THE NAME of the game is: Open new railways and play new game of diplomacy.
Diplomacy is the art of the impossible. A diplomat never clogs his line of communication even with the bitterest of the enemies because there is always a kind of hope of getting information that might help the home country in winning the cold war.
Railways in India and elsewhere in the world have been a good means of communication. Espionage and pumping of fake currency in the adversary’s country are aims plus of running new railways. Now a piece of news emanating from Nepal has unnerved some greenhorn diplomats, albeit there is nothing to worry about.
The government of Nepal has requested the government of the People’s Republic of China to extend the Beijing-Lhasa railway line to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Nothing wrong with that request nor with the response that is likely to be a positive one. China might launch another adventurous project of building the new railway line from Lhasa, capital of Tibet to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The railway engineers will be adequately employed and their skills will be tested day in and day out in that rugged Himalayan terrain where the crust of earth is yet to settle down. No wonder there are landslides every now and then. This valuable experience will help the Chinese engineers in advising military engineers if the PLA has to fight a war in that inhospitable region.
Here in India, recently Mamta as announced a 6500 crores project to link NJP to Kararbhita(NEPAL) and NJP to Bhutan to warm up relationship between these countries.
Even China proposes to lay railway line from Lhasa to Kolkata Port after tunneling the Nathu-la mountain at Yadong to reach Siliguri crossing the whole Sikkim underground and then bifurcate into Dhaka/Kolkata line. These seems impossible ,but can happen with the technlogy avaialble in the world market.
China has already shown its technolgy when it linked Far Off Mainland China with Tibet thru a railway line that passes thru rugged and snowy hills at 12000 feet.
SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS
There has been a flurry of intellectual activity in the strategic study circles to assess the impact of this project on the future military planning. Will the new railway line bring the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) of China too close to be comfortable. A cool headed assessment will reassure the panicky fellows that there is nothing to be afraid of. If the Chinese forces come to Kathmandu, so what? Aren’t they so close to the Indian Army troops across the Nathula pass in Sikkim? Aren’t they so close to the Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh at the Bumla pass? Rest assured, heavens won’t fall if the Beijing-Lhasa railway line is extended to Kathmandu. It may benefit Nepal economically and we Indians, as neighbours of Nepal, should be happy about it.
A STUDENT OF HISTORY WILL BE REMINDED OF ANOTHER SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEF ABOUT A NEW RAILWAY LINE BEING LAID CLOSE TO THE Red Fort in New Delhi. King Bahadur Shah Zafar, a pensioner of the East India Company represented to the Company Bahadur that the railway line running so close to the Red Fort and palaces inside may induce miscarriage among the pregnant queens. He was assured that the new railway line would bring joy and not sorrow to one and all.
The Red Indians of America had also opposed laying of new railway lines through their reservations but eventually were convinced that the new fangled thing is an instrument of economic progress.
One may recall that the very first railway line laid and used to run a train was from Bori Bunder in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Thane, a princely distance of 34 kilometers. On April 16, 1853 as many as 14 carriages pulled by three locomotives had carried 400 guests. A 21 gun salute was given to the train and the Governor’s band was in attendance. No superstitious beliefs plagued the people and the journey was a grand success.
One should take the Chinese effort in helping Nepal with the same smoothness as the Marathas took the inaugural run of the Bori Bunder-Thane railway. A step forward in any direction means progress for the Mankind. Peace brings prosperity in the region. Where prosperity prevails, poverty retreats and fades into the pages of history. A prosperous country hates to go to war with a neighbouring country because a war spells economic disaster for all concerned. Let us hope and trust that the new railway line, as and when made operational, will bring an economic boom to our kith and kin in Nepal.
When we are engaged in trade and tourism relationship, we can bring a bond of freindship between India and China. Of course, Tibet cannot be left at China's mercy.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Spice flu in Sikkim
By Geetanjali Krishna
I thought you said we’re going to see cardamom growing?” said I to Dinesh, our Sikkimese friend, “instead, we’re traipsing up a hill full of tall grass and weeds…” He silently bent under one of the grasses we’d been wading through, and took out a revolting bulbous mass of something. “It may look weedy,” said he with a smile, “but this is a cardamom plant … look, here’s a pod!” I looked at the innocuous black pod which is considered Sikkim’s black gold. Of the 4,000-odd tonnes of brown cardamom produced annually in India, this tiny state contributes about 88 per cent.
Around me, unruly tufts of cardamom haphazardly grew everywhere. “Cardamom needs very little care here,” said Dinesh, “we need to clear the foliage from under it when the plant flowers, and cut it to the root once we pluck the fruit.” New shoots emerge from the cut stem, ready to fruit in the next season. Apparently, the plant also requires little by the way of irrigation or manure. The returns are great: Each kilogram of the spice sells at anything from Rs 130 to Rs 200. It seemed to be the most perfect sort of cash crop — offering great returns with minimal effort.
But for Chirkey and Furkey. The two viral diseases have wrecked havoc amongst the large cardamom growing tracts of Sikkim and Darjeeling. Not only have they caused considerable crop losses, they’ve also engendered the complete removal of affected plants. “Initially, some farmers cut infected bushes down to the root as they normally did after harvesting the pods, hoping that the new shoots and suckers would be disease free,” said Dinesh. However, they realised that it was not that easy to get rid of Chirkey, and in fact the tenacious disease also spread through the use of contaminated harvesting knives. As a result, in the last decade, Sikkimese farmers have seen a continuous decline in cardamom production. During harvest time in September this year, most cardamom growers discovered there was hardly anything to harvest at all.
Dinsesh pointed out some plants affected by Chirkey, with mottled leaves and withering stems. “The Spice Board says that we must uproot all infected plants,” said he, pulling the plant out of the ground, “but that’s like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.” Few medicines, western or folk, seem to work on these two diseases. The best recourse is to replant using new, disease-free cardamom plants. “The government has sanctioned as much as Rs 23 crore in the 11th Five Year Plan for the improvement of cardamom plantations in Sikkim and Darjeeling,” said Dinesh, “but it’s slow going…”
Evidently, Chirkey and Furkey haven’t just destroyed cardamom plantations — they’ve also changed the lifestyle of the average Sikkimese. Many farmers have opted out of cardamom production and ventured into other businesses. “Earlier, farmers could reap big cardamom harvests with very little effort. Now, money is in short supply, and they’re discovering they have to work hard to earn a living,” said he. This year’s Dasain (Dusshera) festivities were also sadly muted. “We usually celebrate Dasain with much feasting and drinking. But this year’s harvest was so bad, that people had neither money nor enthusiasm to celebrate…” said Dinesh.
Later that day in Pelling, we walked from shop to shop, but none had fresh brown cardamom to sell. Morose shopkeepers bemoaned the lack of sales even during the festive season. Chirkey and Furkey seemed to have literally taken the spice out of Sikkimese way of life.
Source: Business Standard
By Geetanjali Krishna
I thought you said we’re going to see cardamom growing?” said I to Dinesh, our Sikkimese friend, “instead, we’re traipsing up a hill full of tall grass and weeds…” He silently bent under one of the grasses we’d been wading through, and took out a revolting bulbous mass of something. “It may look weedy,” said he with a smile, “but this is a cardamom plant … look, here’s a pod!” I looked at the innocuous black pod which is considered Sikkim’s black gold. Of the 4,000-odd tonnes of brown cardamom produced annually in India, this tiny state contributes about 88 per cent.
Around me, unruly tufts of cardamom haphazardly grew everywhere. “Cardamom needs very little care here,” said Dinesh, “we need to clear the foliage from under it when the plant flowers, and cut it to the root once we pluck the fruit.” New shoots emerge from the cut stem, ready to fruit in the next season. Apparently, the plant also requires little by the way of irrigation or manure. The returns are great: Each kilogram of the spice sells at anything from Rs 130 to Rs 200. It seemed to be the most perfect sort of cash crop — offering great returns with minimal effort.
But for Chirkey and Furkey. The two viral diseases have wrecked havoc amongst the large cardamom growing tracts of Sikkim and Darjeeling. Not only have they caused considerable crop losses, they’ve also engendered the complete removal of affected plants. “Initially, some farmers cut infected bushes down to the root as they normally did after harvesting the pods, hoping that the new shoots and suckers would be disease free,” said Dinesh. However, they realised that it was not that easy to get rid of Chirkey, and in fact the tenacious disease also spread through the use of contaminated harvesting knives. As a result, in the last decade, Sikkimese farmers have seen a continuous decline in cardamom production. During harvest time in September this year, most cardamom growers discovered there was hardly anything to harvest at all.
Dinsesh pointed out some plants affected by Chirkey, with mottled leaves and withering stems. “The Spice Board says that we must uproot all infected plants,” said he, pulling the plant out of the ground, “but that’s like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.” Few medicines, western or folk, seem to work on these two diseases. The best recourse is to replant using new, disease-free cardamom plants. “The government has sanctioned as much as Rs 23 crore in the 11th Five Year Plan for the improvement of cardamom plantations in Sikkim and Darjeeling,” said Dinesh, “but it’s slow going…”
Evidently, Chirkey and Furkey haven’t just destroyed cardamom plantations — they’ve also changed the lifestyle of the average Sikkimese. Many farmers have opted out of cardamom production and ventured into other businesses. “Earlier, farmers could reap big cardamom harvests with very little effort. Now, money is in short supply, and they’re discovering they have to work hard to earn a living,” said he. This year’s Dasain (Dusshera) festivities were also sadly muted. “We usually celebrate Dasain with much feasting and drinking. But this year’s harvest was so bad, that people had neither money nor enthusiasm to celebrate…” said Dinesh.
Later that day in Pelling, we walked from shop to shop, but none had fresh brown cardamom to sell. Morose shopkeepers bemoaned the lack of sales even during the festive season. Chirkey and Furkey seemed to have literally taken the spice out of Sikkimese way of life.
Source: Business Standard
INDIAN PRESIDENT DIWALI GREETINGS
INDIAN PRESIDENT DIWALI GREETINGS
17 oct 2009 13:1 IST
The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil has sent her greetings on the occasion of Diwali.
“On the joyous occasion of Diwali, I convey my warm greetings and good wishes to everyone in India and abroad. Diwali, the festival of lights is the celebration of the victory of good over evil. Let this year’s festival bring peace, prosperity and communal harmony amongst the people and illumine the lives of those who are in need of help”.
17 oct 2009 13:1 IST
The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil has sent her greetings on the occasion of Diwali.
“On the joyous occasion of Diwali, I convey my warm greetings and good wishes to everyone in India and abroad. Diwali, the festival of lights is the celebration of the victory of good over evil. Let this year’s festival bring peace, prosperity and communal harmony amongst the people and illumine the lives of those who are in need of help”.
DEWALI- THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
bY Swami Sivananda- Head-The Divine Life Society-Rishikesh,India
DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhan-Teras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas, the 14th day, and by Deepavali proper on the 15th day.
There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.
In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in the holy Ganges.
Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instils charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.
Waking up during the Brahmamuhurta (at 4a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.
In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely, mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity being forgotten. People embrace one another with love.
Deepavali is a great unifying force. Those with keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice
of the sages, "O Children of God! unite, and love all". The vibrations produced by the greetings of love which fill the atmosphere are powerful enough to bring about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas! That heart has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred.
On this day Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthern oil-lamps. The best and finest illuminations are to be seen in Bombay and Amritsar. The famous Golden Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening with thousands of lamps placed all over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate the Govardhan Puja and feed the poor on a large scale.
O Ram! The light of lights, the self-luminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul.
He who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul.
The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.
Many Deepavali festivals have come and gone. Yet the hearts of the vast majority are as dark as the night of the new moon. The house is lit with lamps, but the heart is full of the darkness of ignorance. O man! wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Realise the constant and eternal light of the Soul which neither rises nor sets, through meditation and deep enquiry.
May you all attain full inner illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self! May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!
DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhan-Teras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas, the 14th day, and by Deepavali proper on the 15th day.
There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.
In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in the holy Ganges.
Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instils charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.
Waking up during the Brahmamuhurta (at 4a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.
In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely, mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity being forgotten. People embrace one another with love.
Deepavali is a great unifying force. Those with keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice
of the sages, "O Children of God! unite, and love all". The vibrations produced by the greetings of love which fill the atmosphere are powerful enough to bring about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas! That heart has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred.
On this day Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthern oil-lamps. The best and finest illuminations are to be seen in Bombay and Amritsar. The famous Golden Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening with thousands of lamps placed all over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate the Govardhan Puja and feed the poor on a large scale.
O Ram! The light of lights, the self-luminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul.
He who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul.
The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.
Many Deepavali festivals have come and gone. Yet the hearts of the vast majority are as dark as the night of the new moon. The house is lit with lamps, but the heart is full of the darkness of ignorance. O man! wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Realise the constant and eternal light of the Soul which neither rises nor sets, through meditation and deep enquiry.
May you all attain full inner illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self! May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!
RECIPE: SELROTI
By: Tulsi Regmi
This is a donut-like preparation made from ground rice and nuts. This is mainly served in Gorkhali festivals.
SERVES 10 (change servings and units)
Ingredients
· 3 cups basmati rice, soaked for a few hours
· 3 cups soft butter
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
· 1/4 cup almond nuts
· 1/4 cup cashew nuts
· 2 tablespoons grated coconut
· 3 cups chilled whole milk
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 liter cooking oil
· powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
1.In a blender, grind soaked rice, grated coconut, almond and cashew nuts into a coarse paste.
2.In a large bowl, combine ground rice, butter and sugar; mix well.
3.Add vanilla extract and salt; incorporate well.
4.Start adding milk gradually to the rice-butter mixture, constantly stirring.
5.The end result should yield a batter with consistency similar to that for pancakes.
6.Heat oil.
7.Pour some of the batter into a baking pipe.
8.Pipe out the mixture into oil so that you have created an enclosed circle.
9.Allow frying until the oil side of Selroti is golden brown; turn over on the other side.
10Remove from oil once both sides are cooked to golden brown and crispy.
11.Place on a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess oil.
12.Continue frying until all the batter is finished.
13.To serve, place two Selrotis on a plate; dust them with powdered sugar.
By: Tulsi Regmi
This is a donut-like preparation made from ground rice and nuts. This is mainly served in Gorkhali festivals.
SERVES 10 (change servings and units)
Ingredients
· 3 cups basmati rice, soaked for a few hours
· 3 cups soft butter
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
· 1/4 cup almond nuts
· 1/4 cup cashew nuts
· 2 tablespoons grated coconut
· 3 cups chilled whole milk
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 liter cooking oil
· powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
1.In a blender, grind soaked rice, grated coconut, almond and cashew nuts into a coarse paste.
2.In a large bowl, combine ground rice, butter and sugar; mix well.
3.Add vanilla extract and salt; incorporate well.
4.Start adding milk gradually to the rice-butter mixture, constantly stirring.
5.The end result should yield a batter with consistency similar to that for pancakes.
6.Heat oil.
7.Pour some of the batter into a baking pipe.
8.Pipe out the mixture into oil so that you have created an enclosed circle.
9.Allow frying until the oil side of Selroti is golden brown; turn over on the other side.
10Remove from oil once both sides are cooked to golden brown and crispy.
11.Place on a sheet of paper towel to absorb excess oil.
12.Continue frying until all the batter is finished.
13.To serve, place two Selrotis on a plate; dust them with powdered sugar.
CHINA'S GROWTH STORY VIS A VIS INDIA
China's phenomenal growth has been the envy of the world. It has lifted millions from poverty to prosperity within a single generation. But it has also been accompanied by imbalances between regions and rising inequalities between town and country.
Jose Montalvo and Martin Ravallion from the World Bank Development Research Group attempt to find out what kind of growth is best suited to reduce poverty. They also examine whether the Chinese experience bears out the Pattern of Growth hypothesis, which says that it isn't just growth which matters--if poverty is to be reduced, much depends on the sectors and regions which grow.
The researchers compare China's attempts to reduce poverty with India's and find that in China "only the growth rate of agricultural output matters for poverty reduction in rural areas". This is very different from the Indian experience where, "growth in the tertiary (mainly services) sector has had more impact than the primary (mainly agriculture) sector, while the secondary (mainly manufacturing) sector appears to have brought little direct gain to India's poor".
Why should the experience be so different for the two countries?One reason is that while China placed a high emphasis on agriculture right from the beginning of their reform period, India's commitment to the sector has been patchy. But the authors also refer to "an important historical-institutional difference. The relatively greater importance of agricultural growth to poverty reduction in China than India probably reflects, at least in part, the difference in the distribution of agricultural land.While India has a large landless population in rural areas, such landlessness is rare in China". In other words, a larger share of agricultural land held by the poor allows them to capture a larger share of the gains from agricultural growth. Simply put, land reform matters.
For India, Ravallion had in an earlier paper argued that the country hadn't done very well on the poverty reduction front because growth hadn't occurred in the poorest states of the Hindi heartland. The conclusion: Growth is not enough, it has to be spread evenly. Unbalanced growth, whether across regions or sectors, reduces the pace of poverty reduction.Institutional Investor Preferences and Firm Value by Gwinyai Utete It's common knowledge that the participation of institutional investors increases the value of a company.
