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VOL 22, No. 1145
September 9, 2016
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ISOLATE, SANCTION BUT DON'T REWARD PAK Modi's call at G-20 meet
Priyanka Yoshikawa
Half-Indian beauty crowned Miss Japan Details on page 8
Best counselors demystify college entry
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Details on page 10 Details on page 38
We were not officially invited for talks: Hurriyat Details on page 8 Pages 21-36
‘BJP trying to make India Hindu Pakistan' LEADING HANDS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the BRICS leaders during G20 Summit 2016 Details on page 8
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in Hangzhou, China on September 4
HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on Pakistan, saying that "one single nation" in South Asia is spreading the "agents of terror" as he told the G20 leaders that those who sponsor the menace must be sanctioned and isolated, not rewarded. Soon after Prime Minister Modi's assertion, the G20 countries, including India, also came down heavily on terrorism as they vowed to tackle all sources, techniques and channels of terror financing. "Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of our region," Prime Minister Modi said in an apparent reference to Pakistan. "We expect the international community to speak and
act in unity, and to respond with urgency to fight this menace. Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded," Modi said in his intervention during the concluding session of the meeting of the world's 20 strong economies. The G20, in its communique released after the conclusion of the two-day summit, said, "We strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations, which poses serious challenges to international peace and security and endangers our ongoing efforts to strengthen the global economy and ensure sustainable growth and development."
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ometimes it's so frustrating in that one doesn't know what's morally right and what's not, or who's right and who's not. Passing judgments on people and their personal business have become so easy thanks to trials by the media and public in general on social media; and at the same time, so difficult that in spite of the rule of law, one does not know how fair, just and truly objective those laws are. There's something extremely disturbing about the case of Purvi Patel, the Indian American Indiana woman whose journey through the courts of law over the past three years has had the whole country question their own sense of morality, justice, faith and political ideology. Presumably of course Purvi's life changed when three years ago, she miscarried a baby through a self-induced abortion, and for the better or worse, decided to dump the premature fetus into a dumpster. Well, that to even a pro-choice activist should be disconcerting, but what would only be fair for every pro-life Christian to ask is whether Purvi's case would have been dealt with any differently by the law if she had been in one of the more liberal states in the country, anywhere other than Indiana. You see, it was the same year that the politically conservative Mike Pence, currently the running mate of Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, took over as Indiana Governor when Purvi took her own drastic life-altering decisions. Pence, we know, has consistently acted to decimate abortion access. Although now an appeals court has overturned the 20-year prison sentence initially handed down to Purvi by a State Court and threw out the charges of feticide, bringing her sentence down to some three years, Purvi's case cannot be closed as a done deal. Whatever the laws of the state might be, serving as they do the interests of whichever political party may be in power and its supporters, Purvi's predicament must be a case for introspection. Has anyone - political, evangelical or professing gender activism - paused to question why? Why did Purvi do what she did? So, stop judging until you know the answer to that.
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Health Science: Surrogacy industry Indian govt says commercial surrogacy has become a $ 2 billion illegal industry and a means to exploit vulnerable women
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Immigration: Trump whiplash In a fiery address Donald Trump lambasted millions of immigrants as violent criminals and a drain on the US govt.
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Isolate, sanction but don't reward Pak Modi's call at G-20 meet HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on Pakistan, saying that "one single nation" in South Asia is spreading the "agents of terror" as he told the G20 leaders that those who sponsor the menace must be sanctioned and isolated, not rewarded. Soon after Prime Minister Modi's assertion, the G20 countries, including India, also came down heavily on terrorism as they vowed to tackle all sources, techniques and channels of terror financing. "Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of
our region," Prime Minister Modi said in an apparent reference to Pakistan. "We expect the international community to speak and act in unity, and to respond with urgency to fight this menace. Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded," Modi said in his intervention during the concluding session of the meeting of the world's 20 strong economies. The G20, in its communique released after the conclusion of the two-day summit, said, "We strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations, which poses serious challenges to inter-
national peace and security and endangers our ongoing efforts to
‘We strongly condemn terrorism in all forms and manifestations, which poses serious challenges to international peace and security and endangers our ongoing efforts to strengthen the global economy’
strengthen the global economy and ensure sustainable growth and development." The G20 nations reaffirmed their solidarity and resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and wherever it occurs. They vowed to tackle all sources, techniques and channels of terrorist financing, including extortion taxation, smuggling of natural resources, bank looting, looting of cultural property, external donation, and kidnapping for ransom. Prime Minister Modi earlier said India appreciates the G20's initiative on combating the financing of terrorism and asserted that all countries should meet the Fi-
nancial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. "Growing forces of violence and terror pose a fundamental challenge. There are some nations that use it as an instrument of state policy. India has a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism. Because anything less than that is not enough," Modi said. "For us a terrorist is a terrorist," he asserted. The G20 communique asked the member countries to implement the FATF's new Consolidated Strategy on Combating Terrorist Financing and back its call for effective implementation of its operational plan. -PTI
Concern over CPEC raised with Xi Jinping HANGZHOU: India raised its concern with China over the CPEC which runs through PoK and terrorism "emanating from the region" as Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping the two countries need to be "sensitive" to each other's strategic interests. Asserting that fight against
lated projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Gwadar port on Arabian Sea to Kashghar in China's Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province through PoK. In his candid comments reflecting India s concerns, Modi said both India and China need to be "sensitive" to each other's strate-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, during G20 Summit 2016, in Hangzhou, China on Sept 4
terror should not be motivated by "political considerations", Modi said it is of "paramount importance that we respect each other's aspirations, concerns and strategic interests" to ensure durable bilateral ties. During the bilateral meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit here, Modi raised India's concerns over the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Besides a host of energy-re-
gic interests and called for specific actions to "prevent growth of negative perception". "In order to promote positive convergence, we would also need to prevent growth of negative perception. For this, the specific actions by both countries would play the major role," he said. In particular, Modi highlighted that "we have succeeded in maintaining peace and tranquility on the border", he added. On his part, Xi said China is willing to work with India to main-
tain their "hard-won sound" ties and further boost bilateral cooperation. "China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance their cooperation", staterun Chinese Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying. "China and India should respect and care for each other on issues of major concern, and handle differences in a constructive way," Xi told Modi. Xi said both sides had seen healthy, stable and speedy development of their relationship, and that as neighbors and developing nations they should continue high-level exchanges. NSG bid & submarine leak The Prime Minister discussed India's NSG membership with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and also raised the issue of the confidential data leak of the Indian Scorpene Class submarines with French President Francois Hollande. Modi met Erdogan and Hollande in separate "pull-aside" meetings. In his meeting with Erdogan, the Prime Minister discussed the issue of India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The discussion with Erdogan on NSG was significant as Turkey was among the few countries - along with China - which had stalled India's bid to join the elite grouping at its plenary meeting in June in Seoul. In his bilateral meeting with Hollande, Modi raised the leak of
sensitive data related to Scorpene Class submarines. Talks with Theresa May Prior to that, he met Britain's new Prime Minister Theresa May with whom he underlined that even after UK's exit from the EU, "Britain remains an important partner" for India. "May also referred to the recent passage of GST (bill) which would further boost trade and investment ties with the UK. She supported PM's reform agenda and the UK is keen to participate in Make in India, Smartcity and Skill India initiatives," he said. The two leaders discussed further enhancing of the defense
partnership and Modi invited UK firms to India. They also talked about the challenges of terrorism, calling it "the biggest threat and danger to the world with no boundaries." Modi and May also discussed enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the UK, the spokesperson said. May, UK's second woman Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher, also underlined the importance Britain attaches to the Indian Diaspora in the UK. He also had separate meetings with Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. -PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting Prime Minister of United Kingdom Theresa May, on the sidelines of G20 Summit 2016, in Hangzhou, China on September 5
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Intensify efforts against terror, 'Eliminate safe havens for economic offenders' Modi tells BRICS meet
PM Narendra Modi speaks during the BRICS meeting
HANGZHOU: India called for intensified joint efforts by other BRICS members to combat terrorism as Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought coordinated actions by the grouping to "isolate supporters and sponsors of terror", in
an apparent reference to Pakistan. In a hard-hitting intervention while leading from the chair, Modi in his address to the BRICS Leaders Meeting here said "terrorists in South Asia or anywhere for that matter do not own banks or weap-
ons factories". "Clearly someone funds and arms them and BRICS must intensify joint efforts not just to fight terror but to coordinate actions to isolate those who are supporters and sponsors of terror," he said, without naming Pakistan which is a close ally of China. Describing BRICS as "an influential voice" in international discourse, Modi said it was the grouping's shared responsibility to shape the global agenda and help developing nations achieve their objectives. He said terrorism remains the "primary source of instability and the biggest threat to our societies" and countries and the supplies chains have a global reach. Use of social media to promote radical ideology is "growing dimension of this threat", he added. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup during a media briefing said "this (Modi's address to the BRICS Leaders Meeting) tells you how strongly Prime Minister intervened on the issue of terror and how be believes that this really is the central challenge facing the moment and unless we have collective approach to this, it will not be possible for us to defeat this."-PTI
G20 commit to early ratification of Paris deal HANGZHOU: The G20 members agreed to complete their domestic legal formalities for the ratification of Paris climate deal as soon as their "national procedures allow", a move which would provide more time to India to work out its own strategy keeping up with its developmental goals. "We reiterate our commitment to sustainable development, strong and effective support and
dures allow," said the joint communique issued at the end of the G20 summit. India came under pressure to ratify the deal after China and the US - responsible for around 40 per cent of the world's carbon emissions - ratified the agreement ahead of the G20 summit and handed over their countries' instruments of joining the agreement to UN Secretary-General Ban
and wants to expand its manufacturing in a big way. The Paris Agreement has charted the course for post-2020 global cooperation against climate change, and it indicates that a cooperative, win-win, equitable and fair climate governance mechanism is being shaped. "We welcome those G20 members who joined the Agreement and efforts to enable the Paris
HANGZHOU: Prime Minister stable global economic and finanNarendra Modi made it clear that cial system is imperative for effective financial governance re- growth as it promotes inclusive quires "full commitment" to act and sustainable growth. against the corrupt and eliminaHe called for further strengthtion of "safe havens" for eco- ening of the global financial safety nomic offenders as he called on net. G20 members to break down the "We need a regular dialogue web of excessive banking secrecy. between the IMF, Regional FinanIn his intervention on the second day of the G20 Summit in this Modi said fighting east Chinese city, Modi corruption, black money said fighting corruption, black money and and tax-evasion were tax-evasion were central to effective financial central to effective financial governance. governance To achieve that, he said, "We need to act to eliminate safe havens for eco- cial Arrangements and Bilateral nomic offenders, track down and Swap Arrangements. unconditionally extradite money "IMF should remain a quotalaunderers and break down the based institution and not depend web of complex international regu- on borrowed resources," Modi lations and excessive banking se- said emphasizing that the "longcrecy that hide the corrupt and delayed 15th General Review of their deeds". Quotas must be completed by The Prime Minister said that a 2017 Annual Meetings." -PTI
Call for collective action on global growth HANGZHOU: Underlining that a "difficult conversation" was not enough to combat global slowdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi here pressed for a "collective, coordinated and targeted action" by the G20 members to revive the global economic growth. "We meet at a time when the global situation faces complex political and economic challenges," Prime Minister Modi told the G20 leaders in this eastern Chinese city. "A frank, even a difficult conversation won't be enough. What G20 needs is an action oriented agenda of collective, coordinated and targeted action," Modi said as he laid out an agenda for structural reforms to revive the global growth. He said there was need to im-
prove financial system, boost domestic production, enhance infrastructure investment and create a pool of human capital. "Our challenges are common, so are opportunities. Connected machines, digital revolution and new technology laying foundation for next generation global growth," he said. Modi said that to benefit all, G20 would need to act decisively. "This will also require strong network of partnerships," he added. The G20 member states represent 85 per cent of the world's GDP. The G20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union. -PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with the French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of G20 Summit 2016 in Hangzhou, China
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (at the extreme right in the front row) with other world leaders in a family photograph at G20 Summit 2016 in Hangzhou, China on September 4
actions to address climate change. We commit to complete our respective domestic procedures in order to join the Paris Agreement as soon as our national proce-
Ki-moon. India is still in the process of developing its industry amid its over 7 per cent growth rate, the highest in the world at present,
Agreement to enter into force by the end of 2016 and look forward to its timely implementation with all its aspects," the joint statement said.-PTI
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Half-Indian beauty crowned Miss Japan TOKYO: A half-Indian beauty queen with an elephant trainer's license was crowned Miss Japan today, striking a fresh blow for racial equality. Priyanka Yoshikawa's tearful victory comes a year after Ariana Miyamoto faced an ugly backlash for becoming the first black woman to represent Japan. Social media lit up after Miyamoto's trail-blazing triumph as critics complained that Miss Universe Japan should instead have been won by a "pure" Japa-
an Indian father and a Japanese mother, vowed to continue the fight against racial prejudice in homogenous Japan, where multiracial children make up just two percent of those born annually. "I think it means we have to let it in," said the 22-year-old when asked what it signified for her and Miyamoto to break down cultural barriers. "We are Japanese. Yes, I'm half Indian and people are asking me about my 'purity' - yes, my dad is Indian and I'm proud of it, I'm
Priyanka Yoshikawa (center) smiles as she holds the trophy after winning the Miss Japan title during the Miss World Japan 2016 Beauty Pageant in Tokyo on September 5
nese rather than a "haafu" - the Japanese for "half", a word used to describe mixed race. "Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn't represent Japan," Yoshikawa told AFP in an interview after her exotic Bollywood looks helped sweep her to the title. "That's what I thought too. I didn't doubt it or challenge it until this day. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and showing all mixed girls the way." Yoshikawa, born in Tokyo to
proud that I have Indian in me. But that does not mean I'm not Japanese." Yoshikawa, like Miyamoto, was bullied because of her skin color after returning to Japan aged 10 following three years in Sacramento and a further year in India. "I know a lot of people who are haafu and suffer," said Yoshikawa, an avid kick-boxer whose politician great-grandfather once welcomed independence campaigner Mahatma
Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata. "We have problems, we've been struggling and it hurts. When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ," she added. "Like if they touched me they would be touching something bad. But I'm thankful because that made me really strong." Yoshikawa, who speaks fluent Japanese and English and towered over her rivals at 1.76 meters (5 ft, 8 ins), will contest for the Miss World crown in Washington this December. "When I'm abroad, people never ask me what mix I am," said Yoshikawa, who earned her elephant trainer's license to add spice to her resume. "As Miss Japan, hopefully I can help change perceptions so that it can be the same here too. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people have to accept it." Reaction to Yoshikawa's victory failed initially to trigger any real outrage, although predictably some were unhappy. "What's the point of holding a pageant like this now? Zero national characteristics," grumbled one Twitter user, while another fumed: "It's like we're saying a pure Japanese face can't be a winner." As the Japanese government continues to push its "Cool Japan" brand overseas to entice foreign tourists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Yoshikawa promised to win over any doubters. "There was a time as a kid when I was confused about my identity," she admitted. "But I've lived in Japan so long now I feel Japanese." -AFP
BJP trying to make India 'Hindu Pakistan': Tharoor JAIPUR: Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor has alleged that BJP is trying to "hijack" Indian history for political purposes and said Congress will not let it reduce the country to a "Hindu Pakistan". "We will not let them run away with the history or hijack it for their political purposes. We are not going to let BJP reduce India to a Hindu Pakistan," he said in his speech on "rewriting history and redefining nationalism". He said the new ruling doctrine in the country has sought to re-
define Indian nationalism in "more sectarian terms". "BJP stood aside from the freedom struggle and sometimes actively collaborated with the colonial rulers. They, instead of accepting that at one time they were on the wrong side of the history, want us to believe that they are the true nationalists of India," he said. "BJP is appropriating the heroes of the Indian independence," he alleged. Tharoor said: "In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, com-
parisons were drawn between Narendra Modi and the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. This showed a lack of understanding of history." "It took Modi three-four days to take action in the 2002 postGodhra riots but during the 1947 riots, Patel took prompt measures to ensure the safety of Muslims in the national capital," he said. "Patel personally went to Nizamuddin Dargah and prayed for the Muslim community. Can you imagined Modi going to a dargah for Muslims?" he said.-PTI
Obama praises Modi on tax reform HANGZHOU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged views with Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit here with the US president praising the "bold policy" move on GST reform
another opportunity to exchange views during an informal evening program. Obama in his intervention during the G20 summit praised Modi for the recent tax reform as an ex-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Obama and other G20 leaders arriving for group photo during the G20 summit
in a "difficult" global economic scenario. Modi first met Obama briefly when they were onstage to pose for a family photograph at the G20 Summit venue in this eastern Chinese city. The two leaders had
ample of "bold policy" in an otherwise "difficult global economic scenario". On August 8, Parliament cleared the landmark Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014, on the Goods and Services Tax.-PTI
We were not officially invited for talks: Hurriyat SRINAGAR: Justifying the re- nial and contradictions". fusal of separatist leaders to hold The statement said, "We don't talks with the all-party delegation of need lectures and sermons on deMPs, hardline Hurriyat Conference mocracy and humanity...They tried has said they were not invited offi- to play a game of 'win only' for them cially as New Delhi is "scared" of as they just wanted to discredit us any meaningful dialogue with them as whether we accept their offer of and Pakistan to address the issue. dialogue which never came or we "They never officially invited us (separatists) and at the same time The sole intention of the (they) blame us for rejecting it. It is not only shame- delegation was to act as ful but speaks volumes about their truthfulness, firefighting just to derail and sincerity and clarity... Infizzle the current movement dia is scared of any meaningful dialogue with Hurriyat and Pakistan," hardline ignore their casual personal gesHurriyat said in a statement here. tures." Reacting to the statement of It said, "The sole intention of the Union Home Minister Rajnath delegation was to act as firefighting Singh that separatists did not be- just to derail and fizzle the current lieve in humanity, democracy or movement out through these age even Kashmiriyat, the amalgam said, old tactics, as they have been do"As always, this press conference ing whenever Kashmiris stood up (of Singh) is full of lies, deceit, de- for their basic rights." -PTI
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Hazare disappointed with Kejriwal team RALEGAN SIDDHI, Maharashtra: Anna Hazare has said he is "very saddened to see" that some of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's colleagues have gone to jail, while some others are
this gram swaraj? That's why I am very sad. The hope with which I was looking at him (Kejriwal) is over," he said. His remarks come against the backdrop of the arrest of AAP
Anna Hazare
"indulging in fraud". "I am very hurt...When he (Kejriwal) was with me, he wrote a book on gram swaraj...Will we call
MLA Sandeep Kumar who has been accused by a woman of having raped her. 36-year-old Kumar, who was
Urjit Patel quietly takes over as RBI Gov MUMBAI: In a low-key affair, Urjit Patel has begun his innings as Reserve Bank's new Governor with a private off-media 'handover' ceremony on Tuesday - a marked departure from his predecessor Raghuram Rajan announcing bigbang reforms on his first day itself three years ago. Traditionally, the handover of
Urjit Patel
charge by the outgoing Governor to the new head of the central bank has been a public affair and had taken place in the past in front of media cameras and this was also the case when Rajan had taken over from his predecessor D Subbarao.
In contrast, Patel officially assumed charge with effect from September 4 - a Sunday - itself, which was made public by RBI through a statement a day later. There was no word on whether or when Patel would be talking to media about his priorities and plan of action as head of Mint Street. After assuming office on September 4, 2013, Rajan had held a press conference lasting more than an hour during which he announced his detailed action plan. Some commentators have already said that Patel 'quietly' assuming office could be a signal for the things to come at RBI, after the end of tenure for an outspoken Rajan at the helms, who was always vocal with his views on all issues - economic, social and political - and always pitched for greater communication on part of the central bank.-PTI
sacked as a minister by the Delhi government in the wake of the accusation, was remanded to threeday police custody by a court. Hazare said he had earlier told Kejriwal, "You are going to roam the world after launching your party. You will hold rallies in the country for the same, but how will you find out that the people who join your party have a good character or not? "He (Kejriwal) did not have an answer for that. I can experience it today. I had said this earlier also, be it any party or leader, it is necessary to check if the people who join a party have a clean character or not." Hazare told a TV news channel, "Arvind has been with me for many years. I was very hopeful for Arvind. I was hoping that he will set a different example for politics in India and also that he will give a different direction to the nation." He said, "I felt that way, but I am very saddened to see what his colleagues are doing. Some are going to jail, some are indulging in fraud." -PTI
Indian-origin freed from UK jail by mistake LONDON: An alcoholic Indian-origin businessman, who was accidentally released last month by a London jail, has surrendered to police after enjoying two weeks of freedom. Hoffman Singh even posed for a selfie with Scotland Yard officers on duty at the Notting Hill Carnival last weekend after wardens at Pentonville Prison in north London sent him home in a taxi instead of putting him into a van for a court hearing. "As far as everyone was aware, I should have been tucked up in a cell while I was out partying with the best of them in Notting Hill. I've been arrested four times in the last six weeks, all for minor alcoholrelated incidents." "But after the last one, the magistrates lost patience and remanded me in custody," the 44-year-old courier firm owner told 'The Sun' newspaper. "I was due to have a court hearing on August 25, but no one came to collect me from my cell. I told the wardens but they didn't seem to care. -PTI
Pakistan plans security pact with China ISLAMABAD: Alarmed by the peaceful coexistence for strategic growing Indo-US defense ties, gains in defense and security, inPakistan's cabinet has given the cluding arms and technology go-ahead for negotiating a long- transfers. term defense agreement and seIt was also informed that input curity cooperation with its all- from ministries of foreign affairs, weather ally China, a media report interior and defense production as said. well as the Joint Staff HeadquarPakistan's cabinet in a meeting ters had been obtained and incorchaired by Prime Minister Nawaz porated in the draft agreement Sharif on July 15 at the Governor which was subsequently vetted House in Lahore gave the go- by the law and justice division. ahead for negotiating a long-term defense agreement with China, The Express Tribune In April 2015, when Chinese reported. The cabinet consid- President Xi Jinping visited ered the summary to initiate negotiations on a Pakistan, the two countries draft agreement between Pakistan and agreed that their relationship China on a long-term strategic framework had acquired greater strateagreement for enhancgic significance ing defense and security cooperation in diversified fields. The cabinet held detailed disIn April 2015, when Chinese cussions on the proposed agree- President Xi Jinping visited Pakiment before giving the nod of ap- stan, the two countries agreed proval, the report said. that their relationship had acThe cabinet was informed that quired greater strategic signifithe draft agreement was based on cance against the backdrop of principles of mutual respect for complex and changing internaeach other's territorial integrity, tional and regional situations. sovereignty, non-integration and They agreed to elevate the Panon-interference in each other's kistan-China relationship to the internal affairs, equality and co- all-weather strategic cooperative operation for mutual benefits, and partnership.-PTI
Pak violates ceasefire along LoC in Poonch JAMMU: Pakistani troops vio- appropriately and no casualties or lated border ceasefire for the sec- damage to our troops was reond time in less than a week by ported till the report last came in. resorting to small arms firing and The firing was still going on" the mortar shelling on forward posts spokesperson added. along the Line of Control (LoC) in The exchange of fire is going Poonch sector of Jammu and intermittently in Shahpur Kandi Kashmir. area along LoC in Poonch, police "The Pakistan army troops resorted to unprovoked and indis- The Pakistan army also criminate firing on Inshelled posts with heavy dian army posts along LoC in Poonch sector mortars and opened fire of Jammu and Kashmir with small arms and since midnight," the Defense spokesperson automatic weapons in the Poonch sector said. The spokesperson said the Pakistan army also shelled said. posts with heavy mortars and On September 2, Pakistan opened fire with small arms and troops violated ceasefire by firing automatic weapons in the Poonch on forward army posts along LoC sector. in Akhnoor sector in Jammu dis"Our troops are responding trict.-PTI
Desi News Gopio-CT honors five Indian Americans India Post News Service
STAMFORD, CT: It was a memorable evening. The Ballroom at The Hilton Hotel in Stamford, CT was filled with more than 200 invited guests from across the state of Connecticut, including community leaders, elected officials, and honorees and their families last month. The event was the 10th annual Gala and Awards Nite organized by GOPIO's Connecticut Chapter honoring five for their achievements and contributions to the community. The gala included a cocktail reception, dinner, music, live DJ and dances by participants, eloquent speeches, touching life stories and inspiring narratives on the lives of the five distinguished honorees. Prominent among those who attended and spoke at the annual gala included US Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Jim Himes, Stamford Mayor David Martin, Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, Connecticut State Senators Tony Hwang and Carlo Leone and CT State Assemblyman Dan Carter. Earlier in the day, Connecticut's junior senator Chris Murphy addressed GOPIO-CT members. Sachin Lawande, President and CEO of Visteon Corporation (Van Buren, MI), was recognized for his achievement as a Corporate Leader. Visteon is one of the world's leading suppliers of vehicle cockpit electronics, serving auto manufacturers around the globe. Sachin was described to be leading a rapid evolution of electronics technology and software to meet the demands of the connected car era.
COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA
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PNG Sunnyvale store celebrates 8th anniversary
September 9, 2016
Details on page 15
Best counselors demystify college admissions at free seminar SIVA SAMBASIVAM
I
n our modern day world, especially in the heart of Silicon Valley, getting into a good college is key to having a successful career path, and by extension, a good future in a competitive world. But the main question for all our engaged, enthusiastic students is how? How can they gain leadership experience, engage in local
causes while building a good resume and understand what it takes to get into a good university? A recent seminar focused on answering these questions for eager beaver Silicon Valley students was recently conducted at Saratoga's Joan Pisani Community Center. This was offered free of charge and was open to everyone.
It was the 2nd College Apps Demystified seminar held by the Saratoga Hindu Temple and Community Center in Saratoga that Councilmember Rishi Kumar of Saratoga moderated. The event was sponsored by Bill Gorman Real Estate, Anthem Realtors & Developers, Karishma and Deepak Chandani and Mentr, an iphone and Android App that
Purvi Mody from Insight Education and Priya Pullur, an Independent Consultant. They all explained their views to parents and students from around the Bay Area. Each college counselor focused on a different approach to college admissions. Robert Thomspon from Flex Prep talked about the differences in the UC's vs Private
provides an opportunity for students across the world to get college application questions answered directly from students / alumni of these universities. Students got to hear from the best college counselors around, about what steps to take while applying for a college. Following panelist were in attendance: John Tsai from Flex College Prep, Shari Schussel from UCEAZY, Pam Miracle from Compass to College,
Colleges, for example Tuition, School Size, and Admission Factors. Shari Schussel from UCEAZY explained that it was never too early to start the college process, saying that students should start college counseling from freshman and sophomore year, because it gives students the insight on what to participate in throughout their high school years. Cont’d on page 14
Community Across America
September 9, 2016
India Post 11
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Lively Divas where everyone spoke in Hindi RAMESH SOPARAWALA & ARVIND PATEL India Post News Service
CHICAGO: The near four-hour program celebrating Hindi Divas in Chicago jointly by Hindi Lovers Club and Word Hindi Foundation last week turned out to be a lively affair with Hindi speech competition by children, Kavi Sammeln at the end interspersed with a comedy show, entertaining dances and songs from local artists. For Hindi Lovers Club this was sixth year in a row and the consensus was that every year it is getting better, thanks to the devotion and commitment of the members to the cause. The high-
President Dr Shyam Shukla, Editor Nirmala, Secretary Shukla, Anchala Soberin, HLC executive team and Chicago elites CG Dr Ausaf did not let down the Hindi lovers by rendering his speech again this year in Hindi. He underlined the need to promote and popularize Hindi more and more as it is a link for people across the country. It has helped the country maintaining unity. He listed the steps taken by the Modi Government to get Hindi its importance established across the country, especially in official circles. Two Americans Dr Lisa and Montana Chamberlain endeared themselves offering their greetings in Hindi. Dr Shyam Shukla President-
Lamp Lighting Ceremony
light of the event was that most speakers starting with Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed and others - office bearers and guests - chose to speak in Hindi. However, two short speeches in Hindi from Americans really won over 200 plus members of the audience. That was indicative of their love
WHF, Ranjana Bhargav and Behari spoke in Hindi and emphasized the need for promoting Hindi in this area, especially among second generation Indian Americans. Dr Shukla touched upon a recent unsavory controversy over adding a couple of Hindi dialects as part of the national language groups
HLC and WHF members with guests and CG
Dillon and 3rd place - Aarush Jalan. The HLC Board also decided to give two consolation prizes with a view to encouraging more participation in future such contests. The audience got a fair-sized entertainment with a one person comedy show by Ranjoy Ganguly, a Bengali youth who mimicked top notch Bollywood artists like Keshto Mukherji, Shatrughna Sinha, Dharmendra, and politicians like Laloo Prasad Yadav. The audience really enjoyed his skit. What followed was a greatly entertaining program pieced together by Gurbachan Kaur, Vinita Gulbani and Shanu Sinha. The dance groups presenting performances were Tarana Kathak Dance Academy and Rhythm & Grace dance group. They did a remarkable job but it was the Acrobat girl Sanjana Kumar who stole the hearts with her masterly fusion dance combining Bharatnatyam
level 6 gymnast with CITY gymnastics, Chicago, besides a classically trained Bharatnatyam artist.
audience to fly by national airlines Air India since it will help the country gain in exchange revenue. He pointed out that Air India has
Artists and participants greeted by club officials and guests
A Hindi book 'Hindi Learner I' penned by Vidya Nahar was launched by Consul OP Meena. Air India Manager Nakul Chand
improved its service with number of flights and state of art airplanes. The sumptuous dinner served by Ashyana Banquets, headed by
Speakers at Hindi Lovers Club meet: CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed, Consul OP Meena, Gurbachan Kaur, Vinita Gulbani, Sohan Joshi, Nakul Chand and Sunil Shah
for the Indian national language. The event started with Ganesh Vandana and devotional songs by Master Lakshy. Secretary Sohan Joshi greeted all those present and Consul OP Meena talked about the need to promote Hindi. He spoke in chaste Hindi while awaiting the arrival of Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed. This was followed by the traditional lamp lighting. It was done by CG Dr Ausaf Sayeed and joined by Consul OP Meena, HLC Founder President Gurbachan Kaur, President Vinita Gulbani, Secretary Sohan Joshi, WHF
in the Constitution. Sunil Shah, the founder president of FIA, in his speech complimented HLC and WHF teams for their all round efforts in creating awareness about the importance of Indian national language Hindi not only among Indians. Children aged 6 to 13 participated in a speech contest in Hindi with the subject "What I would like to become when grown up". There were six contestants and all came out nicely in their approach and demeanor. The Hindi Speech Contest winners were: 1st place Anika Dikshit, 2nd place - Navroop
and Gymnastics through an electronic Indian classical fusion song. She is a State champion and
had come with his elegant wife Rupalee, an artist in her own right. Chand pitched members of the
A group of winners with guests and club officials
Surinder Jain was relished by all and so were Bollywood songs rendered by Raju Bankapur and Pratima Jairath. They were met with repeated applause and on the spot Farmayishes. The culmination was Kavi Sammelan wherein 10 poets recited their poems. The quality and contents of the recitation were hugely appreciated by those sitting through the program. Some of the names were quite familiar with Hindi lovers like Manish Sharma, Gurbachan Kaur, Neelam, Neeraj Mehta, Shivali Varshney, Kanan Desai and Purina Jha.
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September 9, 2016
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Dinner reception in support of Raja J DIGANVKAR
CHICAGO: A group of Indian and American physicians headed by a doctor couple, Dr Anuja Gupta and Dr Gaurav Gupta hosted a small dinner reception in Frankfort to express their support to Raja Krishnamoorty who is a Democratic nominee for 8th Congressional District in Illinois. It was relatively speaking a well attended event and it helped the Congressional candidate to raise funds for his campaign. Raja by all accounts is ahead of his Republican rival with endorsements from major Chicago newspapers The host Dr Anuja Gupta welcomed the guests and introduced Raja to them. In his talk Raja said that he stands for middle class and that Medicare as well as Social Security programs are dear to him. A lifelong progressive, Raja is running for Congress to stand up for middle class families and fight against attempts by House Republicans to cut Social Security and Medicare that are benefits his parents and millions of other Americans rely on. Raja said, "Social Security and Medicare are the backbone for the American middle class and many
Raja Krishnamoorthy with hosts
parents, including many dear and near ones, rely on them. So these issues are personal to me. These programs are sacred promises that we have made to our senior citizens, and I will fight in Congress to protect and help secure them for future generations." Dr Gaurav Gupta proposed a vote of thanks to Raja and guests
who helped in making the event a success Raja is a businessman who currently serves as the president of Sivananthan Labs, a small business based in the Chicago area. He also heads InSPIRE, a charity dedicated to mobilizing veterans and students to get involved in the solar industry.
Raja meets and greets guests
After serving as Barack Obama's policy director in his successful US Senate campaign, Raja was appointed member of the board of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. He then became a founding prosecutor for Illinois Attorney General's anticorruption unit. Subsequently, Raja served as Illinois Deputy
Treasurer and as Vice-Chair of the Illinois Innovation Council. In his 2016 campaign, Raja's highly-specific legislative agenda and his strong focus on policies for working families led to endorsements by all three major Chicago-area newspapers: the Daily Herald, Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.
Asian American Reception for Dy Mayor Andrea Zopp SURENDRA ULLAL
CHICAGO: Asian American Advisory Council hosted an elegant reception for Chicago Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp to provide an opportunity for the Asian American leaders to interact with her in identifying ways
in which the community can be a proactive partner in shaping the destiny of the city of Chicago. The reception was held at the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago on August 24. Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp,
who is also the Chief Neighborhood Development Officer, in her remarks thanked the Asian American leaders for their attendance and outlined the meaningful role Asian Americans play in contributing to the upliftment of
the city. Zopp also talked about the central vision of Mayor Rahm Emmanuel in fighting some of the intractable problems faced by the city and applauded the resolve and the will of the Mayor in building stronger neighborhoods, communities, improving schools, reducing crime and ushering an all-round economic growth and improvement in the quality of life in the city. Smita Shah, Chair of the Chi-
ers to interact and identify innovative solutions to ameliorate the city. She said that under the leadership of Mayor Emmanuel the city continues to rise from the depths of despair to heights of breathtaking prosperity. Keerthi Kumar Ravoori said Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is truly a steadfast champion of the City of Chicago and added that under his leadership it augurs comprehensive economic growth. Iftekhar Shareef thanked Deputy
Zopp also talked about the central vision of Mayor Rahm Emmanuel in fighting some of the intractable problems faced by the city and applauded the resolve and the will of the Mayor in building stronger neighborhoods, communities, improving schools, reducing crime
Chicago Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp seen with [L to R] Hina Trivedi, Iftekhar Shareef, Smita Shah, Babu Patel & Keerthi Kumar Ravoori
cago-Delhi Sister City Committee, introduced Deputy Mayor Zopp and apprised her of the Indian Americans' deep commitment to lending support to Mayor Emmanuel's mission for the city. She said the meeting with Deputy Mayor Zopp represents an outstanding opportunity for the Asian American lead-
Mayor Andrea Zopp for the opportunity to interact and in sharing valuable insights and pledged the community's commitment to working together with her office in advancing the Mayor's goals. Among the attendees were Babu Marsha Patel, Dr Ashish Sen and Hina Trivedi.
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September 9, 2016
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Wifi at more Indian Railway stations soon PRAKASH M SWAMY
NEW YORK: Indian Railways plans to equip 400 major railway stations across the nation with wifi as a sequel to an agreement with global giant Google. More railway stations will now have Wifi facil-
railway stations where anyone entering the station will be thoroughly frisked with metal detectors as in airports by the cops and their baggage checked by an advanced scanner.
Vashishta Johri
ity under this plan The facility also will be provided in major express trains. About 40 stations have been identified in Southern Railway and work has been completed in 14 stations so far, a top official of the Indian Railways Vashishta Johri, said here. Vashishta Johri, General Manager of Southern Railway, said in an interview that passenger safety is being given top priority and CCTV cameras are being installed to monitor all movements besides strengthening the Railway Protection Force in strategic locations to avoid any untoward incident. Following the murder of an IT employee in Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai, the Indian Railways has sanctioned funds to various regions under the Nirbhaya scheme to provide CCTV cameras in railway stations. Also integrated security system has been introduced in several major
More than 1000 Railway Protection Force personnel are deployed every day in the stations and 378 passenger trains are provided with police escort in every car. A special toll-free help line is created and the cops will access the passengers within 30 minute of the call, he said. Johri said the Southern Railway has introduced bio toilets in passenger trains where human waste is converted into gas and water with the help of tanks fitted below these toilets. This prevents the fall of human waste on the tracks adding to pollution. As an experiment, all trains running between Rameshwaram and Manamadurai are now discharge free and are fitted with bio toilets under the "clean station green station" concept. This is the first of its kind in Indian Railways and by 2019 all passenger trains will be equipped with bio toilets. To add to passenger comforts during fes-
tival season, Southern Railway is adding more special trains to reduce the congestion with a different price range depending on the season of the year. The Southern Railway has introduced e-catering facility where passengers can order food from various favorite multi-cuisine restaurants using the app and the food will be delivered at the next station stop. Also, a new variety of kids' meal called Janani Seva was also introduced in the catering menu keeping the welfare of children in mind, he said. To add to the comfort of the traveling passengers, air-conditioned waiting rooms with child care facility are being introduced in stations at a nominal cost. These centers will have clean restrooms and place to keep baggage. "We had seen lots of run over cases whereby those crossing the tracks were either using cell phones or headsets to listen to
music thereby failing to notice the oncoming trains. As a result they get fatally hit by the speeding vehicles. To stop this dangerous trend, we distributed flyers in 25 locations and also educational institutions to highlight the need to exercise caution and safety. We are happy that these fatal inci-
sity. The team also visited Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and studied first hand passenger amenities, upkeep and maintenance, commercial use of station space and related areas of common interest. They were also invited to tour the General Electric loco manufac-
He along with 20 general managers and GM level senior officers were invited to attend the five day executive program on management at Carnegie Melon University. The team also visited Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and studied first hand passenger amenities dents have come down drastically," he added. He along with 20 general managers and GM level senior officers were invited to attend the five day executive program on management at Carnegie Melon Univer-
turing unit in Eerie facility Philadelphia where the GMs studied firsthand the advantages of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) locomotives which India is beginning to put to use Diesel Electric Multiple units.
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September 9, 2016
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Best counselors demystify college admissions at free seminar Cont’d from page 10
Pam Miracle from Compass to College described the necessary "ingredients" and do-not's to writing a stand-out essay. One of her main points was writing about something you are passionate, and care about, something that brings out the unique personality. Purvi Mody from Insight Education discussed how admission factors are seldom discussed, and if you are able to make yourself stand-out in other ways, you have just as much chance to get into a good college. Priya Pullur talked about Test Optional Schools, and encouraged
students to apply to test optional and test blind schools, because of their policy not requiring students to submit their standardized tests. Every counselor provided their unique view of what it takes to get into the dream college, to approximately 200 students and parents from around the Bay Area. Once the panel presentations completed, the audience were allowed to ask questions to the panel, about anything regarding the college process moderated by Rishi Kumar. Some of the questions were centered around how many AP classes were needed to get into the best UC schools like Berkeley, UCLA etc. whereas others wanted to understand the difference between ACT and SAT and which test option would work the best for their child. Many interesting questions came up that were handled well by the knowledgeable college counselors. After the questioning period, a lottery was drawn to select 25 students/parents to each get a oneon-one counseling session with
one of the college counselors. Each counselor conducted a few 1:1 sessions, in which they answered specific questions pertaining to the application of juniors and seniors currently putting together their application. It was a productive time for students, parents and also the college counselors who attended, who got a chance to address the confusion and mystery that sur-
rounds the admission process to these elite universities. The video for the session are at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/collegeapp or at http://tinyurl.com/ CollegeApps2016Video Siva Sambasivam is a Freshman at Saratoga High School who attended the College Apps Seminar and loves dreaming about his dream school(s)
Berklee Indian Ensemble to perform at Chopra Center India Post News Service
BOSTON, MA: The Berklee Indian Ensemble will perform in Los Angeles on September 9 at the Sages and Scientists 2016 Symposium, where Deepak Chopra and more than 40 of the world's preeminent thinkers, philosophers, doctors, scientists, musicians, and artists journey into life's deepest mysteries and seek answers to its biggest questions. The Berklee Indian Ensemble is one of three special musical guests - the others are Michael Franti of Spearhead, and Berklee alumna Satya Hinduja. David Mash, Berklee senior vice president for innovation strategy and technology, will also appear at the symposium as a featured speaker. The Berklee Indian Ensemble is directed by Annette Philip, Artistic Director of the Berklee India Exchange (BIX), a platform for cultural conversation about Indian music through artist residencies, musical collaborations, and performances. With members from 42 countries, the Berklee Indian Ensemble is world-renowned through live performances in India and Boston, and its stunning
YouTube videos, including a collaboration with A.R. Rahman, that have been viewed more than 20 million times. The group's busy fall schedule brings it to Los Angeles directly from performing a tribute to
dian Ensemble will perform in Boston with award-winning Indian film composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan, bringing magic to the stage with a spirited and uplifting performance. Launched in 2013, the Berklee
formances. It presents an opportunity for Indian students to showcase indigenous instruments such as tabla, sarod, and bhapang. It is an axis point for Indian students to share their music and experience with Berklee musicians
Rahman in Bangalore, India, at the 54th Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava, a festival that attracts an audience of one million people over eleven days. In December, the Berklee In-
India Exchange is a campus initiative establishing a platform for cultural conversation about Indian music through artist residencies, musical collaborations, and per-
hailing from more than 105 countries, and vice versa, harnessing the global power of the Indian music industry to foster a richer learning environment for all stu-
dents. Berklee is committed to bringing high-level Indian musicians to campus to empower students from all backgrounds. Large-scale events have included concerts, clinics, workshops, and master classes with world-renowned film composer Rahman; vocalist, composer and producer Clinton Cerejo; and vocalist Vijay Prakash. In 2015, Berklee established the A. R. Rahman Scholarship and presented the first awards to three talented Indian musicians in May of 2016 in Mumbai. The scholarships - valued at more than $500,000 - are funded through proceeds from events, including a sold-out concert at Boston's Symphony Hall, where Rahman received an honorary doctorate from Berklee. The Berklee India Exchange also facilitates the Berklee Global Tandon Clinic Series, which brings the Berklee experience to musicians in India through a gift from entrepreneur and Grammynominated musician Chandrika Tandon. Clinics have been held over the past year in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
September 9, 2016
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India Post 15
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PNG Sunnyvale store celebrates 8th anniversary in nine months in India last year, has 17 stores across the country and is also present in Dubai. They are launching their first store SAN FRANCISCO, CA: PNG Jewelers, soon in US East coast. Rajendra Soni, CEO, PNG Jewelers said: established in 1832, celebrated its eight years of being in business in the San Fran- When gold enthusiasts approach PNG, they cisco Bay Area amid much fanfare at a Sep- come with the confidence that they are receiving value for money in every way. For several families, shopping at PNG is a tradition across generations. PNG Jewelers is synonymous with able craftsmanship, purity, happy occasions, endurance and trust. "We have all kinds of jewelry as per different Indian tastes; whatever people wear from that reRajendra Soni, CEO, PNG Jewelers and gion, we have all Cupertino Vice-Mayor Savitha Vaidhyanathan of it. We have Temple collection, tember 2 event held at their Sunnyvale lo- Ruby Emerald collection, tourmaline colleccation. Admission to the event was by invi- tion, champagne polki collection, real diatation only and was attended by 70 guests, mond and uncut collection, antique," he added. The evening started with a warm welcome by Priya Vasan, CRM at PNG Jewelers, who thanked all the PNG customers past, present and future for celebrating all their milestones with them. Savita Vaidyanathan, Vice-Mayor of Cupertino was the esteemed guest for the evening. "When you wear a piece of our jewelry, you are wearing a piece of legacy that has been handed down from 1832. You are wearing a piece of Rajendra Soni, Vice Mayor Savitha Vaidyanathan & Priya Vasan art, a piece of history," many of them loyal customers of the store. Priya said. She further said that PNG JewelWith the overwhelming response and ers was one of the top Indian jewelry comlove of the customers of P N Gadgil Jewel- panies in the Bay Area, primarily because ers across India and worldwide, they of their integrity, trust, transparency, opened their second store at Fremont last trendsetting designs and exceptional cusyear. The brand, which opened nine stores tomer service. PNG Diamonds is known for VIDYA SETHURAMAN
India Post News Service
Siddharth Gill, Harpreet, Rajendra Soni, Savitha V and Priya Vasan
PNG Customer service executives with customers
its high quality standards and can proudly say that all the diamonds and stones sold by them are sorted directly by them as well. Following Vasan's speech was a lively fashion show, where models showcased the first jewelry collection of the evening, Yellow gold Collection. The final collection of the evening was the Diamond Collection. Raffle prizes were given away through the course of the evening to customers who had entered the draw. Rado watches and tickets to Sonu Nigam/Atif Aslam show, which is going to happen on September 24 at Oracle Arena, were the grand prizes. The brand is endorsed by a bevy of Bollywood celebrities like Madhuri Dixit and
Raveena Tandon. It recently roped in Salman Khan as its global ambassador, and the star was seen sporting a pendant designed by PNG in the film "Bajrangi Bhaijaan." It is also the jewelry partner of "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo," where Salman was seen donning a regal look. PNG Jewelers now plans to increase its presence in the United States with Texas and the East Coast as the next stops. The evening of celebrations ended with refreshments and snacks for all the guests. PNG Jewelers are located at 820 E. El Camino Real in Sunnyvale and Fremont Plaza Shopping Center, 3760 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538.
