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VOL 22, No. 1172
March 17, 2017
50¢
Seema Verma is confirmed by Senate
Protests continue against CNN's anti-Hindu show
Details on page 6
Details on page 16
Bharara, WH give conflicting explanations
BART's Warm Springs extension opens March 25
Details on page 6
Details on page 17
'Bannon is an avid reader of Gita'
‘A protectionist West will impact India’
Details on page 6
Trump swears ‘respect' for women Details on page 7
INDIA POST SURVEY survey@indiapost.com This week’s question
Do you favor Obamacare replacement? Last week’s result
Is Trump administration’s assurance on hate crime convincing? YES 21%
NO 79%
Periodical Postage
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CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 28-29
VICTORY MARCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd at the party headquarters as he arrives to celebrate victory in UP and Uttarakhand Assembly elections in New Delhi on March 12
Classifieds ------------------------- 52 Community Post -------------- 16-25 Date Book -------------------------- 39
NEW DELHI: Fresh from BJP's landslide win in UP and Uttarakhand after a bitter and often divisive campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about inclusivity and pitched for building a 'new India' by 2022 that would have made the nation's founding fathers proud. Accepting felicitations from party leaders and supporters at BJP headquarters, Modi said he saw the election results, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, as the "foundation of the new India". "I see this victory as the foundation of a new India
where 65 per cent of the population will be of young people below 35 years of age... a new India of unprecedently vigilant women. "A new India where the poor do not want anything by way of charity, but seek opportunity to chart out their own course. I see this change happening," he told the gathering which lapped up every word he said, amid repeated chants of 'Modi! Modi! Modi!'
Certified by “CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL Readership 117,765”
Edit Page --------------------------- 54 HealthScience Post --------- 11-14 Horoscope ------------------------- 46 Immigration Post ------------- 48-51 Life Style ----------------------- 30-33 Philosophy ------------------------- 53 Publisher’s Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 44-45 TechBiz Post ------------------- 34-38
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Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 40-43
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HIGHLIGHTS
guess this needs to be discussed because we live in, as unfortunate as it is, very touchy times. And to use some liberal jargon, live in a time when cultural invasion, cultural appropriation, religious demonization, ethnic marginalization are actually tangible actions ironically perpetuated by a media, which sees itself as mainstream. This gripe is about CNN's show 'Believer', which premiered recently with the portrayal of the Aghori sect of the Hindu religion in India. It was, for the better part, offensive to say the least, for true believers. As the newly-formed 'BycottCNN.org' puts it, the show portrayed Hinduism as a disgusting, filthy and discriminating religion consisting of ascetics who eat human flesh, drink urine and even behead. Understandably, Hindu groups across the US are worried that such depiction of Hindus might lead to an upscaling of hate crime against Indians given the racially vitiated atmosphere in the country. To highlight the perversities of a crazed cannibal who perhaps needed to be institutionalized, and imply it be somehow 'normal' to Hindu religion was indeed offensive. I happened to watch the episode and yes, I was grossed out and while not angry, felt the portrayal was totally unnecessary. Well, what was shown was definitely not a figment of the producers' infertile imagination. It was true. But it seemed grossly out of context. What saddened me actually was that here was a show host, who was on a quest to find alternative belief systems, but all he could manage to find in the vast ocean of Hindu knowledge was just a drop of murky anomaly. Anyway, it's not just Hinduism but also Islam and Christianity that routinely get badgered by the liberal media. Still, it's not about liberals and conservatives working against each other; rather, it's about ignorance and arrogance working together. Romesh K Japra
Bollywood: Tiger, don't mew Sonam Kapoor has slammed filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma for targeting Tiger Shroff for his pose on a magazine cover
Cover Story: New India After election victory, Modi speaks of a new India where the poor do not want charity but seek opportunities
Community: Hinduphobic show Hundreds of Hindu-Americans in different cities of US joined protest marches against a recent anti-Hindu CNN TV show
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Modi draws roadmap for new India NEW DELHI: Fresh from BJP's landslide win in UP and Uttarakhand after a bitter and often divisive campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about inclusivity and pitched for building a 'new India' by 2022 that would have made the nation's founding fathers proud. Accepting felicitations from party leaders and supporters at BJP headquarters, Modi said he saw the election results, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, as the "foundation of the new India". "I see this victory as the foundation of a new India where 65 per cent of the population will be of young people below 35 years of
to polarize voters along communal lines, in a statement on his website Narendramodi.in said," India is transforming, powered by the strength of each and every citizen of India. "An India that is driven by innovation, hard work and creativity; an India characterized by peace, unity and brotherhood; and an India free from corruption, terrorism, black money and dirt." The theme of development ran through his felicitation speech too. "Beyond the emotive issues, political parties fought shy of going to elections on the issue of development. Development is a difficult subject. In these elec-
"I see this victory as the foundation of a new India where 65 per cent of the population will be of young people below 35 years of age... a new India of unprecedently vigilant women� age... a new India of unprecedently vigilant women. "A new India where the poor do not want anything by way of charity, but seek opportunity to chart out their own course. I see this change happening," he told the gathering which lapped up every word he said, amid repeated chants of 'Modi! Modi! Modi!' Earlier in the day, Modi tweeted, "India is emerging, which is being powered by the strength & skills of 125 crore Indians. This India stands for development." Modi, whose 'crematorium and graveyard' remark at an election rally in UP was seen as intended
tions, there was a lack of emotive issues, but the huge voter turnout after the campaign based on development shows the transition that his happening towards creation of a new India," he said. These elections must be evaluated as people have voted heavily despite the absence of any emotional issue. The poor have voted in large numbers on the topic of development, he said. Modi, who was accused by his rivals of playing caste and religion politics during the campaign, said the BJP-led dispensation will take everybody along as "in democracy governments are formed with
a majority but run with consensus". Noting that the government has no right to discriminate against anybody, Modi said, "This government is of those who have voted for it and also those who have not. Of those who have walked along, and also of those who have not." "Everybody will join in the making of a new India," he said. Having shown his characteristic aggression while campaigning, Modi made a fervent pitch for humility. "As fruits grow on a tree, no matter how big it is, it starts bending. Nature inspires us. As the fruits of victory cover this tree called BJP, it becomes our responsibility to bend, to become more humble," he said. Referring to the generations of Jana Sangh and BJP leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Kushabhau Thakre and Jana Krishnamrrthi who "gave their youth and life" for raising "this banyan tree", Modi said power was "not an instrument to rule but a tool of service to people". Talking about the concept of 'Antyodaya' of Jana Sangh ideologue and one of its founders Deendayal Upadhyaya for the uplift of the last man, Modi said," The poor have to be made capable of carrying their own burden to lessen that of the middle class, encumbered by taxes." He lauded BJP chief Amit Shah, the party's central and state leadership, and workers for the party's presence in "every geographical area" of the country". "Today, a BJP worker can proudly say he is a member of an organization which
Abu Dhabi crown prince, Lata greet Modi NEW DELHI: After the BJP's impressive performance in the assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received felicitations from prominent personalities and foreign leaders including the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Dhabi spoke to Modi. In a tweet, the PMO said, "HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, spoke to PM to convey his felicitations to PM at the election results." Modi also thanked former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his wishes. "Gratitude for the good wishes," the prime minister responded. "Congratulations to
@narendramodi and @BJP4India on decisive victories in UP and state elections! Courageous leadership, endorsed by Indians," Harper said in his tweet. Among others who congratulated Modi are legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The prime minister thanked each of them. "Namaskar. Aadarniya @narendramodi ji, @AmitShah ji aur BJP ke sabhi karyakartao'n ko is shaandaar jeet ki bahut badhaai," Lata had tweeted. To this Modi replied, "Lata Didi, thank you very much for the wishes. As always, your wishes are very special." In his message, Nawazuddin wrote: "Congratulation to @narendramodi ji, For the mega
VICTORY." Sri Sri in his tweet said, "Congratulations @narendramodi @AmitShah for the victory in state elections. The mandate comes with a big responsibility for good governance." Modi replied, "Thank you Sri Sri Ji. All our time & energy is fully devoted towards fulfilling people's aspirations." Former Team India batsman Mohammad Kaif also congratulated Modi, "Congratulations @BJP4India and @narendramodi ji for a spectacular victory in UP and Uttarakhand. UP victory is massive." The prime minister responded, "Thanks a lot. Yes, the scale and support is historical." -PTI
is the largest political party in the world," he said. Modi wrapped up his address with throaty chants of 'Vande Mataram'. Earlier, Modi, who took electoral campaigning to aggressive new levels, holding road shows three days in a row at the peak of electioneering in Varanasi, his constituency, did a brief encore, walking down the Ashok Road, smiling broadly and waving to jubilant supporters who lined the boulevard.
Narendramodi.in, the Prime Minister said, together, let us build the India of our dreams so that when we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022, we have an India that will make Gandhiji, Sardar Patel and Babasaheb Ambedkar proud. He said, India is transforming, powered by the strength of each and every citizen of India; an India that is driven by innovation, hard work and creativity; an India characterized by peace, unity and brotherhood; and an India free from corruption, terrorism, black
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the party headquarters to celebrate victory in UP and Uttrakhand Assembly elections in New Delhi on March 12
Amid a steady shower of flower petals, a triumphant Modi walked into the BJP headquarters surrounded by SPG commandos where he was received by Amit Shah. Before taking the stage with Shah and Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu and others ahead of a meeting of BJP's Parliamentary Board to discuss the party's performance in the assembly polls in five states, he garlanded the bust of Deendayal Upadhyaya. "When we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022, we should have made an India that will make Gandhi Ji, Sardar Patel & Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar proud," Modi said in a tweet earlier in the day. In a statement on his website
money and dirt. He also listed a set of pledges which he wanted the countrymen to take. Modi wanted the countrymen to pledge that they stand for a corruption-free India, that they will undertake cashless transactions, that they will dedicatedly work towards a Swachh Bharat, that they will ensure a drugs-free India. The Prime Minister also wanted the people to pledge that they will support and encourage women-led development, that they extend complete support to an accessible India, that they will stand for an India of peace, unity and harmony and that they will be job creators, not job seekers.-PTI
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Verma confirmed by Senate for top health post WASHINGTON: The US Senate has confirmed Indian-American Seema Verma for a top health care position in the Trump administration and she was set to play a key role in the government's bid to "repeal and replace" Obamacare. Verma, who has been described by the White House as the "unquestionably qualified" first generation Indian-American, was
would head the USD 1 trillion Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services that provides health services to 130 million people. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was the first Indian-American Cabinet rank official to serve in any presidential administration. The Senate vote on Verma's confirmation was mostly on party lines.
The second Indian-American in the Trump Administration to be confirmed by the Senate, Verma would head the USD 1 trillion Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services that provides health services to 130 million people confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 55-43. She is likely to play a key role in the health care reform of US President Donald Trump, who has made it a priority to repeal and replace the affordable healthcare of his predecessor Barack Obama. The second Indian-American in the Trump Administration to be confirmed by the Senate, Verma
A health policy consultant, she is known as the architect of health care reforms in several states, including Indiana. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Verma is extremely qualified with a health policy background and a record of success. "She is committed to protecting Medicare and modernizing
Medicaid so the programs deliver the best results for those who need it. She also understands the challenges that Obamacare has created for families," he said. "Ms Verma's knowledge and leadership abilities will serve the American people well at CMS, an agency that touches the lives of millions every day. She will play an important role as we work to repeal and replace Obamacare, and put in place health care reforms that work for the American people," said Senator Richard Burr, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. However, Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, the first Indian American Senator voted against Verma. "I voted no on Seema Verma to head Medicare and Medicaid. I disagree with her ideas to cap and cut Medicaid and her views on maternity coverage," Harris said. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Verma is especially qualified to lead CMS and modernize its programs to increase the effectiveness of healthcare delivery. "She brings the experience
Bharara, WH give conflicting explanations NEW YORK: India-born top US prosecutor Preet Bharara and the White House have offered conflicting explanations for a phone call that came from President Donald Trump's office to the US Attorney just hours before he was fired after he adamantly refused to resign from his post. A report in The New York Times said a personal assistant to Trump had left a voice mail message asking Bharara to call back Trump's office. According to people speaking on condition of anonymity, Bharara was concerned about returning the call as there were protocols restricting communications between the White House and prosecutors. The next day, the Trump administration fired Bharara as he had not tendered his resignation as demanded of him and 45 other US attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama. Giving an explanation for the call, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the "president reached out to Preet Bharara on Thursday to thank him for his service and to wish him good luck."
Bharara's firing had come as a shock since Trump had asked him, shortly after winning the presidential election in November, to stay on in his position. Bharara had then called the chief of staff to the Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Joseph Hunt. "Hunt was direct and clear in our conversation that, given written White House contacts policy,
Preet Bharara
my position as a sitting US attorney, and my office's jurisdiction, it would be improper for me to speak directly to the sitting president without knowing the subject matter," Bharara said in his statement. "Some might find that incon-
sistent with what is for the first time, three days later being described as a well-wishes call," he added. The NYT report added that Bharara had conferred with his deputy about whether it would be appropriate to return the call. He and his deputy Joon Kim had reviewed Justice Department memos governing such contacts. However, since the caller from the President's office had not specified what the president wanted to discuss, they concluded that it would be appropriate to not return the call. After speaking with Hunt, Bharara called the White House back and said the attorney general's office had advised him not to speak directly with the president. Sanders declined to answer questions about why Trump had changed his mind on Bharara, whether the president had made similar calls to other US attorneys before demanding their resignations, and why the president did not try to convey his good wishes through an aide or by some other means.-PTI
and, importantly, bipartisan solutions that can and should unite people across the political spectrum in addressing some of the greatest challenges in our healthcare system. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting Ms. Verma's nomination
cess, I was not satisfied by Ms Verma's answers to key questions regarding the future of these programs," he said. "CMS accounts for one-quarter of the federal government's spending, and these programs face difficult and complex chal-
Seema Verma
to this important position," he said. Senator Mark Warner, CoChair of the Senate India Caucus, also voted along party lines. "During the confirmation pro-
lenges that will only get worse if this administration succeeds in taking insurance away from millions of Americans by repealing the Affordable Care Act," Verma said. -PTI
'Bannon is an avid reader of Gita' WASHINGTON: Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon is well versed with Hinduism, is an avid reader of Gita and wants a deeper relationship with India, an Indian-American donor of US President Donald Trump has said. "Contrary to the media's portrayal of him (Bannon) being alt right and racist, he is totally the opposite. It's 180 degrees. He is firm in his views. He is an avid reader of Gita, dharma, Hindu philosophy, India and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi," Chicago-based Shalabh 'Shalli' Kumar, founder and head of the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), told Indian reporters during his latest visit to Washington. Bannon, he said, "really appreciates what is happening in India under Modi's leadership" and in general the United States where the country should go and how to reverse its fortunes from a decline in living standards, economy and defense, to have a reversal.
"Steve Bannon is going to play a major role. He is quite direct. He is not a politician or a diplomat. I describe him as Gen Patton of today," said Kumar, who said he regularly meets the Chief White
Steve Bannon
House Strategist, the last time being about a month ago. Bannon, said to be the most powerful individual in the Trump Administration, believes that Hinduism is a very peaceful religion and Hindus are very peaceful and tolerant people, Kumar said. Cont’d on page 9
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A protectionist West will impact India: CEA KOCHI: Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian said here that if the Western economies become more protectionist,
big impact on the Indian economy. If the world was to become protectionist, our exports cannot grow at 25 per cent, which means
Arvind Subramanian
it can have a "big impact" on the domestic economy. Calling 2016 as a watershed year for advanced economies, he said, "Year 2016 will go down in history as the moment when the advanced economies - Europe and America - actually decided to change their model of development and how they run economy by becoming more inward-looking, retreating from open markets and globalization." "If the world becomes more protectionist...it's going to have a
our growth will suffer quite a bit," Subramanian said while delivering the Hormis Memorial Lecture organized by Federal Bank here. Subramanian suggested that India should follow in China's footsteps to advocate open markets. "Since we've a stake in ensuring that other countries remain open, we need to be more proactive in becoming champions of keeping world markets more open. If something happens on H1-B visas, we should be out there mobilizing coalitions internation-
ally and maybe, even taking negotiations proactively to ensure that world markets remain open. "That in turn requires that we are willing to open our markets. In the old days, we were considered a poor country, a small country which didn't matter. We could say 'you open your markets, I will do whatever I want'. Those days are long gone because we've become big, we've become important," he said. On championing open markets, he said China has been playing its role quite well and India also needs to do something similar. "We need to mobilize a coalition of middle income countries....We need to become champions of open markets internationally and that's something the Chinese are doing very seriously. At Davos, President Xi Jinping went and said 'we the Chinese are now going to take leadership of the international trading system if Europe and US can't do so.' I think we need to do something similar as well," he said. The CEA also said that it was a "big surprise" that votes are sought in our country for building highways but not for health and education infrastructure. He hoped this changes. On Universal Basic Income, he said India can afford it only if a few of the existing welfare programs are phased out.-PTI
Trump declares 'tremendous respect' for women WASHINGTON: Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign was nearly derailed by sexual harassment charges and his boasts about groping women, tweeted on International Women's Day that he had "tremendous respect" for women. "I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy," Trump wrote on Twitter. He later added: "On International Women's Day, join me in honoring the critical role of women here in America & around the world." There were thousands of responses to Trump's tweet, most of them criticizing the president for the way his health care and immigration policies affect women and families. "@realDonaldTrump don't wrench women and their children apart at the border. End the crusade against women's health care," wrote @MariaMelee. "There's not evidence of #45's respect for women," wrote a
woman by the handle of BintibirdC. "Women are props & products for him. That is all." Trump faced a spate of sexual misconduct accusations in the weeks leading up to the election. He denied any wrongdoing and vowed to sue the more than a dozen women behind the claims, although no lawsuit had been filed yet.
Donald Trump
Trump claimed that his taped comments were "locker-room banter," and denounced the sex assault allegations as lies and fabricated stories. Several people responded to Trump's messages by tweeting the full text of the president's crude remarks in the 2005 video, while others tweeted links to news stories about the video. -AFP
'BJP's landslide win can strengthen reforms' KOCHI: Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has said the recent election results came as a surprise to him, and the outcome has given the Modi government a "political mandate" to carry out its economic agenda.
Nobody was able to predict the "magnitude of the UP election", just as Brexit vote or the US election, he said. "The one big surprise...was the election results. Even as you say it was a surprise, you kind of reveal or betray the fact that may be
I didn't expect the government to win this election and if I'd that belief, I wouldn't be fit to serve this government," he said while delivering the Hormis Memorial Lecture (founder's day) organized by Federal Bank here. "The government now has the political mandate for doing what it wants to do. And that will include how do we further the development process," Subramanian told PTI on the sidelines of the event. "What specifically needs to be done, that we'll see. But I think there is a strong political mandate for the government and the Prime Minister," he said. Asked what will be his suggestions, he said the policies should focus on getting back investments, jobs and growth. In the 403-member UP Assembly and in the 117-member Uttarakhand House, the BJP has
secured majority. But the party lost in Punjab. Subramanian also described the government's note ban move as another "surprise" and listed out a variety of milestones which need to be achieved to call it a success. On the government growth data, he said the GDP expansion figures are based on "preliminary data" and hinted that there may
ing down fiscal deficit as a "big success" and said the states will also have to emulate the Centre by being more responsible on the fiscal front. Subramanian advocated a market-based approach on the states' borrowings, where the irresponsible states have to pay more for their borrowings. Appreciating the government steps to push manufac-
"The government now has the political mandate for doing what it wants to do. And that will include how do we further the development process," Subramanian told PTI be revision in it going forward. When asked if it would be a downward revision, he said, "I mean there could be...it depends on the data. Could be, could not be." He termed the focus on narrow-
turing, the CEA said that there is a need to have the ability to absorb the best of innovations rather than being at the cuttingedge of technology and innovations. -PTI
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Hindu groups demand apology from CNN WASHINGTON: US-based Hindu organizations have demanded an apology from CNN and asked the news channel to stop further airing of a show which they allege promotes xenophobia and 'Hinduphobia'. A series of protests small and big were held across the US and more are scheduled against the airing of six-episode series "Believer with Reza Aslan" by the CNN.
