

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April 2017 New Delhi

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Opinion

This is not the end

of the story for Irom Sharmila

D

Beyond India Bureau

eepti Priya Mehrotra, who documented Irom Sharmila's struggle for peace in Manipur in the book Burning Bright, puts the icon's electoral loss in perspective. No matter how quixotic Irom Sharmila's decision to contest elections appeared, no one had anticipated the shocking results.

The activist who had been on a hunger strike for 16 years to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from Manipur and had become the face of the movement for the world won just 90 votes.

The 'None of the Above' option got 143 votes.

Her main opponent in the Thoubal constituency, incumbent Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress, won comfortably with 18,649 votes.

Though Irom Sharmila has said that she will quit politics after this loss, the people who know her best believe that neither is this, in any way, a reflection of the love the people of Manipur have for her and nor is it the end of her story.

Most people expected that Irom Sharmila would lose the elections. What about you?

I did not expect her to win, because it (electoral politics) is a different ballgame all together. And I don't think the point of her standing was that she would win.

Why do you suspect the votes for so few?

The entire situation in Manipur is not just complex, but extremely disturbed. Every person in that state really wants to live in peace. And even before that perhaps -- or along with that -- have basic amenities, essential items at a reasonable price, which has not been happening. The point that the electorate is really looking at is who will deliver those goods.

Irom Sharmila is somebody people greatly respect and love. Women, men, young, old. Across the state, definitely throughout the valley, through much of the Naga areas, probably the Kuki areas.

So, by this performance, I wouldn't evaluate her

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standing in a sense with the people.

I think it is a question of realpolitik. In the sense that the people are looking for a party that knows how to run the state. That is not to say just administrative and governing abilities, but being able to manipulate various things, being able to get the money from the center, use it. It's an extremely corrupt system. The money that is earmarked for the northeast, for Manipur doesn't really reach the people it is earmarked for. It might reach the northeast, but it is not reaching the people.

I think it is a desperate kind of situation. People are really desperate. I think it is the worst governed state in the country. I wouldn't think it (losing the elections) makes much difference. Everybody knew she would lose. She knew she would lose, I should think. The point of her standing is that there is a different voice still alive, which is saying that can we have clean politics. I think the test will be if the party (People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance) can stand despite this setback. And there has to perhaps be an alternative way along with this to keep the movement alive in a sense. This was experimental. This is not the end of the story for Irom Sharmila. This is not what she is about.

New Delhi

April 2017

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Opinion The campaign is far broader, and, to my mind, the connect is not so direct.

For the world, Irom Sharmila is the face of the antiAFSPA movement, but for anybody closer to Manipur and for the people of Manipur, she is one of the players. There are other equally important players.

Those who are working at the legal front, at the Supreme Court, are extremely important.

Also, the human rights groups across Meiteis, Nagas etc to the Meira Paibis. The women's movement (in Manipur) has predated Irom Sharmila. It has been there since the 1950s, 1960s. In the 1970s, it was against army atrocities. And 1980 onwards -- ever since AFSPA was imposed (throughout the state of Manipur) -- it has been anti-AFSPA. In 1980, Irom Sharmila was eight years old, but there were ladies who were out there, struggling, building the movement against AFSPA. And there is a third group of people, which is the students groups, the youth...

Sharmila is only one of the players.

The movement is on. The legal struggle at the Supreme Court is the most important thing at one level.

The Supreme Court has ruled that there have been extra-judicial killings, and is continuing to probe more than 1,500 killings. It is a pathbreaking judgment.

These are being fought not by Irom Sharmila, but by others. Irom Sharmila is very supportive of them, but what she has been doing is one arm of the movement.

She decided to try (an electoral path), she decided to experiment with governance and that was not what the movement people decided. She is part of the movement, but it wasn't the movement as a whole that took that decision. So, the movement continues.

Yes, the wider world -- I think because of the dramatic nature and the power of an individual that she represented -- is more aware of her struggle than of the other arms. There is an unfortunate disconnect there in terms of communication to the rest of the world. But at the local level the movement continues and she is part of it. The Meira Paibis have clearly said over the decades that they have a policy, a strategy that they don't believe in joining electoral politics.

They disassociated from this particular thing... But you will find Meira Paibis ladies around her on so many occasions. When she gave up her fast I went there immediately and stayed in hospital with her for a bit. Everybody from every section of society, including Meira Paibis and human rights groups, were all around, hugely supportive of her giving up the fast.

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April 2017 New Delhi

Irom Sharmila, centre, with the two other PRJA candidates, Erendo Leichombam, left, and Najma Bibi, right.

It was misrepresented in the media as people are against her giving up the fast... (Yes) there was a question mark, but there was also a strong sense that people had that why should she be sacrificing herself.

The local level is very different from how the rest of the world has interpreted Manipur... I don't think the movement is really going to be affected because movements have a different logic and they carry on.

It did seem that her election campaign was a lonely battle though... I was not there myself, but what I gathered from talking to people and reading those who have been there was the way she, Erendo Leichombam and Najma Bibi battled, the door-to-door campaigning was the best part of it for her. People are so, so warm towards her.

I don't see her as being isolated beyond a point.

But there is a lot to be thought about in terms of doing something active and meaningful on the ground, and this was clear the moment she gave up her fast. I think she is still at an experimental stage in figuring out how can she do something really meaningful. This has obviously flopped in terms of becoming an elected representative of the people... She has said earlier that it is not about winning or losing this election, but it does reflect something. One can't say it reflects nothing. What it reflects is people don't see her as a person who can bring the goods at the policy level.

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I have to say that the moment she said this I had huge question marks about her standing for elections, and I said as much to her. That's how most people who are close to her -- which is much of Manipur -- feel.

They are still with her, they love her dearly, but they have question marks about her as a figure in government circles.

There has to be pragmatism...

Yes! Look at Manipur politics over the decades.

Except for recent past, they have always elected a party to power which is the party at the Centre.

Given this context, instead of taking on the incumbent CM, had Irom Sharmila taken a more pragmatic approach of fighting from a constituency with a weaker candidate, do you think she would have had a fighting chance at a win?

Better maybe (in terms of) a little more votes, but she needs to relook at the whole strategy of standing for elections. She needs to align with the strategy of the Meira Paibis, the human rights groups. Personally, I think that's the best way for her to go -- to align more closely with the rest of the movement.

I haven't had a chance to talk to her, but I think she would be reassessing right now.