And conventional wisdom tells us that institutional investors are attracted to a stock if the company is transparent, has good accounting policies and the management has a clean reputation. Gwinyai Utete of Auburn University examines the relationship between the preferences of institutional investors and the value of a company.
To do that, Utete classifies institutional investors. He says that "institutional investors differ quite dramatically in their preferences... Short term, high turnover (transient) institutional investors are found to be attracted to companies that perform well (in both an accounting and financial sense) but have a high level of informational uncertainty. Institutional investors with a longer term focus (quasi-indexer and dedicated) are found to be attracted to firms with features that facilitate oversight of managerial behaviour."
The results of his study show that while the presence of long-term institutional investors does increase transparency, it doesn't have any correlation with an increase in a company's value (as measured by Tobin's Q ratio, which is the market value of a company divided by the replacement value of the firm's assets). On the other hand, the transient institutional investors, or those which trade frequently "possess superior information to other market participants and actively seek out situations in which they can exploit this informational advantage. Their presence, particularly under conditions where firm-level information quality is poor, is associated with both higher returns and higher subsequent firm values".
In particular, transient institutional ownership is positively associated with firm value when cash flow volatility is high and when they buy stocks that have a lot of speculative reports about future earnings. Ironically, the research suggests that traders, who normally do not place much importance on regularly monitoring the firm, are the ones who can spot the big opportunities.
Jose Montalvo and Martin Ravallion from the World Bank Development Research Group attempt to find out what kind of growth is best suited to reduce poverty. They also examine whether the Chinese experience bears out the Pattern of Growth hypothesis, which says that it isn't just growth which matters--if poverty is to be reduced, much depends on the sectors and regions which grow.
The researchers compare China's attempts to reduce poverty with India's and find that in China "only the growth rate of agricultural output matters for poverty reduction in rural areas". This is very different from the Indian experience where, "growth in the tertiary (mainly services) sector has had more impact than the primary (mainly agriculture) sector, while the secondary (mainly manufacturing) sector appears to have brought little direct gain to India's poor".
Why should the experience be so different for the two countries?One reason is that while China placed a high emphasis on agriculture right from the beginning of their reform period, India's commitment to the sector has been patchy. But the authors also refer to "an important historical-institutional difference. The relatively greater importance of agricultural growth to poverty reduction in China than India probably reflects, at least in part, the difference in the distribution of agricultural land.While India has a large landless population in rural areas, such landlessness is rare in China". In other words, a larger share of agricultural land held by the poor allows them to capture a larger share of the gains from agricultural growth. Simply put, land reform matters.
For India, Ravallion had in an earlier paper argued that the country hadn't done very well on the poverty reduction front because growth hadn't occurred in the poorest states of the Hindi heartland. The conclusion: Growth is not enough, it has to be spread evenly. Unbalanced growth, whether across regions or sectors, reduces the pace of poverty reduction.Institutional Investor Preferences and Firm Value by Gwinyai Utete It's common knowledge that the participation of institutional investors increases the value of a company.
And conventional wisdom tells us that institutional investors are attracted to a stock if the company is transparent, has good accounting policies and the management has a clean reputation. Gwinyai Utete of Auburn University examines the relationship between the preferences of institutional investors and the value of a company.
To do that, Utete classifies institutional investors. He says that "institutional investors differ quite dramatically in their preferences... Short term, high turnover (transient) institutional investors are found to be attracted to companies that perform well (in both an accounting and financial sense) but have a high level of informational uncertainty. Institutional investors with a longer term focus (quasi-indexer and dedicated) are found to be attracted to firms with features that facilitate oversight of managerial behaviour."
The results of his study show that while the presence of long-term institutional investors does increase transparency, it doesn't have any correlation with an increase in a company's value (as measured by Tobin's Q ratio, which is the market value of a company divided by the replacement value of the firm's assets). On the other hand, the transient institutional investors, or those which trade frequently "possess superior information to other market participants and actively seek out situations in which they can exploit this informational advantage. Their presence, particularly under conditions where firm-level information quality is poor, is associated with both higher returns and higher subsequent firm values".
In particular, transient institutional ownership is positively associated with firm value when cash flow volatility is high and when they buy stocks that have a lot of speculative reports about future earnings. Ironically, the research suggests that traders, who normally do not place much importance on regularly monitoring the firm, are the ones who can spot the big opportunities.
FOR INDIAN CONSUMERS GOLD IS IN THEIR DNA
John Maynard Keynes called it a "barbarous relic", billionaire investor Warren Buffett doesn't set much store by it.But in India, gold has never failed to arouse extreme passion, either as a symbol of sanctity and human achievement or as one of evil and decadence. Now, investors and money are chasing it like never before as the yellow metal's price continues to scale new highs. On Friday, a day before Diwali, gold was trading at $1,046.53 (around Rs48,454) a troy ounce, receding from an all-time high of $1,064 two days ago. India is one of the largest markets for gold, but there is more potential to stimulate demand, says Ajay Mitra, India managing director of the World Gold Council, a grouping of gold mining companies formed with the aim to promote the precious metal.
A former marketing executive with Coca-Cola Inc., Mitra joined the council about three years ago and has since turned gold evangelist. With a twinkle in his eyes, he told Mint about plans for gold-tinted contact lenses, comparative returns with other asset classes and efforts to get saree vendors to sell gold. Edited excerpts: What are the reasons for gold's meteoric rise this season?The official view--and it's not just our view--is that the dollar has weakened tremendously and it's anticipated to slide further. That is one of the big reasons driving up gold.The other is an apparent inflationary trend in some countries, especially in the West.(For instance), Australia has already hiked interest rates.These are indications that the economy is going to turn around and there is inflation coming in sooner or later. And third, it (gold) is a portfolio diversifier. It is currently the only asset that has held on to its value, while other assets have had a roller coaster ride.While equity too has been doing well...how long will it sustain, consumers are not too sure. These are primary drivers of sentiments and price is following sentiments.
But where is it all headed? Infla tion is not yet a threat for key gold purchasers such as India, China and the Middle East. Are investors using it as hedge in spite of it touching all time highs?All-time high is something that's being broken on a daily basis over the last 10 days. The floor price is not something for me to speculate. Demand in India and the Middle East has been soft. Demand in China has been robust. Institutional buyers in the US have been very active. Institutional buyers in Singapore and other parts have been hedging. It's not just gold. Other commodities are also going up.
So, is it fair to say that investment demand is rising?I would love to say that. Current trends have indications of investment showing robust recovery. But we can't generalize for the whole country. We have been tracking consumer offtakes for the past two months. Mumbai is investment-driven. In Mumbai, coins and bars sell far more while Delhi continues to be jewellery-driven.
But why is overall demand soft in spite of the economic recovery gathering momentum?India has a private holding of 19,000 tonnes. Nowhere in the world do we have such private holding. If you were to liquidate the gold, we will be very rich per capita. It is there in the closet, in the lockers. There is a certain level of acquisition already done. The incremental acquisition will reflect economic conditions. Acquisitions now will be lower than, say, seven years back.
Diwali this season is early. Is it one reason for lower imports?No. People are buying gold.Those who want to buy gold are still buying. I don't see it as a slowdown. You have a limited income and your budget permits only so much for an asset. This year, we have seen a price increase of 23-24%. Year to date gold imports are down 26%. It's not a bad scenario at all. What other investment gives year-on-year (returns of) 20-25%. Remember, it's a finite resource. There is only so much gold above the ground and no new reserves are being discovered. So it'll always give you above par returns.
Are you buying gold yourself?I hadn't been buying gold before I joined (the World Gold Council). But the last two Dhanteras, I definitely bought gold and this year too (Dhanteras, a festival which Hindus consider auspicious to buy precious metals, fell on Thursday). Now, it's part of my investments.
Has the Indian consumer changed?For Indian consumers, gold is in their DNA. It's part of our mythology, culture and traditions, which is not the case in the rest of the world. For them, it's just an accessory, a fashion. It could be in, it could be out, depending on the trend.We are the only civilization that has stayed with our mythology and traditions. For us, gold is still part of our core beliefs. It's part of our psyche.
But surely, you must have noticed some changes?The core fascination for gold continues to be there. It may have taken a back seat from time to time; because we all try to maximize our investments by investing in funds which have given us higher returns. A trend we have been seeing is professionals who have got into businesses or starting a career--they really don't look at gold to be part of the investment you need to keep back.They are happy with the gold they have inherited. So it's our endeavour to find new ways and means and get them to invest in gold. This is something that has happened in the last 10-15 years. Another shift has been in the jewellery segment where the teens and the ones just getting into womanhood, they don't associate themselves with gold simply because we haven't been able to reinvent and make it relevant to them.
What are you doing about that?We will bring in prod A ucts--accessorize gold, new products in the white gold cat egory because that's what con sumers at this age are looking at. Now, when you say gold, all we can think of is the chain and the ring. We've got fantas tic products lined up for next year. One (for) instance, gold brushed contact lenses. It has never happened before. We are looking at belts and buck les and patches you can put in T-shirts with gold embroidery.
Basically, we are looking at fusing it with many other ma terials, many other forms.
We are also aiming to ex pand the reach. We have now roughly 3.2 lakh to 4 lakh (stores) for a population of 1 billion. Stores have to increase.
We have to make it accessible.
How do we do this? By looking at institutions which already have networks like the postal department. The other big op portunity is saree stores. These are complimentary categories.
Now, they do not know any thing about hedging and man aging gold. If we can help them do that, it can be a big success.
Nalli's (a chain of saree retail ers) is going to venture big time into this activity.
Does this mean that the trend will move towards branded jewellery?Branded jewellery is a phe nomenon only in the big cities.
In smaller towns, branded jew ellery is the store. It's the jew ellery store which is branded.
With the government taking its eyes off the excise angle, we believe fresh investments will come in this sector. Gold quali ty has improved and buyers are seeing better caratages now.
sOURCE:ravi.k MUMBAI
A former marketing executive with Coca-Cola Inc., Mitra joined the council about three years ago and has since turned gold evangelist. With a twinkle in his eyes, he told Mint about plans for gold-tinted contact lenses, comparative returns with other asset classes and efforts to get saree vendors to sell gold. Edited excerpts: What are the reasons for gold's meteoric rise this season?The official view--and it's not just our view--is that the dollar has weakened tremendously and it's anticipated to slide further. That is one of the big reasons driving up gold.The other is an apparent inflationary trend in some countries, especially in the West.(For instance), Australia has already hiked interest rates.These are indications that the economy is going to turn around and there is inflation coming in sooner or later. And third, it (gold) is a portfolio diversifier. It is currently the only asset that has held on to its value, while other assets have had a roller coaster ride.While equity too has been doing well...how long will it sustain, consumers are not too sure. These are primary drivers of sentiments and price is following sentiments.
But where is it all headed? Infla tion is not yet a threat for key gold purchasers such as India, China and the Middle East. Are investors using it as hedge in spite of it touching all time highs?All-time high is something that's being broken on a daily basis over the last 10 days. The floor price is not something for me to speculate. Demand in India and the Middle East has been soft. Demand in China has been robust. Institutional buyers in the US have been very active. Institutional buyers in Singapore and other parts have been hedging. It's not just gold. Other commodities are also going up.
So, is it fair to say that investment demand is rising?I would love to say that. Current trends have indications of investment showing robust recovery. But we can't generalize for the whole country. We have been tracking consumer offtakes for the past two months. Mumbai is investment-driven. In Mumbai, coins and bars sell far more while Delhi continues to be jewellery-driven.
But why is overall demand soft in spite of the economic recovery gathering momentum?India has a private holding of 19,000 tonnes. Nowhere in the world do we have such private holding. If you were to liquidate the gold, we will be very rich per capita. It is there in the closet, in the lockers. There is a certain level of acquisition already done. The incremental acquisition will reflect economic conditions. Acquisitions now will be lower than, say, seven years back.
Diwali this season is early. Is it one reason for lower imports?No. People are buying gold.Those who want to buy gold are still buying. I don't see it as a slowdown. You have a limited income and your budget permits only so much for an asset. This year, we have seen a price increase of 23-24%. Year to date gold imports are down 26%. It's not a bad scenario at all. What other investment gives year-on-year (returns of) 20-25%. Remember, it's a finite resource. There is only so much gold above the ground and no new reserves are being discovered. So it'll always give you above par returns.
Are you buying gold yourself?I hadn't been buying gold before I joined (the World Gold Council). But the last two Dhanteras, I definitely bought gold and this year too (Dhanteras, a festival which Hindus consider auspicious to buy precious metals, fell on Thursday). Now, it's part of my investments.
Has the Indian consumer changed?For Indian consumers, gold is in their DNA. It's part of our mythology, culture and traditions, which is not the case in the rest of the world. For them, it's just an accessory, a fashion. It could be in, it could be out, depending on the trend.We are the only civilization that has stayed with our mythology and traditions. For us, gold is still part of our core beliefs. It's part of our psyche.
But surely, you must have noticed some changes?The core fascination for gold continues to be there. It may have taken a back seat from time to time; because we all try to maximize our investments by investing in funds which have given us higher returns. A trend we have been seeing is professionals who have got into businesses or starting a career--they really don't look at gold to be part of the investment you need to keep back.They are happy with the gold they have inherited. So it's our endeavour to find new ways and means and get them to invest in gold. This is something that has happened in the last 10-15 years. Another shift has been in the jewellery segment where the teens and the ones just getting into womanhood, they don't associate themselves with gold simply because we haven't been able to reinvent and make it relevant to them.
What are you doing about that?We will bring in prod A ucts--accessorize gold, new products in the white gold cat egory because that's what con sumers at this age are looking at. Now, when you say gold, all we can think of is the chain and the ring. We've got fantas tic products lined up for next year. One (for) instance, gold brushed contact lenses. It has never happened before. We are looking at belts and buck les and patches you can put in T-shirts with gold embroidery.
Basically, we are looking at fusing it with many other ma terials, many other forms.
We are also aiming to ex pand the reach. We have now roughly 3.2 lakh to 4 lakh (stores) for a population of 1 billion. Stores have to increase.
We have to make it accessible.
How do we do this? By looking at institutions which already have networks like the postal department. The other big op portunity is saree stores. These are complimentary categories.
Now, they do not know any thing about hedging and man aging gold. If we can help them do that, it can be a big success.
Nalli's (a chain of saree retail ers) is going to venture big time into this activity.
Does this mean that the trend will move towards branded jewellery?Branded jewellery is a phe nomenon only in the big cities.
In smaller towns, branded jew ellery is the store. It's the jew ellery store which is branded.
With the government taking its eyes off the excise angle, we believe fresh investments will come in this sector. Gold quali ty has improved and buyers are seeing better caratages now.
sOURCE:ravi.k MUMBAI
16.OCT 2009
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on second day of his Sikkim visit today reached Nathula Pass, the last Indian defense post at the height of 15,000 ft. Modi participated in Diwali celebration of Jawans and offered sweets and a gift on behalf of the people of Gujarat to the soldiers.
Modi visited a Shahid Smarak that has been built in memory of 27 Indian martyred soldiers who were killed in 1967 by Chinese Army in fencing dispute.
About Nathu La pass
Nathu La is one of the three trading border posts between China and India; the other two are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh (or Lipulech) in Uttarakhand. Sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Nathu La was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements. The opening of the pass is expected to bolster the economy of the region and play a key role in the growing Sino-Indian trade. Currently, agreements between the two nations limit trade across the pass to 29 types of goods from India and 15 from the Chinese side. The opening also shortens the travel distance to important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the region.
The road to Nathula is one of the highest motorable roads in India. This road passes through Tsomgo Lake on its way to Nathula Pass. For the most of the part of the year, this tranquil place remains covered under a thick layer of snow. A special permit is required in order to visit Nathula Pass.
Here, you can see Chinese armed forces shielding their side of the border. In the present day, tourists are permitted to visit Nathu La on certain days (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday) of a week.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on second day of his Sikkim visit today reached Nathula Pass, the last Indian defense post at the height of 15,000 ft. Modi participated in Diwali celebration of Jawans and offered sweets and a gift on behalf of the people of Gujarat to the soldiers.
Modi visited a Shahid Smarak that has been built in memory of 27 Indian martyred soldiers who were killed in 1967 by Chinese Army in fencing dispute.
About Nathu La pass
Nathu La is one of the three trading border posts between China and India; the other two are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh (or Lipulech) in Uttarakhand. Sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Nathu La was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements. The opening of the pass is expected to bolster the economy of the region and play a key role in the growing Sino-Indian trade. Currently, agreements between the two nations limit trade across the pass to 29 types of goods from India and 15 from the Chinese side. The opening also shortens the travel distance to important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the region.
The road to Nathula is one of the highest motorable roads in India. This road passes through Tsomgo Lake on its way to Nathula Pass. For the most of the part of the year, this tranquil place remains covered under a thick layer of snow. A special permit is required in order to visit Nathula Pass.