chapters in over one hundred cities in the US, Samskrita Bharati an authoritative source for Samskrita (Sanskrit) education across the world and Ekal Vidyalaya, a US sponsor of over 55,000 one teacher schools across India and Nepal. AHAD co-sponsored a protest by dozens of Hindu organizations in New York, to protest the show that denigrated Hindu dharma and depicted the holy city of Varanasi
AHAD demanded "an on-air apology from CNN and Aslan for offending a billion strong Hindu community. It also asked CNN not to further air the alleged offending episode and a promise to consult practicing Hindu scholars nominated before programs relating to Hindus are aired As many as 16 top Hindu organizations in the US have come together under the umbrella of American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD) to mount a joint campaign against CNN and Reza Aslan. Prominent among them include, Hindu Mandir Executive Council, representing over 150 temples across North America, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh with
as a "city of death." Members of AHAD and VHP America also participated in protests in Atlanta, Houston and Washington. Additional community protests are planned in Chicago and San Francisco. "We express complete support towards a multitude of Hindu organizations and Indian-American groups that joined hands to protest CNN's dangerous misrepre-
sentation of the Hindu community," said Washington-based coordinator of World Hindu Council of America. "Aslan has caused serious harm to Hindu community and put the safety of Hindu children in schools across the US in jeopardy... "CNN has failed to hold itself to higher standards. Despite being alerted about the offensive content, CNN proceeded to air the show without consultation with practicing Hindu experts," said Ajay Shah, convener of AHAD. In a statement, AHAD demanded "an on-air apology from CNN and Aslan for offending a billion strong Hindu community. It also asked CNN not to further air the alleged offending episode and a promise to consult practicing Hindu scholars nominated before programs relating to Hindus are aired. In a statement posted on Facebook, Aslan said his documentary is not about Hinduism, but about Aghori, a mystical Hindu sect known for extreme rituals. Aslan said there are people who are offended by the episode, especially when it comes to its treatment of such issues as caste discrimination, which remains a touchy subject for many Hindus in America. -PTI
'Media hyping incidents of attacks on Indians' KOCHI: An RSS functionary, active session after a program orlooking after the Sangh's overseas ganized here as part of 'Navathi' affairs, has blamed the media for celebrations of Bharathiya Vichara creating "hype" over "stray inci- Kendram Director P Parameswaran. dents" of attacks against Indians Referring to incidents of atabroad, and said they should not tacks against Indians at be generalized. Melbourne in Australia some Coordinator of RSS Viswa years back, Sapre said in some Vibhag, Sadanand Sapre however, cases Indians were at fault. flayed the attacks against Indians "Melbourne incidents reported on foreign soil and said such inci- by media give an impression that dents should be stopped. all Indians are being targeted. So "Media many a times exagger- I spoke to local people. They said ate the scene. Yes, some instances that is not (the case)‌It is not at are there. To create hype... that is the nature Coordinator of RSS Viswa of media," he said. To a query about recent attacks against In- Vibhag, Sadanand Sapre dians in the US, Sapre however, flayed the said, "Don't generalize attacks against Indians the scenario." Referring to incidents of attacks on In- on foreign soil dians in Uganda in the 1960s, he said each and every In- all that all the Indians are targeted. dian was attacked and thrown out Media has a habit of creating of that country particularly dur- hype," he said. ing the rule of Idi Amin. "These are stray incidents and "Is that happening in the US? those sort of stray incidents are Is that happening in Australia? everywhere... even in India," No," Sapre said. Sapre said, referring to incidents "Let us not put everything in a of attacks against people from single bracket. There are many Bihar in Mumbai some years back. Americans who are there to proSapre further said activists of tect Indians," he added. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Sapre's comments came in re- abroad were providing necessary sponse to a question about attacks assistance including legal aid for on Indians abroad during an inter- those Hindus targeted. -PTI
Indian woman buttonholes Sean Spicer WASHINGTON: In an unusual encounter, an IndianAmerican woman confronted White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer at a store and asked him repeatedly how it feels to be working for a "fascist", evoking a 'racist' response from the top Trump administration official. Shree Chauhan, 33, posted a video of the encounter on Twitter, showing Spicer's reaction as she peppers him with questions that include, "How does it feel to work for a fascist?" and "How do you feel about destroying the country?". Chauhan also asked Spicer about Russia and accused President Donald Trump of committing treason. There have been claims of Russia's meddling in US elec-
tions with allegations being made that the Trump campaign had contacts with Russia in the run-up to the polls. In the video that Chauhan put out on social media that has gone
Sean Spicer
viral, Spicer is heard saying that the US is "such a great country that allows you to be here". Chauhan described his remarks
as racist. "That is racism and it is an implied threat. Think about the sheer audacity of Mr Spicer to say that to my face with a smile, knowing that he is being recorded on video and the position of power he holds in our government," she said. Chauhan described Spicer's response to her question as a threat to her citizenship. "I am still stunned by the boldness of having my citizenship threatened on camera. I was not polite. But when does being impolite mean that I should be thrown out of the United States of America? The country I was born in, the country I was raised in, the country I love despite its flaws," she said. Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference that the US is a free country and people have right to act how they want. Also, Trump seemed to allude to the incident in a tweet. "It is amazing how rude much
of the media is to my very hard working representatives. Be nice, you will do much better!" he said. However, Chauhan, who heads an education startup organization that empowers parents to lead
Shree Chauhan
positive changes in schools and communities, is not a member of "the media". According to Chauhan, she
was in a local Apple store to get her iPhone fixed when she spotted Spicer. "I realized what an enormous opportunity it was to get answers without the protections normally given to Mr. Spicer. I was honestly quite nervous and wanted to come up with more cogent questions but did not have time to do so," she wrote on a blog post in the Medium. Chauhan said she has lived in Washington DC for about a decade and during this time she has met several VVIPs at public places, including pharmacy and grocery stores, but did not interact with them. "However, given what Mr. Spicer and his boss are doing to this country, I do not believe they are entitled to these norms and customs. Donald Trump and his Klan are openly trampling on the rule of law, our Constitution and our democracy," she alleged. -PTI
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Bharara firing 'standard operating procedure' WASHINGTON: The White House has defended the firing of high-profile India-born prosecutor Preet Bharara and seeking of resignation of 45 other attorneys who were appointed by the previous administration, saying this was "standard operating procedure". "This is a standard operating
procedure for a new administration around this time to ask for the resignation of all the US attorneys," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference. He made the remarks while responding to questions on firing of Bharara after he refused to resign following the Department of
US calls for transparent process for NGOs in India WASHINGTON: Ahead of the US-based donor NGO Compassion International shutting down its India operations, the US has called for a transparent Indian process for foreign NGOs, which it said has been facing "significant challenges" for the last few years. "NGOs do valuable work overseas. Certainly these countries and governments have their own reasons for the laws they pass, but we believe it should be transparent and clear why they're shut-
cess," he said in response to a question. He expressed concern over the challenges faced by the foreign NGOs to continue their operations in India. "Unfortunately we have seen over the past couple of years a number of foreign-funded NGOs in India that have encountered significant challenges in continuing their operations," Toner said. "One of the good things about our strong bilateral relations with
Mark Toner
ting down these organizations," the State Department's acting spokesman Mark Toner said at a news conference. Toner expressed concern over the Christian charity closing down its operations in Indian and said that the US will take up the matter with the Indian government. "When a group like Compassion International, which we believe is doing important works in India and is closed down, it's a matter of concern. Certainly, we'll raise that with the Indian government". Toner said that all parties should work cooperatively by adhering to the Indian laws. "We believe it's imperative that all parties work transparently and cooperatively in a way that not only respects Indian laws, but also encourages a transparent pro-
India is that we can talk about these kinds of issues," he said, adding that the US has raised the issue with India through diplomatic channels. In December last year, the Home Ministry said it is unlikely to reconsider its decision banning the US-based donor from funding Indian NGOs notwithstanding consistent appeals by American authorities. The NGO was put under 'prior permission category' in May last. When a donor organization is put under this category, it is barred from funding any Indian NGO without the nod from the government. Toner said the US is committed to the health and vibrancy of civil society and it "strongly advocates" for a strong civil society and organizations that are working in that sphere around the world. -PTI
Justice's order asking him and 45 other attorneys, who were appointed by former President Barack Obama, to quit. "We had most of them - or a good chunk of them had already submitted their resignation letters. This is just the final swath of individuals who had not at this time. But this is common practice
Goa Cong MLAs blame leadership for failure PANAJI: A group of Congress legislators in Goa were "upset" and blamed the party's top leadership for the failure to form the government in the coastal state despite emerging as the single largest party in the assembly polls. "I am very upset with the way our party leaders handled the situation after the (Goa Assembly poll) results, which gave us the first right - as the single largest party - to form the government. I feel let down at the functioning of the party leaders who could not take a decision at the right time," Vishwajit Rane, who won from the Valpoi constituency, told PTI. He said that "gross mismanagement" by party leaders and the "delay" in choosing the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader hurt them. The Congress won 17 seats in Goa, only four short of the magic figure to form the government. Soon after the results threw up a hung assembly, Independent candidate Rohan Khaunte had extended support to the party. Also, informal talks were on with three legislators of the Goa Forward Party before the BJP stole the march on its rival after it could not muster the numbers to capture power. Congress' lone woman legislator Jeniffer Monserratte representing Taleigao constituency said, "Our party leaders are to be blamed for the failure to form the government." "People had given us the mandate but party leaders failed to respect it. It is entirely their fault," she said. Senior leader and Curtorim legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco said that the people wanted the Congress to form the government but party leaders miserably failed to honor the verdict.-PTI
of most administrations," Spicer argued. He said President Trump had wanted to call Bharara to thank him for his service. "The President was calling to thank him for his service. This is, a standard action that takes place in most administrations," he said. "Then-Attorney General Reno sent out an almost identical letter in 1993. The Bush administration sent out a similar one, as well. So this is a very common practice for all political appointees - not just in the Department of Justice - but
News channel and whether the Rupert Murdoch-owned company hid from its investors payments it made to employees who alleged sexual assault. The allegation was denied by the White House. "The commonality and the uniformity of the resignations is the key here," White House Counselor Kellylanne Conway said. "This is just not a news story, it's a lot of noise, not much news because it's very uniform and it's very common for presidents to ask for the resignations of political appointees like ambassadors and like US attorneys, the past few
"This is just not a news story, it's a lot of noise, not much news because it's very uniform and it's very common for presidents to ask for the resignations of political appointees like ambassadors and like US attorneys, the past few presidents have done this," throughout government when there's a turnover administration to ask for all individuals to do that," he said. Bharara, 48, who was the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, got an emotional farewell from his colleagues. "I love New York. This is the best prosecutor's office you've ever seen," he said. Meanwhile, a media report said that Bharara was fired because he was conducting a probe of Fox
presidents have done this," she told Fox News. "We made it uniform, the President made it uniform, so that there were no carve-outs, there was no special treatment. The only two people who are kind of exempted, if you will, are people who are having a different role in the administration, Mr Rosenstein and Dana, who's the acting deputy attorney general. But other than that, it's uniform across the board," Conway argued. -PTI
'Bannon is an avid reader of Gita' Cont’d from page 6
"He is happy about the assertion of Hindus through this particular (Trump) campaign. He was a major player in organizing Republican Hindu Coalition rally on October 15," he said. "He is a pretty good scholar on Dharma," Kumar said, adding that Bannon's knowledge about Hinduism is self-read from books. "His views are identical to RHC on India-US relationship that they should be the best allies. There is every reason for US and India to be best allies," he asserted. Bannon, he said, has a very positive view of Prime Minister Modi, who is taking India on the path of development and is making attempts to get rid of bureaucracy in India. "He has a strong clear view on fighting terrorism. He is very ap-
preciative of the moves made by Prime Minister Modi," Kumar said, giving an insight into the thinking of the Chief White House Strategist. In a recent interview to Daily Beast, Kumar said he came in contact with Bannon during the presidential election campaign last summer. The two interacted more frequently in the run-up to the October 15 rally of Trump to address the Indian American community. According to the daily, Kumar said he chatted with Bannon multiple times regarding the importance of a "nationalist economy", Indian politics, and taking "tough stands against radical Islamic terrorism". "(Steve) had a clear philosophy that you could be in nationalism, and still be a global power," Kumar said. -PTI
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Indian mom launches seat China to expand Marine Corps for Gwadar belt campaign LONDON: An Indian-origin mother, who lost her 12-year-old son in a car crash in Britain nearly two years ago, has launched a 'seat belt campaign' in his memory to highlight the importance of wearing seat belts while driving. Sukhi Atwal has released CCTV footage of the crash in May 2015 to show the moment her son,
crash and there is now a huge hole which can never be filled in our lives," his mother told the 'Birmingham Mail'. "Wearing a seatbelt could have saved his life, at the very least it would have given him a better chance of survival. We can never get Amar back, but I just hope by encouraging both young and old
"It has been the law for more than 30 years to wear a seatbelt and only takes a few seconds to buckle up, but it is still surprising the amount of people who don't. It is very brave of Sukhi to share her experience and hopefully it will hit home� Amar, was hit by a speeding taxi and flung because he was not wearing a seat belt. He died in a Birmingham hospital days later. "We will never get over the loss of Amar. He was such a bright, intelligent, fun-loving boy. He was an innocent victim of the
to try and be as safe as possible, they won't have to go through the heartbreak we have," she said. Speeding taxi driver, 35-yearold Nadeem Hussain, was found guilty of ignoring 'give way' instructions when he drove across a junction without stopping or braking in West Bromwich in the
India-Pak in SCO will help stability: China BEIJING: China has hoped the important countries in South Asia. admission of India and Pakistan China hopes that India and Pakiinto the Beijing-led Shanghai Co- stan can enhance mutual trust operation Organization (SCO) se- and improve relations through curity grouping will contribute to more dialogues. This is conducive security and stability in the region. to not only the two countries Currently, all sides are going themselves, but also to regional through relevant legal procedures prosperity and development," she in accordance with the Memoran- added. dum of Obligations signed at last The SCO is expected to offiyear's SCO summit at Tashkent to admit India and Pakistan, Chinese The SCO is expected to Foreign Ministry officially embrace India and spokesperson Hua Pakistan as full members at Chunying told reportits upcoming summit in the ers here. She was responding capital of Kazakhstan to a question about reports that both the countries may cially embrace India and Pakistan be admitted to the six-member bloc as full members at its upcoming at this year's summit in June and summit in the capital of the impact of the SCO membership Kazakhstan, Secretary General of on their relations. the organization Rashid Alimov "China looks forward to the was quoted as saying in the meearly accession of India and Paki- dia here on March 10. stan to the SCO as full members, The SCO Summit will be held so that they will work with the ex- on June 8-9 in Astana, when welistent members to contribute to coming its seventh and eighth security, stability, common devel- member nations would be a key opment and common prosperity item on the agenda, Alimov anof the region," Hua said. nounced in the account of SCO in "Both India and Pakistan are Sina Weibo, which is similar to China's important neighbors and Twitter in China.-PTI
West Midlands region of England. He was jailed for six years for causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. West Midlands Police has now produced a video featuring images of Amar and Sukhi that will be used during school talks. Special Constable Clive Broadhurst said, "I regularly go around schools to give road safety advice and urge pupils to be strapped in. It can prevent serious injuries or even save your life. "It has been the law for more than 30 years to wear a seatbelt and only takes a few seconds to buckle up, but it is still surprising the amount of people who don't. It is very brave of Sukhi to share her experience and hopefully it will hit home how wearing a seatbelt can make a difference," he said. She does not want any other family to suffer the heartbreak she has had to endure, Broadhurst said. -PTI
'Monitor Internet for harassment of women' NEW YORK: There is need for regulation and monitoring of social media platforms and the medium cannot be allowed to turn into a "weapon of misogyny and harassment" against women in the name of freedom of expression, a top Indian-origin UN Women official has said. UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri voiced concern over the growing prevalence of cyber bullying, trolling and voyeurism, saying that such threats are "magnified" for women and girls and pose a big risk for them. "We are very much in favor of regulation and monitoring of the world wide web and different platforms that exist like Facebook to say that you cannot, in the name of freedom of expression, allow this medium to be turned into another weapon of misogyny, harassment and violence against women and girls," Puri told PTI.
BEIJING: China is set to increase the number of its marine corps from 20,000 to one lakh as part of plans to deploy them overseas for the first time, including at the strategic Gwadar port in Pakistan and military logistics base in Djibouti in the Indian Ocean. The expansion is planned to protect China's maritime lifelines and its growing interests over-
46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through PoK with China's Xinjiang. Reports from Pakistan said the country itself is setting up Special Security Division comprising 15,000 troops, including 9,000 Pakistan Army soldiers and 6,000 para-military forces personnel to protect CPEC and Chinese personnel.
Gwadar port
seas, Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post reported. Some members would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan, Chinese military insiders and experts were quoted as saying. Gwadar port is a deep-sea port next to the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil route in and out of the Persian Gulf, built with Chinese funding and operated by mainland firms. Although the port is not home to any PLA installation, navy ships are expected to dock at the facility in the near future, the report said. Gwadar also connects the USD
The expanded Chinese marine corps is part of a wider push to refocus the world's largest army away from winning a land war based on sheer numbers and towards meeting a range of security scenarios using highly specialized units, the report said. Towards that end, Chinese President Xi Jinping is reducing the size of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by three lakh, with nearly all of the cuts coming from the land forces, it said. For this, two brigades of special combat soldiers had already been moved to the marines, nearly doubling its size to 20,000, and more brigades would be added, the report said.-PTI
Man tries to burn Indian-owned store WASHINGTON: A 64-year-old man attempted to burn down a convenience store owned by Indian-Americans in Florida as he mistakenly thought it was owned by Muslims. Richard Lloyd, who wanted to "run the Arabs out of our country", pushed a dumpster in front of the Port St Lucie store and set the contents on fire. The store was not open at the time of the incident and firefighters quickly extinguished the fire without it causing any property damage. "It's unfortunate that Mr Lloyd
made the assumption that the store owners were Arabic when, in fact, they are of Indian descent," St Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said. Mascara said Lloyd's mental health will be evaluated and the state attorney's office will decide if this was a hate crime. Lloyd told investigators he tried to buy a bottle of juice at the store a few days ago but was told they did not have any. He was also upset because he assumed the store employee was Muslim, CNN affiliate WPEC reported.-PTI
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Casinos want gambling disorders in healthcare LAS VEGAS: The casino industry has asked Congress to retain gambling disorders as a serious public health matter in any changes it makes to President Obama's signature health care law. Industry representatives in a letter urged congressional leaders and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to recognize gambling disorders as an issue that merits inclusion in any replacement to the Affordable Care Act. The letter came a day after House Republicans released their longawaited plan to unravel the law. ``Today, gambling disorders are recognized under the ACA's essential health benefits,'' the representatives wrote. ``We believe this recognition, which did not exist prior to the passage of ACA, is critical not only to enable adequate funding for research, but also to ensure necessary resources and treatment facilities are available.'' The letter was signed by the leaders of the American Gaming Association - the U.S. casino industry's main lobbying group National Indian Gaming Association, National Council on Problem Gambling and Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, established 10 categories of essential health benefits, which include mental health and substance use disorder services. The American Psychiatric Association's in 2013 updated its key reference book for mental health professionals, replacing as an addiction what was previously called pathological gambling as an impulse-control disorder. -AP
Indian impersonated doc for 11 yrs in Australia MELBOURNE: An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a "big failing of the system". Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He then used the identity of the doctor to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown. Details on page 13
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Governors' comments about GOP health plan Details on Page 13
Conservative backlash threatens to sink new GOP health bill WASHINGTON: A powerful conservative backlash threatened to sink the new Republican health care bill less than 24 hours after its launch, even as President Donald Trump and congressional leaders began trying to sell the legislation as the long-promised GOP cure for ``Obamacare.'' ``We're going to do something that's great and I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives,'' Trump declared at the White House as he met with the House GOP vote-counting team. ``We're going to take action. There's going to be no slowing down. There's going to be no waiting and no more excuses by anybody.'' Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence told GOP lawmakers at the Capitol this was their chance to scuttle President Barack Obama's 2010 law, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell forecast congressional passage by early April. But major obstacles loomed as
key Republican lawmakers announced their opposition, and one conservative group after another torched the plan. The Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America, Americans for Prosperity and Tea Party Patriots vari-
ously derided the new bill as Obamacare Lite, Obamacare 2.0 and even RyanCare, in a dig at House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. The new GOP plan would repeal the current law's unpopular
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., center, standing with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., right, and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, speaks during a news conference on the American Health Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington.
fines on people who don't carry health insurance. It also would replace income-based subsidies, which the law provides to help millions of Americans pay premiums, with age-based tax credits that may be skimpier for people with low incomes. Those payments would phase out for higherearning people. The legislation also would limit future federal funding for Medicaid, which covers low-income people, about 1 in 5 Americans. And it would loosen rules that Obama's law imposed for health plans directly purchased by individuals. Republican supporters and opponents are all intent on reducing the role of government in health care, but some House conservatives say the new bill doesn't go nearly far enough. For example, they are focusing on the system of refundable tax credits they denounce as a costly new entitlement. Cont’d on page 14
Health advocates blast GOP bill as harmful SACRAMENTO, Calif.: California health care advocates have blasted a Republican plan to replace President Barack Obama's health care law, warning it would it would have an especially tough impact in the nation's largest state. As Gov. Jerry Brown's administration and officials in the state Legislature rushed to analyze the GOP legislation for its effects on California, advocacy groups said the legislation would likely mean some people lose health coverage while others face higher costs. ``California has the most to lose because we had the greatest expansion of coverage under the Affordable Care Act,'' Anthony Wright, executive director of the Sacramento-based advocacy group Health Access, said on a conference call with reporters.
California embraced Obama's 2010 health law and held itself up as a national model for how it could be implemented effectively. More than 1 million people bought cov-
erage through a new health insurance marketplace, Covered California, while nearly 4 million more joined Medicaid, a health plan for the poor jointly funded by the
Cruz Ramirez, center, of Santa Ana, shared her cancer experience and spoke about her concerns over the new GOP healthcare plan where about a dozen community members rallied outside Rep. Mimi Walters' office in Irvine, Calif., They called for Walters to vote "no" on the new GOP healthcare plan with concerns over possibly losing their healthcare.
state and federal governments and known in California as MediCal. As a result, the state's uninsured rate dropped from 17.2 percent in 2013, before the law fully took effect, to 7.4 percent in 2016. President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress say the law, which they call ``Obamacare,'' forced people who don't get health insurance from an employer to buy coverage with high monthly premiums and deductibles. ``We're going to do something that's great, and I'm proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives,'' Trump declared at the White House. The GOP bill would change the way subsidies are offered for people who buy their own health care. Cont’d on page 14
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GOP bill compared with Obama-era law WASHINGTON: At first glance, the new health care bill from House Republicans appears to have similarities to the Obamaera law, like tax credits, protections for people with health problems, and the ability of parents to keep young adults on their insurance. But in most cases those components would work very differently under the GOP framework than is currently the case with the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Key details about the Republican plan are still unknown, including cost and coverage. Here's a comparison between Obama's ACA, which is current law, and the GOP's bill: COVERAGE Current law: About 11 million people are covered by expanded Medicaid in the 31 states that accepted it. Nationwide another 12 million buy private health insurance through government-sponsored markets that offer plans with
subsidized premiums. The national uninsured rate is below 9 percent, a historic low. GOP bill: Extent of coverage is unknown at this time, as well as its impact on the nation's unin-
sured rate. COST Current law: Coverage costs of about $1.4 trillion from 2017-2026, based on Congressional Budget
Office estimates. GOP bill: Unknown at this time; Republican aides say CBO numbers are coming shortly. MEDICAID
Current law: States that accept expanded Medicaid receive a generous federal match, gradually phasing down to 90 percent. The expansion covers people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $16,640 for an individual. Most new beneficiaries are low-income adults with no children living at home. More broadly, Medicaid is now the country's largest House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, and House health insurance proEnergy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., meet with gram, covering more reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, as House Republicans introduce their plan to than 70 million people repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. under a federal-state collaboration. It remains an openended entitlement, allowing states to draw down federal money for a portion of health costs incurred by low-income people, from children to nursing home residents.
Governors' comments about GOP health plan
S
ome governors, including Republicans, are unhappy with a GOP proposal to replace former President Barack Obama's health care law and say they will work on their own legislation to compete with the House bill introduced Monday. A sampling of their comments: ``We want to make sure that we continue to be a state where virtually everybody is covered and people feel they have the access they need and the coverage they need to stay healthy.'' - Gov. Charlie
which is a big concern to me. I want to make sure that people in Illinois are not left in the lurch or that there's a lot of pressure to reduce insurance coverage for people in Illinois. I'm very concerned about that.'' -Gov. Bruce Rauner, Illinois, Republican. ``I will do everything in my power to oppose Trumpcare, which benefits millionaires at the expense of hardworking Rhode Islanders and would destroy our progress to provide affordable, quality health care to almost all of
``We've said all along, `Work with the governors,' that it should be a governor-led effort ... Well, they came out with their own bill, which doesn't include anything that the governors have talked about.'' - Gov. Brian Sandoval, Nevada, Republican. Baker, Massachusetts, Republican. ``It's important that in the health care reform that the federal government is looking at that they don't leave the states holding the bag.'' - Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina, Democrat. ``It's a pretty significant shift and my first blush read is Illinois won't do very well under the changes they're recommending,
our people.'' - Gov. Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island, Democrat. The proposal ``is an important first step to lower costs and increase choices for Americans in need of health care.'' - Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin, Republican. ``This proposal simply shifts costs to those who can least afford it. It would also make our state's budget challenges even worse." - Gov. John Carney, Dela-
ware, Democrat. ``We've said all along, `Work with the governors,' that it should be a governor-led effort ... Well, they came out with their own bill, which doesn't include anything that the governors have talked about.'' - Gov. Brian Sandoval, Nevada, Republican. ``I would have liked to have seen more flexibility being given to the states.'' - Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas, Republican. ``The proposal put forth by Congressional Republicans will hurt low-income people, the elderly, people with disabilities and those who need long-term care. This means loss of coverage for people with cancer, diabetes and seniors who are already struggling with costs. These are not scare stories, these are facts.'' Gov. Jay Inslee, Washington, Democrat. ``This is a work in progress. There are many competing interests, particularly between states with and without expanded Medicaid. I don't believe there is a national solution to this conundrum. Rather, we must empower states with the control and flexibility needed to innovate new solutions that address lowering the actual costs of care.'' - Gov. Doug Burgum, North Dakota, Republican.-AP
generous assistance goes to people with low-to-modest incomes. Many solid middle-class households get no help despite sharp increases in premiums. GOP bill: Provides tax credits primarily based on age, gradually phasing down for individuals making over $75,000, or married couples earning more than $150,000. Credits can be used to buy any state-licensed health plan. More middle-class consumers will benefit, but there's concern lower-income people would be disadvantaged. DEDUCTIBLES Current law: Provides costsharing subsidies for low-to-moderate income people who buy a standard silver plan in the government markets. GOP bill: Eliminates ACA's cost-sharing subsidies, but allows people to make much higher contributions to tax-sheltered health savings accounts, to cover deductibles and copayments. Sets up a fund that states can use for a variety of purposes, including cost-sharing assistance. PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS Current law: Forbids insurers from turning people down on ac-
Medicaid is now the country's largest health insurance program, covering more than 70 million people under a federal-state collaboration. It remains an open-ended entitlement, allowing states to draw down federal money GOP bill: Ends the higher federal match for Medicaid expansion beneficiaries, starting in 2020. States can still continue to receive some enhanced federal payments, but only for expansion enrollees who were already covered before that. States will get a lower match for new enrollees. But more significantly, the bill would overhaul the framework of Medicaid, ending its open-ended federal financing. Starting with the 2020 fiscal year, each state would receive a limited, per-beneficiary amount based on enrollment and costs. States would gain flexibility to cap enrollment and change benefits. Federal payments would be increased according to a measure of medical inflation. Impacts are unclear. PRIVATE COVERAGE FOR INDIVIDUALS Current law: Provides incomebased tax credits for consumers buying government-regulated plans through HealthCare.gov and state insurance markets. The most
count of medical problems, or charging them more. GOP bill: Provides protection for people with health problems. But consumers who have not maintained continuous insurance coverage face a 30 percent premium penalty for a year. States can use federal funds to set up highrisk pools as insurers of last result. GENERATIONAL BALANCE Current law: Insurers can charge their oldest customers no more than 3 times what they charge young adults. That benefits older adults prone to illness but has made coverage costly for young people. GOP bill: Insurers could charge older customers up to 5 times what they charge young adults. Advocates for older people complain that's unfair. YOUNG ADULTS Current law: Can stay on parental insurance until age 26. GOP bill: Same. -AP
Health Science Post
March 17, 2017
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Indian impersonated doc for 11 yrs in Australia MELBOURNE: An Indian man in Australia has been accused of impersonating a doctor and working in various hospitals for more than a decade with the immigration minister terming the case as a "big failing of the system". Shyam Acharya took the name of another man in India, Sarang Chitale, before he began a new life
ing the consequences could have been "diabolical" if he had posed a national security threat. Acharya worked for NSW Health as a junior doctor from 2003 to May 2014 at four hospitals in Australia. In 2013, Acharya worked for international pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, before moving
A doctor has been dubbed Australia's own Leonardo DiCaprio (centre) in Catch Me If You Can, after he allegedly posed as a doctor - mirroring what DiCaprio's character did in the movie
in Australia, where he registered with the Medical Board of New South Wales (NSW) in 2003, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He then used the identity of the doctor to gain employment in the NSW public health system. The authorities have been unable to find or contact him saying his current whereabouts are unknown. Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the issue is a "big failing of the system", warn-
to medical research group Novatech in 2016. The alleged deception was not detected until November 2016, when the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency began investigating him for "falsely holding himself out as a registered medical practitioner". Australian Federal Police, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
have been alerted. NSW Health was notified shortly afterwards and launched its own investigation, deputy secretary Karen Crawshaw said. "It is alleged in these proceedings that Acharya appropriated another doctor's name and medical qualifications while living in India and that he used these stolen and other fraudulent documents to gain registration falsely with the Medical Board of NSW," Crawshaw said. "The matters currently before the court do not deal with how he was able to enter and leave Australia or how he obtained Australian citizenship in the name of the other doctor," she said. The matter is due to return to court in early April. Acharya has been charged under section 116 of the Health Practitioner National Regulation Law (NSW), which makes it an offence to use a title that could make others believe you are a registered medical professional. If he is convicted, he faces a fine of up to USD 30,000. NSW Health said Acharya was a junior doctor with limited registration, meaning he was required to work under the supervision of others. "It is noted that Acharya's involvement was only as one of a number in the clinical team that treated the patient. NSW Health has notified solicitors acting for the patient," Crawshaw said. PTI
Yoga may help combat depression BOSTON: Participating in yoga and deep breathing classes twice a week along with home practice may effectively reduce the symptoms of depression, a new study claims. The findings provide support for the use of yoga-based interventions as an alternative or supplement to pharmacologic treatments for depression, researchers said. "This study supports the use of yoga and coherent breathing intervention in major depressive disorder in people who are not on antidepressants and in those who have been on a stable dose of antidepressants and have not achieved a resolution of their symptoms," said Chris Streeter, associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine in the US. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common, recurrent, chronic and disabling. Due in part
to its prevalence, depression is globally responsible for more years lost to disability than any other disease, researchers said. Up to 40 per cent of individuals treated with antidepressant medications for MDD do not achieve full remission. The study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, used lyengar yoga that has an emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture and breath control. Individuals with MDD were randomized to the high dose group, three 90-minute classes a week along with home practice, or the low dose group, two 90minute classes a week, plus home practice. Both groups had significant decreases in their depressive symptoms and no significant differences in compliance.