What is Irom Sharmila's relationship with hope?

That question takes one deeper into her 16 years of extraordinary, remarkable and unparalleled struggle because who would do that if they weren't basically full of hope about humanity.

She has every right to just move away from the arena. Go live somewhere else, marry, whatever she likes. She could do that, but she is not doing that.

She is determined to carry on with the anti-AFSPA movement and all that it means.

She, her brother who has been her supporter ever since I have known them, her family, other Manipuri activists that I know and deeply respect -- (in them) there is a sense of tremendous kind of optimism underlying this fight.

They have always managed to forge ahead (even though up till now) they have failed to get AFSPA removed. Globally, these are cutting edge protests.

There has been nothing like the nude protests (by mothers in 2004). There has been nothing like a 16year hunger strike anywhere ever in the world.

They are up against something so immovable it seems like, but they are not going to give up because

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it is a matter of basic survival -- physically as well as the identity of the people.

They have got tremendous cultural and emotional resources. There is very strong solidarity between the people, which, I think, the rest of the world totally misunderstands when they think she is isolated.

You have known Irom Sharmila very well since 2006. At this point, what are your thoughts on her journey?

I don't see this (her electoral loss) as a huge thing actually. I saw the huger thing as her giving up her fast (in August 2016).

She knows that what she is trying to do with electoral politics is experimental...

I think she has enjoyed and learnt a lot in the seven months (since giving up her fast).

I think what she has been doing is coming out of her isolation -- from being physically isolated (there was a blanket ban on visitors to Irom Sharmila when she was under arrest) -- and moving about amongst the people.

I think that's what she needed to do. This has provided her a rationale to do that.

She has gone door-to-door. She has been very warmly received. They were very warm and happy with her; they were just not convinced that she was the candidate for the post. I think what is important and interesting also is the new methods PRJA tried to introduce into the electoral arena. They put out boxes saying donation not more than 10. Which party would have that imagination? They have brought in a new kind of imagination into this arena. Also these three (including Irom Sharmila) are incredible figures.

Najma is the first Muslim woman candidate in entire Manipur history, and Erendo is a very different figure, who has studied in Harvard and come back. This is a non-corrupt party. This is a party which really believes in diversity and women's rights. Nobody can doubt that they believe in getting over the violence and fighting for justice. It will be good if they can keep the party going... or become a forum or think of some other form -- whether they stand for elections or they don't, but they are there in the public arena and consciousness. And then there is the linkage with Irom Sharmila and the others in the movement. To my mind, that's most important because a divided movement is a very bad picture. The movement needs to really come together. n

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feminism

How did women candidates of all states fare A comparison with 2012 indicates that the percentage of winning female candidates increased this year by 2%.

Uttarakhand Now a BJP bastion, Uttarakhand has hardly seen a female candidate at the helm of affairs like Harish Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna. Out of 62 female candidates, only 5 have been elected, just 7.1 per cent women representation in the 70-member Assembly. There isn’t a lot of change in the numbers since 2012 as it too had similar figures with 63 women candidates contesting and 5 winning.

T

Barkha

he assembly elections in the five states saw some surprising and sweeping wins. However, the number of women entrants in the state legislative assemblies remains dismal. Out of 2979 candidates in all the states, there were just 234 women in fray.

And out of these 234, only 56 were elected. A comparison with

2012 indicates that the percentage of winning female candidates increased this year by 2%. However, the number of candidates this year was lesser as 260 female candidates contested polls in 2012 and 59 of them got elected. Considering the percentage of female Members of Parliament – 11% – it is not very farfetched to say that most states have extremely few women candidates and that the numbers in these five states more or less represent the participation of women candidates in other states as well.

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Uttar Pradesh As the Modi wave swept Uttar Pradesh, granting BJP 312 seats in the state, the state also elected 41 out of the 61 female candidates in the race. So, in the legislative assembly of 403 seats, 10% of the MLAs will be women.

A whopping 67.2% of women were elected from the total number of women candidates; this is a sprightly number as compared to the percentages in other states. In 2012, UP had 79 female candidates out of which 36 had won.

Punjab In Punjab only six women candidate out of 81 who contested the polls could sucre victory. This mean only 5% of female will be part of the 117-seat assembly. In 2012, 14 out of 93 women candidates had won, which was 15% of the total women candidates nominated. With only 7.5% women candidates out of their total being elected this time.

April 2017 New Delhi

Manipur While Irom Sharmila was a prominent name from Manipur this time, she failed to secure even 100 votes. For the 60 seats that the state has, only 11 women candidates contested elections. Out of these, only two could secure wins. Barely 3% of women will be part of the legislative assembly of the state. Like Uttarakhand, the numbers of 2012 were similar, with 15 candidates contesting and only 3 winning.

Goa With almost double the number of female candidates this year, the winners also doubled since 2012; but since the numbers were extremely low then – 10 candidates and 1 winner – it remained the case in 2017. 2 out of 19 candidates were elected to the state legislative assembly which has 40 seats.

Women will have 5% representation in the state’s assembly, a number not too different from the rest of the states. n

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Voice of Youth

youths are alienated in politics?

Democracy is the buzz word for our political system. But is it really so? Is it democracy that a nation where a majority of population is below 40 elects a majority of people above 60 to power? Why youth are not interested in politics. Why is it so that people below 50 years are considered as political kids? Why youths are alienated in politics?

I

Manvendra Kumar

n democracy youth played very importance role in politics. Politics in india cotext very dirty game. So always a rise a question youth participate in politics or not. This is question but today youths are alienated in politics.

People between the age of 15 and 35 constitute youth. Those in their teens among the youth are said to be of tender age. They are not considered experienced and knowledgeable enough to understand the complex world of

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politics. That is why some people believe that the youth should not take part in politics. But when the government reduced the age of eligibility for casting vote from 21 to 18, the message was quite clear: that the youth should actively take part in the process of elections whereby the candidates are elected to form governments at the state as well as centre.

In country aap (aam aadami party) has changed the politics.

A large number of youth are participate in politics. And very short span of time they

get success. And also rule the New delhi. And go long drive in Punjab. This is not a full story.

Aap office and congress, bjp office have some difference.In Aap office youth are participate in all section of office. But in congress and bjp are full of experience people. A majority of leader above 60 to power.They are more age.

India is the biggest democracy in the world. The real power lies in the hands of the people who elect the people who rule the country.