Here, you can see Chinese armed forces shielding their side of the border. In the present day, tourists are permitted to visit Nathu La on certain days (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday) of a week.
Pak-China collusive intimidation
By: Cecil Victor
New Delhi—Asia Defence News International (ADNI)
That August to October is a season of madness marked by the Chinese attack on India in 1962 and the mindless Pakistani attempt in 1965 to capture the rest of Jammu and Kashmir by using troops disguised as tribals as it did in 1947 is accentuated by the current spurt of hostilities in both J and K and along the Sino-Indian border. This time there appears to be a coordinated attempt by Beijing and Islamabad to intimidate India, If the turn of events leads to open hostilities India must chose the time and place most advantageous to its own troops rather than be rushed into an unequal contest. Common intent is seen in the first breach of the ceasefire along the Line of Control by Pakistani troops in a long time. It coincides with the aggressive posturing by China in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and, more recently, in the Aksai Chin flatlands of Ladakh and a recrudescence of infiltration by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Clearly Islamabad does not want to go any further down the road as demanded by Washington in its campaign against the Taliban. The killing of Baitullah Mehsud with a US drone aircraft and accusations that Pakistan did not take advantage of the disarray that overtook the terrorist organization are other indicators that Pakistan wants a way out of having to fight the very terrorism that it helped nurture in the decades since the occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet troops. Heavy shooting along the Line of Control could help it shed its commitments to the US. Aware of the gameplan India has kept a low profile so as not to give Pakistan the excuse it is seeking. The Chinese would want the infiltators to succeed but for that to happen Indian attention will have to be divered from the LoC. That is why the Aksai Chin sector has been reactivated and the painting with red letters on rocks is intended to send to the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir the message that China is taking a hand in the proceedings. The Chinese series of provocative actions along the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas is intended to prevent a diversion of well acclimatized troops Indian from the India-China border to the India-Pakistan area of confrontation. India is aware of this collusive intent and has already implemented plans to raise two brigades of infantry to bolster its presence against China. But it needs to trace its steps carefully lest Beijing, as it did in 1962 after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai was being used by China to assert territorial control and it launched its massive attack. Nehru’s order came to be known as the “Forward Policy” of deployment of Indian troops and police along its claim lines. Beijing used this to its diplomatic advantage by projecting India as the aggressor. Indian military deployment in the Himalayas is far superior to what it was in 1960s as the Chinese discovered at Nathu La when it tried to get ratty after that.However there is needs to tread softly and diplomatically without walking into a trap of confrontation that Beijing is trying to provoke. Nonetheless, given the heady nature of the season at this time of the year, India should be prepared for aggressive action by its neighbours. This time it is happening in unison with malice aforethought. The signal for it was given when Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kiyani visited Beijing and since then there has been a slow but steady escalation of tension India and her two neighbours. Calls for talks by Pakistan and China are subterfuges and camouflage for their joint intention of destabilizing India using a combination of terrorist and conventional military tactics.For both of them the jehadi terrorist organizatios tht constitute the United Jehad Council are the bedrock of their geopolitics in which Pakistan is the vanguard and the terrorists are their proxies. It is not for nothing that Beijing has invested so much in terms of nuclear weapons and the missiles for delivering them. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability is the shield from behind which the terrorist spear is hurled. It is not for nothing that at every occasion Pakistan should harp on its being a nuclear weapons power and that military confrontation could, very quickly, erupt into a nuclear exchange. It is baldfaced nuclear coersion particularly since it is the overtly stated policy of Pakistan to use nuclear weapons at short notice. For China, Pakistan is the last outpost in its policy of creating a “string of pearls” -- its euphemism for a series of military focal points for power projection the North Arabian Sea. It is no accident that the string encircles India like a garrotte intended to strangle it.
By: Cecil Victor
New Delhi—Asia Defence News International (ADNI)
That August to October is a season of madness marked by the Chinese attack on India in 1962 and the mindless Pakistani attempt in 1965 to capture the rest of Jammu and Kashmir by using troops disguised as tribals as it did in 1947 is accentuated by the current spurt of hostilities in both J and K and along the Sino-Indian border. This time there appears to be a coordinated attempt by Beijing and Islamabad to intimidate India, If the turn of events leads to open hostilities India must chose the time and place most advantageous to its own troops rather than be rushed into an unequal contest. Common intent is seen in the first breach of the ceasefire along the Line of Control by Pakistani troops in a long time. It coincides with the aggressive posturing by China in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and, more recently, in the Aksai Chin flatlands of Ladakh and a recrudescence of infiltration by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Clearly Islamabad does not want to go any further down the road as demanded by Washington in its campaign against the Taliban. The killing of Baitullah Mehsud with a US drone aircraft and accusations that Pakistan did not take advantage of the disarray that overtook the terrorist organization are other indicators that Pakistan wants a way out of having to fight the very terrorism that it helped nurture in the decades since the occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet troops. Heavy shooting along the Line of Control could help it shed its commitments to the US. Aware of the gameplan India has kept a low profile so as not to give Pakistan the excuse it is seeking. The Chinese would want the infiltators to succeed but for that to happen Indian attention will have to be divered from the LoC. That is why the Aksai Chin sector has been reactivated and the painting with red letters on rocks is intended to send to the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir the message that China is taking a hand in the proceedings. The Chinese series of provocative actions along the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas is intended to prevent a diversion of well acclimatized troops Indian from the India-China border to the India-Pakistan area of confrontation. India is aware of this collusive intent and has already implemented plans to raise two brigades of infantry to bolster its presence against China. But it needs to trace its steps carefully lest Beijing, as it did in 1962 after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai was being used by China to assert territorial control and it launched its massive attack. Nehru’s order came to be known as the “Forward Policy” of deployment of Indian troops and police along its claim lines. Beijing used this to its diplomatic advantage by projecting India as the aggressor. Indian military deployment in the Himalayas is far superior to what it was in 1960s as the Chinese discovered at Nathu La when it tried to get ratty after that.However there is needs to tread softly and diplomatically without walking into a trap of confrontation that Beijing is trying to provoke. Nonetheless, given the heady nature of the season at this time of the year, India should be prepared for aggressive action by its neighbours. This time it is happening in unison with malice aforethought. The signal for it was given when Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kiyani visited Beijing and since then there has been a slow but steady escalation of tension India and her two neighbours. Calls for talks by Pakistan and China are subterfuges and camouflage for their joint intention of destabilizing India using a combination of terrorist and conventional military tactics.For both of them the jehadi terrorist organizatios tht constitute the United Jehad Council are the bedrock of their geopolitics in which Pakistan is the vanguard and the terrorists are their proxies. It is not for nothing that Beijing has invested so much in terms of nuclear weapons and the missiles for delivering them. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons capability is the shield from behind which the terrorist spear is hurled. It is not for nothing that at every occasion Pakistan should harp on its being a nuclear weapons power and that military confrontation could, very quickly, erupt into a nuclear exchange. It is baldfaced nuclear coersion particularly since it is the overtly stated policy of Pakistan to use nuclear weapons at short notice. For China, Pakistan is the last outpost in its policy of creating a “string of pearls” -- its euphemism for a series of military focal points for power projection the North Arabian Sea. It is no accident that the string encircles India like a garrotte intended to strangle it.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Protected Area Network
There is a large network of Protected Areas in the country. It includes 99 National Parks, 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 43 Conservation Reserves and 4 Community Reserves. Further, the Central Government provides financial & technical assistance for conservation of wildlife including management of Protected Areas
The Centrally Sponsored Schemes, viz; ‘Project Tiger’ and ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ have provided for the voluntary relocation of villages from the core areas of Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas respectively. During the 11th five year plan period, the package for voluntary relocation has been increased to Rs.10.00 lakh per family from Rs.1.00 lakh. The State/UT Governments have been requested to avail these provisions of the existing Schemes for voluntary relocation of people from core areas of Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas
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There is a large network of Protected Areas in the country. It includes 99 National Parks, 515 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 43 Conservation Reserves and 4 Community Reserves. Further, the Central Government provides financial & technical assistance for conservation of wildlife including management of Protected Areas
The Centrally Sponsored Schemes, viz; ‘Project Tiger’ and ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ have provided for the voluntary relocation of villages from the core areas of Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas respectively. During the 11th five year plan period, the package for voluntary relocation has been increased to Rs.10.00 lakh per family from Rs.1.00 lakh. The State/UT Governments have been requested to avail these provisions of the existing Schemes for voluntary relocation of people from core areas of Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas
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ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION TO BOOST RURAL HEALTH MANPOWER
16.OCT 2009
The President Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil has exhorted the medical community to work for the ideal of medical care for all. Speaking at the General Assembly of World Medical Association here today, the President said “The question of equitable medical care to all people is a big human and ethical question...... In India, we are conscious of this and through policies and programmes, efforts are underway to reach populations including those in rural areas that face the highest degree of deprivation in terms of health facilities. All governments have responsibilities to take action, but global institutions also have a crucial role. The World Health Organization and other international organizations like yours are major stakeholders in this endeavour. I would call on all of you present here today, to contribute, to further the cause of medical care for all.”Speaking on the occasion the Union Health Minister Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the participants about proposed alternative model for medical education primarily aimed for generation of the rural health manpower. In the proposed system “the admissions would be given to those, who qualify their examination from the schools located in rural areas with an average population of less than 10,000. Upon procuring the qualification they will be asked to serve in rural areas for prescribed period.” The minister said. Shri Azad said due to concentration of healthcare professional in urban and semi-urban areas there is a huge gap of availability of manpower at grass-root level. The minister outlined many short term and long term measures taken in consultation with Medical Council of India “not only towards mitigating the requirements of rural health manpower, but also towards ‘capacity building’ for health professionals in the country.” These measures involve not only “rationalizing the existing rules & regulations, at the same time we are also accommodating new ideas required for sustained development” the Minister said. He reiterated the measures such as relaxation of land requirement for setting up medical colleges, concessions for North- Eastern states, relaxation in teacher-student ratio norms for increasing specialists in the country and Public private partnership for setting up medical institutions. “Operationally, these wide ranging initiatives would definitely bridge the identified ‘crucial gaps’ in the domain of the requirement of the trained health manpower as against the prescribed ratio for health care delivery system. But under no circumstances the desired quality of teaching and training is compromised with in any manner” The Minister assured.
( editor comment: If the policy for recognition of colleges as proposed for North east States is approved, then Institutes like Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences's longterm recognition and increase in Seats problem will be solved.)
16.OCT 2009
The President Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil has exhorted the medical community to work for the ideal of medical care for all. Speaking at the General Assembly of World Medical Association here today, the President said “The question of equitable medical care to all people is a big human and ethical question...... In India, we are conscious of this and through policies and programmes, efforts are underway to reach populations including those in rural areas that face the highest degree of deprivation in terms of health facilities. All governments have responsibilities to take action, but global institutions also have a crucial role. The World Health Organization and other international organizations like yours are major stakeholders in this endeavour. I would call on all of you present here today, to contribute, to further the cause of medical care for all.”Speaking on the occasion the Union Health Minister Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the participants about proposed alternative model for medical education primarily aimed for generation of the rural health manpower. In the proposed system “the admissions would be given to those, who qualify their examination from the schools located in rural areas with an average population of less than 10,000. Upon procuring the qualification they will be asked to serve in rural areas for prescribed period.” The minister said. Shri Azad said due to concentration of healthcare professional in urban and semi-urban areas there is a huge gap of availability of manpower at grass-root level. The minister outlined many short term and long term measures taken in consultation with Medical Council of India “not only towards mitigating the requirements of rural health manpower, but also towards ‘capacity building’ for health professionals in the country.” These measures involve not only “rationalizing the existing rules & regulations, at the same time we are also accommodating new ideas required for sustained development” the Minister said. He reiterated the measures such as relaxation of land requirement for setting up medical colleges, concessions for North- Eastern states, relaxation in teacher-student ratio norms for increasing specialists in the country and Public private partnership for setting up medical institutions. “Operationally, these wide ranging initiatives would definitely bridge the identified ‘crucial gaps’ in the domain of the requirement of the trained health manpower as against the prescribed ratio for health care delivery system. But under no circumstances the desired quality of teaching and training is compromised with in any manner” The Minister assured.
( editor comment: If the policy for recognition of colleges as proposed for North east States is approved, then Institutes like Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences's longterm recognition and increase in Seats problem will be solved.)
October 16, 2009 S
Sikkim-A complete organic state is the need of the hour but it requires a well planned road map .The introduction of the tracebility in the country in the future will attract proper protocols for organic farming and there is great need for capacity building and awareness to adopt the organic farming and opt for GAP and Organic certification.A visible model of Sikkim will be a eye opener for other state.
The road map should have the participatory models for value chain partners for producing certified organic crops as well as the value addition center (for processing organic food for exports as well as for domestic requirements) to ensure the remunerative prices to the growers and to minimize the post harvest losses
Sikkim-A complete organic state is the need of the hour but it requires a well planned road map .The introduction of the tracebility in the country in the future will attract proper protocols for organic farming and there is great need for capacity building and awareness to adopt the organic farming and opt for GAP and Organic certification.A visible model of Sikkim will be a eye opener for other state.
The road map should have the participatory models for value chain partners for producing certified organic crops as well as the value addition center (for processing organic food for exports as well as for domestic requirements) to ensure the remunerative prices to the growers and to minimize the post harvest losses
By Dr Satyam Yadav
OBAMA- THE FIRST US PRESIDENT TO CELEBRATE DEWALI IN WHITE HOUSE.
CONGRATS OBAMA
Barack Obama, who became the first US President to celebrate Diwali in the White House, has won praise from the Indian-American community which said that his gesture demonstrated his commitment towards diversity and inclusiveness.
"It is indeed a historic occasion. All the credit should be given to Obama for officially bringing Diwali to the White House," said Shambhu Banik, an eminent Indian-American leader based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Though it was the Bush Administration which started the practice of celebrating Diwali, the event always took place in the Indian Treaty Room in a building annexed to the White House.
Mr Bush himself never attended the Diwali function, which was always graced by a senior member of the administration and Indian-American community members were invited to the occasion.
On Wednesday, Mr Obama gave a global dimension to Diwali by inviting people from across various faiths and Asian countries. At least half a dozen members of his Cabinet along with almost all the Indian-Americans in his administration attended the Diwali function held in the historic East Room of the White House.
Mr Obama himself lit the traditional 'diya' amidst chanting of Vedic mantras.
"President Obama continually demonstrates his commitment towards diversity and inclusiveness. It was an honour for the Indian-American community to be hosted in the East Room of the White House to mark the occasion of Diwali," said David Faria, another community leader who also heads USAsian, an advocacy group based in Washington.
Diwali is celebrated by the Indian diaspora worldwide and its recognition by the US President takes into account the festival's "global appeal," he said.
In a statement, the Hindu American Foundation said that "never before had a sitting US President personally celebrated the Diwali holiday, and with that one gesture, two million Hindu-Americans felt a bit more like they belonged -- one more reason to feel at home."
"May be that cliche that all of our diversity adds unique patches to the American quilt is not as tired as we thought," it said.
It also noted that Preeta Bansal to Neal Katyal and Kal Penn to Vivek Kundra and Rajiv Shah, high-profile Hindu-Americans, have reached the highest echelons within the Obama Administration
Barack Obama, who became the first US President to celebrate Diwali in the White House, has won praise from the Indian-American community which said that his gesture demonstrated his commitment towards diversity and inclusiveness.
"It is indeed a historic occasion. All the credit should be given to Obama for officially bringing Diwali to the White House," said Shambhu Banik, an eminent Indian-American leader based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Though it was the Bush Administration which started the practice of celebrating Diwali, the event always took place in the Indian Treaty Room in a building annexed to the White House.
Mr Bush himself never attended the Diwali function, which was always graced by a senior member of the administration and Indian-American community members were invited to the occasion.
On Wednesday, Mr Obama gave a global dimension to Diwali by inviting people from across various faiths and Asian countries. At least half a dozen members of his Cabinet along with almost all the Indian-Americans in his administration attended the Diwali function held in the historic East Room of the White House.
Mr Obama himself lit the traditional 'diya' amidst chanting of Vedic mantras.
"President Obama continually demonstrates his commitment towards diversity and inclusiveness. It was an honour for the Indian-American community to be hosted in the East Room of the White House to mark the occasion of Diwali," said David Faria, another community leader who also heads USAsian, an advocacy group based in Washington.
Diwali is celebrated by the Indian diaspora worldwide and its recognition by the US President takes into account the festival's "global appeal," he said.
In a statement, the Hindu American Foundation said that "never before had a sitting US President personally celebrated the Diwali holiday, and with that one gesture, two million Hindu-Americans felt a bit more like they belonged -- one more reason to feel at home."
"May be that cliche that all of our diversity adds unique patches to the American quilt is not as tired as we thought," it said.