Although a greater number of subjects in the high dose group had less depressive symptoms, the researchers believe attending twice weekly classes (plus home practice) may constitute a less burdensome but still effective way to gain the mood benefits from the intervention. According to Dr Streeter compared with mood altering medications, this intervention has the advantages of avoiding additional drug side effects and drug interactions. "While most pharmacologic treatment for depression target monoamine systems, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, this intervention targets the parasympathetic and gamma aminobutyric acid system and provides a new avenue for treatment," said Dr Streeter, who is also a psychiatrist at Boston Medical Centre. -PTI
838 stones removed from woman's gall bladder NEW DELHI: Over 830 stones were removed from the gallbladder of a 60-year-old woman at a hospital in Delhi, doctors said here. The patient, suspected to be suffering from a cancerous tumor, had also been experiencing intermittent bouts of fever and was advised to go for an ultrasound and CT scan. A team of specialists at Fortis
when we opened the gallbladder to look at what was inside before sending it for biopsy, to our astonishment, we found several hundred small and large gall stones inside it. In total, there were 838 gallstones," Mr Javed said. Gallstones cause inflammation of gall bladder, severe pain and symptoms of indigestion and complications like blockage of the bile duct, leading to jaundice, severe infection, and pancreatitis. They are also commonly found in patients with gall bladder cancer. "The only remedy to both gallstones as well as cancer of the gallbladder is complete removal of the organ. GallPushpa had been experiencing acute stomach pain stones are along with intermittent episodes of fever. She was masses formed feverish and in extreme pain when she came to the hospital recently and was advised to undergo an abnormally in ultrasound and CT scan. the gall bladder or bile ducts Hospital in Shalimar Bagh per- from bile pigments, cholesterol, formed a two-hour laparoscopic and calcium salts. procedure on the patient in Janu"Gallstones can also develop ary to remove her gallbladder. when there is too much cholesterol "The patient's gallbladder was in the bile secreted by the liver. extremely inflamed and had grown The incidents of gallbladder cansix times its original size. As per cer in North and Central India are plan, this was a laparoscopic sur- very high, and commoner in gery wherein her gallbladder women. Northern India is much would be removed," said Amit more prone to gallbladder cancer Javed, consultant, gastrointesti- than South India," said Mahipal nal surgery, at Fortis Hospital. Bhanot, Facility Director at the "However, after its removal, hospital. -PTI
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Health Science Post
March 17, 2017
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Conservative backlash threatens to sink new GOP health bill Cont’d from page 11
They're demanding a vote on a straightforward repeal-only bill. At the White House meeting, Trump made clear to House Republicans that he would be personally engaging with individual members who oppose the bill as leadership tries to round up votes, according to a lawmaker present who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private gathering. Not long after, Trump appeared to be making good on his promise, tweeting at Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has criticized the bill. ``I feel sure that my friend (at) RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!'' the president wrote. The president plans to reconvene the group next week. The concerted conservative opposition was a remarkable rebuke to legislation GOP leaders hope will fulfill seven years of promises to repeal and replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, pledges that played out in countless Republican campaigns for
House and Senate as well as last year's race for president. Instead, the groups that are uniting to oppose the new House legislation include many that sprang up to oppose passage of ``Obamacare'' in the first place. ``As the bill stands today, it is Obamacare 2.0,'' the billionaire Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. ``Millions of Americans would never
sional Budget Office on the cost of the bill and how many people would be covered, although GOP lawmakers acknowledge they can't hope to match the 20 million covered under Obamacare. Democrats say the bill would leave many people uninsured, shifting costs to states and hospital systems that act as providers of last resort. The bill also adds up to big tax breaks for the rich, cutting more than 20 taxes enacted under Obama's Notes of caution also came from GOP gov- heath law, with the bulk of the ernors, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich arguing savings going that phasing out expanded Medicaid cover- to the wealthiage without a viable alternative is ``counter- est Americans. ``This is a productive'' and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner tax cut for the wealthy with saying he was ``very concerned'' that some health inpeople will be ``left in the lurch'' surance provisions tacked see the improvements in care they were alongside of it,'' said Senate Minority Leader promised, just as Obamacare failed to de- Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. liver on its promises.'' Many conservatives are hardly happier. Republicans are pushing forward even The new legislation is ``not the without official estimates from the Congres- Obamacare replacement plan, not the Obamacare repeal plan we've been hoping for. This is instead a step in the wrong direction,'' Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said at an afternoon news conference with Rand Paul and members of the House Freedom Caucus. Caucus members command enough votes to take down the bill in the House,
but the group's chairman, Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, struck a conciliatory tone, emphasizing they are open to negotiation and view the leadership bill as a starting point. Notes of caution also came from GOP governors, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich arguing that phasing out expanded Medicaid coverage without a viable alternative is ``counterproductive'' and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner saying he was ``very concerned'' that people will be ``left in the lurch'' under the House GOP plan. AARP also objected, saying the bill would ``dramatically increase health care costs for Americans aged 50-64'' and put the health care of millions at risk. The organization, which has nearly 38 million members, was pivotal to the passage of Obama's law in 2010. Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent congressional leaders a letter praising the GOP plan, calling it ``absolutely critical in taking steps to restore choice, flexibility and innovation to the nation's health care markets.'' Committee votes on the new bill in the House, and GOP leaders hope to push it through the Senate soon thereafter. Even as some Republicans expressed doubts about whether that would be possible, Speaker Ryan said at an afternoon news conference, ``We'll have 218 when this thing comes to the floor, I can guarantee you that.'' That's the number of votes needed for passage. -AP
Health advocates blast GOP bill as harmful Cont’d from page 11
Some people with lower incomes would see smaller subsidies, while some middleincome customers would get more support. Rather than charging an additional tax for people who go without coverage, the plan seeks to encourage people to be covered by allowing insurance companies to impose a 30 percent penalty if coverage lapses for more than 63 days. Those changes will make it harder for lower-income people to afford coverage and will likely discourage healthy people from buying coverage, driving up prices, Wright said. The bill would also cap the expansion of Medicaid in 2020 and change the way the program is funded. Instead of a guaranteed payment for the services provided, the federal government would offer states a set amount per person. Brown said he wants to know more before he weighs in. The Congressional Budget Office has not released its nonpartisan analysis of the legislation's costs and effects.
``We want to know who is getting covered, what's behind the curtain,'' Brown told reporters while visiting a jail in Modesto. ``This thing, it's been in secret, and now it's up to the analysts, the Congress, and the press to expose the full details and then you'll get a comment from me about how good or how bad it is.'' The Democratic governor sent a letter in January to U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, imploring him not to enact legislation that requires more people to seek basic health care in emergency rooms or that shifts costs to the states. Liberal health care advocates have aggressively targeted McCarthy, the No. 2 Republican in the House, and other Republican lawmakers from the Central Valley. As many as half of the residents of some districts get health coverage through Medi-Cal. Lizelda Lopez, a spokeswoman for Covered California, said the agency is still studying the legislation and would not comment. The nonpartisan legislative analyst's office also was studying it. -AP
March 17, 2017
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Desi News Drs Kiran & Pallavi Patel pledge $5-mn to Florida Hospital
COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA
SURI ULLA
TAMPA, FL: Florida Hospital Carrollwood has received a significant donation of $5 million from Dr. Kiran Patel and his wife, Dr. Pallavi Patel. It will help fund a $21 million project aimed to bring a modernized Catheterization (Cath) Lab and sizable Emergency Department expansion to the Tampa Bay community. "We are all in, to help make Florida Hospital Carrollwood's Cardiac Cath Lab second to none and are excited to bring this advanced facility to the community that we call home," said Dr. Kiran Patel. "We feel blessed that the Patels have chosen Florida Hospital Carrollwood to donate $5 million. This major contribution will help us better serve our community by building a state-of-the-art Cath Lab. Details on page 18
Dr Dayal T. Meshri receives one more award FRANCESCA BRAVA
16 India Post
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Seven 'Chakras', Color Therapy & Vastu
March 17, 2017
Protests continue against CNN's Hinduphobic TV show India Post News Service
SAN FRANCISCO BAYAREA, USA: Hundreds of Hindu-Americans in different cities in the United States of America, including San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, New York, Atlanta and Washington DC, led protest marches against a recent TV show on CNN which the Hindus believe, perpetuates Hinduphobia. "At a time when a number of incidents of hate crimes and racial slurs have been reported across the country against Indians and Hindus, it is sad that CNN has allowed Hinduphobia to be
Assembly member Ash Kalra at the protest
TULSA OK: A Tulsa based Advance Research Chemicals Inc. headed by Dr. Dayal T. Meshri, an India origin internationally renowned scientist, has received the Linde Electronics Preferred Supplier Award for 2016 in recognition of its continuous support and commitment to Linde Electronics. The global supplier performance award is one way that Linde Electronics shows its appreciation to suppliers and encourages all suppliers to strive toward continuous improvement.
perpetuated through this show." said Mani Keeran of the Coalition Against Hinduphobia, a group of Hindu and Interfaith community organizations leading the protests. He demanded an unconditional apology from both Reza Aslan and the CNN. The show 'Believer', which CNN calls a "spiritual adventure series" is hosted by a controversial TV host named Reza Aslan. Cont’d on page 19
Details on page 18
Caribbean varsity helps students to get MD SURENDRA ULLAL
CHICAGO: Avalon University School of Medicine, owned and operated by practicing, teaching physicians provides a North American based curriculum for students to earn their MD Degree. Upon graduation, students are eligible to apply for residency and licensure in North America. It offers a 5-Year Premed/MD Program for high school graduates, and a 4-Year MD Program for college graduates or eligible college students, who have completed the required undergraduate coursework. Details on page 21
Details on page 25
New deadline for foreign account holders SHIV R. JHAWAR
T
he filing deadline for the Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) has changed. To ensure U.S. taxpayers pay income taxes on their worldwide income, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) developed the FBAR. In the past, this form was due on June 30, but starting 2016 calendar year, the form will be due by the due date of the federal income tax return - April 15 (April 18th in this year 2017). The threshold for the filing requirement is for a U.S. taxpayer with the aggregate value of all foreign account balances (Bank accounts, Savings accounts, In-
vestment accounts, Securities accounts, Mutual Funds. Foreign Trusts, Foreign Retirement Plans, Foreign Business and/or Corporate Accounts, Insurance Policies including some Life Insurance, Foreign Accounts held in a Controlled Foreign Corporation, or Foreign Accounts held in a Passive Foreign Investment Company) Shiv R. that exceed $10,000 at any point of time during the calendar year. What this
means: if you have 11 accounts with $1000 in them at any given time during the year, you are STILL required to file the FBAR and list all the foreign accounts on it, even if none of the accounts exceed $10,000. A U.S. taxpayer includes a United States citizen, Legal Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or a U.S. visa holder Jhawar who meets the Substantial Presence Test. The FBAR is filed every year
to the US Treasury Department via FinCEN (not to the IRS). The FBAR does not generate any additional tax -it simply exists as a reporting requirement. This "Disclosure" prevents the hiding of foreign assets and income as a way to avoid US income tax. Failure to file the FBAR can result in significant civil and/or criminal penalties. If you are unsure as to whether you need to file the FBAR, the IRS Website should help you, but you can also visit www.srjtax.com if you need FBAR filing services. Shiv Jhawar is Master in Accounting from Univ. of IL at Urbana-Champaign
March 17, 2017
Community Across America
India Post 17
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BART's Warm Springs extension Incentives shift BART opens March 25 riders out of rush India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: BART's Warm Springs Extension will open for service on Saturday, March 25. The 5.4-mile extension connects the existing Fremont Station to the new Warm Springs/South Fremont Station. The new station includes 2,082 parking spots, including 42 electronic car charging stations as well as intermodal connections to A/C Transit and VTA buses. "This will be history in the mak-
ing," said BART Director Tom Blalock, who serves Fremont and has been a leader in making the extension a reality. "This will bring BART service to the residents of fast growing south Fremont. They'll have a reliable, environmentally-responsible alternative to driving on the sometime nightmarish Nimitz Freeway." The Warm Springs Extension also paves the way for BART to Silicon Valley, a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority project that's underway and is expected
to open for service later this year. One day before beginning service, BART will host an Opening Celebration. At 10 until noon on Friday March 24. BART will welcome neighbors, elected leaders and anyone interested in the new station. On the day of the celebration, free shuttles will run from Fremont Station to the new station every 15-20 minutes from 8:45 am to 1 pm. The station is located at 45193 Warm Springs Blvd.
India Post News Service
ers targeted by the program did in fact shift. The first program of its kind in North America, Perks was modeled after successful international transit rewards programs, and showed comparable results to a similar program deployed in Singapore. "BART's cars may be the oldest in the country, but in many ar-
FREMONT, CA: "BART Perks," a six-month test incentive program offered by BART and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), concluded on February 28. Preliminary results reveal that incentives can successfully shift the travel behavior of BART riders. The Perks program incentivized riders to The first program of its kind shift travel times away from the peak morning in North America, Perks hour of 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 was modeled after suca.m. to reduce crowding. During the six-month cessful international transit trial period, an average rewards programs of 250 Perks participants shifted their ride either before or after the peak morning eas BART is at the cutting edge," rush hour each weekday. That said BART Board member Nick amounts to the equivalent of two Josefowitz. "This program shows full BART cars being freed up each the benefits we can deliver to our weekday during BART's busiest riders and to the region by stratehour. About 2,600 Perks partici- gically deploying new technolpants traveled during the peak ogy." hour each day before the program, Cont’d on page 20 meaning about 10% of these rid-
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March 17, 2017
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Drs Kiran & Pallavi Patel pledge $5-mn to Florida Hospital SURI ULLA
TAMPA, FL: Florida Hospital art Cath Lab. In addition, these funds will Carrollwood has received a significant do- go directly to expanding our emergency nation of $5 million from Dr. Kiran Patel and department. Most people look forward to his wife, Dr. Pallavi Patel. It will help fund a receiving gifts on their birthday however, $21 million project aimed to bring a modernized Catheterization (Cath) Lab and sizable Emergency Department expansion to the Tampa Bay community. "We are all in, to help make Florida H o s p i t a l Carrollwood's Cardiac Cath Lab second to none and are excited to bring this advanced facility to the community that we call home," said Dr. Kiran Patel. "We feel blessed Dr Kiran Patel and Dr Pallavi Patel that the Patels have chosen Florida Hospital Carrollwood to donate $5 million. This Dr. Patel is celebrating his birthday today, major contribution will help us better serve by giving back to the community," said Joe our community by building a state-of-the- Johnson, President and CEO of Florida Hos-
pital Carrollwood. A noted Indian American entrepreneur and philanthropist from Tampa, Dr. Kiran Patel is the Chairman and President of Freedom Health, Inc. and Optimum Health, Inc in Florida. He sees philanthropy as his responsibility and passion. Dr. Patel built the WellCare Management Group which he sold in 2002 to a private equity group. The Patels have used these proceeds to continue their generous philanthropic work in the Tampa Bay community. Recently Dr. Patel purchased the former Clearwater Christian College property and has plans to create a college of osteopathic medicine to attract more doctors to this area. Their non-profit organization, the Kiran and Pallavi Patel Foundation for Global Understanding, funds a number of initiatives in health, education and culture. It even offers an annual scholarship to the underprivileged youth in United States. As longtime residents of the Carrollwood community, the Patels have been giving
back to the Tampa Bay area for decades. In addition to their previous accomplishments, Dr Patel served as an accomplished Cardiologist and his wife, Dr Pallavi Patel, specialized in Pediatrics. Dr. Kiran Patel celebrated his birthday with his loving wife by his side as well as Florida Hospital Carrollwood's fellow physicians and staff by officially pledging $5
million to these hospital projects. The new Cath Lab will open in July 2017 and ground-breaking on the "Dr. Kiran C. Patel" emergency department expansion will occur in late 2017. Conveniently located for Tampa Bay Area residents, Florida Hospital Carrollwood is a 120-bed acute care facility that specializes in providing comprehensive medical services.
Dr Meshri receives one more award FRANCESCA BRAVA
Dr Dayal Meshri receiving Linde Electronics' Award
TULSA OK: A Tulsa based Advance Research Chemicals Inc. headed by Dr. Dayal T. Meshri, an India origin internationally renowned scientist, has received the Linde Electronics Preferred Supplier Award for 2016 in recognition of its continuous support and commitment to Linde Electronics. The global supplier performance award is one way that Linde Electronics shows its appreciation to suppliers and encourages all suppliers to strive toward continuous improvement. Advance Research Chemicals (ARC) is
known as a reliable resource in the field of specialty chemicals. Many of the world's largest companies are closely associated with ARC as business partners in the manufacturing of specialty materials for their products. Linde Electronics is committed to leading and exceeding customer expectations by providing reliable, consistent and competitive electronic material products to global semiconductor, display, solar and LED markets. Cont’d on page 22
Community Across America
March 17, 2017
India Post 19
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Prayer meeting for Kansas victim ASHWIN PATEL
Vigil for Kansas victims in St Louis
Prayer meeting in St Louis. -Pics Sasi Suruliraj
ST LOUIS: The India Association of St. Louis in league with other organizations held an hour of prayer and day time vigil on Saturday, March 4 at Mahatma Gandhi center in memory of Srinivas Kuchibotla who lost his life due to the possible hate crime during a Kansas shooting at the Bar & Grill. President Shailee Saran Varanasi started the hour with a minute of silence and the attendees held a candle to support the unity and diversity of the US. Representatives of non-Indian organizations also attended the
event. After the vigil there was group discussion moderated by Ila Taylor and Uma Segal. Attendees were given a chance to speak to elaborate on any incidents
they encountered and to show their support to avoid such negative incidents. Other faith and non-religious representatives showed their
Other faith and non-religious representatives showed their support by speaking about how we should be united together to remove the evil from society. Senator Mccaskill was not able to attend and instead sent a video message for the event to show his support
support by speaking about how we should be united together to remove the evil from society. Senator Mccaskill was not able to attend and instead sent a video message for the event to show his support. The event was covered by local news media which includes Fox2, NPR and St. Louis Post Dispatch. The following day Fox 2 had news segment to interview the moderators and other board members to elaborate on the action plans to be drafted against hate crime.
Protests continue against CNN's Hinduphobic TV show Cont’d from page 16
The show has drawn criticism for its inaccuracies and dehumanizing depiction of Hinduism and India and has been castigated for, among many things, resorting to sensationalism and shock journalism, calling the holy Hindu city of Varanasi as "the city of dead", mischaracterizing and essentializing Hinduism into the practices of a fringe sect and calling the river Ganga "a giant toilet." Dr Vamsee Juluri, an Indian American professor of Media studies at the University of San Francisco called the show "reckless, racist and dangerously antiimmigrant." Pointing out several inaccuracies, mistranslations and mis-characterizations in the show he said "It is one saddening reality that despite having had immigrants in America for so many decades now, a major news channel
like CNN still cannot do better than the old Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom sort of story when it comes to India." "Far from wanting to experience any spirituality within Hinduism, Reza Aslan seems to have gone to India only to confirm his Orientalist biases," said Chandrashekar Wagh of the Coalition Against Hinduphobia. The protests were joined by many prominent leaders of the community as well as elected leaders. Ash Kalra, the first Hindu member of California Assembly who joined the protests at Milpitas said "The hate crimes against different communities including the Hindu-American community are based on ignorance and what CNN showed would only accentuate these crimes." He said "the media had the responsibility of educating people about all communities and not spread ignorance."
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IFFLA opens with Lipstick Under My Burkha India Post News Service
LOS ANGELES, CA: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) has announced its galas and 2017 lineup of narrative and
available at www.indianfilmfestival.org. Tickets for individual films will go on sale on March 17. The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of Lipstick Under My Burkha
documentary features, and short films for its 15th annual festival. Gala tickets and passes are now
groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
(IFFLA) will take place April 5-9 at Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center in Los Angeles, California. This will be IFFLA's first year in the state-of-the-art, worldclass cinema in the heart of Los Angeles' vibrant and developing downtown district. Zee Cinema is returning for a third year as IFFLA's presenting sponsor. "As India's diverse array of talented filmmakers continues to be recognized around the world for their compelling and daring work, IFFLA is extremely proud to collect the best films from emerging voices and experienced masters and present them to Los Angeles," said Mike Dougherty, Director of Programming. The Festival will open with Lipstick Under My Burkha and its impressive ensemble cast of Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumraand Plabita
Borthakur in a dramatic, but irreverent and vibrant film about women and faith. The film premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival 2016 and has been lighting up the festival circuit, including just win-
Hotel Salvation
ning the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. Director Alankrita Shrivastava is confirmed
Incentives shift BART riders out of rush Cont’d from page 17
Exceeding expectations for 10,000 sign-ups, almost 18,000 BART riders participated in the Perks program trial that ran from the end of August 2016 through February 2017. Participants were eligible to win cash rewards by signing up for the test program and were incentivized to shift their commute outside of the morning rush hour by receiving additional rewards for trips starting before 7:30 a.m. or after 8:30 a.m. Participants frequently shared the results of their cash rewards on social media, helping to spread the word about the program. "Through BART Perks, we see that incentives can be used to shift behavior and create strong customer interest in rewards programs," said Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, which serves as the congestion management agency for the county. "While a complete program analysis is still to come, we are encouraged by the program's results to date, including the ability to manage peak demands while garnering overall rider satisfaction and employer support." Perks' incentive model is based on the economic theory of nudging, wherein even a small reward can lead to adjustments in behavior. Each month Perks awarded an average of $35,000 to all program participants, and roughly $210,000 was awarded over the life of the program. On average, participants earned close to $3/month, with
about 10 different participants per month being paid $100 or more based on their participation in the "Spin to Win" game. Each month, rewards were transferred to participants' PayPal accounts. The program complemented BART's long-term efforts to reduce crowding and congestion on trains and in stations, which includes redesigning cars to increase capacity and running additional ten car trains with the arrival of the Fleet of the Future and a new train control system. These upgrades are particularly impor-
data, staff performed this same calculation for the commute pattern of non-participants in order to understand whether there were other factors that could have caused the shift in rider behavior. While the program was of too small a scale to result in noticeable crowding reduction on BART, initial results reveal the program did successfully reduce peak hour travel among participants. Perks included an employer partnership program in order to increase employer support for greater adoption of flexible work
tant for the approximately 28,000 riders who travel to San Francisco through the Transbay Tube on BART during the peak hour each weekday morning. During the peak hour, BART carries almost double the number of people carried over the Bay Bridge in private vehicles (there are 14,200 estimated private vehicle riders). BART and the SFCTA measured the effects of the Perks program by comparing the percentage of rush hour trips participants made on an average weekday morning before the program to their behavior during the program. Based on BART's overall ridership
a.m. or 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Points could be exchanged for small cash rewards or used to play the "Spin to Win" game for the chance to pick up additional points or random cash rewards from $1 to $100. The program was funded primarily through a Federal Highway Administration grant program that supports innovative approaches to reducing congestion through pricing and incentives. Funding was also provided by BART and San Francisco's half-cent sales tax for transportation.
schedules. Fifteen employers signed up as BART Perks Partners and were committed to promoting the program among their employees, including UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Alliant International University, CRI, and Integral Group.
Lessons Learned To achieve even greater levels of rider shifting, future travel incentives programs for BART would need to be designed to better target individuals who are frequent riders during the busiest periods on the transit system. In addition to testing whether crowding can be reduced through rider incentives, Perks also aimed to increase customer satisfaction among BART riders. In December 2016, BART and SFCTA assessed the satisfaction of BART riders who opted into Perks, and results showed that 67 percent of participants reported being satisfied with the program.
How BART Perks Worked Beginning in August 2016, participants could sign up for Perks at BARTperks.com using their email address and Clipper Card number. Perks offered riders points for all travel on BART, and up to six times as many points by starting their trip either 6:30 a.m. to 7:30
What's Next SFCTA and BART are in the process of a full evaluation of the program's results which is expected to be completed by fall 2017. Based on the findings, the agencies will consider how to proceed with further strategies to reduce rush hour crowding.
To achieve even greater levels of rider shifting, future travel incentives programs for BART would need to be designed to better target individuals who are frequent riders during the busiest periods on the transit system.
to attend and additional talent to be confirmed. Festival will close with the Los Angeles premiere of Hotel Salvation, the debut feature of Shubhashish Bhutiani, whose
2013 short film Kush was shortlisted for the Live Action Short Film Oscar and won IFFLA's 2014 Audience Award. Hotel Salvation premiered in the College Cinema section of the 2016 Venice Film Festival. The film's star Adil Hussain (Life of Pi, Umrika, Parched) will attend IFFLA's Closing Night gala representing the film. This year the festival will feature two World premieres, five North American premieres, five U.S. premieres, and eleven LA premieres. This festival premieres work representing nine languages and highlights a combination of exciting first and second-time filmmakers and experienced cinema masters returning with new work. More films from first-time directors will be presented this year than ever before, including the di-
This year the festival will feature two World premieres, five North American premieres, five U.S. premieres, and eleven LA premieres rectorial debut of beloved actress Konkona Sen Sharma with her film A Death in the Gunj featuring an all-star cast of Gulshan Devaiah, Kalki Koechlin, Om Puri and Vikrant Massey in this dramatic thriller. Additionally first-time filmmaker Ananya Kasaravalli brings The Chronicles of Hari, a beautiful film about a renowned theater actor's struggle with gender identity which she co-wrote with writer Gopalakrisna Pai and her father, acclaimed Kannada language director Girish Kasaravalli. Cont’d on page 23
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Caribbean varsity helps students to get MD SURENDRA ULLAL
CHICAGO: Avalon University School of Medicine, owned and operated by practicing, teaching physicians provides a North American based curriculum for students to earn their MD Degree. Upon graduation, students are eligible to apply for residency and licensure in North America. It offers a 5-Year Premed/MD Program for high school graduates, and a 4-Year MD Program for college graduates or eligible college students, who have completed the required undergraduate coursework. AUSOM was founded in 2003 and is chartered by the government of Curaçao. Curaçao is one of the most developed and modern islands in the Caribbean, providing a friendly and unique atmosphere for our pre-med and medical students to excel in their education. Cont’d on page 23
Small size classes and great faculty
Health fair at the University
White Coat ceremony
A group of graduate students
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Mandi Theater celebrates Women's Day JAYANTI OZA
Consul General of India, Chicago, opened an exhibition of local women artists' paintings. L to R: Alka Sharma (Mandi Theater), Parasotam Pandya (Bhartiya Seniors), CG Neeta Bhushan
Consul General of India, Chicago, Neeta Bhushan and Mandi Theater's Alka Sharma with participants
CHICAGO: Over 200 people participated at Women's Day celebration 2017 at Ranaregan Community in Carol Stream on March 4. The celebration was organized by Mandi Theater Group of Chicago and was supported by
Bhartiya Senior Citizens of Chicago among others. The program began with a welcome to Neeta Bhushan, the new Consulate General of India in Chicago, by Mandi Theater's Alka Sharma and BSC's Parasotam
Pandya. This was followed by Little Girls Fashion show, mono acting with a series of "Beti Bachao" stories highlighting India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign. CG Neeta Bhushan congratulated and
Gujarati play staged at Meadows Club SURESH SHAH
CHICAGO: Over 650 people attended an enjoyable Gujarati Drama "Jyan Laxmi Tyan Narayan" organized by Big Suchir-Niranjan and Hitesh Gandhi, at Meadows Club Banquet in Rolling Meadows last week. The event was also supported by organizations like Gandhi Samaj of Chicago, Lohana Association, Bhartiya Senior Citizens, United Senior Pariwar, Shreejidwar Haveli, Senior Pariwar Elgin. Plaque was given to Chief Guest Gurmeet Singh Dhalwan of Adbhut entertainment for his ex-
Gujarati drama lamp lighting
cellent services to the entertainment industry At the end, Hitesh Gandhi thanked all members of audience for coming to the drama which was a grand success.
Chief Guest Gurmeet Singh Dhalwan getting Community service award
offered best wishes to all women on International Women's Day. She distributed appreciation certificates to all participants.
At the end of the program, CG Neeta Bhushan opened the local women's Art and Photography exhibition.
Dr Meshri receives one more award Cont’d from page 18
plier Award from our partner Linde," said Dr. Dayal T. Meshri, president and CEO of Advance Research Chemicals. "It is our honor to work with such a professional and efficient company that gives us such good support, advice, and senior experience in marketing and quality control. Receiving such positive and helpful feedback and information enables us to improve our performance, product quality and continuous supply in supporting Linde on critical
It undertakes comprehensive due diligence to ensure reliability in its supply chain. It also audits the suppliers based on their technical and operational capabilities and implements processes to ensure the sustainability and consistent quality of supply. Once the supply chains are established, Linde maintains a continuous engagement and improvement program with suppliers, keeping them updated on industry trends and the changing needs from Once the supply chains customers. Besides, it are established, Linde conducts an annual, comprehensive supplier maintains a continuous performance evaluation engagement and (SESPA) involving all major raw material pro- improvement program viders to Linde Elec- with suppliers tronics globally The Global Supplier Performance awards are based materials. We appreciate Linde's upon the results of this SESPA always strong support for our program. Andreas Weisheit, Head business and truly believe that our of Linde Electronics, said: "Sup- excellent communication and partpliers play a critical role in our suc- nership will lead us to an even cess in the Electronics business. more successful collaboration in Their commitment, continuous the future." quality improvement, support and In the 2015 financial year, The cost efficiency enable us to work Linde Group generated revenue of together to grow our business and USD 19.7 bn (EU 17.944 bn), makcontinue our leading position in ing it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the the global electronics market." "Advance Research Chemicals world, with approximately 65,000 is very pleased to win the 2016 employees working in more than Linde Electronics Preferred Sup- 100 countries worldwide.