The basic principle of democracy is that it should have a wide participation by the people. The more is the percentage of voters out of the total population of the country, the stronger is the base of the democracy because the mandate given in the elections would have a popular sport. By making the age of casting of vote as 18, the government brought crores of people within the ambit of active participation in elections thus giving a broad base to the democratic processes.

It also gave the message that our youth is mature and wise enough to understand

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their responsibility and they would give their mandate after carefully considering candidates’ capabilities. Being young, they are not swayed by the old systems of caste, creed and other orthodoxy which had been the bane of Indian politics for quite some time in the post-independence era. The government also seemed to have realised that it was important for India’s future to induct the youth in the democratic process at an early age. After all it is the youth who ultimately will become the stalwarts in politics and one day will hold the reins in their hands.

There has been much debate and discussion in various circles across the country on whether the youth should take part in politics.

Poltical expert dilip kumar jha said that at the time of independence Gandhi called upon the youth to participate actively in the freedom movement.

Young leaders likes Nehru came to his reckoning and led the movement. But this is not the case now. Nowadays we have

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only a handful of young leadrers like Rahul Gandhi, sachin pilot, Varun Gandhi etc, but they are in the political scenario because they belong to influtial political families.It is next to impossible to find a young leader with no political family background in the furor of politics.

Many people believed that the youngsters being of a tender age do not fully comprehend the intrigues connected with politics for which it is often called a dirty game. If the youth get entangled in political activities, they will lose direction and purpose. Another fear was that the politics is dominated by middle-aged and old people. If the youth also enter the arena, there will be an atmosphere of rivalry. Belonging to different generations, there is a possibility of generation gap, misunderstanding and even rejection of one age group of the other those who of the opinion that those among the youngsters who are students and at the threshold of some career will

April 2017 New Delhi

suffer immensely if they go astray.

If they start missing their classes and take part in meetings and rallies, they will be left behind in their career. Being immature and inexperienced about the demands of life they may put to a great loss in their life at a later stage after having lost valuable time as students.

It is necessary to have a look at the situation prevailing in colleges and universities where elections are held every year for the posts of President, Secretary, Treasurer and other office bearers. The atmosphere is full of political rivalries and intrigues near the elections. There is canvassing campaign among the students presenting the qualities and plans of the respective candidates. The university elections have assumed huge importance as national parties like Congress, BJP and others have started taking active part in these elections and fielding their candidates, rather giving their party label to the candidates.

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The people who not like these elections to be given such a huge dimension have based their views on the fact that several times these elections have turned ugly with incidents of violence. The colleges and the universities become battlefields with rival groups of students attacking each other. Heavy police deployment at times is unable to stop them because the police hesitate to use force against the tenderaged students. But the problem is that many bad elements are always ready to take advantage of such volatile situations. They abet innocent youth to use violent methods to achieve their ends. The students often are not aware that they are being taken advantage of. Some idlers also join the election campaign to get some name and fame and also some money.

It becomes difficult for the authorities to distinguish between the genuine campaigners and goonda elements. If some action is taken against anyone, the students go on strike whereby the cause of education and their own career is greatly harmed.

That is why people say that the students should stay away from politics. Their duty is to acquire knowledge, get education and seek some good career to become self-dependent and a support for their parents. Apart from the college and university campuses, other places in towns and cities, especially the public places become centres of discussion on politics. Many idlers gather there and make various kinds of strategies and plans. India is a place where some kind of election or the other is always nearby-from

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Parliament elections to Panchayat elections. Therefore these idlers are never short of material for discussion. Some of them have access to local heads, MLAs, village chief, block presidents and

Many people believed that the youngsters being of a tender age do not fully comprehend the intrigues connected with politics for which it is often called a dirty game. members of Zila Parishad. These politicians use these idle youths to grind their political axe.

They are often paid to become their informers and act according to their advice. As such the atmosphere in villages, towns and small cities is always soaked in what is known as local politics.

Few people think about doing some productive work for the benefit of society and country.

Politics teaches the youth to steal the limelight by hook or crook and encash it in some forthcoming election.

The youth also include people who are not students, but are engaged in some job or enterprise.

For them to take part in politics is more of a matter of interest rather than getting some position in a political party. Only a small number among them ever give a serious thought of becoming a party worker, attending meetings and taking part in campaigns.

However, in our country there is

a cult of succession in politics.

In Nehru family, the youth have been inducted in active politicsfrom Indira Gandhi to Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. Some people oppose this cult while others hail it.

There can be a long discussion on whether the politicians should be allowed to sustain this cult. But we can say with a considerable degree of consensus that the young, adults or old and established politicians should not be stopped from taking part in active politics until they do not take undue advantage of their parentage and position. Being the citizens of a democratic nation they have every right to become active politicians.

They better understand the political atmosphere in the country and are well aware of the demands of politics. The youth inducted into politics have matured into great leaders. Young people are not only enthusiastic and energetic but are also full of new ideas. They are able to instil freshness in the political affairs of their respective region as well as the nation.

We can conclude by saying that today’s youth are highly intelligent and educated. They have a high awareness level. If they take part in politics, they will enrich it with their new ideas.

There is a dearth of young talent in the present politics. Youth should be given the opportunity to prove themselves by making politics accessible to the them.

The right balance of young talent and experienced politicians can lead to the cleaning of politics and can restore the public faith in the political system. n

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April 2017

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Attacks on Indians This government can never keep silent: Sushma Swaraj

T

Dibakar Kundu

he government has conveyed its "deep concern" to the US administration over attacks on Indians there, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday, asserting that the safety of Indian diaspora was a top priority.

As Lok Sabha members thumped their benches to welcome her to the House following her absence due to health issues, she highlighted the steps taken by the government following three recent incidents of attacks, including suspected hate crimes, rejecting opposition criticism that it had kept mum.

"To say that we did not take any step or maintained silence is absolutely wrong. This government can never keep silent over such incidents. This is not in our work culture. We always do more that what is expected of us," she said, responding to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's critcism.

The minister said that even when she was convalescing, she had spoken to the family members of the victims and officers of Indian consulate general had reached out to them.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is being accused of silence, sought daily updates from her ministry amid his busy election campaign, Swaraj said.

"The government has taken up this issue with the US government at very high-levels and conveyed our deep concerns. We have called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian diaspora and expeditious investigation into these incidents," she said. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar discussed the matter with ministers and senior functionaries of the US administration as well as with the Congressional leadership during his recent visit there during February 28-March 3, she said.