It also noted that Preeta Bansal to Neal Katyal and Kal Penn to Vivek Kundra and Rajiv Shah, high-profile Hindu-Americans, have reached the highest echelons within the Obama Administration
UPS AND DOWNS IN REAL ESTATE
By Dhirendra Kumar
I wrote about real estate investing and how it must be evaluated according to the same basic criteria as any other investment. In response, I have received a large number of rejoinders, many from people who made money in real estate till about 2005 and lost a lot after that.
These letters made me think about how a piece of real estate gains value and how that value can be captured by people who own it at various stages in its life cycle. Broadly, here are the six sources of real estate value creation:
One: the legal ‘state-change’ from agricultural or unused land to residential or commercial;
Two: the creation of a physical environment which makes the real estate usable. This consists of construction and infrastructure;
Three: the improvement in actual livability (or commercial viability) as an area becomes fully populated and eventually comes into the mainstream;
Four: Inflation and general economic growth over a period of time;
Five: The periodic booms and manias that inflict real estate;
Six: the periodic slumps that occur.
Of these, one, two and three occur sequentially during the life of a real estate asset. Number four overlays all the others and goes on continuously while numbers five or six could happen at any time.
In the old way of investing in real estate, one bought a plot of land in an area which was substantially underdeveloped. Typically, one would buy it from a government agency which had acquired it and changed the land use, or a private entity which had done the same. In that model, you would capture all the sources of value creation except some part of stage one. All the price increases that would happen because of the other five factors would add to your returns.
Things are very different now when real estate investors buy apartments constructed by a developer. Obviously, in this new model, stage one and two are completely taken over by the land acquisition agency and the developer between them.
However, what has been happening is actually far worse for the buyer. The general hype around real estate, the massive price inflation and the high-pitched marketing around specific projects means that the developer has already tried to capture a lot of the future value accretion that would have happened in stages three and four.
As a buyer, you are told that one day the area in question would be the next central Delhi or south Mumbai and therefore, you should pony up a future price right now.
From an investment perspective, this basically means that your acquisition price has factored in a high valuation for future earnings. All that is left to you as an investor is numbers five and six in the list above, provided you are lucky enough to buy into six and sell out of five.
And that’s doesn’t always work out, as real estate investors have found out in the last year or so.
By Dhirendra Kumar
I wrote about real estate investing and how it must be evaluated according to the same basic criteria as any other investment. In response, I have received a large number of rejoinders, many from people who made money in real estate till about 2005 and lost a lot after that.
These letters made me think about how a piece of real estate gains value and how that value can be captured by people who own it at various stages in its life cycle. Broadly, here are the six sources of real estate value creation:
One: the legal ‘state-change’ from agricultural or unused land to residential or commercial;
Two: the creation of a physical environment which makes the real estate usable. This consists of construction and infrastructure;
Three: the improvement in actual livability (or commercial viability) as an area becomes fully populated and eventually comes into the mainstream;
Four: Inflation and general economic growth over a period of time;
Five: The periodic booms and manias that inflict real estate;
Six: the periodic slumps that occur.
Of these, one, two and three occur sequentially during the life of a real estate asset. Number four overlays all the others and goes on continuously while numbers five or six could happen at any time.
In the old way of investing in real estate, one bought a plot of land in an area which was substantially underdeveloped. Typically, one would buy it from a government agency which had acquired it and changed the land use, or a private entity which had done the same. In that model, you would capture all the sources of value creation except some part of stage one. All the price increases that would happen because of the other five factors would add to your returns.
Things are very different now when real estate investors buy apartments constructed by a developer. Obviously, in this new model, stage one and two are completely taken over by the land acquisition agency and the developer between them.
However, what has been happening is actually far worse for the buyer. The general hype around real estate, the massive price inflation and the high-pitched marketing around specific projects means that the developer has already tried to capture a lot of the future value accretion that would have happened in stages three and four.
As a buyer, you are told that one day the area in question would be the next central Delhi or south Mumbai and therefore, you should pony up a future price right now.
From an investment perspective, this basically means that your acquisition price has factored in a high valuation for future earnings. All that is left to you as an investor is numbers five and six in the list above, provided you are lucky enough to buy into six and sell out of five.
And that’s doesn’t always work out, as real estate investors have found out in the last year or so.
INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY DESTROYS MIND AND ENVIRONMENT
sushil yadav WRITES...
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Industrial Society is destroying necessary things
[Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land] for making unnecessary things [consumer goods].
"Growth Rate" - "Economy Rate" - "GDP"
These are figures of "Ecocide". These are figures of "crimes against Nature".
These are figures of "destruction of Ecosystems".
These are figures of "Insanity, Abnormality and Criminality".
The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked.
Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds.
Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature [Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land].
Chief Seattle of the Indian Tribe had warned the destroyers of ecosystems way back in 1854 :
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you realize that you cannot eat money.
To read the complete article please follow any of these links.Industrial Society Destroys Mind and EnvironmentIndustrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment
sushil_yadav,Delhi, India
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Industrial Society is destroying necessary things
[Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land] for making unnecessary things [consumer goods].
"Growth Rate" - "Economy Rate" - "GDP"
These are figures of "Ecocide". These are figures of "crimes against Nature".
These are figures of "destruction of Ecosystems".
These are figures of "Insanity, Abnormality and Criminality".
The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked.
Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds.
Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature [Animals, Trees, Air, Water and Land].
Chief Seattle of the Indian Tribe had warned the destroyers of ecosystems way back in 1854 :
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you realize that you cannot eat money.
To read the complete article please follow any of these links.Industrial Society Destroys Mind and EnvironmentIndustrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment
sushil_yadav,Delhi, India
If China keeps pressure on Arunachal Pradesh and J&K, India must also rake up the issue of Tibet
writes Vivek Gumaste.
Breaking free from its hallmark pusillanimity, and changing course from a tepidly reactive trajectory, the Indian government has finally shown some fortitude in its diplomatic interaction with China by sternly warning China to desist from proceeding with projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir [ Images ], namely the upgrade of the Karakoram highway that links Pakistan and China and the Neelam-Jhelum hydroelectric project. Both projects were announced by President Hu during the ongoing visit to China by the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
In a pugnacious and sharp riposte to the recent uncalled for Chinese objection to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [ Images ] visit to Arunachal Pradesh, an MEA spokesman on October 14 stridently demanded that China refrain from 'activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan.'
This paradigm shift in its India's attitude must not be a one-time affair or an exercise in isolation but must spark the initiation of a new robust policy that places India in firm control of its destiny as opposed to being a respondent to a Chinese driven agenda.
China's diplomatic strategy vis-a-vis India stands out for its Machiavellian craft. Central to this duplicitous diplomatic offensive are two distinct nuances aimed at placing India on the defensive and leaving it in a state of inactive consternation. First, China seeks to deluge India on multiple fronts: Tawang, Aksai Chin, Sikkim and J&K, lately. Second, to add to India's anxiety, each issue is deliberately never resolved to completion but left open ended to be exploited to its advantage whenever suitable. Unfortunately India has failed to unravel China's surreptitious tactics and consequently been unable to formulate a cogent response.
Traditionally, China's dispute with India has focused on Tawang and Aksai Chin. However China has recently added another dimension to this altercation by bringing J&K into play. According to reports, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi [ Images ] had been issuing visas on a separate sheet of paper to Indian citizens born and residing in Jammu & Kashmir as it does with Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh. This seemingly harmless practice has serious international implications for it presents J&K as a disputed territory which is not an integral part of India.
China's stand on J&K has waxed and waned according to the vagaries of the geo-political environment. After pursuing a relatively soft stance on J&K for the last few years that avoided a direct confrontation with India, the Chinese have now resorted to questioning the validity of J&K's status presumably as an accessory pressure tactic in its attempt to garner maximum advantage on the Arunachal issue. This fluctuating attitude is another wily facet of the Chinese game plan.
Even the democratic accession of Sikkim to India has been skillfully exploited to its advantage by China. China has never fully accepted Sikkim's status in the Indian Union. In 2003, when China did agree to open trade routes between Sikkim and Tibet, India naively assumed that this action carried with it an implicit recognition of Sikkim as a part of India. No sooner than the ink was dry on this agreement, China interjected to state that the 'Sikkim issue cannot be resolved overnight' as it was 'an enduring issue left over from history'. This effectively indicated to India that as far as China was concerned, the matter was not closed and could be resurrected at any time; another instance of a problem left in suspended animation.
In contrast India's diplomatic kitty is bereft of any armament that is likely to discomfort China. The one issue that India could have exploited to the hilt, Tibet was gifted away without eliciting any advantage. During Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, India reiterated its acceptance of the Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of the People's Republic of China in concert with its prior 1954 declaration. There were no caveats, no qualifications. It was surrender, carte blanche.
India's expectation of a favourable treatment in lieu of its magnanimous behavior is a misconception that will never pan out. India needs to rusticate its policy of appeasement. Appeasement rarely produces results. In fact it emboldens ones foes to push further and further extracting more and more concessions.
India must signal its change in strategy by reversing at least partially its unconditional recognition of Tibet; a monumental decision akin to a diplomatic earthquake that India maybe hesitant to entertain but one that targets China's Achilles Heel, fair and square. An outright rejection of China's claim to Tibet is not warranted but a statement couched in enough ambiguity to cause China some discomfiture should suffice; in effect playing by the same rules that China adheres to. Such a move is likely to produce results by placing China on the defensive. All along it has been India that has been at the receiving end reacting to an agenda scripted by China. This could turn the tables.
Vivek Gumaste (sOURCE: REDIFF)
writes Vivek Gumaste.
Breaking free from its hallmark pusillanimity, and changing course from a tepidly reactive trajectory, the Indian government has finally shown some fortitude in its diplomatic interaction with China by sternly warning China to desist from proceeding with projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir [ Images ], namely the upgrade of the Karakoram highway that links Pakistan and China and the Neelam-Jhelum hydroelectric project. Both projects were announced by President Hu during the ongoing visit to China by the Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
In a pugnacious and sharp riposte to the recent uncalled for Chinese objection to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's [ Images ] visit to Arunachal Pradesh, an MEA spokesman on October 14 stridently demanded that China refrain from 'activities in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan.'
This paradigm shift in its India's attitude must not be a one-time affair or an exercise in isolation but must spark the initiation of a new robust policy that places India in firm control of its destiny as opposed to being a respondent to a Chinese driven agenda.
China's diplomatic strategy vis-a-vis India stands out for its Machiavellian craft. Central to this duplicitous diplomatic offensive are two distinct nuances aimed at placing India on the defensive and leaving it in a state of inactive consternation. First, China seeks to deluge India on multiple fronts: Tawang, Aksai Chin, Sikkim and J&K, lately. Second, to add to India's anxiety, each issue is deliberately never resolved to completion but left open ended to be exploited to its advantage whenever suitable. Unfortunately India has failed to unravel China's surreptitious tactics and consequently been unable to formulate a cogent response.
Traditionally, China's dispute with India has focused on Tawang and Aksai Chin. However China has recently added another dimension to this altercation by bringing J&K into play. According to reports, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi [ Images ] had been issuing visas on a separate sheet of paper to Indian citizens born and residing in Jammu & Kashmir as it does with Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh. This seemingly harmless practice has serious international implications for it presents J&K as a disputed territory which is not an integral part of India.
China's stand on J&K has waxed and waned according to the vagaries of the geo-political environment. After pursuing a relatively soft stance on J&K for the last few years that avoided a direct confrontation with India, the Chinese have now resorted to questioning the validity of J&K's status presumably as an accessory pressure tactic in its attempt to garner maximum advantage on the Arunachal issue. This fluctuating attitude is another wily facet of the Chinese game plan.
Even the democratic accession of Sikkim to India has been skillfully exploited to its advantage by China. China has never fully accepted Sikkim's status in the Indian Union. In 2003, when China did agree to open trade routes between Sikkim and Tibet, India naively assumed that this action carried with it an implicit recognition of Sikkim as a part of India. No sooner than the ink was dry on this agreement, China interjected to state that the 'Sikkim issue cannot be resolved overnight' as it was 'an enduring issue left over from history'. This effectively indicated to India that as far as China was concerned, the matter was not closed and could be resurrected at any time; another instance of a problem left in suspended animation.
In contrast India's diplomatic kitty is bereft of any armament that is likely to discomfort China. The one issue that India could have exploited to the hilt, Tibet was gifted away without eliciting any advantage. During Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's visit to China in 2003, India reiterated its acceptance of the Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of the People's Republic of China in concert with its prior 1954 declaration. There were no caveats, no qualifications. It was surrender, carte blanche.
India's expectation of a favourable treatment in lieu of its magnanimous behavior is a misconception that will never pan out. India needs to rusticate its policy of appeasement. Appeasement rarely produces results. In fact it emboldens ones foes to push further and further extracting more and more concessions.
India must signal its change in strategy by reversing at least partially its unconditional recognition of Tibet; a monumental decision akin to a diplomatic earthquake that India maybe hesitant to entertain but one that targets China's Achilles Heel, fair and square. An outright rejection of China's claim to Tibet is not warranted but a statement couched in enough ambiguity to cause China some discomfiture should suffice; in effect playing by the same rules that China adheres to. Such a move is likely to produce results by placing China on the defensive. All along it has been India that has been at the receiving end reacting to an agenda scripted by China. This could turn the tables.
Vivek Gumaste (sOURCE: REDIFF)
Concerns over labelling of Bt brinjal for consumers
Environmentalists seek a system, supporters oppose it.
“The fact that this is an edible crop, it will become even more important to ensure that there is no contamination of non-GM crop.”
Mumbai, Oct. 15 Though the Government is yet to give its final clearance on the commercial release of Bt brinjal in India, concerns are being raised on who will regulate genetically modified (GM) food and how it will be labelled for consumers. Choice needed
There has to be a robust labelling system, so that consumers have a choice between regular and GM food, said Ms Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). LABS CAPABILITY
The labs in the country are not at present capable of identifying GM products, and there is also a question of who will regulate these products, she added. NORMS UNCLEAR
Food industry representatives also agree that it is unclear whether GM products will be regulated by the Ministry of Food, or will it be Health; Environment or Science and Technology.
But those supporting GM foods are questioning the very need for labelling GM food.
“Labelling is unnecessary,” says Dr Sajiv Anand, Director of All India Crop Biotechnology Association. GM-food is already available for consumption in Indian markets in the form of cotton oil and oil seed cakes made from Bt-cotton seeds (a GM crop), he added. IMPORTED
FOOD
Citing easy availability of imported food products from the US which contain GM food, Dr Anand argues that there is no need for a labelling process since “GM food is safe.”
A CSE note further points out that regulatory infrastructure is critical, more so, since other genetically modified food crops are on the anvil for clearance.
“If this is the case, then it becomes even more important for us to be cautious in clearing an edible crop, which then cannot be tested easily to check if it is GM or not,” the note said.
CONTAMINATION-FREE
“The fact that this is an edible crop, it will become even more important to ensure that there is no contamination of non-GM crops.
The procedures to guard against contamination have been laid down by India’s regulatory authorities but implementation of these procedures, in the farms and fields of the country is a challenge,” it added.
Environmentalists seek a system, supporters oppose it.
“The fact that this is an edible crop, it will become even more important to ensure that there is no contamination of non-GM crop.”
Mumbai, Oct. 15 Though the Government is yet to give its final clearance on the commercial release of Bt brinjal in India, concerns are being raised on who will regulate genetically modified (GM) food and how it will be labelled for consumers. Choice needed
There has to be a robust labelling system, so that consumers have a choice between regular and GM food, said Ms Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). LABS CAPABILITY
The labs in the country are not at present capable of identifying GM products, and there is also a question of who will regulate these products, she added. NORMS UNCLEAR
Food industry representatives also agree that it is unclear whether GM products will be regulated by the Ministry of Food, or will it be Health; Environment or Science and Technology.
But those supporting GM foods are questioning the very need for labelling GM food.
“Labelling is unnecessary,” says Dr Sajiv Anand, Director of All India Crop Biotechnology Association. GM-food is already available for consumption in Indian markets in the form of cotton oil and oil seed cakes made from Bt-cotton seeds (a GM crop), he added. IMPORTED
FOOD
Citing easy availability of imported food products from the US which contain GM food, Dr Anand argues that there is no need for a labelling process since “GM food is safe.”
A CSE note further points out that regulatory infrastructure is critical, more so, since other genetically modified food crops are on the anvil for clearance.
“If this is the case, then it becomes even more important for us to be cautious in clearing an edible crop, which then cannot be tested easily to check if it is GM or not,” the note said.
CONTAMINATION-FREE
“The fact that this is an edible crop, it will become even more important to ensure that there is no contamination of non-GM crops.
The procedures to guard against contamination have been laid down by India’s regulatory authorities but implementation of these procedures, in the farms and fields of the country is a challenge,” it added.
CHINA GLOBAL TIMES WARNS INDIA OF DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES
China’s Communist Party attacks India over border issue
China continued its verbal assault on India on Wednesday with the ruling Communist Party’s two official mouthpieces accusing India of “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia and “provoking” China over the border dispute.