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September 9, 2016
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PG&E Fleet completes million leak detections India Post News Service
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: After outfitting 10 new vehicles with super-sensitive leak-detecting technology, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) employees drove 60,000 miles across California and just wrapped up the one
that is 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional equipment. Thanks to this innovation, PG&E has been able to more accurately survey its service area contributing to a 99 percent reduction of minor leaks on its system since 2010. The fleet using the Picarro Surveyor™ continues to expand
"The Picarro Surveyor™ technology has transformed our ability to find and then fix natural gas leaks on our system. We'll build on our success and create the next generation of leak management capabilities for the industry by enhancing safety” millionth leak detection inspection of gas service lines connecting properties to the gas distribution network. In 2012, PG&E became the first utility in the world to use Picarro Surveyor™ vehicle-mounted methane-detection technology
with two new vehicles added this year. "The Picarro Surveyor™ technology has transformed our ability to find and then fix natural gas leaks on our system. We'll build on our success and create the next generation of leak management
capabilities for the industry by concentrations in the atmosphere survey process, referred to as enhancing safety, improving qual- and pinpoints the location of a "Supercrew", helps reduce cusity, and capturing efficiencies as natural gas leak, which has a tomer disruption by addressing well as reducing the impact on the unique signature, differing from leaks in a community during one environment," said Nick Stavropoulos, PG&E's President of Gas. "PG&E has led the industry in the adoption of the Picarro solution. The partnership that we have with PG&E has enabled us to revolutionize, through data and analytics, a process that has been in place for decades, allowing for enhanced safety while driving towards a more reliable and affordable energy fuPG&E cars with vehicle-mounted methane-detection technology that is 1,000 times more ture," said Alex sensitive than traditional equipment Balkanski, Picarro's president and CEO. The technology works by con- other methane sources. PG&E's time period, versus repeat visits tinuously measuring methane approach to bundling work with the to a neighborhood.
September 9, 2016
Community Across America
India Post 17
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Ganesh Ji comes to Devon for a short visit ARVIND PATEL
Devotees coming for Darshan and Blessings
Devon Ka Raja Lord Ganesha
CHICAGO: The news that Devon Ka Raja, Shri Ganesh Ji, is back on Devon Avenue in Chicago for a short ten-day visit beginning Monday September 5 was talk of the town even before his arrival. And the day the Raja came, hundreds of people right from 9.30 am to 10 pm continued to throng for his Darshan. The elegant and hugely appealing Devon Ka Raja came at 2623 W Devon Avenue near the Ganesh Ji temple to the delight of his devotees and continued to shower his
subtle blessings to all who came to have his Darshan. It was a sight to see people from across Chicagoland - all suburbs and even neighboring States flocking to Devon and the surge will be continuing for the ten days till the final Visarjan - the immersion - of the idol. The day started with Aarti at 11.30 am and the place was open till 10 pm when the evening Aarti was performed amidst singing of devotional songs and chanting of Ganpati Bappa Moriya. The prac-
tice will continue till the immersion, said Nirmal Shewkaramani who has been the main inspirer for Ganesh ji to come to Devon area. His wife Smt Gurubachan Kaur, along with family members and supporters, were seen doing a wonderful job arranging and conducting the entire affair with grace and devotion. The newly arrived priest Devendra Ji - was really acquitting himself well with his new assignment and has endeared himself with his humility with those coming to the temple and for Ganesh Ji's blessings.
Realty Tidbits
Real estate law has serious anomalies: DLF NEW DELHI: Realty major DLF Chairman K P Singh has said there are some "serious anomalies" in the real estate regulatory law, such as no provision for single-window approval system, which pose a grave concern for the developers and can stifle growth, like in 196070s. Addressing the shareholders at the company's AGM, Singh also said the passage of the Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA) is a classic instance of a reform legislation that reflects the government's sincerity and commitment to bring about greater transparency in the real estate sector. "However, while the intention is laudable, and RERA, will indeed be a game changer, there are some serious anomalies in the actual provisions of the new legislation which in my view pose certain grave concerns for developers and other risk-taking players in the real estate business," Singh was quoted as saying. Listing some concerns, Singh said there is no provision for single-window clearance of approvals, which is the single-most important requirement to cut red tape and delays.
Cont’d on page 19
SC warns Unitech bosses of contempt NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has warned the Chairman and directors of reality major Unitech Hi-tech Developers Ltd that they will be liable for contempt if the terms of settlement they have entered into with three home buyers, who are yet to get their flats, were not honored. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan, which disposed of the appeal of home buyers, granted them liberty to approach the court if the terms agreed upon in three memorandums of settlement were not adhered to by the firm. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the realty firm, said the group had entered into the settlement agreement with the three buyers and agreed to give alternate plots to their satisfaction in Burgundy towers in Noida. He said that Rs 5 crore which the firm was asked to deposit with the court should be transferred to Rs 15 crore directed to be deposited in another case concerning the group. -PTI
Real Estate 18 India Post
www.indiapost.com
September 9, 2016
LA developer buys iconic Tribune Tower CHICAGO: The iconic Tribune Tower on Chicago's Michigan Avenue will have a new owner. Los Angelesbased CIM Group has agreed to buy the tower for up to $240 million. Chicago-based Tribune Media said the deal is expected to close by September end. Officials didn't specify development plans for the 1925 neo-Gothic tower. Tribune announced last year that it had hired a real estate investment banker to explore a sale or partnership for redevelopment. -AP
Stunning homes now open at Bellaire, Patterson Ranch, Fremont India Post News Service
FREMONT, CA: Experience the best of peaceful living mixed with the excitement of Silicon Valley all close to home. With a new sales release and models now open, this is the perfect time to explore the new residences at Bellaire at Patterson Ranch, Brookfield Residential's newest neighborhood in Fremont, says a Press release by Brookfield Residential Properties. It invites you to visit today and discover a stunning home with premium features, desirable amenities and a convenient location near everything you want and need. It says, "Capturing the everyday comforts of home, Bellaire creates the perfect place for your family to connect and enjoy a refreshing lifestyle. Here in this tranquil new community, inspiring new two-story single-family homes are designed to fulfill your needs, offering ample living space and unique plans measuring from 2,127
to 2,176 square feet. In addition to as many as five bedrooms and three baths, you'll enjoy striking appointments and dramatic interiors as well as a friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Bellaire is priced from themid $1.2 millions. "Designed with you in mind, Bellaire boasts an array of features and amenities to make your house feel like home. Gourmet kitchens present the perfect space for any chef, offering energy-saving appliances, rich beechwood cabinetry, gourmet kitchen islands and striking granite slab countertops, while spacious master suites invite you to indulge in peaceful comfort with a chic Marblestone™ vanity, luxurious soaking tub, expansive mirrors and stylish chrome faucets. Additional features include beautiful tile entries, a tankless water heater and energy-efficient faucets, showerheads and toilets. "Situated in the historic Ardenwood area, Bellaire presents a location that is as convenient as
it is inspiring. Here in the Silicon Valley, you're connected to everything you want and everything you need, from top employers, excellent educational facilities and transportation to an abundance of cultural, recreational and entertainment destinations-so, no matter what you're looking for, it's al-
ing through acres of parks and open spaces, an afternoon of fun is even closer than you think. "Bellaire at Patterson Ranch is located at 5511 Clove Hitch Loop, Fremont, California 94555, off 880 freeway. The sales office is open daily from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. For more details, please visit
ways just a short trip away. Plus, with lush pathways and trails throughout the community wind-
BrookfieldNorCal.com or call (510) 556-0331. "Brookfield Residential Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area market), a division of Brookfield Residential Properties Inc., is a premier lifestyle provider that strives to create the best places to call home. We are a team of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals who have the passion and experience to craft exceptional new homes, neighborhoods and communities. "In the San Francisco Bay Area market, we are respected as an award-winning innovator and are recognized for delivering consistent quality, design details and an outstanding customer experience. Please visit BrookfieldNorCal.com for more information. "Brookfield Residential Properties Inc. is a leading land developer and homebuilder in North America. We entitle and develop land to create master-planned communities, sell lots to thirdparty builders and operate our own homebuilding division. We also participate in select strategic real estate opportunities, including infill projects, mixed-use developments and joint ventures. Further information is available at BrookfieldResidential.com."
Govt clears steps to revive construction NEW DELHI: Seeking to revive construction and real estate sectors, the Cabinet has approved an array of measures including easing of rules for quicker settlement of disputes, pump in liquidity and reinvigorate stalled projects. It allowed transfer of cases initiated under the old Arbitration Act to the new and expeditious dispute resolution law, approved release of 75 per cent of the amount in dispute against bank guarantee and provided for a conciliation board comprising of independent domain experts in new contracts. Also, Department of Financial Services in the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will consider giving one-time scheme for stressed bank loans in the sector. Briefing reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet, Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley said the construction sector accounts for 8 per cent of the GDP and provides employment to some 40 million people in the country. The banking sector's exposure
to the construction sector currently stands at over Rs 3 lakh crore, and 45 per cent or Rs 1.35 lakh crore of the loans are under stress. "We hope that a series of these
decisions will pump in a lot of liquidity into the sector, activate real estate and infrastructure projects which have been stranded for sometime and support the entire process of dispute resolution in relation to construction and real estate," Jaitley said. An official statement said that a key factor behind the difficulties facing the construction sector is the pendency of claims from Government bodies. An estimated Rs 70,000 crore is tied up in arbitration. Over 85 per cent of the claims raised against government bodies are still pending of which 11 per cent is pending with the government agencies, 64 per cent with arbitrators and 8.5 per cent with courts. Cont’d on page 19
Real Estate Post
September 9, 2016
India Post 19
www.indiapost.com
Indian-Americans in 'Horsetown USA' clash NORCO, CA: The Southern California city of Norco markets itself as ``Horsetown USA,'' and it's not unusual for cowboy hatwearing residents to head out for lunch or run errands on horseback in its Old West-styled downtown. Local leaders celebrate that rural, equestrian lifestyle and are protective of it. Those who build must ensure their property includes Western architectural features such as a metal roof or overhang. But some Indian-Americans are questioning the sincerity of that standard after the City Council rejected a proposal for a Hindu cultural center on a hilltop partly on grounds that the large, domed building wouldn't fit in. They think the decision - which came after residents urged the city to keep its culture and questioned why proponents chose the site - is discriminatory. Dr. Krupali Tejura, a radiation oncologist who grew up in nearby Corona and works at an area hospital, got involved in the debate because she was offended by those who argued the center didn't fit. ``How does a community or a city decide it doesn't fit in with their lifestyle? How far does this go?'' she asked. Mayor Kevin Bash rejected that assertion. ``We turn down a lot of businesses. If they don't want to have a Western theme, guess what? They don't get built,'' he said, adding the center also was too big for such a steep lot and there were drainage concerns. Norco's 26,000 residents are tucked among the vast suburbs south and east of Los Angeles. Once overwhelmingly white, the area has seen a surge in Hispanics and, more recently, Asians. Southern California's Indian
population is relatively small accounting for only 1 percent of the population in a four countyarea spanning Los Angeles and its southern and eastern suburbs and is spread out across different cities. But census data show the community has grown in recent years, especially in Riverside County, where Norco is located. There is a
pictures in Norco, and I showed them: Please tell us which one is the Western one that we can follow,'' Patolia said. Patolia started laying out the changes for councilmembers but was told a revised project would need to go back to city planners for review. He said he is now weighing his options for the property, which he bought in the hopes
Sikh temple in Norco inside a grange hall-turned-church and a Hindu temple in the neighboring county, and Indian movies are shown at a Corona theater. The controversy over the proposed cultural center has focused attention on how Norco can keep its Western theme and rural lifestyle while incorporating newcomers, and how those who arrive in the city can adapt to their surroundings while retaining their culture. Manu Patolia, who proposed the project, said he is willing to ditch the domes and revamp the design of the 25,000-square-foot Swaminarayan Gurukul center, which would host Indian language classes for children and yoga for the community at large. ``I went around and took some
of building the center. City officials said the project not only lacks Western-styled architecture but could cause drainage and parking problems. They note they've pressured businesses ranging from veterinarians to Bob's Big Boy - whose mascot dons a city-funded cowboy hat to get Western or get out. Maintaining that look and feel is critical to drawing visitors and investments in horse-related businesses, Bash said. Its rural vibe is what drew many residents to the Riverside County city in the first place. As the suburbs grew more crowded and urban, people sought a quieter place where they could ride horses and keep chickens in their backyards. Bonnie Slager, president of the Norco Horsemen's Association,
Real estate law has serious anomalies: DLF Cont’d from page 18
"There is no clarity on the distinction between Occupancy Certificates and Completion Certificate; unless land rates are based on books of accounts all costs incurred prior to starting of projects would not be added," he said. "Joint venture agreements would be adversely impacted; the stipulation that sanctioned plans must be posted on websites
would raise issues of Intellectual Property Rights," he added. Singh said there are numerous other anomalies in the new law, which is "unmistakably weighted against the interests of developers". However, he listed just a few of them in hope that the states would incorporate appropriate amendments and vitally required corrections at the time of framing of rules. "Unless this is done, I am
afraid RERA could dampen rather than unleash the entrepreneurial spirit in the real estate development. "The country can ill-afford a situation akin to the 1960s and 1970s when punitive laws and restrictive policies stifled private sector growth and investment in housing sector and led to the serious mismatch between supply and demand for real estate products which we have still not been able to bridge," Singh said.-PTI
has nine horses and a rooster on the lot where she lives. The retired accounting professor said the Hindu community is welcome but a big domed building with potential drainage problems is not. ``Not that things have to look like a Western fort,'' Slager said. ``We just really don't want things that are all glass and metal and look kind of like something from Disneyland's Tomorrowland.'' What makes Norco a prime spot for any community center or hub is its proximity to freeways that cut across the region. The IndianAmerican community's diverse cultures and religious traditions add to the demand for centralized locations where people can congregate, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, associate dean of University of California, Riverside's School of Public Policy. Since the vote, Tejura said she has been dismayed by residents' comments bashing Hindus in online community chat groups.
She remembers as a child being shuttled by her father more than 20 miles each way to Indian dance classes and taking Gujarati language classes in the back of an area bowling alley. Virtually the only local restaurant options were burgers and Mexican food. Dave Vadodaria, who lives in nearby Orange County, said the center would help keep alive Hindu teachings and culture as the children of Indian immigrants grow up American. Born in Uganda, he said, he had to work to reconnect with his Hindu culture after attending school in England. ``People are mingling with different parts of the world. People are seeing different cultures. You can't just close your doors,'' said Vadodaria, who owns an electronics business. ``We are eating fusion food these days, Indian-Chinese, Indian with American. Everything is becoming fusion,'' he said. ``Why can't it become a fusion community?'' -AP
Govt clears steps to revive construction Cont’d from page 18
The contractors have also been allowed to shift "with consent" their pending disputes with public bodies to the new arbitration procedures, from the old arbitration act. This will ensure a "cheaper and a quicker fast track" arbitral process, Jaitley said. An average settlement time for claims is estimated at more than seven years. Where arbitral awards have been made and public bodies are challenging them, in those cases against a margin-free bank guarantee being given by the contractor, 75 per cent of the arbitration amount will have to be released to the contractor. This 75 per cent of the amount will have to be spent by the contractor in completing the project and in discharging the bank and financial institutions dues. The surplus can be spent on further expansion of his projects. "There are various challenges before the construction sector and the government has been trying over the last year to improve upon the functioning of construction sector. We had simplified the arbitration law...so that the process of dispute redressal can be made easier," Jaitley said as he outlined the five decisions taken by the
Cabinet. He said the policy RBI and Department of Financial Services will work out will seek to de-stress the asset of real estate sector. "I believe that if real estate companies get 75 per cent of the awarded amount, then it will pump in a lot of liquidity. Over and above this if some steps are possible, DFS and RBI will work on that," he said. The Cabinet has also approved that in all new contracts; there will be a provision for conciliation board, which will comprise of independent subject experts. "This is being done for a reason that when commercial circumstances change and public servants are reluctant to participate in the renegotiations, there will be a contractual mechanism under which those terms could be renegotiated without bringing projects to be standstill," Jaitley said. Besides, in contracts which are entered into by public authorities and public bodies, the 'item rate contracts' would be replaced by a 'Turn key contract' and a model draft 'Turn key contract proposal' will be circulated, he said. "The construction sector is a large contributor to GDP and in future we need a more housing, urbanization, commercial spaces and this will take care of that," he said. -PTI
Horoscope
20 India Post
September 9, 2016
www.indiapost.com
Sept 9th - Sept 15th 2016 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
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he professional matters continue to face obstructions. The week makes your mind agitated. The week is good for students but they need better concentration. The health of father may need care. Handle all matters including relationship matters with patience. It is better to avoid haste and conflicts. Avoid unnecessary driving. Take care of your health and don't get involved in arguments.
he professional matters look better. Some of you may go for outing. Avoid aggressive behaviour. Social interaction and communications is better. The new professional opportunities are likely. Avoid conflicting situations during 2016, and take due care of your health. Exercise patience and avoid over ambitiousness. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu.
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he professional matters look better. Social communications is better. Handle relationship matters with patience. Child may need help. Avoid haste, conflicts, speculation, aggressive behaviour and nnecessary driving. Conflicts and financial concerns are likely to continue. Take care. Enemies are likely to trouble. Conflicts will put you to harm. Manage obstructions with due patience.
rofessional matters look better. Avoid manipulations. Handle relationship matters with patience. Take care of your health. It is better to avoid aggressive behaviour and excercise patience. Avoid Speculations, conflicts and unnecessary driving. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18.
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he professional matters may develop sudden stress. Some of you are ignored for promoted. Those who are appearing in selections may get good results. Stay away from manipulations. It is better to avoid new ventures. The week may bring some concerns. The child may also bring some happy news. Take care of your health. See a doctor if its time for check up.
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rofessional matters look better. Some gains through real estate assets are likely. Good week to spend time with family. Can purchase a real estate property. Some sudden obstructions and stress are likely. The week is better for parents. Better to avoid driving. Work with patience. Take care of relationship matters. Some immune disorder is likely. Things are better this week.
he professional matters look better. Avoid manipulations. The week is helpful for students and for those who are appearing in selections. Some of you may be rewarded. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18 or some planet is around 18 degree in odd signs up to 15th November, 2016.
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he professional matters look better. The mental peace look better. Some additional expense is likely. Stay away from manipulations, or people trying to take advantage of you. Take care of your health. Have a regular physical done if time. Avoid aggressive behaviour and haste up to September, 2016. Silence is golden for you. Better to avoid driving and conflicts.
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he professional matters look better. Keep new ventures pending. Work with patience. Take care of your health. Avoid haste, aggressive behaviour, conflicts, unnecessary expenses and driving/travel. Handle obstructions and relationship matters with care up to September, 2016. Some additional expenses are likely. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult.
he professional matters are looking up. Some additional income is likely. Some good news is in the making. The new business opportunities should be put on hold up to January, 2017. The child may need special attention upto September, 2016. Avoid speculation and investing in stock market and gambling. Patience is the best medicine during this year.
he professional matters look better. Delays and obstructions are likely in the sources of income. Manage obstructions with patience. Some gains through real estate assets are likely. It is better to avoid manipulations. The health of spouse may cause sudden concerns. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18.
he professional matters are looking up. The incidence of conflicts, obstructions and sudden setbacks continues. Health of the family may cause concerns. It is better to avoid driving. Manage persisting difficulties with patience. The prolonged transit planetary influences caused by Rahu/Ketu are difficult for those whose ascending degree is around 18 or some planet is around 18 degree in odd.
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.
JATIN P - ACHARYA MIHIR • JAYSASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM • 630-675-7148
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September 9, 2016
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OG 2016 in San Francisco Bay Area from August 5 to 14 was a grand success. It was attended by over 150,000 people over 10 days at summit, movie fest, awards, mela/fair and parade. It successfully brought the world's largest and oldest democracies together, while imbibing the youngsters with the culture and values that community practices in making the adopted land of dreams their own.