"I would like to reassure the House and the members that safety and security of India diaspora abroad remains a top priority for this government...

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April 2017 New Delhi

We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indians abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare," she said. Swaraj also referred to President Donald Trump's condemnation of Kansas shooting in which Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32) was shot dead by an American in a suspected hate crime and condolences from other top US officials including House of Representative Speaker Paul Ryan. "The fact that broad sections of the American society have expressed their deep sorrow and regret over these incidents reassures us that despite these individual incidents, the American society values the peopleto-people engagement between our two countries," she told the Lok Sabha.

People-to-people contacts are the foundation on which the India-US strategic partnership has been built, she said.

Rejecting Opposition charge of inaction, Swaraj said the government has tried to solve problems of

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any Indian living abroad "within 24 hours".

She said the prompt response of the US leadership and law enforcement authorities to these incidents, besides widespread messages of support from all quarters in the US, gave her confidence that these incidents are acts of individuals and do not represent overwhelming sentiments of Americans towards India. She informed the House that the FBI was investigating Kuchibhotla's murder as a case of hate crime. The murder of Harnish Patel, a US national of Indian origin, in South Carolina was in all likelihood a case of robbery gone wrong, the Minister said. The investigation agencies are yet to establish that the attack on Deep Rai, a US national of Indian origin, on March 4 was a hate crime. He has been discharged from hospital, she said.

"In all three cases, the government through its embassy and consulates immediately reached out to the affected persons and their families for extending all possible help and support. I have personally spoken to the families of Srinivas Kuchibhotla and

Deep Rai," she said. These families members have conveyed their thanks to her ministry, she noted.

She also spoke about American national Ian Grillot, who was also shot while trying to save Kuchibhotla.

"I have saluted his heroism and am sure the House joins me in wishing him speedy recovery." She also sought to address the concerns raised by Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) and Mohammad Salim (CPI-M) over the travel advisory issued by the US advising US nationals against travelling to India.

"I would like to inform members that there is no travel advisory in force for India at present.

A reference to India has been included in their 'worldwide caution' report which the US state department releases every six months. These are in the form of broad assessment of threat perceptions.

"Such references to India have been included in previous reports as well and do not reflect the change of administration in the US. In fact, Indiaspecific references were far more detailed in previous reports," Swaraj said.

12-year-old recalls 400 digits of Pi in Perfect Order for International Pi Day on 14th March 2017

Y

oung Local Entrepreneur Develops System to Radically Improve Memory In preparation for International Pi Day March 14, Isha, a 12-year-old Maple Ridge student is memorizing 400 digits of Pi: the irrational number that never ends. Humans have spent 2,200 years calculating Pi and its digits that never fall into a repeating pattern and never stop.

Isha started memorizing the digits of Pi only one month ago. While most people struggle with a 7-digit phone number, she learned the first 100 digits of Pi on a Saturday afternoon.

How is she doing it?

My name’s Kavita Dau, I’m Isha’s 18-year-old sister, and the founder of The Dau Academy, a Vancouver start-up which helps students

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radically improve their memories.

It’s my Dau Academy Method that Isha is using to learn her 400 numbers, in perfect order. Although I graduated from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in grade twelve, I deferred my place at UBC to accept a spot in Vancouver’s “The Next Big Thing” mentorship program and become a young entrepreneur.

Here’s why: everyone already has an incredible ability to remember information. Most people just don’tknow how to use their perfect recall skills.I’m intent on helping them. What I have designed is a journey for anyone who wants to have incredible recall. In Isha’s case, she’s using my system to convert the numbers into something more meaningful. She is travelling across places in her memory, making stories and converting the images back to numbers when needed. And look at what’s achieved – 400 pieces of pi!

For opportunities to watch Isha recite 400 numbers of Pi and interview me on how its done: Phone: 778-772-9639 Email: kavita@dauacademy.com Website: dauacademy.com

New Delhi

April 2017

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Our goal is to promote youth entrepreneurship – Indian Baba

Approximately 48 million people die every year from tobacco and alcohol causes so many deaths occur globally. In the next two to three years Patanjali Peeth has set a goal to increase in-house production by Rs 50 thousand crore, which is to be double by 2020.

Y

oga believes for Baba Ramdev that if people are healthy, then own use. Yoga has been recognized in the whole world today. Seems to be grow in the coming days. Due to impact of Yoga India will have to glorifying place among the world in new era. Regarding the issue Baba Ramdev believes that the state of the media in elections is an important force. Baba Ramdev's exclusive interview with Amit Kumar.

UP assembly elections have been announced just now.

Perheps you are the first personality to interview here.

What’s your message?

No doubt UP election is very important. In UP election media will contribute significant role in the Mahabharata. We hope that this time media will play fair role.I am true beliver that Media is the forth pillar of our Democracy. Set that will further

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April 2017 New Delhi

strengthen democracy.

Your Stomach are all affected by the power of moving. Do you finally find this fact?

If someone comes to me, I will not only his stomach or brain, but full body shake. My stomach moving and speaking with many people. So, What do I have something on my luck. Wherever I am sitting, people start to move. I think that this momentum should continue. This will force the peace and land will arise automatically.

You have millions of your followers. Many people believe as God in your soul. How do you see it?

I always believe in the power of almighty God. I am also with the realization that all those powers are not only in me, but in everyone. I always talk about rebellion, against the stream that talk. When I said that regular yoga and pranayama can absolutely cure diseases like hepatitis. The some people say that I am a campany. Although sometimes I think that somewhere in the country despite the fact that people will not leave me alone, but today I'm a hundred percent sure about it . Hundreds of thousand of people do stand with me. So that I can say this fact boldly that I’m not ever lonely today.

You have FMCG companies now own. Then why do you blame the evils of multinationals?

When I walked in the name of health, people speak against them. My first target was multinational companies. When I spoke against alcohol and tobacco, alcohol shaken the large factories running. Some MPs expressed objection running these factories and that was in moderation. I that way they should talk to Baba. Every year 48 million people in the world die from tobacco use and alcohol causes nearly as many deaths occur. Mahatma Gandhi said that after independence national medical practice Ayurveda in India must be announced. Today, the condition is

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Mahatma Gandhi said that after independence national medical practice Ayurveda in India must be announced. Today, the condition is that our traditional forms of treatment is placed on the margins.

Our leaders must follow that ideology. that our traditional forms of treatment is placed on the margins. Our leaders must follow that ideology.