The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, and the Global Times, an English-language paper run by the Party’s information department, launched a co-ordinated onslaught in their editorial pages on Wednesday, accusing the Indian government of “recklessness and arrogance”.
The People’s Daily said India was “obsessed” with a “hegemonic mentality”, had “turned a blind eye" to the concessions China had made over the border issue and "refused to drop the pretentious airs when dealing with neighbours like Pakistan”. The paper also accused India of following a policy of “befriend the far and attack the near”, saying that “resentment still simmered” from India's wars with China and Pakistan. “If India really wants to be a superpower, such a policy is short sighted and immature,” the editorial said.
The strong comments coming from China’s ruling Communist Party underscore how the atmosphere between the two neighbours has fast soured in recent months. Wednesday’s statements are a stark contrast from the conciliatory positions the two governments had seemed to adopt over the border dispute following the last round of talks in August, when officials in Beijing and New Delhi spoke of positive progress.
On Tuesday, China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, part of which China has claims on. New Delhi responded saying it was both disappointed and concerned, and that China’s statement did not help in resolving the Boundary Question.
The People’s Daily, a nationalistic newspaper run by the Communist Party’s propaganda wing, often articulates the party's positions on foreign affairs in more strident tones than the official positions stated by the Chinese government's Foreign Ministry. In its editorial, the paper went beyond attacking the Indian government, saying “Indians have become more narrow-minded and intolerable of outside criticism”.
The paper claimed a “rising nationalist sentiment” in India led the country to “provoke” China on the border issue. “[India’s] dream of superpower is mingled with the thought of hegemony, which places the South Asian giant in an awkward situation and results in repeated failure,” the paper said.
The Global Times threatened India would make “a fatal error” if it mistook “China’s approach for weakness”. “The Chinese government and public regard territorial integrity as a core national interest, one that must be defended with every means,” the paper said. “The disputed border area is of strategic importance, and hence, India's recent moves — including Mr. Singh’s trip and approving past visits to the region by the Dalai Lama – send the wrong signal. That could have dangerous consequences.”
The papers also accused India of “ignoring” China’s “concessions” on the border issue, but did not specify what the concessions were.
Indian analysts say China’s positions on the boundary issue have, in fact, hardened in recent months, with Chinese objections to visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh becoming more frequent and strong.
The Global Times also claimed 96 per cent of the over 6,000 respondents of an online poll on its Chinese language Website said they felt “agitated” by the frequent visits by Indian leaders the disputed area.
China continued its verbal assault on India on Wednesday with the ruling Communist Party’s two official mouthpieces accusing India of “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia and “provoking” China over the border dispute.
The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, and the Global Times, an English-language paper run by the Party’s information department, launched a co-ordinated onslaught in their editorial pages on Wednesday, accusing the Indian government of “recklessness and arrogance”.
The People’s Daily said India was “obsessed” with a “hegemonic mentality”, had “turned a blind eye" to the concessions China had made over the border issue and "refused to drop the pretentious airs when dealing with neighbours like Pakistan”. The paper also accused India of following a policy of “befriend the far and attack the near”, saying that “resentment still simmered” from India's wars with China and Pakistan. “If India really wants to be a superpower, such a policy is short sighted and immature,” the editorial said.
The strong comments coming from China’s ruling Communist Party underscore how the atmosphere between the two neighbours has fast soured in recent months. Wednesday’s statements are a stark contrast from the conciliatory positions the two governments had seemed to adopt over the border dispute following the last round of talks in August, when officials in Beijing and New Delhi spoke of positive progress.
On Tuesday, China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, part of which China has claims on. New Delhi responded saying it was both disappointed and concerned, and that China’s statement did not help in resolving the Boundary Question.
The People’s Daily, a nationalistic newspaper run by the Communist Party’s propaganda wing, often articulates the party's positions on foreign affairs in more strident tones than the official positions stated by the Chinese government's Foreign Ministry. In its editorial, the paper went beyond attacking the Indian government, saying “Indians have become more narrow-minded and intolerable of outside criticism”.
The paper claimed a “rising nationalist sentiment” in India led the country to “provoke” China on the border issue. “[India’s] dream of superpower is mingled with the thought of hegemony, which places the South Asian giant in an awkward situation and results in repeated failure,” the paper said.
The Global Times threatened India would make “a fatal error” if it mistook “China’s approach for weakness”. “The Chinese government and public regard territorial integrity as a core national interest, one that must be defended with every means,” the paper said. “The disputed border area is of strategic importance, and hence, India's recent moves — including Mr. Singh’s trip and approving past visits to the region by the Dalai Lama – send the wrong signal. That could have dangerous consequences.”
The papers also accused India of “ignoring” China’s “concessions” on the border issue, but did not specify what the concessions were.
Indian analysts say China’s positions on the boundary issue have, in fact, hardened in recent months, with Chinese objections to visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh becoming more frequent and strong.
The Global Times also claimed 96 per cent of the over 6,000 respondents of an online poll on its Chinese language Website said they felt “agitated” by the frequent visits by Indian leaders the disputed area.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
green tea can lower cancer risk
Five cups of green tea every day can cut the risk of developing certain blood cancers, say researchers. The much touted beverage, drunk in China, Japan and the Middle East, has been previously shown to have a host of benefits including starving off cancers, helping the heart, boosting the brain and lowering levels of “bad” cholesterol.
Now, in the latest study, carried out at Tohoku University School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, researchers looked at the diets and green-tea drinking habits of 41,761 Japanese adults aged 40 to 79. The participants had no history of cancer and were followed for development of blood and lymph-system cancers, reports The Daily Express. After reviewing the participants, researchers saw the chance of developing such cancers drop by 42 per cent compared with those who drank one cup or less.
From further analyses, boffins also found a reduced risk of blood-related cancers even among obese patients “considered to have higher risk of these”. The study has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Now, in the latest study, carried out at Tohoku University School of Medicine in Sendai, Japan, researchers looked at the diets and green-tea drinking habits of 41,761 Japanese adults aged 40 to 79. The participants had no history of cancer and were followed for development of blood and lymph-system cancers, reports The Daily Express. After reviewing the participants, researchers saw the chance of developing such cancers drop by 42 per cent compared with those who drank one cup or less.
From further analyses, boffins also found a reduced risk of blood-related cancers even among obese patients “considered to have higher risk of these”. The study has been published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
TIBET TURNS A LINK IN INDO-CHINA TIES
“Tibet is changing from being a barrier to a region linking China and India together,” Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo has said.
Mr. Yeo, who visited Tibet last month, said in a recent article that economically, there was much to be gained by improving road and rail links between Tibet and South Asia.”
“Indeed, the Chinese have suggested that Lhasa and Calcutta [Kolkata] be linked by rail,” Mr. Yeo emphasised. In his view, however, “the Indian government is understandably apprehensive about moving too quickly.”
Seeing the issue in a contemporary perspective, Mr. Yeo wrote: “Scars of the 1962 War are still raw in India. When the Indian Army moved to liberate Bangladesh in December 1971, an important factor it considered was the winter snow preventing the Chinese Army from interfering through the mountain passes. Thus, the reopening of the 4,400-metre-high Nathu La Pass in July 2006 was politically significant. As part of it, China recognised India’s ownership of Sikkim.
Hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cables have been laid in this year from Yadong in Tibet to Siliguri in West Bengal with an initial capacity of 20 gigabytes per second.”
The rapid growth of China-India trade in the past 10 years and the emergence of China as India’s biggest trading partner marked just “the beginning” of new economic linkages between the two Asian neighbours. “Common economic interests are driving the two countries into closer political cooperation, both bilaterally and internationally.”
In this emerging China-India economic context, “Tibet is both an opportunity and an issue.” According to Mr. Yeo, “the economic opportunity is obvious, but rapid development has brought about great stress to the Tibetan way of life, [and] this complicates bilateral relations between China and India.”
Yet, “Tibet is [also] part of a much larger Asian drama that is changing the world.” China and India “will supply much of the talent for global development in this century,” and how they “relate to each other in the coming decades will affect everyone,” Mr. Yeo wrote
“Tibet is changing from being a barrier to a region linking China and India together,” Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo has said.
Mr. Yeo, who visited Tibet last month, said in a recent article that economically, there was much to be gained by improving road and rail links between Tibet and South Asia.”
“Indeed, the Chinese have suggested that Lhasa and Calcutta [Kolkata] be linked by rail,” Mr. Yeo emphasised. In his view, however, “the Indian government is understandably apprehensive about moving too quickly.”
Seeing the issue in a contemporary perspective, Mr. Yeo wrote: “Scars of the 1962 War are still raw in India. When the Indian Army moved to liberate Bangladesh in December 1971, an important factor it considered was the winter snow preventing the Chinese Army from interfering through the mountain passes. Thus, the reopening of the 4,400-metre-high Nathu La Pass in July 2006 was politically significant. As part of it, China recognised India’s ownership of Sikkim.
Hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cables have been laid in this year from Yadong in Tibet to Siliguri in West Bengal with an initial capacity of 20 gigabytes per second.”
The rapid growth of China-India trade in the past 10 years and the emergence of China as India’s biggest trading partner marked just “the beginning” of new economic linkages between the two Asian neighbours. “Common economic interests are driving the two countries into closer political cooperation, both bilaterally and internationally.”
In this emerging China-India economic context, “Tibet is both an opportunity and an issue.” According to Mr. Yeo, “the economic opportunity is obvious, but rapid development has brought about great stress to the Tibetan way of life, [and] this complicates bilateral relations between China and India.”
Yet, “Tibet is [also] part of a much larger Asian drama that is changing the world.” China and India “will supply much of the talent for global development in this century,” and how they “relate to each other in the coming decades will affect everyone,” Mr. Yeo wrote
India Inc more comfortable with April 2011 GST rollout: Deloitte study
NEW DELHI
WHILE the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been widely perceived as beneficial for the economy, the government needs to set to rest the apprehensions surrounding the suitability of the dual structure of the GST model, says a survey released by the consultancy firm Deloitte on Tuesday. The firm surveyed finance executives of leading corporate houses who vouched for the new unified tax, but they questioned the suitability of the dual structure, which seems to be the only practical alternative as of now. The surveyed executives also shared concern about the possibility that a few states may not join the GST bandwagon. The current tax structure in India consists of federal and state levies on goods and services that are administered by the central and state governments, respectively. It has its own drawbacks such as cascading multiple taxes, higher administration cost and complex compliance. While presenting the budget for the year 2009-10, the finance minister had indicated that the dual GST structure will be implemented on April 1, 2010. However, the design of the dual GST is yet to be released in the public domain for discussions. Nevertheless, it has been observed that in a typical dual GST structure, the central and state governments concurrently levy tax on a common base for supply of goods and services. In case the government is not in a position to fully implement GST by April 2010, about half of the correspondents favour central GST being implemented first followed by state GST whereas about onethird respondents favour simultaneous implementation of dual GST in all states. The respondents were divided over extension of GST to products of conspicuous consumption that attract high tax rate, continuation of existing and fresh incentives or the manner in which tax credit will be made available on capital goods. Deolitte points out that to adhere to the April 2010 deadline, the government would need to mobilise its infrastructure in an unprecedented way to undertake internal reorganisation of roles and responsibilities, develop business process and audit manuals, train its resources and most importantly to achieve a degree of IT-enabled environment that the checks and balances in GST require. “The most significant point to note in the survey is the view put forward by many respondents that the appropriate date for GST introduction is April 2011. This clearly shows that there is a perception of lack of preparedness on the part of trade and industry and also the government to handle GST,” said Mr Prashant Deshpande, senior director-Indirect Tax.
NEW DELHI
WHILE the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been widely perceived as beneficial for the economy, the government needs to set to rest the apprehensions surrounding the suitability of the dual structure of the GST model, says a survey released by the consultancy firm Deloitte on Tuesday. The firm surveyed finance executives of leading corporate houses who vouched for the new unified tax, but they questioned the suitability of the dual structure, which seems to be the only practical alternative as of now. The surveyed executives also shared concern about the possibility that a few states may not join the GST bandwagon. The current tax structure in India consists of federal and state levies on goods and services that are administered by the central and state governments, respectively. It has its own drawbacks such as cascading multiple taxes, higher administration cost and complex compliance. While presenting the budget for the year 2009-10, the finance minister had indicated that the dual GST structure will be implemented on April 1, 2010. However, the design of the dual GST is yet to be released in the public domain for discussions. Nevertheless, it has been observed that in a typical dual GST structure, the central and state governments concurrently levy tax on a common base for supply of goods and services. In case the government is not in a position to fully implement GST by April 2010, about half of the correspondents favour central GST being implemented first followed by state GST whereas about onethird respondents favour simultaneous implementation of dual GST in all states. The respondents were divided over extension of GST to products of conspicuous consumption that attract high tax rate, continuation of existing and fresh incentives or the manner in which tax credit will be made available on capital goods. Deolitte points out that to adhere to the April 2010 deadline, the government would need to mobilise its infrastructure in an unprecedented way to undertake internal reorganisation of roles and responsibilities, develop business process and audit manuals, train its resources and most importantly to achieve a degree of IT-enabled environment that the checks and balances in GST require. “The most significant point to note in the survey is the view put forward by many respondents that the appropriate date for GST introduction is April 2011. This clearly shows that there is a perception of lack of preparedness on the part of trade and industry and also the government to handle GST,” said Mr Prashant Deshpande, senior director-Indirect Tax.
War of words between China and India continues
Ananth Krishnan
China’s Communist Party accuses India of “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia
BEIJING: The war of words between China and India intensified on Wednesday with China’s ruling Communist Party accusing India of harbouring “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia and “provoking” China on the border issue.
In what is possibly the strongest diatribe China’s ruling party has directed at India in recent memory, the Communist Party in two editorials in its official newspapers accused the Indian government of “recklessness and arrogance” and “turning a blind eye” to China’s “concessions” in resolving the long-running boundary dispute.
The remarks come a day after China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China still has claims on.
On Wednesday, the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, and the Global Times, an English-language paper run by its information department, launched a verbal onslaught on India in their editorial pages. The People’s Daily said India was “obsessed” with a “hegemonic mentality” and “refused to drop the pretentious airs when dealing with neighbours like Pakistan.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, incidentally, is currently in Beijing and on Tuesday discussed a highway project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with Chinese President Hu Jintao, raising concerns in New Delhi.
Wednesday’s statements underscore how the atmosphere between the two neighbours has fast soured in recent months, and are a stark contrast from the conciliatory positions the two governments had seemed to adopt over the border dispute following the thirteenth round of talks in August. Officials in Beijing and New Delhi spoke of positive progress then.
The People’s Daily, a nationalistic newspaper run by the Communist Party’s propaganda wing, often articulates the party’s positions on foreign affairs in more strident tones than the official positions stated by the Chinese government’s Foreign Ministry.
Alluding to India’s strategic relationship with the United States, the paper said India followed a policy of “befriend the far and attack the near.” It said “resentment still simmered” from India’s wars with China and Pakistan. “If India really wants to be a superpower, such a policy is short-sighted and immature,” it said in the editorial.
The Global Times, an English-language newspaper which often reflects the party’s views on foreign policy and is directed towards an international audience, said India would make “a fatal error” if it mistook “China’s approach for weakness.The Chinese government and public regard territorial integrity as a core national interest, one that must be defended with every means,” the paper said. “The disputed border area is of strategic importance, and hence, India’s recent moves including Singh’s trip and approving past visits to the region by the Dalai Lama send the wrong signal. That could have dangerous consequences.”
The papers also accused India of “ignoring” China’s “concessions” on the border issue, but did not specify what the concessions were.
Indian analysts say China’s positions on the boundary issue have hardened in recent months, with Chinese objections to visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh becoming more frequent and strong.
The Global Times also claimed that 96 per cent of the over 6,000 respondents of an online poll on its Chinese-language website said they felt “agitated” by the frequent visits by Indian leaders to the disputed area.
Ananth Krishnan
China’s Communist Party accuses India of “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia
BEIJING: The war of words between China and India intensified on Wednesday with China’s ruling Communist Party accusing India of harbouring “hegemonic” ambitions in South Asia and “provoking” China on the border issue.
In what is possibly the strongest diatribe China’s ruling party has directed at India in recent memory, the Communist Party in two editorials in its official newspapers accused the Indian government of “recklessness and arrogance” and “turning a blind eye” to China’s “concessions” in resolving the long-running boundary dispute.
The remarks come a day after China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China still has claims on.
On Wednesday, the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, and the Global Times, an English-language paper run by its information department, launched a verbal onslaught on India in their editorial pages. The People’s Daily said India was “obsessed” with a “hegemonic mentality” and “refused to drop the pretentious airs when dealing with neighbours like Pakistan.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, incidentally, is currently in Beijing and on Tuesday discussed a highway project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with Chinese President Hu Jintao, raising concerns in New Delhi.
Wednesday’s statements underscore how the atmosphere between the two neighbours has fast soured in recent months, and are a stark contrast from the conciliatory positions the two governments had seemed to adopt over the border dispute following the thirteenth round of talks in August. Officials in Beijing and New Delhi spoke of positive progress then.