India Post News Service
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estival of Globe is San Francisco Bay Area's premier multi-ethnic cross cultural extravaganza. The week-long festival packages films and performing arts from around the globe into a lively and intense celebration of the
that are actively supported include youth development, elderly and senior care, ending hunger and homelessness and empowerment of women. For 2016, the main focus was Youth Empowerment against sex crime. The mission of Festival of Globe has been to help communities better integrate with each other
Audience during FOG opening gala
richness and diversity of cultures. Using Art & Culture as a common theme, FOG aims to serve as a unique catalyst for cultural osmosis and bring positive change within the communities. The effort of the Festival of Globe - Silicon Valley, San Francisco and FOG Movie Fest has been in recognizing the need for communities to work together for a larger good. Through film, culture, dance, art it is planned to be the largest festival that aims to engage global participation. Festival of the Globe provides participants, brands and audiences interacting with each other. Also, through the FOG Movie Fest, it amplifies some of the burning issues of the day to a larger audience and introduces the global talent pool of movie makers to Silicon Valley Investors. Each year the festival raises funds in support of various social issues faced by the diverse communities. Specific causes
and unify for the greater purpose of the common good. Through a dazzling array of events around films, culture, dance and art, it brought artists, audiences, social activists and investors on the same page to celebrate our present and commit to improving our future. FOG 2016 AT A GLANCE • 60+ films screened over 10 days • Participants from over 30 countries • 150,000 attendees • FOG Awards, the red carpet was rolled out to welcome film personalities from India, China, Nepal, Brazil, Hollywood and others • FOG summit panels at Facebook headquarters, Boot up World, Plug and Play, KPMG with World renowned speakers • World premiere screenings • Investor Pitch Sessions • Youth Empowerment forum against sex crimes - Educate, Empower and Eradicate
A section of the crowd
FOG MOVIE FEST: FOG Movie Fest is a very unique festival, in the sense that it is much more than a celebration of good cinema. Whether you are a veteran or a newbie, FOG Movie fest welcomes you and encourages you to submit your work. You can rest assured that not only will your film touch a diverse crowd, but also you will be contributing to empowering disadvantaged people. Socially, this is a golden opportunity to hobnob with the glitterati from the tech, film, arts and philanthropy sectors and gorgeous people from different parts of the world. FOG MELA/FAIR: FOG Mela 2016 was a free event and was well received by the locals of Bay Area. This is the first time, the mela was made free without any entry fee and this attracted large number of desi and non-desis all over Bay area. The two day fair comprised over 150 booths and exhibits on products, services, arts, crafts, literature, fashion and designs. "Mela," in Sanskrit, means "to meet or gather" and is used synonymously for "fair," RK Japra, Chairman and founder of FIA explains, the word, spread throughout. FOG DANCE COMPETITION is a grand celebration of the beautiful dance forms of the Indian subcontinent and other parts of the world. By the means of this platform, FIA provides thorough enjoyment to participants and audiences alike, help youth imbibe their rich cultural heritage, empower youth by encouraging their talent, showcase the arts of different ethnicities to mainstream America, thus contributing the best parts of Indian and other cultures to mainstream American culture. The main stage of the mela was dedicated to dance competitions on Saturday which was chaired by Jyotsna Bendapudi. There were nonstop cultural performances from Bollywood, classical, hip-hop with over 80 plus Bay area teams. There were around 300 performers (group and solo), winners were judged by a panel of 5 eminent judges and cash reward was given to the winning group by FIA. On Sunday, after the Grand Parade, Jyotsna Bendapudi, FOG cultural chair and her team paid a tribute to the celebrities Randeep Hooda, Raima Sen and Prosenjit Chatterjee with their alltime hit numbers and enthralled the audience. THE FOOD FESTIVAL presented a tasty assortment of Indian dishes from chaat, chai
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Festival of Globe a Grand Show
September 9, 2016
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and dosas to biryanis and kababs, from popular local restaurants like Peacock Indian Cuisine, Roobaru, Vedas restaurant, Cakes and Bakes, Celebrations Indian cuisine, Annapurna catering. FOG HEALTH FAIR was held on August 13 from 10:00 am - 12 noon and around 1000 patients were checked for their BMI, Blood Glucose, Cholesterol. They offered specialty services such as cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, dental, psychiatric, physical therapy and other niche area of expertise. These free services were offered by eminent Bay area physicians and it has been continuing for over 20 years. The health fair was coordinated by Raju Mantena and his team of volunteers. INDIA DAY PARADE which was held on August 14 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm was the main attraction of the 10 day festivities. The event drew over 30 floats from organizations ranging RANA, Kannada Koota of Northern California, Haryana, Bharathi Tamil Sangam, Bay area Tamil Manram, Orissa, Maharashtra Mandal to name a few. Floats representing different states of India were judged by celebrities like Randeep Hooda, Raima Sen, Gulshan Grover, Prosenjit Chatterjee who were the Grand Marshals and Co-Grand Marshals of the parade. One key feature this year was a vastly increased number of walking groups, organized by local community organizations. The Parade area was filled with patriotic slogans and proclamations of "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai". Deepak Chhabra, Chair, Parade worked closely with these groups. The making of floats starts well in advance by the end of July. He credits the success to the whole team and the organization whose members enthusiastically participate year after year. FOG Chairman, Dr Romesh Japra also took the opportunity to thank all the sponsors, media partners, volunteers, festival partners for their support. Bank of the West, Wells Fargo, Comcast, PG&E, McDonald, Visitors coverage, Airline partner - Air India, Hospitality partner - Wyndham Garden, San Jose Silicon Valley, Western Union, Raymond James, Incredible India, Charles Schwab, Dublin Chevrolet, Fremont Chevrolet, Nurture kids, Gateway Eyecare, Excel Test prep, Shastha foods, Robson Homes, CEFCU, Yupptv, Summerhill homes, Chugh law firm, Meenugiri family dentistry, Kolkata 24*7, Bongflix, Scholar's academy are the sponsors. Times Now and Zoomtv were the broadcast partners. Articles in this supplement were contributed by VIDYA SETHURAMAN, RITU MAHESHWARI, RISHI KUMAR, LAKSHMI IYER AND MEGHNA NAIR.
India Post News Service
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n August 7th, 2016 Festival of Globe (FOG) held a Summit that consisted of panelists that ad dressed the emerging trends in our world. The six speakers that attended this Summit were people who want to make each and every country as advanced as another country. Some of the topics that were addressed were new technologies, microbiomes, and many more. Each panelist explained about how they are trying to make the world a better place to live in. The keynote speaker of the Summit was Vivek Wadhwa. Vivek Wadhwa is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Wadhwa's main goal is to get the technology that is used in the Silicon Valley transported to villages in India. Villages in India have young entrepreneurs that could really benefit from all the technologies used in the Silicon Valley. These entrepreneurs could also help make advances that people in the Silicon Valley have not thought of. Vivek Wadhwa really stressed the importance of education in India. He said that young kids in India are not getting the education they should be getting. Wadhwa repeated many times that if children in India are taught properly from a young age, they can really help our world. The moderator of the Summit was Dr. Solomon Darwin. Dr. Solomon Darwin is the Executive Director of the Center for Corporate Innovation. Dr. Solomon's goal is to have smart villages all over India. Smart villages will be full of new technologies that will help children all the way to adults. These villages will be the future engines of
economic growth in India. Darwin is looking to accomplish to this goal using new technology and a good business model. He believes that if the chil-
dren in India can get the education that the children in US get, they will be able to do many great things. Dr. Solomon Darwin believes that if everyone can pitch in, his goal of smart villages can be accomplished. The next panelist who spoke was
Boston also stressed the importance of equality between men and women. She said that women are getting held back from doing great things because they don't get the same opportunities as men. Penny Boston believes that women all over the world
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FOG Summit took up issue of Sustainability & Future Trends
September 9, 2016
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Joseph said that the kids with fewer resources are the kids who are more creative. Minafra has already seen what kids in India and other countries have been able to do with robotics. Joseph Minafra stated that if people in India can get the resources that
FOG Summit - Sustainability panel
Penelope (Penny) Boston. Penny Boston is the Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Penny was more focused on the medical side. She talked about microbiomes living in our body. Microbiomes are the microorganisms in a particular environment, including the body or a part of the body. "We depend on a vast army of microbes to stay alive: a microbiome that protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins." Penny
stated that the world should be educated about microbes because they are the foundation of a human body; any disease or problem starts from microbes.
should get more opportunities to become successful. Kevin Surace, CEO of Appvance, talked about making the world an eco-friendly place. According to Surace, buildings use the most energies. Surace once saved a business $450,000 every year after changing the window panels in the buildings. Kevin stated that the awareness of global warming increased at a time but now it is decreasing. Surace founded a business that uses disruptive technologies to reduce energy usage in buildings. Kevin believes that using solar panels, using electric cars, and cutting energy use in buildings can help decrease global warming. Joseph Minafra is the Lead for Technical Systems of Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute in NASA. Joseph's speech was mainly about robotics. Minafra runs a robotic program targeted for college students. He believes that robotics is a good way to express creativeness without kids knowing that they are learning Math and English.
Silicon Valley has, they can really advance the world of technology. There was a Q&A session at the end of the Summit. These were some of the questions that were asked: 1) Q: If you had a disease and you were taking medicines to try and cure the disease, could the microbes shrug off the medicine causing the medicine to not cure the disease?
Vivek Wadhwa during FOG Summit
A: There are cases were the microbes have shrugged off the medicine. It is definitely possible for the microbes to act the opposite way. 2) Q: Is it really expensive to start your own robotic competition? A: No, it is actually very inexpensive to start a robotic competition. It will be even easier to start one if you had sponsors on board.
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FOG Summit September 9, 2016
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Different perspectives heard on Political Education
September 9, 2016
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estival of Globe (FOG) FOG Summit 2016 (www.fogsummit.com) Emerging Trends - Media, Enter tainment and Sustainability was recently held in San Jose featuring renowned global leaders such as Laura Turner, Vivek Wadhwa, Kevin Surface,
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for a very successful FOG Summit 2016 Political Education session. Festival of Globe leverages twenty three (23) years of legacy which has been celebrating the world culture while taking up one social issue at a time. In its twenty fourth year, FOG brought together some thought leaders from around the world in FOG Summit 2016 with the aim of starting
cal and policy leadership converging for the common good of the citizens, is imposing their positive intentions and good citizen values upon this fantastic region. We invited these California leaders to inspire each of us in giving back to our community and understanding the inside view of their world. The summit showcased what set these leaders to the path of suc-
involved. How can you expand your network, and create a powerful impact in areas that are near and dear to you. "There are leaders such as yourself waiting to be unleashed, that will make their mark over the next decade. Why not take that first step? Can public service be freeing and energizing, satisfying, rewarding and transformative at the same time. There
Mayor Sam Liccardo and Actor Gulshan Grover amongst others sharing their insights and perspectives on our current opportunities and challenges. FOG Summit 2016 Political Education
discussions on some of the most important social issues of our times. The theme for the summit was "Emerging Trends Media, Entertainment & Sustainability". FIA of Northern California has been the
cessful public service and the ability to make a difference. These elected leaders from our local cities, from our legislative and executive branch, energized leadership making change happen, to ensure a thriving and prosperous California. They provided answers to the usually asked questions, "What inspired them to public service? Is it really a thankless job? What keeps them going?" R i s h i Kumar, a Councilmember of Saratoga (2014-2018) was the moderator and chair of the session on Political Education Panel. In his kick-off remarks, he called upon the gathered audience to get involved. "The world of politics, a world of glamour and glitz? The elected leaders may call it dryly a "Thankless job". What is it really? Why do so many end up running for office when it is a thankless job? Find out how giving back to our local community can do for you. Find out how you can get started to get
are many who have made their mark in doing just that. This panel discussion will provide you insights and perspective, educate you, show the path of public service." The Political Education Panel, which Rishi Kumar was chairing/moderating, provided a chance to hear perspectives from both members of the public and political leaders. It provided an insider's view about
India Post News Service
Panel discussion was held with Mayors, Senators, Assemblymembers, vice Mayors and Councilmembers. The objective of the panel discussion was to encourage the gathered audience into engaging into the local community and the political process. The decades long activism and leadership of Romesh Japra, Chandru Bhambhra, Rajesh Verma and Yogi Chugh converged
trailblazer political organization empowering the Bay Area California community for decades. As part of FOG 2016, FIA brought this all new political track to showcase political leaders that represent the incredible tapestry of California, responsible for the success of the region, the economic prowess, leading the world as innovators making it a better world. This wizardry of politi-
Rishi Kumar, a Councilmember of Saratoga (2014-2018) was the moderator and chair of the session on Political Education Panel. In his kick-off remarks, he called upon the gathered audience to get involved the various political situations that a government can face. There was an engaging discussion about the present politics and governance models in different countries. The Attendees included Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose; Senator Bob Wiecokowski (SD10); Assemblymember Kansen Chu (AD25); Vice Mayor Larry Moody, East Palo Alto; Councilmember Jim Davis, Sunnyvale; Vice Mayor David Canepa Daly City; Vice Mayor Lily Mei, Fremont; Councilmember Ash Kalra, San Jose and Ro Khanna Deputy Assistant Commerce Secretary Dept of Commerce.
India Post News Service
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he Festival of Globe is proud of its showcase of international cinema and culture. The FOG Movie Fest underlined this accomplishment in a stellar manner. The FOG Movie Fest 2016 kicked off on Saturday, August 6 with Cos-play artists dressed up as various characters and a panel on Media and Entertainment chaired by Barbara Crouch Roth and John Callison. Bryan Gaynor was one of the artists who performed on stage. The film festival opened with the back-to-back screenings of two children's animation films - "Mermaids on Mars", a local Bay Area 30-minute animation film with some real characters in between, and "The 3 Burritos", a comedic adventure animation film lasting 15 minutes from Australia. "Mermaids on Mars" is directed by Jon Peters of Athena Studios, based in Emeryville, California, and Nancy Guettier is the mind behind the story of the film. She was there with her two children and we had a wonderful Q & A session with her. Nancy shared with us interesting tidbits about her creative life and how she encouraged her children to partici-
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better, he realizes what a soul mate is. Maya Vishwakarma interviewed Angel Nieves after the film's screening with the small audience chipping in with questions after the screening. The hard work that goes into the making of a film was apparent as Angel disclosed that it took a few years from inception to the final product of the film.
"A Tale with Christ and Jesus", a film from Cuba directed by Oldren Romero about a homosexual couple and the hypocrisy of society rounded up the opening day. Sunday, August 7, was chock-a-block full of a range of international films. Russian feature film, "Pechorin", based on the literary work of Mikhail Lermontov and directed by Roman Krushch, opened the day along with the Nepalese
Meanwhile, in another theater, two short films, "Home", and "Pursuing Dreams: Stories of Refugee and Immigrant Youth in California" were shown. "Home" tells the story of a time-traveling young girl, Abby, who is in search of a place to call home, somewhere where she feels loved and cherished. This short film from Canada is directed by Joshua Costea, who was only 14 years old when this project was entered into the festival. "Pursuing Dreams: Stories of Refugee and Immigrant
feature film, "Namaste Nepal". August 7 was the day of FOG Nepal with three other feature films following - "Adhkatti", a comedy, "Classic", a heart wrenching love story between two blind people and "Ke Ma Timro Hoina Ra", a romantic action tale with all the ups and downs of a potboiler. Actor Aaryan Adhikari from "Ke Ma Timro Hoina Ra" was present as was Nisha Adhikari, the actress who has scaled Mt. Everest. It was also a great day for documentaries with "Swaraj Mumkin Hai", a documentary from India on a self-sufficient village, Baghuwar, in Madhya Pradesh, India, kicking off the string of great films from this genre. Pankaj Shukla is the director of this film. Creative producer, Maya Vishwakarma represented the film for the Q & A session. Some dignitaries such as Mr. Subbarao from India who provided the initial information about the village to Maya, graced the screening. It was a unique event with Mr. Subbarao giving a searing speech about India's struggle for independence and current challenges in society and then leading the audience in the rendition of a patriotic Indian song. "Empty Promises", a short poetic film by Nandini Kanhere about the drought situation in Indian villages, added to the socially relevant repertoire of the day. Nandini and her producer, Madhav Karhade answered questions from the audience. The academic and highly interesting documentary on the relationship between ancient Indic and Eastern European civilizations, "Eastern Shores of the Western World", directed by Aditya Patwardhan capped off the slot. Aditya and his team mate, Anup Kulkarni represented their film and took questions from the audience and interviewer, Lakshmi Iyer, during a very engaging Q & A session.
pate in her story creation process. It was also enlightening to hear about the innovative ways to cut costs. When the interviewer asked Nancy about the interspersion of real characters with the animated ones, she replied that it helped cut costs as did masking the faces of one of the animated characters with a thick mustache and another Martian with a mask, to minimize simulating facial movements and coordination with dialogue. We played an encore of these two films. The director of "The 3 Burritos", Attila Peter Miklosy was unable to attend but was thrilled that his film was going to be played in the opening slot. The heartwarming feature, "Dreams of You and Me", directed by Angel Nieves, was next in the afternoon. This film tells the engaging story of a young man who meets a woman at a Laundromat. The woman is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who happens to be homeless on
the streets of New York City. The young man has a beautiful model for a girlfriend, whom he thinks is the perfect one, his dream girl. However, his heart is drawn to the homeless woman as he has many fateful run-ins with her in the neighborhood and even sees her in his dreams. As he gets to know her
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Movie Fest showcased world cinema & culture
Youth in California", directed by Kate Lord, is a short documentary that follows the lives of three refugee immigrant youth who have emigrated to the United States from Nepal, Myanmar and Somalia and their struggles and journey. The evening warmed up with the glamour on the Red Carpet turning up several notches with the cast and crew of "Arranged To Love", a local Bay Area short film. Directors Ranu Sinha and Leilani Amour Arenzana, were present. Two other short films were screened - "The Land of Exodus"/"La Tierra del Exodo", an intense short film in Spanish and English that tells the story of a group of Mexican kids attempting to cross the border into the United States with the help of a 'coyote' (smuggler) and one of the kids actually rescuing a kidnapped American teenager and bringing him along with him. Director Skinner Myers attended the screening.
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the festival were "Cesium and a Tokyo Girl", a Japanese film directed by Ryo Saitaini, about the time-traveling adventures of a young girl, dealing with events all the way from the Fukushima disaster to World War II and "Kidnap Capital", directed by Felipe Rodriguez, a gripping Canadian film based on true events about Central American illegal aliens who are abducted and held hostage in a suburban house in Phoenix,
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Aditya also had another short film of his scheduled for the next day among the international shorts - "Red House by the Crossroads", the story of a Polish doctor treating the victim of his Nazi father who had murdered her husband. The most interesting and truly inspiring fact is that Aditya was born and raised in India but makes films that transcend his roots, and this aligns very well with the
mission of FOG to bring communities together. "What's Going On with Wolves" followed with Michelle Parekh interviewing director Eric Simon on his eye-opening work about the declining population of wolves in the wild in the US. "Silo, a Spiritual Path", a unique documentary about the humanistic, spiritual and social leader, Silo, from Chile followed. The screening was well attended and Michelle hosted a wonderful Q & A session with the producer, Ken Dickinson, who attended with his wife and enthusiastically watched some other films, too. "Finding Mabel", a documentary about a woman's search for her namesake and what happened to her during the military repression of the late 1970s and early 80s in Argentina, was another great film that lit up the evening. Director Eileen Mabel who is the protagonist of the film, graced the red carpet and screening with her entourage of enthusiastic family and friends. The feature film, "Moments from a Sidewalk", directed by Silvia Kovatchev, about a homeless girl with a talent for music, was another gem of the late evening session. Lakshmi Iyer interviewed Silvia Kovatchev who was present with her family and friends. The director, who is Bulgarian by birth, shared her thoughts on homelessness, the
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Movie Fest showcased world cinema & culture
role of music in the film and the lead actress's versatility and contribution to the original music score. The short films that were screened on Sunday included "The Red String", a film by Greg Mitchell about a man's wait for a woman he met at a railway station forty years ago. The director talked about his inspiration for the film and some of his techniques during the shooting to emulate the look of the 1970s. "Hanna", a film by Hai-Tao Wu, about a young eighteen year old ballet dancer's longing for the affection of her father who has left her and her mother and "The Last Request", a poetic film about a woman on death row directed by Emanuele Secci, completed the list of shorts for the day. Some other great feature films that were showcased in Arizona and "Tie The Knot", a crossover IndianAmerican romantic comedy, directed by Shuja Paul. Although Felipe Rodriguez could not attend the festival, two of his investors, Maria Blua and Beatriz were present to answer a few questions after the screening. "Tie the Knot" was well represented with Shuja Paul, the film's director, producer Sanjiv and supporting actress and beauty queen, Ohmnie. Some of the other shorts and documentaries included: "If There is a Reason to Study", a Taiwanese film directed by the young Adler Yang about a holistic education school in Taiwan and how the children adapt to the cut throat competitive academic life outside after they graduate from the school "The Last Tear", a deeply disturbing yet though provoking and moving documentary about the survivors of sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese during World War II, directed by Christopher H. K. Lee Cont’d on page XV
Dr Japra and Laura Turner
Randeep Hooda, Grand Marshal
Raima Sen, Co-Grand Marshal
Prosenjit chatterjee and Dr Japra
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India Day Parade and Mela
September 9, 2016
Dr Japra and Anjum Chopra
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Mela booth
Crowd during parade Maharashtra float
Grand Marshal and Co-Grand Marshal on stage
Mela
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India Day Parade and Mela
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India Day Parade and Mela
September 9, 2016
From L-R: Rajesh Verma, Jyotsna Bendapudi, Rahul Mittra, Raju Chadha and Randeep Hooda
Dr Japra, Naveen Chandra, Ajay Kulkarni from Times group
Visitors Coverage booth
Booth in mela Western Union booth
Comcast booth
Play area in mela
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India Post News Service
SAN JOSE, CA: FOG Silicon Valley's Women Empowerment event was held on Friday, August 12 at the Camera 12 Cinemas in San Jose. In the wake of Stanford Uni-
by Patricia McCormick. Globally the brutality of child trafficking affects millions of children around the globe every year. The average age of a trafficked girl is thirteen, the same as Lakshmi in the movie. "Sold" is a call to action for our global community.
make significant contributions to our community in human trafficking and violence against women and youth included Honorable Teresa Cox, Ohlone Community College, Trustee, Shipra Bhutani, Woman Entrepreneur, Dr. Yasi Safinya-Davies, Execu-
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Call to empower youth against sex crimes
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Actress in "Sold", Pamita Seth, Marketing Media, Chhitra Subramaniam, Producer/Director, Wiz Films, and Event Moderator Jessica Hubley, CoFounder & CEO, Annie Cannons, Inc. Anima Desai, Event Chair, Honorable
FOG Youth Empowerment panel
versity swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman and human trafficking on the rise, FOG Silicon Valley's Women Empowerment wanted to make sure that we continue to educate and empower our youth and lead the fight against sex crimes against women. This event had the world premiere movie screening of "Sold" and followed by panel discussion and question and answer session. "Sold" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit of a young girl named Lakshmi who was sold into human trafficking and kept in brothel prison where she must struggle daily to survive against impossible odds. An American photographer heard her desperate cries for help and enlisted the help of a local NGO to spearhead a dangerous mission to rescue her. Finally, Lakshmi risked everything for freedom. "Sold" movie was produced by Academy Award-Winning Director Jeffrey Brown. "Sold" is a narrative, feature film adaptation of the globally acclaimed novel
FOG Founder Dr. Romesh Japra welcomed and addressed the audience and called for action on empowering youth and women in our community and especially leading the fight against human trafficking and bringing movies to educate our global community. The global panel leaders who greatly
tive Director, Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments (SAVE), Sharan Dhanoa, Coordinator at South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, Christopher H.K. Lee, Producer/Director of the documentary, "The Last Tear", Laura Hackney, Executive Director, Shashirekha Alur, Art of Living Foundation Teacher, Seirah Royin, Featured
This event had the world premiere movie screening of "Sold" and followed by panel discussion and question and answer session. "Sold" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit of a young girl named Lakshmi who was sold into human trafficking and kept in brothel prison where she must struggle daily to survive against impossible odds
Teresa Cox, Co-Chair and Seema Sahni, CoChair, Olga Chervyakova, Shakun Nagdev, Sarla Kinsara, Sonia Siddhu, Manali Brahmbhatt, Sandhya Desai, Hansa Shah, and Anju Patel were members of the FOG Silicon's Valley Women Empowerment Committee. In summary, the audience was briefed on educational opportunities, women entrepreneurship, understanding the victim's perspective and on ways to help and support them as they transition into a better life. Discussion included knowing the signs of human trafficking and reporting it. Human trafficking is modern day slavery. A person is not free to leave a situation where they are being exploited for their labor or sexually for commercial gain. Stop human trafficking in our cities. Learn more at: www.NoTraffickAhead.org. Report in an emergency call 911. The National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888. The National Hotline is a non-governmental and confidential phone line.