Patanjali Products are quite popular today. what's next your target?

Patanjali has Rs 1 lakh crore by 2020 to reach its production targets. Patanjali in the last four years of consecutive growth, which is about hundred percent. This year we are moving in the same speed.

Our goal in the next two or three years is to increase in-house production by Rs 50 thousand crores.

We have to double the production by 2020.We do import goods worth Rs 25 lakh crore annually and multinational companies out of the country carry the same amount. We must have to reduce our

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dependency on foreign companies and also seeking for in-house production to increase. Our goal is to promote Indian entrepreneurship clearly.

You supported demonetization. But you don’t think, you hurted common man by doing so?

World leaders must make the financial freedom to the country. The Notebandi step may be towards this line. Notbandi is the largest strike against terrorism and it could do stop terror funding. This decision will have far-reaching impact. Sant Samaj is with the decision in the national society.

Your People objected on yoga. Tell them what you want?

Today in the name of health services in the country, four million 80 thousand means 520 crore are spent.

As much as amount is expended on development projects in the country. Those medicines are worth millions, but will use the same country will survive.

World Bank report, only 35 percent people in India clearly find treatment. Unfortunately, 71 million Indian people are being treated as ill-treatment. Yoga, Ayurveda and traditional methods of treatment have completely left. The country's economy need to major threatments. If all goes well, then the sum of why anyone would object. n

New Delhi

April 2017

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Public health Care

A Big Challenge for the Government in Delhi

With the crowning of Kejariwal government in Delhi, there is a renewed interest in public as to how the party will bring about better governance and public good. After all, the expectations are high as Delhi voters catapulted the activist party into power with whopping 67 out of 70 seats, forcing Arvind Kejriwal to admit that it was a ‘scary mandate!’

Manvendra Kumar

H

ealthcare is an integral component of proper functioning of a society. Good health indices reflect the vigour and real development of our community.

Delhi is the capital of India and enjoys the status of a partial state being a union territory, but at the same time, has an elected legislative assembly.

Thus, it’s administrative system is a mixed type, with some of the key portfolios lying with the Center. Spread over a tiny area of 1,483 square km, Delhi’s vast population of 1.7 crore makes it the most densely populated in India, say more than 11,000 per square km. This poses huge challenges in all areas, including healthcare delivery system.

In addition to a thriving private health sector, the health care services in Delhi are also provided by the central and state government. Some autonomous hospital being run on central government funds like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a super multi-speciality hospital

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where 1.5 million outpatients visit yearly and National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory diseases, some directly run by it like Safdarjang Hospital a huge 1600-bedded multi-speciality hospital, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Sucheta Kripalani Hospital etc. Central government agency ESI has its own hospitals and numerous dispensaries. The CGHS has similarly hundreds of dispensaries for government employees and Railways too operate its hospitals and With this there are a also military hospitals.

At the national level, government of India spends a measly 4.1 percent of its budget on health.

April 2017 New Delhi

Given that, Delhi’s 10 percent looks healthier, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. At the state level, the health ministry of Delhi government is a major player.

The state government typically spends about 10 percent of its Rs 37,000 crore annual budget on healthcare. It runs 39 hospitals and about 300 allopathic dispensaries. In addition, the state health department runs mobile dispensaries, school health scheme, Centralized Accident and Trauma Services (CATS); and its AYUSH department administers Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathic dispensaries and hospitals. The department is also

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responsible for executing several public health programmes.

At the national level, government of India spends a measly 4.1 percent of it’s budget on health segment. Given that, Delhi’s 10 percent looks healthier, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Given Delhi’s burgeoning population, large clusters of slums (50 lakh population), the healthcare system remains overwhelmed. Visit any hospital in Delhi and you will see lack of resources, overcrowding, and lack of cleanliness. Poor political will, bureaucratic apathy and inertia have contributed to the sorry state of affairs. Many of the rural healthcare facilities are dysfunctional and a burden on the state exchequer because of the gross under-utilisation.

Delhi’s crumbling health care system needs overhaul and some out of the box ideas. While, increasing budgetary spending on health will definitely help, there could be several other ways to meet the need. Affordable primary healthcare access is a major challenge for the poor and middle class people in Delhi.

Three hundred odd allopathic dispensaries and 9 Primary Urban Health Centers (PUHCs) are clearly inadequate to meet the demand. There is an immediate need to broaden primary health access points. Rather than opening up more dispensaries (thus, opening more avenues for leakage, corruption and inefficiency), we should look at alternative solutions. The existing government dispensaries can act as poly-clinics where credentialed private doctors can be allowed to come and provide healthcare at the affordable pre-determined

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prices or they can be reimbursed by the government on the basis of volume of patients seen. Similarly, it may be prudent to open up large number of government-approved primary level clinics owned/ maintained and operated by independent healthcare providers.

The patients can avail the health care from such avenues and the government would reimburse the bills to the doctors.

The concept of electronic record keeping and biometrics—a common usage in western world— is non-existent in Delhi health system. An investment on this front will bring down the costs in long term and bring traction in the system. Rather than opening up more dispensaries (thus, opening more avenues for leakage, corruption and inefficiency), we should look at alternative solutions. The existing government dispensaries can act as poly-clinics where credentialed private doctors can be allowed to come and provide healthcare at the affordable pre-determined prices or they can be reimbursed by the government on the basis of volume of patients seen.

Unfortunately, the governmental systems in India are known for poor quality of services, sluggish pace, an attitude of indifference and inefficiency. Random checks by health minister and officials

and improved oversight will surely bring more efficiency in the system. Increasing bed capacity in Delhi hospitals is highly needed.

Can we re-examine the existing infrastructure and add more beds rather than necessarily opening up new hospitals? The private medical sector is an important asset for Indian healthcare delivery system.

Delhi health ministry should have a collaborative approach towards private sector which will result in better coordination, and less malpractices. If the government acts as a facilitator, there will be an incentive for private medical sector to expand bringing down costs and improving services. Similarly, since Party political forum claims to be a doer and believes in beefing up systems, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is one area, where a pro-active health minister can bring in a lot of money. Delhi can also be developed as a hub of medical tourism. If we reflect upon why Thailand took over us in this field, answers would be apparent!

Last, but not the least, increased focus on preventive aspect of healthcare will yield better result.