The People’s Daily, a nationalistic newspaper run by the Communist Party’s propaganda wing, often articulates the party’s positions on foreign affairs in more strident tones than the official positions stated by the Chinese government’s Foreign Ministry.
Alluding to India’s strategic relationship with the United States, the paper said India followed a policy of “befriend the far and attack the near.” It said “resentment still simmered” from India’s wars with China and Pakistan. “If India really wants to be a superpower, such a policy is short-sighted and immature,” it said in the editorial.
The Global Times, an English-language newspaper which often reflects the party’s views on foreign policy and is directed towards an international audience, said India would make “a fatal error” if it mistook “China’s approach for weakness.The Chinese government and public regard territorial integrity as a core national interest, one that must be defended with every means,” the paper said. “The disputed border area is of strategic importance, and hence, India’s recent moves including Singh’s trip and approving past visits to the region by the Dalai Lama send the wrong signal. That could have dangerous consequences.”
The papers also accused India of “ignoring” China’s “concessions” on the border issue, but did not specify what the concessions were.
Indian analysts say China’s positions on the boundary issue have hardened in recent months, with Chinese objections to visits by Indian leaders to Arunachal Pradesh becoming more frequent and strong.
The Global Times also claimed that 96 per cent of the over 6,000 respondents of an online poll on its Chinese-language website said they felt “agitated” by the frequent visits by Indian leaders to the disputed area.
Khoto Sikko’ music released, film to follow suit soon
GANGTOK, October 13: The music of the first-ever contemporary Marwari film with the evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora was released today by Sikkim Forest minister Bhim Dhungel here at the Press Club of Sikkim (PCS) premises.A special screening of the Marwari film, ‘Khoto Sikko’ was also done at the Club premises for the journalists by a film maker of Sikkim.
According to the director-producer Rakesh Somani, the film ‘Khoto Sikko’ is the first ever Marwari feature film in the world and will be ready for release in the first week of September.“This is the first ever Marwari film in the new evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora”, said Mr. Somani before the movie was screened. He explained that the Marwari language being spoken in the original areas of community in Rajasthan is different from the language being spoken by the community who has migrated in other areas of the nation.
“With the influence of various cultures and languages, particularly Hindi, a new face of Marwari language has emerged. This new spoken language that has evolved has a difference in both the vocabulary as well as the prosody when compared to the classical variants of Marwari language spoken in various parts of Rajasthan”, said Mr. Somani.The shooting of the film started on May 20 this year and will be released after Diwali. The film runs over two and half hours and has seven songs.
The movie has been shot in Sikkim and West Bengal and the star cast in the film is from Sikkim, West Bengal and Nepal. The male lead is played by upcoming model Rounak Somani with Sonia Seth, who is from Namchi in South Sikkim, is paired opposite him in the movie. Local journalists Joseph Lepcha, Bhim Rawat, Anand Oberoi and Sanjay Agarwal have also acted in the film while another local journalist BP Bajgai is the assistant director.The storyline of the ‘Khoto Sikko’ film is based on the popular Marwari proverb ‘Khoto Sikko, Kaput Beto, Ari Mahi Kaam Awa’ meaning ‘a useless coin, a spoilt brat helps in adversity’, said BP Bajgai, the assistant director.
The filmmaker said that the prospect of enjoying the full-length feature film in ‘common’ Marwari is a dream for most Marwari films. He highlighted that it is through dramas and films that the upcoming generation will be interested to their language.“Although the artistes in the film are new but they have given their hundred percent and their good work is reflected in the film”, said Mr. Somani.
GANGTOK, October 13: The music of the first-ever contemporary Marwari film with the evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora was released today by Sikkim Forest minister Bhim Dhungel here at the Press Club of Sikkim (PCS) premises.A special screening of the Marwari film, ‘Khoto Sikko’ was also done at the Club premises for the journalists by a film maker of Sikkim.
According to the director-producer Rakesh Somani, the film ‘Khoto Sikko’ is the first ever Marwari feature film in the world and will be ready for release in the first week of September.“This is the first ever Marwari film in the new evolved Marwari language spoken by the Marwari Diaspora”, said Mr. Somani before the movie was screened. He explained that the Marwari language being spoken in the original areas of community in Rajasthan is different from the language being spoken by the community who has migrated in other areas of the nation.
“With the influence of various cultures and languages, particularly Hindi, a new face of Marwari language has emerged. This new spoken language that has evolved has a difference in both the vocabulary as well as the prosody when compared to the classical variants of Marwari language spoken in various parts of Rajasthan”, said Mr. Somani.The shooting of the film started on May 20 this year and will be released after Diwali. The film runs over two and half hours and has seven songs.
The movie has been shot in Sikkim and West Bengal and the star cast in the film is from Sikkim, West Bengal and Nepal. The male lead is played by upcoming model Rounak Somani with Sonia Seth, who is from Namchi in South Sikkim, is paired opposite him in the movie. Local journalists Joseph Lepcha, Bhim Rawat, Anand Oberoi and Sanjay Agarwal have also acted in the film while another local journalist BP Bajgai is the assistant director.The storyline of the ‘Khoto Sikko’ film is based on the popular Marwari proverb ‘Khoto Sikko, Kaput Beto, Ari Mahi Kaam Awa’ meaning ‘a useless coin, a spoilt brat helps in adversity’, said BP Bajgai, the assistant director.
The filmmaker said that the prospect of enjoying the full-length feature film in ‘common’ Marwari is a dream for most Marwari films. He highlighted that it is through dramas and films that the upcoming generation will be interested to their language.“Although the artistes in the film are new but they have given their hundred percent and their good work is reflected in the film”, said Mr. Somani.
Seminar on spices production from Oct 30 |
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TRAIN LINK FROM NJP TO BHUTAN AND NEPAL PLANNED
To counter China’s great push to build railway links in South Asia, the Indian Railways has come up with a plan to build links with Nepal and Bhutan.
Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) had been commissioned to conduct feasibility studies on six railway links with Nepal and three with Bhutan.
China, at Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Nepal’s invitation, has already drawn up plans to extend its 1,956-km-long railway line, connecting Qinghai province and Tibet across the Tibetan plateau, to Kathmandu.
China also pitched in with proposals to build an internal railway network in Nepal, news reports from Kathmandu said. What’s more, reports from Beijing indicated that China would construct a link to Pakistan through the Karakoram Highway, besides linking with Bangladesh via Myanmar.
Over the past few months, India stepped up diplomatic initiatives to neutralise China’s advantage in the region. India’s Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee told reporters in Kathmandu last July: “To forge better connectivity between Kathmandu and Delhi, India is considering bringing railway lines into Nepal.”
The Indo-Nepal routes being surveyed include six lines — from Raxaul, Jogbani and Jayanagar in Bihar to Birgunj, Biratnagar and Bardibas; Nautanwa and Nepalgunj Road in Uttar Pradesh to Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj, and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Kakarbhitta.
There exists only one rail link between India and Nepal, between Jayanagar and Janakpur.
“Some of these alignment surveys have been completed, while others are at an advanced stage,” said RITES MD V K Agarwal.
For Bhutan, the railways conducted internal surveys of three links – from Pathshala and Kokrajhar in Assam to Nanglam and Gelephu and Hashimara in West Bengal to Phunt Sholing. The cost of these projects is estimated at Rs 1,000 crore.
Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) had been commissioned to conduct feasibility studies on six railway links with Nepal and three with Bhutan.
China, at Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Nepal’s invitation, has already drawn up plans to extend its 1,956-km-long railway line, connecting Qinghai province and Tibet across the Tibetan plateau, to Kathmandu.
China also pitched in with proposals to build an internal railway network in Nepal, news reports from Kathmandu said. What’s more, reports from Beijing indicated that China would construct a link to Pakistan through the Karakoram Highway, besides linking with Bangladesh via Myanmar.
Over the past few months, India stepped up diplomatic initiatives to neutralise China’s advantage in the region. India’s Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee told reporters in Kathmandu last July: “To forge better connectivity between Kathmandu and Delhi, India is considering bringing railway lines into Nepal.”
The Indo-Nepal routes being surveyed include six lines — from Raxaul, Jogbani and Jayanagar in Bihar to Birgunj, Biratnagar and Bardibas; Nautanwa and Nepalgunj Road in Uttar Pradesh to Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj, and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Kakarbhitta.
There exists only one rail link between India and Nepal, between Jayanagar and Janakpur.
“Some of these alignment surveys have been completed, while others are at an advanced stage,” said RITES MD V K Agarwal.
For Bhutan, the railways conducted internal surveys of three links – from Pathshala and Kokrajhar in Assam to Nanglam and Gelephu and Hashimara in West Bengal to Phunt Sholing. The cost of these projects is estimated at Rs 1,000 crore.
Forex services extend to 24 more post offices from tomorrow
14 oct 2009
Twenty four more post offices will start facilitating foreign exchange services from tomorrow in addition to the existing network of 112 post offices across the country and the services will be extended soon to 1000 Post Offices. This was announced in a press meet organised by the Directorate of Business Development and Marketing, Department of Posts here today.
The press meet was organised on the occasion of first anniversary of sale of gold coins by posts offices coinciding with the Business Development Day. Briefing the media Ms. Suneeta Trivedi, Chief General Manager (Business Development and Marketing Directorate, DoP) said that Department of Post is under Universal Service Obligation to serve the masses but the organisation has to be economically viable at the same time. The Department is taking new initiatives in a manner that serve the people in more comprehensive manner and help the Department to sustain itself.
Speaking on the Occasion Mr. John Samuel, General Manager said that the scheme of selling gold coins that started through 100 Post Offices one year back has reached 500 post offices today throughout the country. These gold coins, in four denominations of 0.5 grams, 1 gram, five grams and eight grams, are available with special offer during the festive season till October 24th, 2009. Half gram of gold coin is being given free of cost on purchase of ten gram gold coins. While those in government services, including retired government servants, are getting a discount of six per cent on the purchase. Post Offices are providing the 24-carat gold coins on comparatively low prices and these are certified from Valcambi, Switzerland. Coins worth four kilograms of Gold are being sold by Post Offices on an average everyday in the country.
Speaking about speed post, Mr. Alok Sharma General Manager said that people can track their articles and also electronic money orders (eMO) through an SMS. The customer has to SMS the speed post or money order number by typing SP & eMO to 55352 respectively. This will result in locating the status of the article and money order sent. Speed Post also offers money-back guarantee, under which Speed Post fee will be refunded if the consignment is not delivered within the published delivery norms. DoP is likely to launch soon a new service called Corporate ePost Service for corporate organisation requiring bulk communication. Brand ‘India Post’ is a trusted name among its customers and hence, the new initiatives as well as established schemes draw more and more people to it.
Sikkim also likely to get a Forex Centre in the near future.
14 oct 2009
Twenty four more post offices will start facilitating foreign exchange services from tomorrow in addition to the existing network of 112 post offices across the country and the services will be extended soon to 1000 Post Offices. This was announced in a press meet organised by the Directorate of Business Development and Marketing, Department of Posts here today.
The press meet was organised on the occasion of first anniversary of sale of gold coins by posts offices coinciding with the Business Development Day. Briefing the media Ms. Suneeta Trivedi, Chief General Manager (Business Development and Marketing Directorate, DoP) said that Department of Post is under Universal Service Obligation to serve the masses but the organisation has to be economically viable at the same time. The Department is taking new initiatives in a manner that serve the people in more comprehensive manner and help the Department to sustain itself.
Speaking on the Occasion Mr. John Samuel, General Manager said that the scheme of selling gold coins that started through 100 Post Offices one year back has reached 500 post offices today throughout the country. These gold coins, in four denominations of 0.5 grams, 1 gram, five grams and eight grams, are available with special offer during the festive season till October 24th, 2009. Half gram of gold coin is being given free of cost on purchase of ten gram gold coins. While those in government services, including retired government servants, are getting a discount of six per cent on the purchase. Post Offices are providing the 24-carat gold coins on comparatively low prices and these are certified from Valcambi, Switzerland. Coins worth four kilograms of Gold are being sold by Post Offices on an average everyday in the country.
Speaking about speed post, Mr. Alok Sharma General Manager said that people can track their articles and also electronic money orders (eMO) through an SMS. The customer has to SMS the speed post or money order number by typing SP & eMO to 55352 respectively. This will result in locating the status of the article and money order sent. Speed Post also offers money-back guarantee, under which Speed Post fee will be refunded if the consignment is not delivered within the published delivery norms. DoP is likely to launch soon a new service called Corporate ePost Service for corporate organisation requiring bulk communication. Brand ‘India Post’ is a trusted name among its customers and hence, the new initiatives as well as established schemes draw more and more people to it.
Sikkim also likely to get a Forex Centre in the near future.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
SILENCE AS VIRTUE
by Swami Chidananda
The talented also suffer in life. They have a good time for a while but then sooner or later they get quite attached to the skills that they possess and to the recognition that they receive. Before long they notice that the world has other things also to do than just stand and admire their show. It is not easy to accept this. They want to continue to impress people. They want to go on displaying their gifts and receive awards and accolades. They get miserable when people turn their attention to somebody else.
The ability to remain silent – in contrast to the outgoing urge to perform, impress and derive pleasure – is a great virtue. In this silence we listen and learn. We are able to appreciate others’ abilities. We accept gracefully many ups and downs of life when there is this inner silence that perceives without hasty reaction. We are then ready to give but we do not insist. We do not impose ourselves on anybody but are available to help and serve. People feel peace about us. Our presence itself is a gift to them without a word uttered.
When they asked him to describe most briefly the essential sadhana (spiritual practice), Shri Ramana Maharshi said, “Be Still.” This advice to keep quiet means much more than vocal silence. In its profound sense, it is a call for a spiritual seeker to be free from ego. When the ego is present, long verbal silence has little value; when the ego is absent, talking much also is benediction in every word of it. The crux of the matter is therefore not “to talk or not to talk” but “to be free from the sense of I, me and my”.
By deciding to be free from ego, no one succeeds in doing so. The will to be humble and the resolve to serve people generate the ego if not create more illusions. Teachers like Krishnamurti therefore laid emphasis upon alertness and awareness. Paying attention to the movement of the self, which means being intensely aware of the operation of the ego, could bring a basic change in the way we live. To notice the false becomes the essence of sadhana, and not any attempt to define and assert the truth. Let the clouds go; the sun shines forth unhindered.
There is the play of ego when we dominate over others and there is its play when we cooperate in a situation where others dominate over us. The exploiters and the exploited both contribute to exploitation typically. The former would like to cause fear while the latter are used to reel under fear. Those who cause fear in others are afraid within themselves too, for they believe that they are in danger unless they keep others under their thumbs. Strained psychology is involved in all these cases of human consciousness that fears outwardly or inwardly.
The plane of words has its sophistication, no doubt. The nonverbal domain is more complex. Even after we learn to speak well-chosen words, and embellish the art with gestures gentle and suave, clever self-interest could lurk behind all these and cause insecurity and suffering. Attention penetrates all these layers to expose the machinations of the ego. The self thrives in a state of inattention but cannot stand the heat of attention. The selfish structure withers away when there is the flame of attention burning brightly in our life, moment to moment.
Where do religions stand? Where can we place practices like studying of scriptures or prayers to Gods? Or, for that matter, is the practice of meditation relevant in the context of radical transformation through attention? The answer is not in the form of dos and don’ts. Driven by our conditionings, which are memories, we are into many practices; they are long-standing habits.
By merely deciding to do them or not do them, we hardly change. Decisions and resolutions are superficial. It is only through understanding born of awareness again that practices drop off. Or they may get enriched, which means we may do certain things regularly (yoga for example) without the foul smell of ego, selfishness or seeking personal reward.
True silence fills our life with its fragrance, only when we observe the foolishly insecure ways of thought and there is ending of all insecurity in this observation.
by Swami Chidananda
The talented also suffer in life. They have a good time for a while but then sooner or later they get quite attached to the skills that they possess and to the recognition that they receive. Before long they notice that the world has other things also to do than just stand and admire their show. It is not easy to accept this. They want to continue to impress people. They want to go on displaying their gifts and receive awards and accolades. They get miserable when people turn their attention to somebody else.
The ability to remain silent – in contrast to the outgoing urge to perform, impress and derive pleasure – is a great virtue. In this silence we listen and learn. We are able to appreciate others’ abilities. We accept gracefully many ups and downs of life when there is this inner silence that perceives without hasty reaction. We are then ready to give but we do not insist. We do not impose ourselves on anybody but are available to help and serve. People feel peace about us. Our presence itself is a gift to them without a word uttered.
When they asked him to describe most briefly the essential sadhana (spiritual practice), Shri Ramana Maharshi said, “Be Still.” This advice to keep quiet means much more than vocal silence. In its profound sense, it is a call for a spiritual seeker to be free from ego. When the ego is present, long verbal silence has little value; when the ego is absent, talking much also is benediction in every word of it. The crux of the matter is therefore not “to talk or not to talk” but “to be free from the sense of I, me and my”.