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Osmania University Nanakshahi calendar maker briefs community centenary in Chicago ASHFAQ SYED
CHICAGO: "Glory of Hyderabad", is organizing "Centenary Celebration of Osmania University", Hyderabad, India on Sunday May 14 at Shalimar Banquet in Addison, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Prof S. Ramachandram, Vice Chancellor, Osmania University will be the Chief Guest. Neeta Bhushan, Consul General of India, Chicago will preside. Hardik Bhatt, CIO, office of the Governor, will
Telangana for Minorities, Padmashri Mohammad Ali Baig, Founder Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation and Zahid Ali Khan, Editor Siasat Daily, among many notable Hyderabadis. In addition, Glory of Hyderabad hosted a number of mayors, diplomats, congressmen, etc. "It would be in the fitness of the things for all Osmanians living in the US and Canada to attend this historic event, along with
Osmania University
be the Guest of Honor. Glory of Hyderabad will also present Osmania University & Siasat Calligraphy Exhibition during the celebration. There will also be authentic Hyderabadi dinner and musical extravaganza. Osmania University, with 300,000 students and 5000 staff members, is the seventh oldest in India and the third oldest in South India. It is a multi-faculty and multi-disciplinary university, offering rich and varied courses in the faculties of Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Education, Engi-
Glory of Hyderabad will also present Osmania University & Siasat Calligraphy Exhibition during the celebration. There will also be authentic Hyderabadi dinner and musical extravaganza. neering, Technology, Commerce, Management, Informatics, Pharmacy, and Oriental languages. In the recent past, Glory of Hyderabad hosted Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, A.K. Khan, Advisor to Government of
their families and friends, in large numbers. They are advised to reserve their seats or table at the earliest as the seats are limited, a news release from the organizers said.
Asian Media USA
CHICAGO IL: Sardar Pal Singh Purewal met with members of Sikh community and briefed them about the Nanakshahi calendar he had designed. The event at Ashyana Banquets was organized by Amardev Singh Bandesha and Sarwan Singh, two alumni of Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, Punjab. Sardar Pal Singh Purewal observed that Nanakshahi Calendar is a symbol of heritage. This calendar was designed to replace the Saka calendar and has been in use since 1998. The epoch of this tropical solar calendar (that uses most of the mechanics of the Western calendar) is the birth of the first Sikh Guru, Nanak Dev in 1469. Sardar Pal Singh Purewal has worked extremely hard in using scientific methods to produce a unique Nanakshahi Calendar to celebrate all Gurpurabs and other important festivals. The calendar is a necessity and an important part of the identity, he said. He explained how with good knowledge of the Bikarami and Christian calendars one could convert the dates of one into the other with an accuracy of one day. However, in the case of lunar dates of the
IFFLA opens with Lipstick Under My Burkha Cont’d from page 20
Also first-time filmmaker Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy with Billion Color Story, which was included in Best of Fest in Palm Springs and recently played Busan and BFI London. Also attending the festival this year to present their films will be a host of celebrated filmmakers, including Adoor Gopalakrishnan making the U.S. premiere of his twisted thriller Once Again in Malayalam, and Suman Mukhopadhyay with the North American premiere of his gorgeous Bengali film Incomplete. IFFLA's program features an impressive slate of award-winning and topical documentary films including Machines winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography at Sundance, and The Cinema Travelers directed by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya which won L'Œil d'or Special Mention:Le Prix du documentaire at the Cannes Film Festival.
The U.S. Premiere of the highly anticipated documentary An Insignificant Man, directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, will also take place at IFFLA. The film centers on the polarizing political figure Arvind Kejriwal (sometimes referred to as the Bernie Sanders of India) and gives a stirring behind-the-scenes look at his creation of the progressive Aam Aadmi Party and their historic campaign in the 2013 Delhi state elections. IFFLA alum Rajshri Deshpande stars in the controversial Sexy Durga directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, which recently won the coveted Hivor Tiger Award, the top prize at this year's Rotterdam Film Festival. Competing in the shorts program are 10 films, representing 9 different languages. Spice Affair will host the Opening and Closing Night Gala receptions in Beverly Hills and Air India joins the festival as a Premiere Sponsor.
Bikarami Era, the problem gets compounded by the adhikamasas or malmasas or laund months - intercalary months. If the correct intercalary month is not known, when it occurs in a year, the conversion could be easily out by a month. Jantri 500 could be of great help in solving this problem for the period 1469 CE onwards. It took Purewal, years to read
According to Bikrami calendar, some birthdays of Sikh Gurus came twice in a year and none in other years, especially of 10th Guru Shri Guru Gobind Singh. According to Nankshahi Calendar it will be fixed. Same for Bandi Chhorh Divas which is now associated with Diwali. Purewal also created Hizri calendar for Muslims for which he was given Life Time Achievement
Bhai Mohinder Singh presenting a memento to Sardar Pal Singh Purewal
and understand Astronomy to come up with Jantri for 500 years. In Bikrami calendar, we lose 20 minutes every year so it needs adjustment, so festivals and important days keep moving forward. Sikhism Birthday Vaisakhi was originally celebrated on March 27th now it is moved to April 14th, soon it will move to 27th.
award in Lahore Purewal addressed a sangat of approximately 500 people at Palatine Gurdwara and gave a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the significance of the Nankshahi Calendar. The evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Bhai Mohinder Singh who presented a memento to Purewal.
Caribbean varsity helps students to get MD Cont’d from page 21
The faculty of AUSOM consists of professors who are qualified doctors with extensive experience and the leadership to provide our students with the level of medical knowledge, facts, concepts and principles that is essential to their future in a successful medical practice. With its small class size average of 35 students per class, the students experience a personalized education and individual attention they need to succeed. The varsity says its goal is for all students to be molded into wellrounded physicians who exhibit compassion, integrity and honesty essential for becoming a great medical doctor. Avalon University School of Medicine is listed with: • ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) • IMED (International Medical
Education Directory) • WHO (World Health Organization) • MCC (Medical Council of Canada) • MCI (Medical Council of India) These listings allow its graduates to practice medicine in North America, and in most countries around the world. AUSOM Graduates have obtained residencies and licensure in the United States, Canada and internationally. Avalon Clinical Program is one of the strongest in comparison to others in the area, including many international medical schools. "We guarantee our clinical rotations at exceptional teaching hospitals, and rotations are available in the United States and in Curaçao. Illinois is an IMG friendly state and we currently have clinical rotations in the Chicago area, and spots are available," observed Avi Verma , a spokesman here.
24 India Post
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Insecure at the airport, in times of Trump ARCHANA ASTHANA
I
nsecure at the airport is not something anyone should feel, except if they were witnessing the 56th flight of imagination from Naatak "airlines", at Cubberly "terminal" in Palo Alto on a recent weekend. The audience was duly welcomed aboard by a welldressed flight attendant promising a smooth ride and some turbulence
Pic by Kyle Adler
Pic by Kyle Adler
for dramatic effects; the cell phones were asked to be turned off and Samsung Galaxy phones to be left behind! Once the seat belts were fastened, the lights dimmed and the play, "Airport Insecurity" took off! As with most Naatak plays, the props and set design really set the tone, and the movements around Pic by Kyle Adler
them to create the spatial identities did not disappoint. From a group of five corporate travelers, one loses his passport, phone and wallet at Frankfurt airport, and is thus left without an identity. He is forced to navigate the bureaucratic world straddling three countries with their own idiosyncratic officials; wait 48 hours in a "no man's land" and resolve his "situation" while learning about the dire medical condition of his pregnant wife and unborn child. An upbeat, nonchalant traveler, Vijay (Varun Dua) remains convinced that his plight is shortlived, and he will be at his conference in Barcelona in no time, and thence back in the U.S in time for
the birth of his first child. Asked to jump through official hoops, resort to endless form filling, calling in favors, and, in general, relying on the kindness of strangers to get him through his ordeal has him pulling his hair in the end. This being a monothematic play, a big cast was essential to create vignettes of developing situations that Vijay has to butt heads with. Nuanced acting by Devika Ashok as Priya, the pregnant wife, provided the most poignant moments, and brilliant directorial snippets by Vikas Dhurka , who wrote this play inspired by real life events and interactions. Moments of mirth are regularly interspersed as Vijay faces scrutiny from German policemen at the airport; is helped and shunned by
airline agents; receives assurance from his Indian friend with the right connections; is asked about his well-being by stereotypical parental units; sidelined by his boss; and directed to fill out necessary but unimportant paperwork by diplomats. Ashish Chakraborty, as Jaladhi at the Indian Consulate is particularly amusing with his exaggerated Bengali accent and mannerisms as he showcases the caricature Pic by Sharma Podila that red tape often becomes. Messages that Vijay receives from the TV screen at the airport terminal bring an oblique reference to the talking signpost from the movie, "L.A Story" starring Steve Martin, and provide him with the clues to solving his current problems ‌.although a tenuous connection, an interesting directorial twist. While the dramedy is loosely based on reality, in today's times,
the theme rings very close to home, and reminds one of the recent travel ban posed by the curPic by Kyle Adler
rent administration, and puts even seasoned travelers on high alert. As I was accompanied by my book club buddies, I took advantage of a discussion with the seasoned book critics to dissect the play afterwards over cups of coffee and cookies! Overall, the group gave it a thumbs up, and critiqued that the drama, action, situational comedy and pathos together made up the mosaic of an entertaining play. Some roles were overdone, such as the opening scenes by Vijay which made him look self-centered and callous towards the wife. The reference to the Berlin Wall from the TV message was lost on some, while the North and South Korea mentions rang a bell about how main character is able to engineer his reentry and reunion with his wife back in the US of A. Pic by Sharma Podila
March 17, 2017
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Seven 'Chakras', Color Therapy & Vastu
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ight is 'Life Giving'. We surely cannot survive with out light. Have you ever realized that we feel energized, peaceful and happy when we sit in winter Sun? Our blood-flow improves, and we get several vitamins and minerals that are available in Sunlight. The morning Sun is a source of positive energy. It is advisable to go for a walk in the morning. Morning walk helps remove toxins from our body and absorbs positive energy from Sun. Morning walk is an energy drink and keeps us active the whole day. Color is a property of light. Sunlight can be dissipated to seven colors that treat the seven Chakras present in our body. VIBGYOR flows through our body with violet corresponding with 'Sahasrara Chakra'(Crown Chakra), located at top of the head and red corresponding with 'Mooladhar Chakra' (Root Chakra), located at last bone in spinal cord. Think about this - Why do we have favorite colors? In addition,
DR REWA KUMAR
more. White is a combination of all colors. That is why when we wear white, we feel light and energetic,
Dr Rewa Kumar
as all our Chakras get energy. Most of the saints wear only white. Most people like wearing light shades as lightshades have more white in it. Lack of a particular color in the human system can cause various diseases. Color Therapy is a tech-
Wear these colors on the mentioned day for 2-3 month and notice the positive changes in yourself. Sunday - Red, Monday - White, Tuesday- Orange, Wednesday - Green, Thursday - Yellow, Friday - Pink and Saturday -Blue and Black our favorite color keeps on changing. If you notice, the color tone of your wardrobe keeps on changing, sometime more of red, sometime blue and sometime orange. Think about this - why do some colors just "go "with each other (for example, Blue and White often look nice together. However, Pink and Orange is not the usual one) what is it that makes them go
together? It is our brain's reaction to them - thus, colors can actually emit feelings. Moreover, if it can emit an emotion, it can do much
nique of restoring imbalance by means of colors. Color Therapy can be used as an alternative therapy. Every disease is caused by emotional imbalance. All emotions are properties of seven Chakras and each Chakra has a specific color. The color treats its respective Chakra and thus, treats the root cause of any disease. Here are few tips to keep treating one's Chakras. It is a preventive method to avoid diseases: • Spend some time in the Sun, preferable morning Sun. Practice morning walk. It is the most effective way of purification of one's body. • Practice color breathing exercise as mentioned. Make a set of seven bottles (plastic or glass) of
seven rainbow colors. Put these colored bottles out in the Sun for a couple of hours and then inhale the air within the bottle. • Wear these colors on the mentioned day for 2-3 month and notice the positive changes in yourself. Sunday - Red, Monday White, Tuesday- Orange, Wednesday - Green, Thursday Yellow, Friday - Pink and Saturday -Blue and Black. There is a lot that one need to know about oneself, our Chakras and how we can treat our self. Seven Major Chakra Centers and their representing traits: 1.'Muladhara':The Root Chakra. Physical Vitality and Well Being; Red; Earth Element; Mastery of the Body & Physical Affairs; Courage vs. Fear 2.'Swadhisthana':The Sacral
Chakra /Pelvic Chakra. Relationships; Orange; Water Element; Performance of Duties without attachment to results; Letting Go vs. Attachment 3.'Manipura':The Solar Plexus Chakra. Personal Power; Yellow; Fire Element; Control over mind and body. Enthusiasm vs. Anger & Resentment 4.'Anahata':The Heart Chakra. Love; Green; Air Element; To use love for personal & societal change; Compassion & love vs. Judgment& Desire 5.'Vishuddha':The Throat Chakra. Communication; Blue; Space/Ether Element; To establish the kingdom of peace and share it with others; Joyvs. Grief and Re-
gret 6.'Ajna': The Brow Chakra. Wisdom; Indigo; Energy; To balance thoughts & feelings with Higher Insight & Intuition; Inspiration. Creativity 7.'Sahasrara':The Crown Chakra. Oneness; Violet; Cosmic Energy;To experience oneness with the Eternal now; Transformational Experiences (The 'Vastu Purusha Mandala 'also represents the subtle body with the 'Seven Psychic Centers' or 'Chakras'. Healing the corresponding 'Chakra 'of 'Vastu Purusha Mandala' located within a dwelling structure will give positive results in 'Vastu Dosha' corrections.)
March 17, 2017
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TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS
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day after he tweeted a weird message on International Women's Day and targeted Tiger Shroff for his "Urmilaic pose", Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor has slammed filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. RGV suggested Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff should take lessons of "machoism" from his dad, Jackie and pose more like a man. Comparing Tiger's picture for the cover of a magazine with Urmila Matondkar's pose, RGV wrote, "Truly real men like Bruce Lee and bindasbhidu never pose in a Urmliaish way. Please learn machosim from bindasbhidu who even without martial arts poses more like a man and never like this." In response, Sonam told DNA, "They should be happy that Ramu doesn't like Tiger. Whoever Ramu doesn't like, does very well. I am very happy. I like Tiger. He's very cool and least bothered. He is very well-behaved and performs so beautifully."
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nushka Sharma, who is essaying the role of a ghost bride in her second production 'Phillauri', says she does believe in ghosts. During media interaction to promote her upcoming flick, she revealed, "I believe ghosts exist and I have felt it too." The 28-year-old said, "It was fun to play a non-living character. Normally we play characters which are in the flesh and its boring to portray a living character in each film. You should keep doing a different thing. I think I've represented the ghost community well by presenting their feelings in front of all of you." When asked what she enjoys the most, the actress replied, "I enjoy being both, an actor and producer. I have realized that with more responsibilities, I tend to perform better." Phillauri' has been garnering positive reviews from all over and the actress is quite happy with the 'encouraging response' from the industry as she said, "I feel very happy when the audience and industry people say good things about 'Phillauri'."
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hen Vidya Balan signed The Dirty Picture in 2011, little did she know that she would be kick-starting a trend of women-oriented films. And while she has played different kinds of roles since then, the actor continues to be the flag bearer when it comes to playing strong female characters. Vidya has also spoken about how being married has nothing to do with the quality of roles she has been offered. "There is so much interesting content for female actors. It's an exciting time for female actors, and it's only going to get better from here," she says. Vidya says women pursuing higher education and aspiring to be more than homemakers may have caused society to change. On the trend of working in Hollywood, Vidya says, "I am open to working in the West or anywhere in the world where there is a compelling story to tell and where I am offered an extremely exciting part. But, honestly, I haven't made any efforts towards that."
1 Tamma Tamma: Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya 2 Zaalima: Raees 3 Badri Ki Dulhania: Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya 4 Enna Sona: OK Jaanu 5 Laila: Raees 6 The Humma Song: OK Jaanu 7 Bawara Mann: Jolly LLB 2 8 Humsafar : Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya 9 Kaabil Hoon: Kaabil 10 Dum Dum: Phillauri
March 17,3,2017 February 2017
Bollywood
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fter 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' Varun Dhawan is now looking forward to 'Judwaa 2' and a Shoojit Sircar movie. 'Judwaa 2', directed by Varun's father, David Dhawan, is a remake of a 1997 Salman Khan film. "I am excited about 'Judwaa 2'. I wanted to work with Shoojit Sircar after watching 'Vicky Donor' and 'Piku'. Finally, it is happening. I like his narration and the shoot will start soon," he told reporters. Varun, who previously worked with Alia Bhatt in his debut film 'Student of the Year' and 'Humpty
onakshi Sinha says featuring in movies as a main lead is a 'liberating' experience. The actress starred in 'Akira' last year and is gearing up for the release of 'Noor'. Both the films feature her as the main lead and Sonakshi is really excited. "I don't (know) if it's easy or difficult but with 'Akira' and 'Noor', I feel very liberated that I don't have to depend on anybody else to carry this film. Honestly, the team that I have is such a solid support to me I don't need anybody else," Sonakshi said. "Once you get this addiction that you can do it, you are strong, you're independent, you are moving ahead with the team, it's just the best feeling in the world. I am really happy to be able to carry this film on my shoulders along with the team," she adds. The 29year-old actress was speaking at the trailer launch of 'Noor'. Directed by Sunhil Sippy, the film is based on Pakistani author Saba Imtiaz's novel 'Karachi, You're Killing Me!' The film follows journalist-writer Noor's misadventures and love life as she navigates her way through Mumbai.
"I am excited about 'Judwaa 2'. I wanted to work with Shoojit Sircar after watching 'Vicky Donor' and 'Piku' Sharma Ki Dulhania', believes he and the actress have developed a shorthand on the sets. "Alia is a wonderful co-actor and very natural on the sets. With our three films, we now know each other and take the cue from one another. And what I understand, she does not like too many rehearsals before a take and acts instinctively."
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lia Bhatt says feminism calls for gender equality but people misunderstand the essence of it and end up associating it with male bashing. The actress says feminism does not demand "special" treatment for women. "Being a feminist is not only limited to girls. Even a man can be a feminist. It is about equality and everyone believes in equality. People usually misunderstand the essence of feminism. It is not about male bashing. "I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both)," Alia says. The actress says she could identify with her character of 'Vaidehi' in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'. "I am closer to Vadehi. She is a feminist and very ambitious. I love that about her and I really connected with that. She is very sensitive but at the same time she is more mature."
"I am not saying women are greater than men. I don't believe it is the right way to put it. I just feel there should be similar treatment (for both),"
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Another such temple is the "Chamatkarik Shri Hanumanji Na Charan" in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. A devotee said he has observed numerous instances of visa application success due to the temple. "Any devotee who comes to our Lord's temple, with great honor and reverence, and makes a wishes to Lord Hanuman to get a visa, it has been my observation that none of the wishes have failed," said the devotee, quoted by local media.
March 17, 2017 as the Visa Temple. The temple is in Chilkur and has over 75,000 to 100,000 devotees paying a visit every week, with a major rush on Fridays and Sundays. If you are planning to visit this temple, be prepared to stand in a long queue especially on these days. Typically, worshippers perform a wish-making ceremony that includes making 11 laps around the inner temple. Sometimes they proffer their passports and make offerings of fresh coconuts. If the wish comes true, they must return and make a further 108 laps. Chamatkarik Shri Hanumanji
Chilkoor Balaji Temple situated in Hyderabad
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an't get to US or Canada from India? Visitor visas for relatives or friends rejected by the US embassy or the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi? Can't get a work permit to work abroad? No problem. Just visit one of the unusual temples that have come up in In-
The Khadia Hanuman Temple in Ahmedabad is home to Vayu Putra (son of wind) in times of crises, especially when things relate to air or more precisely sky. The Khadia Hanuman is believed to be the visa-expediting Lord. This 400-year-old temple is packed on Saturdays when travel counseling sessions are conducted with hundreds of applicants. "Every Saturday, of the 4000 devotees who throng the temple, more than fifty per cent are visaseekers, who come praying for visas," says Gaurang Mehta, resident of Desai Ni Pol. Cont'd on Page 33
Chamatkarik Shri Hanumanji Na Charan in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
dia, that offer divine help in procuring a visa. Millions of Indians regularly visit temples and religious sites to pray and seek divine help in fulfilling their wishes. But in recent years, temples have come up that offer a deity's help in getting a visa. One of them is nicknamed the Visa Temple. Situated in Chilkur
in Hyderabad, this temple is officially called Chilkur Balaji Temple and is located near Osman Sagar Lake. Sri Venkateswara Balaji deity is worshiped here. However there have been a number of cases where people prayed to the deity for getting a visa stamp on their passport. When their wishes came true, this temple became famous Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh gurdwara, in Talhan village, Punjab
Sri Venkateswara Balaji
March 17, 2017
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Paying the price for being a woman? Why?
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reaking norms is second nature for her. She hasn't had it easy, ever, but who said the road to success is an easy ride home. While keeping the nation's flag flying high in another country, Priyanka Chopra spoke on the International Women's Day, offering her point of view on why we should all be the women we want to be... What #Noconditionsapply means to me It starts with a bigger conversation around feminism, which is about making decisions for ourselves without being judged, and with the same freedom that men have enjoyed for so many years. And just like men, no condition should be placed on women before letting them make their own decisions. It's the freedom to be who you want to be despite the gender. Be the person you want to be...bina sharton ke. Being the woman you want to be I don't walk around with a mashaal saying that life should be a war. But no conditions must be placed on any human being that stops them from being who they want to be. This applies to girls in India, too. It's a small percentage of women, who are privileged to not have conditions placed on them. I'm grateful that I am in that lot. When I think about being the woman I want to be, I just want to be the best version of myself. And I use every opportunity that comes my way in that direction. I want all the girls without an exception to have that space for themselves where they have ample opportunities to be the women they wish to be. Society's thinking needs to change It is unfortunate that we're discussing the price women pay to have their way in life. I've seen this in other parts of the world, too women have to pay a price for whatever they want to do. I don't think that women have to or they must pay a price to follow their heart and mind. We shouldn't create such norms for anyone. Why should she pay a price? It's a freedom that we, as mothers, sisters, daughters and achievers of this country, have and must enjoy. I'm progressive about this. I want to educate people that women shouldn't have to pay a price to begin with. That is an important debate to have. It's not the right thinking. It's not okay, even though it happens too often around all of us.
The road to achievement is not easy A career in any field that sees success or records moments of triumph and glory, will have its fair share of ups and downs. You just have to believe in yourself throughout. That's the key. Miss India and Miss World kick-started my journey into show business. I
Priyanka Chopra
Don't care for detractors I am never aware of what people say or write about me. My career is just for me. I don't give 'opinions' any importance since I don't pay heed to them to begin with. Your career decisions should be your own, not pulled out of what someone else thinks is great for you. I've never paid heed to my detractors. Who are these people and what are their achievements that they sit at home and talk about others? There will be haters everywhere you go. There will be that tiny group of people who love to tear off anyone in the spotlight. I don't give them credence. I walk a lone journey and make my own decisions with my family and dear ones by my side. My word is my bond It was a scary idea to take up an international TV show because I didn't know how it would all fall into place. But what was perhaps more difficult for me was to live in another country and start afresh. Living alone, away from family and creating a brand
wouldn't have been here had these key events not happened, as I was pursuing engineering. Andaz was one of my breakthroughs. Fashion and Aitraaz positioned me and helped me evolve as an actor and eventually, I played a gamut of incredible characters. So, it's a career, and it will have its highs and lows. You have to accept everything and keep going. Don't let the losses get the better of you I don't think I emerged stronger from my personal losses. I just made peace with them. Grief is my companion now. There are some voids that cannot be fulfilled. You have to move around, knowing that a piece of your heart is gone forever. That's the way I see it. I accepted that grief will be with me all my life. As soon as you accept it, you can start focusing on life. My grief and I hang around together. It's my friend now.
new world around me was tough. It was difficult shuttling industries in India and America. The magnitude of multi-tasking was something else. But when I commit, I don't let anyone down. My word is my bond. That's the way to be in any profession or any space in your life. Don't let your word go empty. Scrutiny? Never matters I am used to scrutiny as a public figure though it's never been important for me. Women everywhere are scrutinized, but that shouldn't be given any credence. When I made my first international award show appearance, I was nervous about putting my best foot forward as I was representing a nation and an industry that made me who I am. I had to be the best that I can be. I was a bundle of nerves at the Oscars when I presented for the first time. This year, it was a lot more comfortable and easy.
Have an opinion, will voice it too! It is a dichotomy that we live in. The world tilts towards the male ideology. It is harder for women to prove their worth here. I have been told by people that I am too outspoken. I should step back because it's good for me as a girl. It's the advice people give you. But my parents always taught me to have an opinion and follow my instinct. They showed tremendous faith in our upbringing. A lot of girls don't get that kind of support and I hope to fight for girls
who need it. Life is hard for everyone. Each one has trials to go through. You can either become cynical or focus on positivity and its acceptance - women can become achievers either way; whatever motivates them to work twice as hard as a guy and prove their worth. The steps that I take today, the field that we plough today, will create a better ground for the next generation of women. They wouldn't have to go through what we went through. Only then, will we make a difference. -Courtesy TOI
Aaron constantly wants to quit acting LONDON: Aaron TaylorJohnson says he constantly thinks about quitting acting and focus on raising his kids. The 26-year-old actor, who has daughters Wylda, six, and Romy, four, with his wife Sam, says he gets "more fulfillment" from fatherhood than he does from starring in movies, r e p o r t e d Contactmusic. "I get more fulfillment from being a father than I do from being an actor. I'm still constantly wanting to give it up," Johnson says. The "Nocturnal Animals" star, who won the best supporting actor in a motion picture gong at this year's Golden Globe Awards, says he struggles to deal with the fame. "I'm not ungrateful, nor is this spiteful. It's just that I can't handle all the at-
tention. I like my world to be calm. "When you deal with this lifestyle (it can drive you crazy). That's why I see half of my friends go off the rails. You can really burn
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
it at both ends, get into drink and drugs." -PTI
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Kangana hits back at Karan Johar
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aran Johar, arguably one of the most powerful men in the Hindi film industry, while speaking on the sidelines of an event at the London School of Economics, hinted that Kangana may not have understood the meaning of the word nepotism, that he was fed up of seeing her play the 'woman card' and 'victim card' and that if the actress had such a problem with the way Bollywood functions, she should think about quitting it. Johar's sharp attack was in response to Kangana's comment on his TV show of February 19 where she called him the "snooty flagbearer of nepotism" and hinted that he was running a "movie mafia". Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, a combative Kangana tells it like it is. "I can't speak for Karan Johar's understanding of nepotism. If he thinks that it is restricted to nephews, daughters and cousins, I have nothing to say. But, to say that he chose not to give me work is to mock an artiste. As importantly, his memory appears to be poor because we worked together in a movie (Ungli), which was produced by him. And quickly realized our sensibilities did not match.