More spending on maternal and child health (MCH) and senior citizens is needed. In a recent survey done by Arcadis, a Dutch design group, on most sustainable cities, Delhi comes at poor 49th out of a list of 50. The parameters like health indices, income equality, green spaces, sanitation, business environment and GDP were taken into consideration into this survey.

Frankfurt and London occupy the top two spots, Chicago standing at the 19th position. The road to a better Delhi is not easy, but an integrated approach will alleviate some of the problems. n

New Delhi

April 2017

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"Shunyata-When Kathak Met Cham”

S

By Aparna Sanyal.

hunyata-'When Kathak Met Cham’ A DVD release documenting an unusual ballet, and its making is set to be released on November 1st 2016. The Kathak guru, and the Grammy winning monks of the Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat collaborated to create a beautiful dance and music production which was performed to a packed audience at Kamani Auditorium. The making of the performance was captured in a film, 'When Kathak Met Cham', directed by the National Award winning filmmaker, Aparna Sanyal. DVDs of both the film and the performance will be released at the India International Centre by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State (Minority Affairs) and the Sarod maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

The release is being organised by the Palpung Munishasan Dharmachakra Sangh and the India Harmony Foundation.

Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat The Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat is part of the great Palpung tradition that was set up by the 8th Tai Situpa in 1727 in the Derge county of Kham, in Tibet. Palpung refers to a 'mount' - as the vision for Palpung was to be a mount of excellence, preserving the best of Buddhist traditions from various lineages in Tibet.

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April 2017 New Delhi

In 1975, the present head of Palpung, the 12th Chamgon Tai Situpa, set up the beginnings of what is now a beautiful and sacred centre in Himachal Pradesh, India - the Palpung Sherabling Monastic Seat. In 2004, Palpung Sherabling was the recipient of a very unique award - the Grammy, under the Best Traditional World Music category. No other monastery or (Buddhist) monks have ever been given such an honour.

India Harmony Foundation The principal objective is building bridges between different communities and promoting national harmony. Restoring, through a sustained series of confidence-building measures, peace, harmony and genuine fellowship between different communities living in India. The clear intent would be to reverse, across the country, the feeling of alienation that has crept into the psyche, the hearts and the minds of people, so that once again India becomes in every sense truly, ONE NATION AND ONE SOCIETY. The Trustees of the Foundation include illustrious members of society, including Padma Bhushan Virendra Dayal, Lt General Ata Hasnain (Retd)., Shri Ashok Sajjanhar ( Retd), Shri K. Rahman Khan ( former Union Minister of Minority Affairs) Padmashri Keki N Daruwalla, Mrs Spalzes Angmo (Former Buddhist member of the National Commission for Minoritoes), Mrs Louise Khurshid ( former MLA), Mrs Zakia Zaheer ( educationist ) and Ms Jahanara

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Padmashri Guru Shovana Narayan is among India’s most celebrated Kathak Guru and Maestro of the present age. She has extended the boundaries of Kathak to unchartered literary territories and sensitive social issues exhibiting social activism, a silent and aesthetic voice against oppression of all kinds that have proved to be trend-setters.

Ahmed (mediaperson). Mrs Kulsoom Noor Saifullah is the Managing Trustee of the Foundation..

Shovana Narayan: Considered an exquisite diamond of her art style, intense and passionate, elegant yet vibrant, Padmashri Guru Shovana

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Narayan is among India’s most celebrated Kathak Guru and Maestro of the present age. She has extended the boundaries of Kathak to unchartered literary territories and sensitive social issues exhibiting social activism, a silent and aesthetic voice against oppression of all kinds that have proved to be trend-setters. She has been conferred with numerous awards, outstanding among which, are the Padmashri Award for excellence and outstanding contribution to dance by the President of India in 1992 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1999-2000.

Aparna Sanyal: A multiple award-winning documentary Director, including the prestigious National Award, the Rajat Kamal (2012), Aparna has worked on myriad subjects, from the quotidian to the esoteric. She has also been the 'India Producer' for several international documentary projects for channels like History, BBC, National Geographic and Discovery. She was awarded the Charles Wallace India Trust Award for research in 2015. She runs a communication firm in Delhi, where her work was recognized by the British Council under their 'Young Creative Entrepreneur' initiative in 2010. Please find below the trailer of the film. n

New Delhi

April 2017

31

Haritha Gramam Story of a Green transformation Gopakumar Pookkottur

H

aritha Gramam is not just any story but it is the story of Peroorkada, a residential locality in Thiruvananthapuram city which went green by practicing effective waste management at its source.

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala now has more than 3000 households which adopted this model as a message for waste management after its successful implementation in Peroorkada. Particularly a total 14 wards belonging to the city have emulated this model.

Haritha Gramam is a unique

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example for successful waste disposal including plastic and e-wastes. Moreover it is an innovative one because of its implementation of adopting new technology. It is a participatory model because people from all spheres including IT professionals, Doctors, Businessmen etc. have devoted their time for the proper functioning of this venture without any profit. Besides these, the project provides job opportunities for 30 staff including 22 skilled youths.

“I am satisfied with this odour free waste management system, before using this technique, we suffered a lot to maintain

April 2017 New Delhi

the degradable and nondegradable wastes,” says Simon, IT professional, a beneficiary of Haritha Gramam who lives in Sree Narayana Nagar Residential area.

S Sarath, one of the team leaders of Haritha Gramam who regularly visits large number of houses, says that several households are turning to bio-farming by using the bio-fertilizer, produced from waste management unit.

The primary work is the manufacturing of different garbage bins suitable to the households. A single unit includes a Kitchen bin, Bio-clean (specially prepared decomposition mixture) and plastic sack. These are distributed to each household free of cost. For the maintenance and service of the system, they need to pay Rs. 200 per month.

Apart from this they also collect plastic wastes once in a month and discarded footwear & bags once in three months. Broken glass & e-wastes are collected once in six months. On 10th day of every month Haritha Gramam workers replace the sack in kitchen bin and collect the compost and give necessary service if needed. Apart from this, for any enquiry or for finding fault in technology, house

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holders can contact through helpline numbers. This project has emerged as an alternative to pipe compost technology which faced so many drawbacks. Pipe compost creates bad odour in the house due to concentration of water in waste materials, and is very difficult to handle properly.

This unit will take 60 days to complete the decomposition.

Finally, they found a solution by replacing pipe with a specially prepared Kitchen Bin (plastic bucket) and adopted a new technology for the decomposition of waste. After implementation of the new system, the period required for decomposition has reduced from 60 days to 6 days.