By deciding to be free from ego, no one succeeds in doing so. The will to be humble and the resolve to serve people generate the ego if not create more illusions. Teachers like Krishnamurti therefore laid emphasis upon alertness and awareness. Paying attention to the movement of the self, which means being intensely aware of the operation of the ego, could bring a basic change in the way we live. To notice the false becomes the essence of sadhana, and not any attempt to define and assert the truth. Let the clouds go; the sun shines forth unhindered.
There is the play of ego when we dominate over others and there is its play when we cooperate in a situation where others dominate over us. The exploiters and the exploited both contribute to exploitation typically. The former would like to cause fear while the latter are used to reel under fear. Those who cause fear in others are afraid within themselves too, for they believe that they are in danger unless they keep others under their thumbs. Strained psychology is involved in all these cases of human consciousness that fears outwardly or inwardly.
The plane of words has its sophistication, no doubt. The nonverbal domain is more complex. Even after we learn to speak well-chosen words, and embellish the art with gestures gentle and suave, clever self-interest could lurk behind all these and cause insecurity and suffering. Attention penetrates all these layers to expose the machinations of the ego. The self thrives in a state of inattention but cannot stand the heat of attention. The selfish structure withers away when there is the flame of attention burning brightly in our life, moment to moment.
Where do religions stand? Where can we place practices like studying of scriptures or prayers to Gods? Or, for that matter, is the practice of meditation relevant in the context of radical transformation through attention? The answer is not in the form of dos and don’ts. Driven by our conditionings, which are memories, we are into many practices; they are long-standing habits.
By merely deciding to do them or not do them, we hardly change. Decisions and resolutions are superficial. It is only through understanding born of awareness again that practices drop off. Or they may get enriched, which means we may do certain things regularly (yoga for example) without the foul smell of ego, selfishness or seeking personal reward.
True silence fills our life with its fragrance, only when we observe the foolishly insecure ways of thought and there is ending of all insecurity in this observation.
INDIAN MINISTER SPEAKS AT SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION
14 oct 2009
Following is the text of Minister’s speech:
“Let me begin by extending felicitations from the people and Government of India on the momentous occasion of 60 years of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. I am pleased to participate in this Meeting, taking the Shanghai Cooperation process forward. We deeply appreciate the arrangements and hospitality extended by our hosts. We are now into the fifth year of our association with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an Observer state and these years have been eventful and satisfying. We are happy that engagement of Observer states is progressively on the increase and hope that this continues to the mutual advantage of both Member and Observer states.
The recent Summit in Pittsburgh underlined the fact that a collective and inclusive approach is the best and probably only way of addressing these challenges. Excellencies, most of us represent developing countries, and in varying degrees, have been adversely affected by the global financial and economic crisis. The crisis began in the heart of capitalist world but its effects have been felt across the globe. However, thanks to the policies and programmes adopted by the Government with the support of the people, the effect was marginal in India. The need to revive the global economy is a complex challenge, requiring efforts from all of us. In such a scenario, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can play an important role.
On the economic front, we can strengthen the linkages between us in the areas of trade, business exchanges and investment, as well as adopt mutually reinforcing monetary and fiscal policies. Sectors like energy, infrastructure, agriculture, banking, transportation, science and technology and education offer opportunities for substantive cooperation. India will be happy to participate in these activities. In addition to this, terrorism and the ideologies of exclusion and intolerance threaten to undo whatever we have achieved. All of us who have gathered here take pride in our civilisational values and cultural diversity. The terrorist attack in Mumbai was a grim reminder of the transnational nature of terrorism. It evoked widespread condemnation from the world community.
The time has come to adopt a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism. The need of the hour is to have greater cooperation, exchange of information and coordination. The SCO has made progress in the area of counter-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking measures. We have sought a mutually beneficial association with the Regional Counter Terrorism Structure based in Tashkent and are ready to complete the required formalities. We should also move towards early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
As a Minister dealing with energy matters in the Government of India, I would also like to mention energy security which figures very high on each of our national agendas. We need to ensure stability and predictability of world energy markets. As SCO is a unique forum which has a mix of both energy producing and energy consuming countries, SCO countries can make an effective contribution towards a cooperative framework for ensuring energy security. In this context, we hope to see the SCO Energy Club take concrete shape and become a forum of discussion among SCO countries in this critical area. As a close neighbour, we wish the Shanghai Cooperation Organization all success in its diverse activities. There is a lot to be gained through strengthening connectivity between the SCO and India..
In conclusion, I wish to convey our deep appreciation to His Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao for the excellent arrangements made by the Government of the People’s Republic of China for the Meeting”.
Following is the text of Minister’s speech:
“Let me begin by extending felicitations from the people and Government of India on the momentous occasion of 60 years of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. I am pleased to participate in this Meeting, taking the Shanghai Cooperation process forward. We deeply appreciate the arrangements and hospitality extended by our hosts. We are now into the fifth year of our association with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an Observer state and these years have been eventful and satisfying. We are happy that engagement of Observer states is progressively on the increase and hope that this continues to the mutual advantage of both Member and Observer states.
The recent Summit in Pittsburgh underlined the fact that a collective and inclusive approach is the best and probably only way of addressing these challenges. Excellencies, most of us represent developing countries, and in varying degrees, have been adversely affected by the global financial and economic crisis. The crisis began in the heart of capitalist world but its effects have been felt across the globe. However, thanks to the policies and programmes adopted by the Government with the support of the people, the effect was marginal in India. The need to revive the global economy is a complex challenge, requiring efforts from all of us. In such a scenario, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can play an important role.
On the economic front, we can strengthen the linkages between us in the areas of trade, business exchanges and investment, as well as adopt mutually reinforcing monetary and fiscal policies. Sectors like energy, infrastructure, agriculture, banking, transportation, science and technology and education offer opportunities for substantive cooperation. India will be happy to participate in these activities. In addition to this, terrorism and the ideologies of exclusion and intolerance threaten to undo whatever we have achieved. All of us who have gathered here take pride in our civilisational values and cultural diversity. The terrorist attack in Mumbai was a grim reminder of the transnational nature of terrorism. It evoked widespread condemnation from the world community.
The time has come to adopt a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism. The need of the hour is to have greater cooperation, exchange of information and coordination. The SCO has made progress in the area of counter-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking measures. We have sought a mutually beneficial association with the Regional Counter Terrorism Structure based in Tashkent and are ready to complete the required formalities. We should also move towards early adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
As a Minister dealing with energy matters in the Government of India, I would also like to mention energy security which figures very high on each of our national agendas. We need to ensure stability and predictability of world energy markets. As SCO is a unique forum which has a mix of both energy producing and energy consuming countries, SCO countries can make an effective contribution towards a cooperative framework for ensuring energy security. In this context, we hope to see the SCO Energy Club take concrete shape and become a forum of discussion among SCO countries in this critical area. As a close neighbour, we wish the Shanghai Cooperation Organization all success in its diverse activities. There is a lot to be gained through strengthening connectivity between the SCO and India..
In conclusion, I wish to convey our deep appreciation to His Excellency Premier Wen Jiabao for the excellent arrangements made by the Government of the People’s Republic of China for the Meeting”.
Melli teesta bank to be developed with water fountains, street lights & fishing points
Melli, an important yet neglected entry point to South and West Sikkim, is set for a revamp with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announcing a slew of tourism, beautification and urbanization integrated packages for this sleeping town during his tour yesterday.Speaking about his intentions to usher in new age development for Melli so that this old town of the State catches up with the rapidly developing other urban areas of the State especially its Rangpo counterpart, the Chief Minister said that Melli figures prominently in the beautification plays of the State government.
The Chief Minister had reached Melli after completing a recce of Ranipool, Singtam and Rangpo to explore the tourism, industry and beautification potential of these areas. Keeping in line with the Gangtok beautification drive, Mr. Chamling announced a similar drive for Melli while giving the directions to the accompanying ministers and bureaucrats to prepare DPRs. He also directed the authorities for setting up an eco-friendly footpath along the Teesta river bank below Melli bazaar. Street lights, recreation centre and water fountain should be set up along the footpath to boost tourism of Melli and Sikkim, he said. He also issued directions for setting up fishing points at various points of the eco-friendly footpath running along the Teesta river below the bazaar area.For Melli residents, Mr. Chamling announced that a fire station will be set up in the bazaar along with a multi-purpose community centre. A horticulture packaging centre will also come up here, he said during his tour.The Chief Minister also passed directions for road widening works from Melli check post to bazaar area and erecting a welcome gate before the bazaar area. He also announced that the sewerage system of Melli bazaar will be revamped and modernized. He also promised to restore the Shiva Mandir in the area which had been established in 1933.
Mr. Chamling promised to provide all modern facilities to the Melli secondary school and directed the officials to process the necessary paperwork.During his interaction with the local people, the Chief Minister underlined the need to maintain the image of Sikkim as a peaceful State. We must shed our personal interests and work for the holistic development of Sikkim, he said appealing all to come forward and commit themselves to the vision and programmes of the State government.The Chief Minister completed his three hour long tour of Melli after giving a patient hearing to the grievances of the local people
Melli, an important yet neglected entry point to South and West Sikkim, is set for a revamp with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announcing a slew of tourism, beautification and urbanization integrated packages for this sleeping town during his tour yesterday.Speaking about his intentions to usher in new age development for Melli so that this old town of the State catches up with the rapidly developing other urban areas of the State especially its Rangpo counterpart, the Chief Minister said that Melli figures prominently in the beautification plays of the State government.
The Chief Minister had reached Melli after completing a recce of Ranipool, Singtam and Rangpo to explore the tourism, industry and beautification potential of these areas. Keeping in line with the Gangtok beautification drive, Mr. Chamling announced a similar drive for Melli while giving the directions to the accompanying ministers and bureaucrats to prepare DPRs. He also directed the authorities for setting up an eco-friendly footpath along the Teesta river bank below Melli bazaar. Street lights, recreation centre and water fountain should be set up along the footpath to boost tourism of Melli and Sikkim, he said. He also issued directions for setting up fishing points at various points of the eco-friendly footpath running along the Teesta river below the bazaar area.For Melli residents, Mr. Chamling announced that a fire station will be set up in the bazaar along with a multi-purpose community centre. A horticulture packaging centre will also come up here, he said during his tour.The Chief Minister also passed directions for road widening works from Melli check post to bazaar area and erecting a welcome gate before the bazaar area. He also announced that the sewerage system of Melli bazaar will be revamped and modernized. He also promised to restore the Shiva Mandir in the area which had been established in 1933.
Mr. Chamling promised to provide all modern facilities to the Melli secondary school and directed the officials to process the necessary paperwork.During his interaction with the local people, the Chief Minister underlined the need to maintain the image of Sikkim as a peaceful State. We must shed our personal interests and work for the holistic development of Sikkim, he said appealing all to come forward and commit themselves to the vision and programmes of the State government.The Chief Minister completed his three hour long tour of Melli after giving a patient hearing to the grievances of the local people
Capacity building training to Sikkim farmers
Gangtok,October13 : To disseminate the advanced technologies, ICAR Sikkim centre is on its way to strengthen the farmers of Sikkim by empowering them with knowledge and skill in the field of agriculture, horticulture and animal sciences. Besides hands on training and short training, ICAR has conducted three capacity building trainings of one week duration. First training was organized in view of less rainfall, focusing on conservation and proper utilization of rain water for efficient water utilization. In the training main focus was given on the technologies requiring less water for cultivation viz., SRI method of rice cultivation, drip irrigation, drainage, water storage technologies, irrigation and drainage requirement of major horticultural and agricultural crops. Two other trainings were conducted on Capacity Building for Farming Community of Sikkim from September 06 - 11th, and Oct. 06-11, 2009, financed by NABARD, Gangtok.The training was focused on advanced technologies with hands on experience. The farmers were exposed to advanced technologies through lecture in morning session followed by field visit of the same technology in afternoon session. The training was coordinated by course leader and Principal Scientist Dr. R. K. Avasthe along with training coordinators Dr H Kalita and Dr Ashok Kumar. Both the NABARD financed trainings were inaugurated by Mr. B. K. Dey, General Manager, NABARD, Gangtok, in presence of Dr H. Rahman, Jt. Director, ICAR Sikkim Centre, Tadong.
Gangtok,October13 : To disseminate the advanced technologies, ICAR Sikkim centre is on its way to strengthen the farmers of Sikkim by empowering them with knowledge and skill in the field of agriculture, horticulture and animal sciences. Besides hands on training and short training, ICAR has conducted three capacity building trainings of one week duration. First training was organized in view of less rainfall, focusing on conservation and proper utilization of rain water for efficient water utilization. In the training main focus was given on the technologies requiring less water for cultivation viz., SRI method of rice cultivation, drip irrigation, drainage, water storage technologies, irrigation and drainage requirement of major horticultural and agricultural crops. Two other trainings were conducted on Capacity Building for Farming Community of Sikkim from September 06 - 11th, and Oct. 06-11, 2009, financed by NABARD, Gangtok.The training was focused on advanced technologies with hands on experience. The farmers were exposed to advanced technologies through lecture in morning session followed by field visit of the same technology in afternoon session. The training was coordinated by course leader and Principal Scientist Dr. R. K. Avasthe along with training coordinators Dr H Kalita and Dr Ashok Kumar. Both the NABARD financed trainings were inaugurated by Mr. B. K. Dey, General Manager, NABARD, Gangtok, in presence of Dr H. Rahman, Jt. Director, ICAR Sikkim Centre, Tadong.
Sikkim is hotspot in biodiversity : Japan
Preparation of digital maps and rapid survey for setting up biodiversity information base has been advised in the ‘biodiversity conservation’ component of the interim report of the preparatory study on ‘Integrated Project for Sustainable Development of Forest Resources in Sikkim’ by Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA).While presenting the biodiversity conservation component last week to the State government, the biodiversity conservation expert in the JICA study team, Dr. Pralad B Yonzon first underlined the importance of understanding why Sikkim is so important in terms of biodiversity hotspot.The continental shift millions of years ago linking Southeast Asia with other parts of Asia led Sikkim to become a faunal gate, said Dr. Yonzon. Species found here are not found elsewhere, he added.The JICA study team biodiversity expert then highlighted the constraints and opportunities and what Sikkim can secure in the sectors of rights & concession, stability of protected areas, inscription of Khangchendzonga, important bird areas and Sikkim Biodiversity Action Plan. The last one, he said, was very much people and army oriented.Regarding stability of protected areas, Dr. Yonzon said that 31 percent of protected areas in Sikkim are very small size with the medium size protected area being around 52 sq kms. Some of the protected areas here are only six sq kms which is the constraint, he said.The sizes of protected areas must be increased, said the JICA expert as priority areas for intervention. He pointed out that Sikkim has 3500 sq kms of forest while suggesting that the remaining forest areas could be amalgamated into the existing protected areas making them larger. National Park is the brand name for eco-tourism, he said. We also need accurate data for perfect policies through an institutional set up for land-based information, he said. Dr. Yonzon said that JICA is also trying to look into Kangchendzonga National Park as a world heritage list. He also suggested policy review and strategic planning of at least ten years for biodiversity conservation.Suggesting study of high-altitude ecosystem and flagship species of Sikkim, the JICA study team said that such study is very important because climate changes first occur in the high altitude areas.Dr. Yonzon suggested dividing ecosystem of Sikkim into four ecosystems – forest ecosystem, alpine ecosystem, fresh water ecosystem and agrobiodiversity ecosystem.It is also advisable to set up a biodiversity information base for Sikkim for digital map preparation by the State Forest department, he said.The JICA expert suggested a rapid biodiversity survey where 1200 plots in the forest areas of Sikkim will be computer generated. Samples will be taken from these plots and studied to where forests means in terms of biodiversity. We also need to study how much forest resources are being used by local people and whether such use is sustainable, he said. He further recommended more park boundary pillars and contribution from the Indian Army.Dr. Yonzon also stressed on research, development and promotion of ex-situ conservation at Himalayan Zoological Park, Sikkim Biodiversity Centre, Sikkim Biodiversity Trust Fund and Field Conservation Grant
Preparation of digital maps and rapid survey for setting up biodiversity information base has been advised in the ‘biodiversity conservation’ component of the interim report of the preparatory study on ‘Integrated Project for Sustainable Development of Forest Resources in Sikkim’ by Japanese International Cooperative Agency (JICA).While presenting the biodiversity conservation component last week to the State government, the biodiversity conservation expert in the JICA study team, Dr. Pralad B Yonzon first underlined the importance of understanding why Sikkim is so important in terms of biodiversity hotspot.The continental shift millions of years ago linking Southeast Asia with other parts of Asia led Sikkim to become a faunal gate, said Dr. Yonzon. Species found here are not found elsewhere, he added.The JICA study team biodiversity expert then highlighted the constraints and opportunities and what Sikkim can secure in the sectors of rights & concession, stability of protected areas, inscription of Khangchendzonga, important bird areas and Sikkim Biodiversity Action Plan. The last one, he said, was very much people and army oriented.Regarding stability of protected areas, Dr. Yonzon said that 31 percent of protected areas in Sikkim are very small size with the medium size protected area being around 52 sq kms. Some of the protected areas here are only six sq kms which is the constraint, he said.The sizes of protected areas must be increased, said the JICA expert as priority areas for intervention. He pointed out that Sikkim has 3500 sq kms of forest while suggesting that the remaining forest areas could be amalgamated into the existing protected areas making them larger. National Park is the brand name for eco-tourism, he said. We also need accurate data for perfect policies through an institutional set up for land-based information, he said. Dr. Yonzon said that JICA is also trying to look into Kangchendzonga National Park as a world heritage list. He also suggested policy review and strategic planning of at least ten years for biodiversity conservation.Suggesting study of high-altitude ecosystem and flagship species of Sikkim, the JICA study team said that such study is very important because climate changes first occur in the high altitude areas.Dr. Yonzon suggested dividing ecosystem of Sikkim into four ecosystems – forest ecosystem, alpine ecosystem, fresh water ecosystem and agrobiodiversity ecosystem.It is also advisable to set up a biodiversity information base for Sikkim for digital map preparation by the State Forest department, he said.The JICA expert suggested a rapid biodiversity survey where 1200 plots in the forest areas of Sikkim will be computer generated. Samples will be taken from these plots and studied to where forests means in terms of biodiversity. We also need to study how much forest resources are being used by local people and whether such use is sustainable, he said. He further recommended more park boundary pillars and contribution from the Indian Army.Dr. Yonzon also stressed on research, development and promotion of ex-situ conservation at Himalayan Zoological Park, Sikkim Biodiversity Centre, Sikkim Biodiversity Trust Fund and Field Conservation Grant
Chinese traders get site at Sherathang trade mart
Gangtok, October 12: A complex for Chinese traders in the Sherathang Trade Mart premises was opened from today, 3 years after the Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) resumed in June, 2006.The complex for Chinese traders at the Sherathang mart has rooms for 12 shops and was opened for the Chinese traders from today after the infrastructure was finally completed, sources informed.