"I'm also at a loss to understand how he gave me a platform by inviting me to be on his show. (Johar had said that he gave Ranaut a platform to "give it off to Karan".)
for months for my dates. But what is pertinent here is: why is Karan Johar trying to shame a woman for being a woman? What is this about the
I've been on several platforms before with several global icons. To say he helped me voice my opinions is to discredit me as an artiste and a public personality. And, I think, it should be added here that I was invited to be a part of the show in its fifth season. (Johar's talk show made its debut in 2004). "His team requested my team
'woman card' and the 'victim card'? This kind of talk is demeaning to all women, particularly the vulnerable because they are the ones who really need to use them. The 'woman card' might not help you become a Wimbledon champ, or win you Olympic medals, or bag National awards. It might not even land you a job, but it can get a
Gauahar Khan soaking in appreciation
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auahar Khan is in a happy space these days. She has been soaking in the appreciation that has come her way for her short film, 'Peanut Butter'. While she has a cameo appearance in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania', her big release for the year is 'Begum Jaan', in which she plays Vidya Balan's close aide. Excerpts: What about short films excites you? Web content is accessible to all, but there are only a few scripts that make an impression. So, when people offer me challenging roles, I don't think twice before accepting. In 'Ek Dopahar' and 'Peanut Butter', I've played characters that I haven't played before. In the latter, I play a mother who is not yet one. My role should be impactful, length doesn't matter. You have interesting roles in 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania' and 'Begum Jaan'. When director Shashank
Khaitan offered me a cameo in 'Badri'..., I wanted to know why he chose me for just a guest role. But I was convinced when he told me that my character is crucial in shaping Badri's viewpoint. 'Begum Jaan' is close to my heart. One day, I received a text from Vidya (Balan), saying both she and director Srijit Mukherji wanted me to play Rubina. I was so happy that I told them I would even do 10 auditions to land the role. But turns out, Srijit had me in mind while writing the script because he'd liked my work in
'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'. The fact that a National Award-winning director has given me this film without even auditioning me makes me feel that I've credentials as an actress. Despite being appreciated for your debut role, you didn't do many films thereafter... I've no backing in the industry, and like every newcomer, I've to time and again prove myself. Right after 'Rocket Singh', I did 'Zangoora'. I've to my credit 1,200 shows of the biggest live Bollywood musical ever. I am hungry for good roles; I chose the best projects because I didn't want to be just a prop in films. I want people to remember me for my character.
pregnant woman who feels her water is about to break a 'ladies' seat on a crowded bus. It can be used as a cry for help when you sense a threat. The same goes for the 'victim card', w h i c h women like my sister, Rangoli, who is a victim of an acid attack, can use while fighting for justice in court. "I use every card possible. At the workplace, it's the badass card to fight cutthroat competition. With my family and loved ones, it's the love card. When fighting the world, it's the dignity card, and for a seat in a bus, it's the woman card. What is important to understand is that we are not fighting people, we are fighting a mentality. I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism.
"Now that Karan is the father of a little daughter (Johar became a single parent of twins, who were born through surrogacy last month), he should provide her with all these cards - the 'woman card' and the 'victim card', as also the 'self-made-independentwoman card', and the 'badass card' that I flashed on his show. We will use whatever we need to ensure no one rocks our boat. "I'm also a little surprised at the "graciousness" he says he displayed in choosing to not edit the jousty bits on the show. While I'd have blacklisted the channel if something like that had happened, let's also remember that a channel wants TRPs, and he is just a paid host. "Also, the Indian film industry is not a small studio given to Karan by his father when he was in his early 20s. That is just a small molecule. The industry belongs to every Indian and is highly recommended for outsiders like me whose parents were too poor to give me a formal training. I learnt on the job and got paid for it, using the money to educate myself in New York. He is nobody to tell me to leave it. I'm definitely not going anywhere, Mr Johar." -Courtesy Mumbai Mirror
'Prisoner of Azkaban' gets illustrated makeover NEW DELHI: 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', the third book in the Potter series is getting an illustrated makeover, the front cover for which has been revealed by the publishers. The cover features 'The Knight Bus', the iconic purple colored, triple decker vehicle that appeared out of thin air and whisked Harry off to Diagon Alley. The illustrations have been made by award-winning artist Jim Kay, who will bring to life the series of events that marked a shift in the tone of the narrative towards a darker territory, with the introduction of key characters like Sirius Black and Professor Trelawney. "Bloomsbury Publishing is excited to reveal the cover of the eagerly anticipated 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' Illustrated Edition written by J K Rowling, illustrated by Jim Kay," the London-based publishing house said in a statement. Depictions of Hogwarts professors, like Severus Snape, as well
as new images of the Hogwarts castle besides the Knight Bus, will also be in store for readers. The hardbound book that will hit stands on October 3 this year,
contains over 115 new graphics, and will be translated into over 21 languages around the world. The edition will also include a ribbon marker, head and tail bands, and illustrated endpapers.-PTI
March 17, 2017
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Brides sell their wedding dress online NEW YORK: Dalia Rhodes' wedding dress went down the aisle twice: Once at her wedding in 2015, and again a year later after she sold her gown to a stranger online. ``I just wanted someone else to enjoy a pretty dress,'' says Rhodes, who used the website Once Wed to sell it for $800, about half of what she originally paid. Instead of holding on to wedding dresses for decades, many new brides are willing to swap them online for cash. Several websites cater to them, including Still White and preownedWeddingDresses.com. And other online marketplaces, such as eBay, Tradesy and Letgo, are filled with thousands of wedding dresses looking for a new bride. Just the idea of buying a used wedding dress was ``shocking and horrifying'' before 2008, says Tracy DiNunzio, the founder and CEO of online clothing and accessories marketplace Tradesy. That began to change about a decade ago
gown, so it can take weeks or months to find a buyer who also happens to love the style and can fit into the dress. Well-known designer names, such as Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier, sell faster. Some brides list their dresses on multiple sites, hoping to reach as many bridesto-be as possible. And the sites typically let listings stay up for as long as needed, charging a one-time fee or taking a percentage when it is finally sold. Rhodes, who listed hers on Once Wed for free, says it took about four months to find a match. To make sure the dress didn't get damaged Newly-married couple Heidi and Rob Cundari after their wedding, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Heidi says she opted for a used dress to keep costs down. Selling during shipping, Rhodes, your wedding dress used to be a social no-no, but websites such as Still White and who lives in Austin, PreownedWeddingDresses.com are filled with thousands of wedding dresses looking Texas, wrapped the dress for a new bride. in ``like, probably, six But don't expect to make quick pounds of Bubble Wrap.'' to material things as past generaThe buyer, Heidi Cundari of tions, are putting up their dresses cash. Not everyone wants a used Thunder Bay, Canada, says she opted for a used dress to keep costs down. She searched several preowned wedding dress websites before she fell for Rhodes' tulle and organza gown. ``It seemed wasteful to spend during the recession, when cashstrapped brides were looking for a deal, she says. Now millennials, who seemingly are not as attached
for sale, says DiNunzio. ``The money is worth more to them once the wedding is over than keeping a dress,'' she says.
Folk & tribal art pays tribute to Mother Nature NEW DELHI: From 19th century Kalighat paintings and Pattachitras from Odisha to tribal Gond art and Madhubani paintings from Mithila, several forms of tribal and folk art from across the country are being showcased at a new art show here. The show titled, "Prakriti - The Creative Feminine" that features over 158 artworks by 80 folk artists from different regions of the country, is a tribute to Mother Nature. Gond artists Manoj Godpal and Subhash Vyam have painted elements of nature - animals, trees, aquatic life, along with local festivals celebrated in the region. The haunting Mumbai attacks have been depicted in one of the paintings titled, "Smoking Taj". Also, on display is a life-size portrait of Goddess Kali, painted in the quintessential style of the Kalighat art of Bengal. A Madhubhani painting titled, "The Marriage Ceremony" shows a typical rural wedding in bright shades of greens and yellows. The vibrant hues are reflective of the joyful ambience of a wedding ceremony. Talking about the role of such exhibitions in promoting tribal art, renowned Madhubani artist Baua Devi says, "The exhibitions and
articles on art give us an opportunity to be gain recognition not just in our own countries but also abroad." She said such events have made art more accessible to viewers. "Even middle-class people ap-
preciate the work I do. In India, the art circle is restricted but if these kind of events are held more often, things would change for the better, especially for artists like us," she says. The show which has been divided into four different sections, covers themes ranging from Hindu mythology to contemporary art. The cloth-based mythical
Pattachitra paintings at the exhibition, portray fascinating mythological tales, manifested in rich colorful motifs and designs, practiced by "Chitrakaras". The show presented by Tulika Kedia of Must Art Gallery and curated by Alka Pande, also has on display a variety of Warli paintings from the tribal regions of Maharashtra, along with several designs from Tanjore. "The exhibition seeks to promote and spread awareness about indigenous art and the folk artists of our country. In the last couple of decades, as I began collecting Indian art, little did I realize that I was developing a passion that would ultimately consume me completely. "Our indigenous art forms have myriad tales to tell, their colors evoke multiple emotions and their diversity is absolutely breath-taking," says Kedia. While talking about the inspiration behind curating the show, Alka Pande says, "The art exhibition dedicated to prakriti unanimously leads to artist's imagination which is replete with the creative quotient. Mother Nature is worshipped by all cultures in some form or the other". -PTI
thousands of dollars on a dress for one day,'' she says. Dresses listed on Once Wed take about six months to sell and go for an average of about $1,600, says Once Wed founder Emily Newman. She says more women are listing their dress for sale before they even get married, so they can ship the dress out once the ceremony is over. Some sites have seen their popularity soar recently. Still White, for example, says sellers earned $500,000 through the site in the past month, up 50 percent from the same time last year. ``Modern brides are less sentimental, more budget savvy, ecofriendly and are comfortable making large purchases online,'' says Still White's co-founder and CEO Bruno Szajer. Rhodes says she did hold on to two keepsakes: Her veil and belt, which she says her future children are more likely to wear than her dress. Cundari, meanwhile, says she plans to keep the dress and not try to sell it again. Last month she sent pictures of her wedding to Rhodes, so she could see the dress in its second trip down the aisle. ``We kind of forged a long distance friendship,'' Cundari says.
God of Visa Can't get visa? Try this temple Cont'd from Page 30
"The devotees come with offerings of visa documents and passports, which the Pujari lays at the feet of Visa Hanuman and makes the devotees recite a Chaupayee (a prayer note) of Lord Hanuman," says Mehta. "It is believed that if the ritual is performed in earnest, the devotee gets the visa within a month," says Bhushan Bhatt, a local corporator. "Apart from Ahmedabad, devotees from Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, and smaller towns and villages across the state come in large numbers to this temple. It's a matter of belief. Devotees have firm faith that after visiting the temple, their visa will be granted," adds Bhatt. Punjab temple The Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh gurdwara, in Talhan village, Punjab is a 150-year old place of worship for Sikhs. Every week, thousands of Sikhs head here to get an approval to go
abroad. The popular belief is that paying a visit to the shrine can up your chances of securing a visa. The temple has an airplane placed at the top of it. Along with prayer devotees offer fascinating offerings like toy aeroplanes, probably to give their wishes two wings. There are shops outside the gurdwara that sell such toys. Temple in Delhi Hanuman temple in Neb Sarai, New Delhi is also attracting numerous visa-applicants from all over as word spreads that the deity has special powers to expedite visas. The temple is located a few blocks down IGNOU Road. The board outside does not give any indications about the deity's special "powers". However, one only needs to take a look at the temple register, which has entries from 2010 onwards, to realize that a number of entries have been made by people whose visa wishes were fulfilled after visiting the temple. -Courtesy South Asian Post
Tech News The world's smallest data bit
A
single atom can now be used to store a binary value. IBM researchers have created the world's smallest magnet from a single atom of holmium, and it does double duty as the smallest ever data bit, snatching the crown from molecular devices. Using a modified scanning tunneling microscope held within a nanometer of the atom, the researchers are able to both write data, by passing current to flip its magnetic poles, and sense the orientation of its field. The work is basic science, but it could inspire new ways to create small-scale storage. -MIT Technology Review
Time to invest in vegetable tech?
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he healthiest foods of all are lacking innovation. Historically, the bulk of agricultural research in the U.S. has been focused on staple crops. But, as Politico points out, just 15 percent of the federal agricultural research budget is spent on specialty crops, which includes virtually all fruit and vegetables. That means efforts to increase yield, shelf life, and convenience for things like leafy greens and squishy berries have been lacking. Given that government guidelines suggest we should pig out on such produce to stay healthy, perhaps it's time to dangle a larger carrot in front of vegetable innovators. -MIT Technology Review
Computer vision's video visions
T
he AI revolution wants to understand how it's televised. Machine learning is now pretty good at understanding photographs, and has ambitious aims for moving pictures. Recently Google showed off its Video Intelligence tool, which can accurately identify objects and scenes in clipsallowing people to search a video for, say, "cats"- and can even predict what kind of footage it's looking at, such as an ad. Meanwhile, Facebook's AI chief, Yann LeCun, has loftier goals: he thinks that if AI systems watch enough video, they could even start to learn some common sense. -MIT Technology Review
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The quest to democratize gene therapy
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ou probably can't afford gene therapy-but a new lab-in-a-box may change that. Even though the technique is becoming a medical reality, most successful therapies require days of work by teams of world-class scientists in the multimillion-dollar clean rooms of just a handful of elite research centers. That means patients in developing countries and regular folks in the Western world can't hope to gain access to them. But Antonio Regalado reports that a $150,000 portable gene therapy lab that "looks a little like a machine from Willy Wonka's factory" could democratize the approach.
H-1B visas could be a source of tension in Indo-US ties: Biswal WASHINGTON: "Demonizing" the H-1B work visa issue could be a "source of tension" in Indo-US ties, a former top diplomat under the Obama Administration has said, calling for a "rational dis-
misuses and abuses of this program," she said, adding some revisions being contemplated would be helpful in trying to ensure that the program is used as intended and not misused.
"We can all agree that the H-1B program has been an important and necessary program to help both, US and foreign companies meet shortages in high skilled workers. And that this has therefore brought much benefit to the American economy� course" on the topic that could affect the lives of thousands of Indians. "The issue of H1B and the rhetoric that has been flying around all of that, I think is going to be a source of tension," former US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal told PTI. Her remarks came amidst reports that the Trump administration is initiating steps against it and half a dozen bills have been introduced in the US Congress in this regard. The former Obama administration diplomat called for a rational discourse on this issue. "We can all agree that the H-1B program has been an important and necessary program to help both, US and foreign companies meet shortages in high skilled workers. And that this has therefore brought much benefit to the American economy, and to the communities with which these
"What I think is deeply regrettable, is rhetoric both during the campaign and what has been heard from some political leaders and from some communities in constituency within the US is a scapegoating of the program for the kinds of job losses that certain industries and certain communities are experiencing," Biswal said in response to a question. "It's fundamentally a conflating of issues so that rather than tackling some of the more difficult issues that we as a country need to address in terms of how our economy is changing, in terms of how certain industries and certain types of jobs are frankly not tenable in the long-term. Therefore, we need to think about how to restructure the American work force and what kind of training and opportunity to provide," Biswal said. "Rather than having those difficult conversations, what I find very regrettable is a scapegoating and a demonizing of a certain pro-
“I think that the government and political leaders at the national, at the state, and at the local level have a responsibility to, one, condemn that kind of violence and targeting, and two, to act and speak responsibly about these issues" companies, both US and foreign operate," she asserted. "But we can also all agree that there have been some overuses,
gram in a certain category of work, as being the reason why there are job losses, or why there is economic stagnation in certain parts
of the country. Because these, you know, foreign workers are coming in and taking our jobs. I find that offensive. I find that disturbing," she alleged. "I find that at the end of the day what it does is it makes the US, it makes our economy and our society less welcoming, less hospitable. Less vibrant, less dynamic," she said. The former top American diplomat said that the US would be badly hit if the US is not drawing the talent, the best, the brightest minds from around the world to its shores, whether in temporary capacities, whether in student capacities or in immigrant capacities. "So, what I would hope is that on the issue of the H1B program, that we can have a rational dis-
the rise in hate crimes, and the rise of violence targeting immigrant communities. And particularly we've seen the uptake on violence against Indians and Indian-Americans in the US. I think that the government and political leaders at the national, at the state, and at the local level have a responsibility to, one, condemn that kind of violence and targeting, and two, to act and speak responsibly about these issues," Biswal said in response to a question. Biswal said she is worried that there are many people in communities across the country who feel vulnerable and unsafe. "We are hearing that in the IT community certainly. We're hearing that people are afraid to travel. That even in-country transfers
Nisha Desai Biswal
course on what are some of the reforms that would be useful. What are some of the ways in which companies that use that category of skilled labor, can also be committing to building training and opportunities for displaced workers to be able to engage in some of these jobs. And how can we kind of re-frame the discussion in a more constructive and productive way," she said. "Because otherwise, what you have when you do that kind of scapegoating is you then create vulnerability for those workers and for all immigrant populations," Biswal warned. "We are starting to see that in
people are afraid to get on airplanes because they think they may be targeted, even though they're here legally," she said. She said people are worried about how they're perceived in the communities in which they are living and that's deeply unfortunate because it goes against the grain of what America has been for all these years and generations. "I wish that my concerns had not been actualized. I wish that coming into office that there had been a conservative effort to change the rhetoric and to bring everybody together. But I fear that that has not been the case," she said.-PTI
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China warns of trade war if US imposes tariffs BEIJING: China has warned of a trade war with the US if the Trump administration decides to ignore WTO rulings and unilaterally imposes tariffs on its goods. "If any member ignores WTO rules for its own interests and rejects WTO rulings on trade disputes, multilateral trade mechanisms would become meaningless and the trade wars of the 1930s
strictly enforce its trade laws, which include a "safeguard" provision that allows Washington to unilaterally impose relief "if increasing imports are substantial cause of serious injury to a domestic industry," state-run Global Times reported. US President Donald Trump, who made some tough statements against China before and after his
The report said the new US document asserts that "Americans are not directly subject to WTO decisions," and that the US will defend its national sovereignty over trade policy and use all possible sources of leverage could even be repeated," Sun Jiwei, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said, reacting to moves by Washington to ignore the world trade body. Sun was reacting to annual trade policy agenda sent to Congress by the new US government implying that America is not bound by World Trade Organization (WTO) decisions. The new US policy will also
election, branded Beijing as a currency manipulator to gain unfair advantage from exports and even threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods. China's Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, told media that China and the US are interdependent, and bilateral trade relations affect not just the two countries but the world. "Many Americans and their
Western friends think that China has to rely on the US. I think they are partially right. But the US has to rely on China as well," Zhong said. The report said the new US document asserts that "Americans are not directly subject to WTO decisions," and that the US will defend its national sovereignty over trade policy and use all possible sources of leverage to encourage other countries to open their markets to US exports of goods and services. Zhong said China receives 26 per cent of Boeing airplane orders, 56 per cent of US bean exports, 16 per cent of automobile exports and 15 per cent of integrated circuit exports. China-US trade reached USD 519.6 billion in 2016, representing 207 times that of the 1979 amount, when diplomatic relations started, he said. However, the balance of trade is heavily tilted in favor of China as US exports amount to about USD 100 billion. "A trade war is not in the best interests of the two countries and peoples because a trade war only does much more harm than good," Zhong had said.-PTI
Cairn owes Rs 10,247 cr capital gains tax NEW DELHI: Tax tribunal ITAT INR 18,800 crore in backdated inhas upheld the levy of INR 10,247 terest. A similar tax demand was crore capital gains tax on the UK's also raised on Cairn India, the InCairn Energy Plc, but has held that dian subsidiary of Cairn Energy interest cannot be charged on it which the British firm sold to Anil as the demand was raised using Agarwal's Vedanta Group in 2011. retrospective tax legislation. In its plea before the ITAT, ITAT, in an order dated March Cairn Energy had said that the as9 held that Cairn Energy was li- sessing officer had "erred" in raisable to pay the tax on share trans- ing tax demand by invoking the fer it did through an internal reor- retrospective amendment to secganization of its India business tion 9 of the Act introduced in the in 2006, prior to getting Cairn In- Finance Act, 2012, which was not dia listed on stock exchanges. The tribunal also ITAT held that Cairn Energy said that Cairn India should have withheld was liable to pay the tax on tax on capital gains share transfer it did through made by its parent company. It was parallely an internal reorganization of sent a demand notice its India business in 2006, by the Income Tax department for not doing prior to getting Cairn India so. listed on stock exchanges Cairn Energy had approached ITAT after it was slapped with a tax assess- on the statute when the India-UK ment order of INR 10,247 crore in Tax Treaty came into force. January, 2014. "It is therefore submitted that Later, it also initiated interna- the taxability of the appellant tional arbitration against the tax should have been determined undemand, which is still pending. der the provisions of section 9(l) The I-T department had raised (i) of the Act which were applia total tax demand of INR 29,047 cable when the India-United crore on Cairn Energy, including Kingdom Tax Treaty was entered into force," Cairn Energy said. The ITAT said the provisions of DTAA where it simply provides that particular income would be chargeable to tax in acyears. cordance with the provisions of Referring to procurement of 36 domestic laws, such article in Rafale fighter jets from France, he DTAA also cannot limit the said the scheduled delivery of the boundaries of domestic tax laws. aircraft was from September, 2019 "In view of this, we do not find to April, 2022. any force in the argument of the As per data given by him, the assessee and dismiss...the apgovernment spent a total of INR peal," the ITAT said. 1.22 lakh crore since 2013-14, in With regard to interest paymodernization of Indian Air Force. ment, it opined that the assessee Replying to another question, cannot be burdened with interest he said a detailed project report u/s 234A and 234B of the Act on on establishment of an aerospace tax liability arising out of retrouniversity has been approved by spective amendment w.e.f. April the board of Hindustan Aeronau- 1, 1962, in the provision of sectics Ltd (HAL). tion 9(1) of the Income Tax Act. To a separate question, the min"We have carefully considered ister said a committee set up last the rival contentions. In the year to examine military procure- present case, the interest has been ment has recommended creation charged on the tax payable by the of a "central, autonomous and assessee which has arisen beempowered" organization to build cause of retrospective amendup indigenous defense capability. ment made by The Finance Act, The minister said the govern- 2012. ment has recently approved a De"Therefore, it is correct on the fense Innovation Fund (DIF) with part of the assessee to submit that initial funding by two defense it could not have visualized its liPSUs - Bharat Electronics Limited ability for payment of advance in the (BEL) and HAL. The fund aims at year of transaction. Therefore, there creating an ecosystem to foster cannot be any interest payable by innovation and technology devel- the assessee u/s 234A and 234B of the Act," the ITAT ruled.-PTI opment in defense.-PTI
India spent Rs 2.42 lakh cr in arms purchases NEW DELHI: India has spent a whopping INR 2.42 lakh crore in the last four years in procuring weapons systems and other military hardware to boost its defense preparedness. Of the total capital expenditure, procurement from foreign companies totaled INR 1.05 lakh crore while the volume of purchase from Indian vendors was INR 1.37 lakh crore. The year-wise data of capital expenditure on military procurement from 2013-14 to December of the current fiscal was given by Minister of State for Defense Subhash Bhamre while replying to a question in Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament. The total expenditure in 201314 was INR 66,821 crore, INR 65,583
crore in 2014-15 and it was INR 62,341 crore in 2015-16. INR 47,494 crore was spent on purchase of weapons system till December of 2016-17. Bhamre said the government was pursuing several measures to realize progressively higher levels of indigenization and self-reliance in the defense sector. He said 12 agreements were concluded for procurement of defense equipment from the US in the last three
The government spent a total of INR 1.22 lakh crore since 2013-14, in modernization of Indian Air Force.
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Delhi-Jaipur expressway Tax dept develops app to track refunds to cost Rs 18,000 cr JAIPUR: The Delhi-Jaipur express highway would be built at a cost of Rs 18,000 crore, Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari has said. The advanced cement-concrete 225-km express highway will be the second in the country after Mumbai-Pune express highway and will pave the way for reaching Delhi from Jaipur in just
construction works in Dausa district. "Agra-Delhi is also considered express highway but it is not as per the standard. After MumbaiPune express highway, DelhiJaipur will be the second express highway in the country," he said. He said that the Haryana government has given alignment per-
one-and-a-half hour at 125 km/ hour speed, the minister said after laying the foundation of road
mission and if Rajasthan helps in land acquisition and gives road alignment permission, the work
can commence this year itself. The Union minister said that Mumbai-Baroda express highway is also in the plan. On the long-pending RingRoad construction work in Jaipur, Gadkari said that a high-level meeting with all the stakeholders was held and it has been decided that NHAI would complete the work in 15 months. Gadkari said that in last three years, road construction work of Rs 50,000 crore has been done in the state and another Rs 50,000 crore would be spent in the next two years. We need industries to create employment for youths. Industrialists demand water, power and road. Without roads we cannot expect development. Rajasthan is progressing fast. We want industrialists to come, give employment to youths and make Rajasthan and its people prosper, Gadkari said. The Union minister announced various road construction works in the state.-PTI
India to be 3rd-biggest car market: Suzuki GENEVA: Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) expects India to grow into the third-biggest car market in the world by 2020 and is "determined" to play a big part in that growth. The company, whose arm Maruti Suzuki India commands nearly 50 per cent of the passenger vehicle market in the country, has already started operations at its new plant in Gujarat as part of the plan to raise its total production to 2 million units by 2020. "India is expected to grow into the third-biggest car market in the world by 2020 and we are determined to play a big part in that growth," said Kinji Saito, Executive General Manager and Managing Officer (Global Automotive Operations), Suzuki Motor Corporation, at the Geneva Motor Show here.