The specially prepared mixture called bio-clean contains Coco peat and inoculum. It is a microorganism which has the capacity to de-compost the wastes without any bad odour. Coco peat has the capacity to store water.

These two things are the key ingredients of the system which makes it more acceptable among the households. Moreover Coco peat is the byproduct of coir industry; hence it is also indirectly

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boosting the coir industry of Kerala.

Bio-wastes like residual food, rotten vegetables, egg shell, feathers and other meat-fish wastes etc. can be put into the bins. The process of setting up a waste bin starts with installing of plastic sack in an aerated dust bin. Two inches of specially prepared bio-clean mixture is added in the sack. The segregated bio-waste is put into the bin and then the bio-clean mixture is added so as to cover the food waste. These processes are repeated every day till the bin is full. Then the sack is sealed and kept in a dark area. Biowaste will take around 25 days to get converted into bio-fertilizer.

Haritha Gramam activists collect about 10 tons of bio-fertilizer per month which after proper drying is distributed to farmers and other organizations.

This bio-fertilizer is very effective and one unit Can be used for 6 grow bags. They have now replaced the old bin with the thickened, holed plastic bucket to tackle the problem of damage by rodents. They also thought to use

steel bin as it is more comfortable in small area of kitchen but the price is very high. Haritha Gramam activists have created a new and simple model for waste disposal which is being emulated all throughout the city.

Before this waste disposal technique, the households needed to dump the waste in their small area of land which caused several difficulties. And those residing in apartments do not have any space to dispose the waste properly.

After implementation of this project, a lot of them have started the terrace and kitchen farming.

Besides using bio-fertilizer produced at their own home they also buy grow bags and biofertilizer from Haritha Gramam team. Haritha Gramam is a non-profitable venture focusing not only on waste management, but also on promoting biofarming. It is quite remarkable that all houses which make use of Kitchen bin technique have started bio-farming. The organization aspires to explore the new techniques and methods to further improve the waste management process. n

New Delhi

April 2017

33

AUTO REVIEW-2017 Aston Martin DB11

T

Nikita Singh

But the Benz deal genuinely brings the DB11 into the 21st century with modern conveniences such as a tabletstyle multi media screen with digital radio, sat nav and a 360-degree camera, haptic controls for the audio volume, simpler air con functionality and a fully-digital instrument cluster. As for safety, the DB11 has a comprehensive suite of electronic driver aids as well as seven airbags. However, it’s got a bigger list of options so customers can personalise their car, with our particular example ? which is an limitedrun Launch Edition that costs $428,032 in standard trim ? featuring more than $30k worth of extras including bespoke 20-inch alloys, a high-grade 1000w Bang & Olufsen audio system and numerous exterior and interior highlights.

he say beauty is more than skin deep. But Aston Martin has been trading on style over performance and personality for decades. There is no denying the boutique British car maker has created some of the most gorgeous machines ever to grace our roads, from the iconic DB5 made famous in early James Bond flicks right through to recent classics like the Vanquish and DB9. Beyond their striking appearances, however, Astons have generally been a step behind the competition when it comes to outright performance and the latest in conveniences. First things first, the DB11 is not an affordable car. With a starting price of $395,000 (plus on-road costs) before you even tick an option box, it is an extravagant statement to make. But it is a car that is also nothing less than extravagant in the way it looks from both outside and inside the cabin. As you’d expect at this level, the DB11 is virtually tailor made with the kind of craftsmanship that can only be offered by boutique car makers. Like all previous Astons, every tactile surface is beautifully finished, whether it is the seats, dash, doors and roof that are lathered in the finest, brogued leathers or the switchgear that is hewn from solid alloy and burled on the outer edges. The front seats are, of course, electronically adjusted and heated, there’s dualzone climate, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring and Bluetooth connectivity.

What’s inside?

The DB11’s exterior styling has polarized pundits, with some admiring its more aggressive stance while others claiming it is too fussy and has lost some of Aston’s purity. I’m in the former.

But none of them can deny the DB11’s cabin is anything but gorgeous. And sumptuous. And theatrical. And hand made, like it’s been crafted by a Park Lane cobbler. There’s still some signature Aston cues, such as the row of buttons on the dash that not only fire the engine into life but also select between Park, Drive, Neutral and Reverse for the transmission. But the DB11 finally comes with a proximity key so you can simply press the starter button rather than inserting the crystal-like key of its predecessors.

Body type : 4 seater Coupe Engine : 5.2L, 12 cylinder Twin Turbo Intercooled Performance : Power: 447Kw@6500rpm Torque: 700Nm@1500rpm

0-100 km/h : 3.9 secs Fuel economy : Petrol - Premium ULP Fuel consumption : 11.4/100km Transmission : 8 speed Sports Automatic

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April 2017 New Delhi

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35

You want to immigrate faster to Canada. Start collecting your documents first!

M

Alina Roman, RCIC

any people want to immigrate to Canada, and they want to come here immediately if possible.

I believe that this is a good time for anyone interested in immigration to Canada as many developments concerning Canadian immigration and citizenship that have taken place since the beginning of this year.

On March 1, 2017, 3,884 Invitations to Apply (ITA) were issued to candidates in the pool for the Express Entry immigration selection system with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) point score of 434 or above. For the third time in a row, the number of CRS points a candidate requires to receive an ITA has dropped to a level never before seen since the introduction of the Express Entry immigration selection system in January, 2015.

Provincial Nominee Programs are selecting more and more immigrants and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) - a new three-year pilot program for immigration to Atlantic Canada -was launched on March 6, 2017 aiming to process up to 2,000 new applications per year, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to process 80 percent of complete applications in six months or less.

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Canadian government made efforts over the past years to reduce the processing times for most of the immigration programs.

Permanent residency applications for economic applicants under Express Entry take up to six months now from one to three years, family class spousal applications processing time has been reduced to one year from minimum two years, and Provincial Nominee Programs are moving more and more to online application processes to reduce the processing times. The government of Canada has also outlined details of the new Global Talent Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which, among other initiatives, will establish a two-week standard for processing of work permit applications (and temporary resident visas when applicable) for highly skilled talent.

This new streamis scheduled to be operational as of June 12, 2017.

However, the success and speed of your immigration to Canada does not depend only on the steps the government takes to streamline the process. There are steps to take and documents you need to collect before you can apply for a permanent resident visa. Many applicants believe that they do not need supporting documents unless they are clearly listed in the checklist or if they are specifically required by IRCC. Collect some of the more time consuming documents in time,

April 2017 New Delhi

puts you in the best possible position to apply within weeks and increases your chances to obtain the PR faster.