India Post News Service
FOG Silicon Valley's Community Unity in Diversity was held on Sunday, August 7 at the Camera 12 Cinemas in San Jose. In the wake of the shootings in Orlando, Dallas, Baton Rouge, Paris, Munich, our global community is faced with great challenges that we have never faced before. Everyone's lives matter in our community. California exemplary community leaders
who have contributed greatly to our society are the following: Honorable Teresa D. Cox, Event Chair and Moderator & Ohlone Community College Trustee and Trade Advisor to the Obama Administration; Chandra Lopez-Brooks, Northern California Staff Director for SEIU-United Service Workers West & Vice Chair of Santa Clara County's Commission on the Status of Women and Girls; Frank Carabajal, Founder and President of EsTiempo;
Assemblymember Kansen Chu, District 25; Mujeeb Ijaz, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; Doug Hollie, President, Northern California NFL Players Association; James Gonzales, San Jose Police Officer and Board of Directors of Police Officers Association; Dr. Romesh Japra, FOG Founder & Convener; Reverend Jethro Moore, Silicon Valley Chapter, NAACP; Father Jon Pedigo, Santa Clara County Interfaith Council; Parmeet
FOG Unity in diversity panel
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Bringing community together in peace & harmony
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Randhawa, Founder, Mr. & Mrs. Punjabi USA Pageant, and Tawney Warren, Ohlone College Student Trustee (Fmr.). Each community leader shared his invaluable insight and experience on how our community can help stop the violence and racism against our brothers and sisters. Angela Tirado, Singer, Voice of San Jose, concluded with Michael Jackson's song, "Man in the Mirror" on how we can make that change by starting with ourselves. Dr. Romesh Japra gave a warm welcome and presented awards to each speaker assisted by David and Jacqueline Cox and congratulatory salute with F.O.G. Executive Steering Committee including Upendra and Seema Giri and Rajesh Verma. Music Recording Artist Kam was in attendance to support this Community Unity in Diversity and empower our community. Audience members came from Los Angeles and around San Francisco Bay Area to hear from these exemplary community leaders, their own stories, the challenges that they faced in their endeavors and the lessons they learned through their determination and perseverance. Striving to always do the right thing in the best interest of our community. In keeping with FOG's tradition of promoting and working with our global diverse community, we thank these community leaders for their courage, leadership, and dedication to discuss how we can bring our community together in unity, diversity, peace, and harmony.
Healthcare Summit discussed opportunities & future India Post News Service
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he world of healthcare is rapidly progressing. On August 8th, 2016, six speakers in the industry of healthcare spoke at Plug and Play, Sunnyvale. They talked about opportunities for startups in the healthcare industry and the future of healthcare. All six speakers addressed their own opinions about the world of healthcare. Steven Chan works at the intersection of healthcare, behavior, medicine, business, and technology. Chan said that mental disorders are major causes of disabilities. 1:5 people will suffer a mental disorder in their lives. Steven Chan believes that we can help these people using new emerging technologies. These technologies could be apps, telehealth, etc. Steven Chan firmly believes people diagnosed with a mental disorder can really be helped if more money can be invested in mental health. Aarti Arianna Rama is the founder of Heart Glo, an integrated wellness company which helps people re-conceptualize health and embrace wellness through an integrative, neuro-scientific, and mind-body approach. Arianna's
speech was about unlocking parts of our brain that have never been unlocked before. We can unlock these parts by using new neuronal networks and activation of secondary structural functionality regions. Arianna believes if we have the proper nutrition, sleep, activity, stress management, meditation, breathing, and minimizing excesses, our brain will advance majorly. Sanjay Malhotra is an Associate Profes-
our DNA. He compared our DNA to the binary code. 99% of communication on computers is done by binary code. Malhotra also addressed because of stem cells, we might have the possibility to make new cells and organs. Sanjay Malhotra believes that if we can crack the code of DNA, we will be able to diagnose and prevent a disease much more easily. Anne DeGheest founded HealthTech
sor of Radiation Oncology (Radiation and Cancer Biology) at Stanford University. Sanjay talked about decoding the code in
Capital, a group of private investors dedicated to funding and mentoring new HealthTech start ups to decrease
healthcare cost and empower patients. Anne talked about decreasing healthcare costs by using data, analyzing it, and taking action. Anne also said that people don't want to be defined by their disease and they want to deal with the disease less and engage more with their lives. Anne's main goal is to invest and mentor early stage start-ups in healthcare. Two speakers, Lucas Clarke and Prasad Modali, gave their presentation together. Lucas and Prasad talked about drones. Drones in healthcare are used to deliver medicines, collect samples etc. Drones deliver medicine faster than a person can. But there are problems with drones. Drones can easily be interfered with; for example, the GPS system can be tampered with. Both Clarke and Modali are working to make drones easier to work with. Lucas and Prasad believe that making drones easier to work with will help the industry of healthcare majorly. The main question from this Summit is "How can we connect biology with technology?" All six speakers gave informative speeches and made the audience realize the advances made in the field of healthcare.
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FOG in Fashion September 9, 2016
FOG King and Queen awarded during FOG Fashion fest
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FOG in Fashion September 9, 2016
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"Jose Canseco: The Truth Hurts", directed by Bill McAdams, Jr., a documentary based on the true story of Jose Canseco, a baseball player who disclosed the use of steroids in American baseball "God on the Edge", a wonderful documentary from India about the perils of human encroachment on elephant habitats and how a single elephant trainer (mahout) can make a tremendous difference with his care and concern for the animal "For Anna", a sweet, sentimental and deeply moving Italian short film by Andrea Zuliani about the innocent love of a boy for a girl who is visiting his village "Alice's Mirror", a bilingual French/Mandarin short film
directed by Benoit Lelievre that tells the story of a young woman who was adopted by French parents from China and goes looking for her biological mother "The Sin of Those Who Love Us', a Portuguese short film directed by Vasco de Oliveira that deals with the occult, possession and the strained relationships in a family "Fatum", a Polish mystery thriller short directed by Radoslaw Pietruczuk that is set on a young man's train journey "Fade", a short film by Ruoyu Guo that deals with the onset of Alzheimer's in a man and his relationship with his son "Sparks", a very short film by Areej Mahmoud from Lebanon that tells the interesting tale of a hookah delivery guy on a motorbike who catcalls young women "The Impact of Being Human", a philosophical documentary short directed by Alan Chriest who was there on the red carpet with his producer for photo-ops and questions "The Caterpillar Trail", a mystery short by Matthew Oquendo on a man's reaction in the aftermath of his girlfriend's murder "Woman in a Blue Gown", a sweet short love story directed by Miguel Almendarez that develops during a painting session between a painter and his subject Feature films from India that lit up the screens included "Bollywood Diaries", a film directed by K.D. Satyam Karri, that tells the story of three aspiring actors from different backgrounds and age brackets, struggling and hoping to make it in Bollywood. The stars of the film, Raima Sen and debut actor Salim Diwan, were present for the Q & A session that followed the film screening. Raima Sen plays a prostitute in Kolkata who hopes to make it big as a Bollywood actress some day and goes to great lengths to achieve her dream, even soliciting only customers from Mumbai who can possibly help her in her dream. Salim Diwan plays a young call center worker in Delhi who auditions for a reality talent hunt show and gives his all to catch the judges' attention. Lakshmi Iyer and Maya Vishwakarma interviewed the actors about their different backgrounds and approach to the craft of acting. "Peeda", directed by Hemant Verma, is a unique, simple and powerful film that deals with the sense of abandon-
ment and pain experienced by parents whose children have emigrated from India. Then, there was "Jugni", directed by Shefali Bhushan, a film that tells the story of a young woman who is a music director in Mumbai and who goes to Punjab in search of a singer and some inspiration but finds love instead, "Aligarh", directed by Hansal Mehta and based on the true story of a professor in Aligarh, India, who was persecuted for homosexuality, "Mantostaan", the harrowing stories of Saadat Hassan Manto based on the India-Pakistan partition of 1947 brought to life in an ensemble film by Rahat Kazmi and "Badman", India's first 'mockumentary' film directed by Soumik Sen and featuring one of Indian cinema's best known villains, Gulshan Grover, in a neverbefore-seen comedic role.
Gulshan Grover brought great cheer to his fans in the Bay Area with his presence at the screening. Dr. Romesh Japra himself came up to the panel as a lively conversation followed with the veteran actor who shared his experiences while expanding his repertoire in the international arena. Another film that is truly unique was "Hum Bhi Agar Bachche Hote" directed by Monish Kaushal. The story is that of a married man falling for his secretary and having to choose between her and his wife. The plot may sound commonplace but the surprise is that children play the characters; hence the name, "Hum Bhi Agar Bachche Hote" (Wish We Were Kids). Producer Rakesh Sabharwal was present at the screening. This time, there were also short films from India. Director Devashish Makhija's short films - "Elayichi", "Agli Baar" and "Absent" were part of a showcase. "Elayichi" tells the story of a woman's relationship to the vision of her dead husband; "Agli Baar" deals with the threats re-
ceived by slum dwellers and their supporters who oppose the demolition of their homes and "Absent" talks about a man's love for his daughter and desire to spend time with her before it is too late. The Bengali short, "The Woman…and the Man", directed by Sarmishtha Maiti and Rajdeep Paul, and produced by Shivanggi Choudharry, tells the story of a milk delivery man feeling a strong attraction to one of his customers. Another featured short was the 5 minute "I fought I
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survived" by Aartii Naagpal. The FOG Fiji showcase took place on Thursday, August 11 with five films from the Fiji/Australia/New Zealand region: The features "Twisted Families" and "Feeling Lucky" from New Zealand, produced by Dr. Rachel Singh and directed by Devesh Pratap Singh under the banner of Dreamz Media The short films, "Tall Poppy…Envy of Success" and "Fast Lane" from Australia, directed by Dr. Satish Rai The feature film, "Ghar Pardes" from Australia, directed by Vimal Reddy All these films are based on the Fiji Indian Diaspora in Australia and New Zealand. Dreamz Media had quite a few representatives for its films - the Head of Marketing, Kal Kular and her husband, Steven Singh, and actors, Rishi Kumar Deepak, Jagdish Punja and Anand Raj Naidu of "Feeling Lucky". Dr. Satish Rai and producer, Joe Thomas attended as did the actors from "Ghar Pardes", Vijay Kumaran and Adwin Awadh. Satish Rai, Vijay and Adwin also attended last year's FOG film festival. The Movie Fest concluded on Friday, August 12 with the screening of "SOLD", a film based on the tragedy of human trafficking in Nepal and India. Representatives Ashit Ghevaria and Surbhi Paul from the Art of Living Foundation were instrumental in bringing the film to FOG. It was followed by a panel discussion on "Empowering Youth Against Sex Crimes", the theme of FOG 2016. Anima Desai was the chair of the panel. Actress Seirah Royin from the film attended and participated in the enlightening panel. FOG Bengal was one of the major showcases this year. The independent Bengali film, "D Major" tells the story of a young college-going girl with a passion for learning to play the guitar but gets sucked into the world of drugs. Directed by the young, talented Samik Roy Choudhury and produced by Shivanggi Choudharry under the banner of Aadiv Kreations, this film features fresh, young actors. Shivanggi attended the Festival of Globe for the first time. On Saturday, August 13, Camera 12 Cinemas looked like one of the cinema halls in Kolkata, India. The Bengali Diaspora turned up in all their traditional finery to watch "Dark Chocolate" and "Hemanta" and have photo-ops with two of West Bengal's biggest stars, Prosenjit and Raima Sen. "Dark Chocolate", directed by Agnidev Chatterjee, is based on the true story of a high profile mother from the Indian media world accused of murdering her own daughter. "Hemanta", directed by Anjan Dutt, is a modern rendition of Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Producer Shyam Sunder Dey was present. With traditional Bengali food that included the sweet delicacy, "rosgolla", the afternoon was a treat for moviegoers. None of this would have been possible without the hard work of all the coordinators and their team members: Kaushal Rana, Suraj Jung Shah, Rajen Giri and others from the FOG Nepal team, Judhajit Sen Mazumdar and his team for FOG Bengal - Debolina Sinha, Sourav Datta, Anirban Kundu and Debashish Maya Vishwakarma, Seema Murthy and Lakshmi Iyer for the overall Movie Fest. Mahi Hiremath and his team of dedicated volunteers kept the event running as did the amazing staff of Camera 12 Cinemas.
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FOG: A grand show September 9, 2016
Dr Japra, Chairman and founder, FOG and Gulshan Grover
NFL Players, Rajesh Verma and Raima Sen
Raju Chadha, CEO Wave group and Laura Turner
Performers from FOG dance competition
Randeep Hooda, Raju Chadha and Gulshan Grover
Performers from FOG dance competition
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Tech News Nabard gives Rs 205 cr loan to Haryana CHANDIGARH: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 204.67 crore under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for rural infrastructure in Haryana. Stating this here, a spokesman said out of the total loan sanctioned, Rs 147.18 crore have been sanctioned to the State Government under the 22nd Tranche of RIDF for 2016-17 for construction of three rural bridges, construction and upgradation of 26 rural roads in 10 districts namely Ambala, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Karnal, Mahendergarh, Panchkula, Rewari and Yamunanagar, and Rs 57.49 crore for a 10 MW Photo Voltaic Solar Power Plant at Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS), Panipat. He said that the aggregate length of the proposed three rural bridges is 329.20 meter and that of proposed 26 rural roads in 10 districts is 184.78 km. The project aims at improving the facilities in the field of agriculture and rural development, improve the quality of life in villages through provision of better transportation system and round-theyear better connectivity to villages with nearby hospitals, educational institutes, godowns and marketing centers, he said. Cont’d on page 39
KVIC to supply post boxes to Uttarakhand NEW DELHI: Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has bagged an order from the Department Post for supply of post boxes to Uttarakhand. "Department of post, Uttarakhand c i r c l e Dehradun has placed an order for the supply of letter boxes," KVIC said in a statement. This is for the first time that the commission has got such order, it said. "359 post boxes costing Rs 1,667 per piece will be supplied by the KVIC in a month's time," KVIC Chairman V K Saxena said. Along with this, he said, the department has placed an order for the supply of 225 cash chests. The order will generate 30,280 extra man hours of employment, resulting in extra earnings to Khadi artisans in rural areas, he added.-PTI
TechBiz 37 India Post
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September 9, 2016
Export norms eased for red sanders wood NEW DELHI: The government has relaxed norms for exports of red sanders wood in log form through Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. "Prohibition on export of red sanders wood in log form has been relaxed for export of 383.13 tonne through state governments of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification. It has also recently revised the total quantity of red sanders wood exports by the Andhra Pradesh Government. The wood is an endangered species of flora protected under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. It is illegal to possess and sell the same. Red sander is found mainly in the Seshachalam hill ranges spread across Kadapa, Chittoor and Kurnool in the Rayalaseema region and parts of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. -PTI
Caparo to jointly build $340-mn commercial complex in US LONDON: Expanding its presence in the US, NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul-led Caparo Group plans to build an integrated commercial complex - comprising a hotel, offices, retail outlets and a food court - under a USD 340 million redevelopment project in St Louis. Bull Moose, a US-based maker of metal tubes and part of the Lord Paul-led British business conglomerate, will have a significant ownership stake in the project. The redevelopment of what formerly used to be a foundry of automotive component major Federal Mogul is being done by Lawrence Group. City Foundry project, in the centre of the city, would also house new headquarters for Bull Moose, which already jointly owns Missouri Theatre building with Lawrence Group. The environment cleanup work on the 14-acre project, cost for which has been pegged at USD 340 million (Rs 2,260 crore), has been just launched by Lawrence Group, whose chief Steve Smith praised Paul for investing in the project. "This new investment by Lord Paul represents our continued confidence in St Louis as well as our belief in the exciting vision laid out by Steve Smith for the City Foundry development," Bull Moose CEO Michael Blatz said. The project is expected to gen-
erate nearly 900 jobs and also trigger more development in nearby areas. It would have 48,000 square feet of restaurant and food court space, including food stalls and full-service restaurants. There would be 124,000 square feet of office space and retail outlets across 133,000
Battling the meltdown in UK steel sector, Caparo has been expanding into new ventures in the US and also plans to expand its India presence with a new automotive components plant. Paul, chairman of the one-billion euro industrial conglomerate focused largely on steel products,
Lord Swraj Paul
square feet of area. It will have parking space for over 500 cars and would also be connected to the Great Rivers Greenway trails system. The project is said to be already generating interest from potential tenants of office spaces and food court and has already received letter of intent from some prospective users.
recently took over a leading trailer manufacturer in the US. The acquisition of XL Specialized Trailers marked the group's entry into a new business arena. Paul, who founded Caparo in 1968, dedicated the new plant in the US to his late son Angad, who had planned the takeover. According to Paul, the group is looking to consolidate and di-
versify in the US, where it has tube making plants at seven locations, besides one steel fabrication plant and one steel warehousing and stockholding facility. . Bull Moose is a leading manufacturer of tube steel and the purchase would help it expand into other industrial manufacturing markets. It recently created a new business unit, named Bull Moose Mobility. The other existing units are Bull Moose Tube and Bull Moose Engineering. Caparo Group, which already has 30 plants in India, is also planning to set up one more automotive components plant in the southern part of the country, according to Paul. Caparo India, through its multiple strategic business entities offers end-to-end solutions in the design, development and manufacturing of automotive systems, assemblies, advanced composites, modules and components for automakers and engineering majors. The major clients of the group's Indian unit include big names like Maruti Suzuki, GM, Ford, Honda, Tata Motors, Renault-Nissan, Piaggio TAFE and JCB. With business interests spanning across manufacturing of steel, automotive and general engineering products, Caparo has grown into a global entity and has over 40 companies operating from over 60 sites worldwide.-PTI
Railways set to roll out 2 major reforms NEW DELHI: The Railways Ministry is set to roll out two major initiatives - setting up of a regulatory authority for fixing fares and creating an infrastructure development fund - that will have farreaching effect on the national transporter, officials said. The latest initiatives of the railways, which has already undertaken a series of changes in its policy and structure, come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying emphasis on reforms.