He said that in India, Suzuki has been the market leader for decades, with nearly 50 per cent share. The company plans to introduce more new products in India
"India is expected to grow into the thirdbiggest car market in the world by 2020 and we are determined to play a big part in that growth" even as it gears up to meet additional demand by increasing its production capacity. "In fact, we started operations at a new plant last month on the way to increasing our total capacity in India to two million units,"
Saito added. The Gujarat plant is envisaged to have an installed capacity of 7.5 lakh units annually. MSI's two units at Gurugram, earlier known as Gurgaon, and Manesar have a total production capacity of 1.5 million units annually. Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is accelerating product introductions with an eye to strengthen its hold in the Indian market. As part of its 2020 target, the company had earlier said it would bring in 15 models by then. In the next fiscal, MSI plans to introduce four new products. It has been bringing about two new products each year in the past couple of years. The company will launch the all-new third generation Swift, which was unveiled here, in India in the spring of 2018.-PTI
NEW DELHI: The Income Tax Aadhaar-based e-KYC and e-sigdepartment has developed a mo- nature is available through the bile app for paying taxes and websites of PAN services providtracking refunds and is consider- ers NSDL eGov and UTIITSL. In ing issuing PANs on real time this facility, the Aadhaar data is basis using the Aadhaar biomet- used for allotment of PAN and ric. there is no need to upload "The Income Tax department scanned copies of any docuis considering issuing of Perma- ment," Gangwar said. nent Account Number (PAN) on Aadhaar-based e-KYC facility a real time basis using Aadhaar's would allow individuals or entie-KYC facility. The proposal is at ties wanting to apply for PAN to an initial stage of consideration," verify details such as date of birth Minister of State for Finance or address by way of biometric Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha, The PAN allotment system the Lower House of of the I-T department is Parliament. Besides, he said a integrated with the Ministry mobile app "for paying taxes online has been of Corporate Affairs' portal developed. It has the for allotment at the time functionality to pay taxes and track re- of incorporation of a funds". company. He said the PAN allotment system of the I-T department is integrated with the Ministry of Cor- identification using thumb imporate Affairs' portal for allotment pressions. at the time of incorporation of a So far, more than 111 crore company. Aadhaar numbers have been is"A turnaround time of four sued. The unique identification hours is prescribed for allotment number is being used for getting of PAN after the receipt of PAN a new SIM card, for opening bank application from the MCA portal accounts, transfer of subsidies to PAN service provider NSDL and also for biometric-based digieGov portal," he said. tal payments under the Aadhaar Besides, the tax department Enabled Payment System. has started online PAN applicaAs per the government's estition facility using digital signa- mate, every year 2.5 crore people ture certification or Aadhaar- across the country apply for PAN based e-signature. cards. There are more than 25 "Also, online paperless PAN crore PAN card holders in the application facility using country.-PTI
Forex reserves go up by $1.218 bn MUMBAI: India's forex reserves increased by USD 1.218 billion to USD 364.01 billion in the week ended March 3, helped by a rise in foreign currency assets, the Reserve Bank has said. In the previous week, the reserves had shot up by USD 63.7 million to USD 362.79 billion. Foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves, rose by USD 576.9 million to USD 340.360 billion in the reporting week, RBI said. Expressed in US dollar terms, they include the effects of ap-
preciation/depreciation of nonUS currencies, such as the euro, pound and the yen held in the reserves. After remaining unchanged for many weeks, gold reserves increased by USD 665.6 million to USD 19.914 billion, the apex bank said. The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 9.8 million to USD 1.433 billion. India's reserve position with the Fund dipped by USD 14.6 million to USD 2.302 billion, RBI said.-PTI
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Note-ban impact on GDP over, says RBI MUMBAI: Post-demonetization, the RBI has warned of a possible spike in inflation and stressed the need to make digital payments "safe and secure", even as it felt that the adverse and transient impact on the economy has "by and large" dissipated already. In a preliminary assessment report on 'Macroeconomic Impact of Demonetization', an RBI paper said Rs 1000/500 notes valued at Rs 15.6 trillion were demonetized, but the precise estimate of currency that returned to the banking system is not yet available as the reconciliation process is still on. "Hence, the adverse wealth effect on account of SBNs (specified bank notes of Rs 1000/500) not returning to the banking system could be assessed only after the reconciliation exercise is complete," it said, while adding that the total net currency in circulation has gone up by about Rs 2.6 lakh crore between December-end and early March. The RBI also said that the surplus liquidity with banks may decline going forward as the demonetization process moves further which may also lead to some fall in bank deposits. The RBI, which said the paper has been prepared by the staff of Monetary Policy Department (MPD) with contributions from other departments and should not necessarily be interpreted as its official views, said the wealth effect is another channel through which demonetization could have impacted the economic activity. The report also said the overall business climate should improve
growth moderated somewhat in February 2017. "While it is important that efforts be made for increasing acceptance of digital payments, it is equally vital to ensure that digital payments are safe and secure," it said. There is a need to constantly review and ramp up security features of digital payments to maintain and enhance trust of its us-
Time to commercialize quantum computing R eady your trickiest problems and raid the money jar: quantum computing is going up for sale. IBM has announced that it's launching the world's first commercial quantum-computing service, which will allow people to make use of (currently slow) quantum hardware via the Internet. The news follows an
article, published in Nature by Google's Quantum AI Laboratory, which argued that the technology will become a commercial reality able to outperform traditional computers in the next five years. We agree: this year, quantum computing finally made our list of 10 breakthrough technologies.
Making cancer therapy more potent A cancer treatment that uses modified immune cells may get a shot in the arm. Genetically engineered T-cells are being tuned to kill cancer, and initial tests show that they could work phenomenally well. But a new study published in Nature suggests that when the cells are ers, especially, given the low levels of literacy in India, the assessment report said. On the overall economy, the RBI said the assessment is that the impact of demonetization on the real economy has been transient, given the information available so far. "The analysis in this paper suggests that demonetization impacted various sectors of the economy; however, the adverse impact, in general, was short-lived as it was felt mainly in November and December 2016.
Since the US presidential election results were also announced on November 8, 2016, it would be difficult to disentangle the specific impact of the SBNs and the US Presidential election results on the Indian capital market with the medium-term positive effects of demonetization starting to gain traction. "... Going forward, unfavorable base effects in February could push inflation up. The base effect remains neutral in March 2017. There is a considerable uncertainty as to how vegetables prices will pan out over the coming months," the Reserve Bank said. It also said the demonetization led to a sharp immediate pick up in digital payments, but the pace of
"However, inflation excluding vegetables moderated only marginally. Also, inflation excluding food and fuel remained sticky. The headline inflation outlook in the near term will hinge on how food inflation evolves," it said. It further said large surplus liquidity post demonetization led to a significant improvement in monetary policy transmission as reflected in a significant decline in
Tech Briefs
"The impact moderated significantly in January and dissipated by and large by mid-February 2017, reflecting an accelerated pace of remonetisation." The paper put up by the RBI said that the 240 bps decline in food inflation during November 2016 to January 2017 was the combined effect of record pulses production, large winter arrivals of vegetables and some fire sales due to decline in demand following cash squeeze.
deposit and lending interest rates. The sharp increase in low cost CASA deposits by banks is expected to have increased banks' net interest income. "However, this will need to be adjusted against the cost of managing the process of demonetization," the paper said. It said that as regards other segments of the financial sector, some NBFCs, especially MFIs, were adversely affected, in terms of disbursals and collection of repayments. However, the situation for most NBFCs began to improve from late December 2016. Jan Dhan accounts increased by 23.3 million post demonetization, while deposits under Jan Dhan accounts increased by Rs 187 billion (41 per cent). It also notes that since the US presidential election results were also announced on November 8, 2016, it would be difficult to disentangle the specific impact of the SBNs and the US Presidential election results on the Indian capital market. Demonetization and the concomitant cash shortage impacted India's external sector only moderately, but which was already facing a challenging external environment due to slowdown in global trade amidst rising support for protectionism in the US. Gold imports, which rose sharply in November 2016, moderated thereafter.-PTI
engineered using CRISPR/Cas9 the tweaks can be made more carefully, resulting in T-cells that attack cancers for longer. The upshot: in mouse experiments, the CRISPR-tuned cells fought tumors even more effectively than regular engineered T-cells.
Audacious climate science cruise T
o understand the impact of global warming, get a ship stuck in ice. A team of climate scientists has a brave new plan: sail the 120 meter-long Polarstern research ship into the sea-ice of the East Siberian Sea, where it will become embedded and be slowly drawn
across the Arctic, passing right over the North Pole. Along the way, researchers will perform experiments-analyzing water, ice, air, and weather-to understand more about the region's rapidly changing conditions. The voyage is scheduled for 2019.
Turning neighborhoods into power plants A new renewables market place makes small-time energy moguls of homeowners. Virtual power plants promise to ease the intermittency issues of renewable energy, by using software and batteries to combine separate solar panels as a single large source. The new Distributed Energy Exchange,
being trialled in Australia, allows homeowners to connect their domestic solar set-ups to such a scheme. When excess power is being generated somewhere on the grid, smart devices enable homeowners' hardware to offer up spare battery capacity-for a fee.
-MIT Technology Review
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CAG flags glaring errors in railways accounts NEW DELHI: The country's apex auditor CAG has flagged "glaring lapses" on the part of railway accounting officials, leading to numerous cases of misclassification and mistakes in accounting. Despite repeated assurances by the railways of rectifying the errors, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has observed
several cases of misclassification in the railways' accounts in the five-year period between 2010-11 and 2014-15. Misclassification refers to an income or expenditure classified under the wrong head of account. Mistakes in accounting include non-accounting of transactions,
belated adjustments in accounts and operations of unauthorized heads of accounts. In its latest report, the CAG also referred to the findings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which had objected to the accounting errors repeatedly. Quoting PAC reports, it said the railways should devise a mechanism to bring down the cases of
misclassification as these indicate not only apparent inadequacies in the accounting system but also glaring lapses on the part of accounting officials. The national auditor has also examined the impact of non-rectification of errors on financial statements and key indicators.
CAG lists AI losses; airline claims profitability NEW DELHI: The CAG has said Air India "actually incurred" an operating loss of Rs 321.4 crore in 2015-16, even the airline maintained it had an operating profit of Rs 105 crore based on generally accepted accounting standards. While making it clear that there was no fudging of numbers, officials at the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said figures reported by the airline are "actually under-reporting of loss". Air India said the "operating profit of Rs 105 crore is as per the generally accepted accounting standards" and was calculated on the basis of reducing total expenditure excluding only the financing costs from total revenue. "It is therefore the equivalent of earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and includes provision of Rs 1,867.78 crore of depreciation. "Had depreciation been excluded from the expenditure the operating profit would have significantly increased," the airline's spokesperson said in a late evening statement. Air India, which is staying
afloat on taxpayers' money, reported an operational profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16 - its first in more than a decade. "For 2015-16 where Air India has reported an operating profit of approximately Rs 105 crore, the audit of Air India's standalone accounts for 2015-16 has been completed," Deputy CAG Pradeep Rao said. About the operating profit which Air India has stated it has made in 2015-16, Rao said that in the view of CAG, "it is actually an operating loss of Rs 321.4 crore". Based on the observations made by statutory auditor of the company and the subsequent check by the CAG, "We have found that they have not made provisions which they should have made in terms of standard accounting procedures," he noted. Rao spoke about Air India's financial performance during the 2015-16 fiscal while briefing reporters about the CAG's performance audit on 'Turnaround Plan (TAP) and Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP) of Air India Ltd'.-PTI
During the review, 64 cases of persistent miscalculations of expenditure worth Rs 53.47 crore were pointed out by the CAG and accepted by the railways. Similarly 66 cases of irregular adjustments in 11 zonal railways involving a monetary value of Rs 1,431.05 crore were pointed out by the auditors and accepted by the railways. The CAG has suggested effective coordination between executive departments and accounts to detect and rectify the mistakes before the end of a financial year and to take effective measures so as to keep stringent check on misclassification in accounting. The national auditor has advocated for internal audit to identify the thrust areas where misclassifications are committed and to strengthen the internal control mechanism suitably. In order to prevent errors, it has suggested that compendium of common mistakes to be prepared and circulated for guidance of the staff. A checklist for guidelines of the staff in view of audit observations should be prepared so that mistakes are not committed year after year.-PTI
Gold imports fall sharply post-demonetization NEW DELHI: The Centre's demonetization drive seems to have made a significant impact on the gold demand in the country as imports of the metal dropped sharply in December and January. Gold imports reduced to 54.1 tonnes in December and 53.2 tonnes in January from a high of 119.2 tonnes in November, the month during which the gove r n m e n t scrapped the old Rs 500/1,000 notes. The decline in January is 43 per cent from the gold imported in the corresponding month in 2016. The sudden decision to demonetize the old high value notes led to a massive cash crunch in the country impacting demand for various commodities, including precious metals. According to an RBI assessment paper, after demonetization, the domestic demand for gold (or gold items) spiked suddenly, with "buyers reportedly willing" to pay
huge premiums to dispose of old currency notes with jewellers. "Reflecting this development as well as the seasonal jump, the volume of gold imports surged in November, even above the elevated October level. Gold imports, however, declined sharply in December 2016 and January
2017," the paper said. The RBI said that around 80 per cent of the gems and jewellery purchases in India are made in cash and consumer demand was reported to have been impacted due to the cash shortage. India is one of the largest gold importers in the world, and the imports mainly take care of demand from the jewellery industry.-PTI
6.4 tonne gold mobilized under monetization
S African-Indian's huge sugar deal turns sour
NEW DELHI: The government has collected 6.4 tonnes of gold under the scheme for monetizing the metal, Parliament has been was informed. Launched in November 2015, the scheme intends to mobilize idle gold held by households and institutions so that the wealth can be put to productive use. The scheme also intends to reduce the current account deficit by lowering country's reliance on gold imports to meet the domestic demand, Minister of State for Finance Arun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. "Till February 18, 2017, 6,410 kg of gold have been mobilized under this scheme," he said. Meghwal said government had also launched a Sovereign gold bond scheme in November 2015, as an alternative to purchasing metal gold. So far 7 tranches of sovereign gold bond have been issued.-PTI
JOHANNESBURG: An Indian- Town when his case was disorigin businessman's dreams of missed with costs. making millions from a sugar imMukadam had sued both Pearl port deal were shattered after it Island and Shoprite Checkers as turned sour following a ruling he believed the latter was liable against him by a South African for accepting the shipment, citcourt. ing the fact that Pearl Island was Mohamed Amien Mukadam dependent on the supermarket had struck a deal in 2014 to sup- group as it did not have such ply 50,000 tonnes of white sugar huge resources of its own, the to Pearl Island company, a supplier report said. to one of South Africa's biggest But Pearl Island proved that supermarket chains Shoprite Checkers. But by the time of Mukadam had sued both the first delivery toPearl Island and Shoprite wards the end of 2016, import duty on sugar Checkers as he believed had been drastically the latter was liable for accut from South African rands 2,395 to just 319 cepting the shipment rands a ton, with middleman company Pearl Island demanding that Mukadam was obliged to reduce Mukadam amend the price ac- the price in terms of the contraccordingly, South African weekly tual obligations in the original Sunday Times reported. contract. Mukadam's refusal to supply Mukadam said through his the product at the lower rate led lawyers that they would appeal to a lengthy legal battle which the judgment, but refused to comended in the High Court in Cape ment any further.-PTI
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NEW JERSEY Upcoming Sat, Mar 18 • Holi Dhamaka In Jersey City Venue: Dorrian's Red Hand Restaurant, 555 Washington Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07310 Time: 09:30 pm
Fri, Mar 24 • Mardi Gras With Tanushree Dutta In New Jersey Venue: Royal Alberts Palace, 1050 King Georges Post Road, Edison, NJ 08837 Time: 07:30 pm
NEW YORK
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Upcoming
Upcoming
Upcoming
Sat, Mar 18 • SPB 50 - Exclusive Telugu Concert Live In Bay Area
Sat, Apr 01 • Movie On Stage – The Magic Of Flavors
Sat, Mar 18 • Festival of Colors / Holi In The City Brunch Party Venue: Stage48, 605 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036 Time : 12:00 pm
Fri, Mar 31 • Testing Additonal Options(% of order value) Venue: Tester Venue, 123 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036 Time : 01:00 pm
Sat, Apr 08 • Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Remembering Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Sat, Apr 08 • Swayamvar- Indian & South Asians Singles Event
Venue: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102 Time: 07:30 pm
Venue: Nirvana, 346 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Time : 05:00 pm
Venue: City National Civic, 135 W San
CHICAGO
Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95113
Venue: Santa Clara Convention Center
Time: 06:30 pm
Theater, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054
Fri, Mar 24 • Jayanthi Raman presents “Duality – A Dance Drama”
Time: 1:00 pm
5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara,
Sat, Apr 08 • Devotional Songs Nada Sudha School of Music
CA 95054
Venue: CET Auditorium, 701, Vine Street,
Time: 08:00 pm
San Jose, CA 95110
Contact: 4085799426
Time: 08:15 pm
Venue: Santa Clara Convention Center,
Sat, Mar 25 • Saratoga Hindu
ATLANTA Upcoming
Allendale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070
Sat, Mar 25 • Bollywood Beats 2017
Time: 06:00 pm
Venue: North Gwinnett High School Au-
Venue: Saratoga Community Center, 19655
ditorium, 20 Level Creek Road, Suwanee, GA 30024
Sat, Apr 01 • SIFA Presents Music Maestro Vidwan T.M.Krishna
Time: 04:30 pm
school, 1201 Brewster Avenue, Redwood
Fri, Apr 07 • Arijit Singh Live Concert Atlanta GA - First Time Ever!
City, CA 94062
Venue: Infinite Energy Arena, 6400
Time: 03:30 pm
Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097
Venue: Carrington Hall, Sequoia high
Time: 09:00 pm
Sat, Apr 08 • Katha Kacheri Smt. Suchitra Balasubramanian Venue: CET Auditorium, 701, Vine Street, San Jose, CA 95110 Time: 11:00 am
Sat, Apr 08 • Radha Mangeshkar Hrishikesh Ranade Venue: Berkmar High School Auditorium, 405 Pleasant Hill Road, Lilburn, GA Time: 07:00 pm
ILLINOIS Upcoming 1st and 3rd Sunday of Month • Chicago Children's Bal Mukund Character Building Program and Hindi Literacy Classes Venue: Vogelei Center, 650 W. Higgins Road, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60192 (Next to Nissan Dealership) Contact: Ajay & Arti Chandhok @ 630-561-4807
Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105
Mondays and Fridays • Free ESL - English as Second Language Classes Where: Metropolitan Asian Family Services Venue: 9015 N Milwaukee Ave, Niles, IL, Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm Contact: 773-465-3105
Swami Ishatmananda • Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy of life Venue: Public Library-95th Street 3015 Cedar Glade Rd Naperville IL 60564 Time: 1st friday of every month 7-8 pm Contact: 630-637-0662
• India Eternal: From the Vedic Age to the Present Venue: Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago 10915 N. Main Street Glendale Heights, IL 60139 Time: 10:00 pm Contact: 630-655-8822
40 India Post
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March 17, 2017
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picturesque hill sta tion located 1000 m above sea level with a nice bracing cool climate, Saputara the 'Abode of Serpents', is located in the forest region of Dangs of Sahyadari Ranges. The town, the only hill station in Gujarat, is situated on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. The ambiance is very cool throughout the seasons and the maximum temperature experienced here is 28 degrees in summer months. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Ram spent his 11 years of exile in the dense forests of Saputara. There is a deity of a serpent (snake) placed on the banks of the river Sarpaganga. Local tribal folks worship this serpent god and celebrate festivals like Holi. Saputara
is enriched with natural relics and bio diversity, with awesome climate of chilly air and the terrains covered with mists in the evenings. Saputara attracts lots of tourists to its scenic lap, owing to its stunning view, lively location and cool climate. Saputara has marvelous waterfalls and the place is ideal for watching sunrise and sunset. In the pleasant monsoon, Saputara offers breathtaking scenes for nature lovers. The Saputara Lake in the backdrop of lush greenery and
charming surroundings is a major attraction. Boating facilities such as paddle boats are available on the lake. The place also houses some beautiful gardens and a museum. One of the main attractions of Saputara is the 'Pushpak Ropeway'. It is considered the longest ropeway in the country and attracts a large number of children and young couples. There is a hill resort with hotels, parks, swimming pools, theatres and a museum.
Tourist attractions Pandava Caves: Pandava Caves, also known as Aravalem caves, are renowned by the mythical stories of Pandavas, the great warriors of the epic Mahabharatha. The caves are located in an ambiance of wilderness at a place Valpoi in the district of North Goa,
a border district of Goa with Gujarat. It is believed that Pandavas put up here for some time during their stay in the forest and they used these caves to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. An impressive Shivling is placed inside the caves. These are beautiful caves lending light to the epic period. Echo Point: Echo Point, as the name highlights, is the place where one can hear the echo of what one says. It is located in Matheran near Saputara. It is one of the prime tourist attractions near Saputara. Cont’d on page 42
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24-year old who took over Lonely Planet NEW YORK: Daniel Houghton was just 24 years old when he became CEO of Lonely Planet in 2013. Since then, he's restructured the company, expanded its digital presence and, to the surprise of many who feared he'd kill off Lonely Planet guidebooks, he's grown the print side of the business. The company now has 33 percent of the guidebook market, its largest share ever. Houghton, now 28, starts his fourth year with the company in April. Houghton's roots are in the South - he grew up outside Atlanta and holds a photojournalism degree from Western Kentucky University. But you could say travel is a family tradition: His parents worked for airlines and his grandparents toured the lower 48 states in an Airstream camper in the 1970s. Houghton is based in Nashville, Tennessee, now, but last year he traveled some 150,000 miles for Lonely Planet, and the year before that, 300,000 miles. This year his job has taken him to Colombia to speak at an event honoring that country's president for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and he'll also be a speaker at SXSW in Austin, Texas. For fun, he recently vacationed in North Dakota with his dogs, a pair of German shorthaired pointers named Jackson and Moose. Houghton spoke with The Associated Press during a recent stop in New York. Q: What are some of the changes at Lonely Planet since you took
over? A: We've completely rebuilt the entire digital platform along with a suite of mobile products. We've just really tried to expand our content coverage as much as possible: food, adventure travel, we've launched a whole line of kids' content. Travel is really much more than `I'm about to go get on a very longhaul flight and take my guidebook.' That's obviously a very large part of our audience. ... But we've set the business up to reach people on as many platforms
Facebook Live and watching a Livestream by one of our authors at Diwali. We're also a launch partner for Google Home. If you talk to them and say, `I want to talk to Lonely Planet,' we'll jump in. Q: You were hired to run Lonely Planet by Brad Kelley, the billionaire who bought the company from the BBC. How did that come about? A: We got to meet pretty randomly a couple years before Lonely Planet. I was in the right place at the right time and very fortunate to have that opportunity. We met a few times and he offered me a job. But every
shows to commercial work. Q: Kelley bought the company from the BBC at a fraction of what it had sold for a few years earlier. Is Lonely Planet profitable now? A: We're certainly moving in the right direction. We're proud of what we've achieved and we don't really comment on the rest of it.
radically exciting. But it is when you get given a camera: `Maybe I'll take a picture of every one of them.' Q: Are there places you haven't been that you want to go? A: Last year we had a book called `The Ultimate Travel List.' We had Angkor Wat at No. 1. I've never been there. I'd love
Q: Had you traveled the world before Lonely Planet? A: I'd been a lot of places but I hadn't been to Asia and I've never been to Antarc-
Daniel Houghton
as we can. Whether they find something that we put on Instagram, or they see our magazine in the airport, or they visit our website because they Googled where to go in Italy and we're the No. 1 or 2 organic search result, we want to get that content in front of as many people as possible. If we're doing a Facebook Instant Article, that's very different from opening up Periscope or
time I tell this story, someone comes up with some new twist on what they imagined must have happened. Q: What were you doing before Lonely Planet? A: At the time I was frustrated with the newspaper industry. I had started my own one-man band, a multimedia company doing everything from shooting pilots of TV
tica. Every other continent I had been to a couple of times - a lot of vacations and both my parents worked for the airlines. Until I turned 21, I had a free ticket. I grew up traveling with the family. My mom's idea of a really fun vacation was, `Let's go to New Hampshire to see all of the covered bridges in the whole state.' As a 10- or 12-year-old, that's not
to see that. I'd love to go to Myanmar. Vietnam. Q: How many countries have you been to? A: I'm somewhere north of 35 but not more than 45. Q: How many states? A: I've got one state left. I have not been to Hawaii. Of all the ones, right? -AP
Ex-General cycles to pay homage to martyrs AHMEDABAD: A retired Army officer is cycling across the country to pay homage to the defense personnel who laid down their lives for the nation. Major General (retired) Somnath Jha decided to pay homage to each of around 21,000 Armed Forces personnel, who have lost their life since Independence, by cycling for two minutes for each of them. Jha's last posting was at Ambala Cantonment in Haryana from where he retired in September last year. He spent nearly 37years in the Army. "So many of our friends have sacrificed their lives for the country. So after retirement, I decided to travel across the nation on bicycle by pedaling two minutes for each of the 21,000 martyrs, thereby travelling for 42,000 minutes across most parts of the country," Major General (retd)
Jha, who is currently stationed in Gandhinagar told PTI. Jha said so far he has covered 30,500 minutes and plans to cover another 11,500-odd minutes by
the end of April. "I have so far covered 24 states and am resuming my journey from here. I will cover Rajasthan before ending the
travel at Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi where I will pay my tributes to the martyrs," Jha said. "I had given myself a mandate to cover most of the country's
states while clocking 42,000 minutes journey from Ambala to New Delhi," he said. While Jha is riding solo, he is being provided with logistics support by a team of seven persons, including his wife Chitra, who are accompanying him on a car throughout the journey. "The experience so far has been exhilarating and every moment is memorable. When people know about the purpose behind my cycling, they receive me with warmth. I must say every single Indian is a patriot, helpful and full of love," Jha said. "The only thing is that we lack time to express our patriotism. I have asked people to light at least one diya in the name of a martyr on Diwali to express their gratitude for the sacrifice made by the martyr," he said. -PTI
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Echo Point offers exquisite picturesque surroundings with many waterfalls, enhancing the breathtaking beauty of the location. The atmosphere is calm and cool. There are many spectacular tourist spots like Louisa Point, Charlotte Lake, and King George Point. Saputara Lake: Saputara Lake, a serene and secluded picnic spot, is placed right at the heartland of Saputara valley. The lake is on the base of Saputara hill station and is placed perfectly on the picturesque hilly surroundings. The surroundings of the lake are provided with many facilities for merry making, especially with children's parks and play grounds. Step Garden: Another attractive place in Saputara, the Step Garden has the unique feature of a garden set up in steps. Well laid out steps are adorned with beautiful plants, flower pots and in the midst of nice woods. There is a forest hut for the comfortable stay of the visitors, placed amidst the garden. The garden is well maintained and offers many varieties of flowers and plants. The garden has open space for children to roam around. This is a nice place to spend the evenings away from the town's hustle and bustle. Sunset Point: An awesome view of sunset is the spectacular attraction of Sunset point, also known as Gandhi Shikhar (peak). It is at a walkable distance from the heart of the town. This point
provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding tribal villages in their natural splendor and also an aerial view of wide spans of Dang Forest. The dense forest surrounding Saputara is dotted with picturesque scenes and many tribal villages. One can reach this marvelous sunset point by using the ropeway or by climbing the hills. Valley View Point: Valley View Point, also known as Sunrise Point, is a peak in Saputara, from where one can get a marvelous bird's eye view of the down Saputara valley. Adventurous travelers need to make a difficult climb of about 1.5 km to reach this spot. Picturesque
surroundings with cool breeze offer an envious picnic location at the mount. Tourists here lie down on the greenish lawns, close their eyes and dream the gifts of nature. Valley View Point is majestic. Tr e k k i n g : Saputara is really a wonderful vacation spot for trekking with many established trekking trails and many unexplored pathways, still with unspoiled atmosphere and surroundings. An enthusiast tourist to Saputara can undertake trekking in Saputara hills, nature walks around the Saputara Lake, hill climbing to Valley View Point, camping in the dense woods of Saputara hills and many such adventurous activities. Best time to visit Saputara promises an all year pleasant weather. It does not experience any extreme climatic variations. Summer during March to June has a narrow temperature band of 28°C to 38°C. Winters dur-
ing December to February are extremely pleasant within the temperature range of 8°C to 28°C. Monsoons during July to September offer a humid climate with average rainfalls. An attraction here is the three
tion is about 50 km away from Saputara city center. This station is directly connected with Mumbai and regular train services are available from here to many cities in India. By Air: Mumbai Chatrapati
day 'Grishm Mahotsav' during May. The Mahotsav is very attractive for the tourists to watch the hill station with many art and cultural programs.
Shivaji International airport, which is 360 km away from Saputara, is the nearest airport. By Bus: Saputara is well connected to all neighboring cities by Government owned buses. Private A/C and non A/C deluxe buses are also available.