Sources informed that the Chinese traders were very happy to do business and conduct trade under a permanent roof as they have been so far running at road side in the mart at the mercy of adverse weather conditions.The site for the Chinese traders was scheduled to be completed and opened during the starting of the border trade this year but was set back due to heavy snowfall during last winter.
The third season of the Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and TAR had commenced from May 4 for this year and will conclude on 30th Nov 2009.
Gangtok, October 12: A complex for Chinese traders in the Sherathang Trade Mart premises was opened from today, 3 years after the Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) resumed in June, 2006.The complex for Chinese traders at the Sherathang mart has rooms for 12 shops and was opened for the Chinese traders from today after the infrastructure was finally completed, sources informed.
Sources informed that the Chinese traders were very happy to do business and conduct trade under a permanent roof as they have been so far running at road side in the mart at the mercy of adverse weather conditions.The site for the Chinese traders was scheduled to be completed and opened during the starting of the border trade this year but was set back due to heavy snowfall during last winter.
The third season of the Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and TAR had commenced from May 4 for this year and will conclude on 30th Nov 2009.
China's objection in Arunachal Pradesh
New Delhi, Oct.13 (ANI): China’s Ambassador to India Zhang Yang met officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday afternoon shortly after his government expressed “strong” dissastisfaction over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh during electioneering.
There was no word about what Yang had discussed with the MEA officials.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu had said: “We demand the Indian side address China’s serious concerns and not trigger disturbance in the disputed region so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations.”
“China is strongly dissatisfied with the visit to the disputed region by the Indian leader disregarding China’s serious concerns,” Mas added in a statement posted on the ministry’s website .
He noted that China and India had “never officially settled” demarcation of their border, and China’s stance on the eastern section of the China-India border was “consistent and clear-cut”.
The Indian Government has all along indicated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that the people of that state have a democratic right to elect a government of their choice.
Singh had toured and addressed an election rally in Arunachal Pradesh on October 3.
Recently, China had blocked a part of a loan to India from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for developmental projects in Arunachal Pradesh. China also protested a visit to the state last month by exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.
India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq kms of Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.
Singh had earlier visited Arunachal Pradesh on January 31 and February 1 and had then referred to it as “Our land of the rising sun” at a public rally, which was objected to by China.
China apparently saw it as India’s assertion of its claim on Arunachal, which it claims is a “disputed territory”. (ANI)
There was no word about what Yang had discussed with the MEA officials.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu had said: “We demand the Indian side address China’s serious concerns and not trigger disturbance in the disputed region so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations.”
“China is strongly dissatisfied with the visit to the disputed region by the Indian leader disregarding China’s serious concerns,” Mas added in a statement posted on the ministry’s website .
He noted that China and India had “never officially settled” demarcation of their border, and China’s stance on the eastern section of the China-India border was “consistent and clear-cut”.
The Indian Government has all along indicated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that the people of that state have a democratic right to elect a government of their choice.
Singh had toured and addressed an election rally in Arunachal Pradesh on October 3.
Recently, China had blocked a part of a loan to India from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for developmental projects in Arunachal Pradesh. China also protested a visit to the state last month by exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.
India says China is illegally occupying 43,180 sq kms of Jammu and Kashmir. On the other hand, China accuses India of possessing some 90,000 sq km of Chinese territory, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh.
Singh had earlier visited Arunachal Pradesh on January 31 and February 1 and had then referred to it as “Our land of the rising sun” at a public rally, which was objected to by China.
China apparently saw it as India’s assertion of its claim on Arunachal, which it claims is a “disputed territory”. (ANI)
CET PORPOSED FOR ALL CENTRAL UNIVERSITY INCLUDING SIKKIM
New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS) Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday said the new central universities should conduct a common entrance test for admissions, while having different courses from one another.
“The new central universities should look at conducting a common entrance test for admission to their courses, to enable common counselling so that students and their families are saved the trouble of going to various locations for tests and counselling,” Sibal said.
The minister was addressing a meeting of the vice chancellors of the new central universities in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and the three former state universities in Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh that have been conferred central universities status.
Sibal said that the central universities must become benchmarks for academic excellence in the rest of the country.
“The universities must have different courses, such that are in conformity with the eco-system of the region. Essentially, different universities specialising in different courses will encourage students to come to a particular university which will be associated with a particular course,” he said.
For this purpose, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been asked to set up a panel to coordinate with universities, to ensure “there are fewer number of common courses”.
Sibal also stressed that “university campuses should be as green as possible”, while the buildings must be “world class and aesthetic”.
The minister also announced each university would be provided with one gigabyte of broadband connectivity.
“The new central universities should look at conducting a common entrance test for admission to their courses, to enable common counselling so that students and their families are saved the trouble of going to various locations for tests and counselling,” Sibal said.
The minister was addressing a meeting of the vice chancellors of the new central universities in Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and the three former state universities in Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh that have been conferred central universities status.
Sibal said that the central universities must become benchmarks for academic excellence in the rest of the country.
“The universities must have different courses, such that are in conformity with the eco-system of the region. Essentially, different universities specialising in different courses will encourage students to come to a particular university which will be associated with a particular course,” he said.
For this purpose, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has been asked to set up a panel to coordinate with universities, to ensure “there are fewer number of common courses”.
Sibal also stressed that “university campuses should be as green as possible”, while the buildings must be “world class and aesthetic”.
The minister also announced each university would be provided with one gigabyte of broadband connectivity.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
RTI is the beginning of Participatory Government, but impropvements needed in implementation: Vice President
14 Oct 2009
The two day Annual Convention on RTI concluded today. The Vice-President of India Sh.M.Hamid Ansari presided over the valedictory function. In his remarks Sh. Ansari said that the basic tenets of RTI have been implemented and the institutional structure is being utilized by citizens. The Right to Information has become an important instrumentality to our media and civil society. What we see is the beginning of decentralization and participatory governance and a citizen-friendly orientation to government, he said. Sh. Ansari said, the Right to Information Act when passed in 2005, was hailed as a revolutionary step aimed at fundamentally altering the balance of power between the government and citizens. Four years hence, dissatisfaction is evident and pertains to five major themes.
These are: First, a vast number of organizations that should have been covered under the definition of “public authority” have not come forward pro-actively to be covered by the Act. Currently, neither the Information Commissions nor the governments have ensured that all bodies that are covered by the definition of ‘public authority’ undertake action as listed in Chapter II of the Act. Second, very few public authorities of the Central and State governments have followed the provisions of Section 4 of the Act in letter and spirit. The actual disclosure of information by the public authorities is marked by inconsistency and unevenness. There has been little innovation and adaptation to capture information in government agencies and thereafter bring about suo moto disclosure. There is clearly a case for putting in place detailed ‘RTI Act friendly’ record management practices.
Third, it is important to note that Section 4 of the Act mandates every public authority to publish the manner of execution of subsidy programmes. While such a process has been initiated with respect to NREGA, significant work remains to be done on this issue. Fourth, currently the Central and State Information Commissioners work in relative isolation. Fifth, an important lacuna has been the lack of a mandatory monitoring mechanism to look at the implementation of the RTI Act and to ensure that the Act is implemented in letter and spirit. Sh. Ansari felt that there is need for information on the RTI Act being available in all the 22 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution. The Chief Information Commissioner Sh. Wajahat Habibullah summed up the proceedings which were held in different sessions.
Lord Meghnad Desai in his keynote address stated that the right to information strengthens the roots of democracy in India. The first technical session of the first day focused on the outcomes of the study reports conducted by three different groups. The session on ‘Proactive Disclosures’ was chaired by Ms Medha Patkar. In her opening remarks, she stated that proactive disclosures by the Public Authorities are the pre cursor to good governance. It is indeed a matter of great concern that the important and meaningful information be placed in public domain making use of all the mediums and merely through the website. A study on the transparency, accountability and least corruption index of the central Public Authorities was also presented.
The first technical Session of the Second day focused on the theme “RTI in Developing World”. It was chaired by Shri A. N. Tiwari, Central Information Commissioner along with three speakers- Sh. Mohamed Latheef, Male, Maldives, Sh.. Rukshana Nanayakkara, Colombo, SriLanka, and Shri Venkatesh Nayak, CHRI. Shri Tiwari while making opening remarks concentrated on the issues how RTI shapes up in other countries. He presented data that in 1990 there were 12 developing countries whereas 80 countries have enacted RTI Laws so far. Throwing light on slow adaptation of RTI Laws in developing countries he investigated the reasons those are; slow democratization, low literacy rate, absence of civil society & civil society movements in these countries. Another reason is that the poor countries consider RTI expensive. The developing countries are frequently fearful of free information. Sh. Md. Latheef, Maldives, expressing his views on RTI in his country said that Maldives would like to learn from India. Likewise, Shri Rukshana Nanayakkara of Sri Lanka expressed his views that no Law like RTI is in Sri Lanka so far. However, he stated, that Article 10 & 14(1)(a) of Sri Lankan constitution which deals with freedom of thought includes the Right to Information. The technical session on “Propagation of RTI Culture- Role of Media and other Traditional Means” was chaired by Shri Sanjay Baru, former media advisor to the Prime Minister of India. He observed that the media had always the Right to be informed independent of the RTI Act. Therefore it has an obligation to remind the government that they have a duty to inform the citizens irrespective of any Law. He said that the media a supportive of RTI and would remain so. Sh. Badarinath Sr. Editor, Financial Chronical, listed out the plausible role of the media including the monitoring the implementation of RTI and generating a report on ineffectiveness and inefficiency in public services. He was also of the opinion that the media can bring in the public domain the success stories of the RTI Act. He further indicated that reporting of the social audit is also an important facet of the responsibility of the media. Sh. Sanjay Gupta, Editor & the CEO of Dainik Jagaran, reiterated that the RTI is a great tool in the hands of the citizen which may help participate them the decision making process. Sh. R. Dilip Reddy, State Information Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh, urged the media to investigating journalism so that they come out with the substantial evidence of their claims. Sh. Vinay Tiwari, Managing Editor, CNN-IBN the things that need to be changed in the TV Journalism viz. Strange cycle of laziness over laziness resulting into generating report of having lack of quantifiable impact; assumptions that the reporters knows everything about RTI which may not be true and mastering the skills of selective dissemination. The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil had inaugurated the Convention yesterday. *****
14 Oct 2009
The two day Annual Convention on RTI concluded today. The Vice-President of India Sh.M.Hamid Ansari presided over the valedictory function. In his remarks Sh. Ansari said that the basic tenets of RTI have been implemented and the institutional structure is being utilized by citizens. The Right to Information has become an important instrumentality to our media and civil society. What we see is the beginning of decentralization and participatory governance and a citizen-friendly orientation to government, he said. Sh. Ansari said, the Right to Information Act when passed in 2005, was hailed as a revolutionary step aimed at fundamentally altering the balance of power between the government and citizens. Four years hence, dissatisfaction is evident and pertains to five major themes.
These are: First, a vast number of organizations that should have been covered under the definition of “public authority” have not come forward pro-actively to be covered by the Act. Currently, neither the Information Commissions nor the governments have ensured that all bodies that are covered by the definition of ‘public authority’ undertake action as listed in Chapter II of the Act. Second, very few public authorities of the Central and State governments have followed the provisions of Section 4 of the Act in letter and spirit. The actual disclosure of information by the public authorities is marked by inconsistency and unevenness. There has been little innovation and adaptation to capture information in government agencies and thereafter bring about suo moto disclosure. There is clearly a case for putting in place detailed ‘RTI Act friendly’ record management practices.
Third, it is important to note that Section 4 of the Act mandates every public authority to publish the manner of execution of subsidy programmes. While such a process has been initiated with respect to NREGA, significant work remains to be done on this issue. Fourth, currently the Central and State Information Commissioners work in relative isolation. Fifth, an important lacuna has been the lack of a mandatory monitoring mechanism to look at the implementation of the RTI Act and to ensure that the Act is implemented in letter and spirit. Sh. Ansari felt that there is need for information on the RTI Act being available in all the 22 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of our Constitution. The Chief Information Commissioner Sh. Wajahat Habibullah summed up the proceedings which were held in different sessions.
Lord Meghnad Desai in his keynote address stated that the right to information strengthens the roots of democracy in India. The first technical session of the first day focused on the outcomes of the study reports conducted by three different groups. The session on ‘Proactive Disclosures’ was chaired by Ms Medha Patkar. In her opening remarks, she stated that proactive disclosures by the Public Authorities are the pre cursor to good governance. It is indeed a matter of great concern that the important and meaningful information be placed in public domain making use of all the mediums and merely through the website. A study on the transparency, accountability and least corruption index of the central Public Authorities was also presented.
The first technical Session of the Second day focused on the theme “RTI in Developing World”. It was chaired by Shri A. N. Tiwari, Central Information Commissioner along with three speakers- Sh. Mohamed Latheef, Male, Maldives, Sh.. Rukshana Nanayakkara, Colombo, SriLanka, and Shri Venkatesh Nayak, CHRI. Shri Tiwari while making opening remarks concentrated on the issues how RTI shapes up in other countries. He presented data that in 1990 there were 12 developing countries whereas 80 countries have enacted RTI Laws so far. Throwing light on slow adaptation of RTI Laws in developing countries he investigated the reasons those are; slow democratization, low literacy rate, absence of civil society & civil society movements in these countries. Another reason is that the poor countries consider RTI expensive. The developing countries are frequently fearful of free information. Sh. Md. Latheef, Maldives, expressing his views on RTI in his country said that Maldives would like to learn from India. Likewise, Shri Rukshana Nanayakkara of Sri Lanka expressed his views that no Law like RTI is in Sri Lanka so far. However, he stated, that Article 10 & 14(1)(a) of Sri Lankan constitution which deals with freedom of thought includes the Right to Information. The technical session on “Propagation of RTI Culture- Role of Media and other Traditional Means” was chaired by Shri Sanjay Baru, former media advisor to the Prime Minister of India. He observed that the media had always the Right to be informed independent of the RTI Act. Therefore it has an obligation to remind the government that they have a duty to inform the citizens irrespective of any Law. He said that the media a supportive of RTI and would remain so. Sh. Badarinath Sr. Editor, Financial Chronical, listed out the plausible role of the media including the monitoring the implementation of RTI and generating a report on ineffectiveness and inefficiency in public services. He was also of the opinion that the media can bring in the public domain the success stories of the RTI Act. He further indicated that reporting of the social audit is also an important facet of the responsibility of the media. Sh. Sanjay Gupta, Editor & the CEO of Dainik Jagaran, reiterated that the RTI is a great tool in the hands of the citizen which may help participate them the decision making process. Sh. R. Dilip Reddy, State Information Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh, urged the media to investigating journalism so that they come out with the substantial evidence of their claims. Sh. Vinay Tiwari, Managing Editor, CNN-IBN the things that need to be changed in the TV Journalism viz. Strange cycle of laziness over laziness resulting into generating report of having lack of quantifiable impact; assumptions that the reporters knows everything about RTI which may not be true and mastering the skills of selective dissemination. The President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil had inaugurated the Convention yesterday. *****
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