While the formation of a railway regulatory authority is likely to be announced through an executive order soon, the World
Bank has agreed to anchor the Railway Infrastructure Development Fund with a corpus of USD 5 billion over a period of seven years,
a senior Railway Ministry official said. The fund will be co-anchored by pension and sovereign wealth funds. The official said these two initiatives are part of major reforms being undertaken by the railways that will transform the national transporter in a big way. In a recent interview to a TV news channel, Modi had said "reform to transform" is his government's mantra. Cont’d on page 39
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Rajan pitches for RBI's independence NEW DELHI: In his last public speech before demitting office, Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan made a vigorous case for a strong and independent central bank that can say 'no' to highest echelons of the government to ensure macroeconomic stability. The outspoken RBI Governor, who has completed his three-year term and is returning to academia, also pitched for elevating the ranking of central bank chief saying it is "dangerous to have a de facto powerful position with low de jure status." "The central bank should be independent and should be able to say 'no' to seemingly attractive proposals," he said delivering a lecture on 'Independence of the central bank' at the St. Stephens College here. But in the same breath he went on to say that the central bank cannot be free of all constraints as it has to work under a framework set by the government. Recalling his predecessor D Subbarao's comments on policy differences with the government, Rajan said he "would go a little further" as he believes that "the Reserve Bank cannot just exist, its ability to say 'no' has to be protected." He said the ranking of the RBI governor, currently at par with Cabinet Secretary, needed to be commensurate with the role. "There is a reason why central
bank governors sit at the table along with the finance ministers in G-20 meetings," he said. Rajan, who had steered the biggest overhaul yet by the RBI including a switch to inflation-targeting under a monetary policy committee, said the freedom to take operational decisions is important for the central bank. "However, there are always government entities that are seeking oversight over various aspects of RBI's activities. Multiple layers of scrutiny, especially by entities that do not have the technical understanding, will only hamper decision making," he said. Rajan, who has been vocal on issues like religious tolerance, said a central bank governor has to warn about the dangers of certain courses of action or certain tendencies in the economy for growth and macroeconomic stability. "RBI Governor is also a role model for the youth in this country and should therefore not duck the responsibility to urge them to follow the highest standards of citizenship when he or she is invited to speak directly to them," he said. On his tenure, he said under him the central bank had undertaken important reforms with regard to payments and banking system, conduct of monetary policy, liquidity management, financial markets, resolution of distress, besides bringing changes within the RBI
itself. "Only time will tell whether they will have lasting impact, but I tried to do the best job I could, without fear or favor," he said adding, this was his last public speech as the RBI Governor. "In a poor country like India where so many people live at the margin, the role of the central bank was to ensure that growth did not exceed the country's potential, adopting prudential policies that reduce the risk, and building sufficient buffers that the country was protected against shocks," Rajan
mittees. Vacancies in the RBI Board, which have remained unfilled for many months now, should be filled quickly so that the full expertise and oversight of the Board can be utilized," he said. "It is the central bank governor, unlike other regulators or government secretaries, who has command over significant policy levers and has to occasionally disagree with the most powerful people in the country," Rajan added. The RBI governor's rank in the government hierarchy is not de-
Raghuram Rajan
said. He said unlike a developed country, where the central bank chief can offer periodic Delphic pronouncements about the course of monetary policy and occasionally remonstrate with Parliament or the government about the course of fiscal policy, in India the RBI Governor has to continuously make the case for the actions the central bank is taking, including the many structural reforms that are underway. "In this environment, where the central bank has to occasionally stand firm against the highest echelons of central and state governments, recall the words of my predecessor, Dr. Subbarao, when he said "I do hope the Finance Minister will one day say, 'I am often frustrated by the Reserve Bank, so frustrated that I want to go for a walk, even if I have to walk alone'. But thank God, the Reserve Bank exists," the outgoing RBI governor said. On various entities seeking oversight over the central bank's activities, he said the governmentappointed RBI Board, which includes ex-officio government officials as well as government appointees, should continue to play its key oversight role. "In this regard, all important RBI decisions including budgets, licenses, regulation and supervision are now either approved by the Board or one of its sub-com-
fined but it is generally agreed that decisions will only be explained only to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. There is an informal understanding in India that the RBI governor has the room to make needed decisions. "In the interests of macroeconomic stability, none of this should be changed, though if these issues are ever revisited, there may be some virtue in explicitly setting the governor's rank commensurate with the position as the most important technocrat in charge of economic policy in the country," he said. Rajan said macroeconomic stability is of paramount importance for India and also, the central bank must have the resources, knowledge and professionalism to act when the situation warrants. India, he said, needs a strong and independent RBI to ensure macroeconomic stability. The outgoing governor said when the responsibilities of the RBI are fuzzy, its actions can continuously be questioned. "Instead, if the constitutional authorities outline a framework for the responsibilities of the RBI, it can take actions consistent with those responsibilities and be held to outcomes," he said. He cited the example of recently outlined inflation target. "The inflation objectives recently set for the RBI by the gov-
ernment are an example of what is needed. Critics can lambaste the RBI if it fails continuously to meet the objectives, but if they want it to lower interest rates even when the RBI barely meets its objectives, they should instead petition the government to change the objectives," he said. The RBI chief added that RBI's role, however, in macroeconomic stability is still "fuzzy." "While RBI clearly has responsibility for the safety and soundness of credit institutions and the stability of the external account, there are some areas that are hazier. "For example, with an inflation focused framework, the RBI's ability to be accommodative depends on fiscal prudence from the centre and states. How much should the RBI warn on fiscal profligacy, including the building up of contingent liabilities, and when should such warning be seen as interfering in the legitimate decisions of the elected representatives of the people? This is an area where clarity would be useful," he said.-PTI
Chouhan signs Rs 2,400 cr deals in US BHOPAL: US-based companies are expected to invest more than Rs 2,400 crore in Madhya Pradesh, especially in the infotech sector thus generating a large number of jobs, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said. "Of the Rs 2,400 crore, Rs 1,000 crore is expected to be invested in the IT sector by US companies, according to the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed with them. This (IT investment) is going to provide employment to more than 10,000 people," he said. Chouhan was talking to reporters here on his return from a fiveday visit to US. "My US visit was more productive than I had expected. The IT sector will generate a large number of jobs with modest investment," he said. Chouhan said the delegation accompanying him held talks with representatives of 25 companies who expressed willingness to invest in MP and other states in the country. The Chief Minister said the UK, Japan, Singapore and UAE are going to be official partners at MP's Global Investors Summit (GIS) to be held in late October at Indore. Chouhan said Madhya Pradesh was fast emerging as a preferred destination for investors. Foreign companies now consider the state a viable and profitable destination to set up ventures, he said. -PTI
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Bindra plans Sports Science business NEW DELHI: Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra was, for a change, not his laconic self as he fired a parting shot in which revealed his plan to earn a living out of business that deals with "fitness, medical and high performance side of sports". Bindra, India's lone individual Olympic gold medalist, has officially announced his retirement from shooting, saying, "It is time to move on and hand over the baton to the younger generation". Bindra had earlier announced that Rio Olympics would be his last competitive event. After ruling the shooting range for more than a decade, Bindra, who will soon turn 34, has set his sights on his new business venture. "I am trying to earn a living. I am involved in business, trying to earn a living, put food on the plate. Well I am interested in sport but sport you know is not going to give me much money. I am involved in certain things, which is to do with fitness, doing something on the medical side, and I am also trying to do something on high performance side of sports," Bindra told reporters during an interaction on the sidelines of his fare-
well function. "The role of sports science, sport medicine is incredibly important in modern day sport. We can't do without it. I don't think the whole concept is actually strong enough in our country," the 10metre air rifle ace added.
and join sport. That requires investment, that requires expertise, it also requires a lot of patience, and it also requires will," Bindra said. He added:"Because when you start to invest in grassroots it's not something you are going to get
Abhinav Bindra
At the end of his illustrious career, Bindra was asked about his vision for Indian sports. "I would like Indian sport to grow and I think that can be possible only if we are able to invest in grassroots and set up programs and systems for people to come in
payback or returns immediately. You might get a return in 10 to 20 years, so you need to have that ability to persist. I thing that is the only way we could develop as a country and we could at one point of time win double digit Olympic medals."-PTI
Railways set to roll out 2 major reforms Cont’d from page 37
The proposed regulatory authority will play a crucial role in deciding rail tariff while the Railway Infrastructure Development Fund will be used in remunerative projects which have scope of good returns in shorter period. There will be no separate Rail Budget in 2017 ending the age old practice as Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has written to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seeking the merger of it with General Budget, a step considered to be a major reform. Prabhu has already taken steps for decentralization in the decision-making process empowering General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers. He has also made it mandatory making all procurement through online tendering process. The official said, "Railways is now exploring non-Budget funding options to implement projects,
including high-speed trains, rolling stock, station development, and signaling and infrastructure development which was not before." Railways has already formu-
The Japan International Cooperation Agency had agreed to provide loan at 0.1 per cent interest for a 50-year tenure and a 15-year moratorium for the Rs 1 lakh crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. lated a medium-term capital investment plan of Rs 8.56 lakh crore for the next five years. He said there will be no fund constraint for implementing rail
projects as adequate measures are being undertaken to garner investment in the national transporter. Life Insurance Corporation has provided the railways a Rs 1.50 lakh crore loan for 30 years, of which Rs 10,000 crore has been used so far. Besides, the Japan International Cooperation Agency had agreed to provide loan at 0.1 per cent interest for a 50-year tenure and a 15-year moratorium for the Rs 1 lakh crore MumbaiAhmedabad bullet train. The implementation period for the 508km project is slated till 2023. This is in addition to the budgetary allocation of Rs 1.21 lakh crore for the railways in the current fiscal. Railways expect broad gauge lines commissioning to increase to 19 km per day from the present level of 10 km per day and it would further rise to 25 km per day in partnership with state governments.-PTI
IT dept sends 200 queries on Panama Papers NEW DELHI: Widening its probe in the Panama Papers case, the Income Tax department has invoked various tax information exchange treaties and sent about 200 requests in order to obtain banking and other financial data of Indians named in the list. Officials said, while about 192 such requests have already been dispatched to the foreign shores, about a dozen more are in the offing. The countries to which these references have been made include the United States, the UK, Singapore, nations in the Caribbean islands, Switzerland, British Virgin Islands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), among others. The department has also got in touch with about 380 entities and individuals named in the list out of which less than 200 have owned up the accounts, while the rest have either disagreed or their whereabouts are not known and are being traced, they said. In order to get hold of all those who are either refusing to own up or about whom there is little information, the department has invoked information exchange treaties like the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) and similar other protocols and have sent 200 requests across the globe to solicit vital information and data about them. "What has been sought is the banking and other financial transactions data of those Indians named in the list. The requests carry essential information gathered against such entities based on the work done in this regard by IT investigation wings across the country," they said.
The department, in many cases, is facing non-cooperation and non-acceptance of accounts by numerous entities as revealed in the Panama Papers and hence had to widen its approach towards the foreign jurisdictions and seek and obtain "good and actionable" information. "The cases were vetted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes and, after a case was made out, these requests were sent," they said. A Multi-Agency Group created to probe these cases has already submitted five reports to the government and also to the Special In-
The department, in many cases, is facing non-cooperation and non-acceptance of accounts by numerous entities as revealed in the Panama Papers and hence had to widen its approach vestigation Team (SIT) on black money in this regard. . The Income Tax department had earlier sent a detailed questionnaire to a number of individuals and entities figuring in the list of those allegedly holding offshore assets in tax havens and is vetting their response. About 500 Indians figure in the list which includes prominent businessmen, film celebrities and those belonging to lucrative professions. -PTI
Nabard gives Rs 205 cr loan to Haryana Cont’d from page 37
He said that more than 50 per cent of the State is under National Capital Region (NCR). This has added extra traffic load which eventually comes to the rural roads of Haryana. Therefore, the rural roads and bridges in Haryana need construction and up-gradation, he added. The spokesman said that the installation of 10 MW PV Solar Power Plant at Panipat Thermal Power Station, Panipat would generate green energy which would have positive results for the environment and help in fulfilling the Renewable energy purchase obli-
gations of the state. It is for the first time that NABARD has sanctioned this type of project in the state of Haryana, he added. He said that with this sanction, the cumulative RIDF assistance sanctioned to the State Government under RIDF has reached Rs 5,613.65 crore involving 4,263 projects under various sectors like irrigation, rural connectivity, water supply, anganwadis, girls toilet blocks, veterinary hospitals or dispensaries and solar power plant. Since inception of RIDF in 199596, an amount of Rs 3,859.30 crore has so far been disbursed.-PTI
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n Andamans one should let oneself go completely, to recharge the body and collect new ideas. The Andaman Islands, despite lying more than 1,000 km east of the In dian mainland and only about 300 km west of Bangkok, run the same time as Delhi i.e. the Indian Standard Time. On a trip to these islands, one should make sure to bring a lot of good books, some
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strong sun lotion, a hammock and snorkeling equipment. Tourist attractions: Port Blair, the only sizable town on the islands, serves as the administrative capital. The center of the town is the lively Aberdeen Bazaar. Constructed entirely of wood, it has been razed to the ground several times in the past. However, every time, reconstruction was completed in no time and now it is as colorful as ever. Port Blair is the only place to do some sightseeing. The major attraction here is the Cellular Jail, slowly being claimed back again by nature, overgrowing with plants and moss.
Today, the jail is a memorial to the freedom fighters, who laid down their lives to make the country independent. The library here has some interesting books for those interested in knowing more about the indigenous tribes. The Anthropological Museum displays some tools, dresses and photos. An interesting place is the Marine Museum, which covers the history and geography of the islands and the Fisheries Museum displays the rich marine life of the Andaman Sea. Day trips from Port Blair offer various natural and historical excursions. One can either take a boat to Ross Island, the early administrative center of the British, or hike up Mount Harriet. Scuba diving is an option available in Wandoor, 30 km southwest of Port Blair. Languages: Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Nicobarese, Telugu Best Time to Visit: December to early April Cont’d on page 42
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China roadshow to attract Indian couple banned for tourism investment faking Everest climb NEW DELHI: With an aim to attract Chinese participation in the forthcoming Tourism Summit here and its investment in the sector, the Union Tourism Ministry organized a roadshow in Shanghai, the government has said. "Never was there a more favorable time to invest in India than now with strong macro-economic indicators and the government's commitment to investment facilitation like never before," Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said while addressing the event. Close to 20 "prominent" investors participated in the event which was part of roadshows being conducted in different parts of the world to promote participation of investors at the Incredible India Tourism Investors summit, to be held here from September 21-23, an official release said. The Tourism Ministry is organizing the summit in partnership with Tourism Finance Corporation of India and the CII. Zutshi said the summit will bring together over 20 states of the country unveiling more than 1,000 projects, ranging from infrastructure to those specific to various themes of tourism sector like hospitality, medical, entertainment and cruise.
In the "true spirit of Ease of Doing business", states will offer single window for foreign and domestic investors, he said. Prakash Gupta, Consul General of India in Shanghai, stressed that India must have
Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi
a policy for attracting Chinese tourists and investors. He also pointed out the "immense synergy" that exists between the two Asian neighbors in tourism sector and how Chinese travelers have become the highest spenders in the world.-PTI
Expedite Mubarak Mandi restoration: CM JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed concern over the slow pace of restoration work on the prestigious Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex. She stressed the need to rope in other agencies to supplement the ongoing works being carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to expedite the work. She issued these directions while chairing the 7th Governing Body meeting of Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society (MMHS). Stressing the need to fix timeline for taking up various components of work of the state-protected monument, Mehbooba issued directions for identify-
ing agencies other then ASI, so that they are entrusted with the work to restore the buildings at the earliest. She also issued directions to the Department of Tourism to simultaneously take up landscaping and beautification works in the complex so that it gets a face lift till the restoration process is underway. The Governing body also approved sanctioning of Rs 50 lakh for undertaking the preservation and shifting of nearly five lakh rare manuscripts, documents, reports and books. Mehbooba asked the ASI representatives to enhance their capacity and resources at the site so that the restoration work can be expedited.-PTI
New civilian terminal for Agra airport AGRA: A new civilian terminal will soon come up at the Kheria air force base here to provide international facilities to passengers visiting the Taj city. This was stated by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma who inaugurated a private IVF centre here. The Kheria airport is at present under the control of Indian Air Force which allows one of its air strips to be used for civilian flights. After a meeting with the district officials, Sharma said Rs 100 crore has already been sanctioned for upgrading the Kheria Airport and construction of the civilian termi-
nal, for which about 50 acres of land has already been acquired. The proposed Jewar international airport in adjoining Gautam Buddha Nagar would serve the needs of the national capital region (NCR), while the one in Agra would primarily cater to the tourists visiting the Taj Mahal, he said. Sharma said funds have also been sanctioned for increasing green cover in the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor and some stretches along Mehtab Bagh, a garden complex situated on the opposite bank of Taj Mahal. -PTI
KATHMANDU: Nepal HAS imposed a 10-year ban on an Indian police couple from climbing any mountain in the Himalayan nation for faking photographs purporting to show them at the summit of Mount Everest. Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both said to be in their 30s, had claimed that they summited the peak of the Everest, the world's highest mountain on May 23. But fellow climbers raised doubt on the claim of the couple, both police constables from Pune, saying their photos at the summit were manipulated. Nepal's Tourism Ministry earlier certified their claim but later carried out an investigation, which proved their claim to be fake. "Our investigation has found that the couple faked their summit. We have cancelled the certificate and imposed a 10-year
ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal," said Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal, chief of the Tourism Department of Nepal. Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another fellow Indian climber who summitted the 8,848-metre Mt Everest a few days earlier. "We sought clarification from them, but they did not cooperate in our investigation," said Dhakal. "The ban should serve as a warning for other mountaineers to follow ethics," he said. A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited the world's highest peak during this year's spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that halted the climbing.-PTI
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Places around
to Havelock, usually docking at Neil on the way. One can be escorted by a school of dolphins or
ment near the jetty. Havelock, lying north of Neil is one of the islands chosen by the
The easiest accessible islands from the capital are Neil and Havelock. Small boats leave the Phoenix Bay Harbor four times a week
spot giant sea tortoise and flying fish. It is worth spending a few days on Neil. Basic accommodation is provided in the small settle-
government to turn into a luxurious tourist destination. The coral reef here is still intact and is what makes snorkeling a great pleasure. Only the northern part of Havelock is populated. To make it easy to remember locations, they are numbered from one to seven. The boat docks at no 1. The best accommodation is at no 5 and when one plans to take a stroll on a beautiful beach he should head for no 7 then turn left at the junction at no 3.
Cont’d from page 40
How to reach Air - Five weekly flights between Calcutta and Port Blair and four flights between Chennai and Vishakhapatnam connect the islands to the mainland. Sea - There are around three to four ships sailing between Haddo
Jetty, Port Blair in the Andamans and Calcutta and Chennai on the mainland. There is one sailing from
Vishakhapatnam every two months. The Shipping Corporation of India runs these sailings. The distances between Port Blair and some of the important cities on the mainland are Calcutta - 1255 km, Chennai - 1190 km and Vishakhapatnam - 1200 km. A journey by ship takes 48 hours from Chennai and 56 hours from Kolkata. Local transport: The Directorate of Shipping Services maintains regular inter-island foreshore and harbor ferry services to cater to the needs of inter-island commuters. There are local buses, bicycles, motorcycles, auto rickshaws, and taxis available for local transport on the islands.
An interesting place is the Marine Museum, which covers the history and geography of the islands and the Fisheries Museum displays the rich marine life of the Andaman Sea.
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Lower Manhattan reborn 15 years after 9/11 NEW YORK: Fifteen years after the Sept. 11th attacks, Lower Manhattan has been reborn. The revitalization of the city's downtown, powered by $30 billion in government and private investment, includes not just the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, but also two new malls filled with upscale retailers, thousands of new hotel rooms and dozens of eateries ranging from a new Eataly to a French food hall, Le District. The statistics alone are stunning. There are 29 hotels in the neighborhood, compared to six before 9/11. More than 60,000 people live downtown, nearly triple the number in 2000. And last year, the area hosted a record 14 million visitors, according to the Alliance for Downtown New York. And while there's plenty to do downtown for free, including seeing the 9/11 memorial park, visitors have also shown a willingness to pay relatively steep prices for certain attractions. The 9/11 museum, which charges $24, has drawn 6.67 million visitors since its May 2014 opening. The observatory atop One World Trade Center, which charges $34, has drawn 3 million people in the 15 months since it opened. In comparison, the Statue of Liberty gets about 4 million visitors a year. ``I don't think anyone would have expected that we would have rebounded so robustly, so quickly,'' said Jessica Lappin,
president of the Alliance for Downtown New York. ``There's the physical transformation at the site itself, but there's also the neighborhood. There's an energy here. People could have given up after 9/11 and nobody would have blamed them. Instead there has
9/11 hit and changed everything.'' But as government funding for disaster recovery began to pour in, private investment followed, spurring a massive rebuilding that continues to this day. For blocks surrounding One World Trade, half-built towers and cranes still
Lower Manhattan skyline, including One World Trade Center and the Brooklyn Bridge, are shown in New York. Construction cranes continue working on top of 3 World Trade Center.
been a tenacity, a dedication that is inspiring.'' The Alliance for Downtown New York was founded before 9/ 11, in 1995, when the ``neighborhood was on its heels,'' Lappin recalled. ``The vacancy rate was going through the roof.'' At the time, downtown was a strictly 9-to-5 area, keyed to the workday rhythms of Wall Street and City Hall, deserted at night and on weekends. Revitalization efforts were just getting underway ``when
clutter the sky, barricades and scaffolding line the streets, and the whine and clatter of jackhammers fill the air. Construction workers in hardhats are as ubiquitous as tourists. The recession hampered efforts to bring businesses back, but Lappin says private sector employment _ 266,000 workers _ is finally nearing pre-9/11 numbers. Conde Nast and Time Inc. have relocated downtown. Group M, one of the world's biggest advertising firms, will move into Three
20,000 pilgrims attend Kailash Yatra BHADERWAH, J&K: Despite hostile weather conditions, a record number of over 20 thousand pilgrims converged to take a dip at Kailash Kund Lake here on the last day of the annual Kailash Yatra. "It is a very encouraging sign for us that despite bad weather conditions since the last three days, more than 20,000 pilgrims converged at Kailash Kund. This clearly indicates there is an ample potential to showcase this ancient yatra as symbol of pilgrimage tourism of Bhaderwah valley," Chief Executive officer, Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA), Bal Krishan said.
"This will surely give a boost to our efforts to promote Bhaderwah as a major pilgrim destination," he said, adding the BDA will try to improve the facilities for pilgrims at the holy place. The holy mace of serpent god,
which started from ancient Nag temple of Gatha was joined on the way by half a dozen charris from different parts of the state, including Bhalessa, Basant Garh, Bani, Duddu, Billawar and Mathola.
After having night halts at Hayan and Ramtund on 29th and 30th respectively during the 21-kmlong stretch, the pilgrims reached Kailash Kund where they took a bathe in an ice-cold water of the high altitude lake to have blessings of Lord Shiva and Vasuki Nag. The Kund is a vast lake of cold and crystal clear water of 1.5 mile circumference and is situated at the height of 14,500 feet above from the sea level. According to the local tradition, the lake was the original abode of Shiva, but gave it to Vasuki Nag and himself went to live at Manmahesh in Bharmod in Himachal Pradesh. After performing the age-old rituals, the charri reached back to Bhaderwah where it was received by hundreds of enthusiastic followers of Lord Vasuki Nag at Vasuk Dera.-PTI
World Trade Center when it's complete. So far, three towers have been built with plans for more. The neighborhood is also becoming a shopping destination. Brookfield Place opened last year with luxury retailers like Gucci and Diane von Furstenberg. It also houses Le District, a French food hall with a creperie, cafe, bar and more, as well as Hudson Eats, with outposts of popular local eateries like Mighty Quinn's BBQ and Num Pang's Cambodian sandwiches. A second shopping center, Westfield, opened in August inside the Oculus, a striking white structure designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava. The curves of the Oculus' two ribbed wings are silhouetted by One World Trade rising behind it. Inside the Oculus, retailers range from Apple to Kate Spade to The Art of Shaving. The complex connects to Four World Trade, where the new Eataly NYC Downtown offers a bounty of bread, cheese, coffee, produce, pasta and more. Below ground a massive transit center houses subways and a New Jersey PATH train station. Elsewhere in Lower Manhattan, a Tom Colicchio restaurant is planned for the just-opened Beekman Hotel; the soon-to-open Four Seasons hotel will host a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, and the storied Nobu restaurant will move downtown from Tribeca. Other downtown attractions include
Alexander Hamilton's tomb in the graveyard of Trinity Church, the National Museum of the American Indian and the SeaGlass Carousel, which opened last year near where boats leave for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. But near the top of many visitors' New York itineraries these days is a pilgrimage to the place where planes turned the twin towers into smoking piles of twisted steel and rubble. The tranquil park formally known as the National September 11 Memorial features tree-lined walkways and reflecting pools in the footprints of the twin towers. Bronze parapets around the pools bear the names of the nearly 3,000 dead. Park visitors included three siblings from Barcelona, Arantxa, Meus and Pau Saloni, on their first trip to New York. ``It's really sad to see all the names, but it's nice to remember them,'' said Meus. Also visiting were Su-Ting Fu and his family, in town from suburban Westchester. ``We lived in New York City when 9/11 happened,'' he said. ``But we hadn't come to see this until today. It's nice to see everything they've done to memorialize it, but I also love the greenery, and how it feels very much like a living type of memorial.'' Lappin said the neighborhood's rebirth is a fitting tribute to the 9/ 11 tragedy. ``We honor those who were lost, but we also celebrate life and move forward.''-AP
International flights from Chandigarh soon NEW DELHI: Chandigarh will get its first international flight in mid-September as it will be connected with Sharjah and Dubai. The first international flight will be run by Air India to Sharjah on September 15 while Indigo will fly to Dubai on September 26. Official sources said the Home Ministry will set up the immigration counter by September 1 to facilitate the international travelers flying out of Chandigarh and for all in-bounds passengers.