How to reach By Train: Waghai railway sta-
March 17, 2017
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Safety top priority for Telangana to attract repeat travelers women travelers MUMBAI: With more and more women travelling independently, a recent study has revealed that safety is a major determining fac-
tor while deciding on a destination. "Women have listed safety as the biggest determining factor while deciding on a travel destination," according to a study done by largest hotel company OYO. The study was conducted among women in the age group 1860 across different locations in India, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. It found that 53 per cent respondents travelled for both work and
leisure, while 37 per cent took trips only for leisure. About 27 per cent respondents said they preferred travelling solo, of which 36 per cent said they enjoyed it but 33 per cent opined that they had to opt for it because it was difficult matching schedules with friends or companions, it said. W o m e n ranked friends (57 per cent) higher
than family (51 per cent) as preferred travel companions, but partners reigned supreme for them at 62 per cent, the study said. While deciding on a destination, personal research through
internet and magazines ranked highest (78 per cent) than recommendations from friends and family (51 per cent). Social media, it said, came third (32 per cent) and movies trailed the last (12 per cent) when it came to sparking travel inspiration. Contrary to expectations, the study said, 69 per cent women opted for budget hotels over fivestar accommodations (18 per cent) while 6 per cent preferred to stay in a hostel while travelling. "Women are a significant set of travelers - undertaking travel for both personal and business reasons. Not surprisingly, 80 per cent women reported that they take charge of their travel plans, often in consulta-
tion with friends or family. "About 52 per cent reported that they liked taking impulsive trips - but interestingly more than half listed accommodation as their biggest concern," OYO COO Abhinav Sinha added. -PTI
Mega tulip festival in Srinagar from April 1 SRINAGAR: As part of its efforts to revive tourism in the Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir government will organize a firstof-its-kind 15-day festival next month to showcase the treasures of Asia's largest tulip garden here. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, overlooking the scenic Dal Lake, has more than 20 lakh tulips of 46 varieties and its opening marks the beginning of tourism season in the Valley. "The mega tulip festival will be part of Bahaar-e-Kashmir (Spring in Kashmir) event to showcase Asia's largest tulip garden in the summer capital of Srinagar. The festival will start on April 1 and will continue for 15 days," Secretary Tourism and Floriculture Farooq Ahmad Shah said. At the festival site, decorated kiosks and stalls will showcase rich handicrafts and cuisine of the Valley with traditional, ethnic touch.
"On the sidelines of this mega festival, an 'Aalmi Mushaira' event will be held wherein world famous poets will enthrall the audience with their latest Urdu compositions. This too would be first-ofits-kind in the Valley," Shah claimed. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2008
by the then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The tourism sector in the Valley was badly hit last year due to the unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani along with two of his associates in an encounter by security forces in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in July. -PTI
NEW DELHI: The Telangana government is planning to attract "repeat travelers" who look for new destinations with an aim to boost its tourism sector. "In less than three years after bif u r c a t i o n , Telangana tourism has been able to grow tremendously, particularly with Hyderabad's elevation as world's fifth dynamic city," Telangana Tourism Commissioner Sunitha M Bhagwat said. Speaking at a "road show" organized by the state tourism department here, she said Telangana government was also clubbing with tour operators across the country for the purpose. "During the first visit, travelers usually ask the operators about places like Golden Triangle, Kerala, Shimla and other such
destinations. But when they come back the next time they would want something new. At this point operators can present Telangana
as the new destination," said Bhagwat. The road show which had started at Lucknow last month and held at other places like Chandigarh and Jaipur, concluded here, with over 100 tourism operators from in and around Delhi taking part in the event. -PTI
J&K Bank to promote state tourism SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Bank has decided to promote the state's rich tourism potential through its branches in different cities across the country. This was agreed in a meeting between state secretary for tourism and floriculture Farooq A Shah with bank's chairman Parvez Ahmad, an official spokesman said. He said they also agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding
Similarly, the bank's website will also have information displays about the state tourism product and services, the spokesman said, adding the JK Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) packages will also be promoted in the respective branches. "J&K bank is an established institution and will effectively help in promoting the state across the country as it is credible and will be supported from the department in
(MoU) in this regard. J&K Bank will promote the state of Jammu and Kashmir through all its branches by providing publicity materials and other information to its clients and customers, according to the agreement.
all its efforts to showcase rich potential of tourism in domestic market," Shah said. He said the tourism trade bodies have appreciated this step and expressed hope that it will yield good results. -PTI
„
Realty Tidbits
Phoenix accused of mortgage fraud PHOENIX: A state grand jury has indicted the owner of a Phoenix real estate company for allegedly stealing up to $500,000 from 40 families in Arizona who wanted to buy homes. The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced that Francisco Aguirre is facing felony charges of conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, money laundering, illegally conducting an enterprise, mortgage fraud, theft and forgery. Prosecutors say Aguirre owned Montecristo Properties, Montecristo Property Investments and San Marino Property Investments from 2013 to 2015. The indictment alleges Aguirre made false statements and material omissions to families who believed they were purchasing homes from him and gave a down payment. Prosecutors say the victims also made monthly payments as mortgage payments only to find out they never owned or had a title to the home. -AP
„ Lincoln project combines farm, housing LINCOLN, Neb.: A developer is planning a project in north Lincoln that would combine urban housing and working farms, along with maintaining a wetland area. The Lincoln City Council approved zoning changes for the planned 62.5-acre development near Salt Creek, marking a first step in the project planned by developer Mark Fortney. The area is currently agricultural land with light industry nearby, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Fortney said about two-thirds of the development will be green space and could potentially be used for community gardens, fruit trees and large animals, and composting would be encouraged to improve the soil for gardening. He said turning some of the area into a working farm will ease the difficulty of sustaining the property financially. He also said some housing will be laneway cottages, which are smaller houses but still bigger than tiny homes. The laneway cottages with singlestall garages are expected to sell for around $150,000. ``This is a creative and unusual use of land. And I like that they are doing a little bit of rural and a little bit of urban,'' Councilwoman Cyndi Lamm said. Councilwoman Leirion Gaylor Baird said the development plan will take a difficult area to work with and transform it into more affordable housing. -AP
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TN launches Rs 1,580 cr housing scheme CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami has launched a housing scheme estimated at Rs 1,580 crore.The scheme was being implemented by the state government with Central assistance for the economically poor, an official release said. In the year 2016-17, concrete houses will be constructed for 50,170 beneficiaries in town panchayat limits, it said. To mark the launch of the scheme Palaniswami gave away work orders to five beneficiaries, it added. -PTI
China grants preliminary approval to 38 new Trump trademarks SHANGHAI: China has granted preliminary approval for 38 new Trump trademarks, paving the way for President Donald Trump and his family to potentially develop a host of branded businesses from hotels and golf clubs to bodyguard and concierge services, public documents show. Trump's lawyers in China applied for the marks in April 2016, as Trump railed against China at campaign rallies, accusing it of currency manipulation and stealing U.S. jobs. Critics maintain that Trump's swelling portfolio of China trademarks raises serious conflict of interest questions. China's Trademark Office published the provisional approvals on Feb. 27. . If no one objects, they will be formally registered after 90 days. All but three are in the president's own name. China already registered one trademark to the president, for Trump-branded construction services on Feb. 14, the result of a 10-year legal battle that
Trump Organization chief legal officer Alan Garten said the company has been enforcing its intellectual property rights for more than a decade in China and registered trademarks relating to its core real estate brand in China years before Trump announced his presidential run. ``The latest registrations are a natural result of those longstanding, diligent efforts and any suggestion to the contrary demonstrates a complete disregard of the facts as well as a lack of understanding of international trademark law,'' he Computer screens showing some of the Trump trademarks approved by China's said in an email. Trademark office and seen on its website in Beijing, China, March 8. The approvals Dan Plane, a director are fueling conflict of interest concerns and questions about whether President Donald Trump is receiving special treatment from the Chinese government. at Simone IP Services, a Hong Kong intellectual receives any special treatment in est are particularly sharp in China, property consultancy, said he had securing trademark rights, it would where the courts and bureaucracy never seen so many applications violate the U.S. Constitution, are designed to reflect the will of approved so expeditiously. which bans public servants from the ruling Communist Party. Cont’d on page 45 turned in Trump's favor after he declared his candidacy. Ethics lawyers across the political spectrum say that if Trump
accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless approved by Congress. Concerns about potential conflicts of inter-
Ensure timely delivery, Naidu tells builders NEW DELHI: Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu has asked builders to fulfill their promises to home buyers and ensure timely delivery even as the realtors demanded that ongoing projects be exempted from the new realty law. Addressing the realtors' apex body CREDAI Conclave, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Naidu expressed concern over the "skyrocketing" land prices in some cities and said it needs to be "brought down to the land" to make it affordable for the people. "The government is not asking you to do anything more than what you have promised to the people. What you have promised on the paper, you just complete that, we will stand by you," Naidu said. Naidu was responding to CREDAI chairman Irfan Razack's demand that provisions of the new Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Act should not be applicable with retrospective effect and should cover only new projects. The demand comes in the background of realtors defaulting on providing housing units to consumers on time during the past few years, leading to a huge outcry and a number of litigations in various courts by the buyers. "Issues that have been raised are being considered by the Ministry. With regard to ongoing projects also...I wish I could transfer all my emails to Mr Irfan and let there be some committee address those issues...Address those issues, take corrective actions and then I can tell them prospective and not retrospective," he said. Naidu said the sector must deal
with fly-by-night operators. He said the real estate sector is raring to go ahead on the back of various initiatives of the govern-
ment including infrastructure status to affordable housing and other tax sops. The minister asked the builders to adopt digital transactions for bringing in transparency into the sector. To transform the real estate sector, he said, the developers
need to change their outlook and come out with new business principles and models. The initiatives announced by the government would enable the much-desired eco-system required by the sector to push aside the legacy issues. "It is a fact that this critical sector over the years has acquired a certain degree of taint for several reasons that we are all aware of. There is a serious crisis of character. The RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) seeks to restore the character of the sector. The Benami Transaction (Prevention) Act will further complement in this regard," Naidu said. Talking about ease of doing business, Naidu said the government is in the process of making faster approval of real estate projects and a presentation on this by the ministries concerned will be made before the Prime Minister soon.-PTI
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China grants preliminary approval to 38 new Trump trademarks Cont’d from page 44
``For all these marks to sail through so quickly and cleanly, with no similar marks, no identical marks, no issues with specifications - boy, it's weird,'' he said. Plane said he would be ``very, very surprised'' if officials from the ruling Communist Party were not monitoring Trump's intellectual property interests. ``This is just way over your average trademark examiner's pay grade,'' he said. The marks include branded spa and massage services, golf clubs, hotels, insurance, finance and real estate companies, restaurants, bars, and a trademark class that covers bodyguards, social escort, and concierge services - though it's unclear whether any such businesses will actually materialize in China. Trump has pledged to refrain from new foreign deals while in office, and many companies register trademarks in China only to prevent others from using their name inappropriately. Asked for clarification on how the trademarks would be used, Garten did not elaborate, beyond saying the Trump Organization has no plans to operate any sort of escort service in China. Spring Chang, a founding partner at Chang Tsi & Partners, a
Beijing law firm that has represented the Trump Organization, declined to comment specifically on Trump's trademarks. But she did say that she advises clients to take out marks defensively, even in categories or subcategories of goods and services they may not aim to develop. ``I don't see any special treatment to the cases of my clients so far,'' she added. ``I think they're very fair and the examination stan-
portunity to exercise leverage over the U.S. president. ``Every American should be profoundly concerned by this enormous expansion of President Trump's entanglements with China,'' said Norman Eisen, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer for President Barack Obama. ``If the president is receiving these flows of benefits from China, how can he be trusted to staunch the flow of jobs from the
`It's clear to me that officials in Beijing have come to appreciate the potential return on investments for China in having a positive, personal business relationship with the President of the United States, dard is very equal for every applicant.'' She said government relations are an important part of trademark strategy in China and said she has worked with officials from both the U.S. and Canadian embassies to help her clients. The key, she said, is ``you should communicate closely with the government to push your case.'' Governmental discretion is exactly what U.S. ethics lawyers fear could turn a trademark into an op-
United States to that country?'' Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, said the volume of new approvals raised red flags. ``A routine trademark, patent or copyright from a foreign government is likely not an unconstitutional emolument, but with so many trademarks being granted over such a short time period, the question arises as to whether there is an accommodation in at least some of them,'' he said.
Mortgage Corpn bets on affordable housing MUMBAI: In a bid to boost affordable housing, the Indian Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) has launched a mortgage guarantee-linked home loan product. "In our attempt to give a legup to affordable housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), we have launched a mortgage guarantee-linked home loan product for low and moderate income households," IMGC chief executive Amitabh Mehra told PTI here. "The product is aimed at both formal and informal sectors, including self-employed," he said. Set up two tears ago, IMGC is a joint venture between National Housing Bank (NHB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the US-based Genworth Financial. It is registered with RBI under the mortgage guarantee norms. Its total portfolio of Rs 2,000 crore. "The product has been formu-
lated and offered by the IMGC for housing finance companies and banks under the PMAY scheme," Mehra said. The mortgage guarantee will add value in terms of default guarantee to lenders and offer higher loan amount to borrowers at longer tenor, including loans
Under the mission of housing for all by 2020, the government offers a subsidy to encourage lending to lower segment of the population beyond retirement extending up to 75 years. For the lenders, the mortgage guarantee can be used to cover potential defaults, thus help expand the reach of the scheme, he
said. Under the mission of housing for all by 2020, the government offers a subsidy to encourage lending to lower segment of the population. "With the renewed thrust on affordable housing and supportive policy environment, we will be playing an important role in the affordable housing segment," said R V Verma, the former chairman of NHB who recently joined the board of IMGC. "With the number of housing finance companies registered with NHB going up to 82, IMGC expects to reach out to the larger market through all these players," he said. Already lenders such as ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Dewan Housing, Aditya Birla Housing Finance and Axis Bank have entered into a collaboration with IMGC, Verma said. The institution is also in advance talks with HDFC and other major players for similar partnerships, he added. -PTI
Eisen and Painter are involved in a lawsuit alleging that Trump's foreign business ties violate the U.S. Constitution. Trump has dismissed the lawsuit as ``totally without merit.'' Three of the new China trademarks are for Scion, a hotel brand Trump's sons are looking to expand in the U.S. Unlike almost all of Trump's China trademarks, they are registered in the name of a Delaware company called DTTM Operations LLC, rather than Donald J. Trump himself. The Trump Organization has transferred ownership of dozens of trademarks from the president to DTTM Operations LLC since its incorporation in January 2016. In an earlier email to the Associated Press, Garten said, ``The decision to assign the portfolio to DTTM is also consistent with the President's pledge to separate himself fully from the Trump Organization and hand over complete control to his children and senior executives in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest even though none of these steps were required by law.'' Trump has said he assigned all his business interests to a trust overseen by one of his sons, Donald Trump Jr., and a longtime Trump Organization executive, Allen Weisselberg. However,
Trump retains the ability to revoke the trust at any time and as the sole beneficiary stands to benefit financially from it. As of May 2016, Donald Trump owned 100 percent of DTTM Operations LLC, according to his Federal Election Commission disclosure. Its current ownership structure is unclear. Delaware public records do not disclose the management of DTTM Operations LLC, though they do show that Trump's sons and Weisselberg served as directors of a related company. Democratic senators have protested Trump's acceptance of a valuable trademark from the Chinese government without congressional approval. Some also questioned Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about potential political influence, including any involvement of the U.S. Embassy, in Trump's China trademarks. ``It's clear to me that officials in Beijing have come to appreciate the potential return on investments for China in having a positive, personal business relationship with the President of the United States, who has not taken appropriate and transparent steps to completely sever his relationship from the corporation that bears his name,'' Sen. Ben Cardin said in a statement. -AP
More housing can tackle high cost of living HONOLULU: Economists say a shortage of housing is driving up housing costs, contributing to Hawaii's high cost of living. The state should focus on policies that encourage housing development, but that might attract more people to move to Hawaii, they told state lawmakers at a hearing at the state Capitol. Hawaii has the second-highest consumer debt in the nation and 77 percent of the debt is from mortgages, said Eugene Tiang, economic research administrator for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Many homes in the state are being sold to investors on the mainland or abroad, he said. ``The situation is getting worse for neighbor islands ... Maui is leading the trend,'' Tiang said. On Maui, 44 percent of single family homes and condominiums were sold to mainland residents between 2008 and 2016, and 49 percent were sold to local residents, he said. About 7 percent went to foreign investors.
On Kauai and the Big Island about 40 percent of homes are sold to mainland residents, Tiang said. On Oahu, he said, 85 percent of homes were sold to Hawaii residents. Honolulu has the most burdensome regulations when it comes to building housing, and the state should do everything it can to build more affordable housing, said Carl Bonham, executive director of the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii. ``Even if we do that, we may not bring down cost of living. ... On the other hand if we don't do that the cost could get worse,'' Bonham said. In 2003, the top 1 percent of homes in the state sold for $1 million or more, and in 2013, 10 percent of homes were sold in that price range, said Paul Brewbaker, owner of TZ Economics. ``By the early 2020s, you should expect a third or more of houses to be trading at $1 million or more,'' Brewbaker said. -AP
Horoscope
46 India Post
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The stationary transit of Rahu and Ketu is in effect till April 2017, Sudden setbacks, obstructions are likely. Drive safely. Be patience.
March 17th - March 23rd 2017 Please send your birthday, place of birth and time, so I can give you your zodiac sign, according to Vedic astrology. Send to Jaysastrology@gmail.com
he professional matters need care, focus on your job. The promotion is likely to be delayed. Some additional expenses are likely. Take care of your health if physical check is due get it done. Do not breed disputes.Those who are looking for marriage may get some proposal. Explore them with patience.It is better to avoid new ventures upto October, 2017.
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he professional matters need care. You have to be careful in the matter of status, driving and relationships. New opportunities are likely. Those who have some planets around 27 degrees in any of the zodiac signs that is Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces and Taurus are likely to have problems concerning children, emotions, business, health of father and self up to May, 2017. Take care.
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he professional matters look better.Some of you may have to move in connection with the job. The due promotion/recognition may be delayed. Some additional income is likely. Take care of the health of your family, get regular check up. It is better to avoid haste and conflicts. Avoid unnecessary driving. Patience is the Mantra for you up to October 2017.
he professional matters look better. Some of you may get promotion/recognition. Some additional income is likely. The health concerns start easing. The child may bring happiness, thru good news. The transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/ Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 9 or some planet is around 9 degree in odd signs up to 15th of April, 2017.
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he profession and rela tionships matters may develop concerns. Excercise patience in dealing with obstructions. Students and those who are appearing in selections need to work hard. The chances of success also become doubtful. Strengthen your birth planets through a Special Power Kavach as transit weakness of planets can bring sudden mishaps. Avoid color white and grey.
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he professional matters look ok. Do not be aggressive. It is better to stay away from conflicts. Child may need help, focus on them. Some additional expenses are likely.The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 9 or some planet is around 9 degree in odd signs up to 15th of April, 2017.
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he professional matters look better.Some easy gains are likely. Work with patience and caution. Avoid manipulations and avoid conflicts at all levels.The new ventures should be kept pending. The health of family may cause concerns, get regular physical check up. The week may involve some additional expenses.Avoid haste, conflicts, unnecessary expenses and driving/travel.
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T
he concerns continue in job/profession. Time continues to be difficult. Take due care. Handle relationship matters with patience.Child needs extra care and help.Emotional stress is likely. It is better to avoid unnecessary driving. Take care of your health. Romance wise is ok go with the flow. Avoid new ventures put them on hold. Setback in income is seen.
rofessional matters look ok. Some of you may get recognition. The week indicates the incidence of conflicts due to your aggressive behaviour. Manage conflicts with patience. Silence is golden. Handle relationship matters with patience. Avoid new ventures and manipulations. Child may need help. Some disputes may arise in inheritance matters. Avoid haste, speculation and unnecessary driving.
he professional matters need careful handling, Problems at work please no conflicts Some additional income is likely. Friends may be helpful. Some new opportunities may also come up. Avoid speculation, don't gamble or play stock market.Always invest in safe assets. The child may bring some good news, praise them. Chances for romantic activity.
he professional matters need care. Handle relationship matters with care. Obstructions are likely in the sources of income. Manage obstructions with patience. Avoid manipulations and driving. You are vulnerable to health problems please see doctor and get check if required. Strengthen your birth planets through a Special Power Kavach as transit weakness of planets can bring sudden mishaps.
he professional matters need care, focus on your work and avoid conflicts. Some unexpected gains are likely. Avoid unnecessary journey. Some additional expenses and health concerns are likely. Manage things with patience and avoid conflicts in job. Continue to perform peace making remedies for your functional malefic planets Sun, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.
This weekly horoscope is more focused and accurate as these are based on ascending signs. The ascending sign is worked out on the basis of your date, time and place of birth. You will find the predictions at other places based on your Sun sign or Moon sign. The Sun remains in one sign of zodiac for one month whereas the Moon remains in one sign for about 54 hours. It is the ascending sign, which changes every couple of hours." That is how this site offers you more focused predictions.
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In Brief School to protect kids from immigration raids FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.: A South Florida school board is taking steps to protect the children of undocumented immigrants who face deportation. The School Board of Broward County approved the resolution in response to increasing fears of more aggressive immigration enforcement polices implemented by the Trump administration. School Board member Robin Bartleman says immigrant families ``wanted to know that we had their backs.'' News outlets report the resolution prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from entering schools or school-related events without warrants. Any requests to access schools or get information about a student will be directed to the district's attorney. The board also agreed to have schools work with parents and community organizations to come up with a plan in case a student's parents are deported. -AP
„ 'US labor would shrink without immigrants' WASHINGTON: America's workforce will only grow over the next two decades if new immigrants arrive to replace retiring Baby Boomers, a report from the Pew Research Center finds. Pew projects that the U.S. working-age (25-64) population will grow from 173 million in 2015 to 183 million in 2035. But new immigrants will account for all the growth. Without them, the number of working-age Americans would drop to 166 million by 2035. As Baby Boomers retire, the number of U.S.-born working-age adults with U.S.-born parents will account for a smaller share of working-age population: 66 percent in 2035, down from 74 percent in 2015. Pew's projections are based on current rates of immigration and combine legal immigrants with those who enter the United States illegally. -AP
Immigration 48 India Post
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March 17, 2017
Canada visa changes to impact Indians Details on page 50
New travel ban eases some legal questions but not all WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's revised travel ban eases some of the legal questions surrounding the previous order, but critics said it does not answer all of them, including accusations that the measure is a thinly veiled attempt to discriminate against Muslims. Opponents promised to challenge the president again in court. The new, narrower ban temporarily bars new visas for citizens of six predominantly Muslim countries - one fewer than the original ban, with Iraq removed from the list. It also suspends the entire U.S. refugee program. The measure applies only to refugees who are not already on their way to the United States and people seeking new visas. It removes language that gave priority to religious minorities. Critics said the language was designed to help Christians get into the U.S. and to exclude Muslims. The changes will make the new executive order tougher to fight in court, but they ``will not quell litigation or concerns,'' Stephen YaleLoehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University Law
School, said in a written statement. ``U.S. relatives will still sue over the inability of their loved ones to join them in the United States,'' he said. ``U.S. companies may sue because they cannot hire needed
States.'' The American Civil Liberties Union promised ``to move very quickly'' to try to stop the order. New York immigration attorney Ted Ruthizer said this ban will be
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson smiles during a news conference about President Trump's new executive order in Seattle.
workers from the six countries. And U.S. universities will worry about the impact of the order on international students' willingness to attend college in the United
``much, much tougher'' for a federal judge to block. Courts could find it compelling that the order does not cover all Muslims from all countries, he
said. And judges have a history of upholding portions of immigration law that discriminate on the basis of race and nationality when national security is an issue. ``There's still the argument that, when you take down all the window dressing, it's still a religion ban, but these are the kinds of nuances that the courts will look at,'' Ruthizer said. Top Republicans welcomed Trump's changes. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said the revised order makes significant progress toward what Hatch called for after the first version: to avoid hindering innocent travels and refugees fleeing violence and persecution. He urged Trump ``to continue the difficult work of crafting policies that keep us safe while living up to our best values.'' House Speaker Paul Ryan said the order ``advances our shared goal of protecting the homeland.'' Cont'd on Page 50
'New travel ban doesn't keep US safe' WASHINGTON: Terming President Donald Trump's revised executive order on immigration as "immoral and fundamentally un-American", top IndianAmerican lawmakers have said the move does not make the country "safe". Trump signed the revised executive order, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations while dropping Iraq from the list, after his original order was blocked by the courts last month. "Make no mistake: this ban does not keep us safe. It puts American lives at risk while isolating the Muslim community at a time when we need to address the threat of homegrown extrem-
ism. No matter the changes, this "While I welcome the decision executive action remains immoral to omit Iraq from the list of banned and fundamentally un-American," countries, the President still has California Senator Kamala Harris said. Harris, the first IndianAmerican Senator, was joined by four other IndianAmericans in the House of Representatives Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and The ban puts American lives at risk while isolating the Pramila Jayapal, Muslim community, says Kamala Harris. the first IndianAmerican woman to be elected to an obligation to provide evidence of a national security threat posed the House.
by immigrants and refugees from the remaining six countries," Harris said. Jayapal said, in his new executive order, Trump has been forced to recognize that his original travel ban was both "unconstitutional" and "ineptly" executed. "The new order recognizes that we must honor the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens affected by the ban," she said. The President was "irresponsible" in "throwing" the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families, she added. Cont'd on Page 49
Immigration Post
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India engaged with US on H1B issue NEW DELHI: The government has tried to assuage concerns of Indian professionals over H1B visa, saying the steps taken by the US were aimed at illegal immigration and it would continue to engage with the Donald Trump administration on the issue. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that during the recent discussions of the Foreign Secretary and the Commerce Secretary with their interlocutors in the US, there was strong recognition as well as respect for Indian skills and contribution of the Indian technological manpower to the US economy. "Senior US officials have stated that illegal immigration and not H1B is their priority. President Trump has also referred to meritbased approach on the subject," Baglay said when asked about the
curbs on H1B, thereby, putting the jobs of thousands of Indians at
stake. He also noted that the Indian business body NASSCOM in its
statement recently had also said suspension of premium processing is not a significant imExternal Affairs p e d i Ministry ment. Spokesperson H e Gopal Baglay said it has b e e n India's view that the presence of skilled Indian professionals is positive for the U S economy as well, particularly when the US seeks to build a stronger economy.