IELTS test and the ECA are now mandatory when creating the Express Entry profile, but many applicants don’t even consider having the spouses take the language test or have their education credentials assessed.

Even though work experience letters are not always needed at the first stage (for example for the FSW program), they can take time to collect. Begin organizing and collecting documents that show who you are and the work you have done, and ask your spouse to do the same. Some programs require work reference letters right away, while others only give candidates very short windows to collect their documents after they are requested.

The other reason it is important to have the employment letters at the time you create your Express Entry profile is the fact that in many cases there is difference from what an applicant thinks his job title, NOC code and job description was and what the employer has on record, and if the information you entered into your profile will be different than what the employment letters will state, you can be in danger to have your PR application refused for not meeting the NOC code description or for misrepresentation. It is up to you to ensure that your immigration process is as fast as possible! n

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Kangana Ranaut: No discussion on ‘Fashion 2’ with Madhur Bhandarkar Actress Kangana Ranaut has refuted reports of being approached by filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar to star in the sequel of ‘Fashion’.

There were reports that the director approached Kangana to star in the sequel of the 2008 film, which featured her alongside actress Priyanka Chopra.

“There is no such thing. There are so many rumours floating around. Madhur sir last called me for his house warming party and that was it.

Our conversation was only regarding that and nothing else,” Kangana told .

Incidentally, Kangana bagged her first National Award for ‘Fashion’ post which she went on to feature in commercial and critically successful films like ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and the gamechanger ‘Queen’.

Her last release, the much-ambitious Vishal Bhardwaj directed ‘Rangoon’ failed to make a mark at the box office and the actress says the team could not come up with a film which would strike a chord with the audience.

“Nothing can stop a film from being a hit if the audience loves it. I have worked with several first time directors who went on to make great films so I believe if the film is good, you’ll get the love. May be we somewhere lacked (referring to ‘Rangoon’) in what we presented,” she said.

The 31-year-old actress, however, says the saddest part about ‘Rangoon’ not working was that her performance in the film went unnoticed as not many people saw the period- drama. ”Most critics said that was my best work so far. I just felt sad that the film couldn’t reach as many people as it could have. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.

“My only grudge from the film is that not many people saw it. My work didn’t reach to people and I felt really bad about it. But failure is inevitable, you’ve got to have setbacks. It’s all part of the business,” the actress said.

She is currently preparing for her role in the Rani Laxmibai biopic titled ‘Manikarnika’ directed by Krish. www.beyondindia.in

New Delhi

April 2017

37

Pt. KK Sharma jyotishgurumagazine@gmail.com 91-9873295495/ 011-43052131 ARIES ( 15 APR TO 14 MAY): Ideal time to implement your ideas. The stars encourage you to work hard and achieve your results. Middle of the quarter there can be issues with spouse but you will manage it with tact.

Children would demand attention. Parents health would be of concern. Sugar and liver patients, be careful. Happiness index will be high.

LIBRA ( 15 OCT TO 14 NOV): Tensions with spouse are likely to happen.

Do not display excess ego. You need to take time out and unwind. A lot of money comes your way but also come the expenditure. Avoid wasteful expenditure.

Avoid red meat in this period.

TAURUS ( 15 MAY TO 14 JUN): After a few tiffs in the beginning of the quarter things will settle down to the middle and promise a big time success at work. All pending issues with partner get over now. Pursuing an academic course for increased qualification is a good idea.

Social life will be hectic.

SCORPIO ( 15 NOV TO 14 DEC): This period is all money bags for you.

Dental and Blood pressure may be of concern. You might end up selling a property. A lot in offering to media people.

You may buy some luxury products this time.

GEMINI ( 15 JUN TO 14 JUL): Profits from real estate are likely in this period. Situation with spouse is unlikely to improve. You may be doing some Charity in this period. Do listen to some soulful music. It will help you with a lot of issues.

Gift Sweets to friends.

SAGITTARIUS ( 15 DEC TO 14 JAN): You should be looking at purchasing a car.

Recognition in this period is still unlikely.

Professionally you need to be updated with latest facts. Father may say something which you may not like. Try to speak to your parents regularly.

CANCER ( 15 JUL TO 14 AUG): Health will be a cause of concern especially Bones Heart and respiration. Things will continue to improve with your partner.

This quarter gets money to you from overseas. Meditation will be fruitful.

CAPRICORN ( 15 JAN TO 14 FEB): Right time to buy property. Unforeseen expenditures will go up. You will get involved in a religious or family ceremony. Overseas travel is on the cards. Some knowledge of accounts or law may be acquired.

LEO ( 15 AUG TO 14 SEP): Politicians will see their things working out.Overseas connection will help. Extra Marital affairs is a big chance now.

Engineers and automobile experts will get recognition. Money position is good. Try to get good sleep, as that is what lacks.

AQUARIUS ( 15 FEB TO 14 MAR): The stars encourage you to start meditation.

You will be high on energy now after almost a fortnight of negativities. Be careful about money from Mid May to end Jun. Use this Quarter to introspect and reset your goals.

Good news for students is on the way.

VIRGO (15 SEP TO 14 OCT): Investing in a property which is yet to be completed would be a right decision. Spouse will be all lovey dovey in this period . Professionally you will need to prove yourself. Gift Alcohol to friends. Spend more time with near and dear ones.

PISCIES ( 15 MAR TO 14 APR): Some limelight or fame is coming your way now. The progress on the work front would be slightly slow. parents health may cause concern from mid may. Some unwanted legal issues may come up. Postpone them till end june if possible. Do charity work.

These predictions are based on the Vedic astrology therefore there is a variation of dates .

The results will get suitably modified based on the basic configuration of the chart of the person

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April 2017 New Delhi

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Save Earth for your future generations • • • • • • •

Avoid using plastic bags Black plastic bags cause skin cancer Use cloth or paper bags to shun using plastic bags Always use biodegradable plastic bags Stop burning of garbage Dispose of garbage at designated place Don’t litter, it will make your life bitter

• • • • • • •

Keep your homes and surroundings clean Make this world a green heaven Cleanliness means safe health of your kids Reduce noise level for a calmer living Get your vehicles tune-up regularly Keep engine and silencer of your vehicle in good condition Industries must abide by green rules

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