Chandigarh airport is expected to be the gateway for travelers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and part of Jammu and Kashmir. With the operationalisation of international flights, the longstanding demand of the Punjabi Diaspora would be fulfilled. At present international travelers have limited choice of flights from Amritsar and they have to come to Delhi all the way to catch flights connecting different parts of the world.-PTI
„ Health
Line
Don't panic, says Health Minister NEW DELHI: With Delhi witnessing a sudden spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases, Union Health Minister J P Nadda has asked people not to panic and asserted that his ministry was working in close coordination with the Delhi government and various agencies to tackle the outbreak. Observing that the focus should be on "symptomatic" treatment and prevention, Nadda said that municipal bodies have been directed to ensure that there is no stagnation of water and cleanliness is maintained. He said that all the central government hospitals were fully equipped to deal with the situation. "For dengue and chikungunya, we had started our preparations from January itself this year. We had issued advisories from time to time. We have been keeping a close watch in terms of availability of kits, training of staff, bed strength. We are working with Delhi government and various agencies in close coordination. "I would request everybody not to panic. We have to ensure symptomatic treatment. We should lay stress on prevention. I have directed the municipal bodies to maintain cleanliness and at the same time ensure that there is no stagnation of water. -PTI
„ Delhi govt caps chikungunya test cost NEW DELHI: After a cap on cost of dengue test last month, Delhi government has announced a similar ceiling for chikungunya, even as the city continues to grapple with rising cases of the two vector-borne diseases. The government in a statement said, it has decided to cap the price for "chikungunya serology IgM at Rs 600 and for RT PCR for chikungunya at Rs 1,500". It also warned private hospitals and laboratories and nursing homes against overcharging. With spurt in dengue cases, Delhi government last month capped at Rs 600 the cost of test to diagnose the vector-borne disease and Rs 50 for ascertaining the platelet count in private hospitals in the national capital. "This is continuation of the previous office order...wherein ceiling price has been fixed in all private sector at Rs 600 for each NS1-Ag (ELISA based) and MAC ELISA test for antibodies and Rs 50 for platelets," the statement said. -PTI
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MCI pulled up for not inspecting colleges Details on Page 47
Commercial surrogacy has become $2 bn illegal industry: Govt NEW DELHI: The government has said commercial surrogacy has become a USD 2 billion illegal industry and a means to exploit vulnerable women even as it vowed not to let women in India become "baby factories". Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said commercial surrogacy has become a means of exploiting children also, when they get abandoned. "We want to communicate that surrogacy should be the last option and we in no way are going to promote the idea of commercial surrogacy," Patel told NDTV. The minister also spoke on Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016, which was recently approved by the Union Cabinet, and has drawn criticism from several quarters. She said the government is "conscious and sensitive" and various issues which have not been touched so far may be addressed in the course of discussions in the parliament. The bill is yet to be tabled in Parliament and there will be many more rounds of deliberation, Patel said. "It's a long process. I believe that the outcomes are going to be in the larger interest of the nation," she said. She said 80 per cent of the total child births taking place through surrogacy in India are for
foreign nationals. "Women in India are not baby factories. If you consider the total number of births of children which are taking place through surrogate mothers, 80 per cent of such births have been for foreign nationals. "Why are they doing this? Are Indian women only made for this purpose? They are trying to es-
couples to opt for it. It also seeks to bar unmarried couples, single parents, live-in partners and homosexuals from opting for surrogacy. Patel said commercial surrogacy is taking place only in some countries, like Russia and Ukraine. "India joins the lists of countries which has banned commercial surrogacy. That means, world
cape the tough laws of surrogacy in their own homeland and therefore they are coming to India because poor, vulnerable tribal women are easily available. They give them petty money," she said. The bill proposes a complete ban on commercial surrogacy and allows only legally-wedded Indian
over a consciousness has been created. Nobody wants to promote this idea so why should India lag behind? It's a menace, it's exploiting our women and society," she said. She said there are women who negotiate with their families and enter into this "business" and are
doing it by conscious choice. "We, sitting here as a conscious and sensitive government want to persuade them is that selling your body is not the only way of earning a living. The Modi government gives you a number of options. "We also want to give a message to those families who are encouraging women members to bring easy money for them by getting their own body exploited. There are biological implications for women," she said. Patel said just because many crimes against women are not reported, it would be wrong to say they are not happening. The same logic goes with surrogacy and that is why, the Health Ministry wants to tackle it at the grassroots level, she said. Speaking about provision of banning NRIs in surrogacy bill, she said the biggest problem with them was that they come to India, have babies, go back to their countries and then the issue of citizenship arises. "There are also issues like when couples rent a womb, there is a possibility of triplets or twins. The couple says they are going to take one child, extra child is either killed by the doctor or abandoned. So we have to be careful about the issue," she said.PTI
India, US discuss vaccine against dengue NEW DELHI: India and the US have said that discussions are at present underway to initiate programs for development of vaccines for dengue and tuberculosis through a publicprivate partnership mode. "The two sides acknowledged that discussions are underway to initiate programs on vaccines for TB, dengue, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with public-private partnerships mode under the USIndia Vaccine Action Program," a joint statement on the second India-US Strategic and
Commercial Dialogue said. The statement comes a day after US Secretary of State John
vent diseases, the US intends to develop and start clinical trials for vaccines against dengue
There has been a sudden spurt in the number of dengue cases in India and especially in the national capital with over 15,000 cases of the vector-borne disease already been reported in India this year. Kerry, who is on a visit to India, said that in order to halt unnecessary loss of lives and to pre-
and tuberculosis. There has been a sudden spurt in the number of dengue
cases in India and especially in the national capital with over 15,000 cases of the vector-borne disease already been reported in India this year. Both India and the US also reaffirmed their commitment to the detection and treatment of tuberculosis, another major public health challenge, especially in urban areas which are combating multi-drug resistant TB with the support of USAID. Cont'd on Page 45
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India bid for chikungunya vaccine fell through NEW DELHI: India had "tried to partner" with a Denmark-based biotechnology major for working on development of vaccine for chikungunya about 10 years ago, but the "deal fell through", a former member of National Disaster Management Authority has claimed. "Around 2006, a team was constituted under the then Manmohan Singh government's Department of Science and Technology for disaster management and
combating chikungunya was one of the top priorities for it," former NDMA member, Lt Gen (retd) J R Bhardwaj said. He was speaking at FCC-UN-FICCI round-table session organized on Disaster Management and Risk Reduction in India and South Asia, at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) here. Bhardwaj, who was part of that team, says, Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) and Denmark-based biotechnology major Bavarian Nordic were to partner for working on the project, but the "deal sort of fell through". "Indian government was to give USD 11 million to Nordic but by that time Nordic got a call from US, so it went to Africa to research on Ebola virus. There were other
issues too, which the two sides could not sort out," Bhardwaj claimed. Bavarian Nordic's Vice-President for Global Governmental Affairs Jesper Elsgaard said, "We are always in search of trusted partners around the world. And, we still are keen on partnering with governmental or private biotech firms for research and development in chikungunya virus field." "I cannot comment much on what happened back then with India and our company, but we need funding to function, and once we get the right partnership, we collaborate, like we have done in other countries such as Canada and Malaysia," he said. The panelists also included United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Coordinators, Sujit Mohanty and Andy McElroy, Member Secretary, Department of Science and Technology H K Mittal and Senior Director at FICCI Nirankar Saxena. Health experts have attributed the rise of chikungunya to a possible "evolution" in the virus that carries this disease and change in weather factors like humidity. All the experts at the round-table agreed that bio-terrorism was the next level of disaster that all countries must be wary of. "More than traditional disasters like earthquakes and flood, we need to equip ourselves to deal with bio-hazard disaster like dengue, chikungunya, Ebola, Zika and Anthrax and other emerging diseases," Saxena said. He said, FICCI has proposed a USD 100 million fund for disaster risk reduction.PTI
India, US discuss vaccine against dengue Cont'd from Page 44
Both the nations decided to continue their work under the Indo-US pact for cooperation on cancer research, its prevention, control as well as management. The two sides expressed happiness over the initiation of the second round of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in India in technical partnership with the US CDC and decided to reconvene the next round of India-US Health Dialogue this year. The two countries acknowledged the active dialogue between them in the field of traditional medicine and the successful organization of the India-US Workshop in this field in March this year. Both sides welcomed the progress toward an MOU between the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) and Ministry of AYUSH, noting their broad and expanding collaboration on infectious diseases and the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). "They welcomed the establishment of the GHSA cell within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," the statement said. Both the countries also discussed the expansion of the India Epidemic Intelligence Service (IEIS) a post-graduate field training program initiated in 2012 with CDC technical assistance. The two sides also welcomed the continued collaboration between the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) of India and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States in the area of HIV/AIDS.-PTI
India needs additional 2.4 million nurses NEW DELHI: India ranks 75th amongst 133 developing countries with regards to the number of available nurses and country needs an additional 2.4 million nurses to meet the growing demand, a new report has said. The FICCI - EY report titled Nursing reforms: Paradigm shift for a bright future said that only 0.7 doctors and 1.7 nurses are available per thousand people. "India ranks 75th amongst 133 developing countries with regards to the number of nurses, with only 0.7 doctors and 1.7 nurses available per thousand people. "The country needs an additional 2.4 million nurses to meet the growing demand. Despite being a major supplier of the health workforce, the healthcare industry in India is suffering a wide gap," the report said. It noted that the nursing sector in India continues to experience challenges in terms of availability, distribution and retention with the lack of a rewarding career progression, individual welfare and income parity being cited as key reasons, amongst others. Additionally, alternative careers with better pay-outs and less stressful work environments and opportunities to migrate overseas tend to better attract nurses, it
said. The report also highlighted the need to revise the nursing curriculum - still governed by the Indian Nursing Act framed in 1947 and revised in 1948 to make it relevant to the current healthcare industry requirements. "Additionally, there exists a manpower skew and uneven opportunity of nursing
studies across the country, with almost 52 per cent of the nursing institutions concentrated in the south," it said. It said that there is an urgent need for nursing transformation at the national and state levels in both the government and private sectors that can change the practice of nurses, expand current nursing roles while continuing to create new ones and open up opportunities for nurses to participate in shaping the future healthcare delivery system. -PTI
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Jaya announces 9-month Nadda asks Red Cross to join govt plans maternity leave CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has said maternity leave for women government employees will be increased from the present six months to nine, fulfilling her party's electoral promise. Unveiling healthcare initiatives worth over Rs 1,400 crore, Jayalalithaa recalled that she had increased the maternity leave to six months after she assumed office as Chief Minister in 2011 from
nity leave to nine months for women government employees, I would like to announce that the maternity leave will be increased to nine months," she told the House in a suo motu statement. She unveiled a slew of healthcare initiatives which include extension of ongoing schemes, procurement of diagnostic devices like PET Scan, dialysis equipment, setting up of additional infrastructure like
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa
the then previous three months. From 1980 to 2011, women employees were entitled for only 90 days maternity leave, she said in the Assembly. "Fulfilling our (AIADMK) electoral promise of increasing mater-
Cathlab and construction of buildings, all together worth over Rs 1,400 crore. She said ongoing healthcare schemes of "Amma Arogya Plan," "Amma Master Health CheckUp," and "Amma Master Health
Check-Up Plan for Women," will be extended to Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai Government Medical College hospitals at a cost of Rs 30 crore. She announced new infrastructure for Chennai-Kilpauk, Madurai and Coimbatore Government Medical College Hosptials at an outlay of Rs 356.50 crore. All requisite diagnostic devices including C-arm and MRI-Scan for the hybrid operating theatres in such hospitals would be procured at a cost of Rs 497.41 crore. She announced similar diagnostic devices and paraphernalia for a slew of other state-run hospitals across Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 353.43 crore and new buildings at an outlay of Rs 85.75 crore. She announced Integrated Primary Healthcare Services on a pilot basis in three districts at a cost of Rs 5.93 crore. Jayalalithaa said cathlab facility would be set up in six hospitals at a cost of Rs 42.20 crore and dialysis equipment for 51 hospitals at a cost of Rs.5.76 crore. Old ambulances would be replaced with new ones at a cost of Rs four crore while a PET Scan equipment will be put up at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super Speciality Hospital at a cost of Rs 15 crore. She also announced over Rs 30 crore worth initiatives in promotion of Indian Medicine in the state.-PTI
Campaign to raise awareness for kids cancer NEW DELHI: A new campaign seeks to raise awareness about cancer in children and engage stakeholders to formulate friendlier policies to fight the disease. The initiative 'Go Gold' India campaign led by childhood cancer survivors under the citybased NGO CanKids‌Kidscan will start off with the state of Uttar Pradesh, where they hope to adopt the 'Gold Ribbon' as the universal symbol of hope, health, awareness and solidarity with kids with cancer. It is in line with a global initiative of the same name under which several iconic monuments and installations across the world went Gold as part of a program to raise childhood cancer awareness. Since September is the child-
hood cancer awareness month, the initiative which will kick start on the 1st of the month, will seek to make the Taj Mahal Go Gold. A 5-day car rally to Agra via Noida, Lucknow, Allahabad and Kanpur will create community and grass root level awareness en route through state and national level media and publicity. According to the NGO, even though India accounts for 20 per cent of the new childhood cancer cases diagnosed worldwide, not enough attention is given to awareness, detection, drugs and treatment development of childhood cancer as compared to adult cancer. "The campaign hopes to ensure that childhood cancer becomes a child health priority in India and will engage all stake-
holders including hospitals, nurses, parents, schools, colleges and the government," says NGO Chairman Poonam Baig, who is herself a cancer survivor. The initiative also aims to raise survival rates in India where only 40 per cent kids with cancer survive against the global average of 95 per cent. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 new cases of childhood cancer each year, out which not more than 2,000 receive treatment. "The campaign aims to advocate to policy makers that there should be fully equipped infrastructure, trained pediatric oncology staff, dedicated pediatric oncology centers and quality treatment and drugs," says Baig. -PTI
NEW DELHI: Health Minister J P Nadda has asked members of Red Cross to actively participate in the social and economic programs of the government, including its deworming initiative and 'Mission Indradhanush' which is a special drive to vaccinate children. Observing that the prime objective of Red Cross is to bridge
Health Minister J P Nadda
the gap between the government's schemes and the community, he also stressed on the need to enhance the quality of first aid training for strengthening service delivery. "I exhort volunteers of Red Cross and St John and junior and youth Red Cross members of all the states specially Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to actively participate in this mission (Indradhanush) and contribute to making a 'Swasth Bharat'," Nadda said. He was speaking after presiding over the business session of the annual general meeting of the
Indian Red Cross Society and St John Ambulance (India). Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colors of the rainbow, provides vaccination for seven preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B. Four new vaccinations have been added to the immunization program. Noting that 2.70 crore children are born every year and 90 lakh are not immunized, Nadda said one cannot talk about a healthy India without addressing this issue. He said his ministry has been able to provide total immunization to 54 lakh children and 55 lakh mothers. "We increased our immunization capacity by 5-7 per cent. This year, we are going to increase our capacity by reaching 65 lakh children," he said. Nadda said the India Red Cross can play a very important role in the deworming initiative of the government that aims to protect more than 24 crore children between the ages of 1-19 years from intestinal worms. He claimed by giving children one tablet a year, in 2015, around 8 crore children were administered deworming tablets while in 2016, 21 crore children were administered the tablets due to which dropout from schools were reduced. Next year, the target is to administer it to 40 crore children, he said. -PTI
13 Indians in Singapore test positive for Zika NEW DELHI: Thirteen Indians have tested positive for Zika virus in Singapore and are undergoing treatment in the city-state which is grappling with rising number of the mosquito-borne disease. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Indian Embassy in Singapore has reported that 13 Indians have been affected by Zika virus. "As per our Embassy in Singapore, 13 Indian nationals have tested positive for Zika in that country," he said. He said as per Singapore's Ministry of Health, the affected Indians were showing "mild symptoms" and have either recovered or are recovering. "Their recovery process is be-
ing monitored closely. Due to patient confidentiality, the Singapore authorities are unable to share details of these patients without their consent. The cases seem to be localized in a defined area," said Swarup. He said Indian Mission is in "constant close touch" with the Ministry of Health of Singapore and will continue to follow up to ensure that Indian Nationals receive full medical support. There has been a surge in number of people affected by Zika virus in Singapore, particularly those working in construction sites. Foreign nationals including six Bangladeshis and 21 Chinese are also among the 115 confirmed Zika cases in Singapore.-PTI
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MCI pulled up for not inspecting colleges NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court-appointed panel to oversee the MCI's functioning has slammed the medical education regulator, saying it "disregarded" its directives by not conducting fresh inspection of medical colleges. A statement issued by the Oversight Committee (OC), headed by Justice R M Lodha, said it had resolved that all applicant medical colleges, which were not given an opportunity to present their compliance to deficiencies communicated by MCI, be given an opportunity to do so by June 22 in its meeting held on June 13. "However, in disregard of directives of OC dated June 13, MCI returned all applications without conducting any fresh assessment or inspection seeking refuge in legal arguments, which have been found untenable by OC. "Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also did not make any fresh assessment and recommendations and merely forwarded the reports of MCI to the OC," the OC state-
ment said. It said that due to this it was confronted with an avoidable situation where MCI "frustrated" the implementation of its directions and forwarded the applications without conducting assessment or inspection. "The OC was thus left with a piquant situation to examine the compliance sub-
filed recently in the apex court which accused the Oversight Committee of overstepping its given job of monitoring the work of MCI. The petition filed by Anand Rai, alleged that the Committee overshot MCI and the Health Ministry's disapproval of hundreds of applications made by medical colleges without conducting any "fresh" inspection or assessment, reports said. The petition The petition claimed that the panel, in August, claimed that went on to grant recognition and allowed col- the panel, in leges to increase student intake and even ex- August, went tended the time schedule for colleges to remove on to grant recognition and deficiencies based on which MCI had recom- allowed colleges to inmended disapproval of their applications. crease student mitted by the applicant colleges without intake and even extended the time schedthe assessment or inspection reports of ule for colleges to remove deficiencies MCI," it said. based on which MCI had recommended The statement comes after a petition was disapproval of their applications. . The OC in its statement said that since the physical inspections had not been conducted by MCI following its directive and the Committee was not equipped to undertake the same, it decided to examine the applications by the applicant medical colleges on parameters which included exam-
Patients to give feedback about hospitals TIRUPATI/NEW DELHI: From now on, patients visiting government hospitals will be able to give their feedback on the quality of services at the facility including cleanliness. Union Health Minister J P Nadda has launched "Mera Aspataal" (My Hospital) initiative which aims at empowering the patients by seeking their views on quality of experience in a public healthcare facility. "Patient satisfaction is the ultimate test for assessing quality of services, provided by a healthcare facility. To further build upon the gains so far, we are now making a paradigm shift and expanding the programs
from grassroots upwards to build the continuity of care," Nadda said while launching the new initiative. The initiative was launched at the third National Summit on 'Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Facilities' at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Nadda said that for any innovation one must think of scale, skill and speed as has been stressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based Patient Satisfaction System (PSS) which was launched for public and government empanelled private hospitals will have a multi-channel ap-
proach to collect patients' feedback like web portal, mobile application, SMS and Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS). "I am sure that 'Mera Aspataal', together with the Kayakalp awards, as part of 'Swacchata Abhiyaan' will spur the states in a spirit of friendly competition to get highest ratings for all their facilities," Nadda said. According to officials, the feedback collected from the patients will be recorded and factored in while star rating the hospitals. Nadda said that his Ministry has launched the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matriva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide fixed day assured quality ANC services to pregnant women on the ninth day of every month across the country. "These services will be provided by obstetricians and physicians. A key pillar of this program is voluntary partnership of private doctors. "The Prime Minster has appealed to the private sector to join in and contribute their services for providing antenatal care to poor pregnant women," Nadda said. Noting that "persistent and intensive" focus on maternal and child health has yielded dividends, Nadda said that besides sustaining the country's poliofree status, India has successfully validated Maternal and Neonatal tetanus elimination in May 2015, well before the global target. "What is noteworthy is that India's Under-5 Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio declined at a higher pace than global average," he said. -PTI
ining faculty position and other infrastructure available on the MCI website by visiting the website of the college. It said that there were instances where websites could not be accessed which also frustrated the attempts of OC to permit abundant opportunity to examine the claims of the college and hence could not be considered favorably. "In the absence of fresh assessments done by MCI, the OC was constrained to follow the aforementioned process in evaluating the claims made by the applicant colleges and have thus provided them abundant opportunity to stake their claim. "This has been the procedure followed by the OC in all categories of applications, which have been processed and sent to government and Health ministry for notification on August 12 and 13," it said in a statement. The OC said that it had taken a number of remedial measures which include approving increased intake in UG and superspeciality courses for 2016-17 without diluting the quality of education, rationalizing and adding transparency to the assessment procedures, improving the accountability of the process of establishment of new medical colleges among others.-PTI
In Brief Wife of diplomat intercepted at IGIA NEW DELHI: Wife of a Korean diplomat posted here was intercepted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for entering the terminal by allegedly using a special pass issued to the spouse of another senior official from the same embassy, police said. The incident occurred at 2 after CISF and immigration officials detected that the Korean lady, wife of a diplomat posted at the Korean Embassy here, had entered the terminal-III of IGIA using an Airport Entry Pass (AEP) which was issued in the name of another lady, wife of a senior diplomat from the same Embassy, officials said. The officials and police refused to divulge to which embassy the North Korean or South Korean embassy the husband of the lady belonged. After preliminary probe, it was found that both the ladies bore resemblance and hence after the first got inside the terminal area, she reportedly sent her personal AEP outside the airport through someone, using which the other lady came inside the arrival area, they said. The ladies had come to receive a guest from Beijing and after the senior lady departed, the second was asked to undergo some formal procedures by police authorities after which she was also allowed to go, officials said -PTI
„ UAE citizen sentenced on firearms charge ORLANDO, Fla.: A student from United Arab Emirates who overstayed his visa has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for possessing firearms and ammunition. A federal judge sentenced Hamid Mohamed Ahmed Ali Rehaif to 18 months in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by an unlawful alien. He will be deported to his home country once he finishes his sentence. He was convicted in May. Prosecutors say Rehaif attended the Florida Institute of Technology on Florida's Space Coast but was academically dismissed in 2014. He had been living in a Melbourne, Florida hotel room for two months when FBI agents interviewed him in December 2015. Prosecutors say he became an illegal immigrant when he didn't leave the United States upon departing school. -AP