There are, of course, other advantages from the presence of Indian professionals in the US, such as, backward linkages, he noted. "We have conveyed to the US side that H1B is a trade and business issue, an economy issue. Our views have been clearly conveyed to the concerned US interlocutors," he said, adding the government believes that the plans of the US Administration for the US economy present an opportunity for the two countries to further consolidate their strong economic partnership. Responding to a query on attacks on Indians, Baglay said US interlocutors had told the Foreign Secretary that the killing of an Indian engineer in Kansas was an individual case. The Kansas shooting incident as well as the other subsequent
ones have been raised in very strong terms with the US authorities, he said, asserting that security of Indians and persons of Indian origin is a matter of serious concern for the government. "Given the high priority the government attaches to the security and wellbeing of Indians and persons of Indian origin abroad, we will continue to remain strongly engaged with the concerned authorities wherever required," Baglay added. He also mentioned a letter by Kansas governor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing a sense of regret at the unfortunate shooting, commitment to prosecute the matter, support to the family of the deceased, and recognition of the qualities and contribution of Srinivas to Kansas. -PTI
US wants PhDs, not mid-level workers: Senator WASHINGTON: H-1B work visa and employment- based green card categories, popular among Indian-Americans, are often not consistent with their purposes as they do not bring in PhDs and computer scientists but only midlevel data management workers, a top Senator has said. Republican Senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton, who met President Donald Trump last week, said the current system does not bring in the brightest and the best from across the world. So there is need to reform it and this is what Trump is planning to do. "I think, on the H-1B temporary visa but also the permanent green cards, like EB1, EB2, the President wants to get the very best people from around the world. Often those programs are
implemented in a way that are not consistent with their purposes," Cotton told MSNBC. "They don't bring in PhDs and computer scientists. They bring in mid-level and they replace midlevel data management workers. That's why you get controversies like people losing their jobs at companies like Disney and Southern California Edison that were just replaced by foreign workers who weren't necessarily high skilled," Cotton argued. "So he (Trump) would like to see reforms to those programs that I would," said Cotton, who is also a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. "It's really an empirical questions where we do have gaps in our economy. But I will say this, there is no job that an American won't do. Americans, with the
right pay, will do any job. That's just the fact of the matter," he noted. "We need to make sure that we're focused on Americans get-
"The President has said in public, as he told us, that he wants to move in the direction of, for instance, Canada and Australia, and focused on more of what he calls a meritbased system. Our legislation is the first step in that," he said. ting back to work and getting higher wages, supplemented where need based on the evidence with immigration," said the influential Senator from Arkansas. Cotton and Senator David
'New travel ban doesn't keep US safe' Cont'd from Page 48
"Unfortunately, however, the President's Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children," Jayapal said. "It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It con-
tinues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment," she said. Congressman Ami Bera, viceranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the executive order affecting people from Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, Sudan and Iran targets specific groups and alludes to a specific religion. "This is a bad second swing at an executive order that is just as un-American and xenophobic as the first version that was struck
Purdue went to the White House to meet with the President about an immigration bill they have introduced. The bill refocuses on legal im-
down by multiple courts. As Americans, we do not close our doors to those who are fleeing persecution, or target people based on their faith," he said. Congressman Ro Khanna said the Trump administration's repackaging is merely a second attempt to revise his unconstitutional policy. "This is the same ban, driven by the same hazardous discrimination that weakens our ability to fight terror," he said, adding the public and courts must reject it again. -PTI
migration system on high skilled immigrants who come to this country with English language competency, education levels that are higher than they have now with higher levels of job skills that will be able to contribute to the economy, Cotton said. "Right now, only about one out of 15 immigrants that we admit to this country every year
come based on those criteria. "The President has said in public, as he told us, that he wants to move in the direction of, for instance, Canada and Australia, and focused on more of what he calls a merit-based system. Our legislation is the first step in that," he said. "He'd like to see additional steps focusing on some of the employment-based green cards and visa and we're happy to work with him on that," Cotton said. Last month, Senators Cotton and Perdue introduced Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, which they said will lower overall immigration to 637,960 in its first year and to 539,958 by its 10th year - a 50 per cent reduction from the 1,051,031 immigrants who arrived in 2015. Among other things, it calls for elimination of diversity lottery visa and limit issuing of Green Cards to refugees to 50,000 per year.-PTI
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Fearful immigrants given anti-deportation training NEW YORK: Don't open the front door if immigration officials knock. If you are taken into custody, tell them your name and nothing else. Definitely don't sign anything. That is some of the advice being given in New York City and around the country at training ses-
gration and Customs Enforcement officials. Called ``know your rights'' training, the sessions have been pushed by some groups as a way to prepare for a possible crackdown on illegal immigration under President Donald Trump. Similar trainings are scheduled in New
Even people in the country illegally have constitutional rights, Mendez said, such as not being subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures, not answering questions and not signing any documents without speaking with an attorney. sions, put on by advocacy organizations, aimed at helping immigrants living in the country illegally get in as little trouble as possible if they encounter U.S. Immi-
Mexico and El Paso. The idea, organizers said, is to give immigrants guidance on how to legitimately push back against attempts to detain them, mostly
using tactics designed to keep agents from learning anything they don't already know. The government can't deport someone unless they can prove they are in the U.S. illegally. At a training session in Queens, a little more than two dozen people sat in a room listening to Yaritza Mendez, an outreach coordinator at the pro-immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York. She spoke about various ways ICE agents can find a person, and what to do if they come knocking. Even people in the country illegally have constitutional rights, Mendez said, such as not being subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures, not answering questions and not signing any documents without speaking with an attorney. Cont'd on Page 51
New travel ban eases some legal questions but not all Cont'd from Page 42
States that challenged the original travel ban claimed victory to an extent, saying the changes amounted to an ``incredible concession'' that the original order was flawed, as Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, put it. Herring and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who successfully sued to stop implementation of the original order after it created chaos at airports around the country, said they were reviewing the new order to determine what legal steps to take next. ``Although the new order appears to be significantly scaled back, it still sends a horrible message to the world, to MuslimAmericans, and to minority communities across the country, without any demonstrable benefit to national security,'' Herring said. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who joined in the court challenge, described the updated ban as ``a clear attempt to resurrect a discredited order and fulfill a discriminatory and unconstitutional campaign promise.'' Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a sharp critic of the first ban, said the new version ``is nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing, different packaging intended to achieve the same result.''
A spokesman for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a Seattle judge's restraining order in the Washington case, said the court was evaluating the new executive order's effect on the existing case. The Justice Department filed papers in federal court in Seattle arguing that the restraining order should not block the new ban from taking effect as scheduled March 16.
``Although the new order appears to be significantly scaled back, it still sends a horrible message to the world, to MuslimAmericans, and to minority communities across the country� Critics said the new order failed to address some other concerns, including the notion that the measure attempts to enact the Muslim ban Trump advocated during his campaign. Washington State, joined by Minnesota, argued that the or-
der violated the First Amendment's separation of church and state. The 9th Circuit's ruling did not deal with those arguments, but the court said it would evaluate them after further briefing. The states' claims ``raise serious allegations and present significant constitutional questions,'' the judges wrote. Larry E. Klayman, a founder of and lawyer for the conservative group Freedom Watch, supported the original ban when it was before the appellate court and described the new version as ``quite modest.'' ``Right now, we're in a state of war with certain countries, and this is a reasonable approach to it,'' Klayman said. Additionally, a question remained over whether the new ban conflicted with federal immigration law, said Jorge Baron, executive director of the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. His organization filed a class-action complaint over the initial ban and said it would amend its arguments in light of the new one. ``Our immigration laws specifically say you cannot discriminate on basis of nationality in this process,'' Baron said. ``The president can't rewrite the law by executive order.'' -AP
Canada visa changes to impact Indians NEW DELHI: India has raised ficult to source key employees concerns over the changes made from India as intra-company transby Canada in its Temporary For- ferees. eign Workers Program, making it The Canadian Minister "asdifficult for domestic companies to sured" that a number of steps send employees to their Canadian have been taken to facilitate the units on short-term visas, impact- ease of movement for professioning services trade. als into the North American Commerce and Industry Min- country, said the statement. i s t e r Nirmala Sitharaman h a s raised the issue with the visiting Canadian officials w h o have assured certain steps to ease the movement of profesCommerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sionals. The issue was discussed at a meeting Champagne added that under between Canadian Minister of In- the Global Skill Strategy Proternational Trade Francois- gram, visa applications for highPhilippe Champagne and skilled technicians, professors Sitharaman here last week. and researchers will be disposed "She discussed the importance of within two weeks. of the ease of movement for intraSimilarly, for professionals company transfers on short term visiting for less than a year, a fast visa for filling in certain crucial and track process is being set up specialized activities," the Com- which will be similar to a conmerce Ministry said in a statement. cierge service, the statement Citing certain examples, the In- said, adding that this will be exdian side stated that few compa- tended on a priority basis to nies here, which have made invest- companies which have invested ments in Canada, are finding it dif- in Canada. -PTI
Concern over plan to separate detained families MEXICO CITY: The Mexican foreign minister says Mexico's government has informed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of its concern over a proposal to separate immigrant parents from their children in detention. Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray says the measure could cause ``irreversible harm'' to many families. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said that it was being considered as a way to dissuade families from making the dangerous journey from Central America to the U.S. with children. Clarissa Martinez is vice president of the National Council of La Raza and said at a news con-
ference that the measure would not make sense because of the
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray says the measure could cause ``irreversible harm'' to many families. cost of housing detainees. In general, Central American immigrant families have been briefly detained together, processed and released to await their court date. -AP
Immigration Post
March 17, 2017
India Post 51
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Tacoma limits growth 2 admit to marriage fraud scheme of detention center TACOMA, Wash.: The Tacoma City Council has approved an emergency ordinance that would temporarily limit new or expanded correctional facilities in the city, including the federal immigration detention center. The measure targets any future expansion at the Northwest Detention Center. It's an immigration detention center run by a private company on contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the News Tribune reported. The six-month interim rule limits where public correctional facilities can be located within city limits and bans new or expanded private prisons across the city. In recent weeks, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and city council members have repeatedly expressed disapproval at having the federal detention center in Tacoma. They have reaffirmed the city's commitment as a welcoming city for immigrants and refugees but have not adopted a sanctuary city
status for Tacoma in part, the mayor says, because of the detention center's presence. GEO Group, which operates the facility, has not announced plans to expand the facility, and city staff said they aren't aware of any such plans. Because of President Donald Trump's sweeping plan to
aggressively deport those in the country illegally, some worry it could be a possibility. The facility opened in 2004 with a 500 beds. It has since expanded capacity and now has 1,575 beds, making it one of the largest immigration detention centers in the U.S. -AP
Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland
million bail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has taken action against Alvarado for years, the Southern California News Group reported. ``Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Alvarado has been removed to Mexico five times since 1998, most recently in 2011,'' ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said in a state-
He was convicted or pleaded guilty to several charges over the years, including driving under the influence, possession of marijuana for sale and misdemeanor hit-andrun, court documents show. Hills. He was charged with five felonies including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and pleaded not guilty at his Feb. 22 arraignment. He was being held in lieu of more than $2
month until the immigration process was complete. Harrison and Porter admitted they had fraudulent marriages arranged by Dixon. -AP
U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson
Fearful immigrants given anti-deportation training
Illegal immigrant charged with murder LOS ANGELES: A Mexican immigrant in the U.S. illegally despite being deported repeatedly is facing murder and other charges in the traffic-collision death of a Los Angeles woman, the Southern California News Group reported. Estuardo Alvarado, 45, is accused of killing Sandra Duran, 42, in a T-bone collision while fleeing the scene of another crash on the rainy afternoon of Feb. 19 in North
KANSAS CITY, Mo.: Federal prosecutors say two Kansas City residents admitted participating in a conspiracy that helped African nationals evade immigration laws by arranging fraudulent marriages. U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson said in a news release that 49-year-old Delmar Dixon and 37-year-old Shakeisha Harrison pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Dixon also pleaded guilty to falsely swearing in an immigration matter. A Kansas City woman, 44-yearold Traci Porter, pleaded guilty in January to her role in the conspiracy. Dixon admitted he arranged 30 to 40 fraudulent marriages, including his own. He charged the African nationals $1,000 upfront and another $1,000 after the wedding was complete. The nationals were asked to pay their spouses $250 a
ment. Citing court records, the news group reported that since 1990 Alvarado has been charged with more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors including being a felon in possession of a weapon, pos-
session of marijuana for sale, the sale or transport of a controlled substance and driving under the influence. He was convicted or pleaded guilty to several charges over the years, including driving under the influence, possession of marijuana for sale and misdemeanor hit-andrun, court documents show. The remaining cases were either dismissed, not prosecuted or the conclusions were unclear, the news group said. At the time of the crash, Alvarado was driving a Dodge Durango, tried to pass cars and struck a parked vehicle, then hit Duran's car while attempting to leave the scene at high speed, police said. Two police officers in the area and witnesses rushed to help but could not save Duran. Her son, Christian Galban, 18, and his girlfriend, Stephanie Garcia, were also in the car and suffered injuries. Alvarado also was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries. AP
Cont'd from Page 50
Volunteers took part in a roleplaying exercise. The audience broke into laughter when a woman wearing a vest with ``ICE'' taped on it burst into the room after knocking loudly on a door. ``I try to make it interactive because it's long and very sad, in a way,'' Mendez said. A lady sitting at the back had a question. If immigration officials knocked on her door, what if she opened it a crack but kept the chain on? No, Mendez said. Not even a crack. That's guidance that closely mirrors something criminal defense attorneys have long been telling clients. Letting a law enforcement agent peek inside could give them the probable cause they need to enter without a warrant. Other advice dispensed during the session: Make sure any warrants presented have the right name and addresses and are signed by a judge. Do not volunteer information. Do not show the agents any fake documents, since doing so is a crime that could land them in much deeper trouble. Plan ahead for the worst. For example, she said, parents in danger of being detained should have paperwork in place to have someone look after their children, instead of scrambling to find someone in an emergency.
Most of the people in the audience were immigrants in the country illegally. But they were also people like Pascalina Chirinos, 63, a legal permanent resident from Venezuela who has been in the U.S. for about five years. She said she attended so she could share the information with friends and neighbors, but also to know her own rights if she were ever caught up even in passing in immigration enforcement efforts. ``In reality, all of us are afraid,'' Chirinos said in Spanish, through an interpreter. ``The air that we breathe is very tense.'' In Los Angeles, Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said his organization is trying to train more people to conduct know-your-rights presentations at schools and churches to keep up with rising community demand. ``We're training the trainers,'' he said. ``People don't have to be lawyers to share what the constitutional rights of people are.'' Mendez said Make the Road has been getting calls from churches and other institutions like a local hospital to come and give the trainings in those places for their staffs and clients. The atmosphere is ``fearful,'' she said. ``You don't know what is going to happen the next day.''-AP
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Philosophy
Narch 17, 2017
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et us consider this ancient tradition in India, especially religious India, that is, praying for others, praying for the world, praying for the welfare of mankind, for the welfare of all creatures, praying for peace on earth, not only for mankind and all creatures but also for everything that exists, praying for peace, wishing peace, desiring peace and sending out thoughts of peace to everything that exists, to all existence: "Peace be unto all the five elements, earth, water, fire, air and ether." It is desiring peace for the grass, herbs, plants and trees. It is desiring peace for the celestials, for the angelic host, for the gods right up to the creator, Brahma visvedev santih (peace to all the Gods), brahma santih (peace to Brahma), santi eva santih (peace for peace itself), wishing peace for peace itself. Let there be peace to all the Vedas, Vedic mantras, to everything. This is the ancient tradition. The desirability of such prayer is not only because the world needs all these things. There is also the subjective dimension of prayer that has to be considered. The process has a very important effect upon the one who prays. By wishing for all that is positive, creative, constructive, good, conducive to welfare, auspicious and MOOJI
S
cience is a great expression of consciousness which has contributed to the human experience. However, scientific projections have been proven wrong on numerous occasions and many predictions of certain catastrophes did not happen. Why? Because on the whole, life is not as predictable as our minds often imagine. Life is essentially functioning in harmony, it is not trying to destroy itself; in fact, on the contrary, life takes care of life. Man is not the manager of existence. The mind of man is a much lesser power than the cosmic mind. Although consciousness in its expression as the human being manifests a tremendous diversity, a higher power, far beyond man's capacity to comprehend, prevails as the substratum of all of existence. If only we would understand this, we would trust more in the cosmic mind, in its benevolence and intelligence and so come to live a more harmonious existence with nature. You may ask if it is grace that saves us from such phenomena. Yes, grace plays a large part in this. But I don't want to use grace in an open-ended kind of way so that people don't think that they have no part to play and close their
blessed to all that exists, all creatures, mankind, the whole world, it makes us aware that our ancients expected us to make life an active, dynamic process of constantly working to bring about those very conditions which we wish for, pray for, intend and want for others. For, unless our prayer is backed up by suitable action to bring about these conditions, it has no meaning. If we wish peace for others and at the same time we are actively
affairs. Every day we say ma kaschid duhkhabhag bhavet: May not sorrow fall to the lot of any being. Therefore, we have to be perpetually conscious, aware and careful that neither by thought, word nor deed do we create sorrow for others, grief for others. If we wish happiness for others, joy for others, then we have to do something positive to bring joy to others; we have to also, si-
become so disposed to act in such a way, to live in such a way, that we become a centre of goodwill towards others, a centre of compassion and kindness towards others, a centre of peace for others. The constant repetition of such prayer, the constant dwelling upon these thoughts, and the constant harboring of these feelings in our heart have a transforming effect upon our own nature. It tends to
Praying for welfare of all benefits oneself Our ancients expected us to make life an active, dynamic process of constantly working to bring about those very conditions which we wish Swami Chidananda
for, pray for, intend and want for others.
engaged in robbing others of their peace by disturbing them, agitating them, causing them distress, then we stand as a living lie. We stand, in terrible contradiction to what we mouth through such prayers. We say one thing, but we act in another manner. We succeed in doing something that is contrary to that which we pray for. It thus becomes a very serious situation, a very undesirable state of
multaneously, engage in doing acts that remove the sorrow of others, lessen the grief of others, make people less sad. Our great ancients have placed before us as an ideal for our life and the living of it, but it also has another aspect. By constantly thinking in such a positive manner of the happiness, welfare and peace of others, it brings about a change in our nature. Gradually we
gradually make us grow in this quality of goodwill towards all, of ill-will towards none, of compassion and kindness towards all. This is the subjective dimension of prayer how it benefits the one who prays. That is its effect upon the one who prays. It has this unfailing effect of making us grow into those very qualities we pray for. Excerpted from sivanandaonline.org
minds to the spontaneous and wise actions that flow out of their own hearts. Damien: Is there the possibility of a united spiritual tipping point or a critical threshold to which our spiritual nature could, in fact, alter or reverse the course of our future? Mooji: Man cannot know the
maturity of perception. A "calamity" may bring about enlightened change in human culture and reshape our perspective by raising the level of consciousness. All assessments are subjective assessments, never objective, and they hopefully lead to humbling admissions that we are indeed not rulers of destiny. So, this spiritual
they have the power to direct us on a new path?" No, it doesn't work like that. We cannot even rely on such spiritually elevated beings to intervene on humanity's behalf if the desired cause for which their help is sought is merely to suit self-centered desires, projections and fantasies. They will not-and cannot-
Man can't know future; he can only speculate There's always the possibility that life, nature, God-whatever we choose to call itmay bring about a disaster, but we wouldn't be able to anticipate the time of its exact happening and magnitude. future; he can only speculate. There's always the possibility that life, nature, God-whatever we choose to call it-may bring about a disaster, but we wouldn't be able to anticipate the time of its exact happening and magnitude. Our assessment of such phenomena will vary from person to person, nation to nation. Any major event has innumerable outcomes depending on the
tipping point is not something humanity can create. Even if mankind has the aspiration, we have not shown the power to generate any real force for change. You may ask, "What about beings who have reached the pinnacle of human spiritual potential, meaning those who have realized their inherent unity with the source of life and are the living embodiment of that, don't
The obstructing vasanas [mental habits and tendencies] may look like a large mountain which obstructs your progress. Don't be intimidated by the size. It is not a mountain of rock, it is a mountain of camphor. If you light one corner of it with the flame of discriminative attention, it will all burn to nothing. -Annamalai Swami
Spiritual practise involves actively ignoring the mind. Expect your mind to be filled with resistance. To practise this material means to relax and surrender the mind with all of its skills and concepts. They are of little use within the spiritual domain. -Jac O'Keeffe
When one refrains from looking out and noting outward objects, and abides within the heart in Self-Awareness, the ego disappears. -Sri Muruganar
Any attempt to find peace is throwing a stone into a calm lake. Peace is already here. You just disturb it by running outside. - Papaji
Mooji
act against the will of the Supreme. Being unbiased in their perception, they find no fault, as such, in the playing out of names and forms. Jamaica born Mooji (Anthony Paul Moo-Young) is a disciple of the great Advaita master, Sri H.W.L. Poonja or Papaji. Excerpted from the book 'Your True Nature: Wisdom of Living Masters' by Natalie Deane and Damien Lafont.
Life is here to break your heart over and over again until you realize that heartbreak is life too. And then your heart can no longer be broken. - Jeff Foster
When we love what is, it becomes so simple to live in the world. The world is exactly as it should be. -Byron Katie
Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs
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US tactical nukes in Korean peninsula?
India Post
SANDIP KUMAR MISHRA
O
n 4 March, the New York Times reported that the US national security deputies discussed the option of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula. The expressed purpose was to give North Korea a 'dramatic warning'. It may not be easy to make a final decision on the issue as it would also need consent from South Korea; but bringing the option on the table itself is an important move by the Trump administration, with serious implications. The US' tactical nuclear weapons were withdrawn from the Korean peninsula in September 1991. Washington's policy has been consistent and clear that US tactical weapons are not needed on the Korean peninsula nor is South Korea allowed to develop its own nuclear arsenal. The current deliberation, if taken forward, would be a fundamental departure from the US' nearly three decades-long posture. There could be three reasons for the US to opt for this change. One, presence of the tactical nuclear weapons would give parity to South Korea in its negotiations with North Korea. Two, it would send a clear message to North Korea that the policy of the new administration would be very different from the 'strategic patience' of former US President Barack Obama's administration. Third, it would push Beijing to be tougher with North Korea as these tactical warheads are going to be stationed in the close vicinity of Chinese territory. The US move is also posited in the Trump administration's recent opinion that it is too late to
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have lived in London, UK for over 60 years. I belong to AAP supporters group of which AAP Chief Mr Arvind Kejriwal is quite familiar. I came to Delhi in September 2013 about three months before the Delhi Vidhan Sabha election with a view to helping AAP in its election campaign. During the campaign, I shared the 'manch' with Mr Kejriwal on many occasions
talk to North Korea and China is not doing enough to end North Korean nuclear ambition, which it can do 'very quickly and easily'. The US' desperation vis-a-vis the North Korean nuclear program is understandable but its strategy and course seems to be less informed about the recent developments in China-North Korea relations and China-South Korea relations. In fact, China has recently shown willingness to apply more pressure on North Korea. On 18 February, China cut off one of Pyongyang's very few revenue lifelines by banning North Korea's coal imports for the rest of the year. China has also been concerned about the Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea which has had 40 ballistic-missile and three nuclear tests during his five-year reign, including four missile tests on 6 March. Furthermore, Jong-un has purged senior officials who allegedly had close links to China, including his uncle Jang Songthaek. It is also suspected that Jongun fears about a possible conspiracy of Beijing to replace him; and that the recent killing of Jongun's estranged brother Kim Jongnam in Malaysia is also a result of this fear psychosis towards China as he was living in Macao under Chinese protection. Although, North Korea denies its role in the killing, the use of the nerve agent VX would definitely alarm China about Pyongyang's chemical weapons capacity. For the same reasons, Chinese President Xi Jinping met his South Korean counterpart on
multiple occasions after assuming office, but has so far denied meeting with the North Korean leader. On 28 February, North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song began a five-day visit to China but reportedly the visit failed to re-establish communication between the two countries. However, it would be premature to conclude whether China will be irreversibly tougher towards North Korea because it fears that a collapse of North Korea may lead to a wave of refugees and also the disappearance of a geopolitical buffer to US forces under a unified Korea. However, obdurate North Korea poses difficult choices for Beijing, and China has increasingly adopted a tougher approach towards North Korea. The recent deliberations over redeployment of the US tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula seem to be an act of over-doing. It comes at a time, when Beijing appears to be ready to do more to stop North Korea's nuclear ambition. China seems to be convinced that North Korea's dangerous provocations in the form of nuclear and missile tests along with its clear defiance to China's national interests could not be tolerated indefinitely. However, it needs space and excuses to be tougher on North Korea. Over-doing by the US or South Korea would not provide China that space or excuses to do so. The writer is Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; and Visiting Fellow & Columnist, IPCS
A new path A
fter the unprecedented triumph of the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has outlined a new path for progress in modern India. Every government since independence has been making promises of removing poverty but after their tenure ends, little progress is witnessed in this crucial underprivileged social sector. All governments so far have been offering sops to the poor, starting from waiving their loans, giving free electricity and lately providing laptops and even TVs. Modi in his victory speech projected a new India in which "the poor are looking for an opportunity to do something instead of seeking something." They will rather work than receive. "I will work hard, they are saying." Modi sought to link the rise of the poor to the aspirations of the middle class. "Sometimes people from the middle class have to bear more burden. They have to pay taxes, follow rules and social norms. The middle classes want hurdles to be removed so that they can be achievers. Once the poor begin to carry their own burden, the burdens on the middle class will reduce. He added, "If the power of the poor and dreams of the middle class are put together, nobody can stop the nation from going to the peak of growth." The Opposition has paid the price of focusing on a single point agenda of attacking Modi. By this mistake they have allowed Modi to set the agenda of development which rises above caste, religion and other artificial divisions. If they had focused on issues maybe the voting population would have listened to them. But when Modi is proving his sincerity with his actions, the Opposition appeal has fallen to zero. Take demonetization, for instance. The Opposition had been disrupting parliament, taking our marches and abusing Modi as they alleged this disruptive move had harmed the poor. Modi said this was aimed at removing corruption which the Congress and other parties when in power had never addressed. The ordinary people were inconvenienced but they understood this move had hit the rich and the corrupt hard. They applauded Modi and gladly suffered the temporary hardship. Now the ill-effect of demonetization is already over but they know the blow to the corrupt has been lasting. They went and pushed the BJP buttons on electoral machines in gratitude. The Opposition cries about secularism in danger went unheeded because they knew the Congress kind of secularism was hollow. It was more of an appeasement of one group after the other. Whoever rose in revolt, was given a sop. The people gave more credence to Modi's "Sabka saath, sabka vikas." Thus, nobody in the Opposition has been able to match the vision of Modi.
Kejriwal has drifted away from core principles of AAP but never had the chance to have a one-to-one conversation. Over the last two and a half years that he has been CM of Delhi in my view, he has completely drifted away from the core principles of AAP as enunciated by him and others in the book ' Swaraj'. Removing the list of donors from the AAP website was the last straw that broke the camel's back
and as a result, I am now writing from the platform of 'Chanda band Satyagraha' that we have initiated against the opaque financial practices of AAP, led by Dr. Munish Raizada. His latest ploy of making Delhi to look like London is yet another jumla or sound bite to fool Delhi electorate. I have lived in U.K. for over 60 years and I know that it has taken almost the same num-
ber of years for the development of London to arrive at its present state of a well-developed city. Can I, therefore, ask him as to how he proposes to change Delhi in the next two and a half years to look like London? He may recall his previous statement where he said 'give me power and I will give you a chamchamati (shining) Delhi'. Two and a half years later with him as CM of Delhi, it remains a heap
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of garbage. I think it is time for Mr Kejriwal to have a complete change in his approach to governing Delhi and go back to the real constitution of AAP that he had put his signature on! Jai Nath Misra Member of Chanda Bandh Satyagraha against AAP, London, UK
March 17, 2017
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