Immigration
10,000 Syrian refugees find new home in US
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Instead of softening, Trump returns to whiplash on immigration COLUMBUS, Ohio: For weeks, Donald Trump flirted with a selfdescribed ``softening'' of the hardline immigration policies that propelled him to the Republican nomination, raising the hopes of party officials, some Hispanic leaders and skeptical voters unnerved by his presidential candidacy. He appeared on the brink of embracing that shift as he traveled to Mexico for a dramatic visit with President Enrique Pena Nieto. Against the backdrop of grand diplomatic pageantry, Trump lavished praise on America's southern neighbor and pointedly avoided insisting publicly that Mexico pay for the wall he's pledged to build along the USMexico border. He was measured and soft-spoken, almost deferential as he read carefully off prepared notes. Within hours, Trump wiped it all away. In a lengthy and fiery address on immigration in Phoenix, the Republican nominee said in no uncertain terms that Mexico would indeed pay for his border wall. He lambasted millions of immigrants
as violent criminals and a drain on the US government. And he vowed that no person living in the United States illegally could chart a path to legal status without first leaving the country. ``There will be no legal status or becoming a citizen of the United
might stay in the country anyway - failing to address the major question that has frustrated past congressional attempts at remaking the nation's immigration laws. Even for Trump - who has made an art of straddling both sides of an issue and playing to the prefer-
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a joint statement with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City
States by illegally entering our country,'' Trump declared, even has he sidestepped the dilemma about what to do with those who
ences of the audience he's standing before - the political whiplash was astounding. It reflected the tortured debate between Trump
and his advisers over how to position the unconventional candidate in the general election - a debate that rages on, even with just over two months until Election Day. To be sure, Trump's daylong foray across the border and back was a bold gamble, reflecting his urgent need to shake up his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton. While polls have tightened nationally and in some key battleground states, Clinton has a massive advantage over Trump in what it takes to turn votes out in key swing states. She also has multiple paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, while Trump's roadmap is far narrower. The hastily announced visit to Mexico seemed intended to remind voters of Trump's brash, play-bymy-own-rules approach to politics. Trump was willing to risk traveling to a country where he is deeply unpopular and to meet with a leader who has been sharply critical of his views, going so far as to compare him to Adolf Hitler. Cont'd on Page 49
Indian students in US approaching 200K WASHINGTON: The number of Indian students in the US has grown remarkably by more than 28 per cent in the past one year to reach a new high of nearly 200,000, according to an official report. Indian students totaled 192,723 this July, the report by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. But despite having peaked by 28.5 per cent in the past one year, Indian students trailed their Chinese counterparts, who topped the list at 323,186. China, however, experienced a growth of just 7.2 per cent in the number of its students in the US in the past one year. There were 1.11 million international students with 'F' (academic) or 'M' (vocational) status studying in the US, said the re-
port based on real-time data extracted from Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of the US Immigration. Based on the data from Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) on July 7, international student enrollment at US schools increased 5.5 per cent
compared to July 2015. In July this year, there were 8,673 US schools with SEVP certification to enroll international students, a 2 per cent decrease from the previous year. Forty-two per cent of international students studying in the US, equaling almost 467,000 individu-
als, were enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) coursework, an increase of 15.2 per cent from July 2015. Approximately 407,000 international students from Asia pursued STEM studies, an increase of 17 per cent since July 2015. In all, Asia accounted for 856,681 students an increase of 6.6 percentage. Interestingly, of all F&M students from India a massive 83 per cent pursue degrees in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). More STEM students are from India than any other country. Whereas 68 per cent of all F&M students who pursue mathematics and statistics coursework are from China, it said. -PTI
Immigration Post
September 9, 2016
India Post 49
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UK considers further visa crackdowns LONDON: The UK government is considering further crackdowns on visas for non-EU nationals, which will include Indians, to curb its soaring immigration figures. While no details of the plans have been unveiled yet, Prime Minister Theresa May is believed to be examining options to toughen visa rules for students and some workers from outside the 28-nation EU. The move comes despite recent Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures indicating there has been a "statistically significant" drop in the number of students coming to the UK from outside Europe. "There was a statistically significant decline in the number of non-EU citizens migrating to the UK to study, from 134,000 in the previous year to 111,000. There was a statistically significant decline in citizens of South Asia, with
the number coming to study having almost halved," ONS said in its 'Migration Statistics Quarterly Report: August 2016' last week. India is the third largest cat-
egory in terms of student visa applications after the US and China, with 10,664 granted between June 2015 and 2016. However, a further crackdown
Prime Minister Theresa May
is likely to lead to a sharp drop in those applying to UK universities. "Brexit, unfortunately, could compound the problem for the UK's world-class higher education sector, risking, as it does, 800 million pounds of EU research funding, top EU research talent and some 50,000 EU students enrolling every year. "The rumors that Theresa May is planning a fresh crackdown on student visas are, therefore, extremely worrying," James Pitman, managing director for the UK's Study Group, told the 'Times'. "If we are to maintain our position as a global education powerhouse, and protect one of our most valuable exports, the government must give both EU and non-EU students a fair deal and take overseas students out of net migration targets," he said. India has already raised con-
cerns about further clampdowns on visas for its students and workers coming to the UK. It does not want to see a further toughening of Tier 2 visas as Indian migrants on the visa already have to be earning more than 35,000 pounds to remain in the UK. "The government has taken up the matter bilaterally with the UK government at various levels and expressed concerns over the changes in UK visa rules," commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha earlier this month. Indian nationals have accounted for 57 per cent of the UK's total skilled work visas granted (53,548 of 93,935), with the US the next largest nationality group (10,019 or 11 per cent of the total). Any further crackdowns will undoubtedly hit Indian professionals the hardest. -PTI
10,000 Syrian refugees find new home in US EL CAJON, Calif.: On Sunday, Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh participated in a ceremony in Amman, Jordan, to mark the United States hitting its target of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees in a year-old resettlement program. On Wednesday, the 47-year-old former construction worker and his family were walking grocery aisles, stocking up on roasted chicken, milk and lemons for their new home outside San Diego. It didn't take long for Jouriyeh, his 42-year-old wife and four children, ages 8 to 14, to feel welcome. ``America is a beautiful country,'' he said through an Arabic
translator at the office of the International Rescue Committee in El Cajon, a San Diego suburb that has been a magnet for Iraqis and, more recently, Syrians who are fleeing war. ``The way they treat people and the people of America are very nice ... When you go down the streets, everyone smiles at you. Even if they don't know you, they just smile at you.'' San Diego, the nation's eighthlargest city, has received 626 Syrian refugees since Oct. 1, more than any other in the United States. Many smaller cities have accepted outsized number of Syrians, including Erie, Pennsylvania (205),
Toledo, Ohio (109), and Boise, Idaho (108). California and Michigan are neck-and-neck among states for receiving the most Syrian refugees, followed by Arizona, Texas and Illinois. Cities with large numbers include Chicago (469), Glendale, Arizona (384), Troy, Michigan (325) and Dallas (293). Refugees are typically assigned to cities where they have family and friends or, failing that, where there is an established community of immigrants who share their culture, said David Murphy, executive director in San Diego for the International Rescue Commit-
Instead of softening, Trump returns to whiplash on immigration Cont'd from Page 48
The reward? Voters now have an image of Trump in a presidential setting, standing side-by-side with a world leader behind a lectern, listening patiently to a translator relay his counterpart's remarks. Trump advisers were jubilant after the visit, as was the candidate. One aide described the businessman as ``very, very pumped'' as his plane traveled to Phoenix for the day's final event. But while Trump was in the air, the drama that never seems far from his campaign resurfaced. While Trump had told reporters in Mexico he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would pay for the proposed border wall, the Mexi-
can leader - after staying silent as Trump did so - tweeted, ``I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.'' By the time Trump took the stage in Phoenix, any expectations for a softer immigration position or a more restrained candidate were squashed. Trump raged against what he called President Barack Obama and Clinton's ``open borders'' policy, accusing the Democrats of caring more about immigrants living in the US illegally than American citizens. Feeding off the energy of a wholly supportive crowd, he said any person in the country illegally who is arrested for ``any crime whatsoever'' will be immediately placed into deportation proceedings.
And in the night's most emotional moment, he invited relatives of people killed by such immigrants to the stage, encouraging them to each stand before the microphone to say their loved one's name aloud. Clinton's campaign was unshaken by Trump's day. Campaign chairman John Podesta first declared Trump ``choked'' by not raising the issue of payment for a border wall with Pena Nieto, then later accused the Republican of having lied about the meeting. ``What we saw today from a man who claims to be the ultimate `deal maker' is that he doesn't have the courage to advocate for his campaign promises when he's not in front of a friendly crowd,'' Podesta said. -AP
tee, one of nine organizations that helps refugee settle in the United States. In El Cajon, population 100,000, some store signs on Main Street
Cajon and the impact ``snowballed'' into a large Arabic-speaking community, Murphy said. Iraqis have been coming for years but Syrians are relatively new.
Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, rear, a Syrian refugee that arrived with his family in the United States, poses with the family in El Cajon, Calif.
are in Arabic. Merchants, bank tellers and school teachers speak the language. Three decades ago, an Iraqi Chaldean immigrant settled in El
``It's really kind of tough to know how they're going to do. They haven't been here long enough to start businesses or anything like that,'' Murphy said.-AP
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Philosophy
September 9, 2016
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Page Sponsored by Sahanis SWAMI SIVANANDA
T
he philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita is no other than the philosophy of the Upanishads. But in one respect it has gone a step further, in that the Gita has brought the philosophy of the Upanishads from the forest dwellings of the rishis and the munis, from the hermitages of tapasvis and sannyasins and has given it a central place in the home of the grihastha in samsara, in the market place of vyavahara, worldly life, so that the Gita is Upanishaddarsan in practice. In the Gita we have the Upanishadic wisdom applied. In the Gita we have the translation of the adesa (command) and sandesa (instruction) of the Upanishad into daily life. To teach how the Upanishad can actually be practiced, how the Upanishads can be made the basis of our daily life, is the purpose of Gita. The philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita deals with the situation of the individual pilgrim soul upon this earth plane, in the midst of the very vexing problems that constitute an inevitable part of the individual's life. It takes the life of the jivatma in this prapancha, beset by the dvandvas, love and hate, like and dislike, attachment and repulsion. It takes the life of the jivatma faced with the situation of an inner, essential conflict between what one FRANCIS LUCILLE
T
he word 'love' refers to a lived experience. It is a para doxical experience because even though we have all experienced the reality of it, it appears to escape every attempt to grasp it, to describe it or to repeat it. The tender delight we had in our childhood when we looked at a beautiful colored illustration, the soft emotion when we think about a loved one, the impulse that moves us to encourage a stranger in deep sorrow and to help when in danger, the repulsion that grips us when cruelty is committed against oppressed innocence. All these circumstances among many others point to a common experience that cannot be described or defined. If we want to go deeper into the discovery of this central experience it seems that our investigation evaporates due to a lack of objective support. If we do not have the words to express it and there are no images to describe it, it is because there are no perceptions or sensations to experience it objectively. Nevertheless we do have this experience. That is the paradox: it is unmistakably present. It has the same undeniable and ethereal char-
would like to do and what one is required to do; between one's sentiments, emotions and attachments and one's duty in one's station in life. It takes the life of an individual trying to grapple with this inner conflict of bhavana (feeling) and kartavya (duty), this inner conflict of the sreya (good) and the preya (pleasant), this inner conflict of dharma, which is very difficult, and the easier way. It provides the necessary strength to the individual by enlightening him with the hidden reality of the situation. Because of his insufficient understanding, his lack of proper perspective, the individual takes the situation to be
supreme good and which is also contrary to the good of the world in which he lives. The Gita, by bringing into our antahkarana, into our minds and hearts and intellects, the light of proper reasoning, correct perception and right understanding, liberates us from the delusion that brings about such conflicts, such inner two-ways pulls. When one understands a situation properly and one sees things clearly, one is then able to understand, to know, what the essence of the situation is in fact, not what it appears to be. How does the Gita do this? Gita is not just a declaration of
problems and conflicts that surround him as he tries to execute this journey of life. It takes on an approach that is dialectic, in that every chapter constitutes the imparting of certain teachings. It is like a class lesson and the teacher takes great pains to clarify intricate points and to answer all the questions of the student, to remove all doubts as the student goes on asking questions and placing doubts before him. The teacher makes the student see through the teacher's eyes; whereas, before, the student was trying to look at things only through his own eyes.
Gita brings Upanishadic wisdom into homes It is like a class lesson and the teacher takes great pains to clarify intricate points and to
Swami Sivananda
As the spider creates the cobweb out of its saliva, it lives and plays in it and at the end the same spider swallows up the cobweb, similarly the God, the Lord creates the whole universe as the act of His thought. He manifests in it and again He withdraws the
answer all the questions of the student, to re-
whole universe in Himself.
move all doubts as the student goes on ask-
-Mundaka Upanishad
ing questions and placing doubts before him.
what it appears to be and does not try to analyze it beyond and behind the surface appearance, nor try to understand it as it is in essence. He thus takes to a certain course of action which is contrary to his own highest welfare and
experienced truth. It is not merely an expounding of a certain revelation. But, from start to finish, it is dialectic in its method of approaching this question of the individual in this universe, of his situation in life and the various
Sivananda Saraswati was a spiritual teacher and a proponent of Yoga and Vedanta training many disciples at his ashram in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. His 129th birth anniversary will be observed on September 8.
acter as conscious presence. We know this experience in the same way we know that we are conscious. If we try to describe the trajectory up to the very last moment where it crosses over into the inexpressible, it seems as if the 'I' feeling dissolves, perhaps only temporarily, into a more spacious reality, infinite, a blessed peace that brings an end to all the emotional
Love flies on its own wings and knows no laws. It is the emergence of grace that wrests us from the hypnosis of separation. Liberation arises out of freedom itself.
us what we seek. We don't love the other, we love the love in the other. This does not mean that we have to turn away from the other to turn towards God, the objectless, but rather that we see the other as an expression of love. Relations with our partner, son or daughter, a stranger, a foreigner then take on another dimension. Daily life becomes a field of expe-
Can love exist without an object? Love exists only without an object. Love is the love of the objectless by the objectless. An object puts clothes on love, and
Condition for love is disappearance of 'I'
Feel nothing, know nothing, do nothing, have nothing, give up all to God, and say utterly, 'Thy will be done.' We only dream this bondage. Wake up and let it go. -Swami Vivekananda
"In the stillness of the mind, I saw myself as I am: unbound." -Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing
What we love in a person is neither the physi-
but expressions of the one
cal body nor the thoughts. It is the conscious
mind. There is nothing
presence that we have in common with him
else. -Huang Po
or her, the self, the objectless. The veil can exercise a temporary power
rience that is forever new. Your vision will become If we approach the other as poclear only when you look tential divine consciousness, we force God to remove the mask, into your heart. Who looks which he does with a miracle? and outside, dreams. Who the miracle is the smile of God. looks inside, awakens. Frenchman Francis Lucille (72) is a disciple of Jean Klein -Carl Jung and a spiritual teacher of Advaita. Insure yourself FIRST. Call Sahanis, (Arish, Priya or Shiv) for your Insurance needs 718- 271- 0453. Serving for last 35 yrs or intellectual agitation. Is there some particular condition before this quality of authentic love and compassion is revealed? The condition is the temporary or permanent disappearance of the idea of a separate 'I'. This disappearance can never be the result of an action done by this 'I'.
dressed, veils it. What we love in a person is neither the physical body nor the thoughts. It is the conscious presence that we have in common with him or her, the self, the objectless. The veil can exercise a temporary power of attraction, but only the true self that remains in the background can bring
Francis Lucille
54
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UNDP ex-director slams Pakistan's elite
India Post
MARC-ANDRÉ FRANCHE
I
n a scathing criticism of the Pakistani elite, the former director of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for Pakistan Marc-AndrĂŠ Franche, said the only way a critical change could happen in the country was when the influential, the politicians and the wealthy, would sacrifice short term, individual and family interests for the benefit of the nation. "You cannot have an elite that takes advantage of very cheap and uneducated labor when it comes to making money, and when it is time to party it is found in London, and when it's time to buy things it is in Dubai, and when it's time to buy property it invests in Dubai or Europe or New York. The elite needs to decide do they want a country or not," Franche said, according to the Business Recorder. Tax regime favors elite The former director, who spent four years in Pakistan, was also critical of the landowners. "I have visited some very large landowners, who have exploited the land for centuries, paid nearly zero money for the water, and how they almost sometimes hold people in bondage. And then they come to the United Nations or other agencies and ask us to invest in water, sanitation, and education for the people in their district. I find that quite embarrassing." Having visited Karachi last month, Franche was appalled to see the condition of the city. "It's at a breaking a point. If Karachi is at all to continue being the engine of growth in this country, something needs to be done about public utilities. You cannot live in Karachi and grow your business anymore with the state of disrepair of public institutions." Further, he expressed his frustration that Pakistan was not making more progress in terms of poverty reduction, inequality, modernizing the state, and functioning institutions. "The fact that even in 2016, Pakistan has 38 per cent poverty; it has districts that live like sub-Saharan Africa; that the basic human rights of minorities, women and the people of FATA are not respected; that this country has not been able to get its act together and hold a census; or that it has not been able to push for reforms in FATA, an area that is institutionally living in 17th century. It is
extremely preoccupying." Bribery much higher than rest of South Asia "Pakistan will not be able to survive with gated communities where you are completely isolated from the societies, where you are creating ghettos at one end and big huge malls for the rich at the other end. It is not the kind of society you want your kids to live in," he added. Franche shared that he was disappointed with the quality of local government laws that each province had developed. "Only KP has a decent law that gives real power and real money to the local government. Local government does not mean that you just elect them and deny them fiscal re-
about inequality of rights and opportunities in Pakistan. "The apartheid of opportunities in Pakistan is horrible, which is why so many young people are trying to leave the country. This is one of the issues that UNDP will continue to work on in Pakistan for sure - investing in both improving the quality of data, and the quality of analysis of inequality." Cities planned for rich Although, he didn't think there was an imminent threat of a revolt by the poor, he did see it happening eventually. "I don't see those circumstances emerging in Pakistan at the moment. But it will eventually happen in
Former UNDP Pakistan Director Marc-AndrĂŠ Franche
sources or power. We have been advocating for a review of those laws. In KP, because they put in place a decent local government law, we are currently finalizing the agreement with the provincial government to support them in local governance, focusing first on seven districts, one per each division." The ex-director of UNDP Pakistan was also critical of the media, adding that there was a deficit of media literacy. "The media is one of the pillars of democracy and the media has to educate the public. Unfortunately, the level of dependence of the government on military authorities, and the degree by which a lot of media in this country is manipulated by powerful sources, are sources of erosion of democracy and erosion of the institutions that are the foundations of this country." He added he was concerned
one way or the other. You cannot have a country, where nearly 40 per cent of the people live in poverty." As he leaves Pakistan, he spoke about his love for the country. "When you spend four years in a country, you learn to appreciate its complexity. I do not even remember how many times I have been to Balochistan; I believe I have been to nearly every district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; I have gone to the northern areas a number of times; and I have, of course, travelled in Punjab and Sindh. So I am leaving with a lot of admiration for Pakistan and its people. When you read the history of Pakistan, it was not obvious that this country would survive. There was a lot of criticism and people doubting that it will. Yet it has, and it has come very far and achieved a lot in many ways." Courtesy The Express Tribune, Pakistan
Hoodwinked at home
P
ervez Hoodbhoy is a professor of Physics in Lahore and Islamabad universities and a respected columnist. Writing on Kashmir in a recent article in Dawn newspaper of Pakistan, he seemed to be heaving a sigh of relief that this time the "Kashmir movement has been indigenized" and there is "absence of a substantive Pakistani role in this new uprising." The learned professor could not be more wrong. In fact Prof Hoodbhoy has been hoodwinked by the new scenario. Going by the orders of separatist leaders in Srinagar to continue hartals indefinitely, it seems there is a strong hand behind this movement as it cannot continue without sponsors of funds for this dirty work. An intelligence officer in Srinagar revealed to a newspaper, "The ISI has infiltrated deep. There will soon be revelations about money pumped in by Islamabad to bloody our face." Islamabad has only changed the modus operandi of its secret operations in Kashmir by shoring up the separatists and underground propaganda to misguide the youth. Indeed, if the separatists had some concern for the youth in the state who are being encouraged to confront the security forces with stones, they would call off the clashes. The separatists are sitting comfortably and letting the youth die. Sooner or later the youth will see through this game. When the separatists refused to even meet the representatives of all political parties that visited Srinagar recently, the message has gone out that they would rather have the Kashmiri youth killed than climb down to talk to the MPs. The blame for all those killed or injured hereafter in the clashes would lie with the separatists who are evidently being bolstered by Islamabad. Could there have been a Kashmir problem without Pakistani terrorism? People living peacefully were forced to toe the Pakistani line at the point of a gun. While condemning India for the use of guns and pellets on the agitating Kashmiri youth, Prof Hoodbhoy has also outlined Pakistani role in fanning fires in Kashmir. Criticizing Islamabad's interventions in Kashmir, he says, "Pakistani strategists believed that secret support for the Kashmiri mujahideen would be a low-cost option to end a military stalemate. But this botched thinking led to major diplomatic defeats. In this age of television cameras and instant communication, Pakistan's denials of aiding and arming militants carried no weight. As a result, international support for Pakistan's position sharply declined. In the UN, the Kashmir dispute is today on the back burner. Even at the level of passing resolutions, Muslim countries and the OIC have been lukewarm. More significantly, China is extremely wary of liberating Kashmir through jihad." But the role of China in this dispute is also alarming. In spite of seeing the spread of terrorism from Pakistan, it has refrained from cautioning its ally. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not mince words at the recent meeting of G-20 leaders in Beijing by openly singling out Pakistan for spreading terror in the region. He declared, "There are some nations that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. One single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in the countries of our region." He appealed to the international community to speak and act in unity, and respond urgently to fight this menace. "Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded," he said. Prof Hoodbhoy has advised Pakistan at this time to "make a virtue out of necessity by cracking down upon Kashmir-oriented militant groups still operating from its soil. Such groups have turned out to be a menace to Pakistan's society and armed forces, apart from taking legitimacy away from those fighting Indian rule." So the cat is out of the bag. Indirectly Prof Hoodbhoy is hinting at the origin of the Kashmir problem, the training and sending of the "menace" by Pakistan to create mayhem in Kashmir.
September 9, 2016
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