FM Calls for Double Digit Contribution of Direct Taxes to GDP
Revised Citizens’ Charter Released
I-T Department Celebrates 150 Years of Income Tax in India
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"Tax administration has undergone significant changes in the last two-and-a-half decades, steadily moving towards lower tax rates and enhanced voluntary tax compliance. The role of tax Department and the tax officer has changed from that of a tax-enforcer to that of a tax facilitator. Whereas earlier tax administration enforced laws with intimidation, today it facilitates compliance by creating atmosphere conducive to voluntary payment and discourage tax evasion by credible and non-intrusive technology-driven deterrence"
The Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee has asked the income tax department to make double digit contribution to GDP by collecting high revenues and help in building strong nation. He was addressing the senior officials of the Department on the occasion of 150 years of income tax in India, here today. He said that efforts are on to bring tax reforms in Direct and Indirect taxes with effect from the next Financial Year. In this regard he mentioned that the Direct Taxes Code Bill will be introduced in the forthcoming session of the Parliament. On this occasion the Finance Minister released the revised Citizens’ Charter of the Income Tax Department. Minister of State(Revenue), Shri S.S. Palanimanickam, Secretary Revenue, Shri Sunil Mitra, Chairman CBDT and Members of CBDT were also present on the occasion among others.
Following is full text of the speech delivered by the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee on this occasion:
“It is my proud privilege to be part of this momentous occasion in the history of the Income Tax Department, which is celebrating 150 years of Income Tax in India. For the first time in the legislative history of India, a Bill for imposing duties on profits arising from property, professions, trades & offices was passed by the Legislative Council of India and received the assent of the Governor General on 24th July 1860. This Act was precursor to the modern income tax law in the country. On this very special day, Department should rededicate itself to partner in the nation building process through progressive tax policy, efficient and effective administration and improved voluntary compliance.
It would befit the occasion to say a few words about the person, who laid the foundation for taxation in India. James Wilson, before he quit the British Parliament to join as the Finance Member in the Council of India in 1859, had a distinguished career as a Member of the Privy Council and the founder of the globally acclaimed magazine “The Economist”. He came to India to establish the tax structure, a new paper currency and to remodel the finance system after the 1857 War of Independence. In 1860, James Wilson breathed his last in Kolkata. His grave was recently rediscovered in Kolkata by an officer of the Income Tax Department and restored.
Since 1860 to the present day, the Income Tax Department has traversed over three centuries and has witnessed the collapse of imperial rule in India and rise of a magnificent democratic economy. The emergence of India as an economic power-house has also been reflected in our enhanced revenue collection from direct taxes. From meagre revenue of Rs.1.35 crore in 1860-61, the Income Tax Department has collected nearly Rs.3.80 Lakh crore in 2009-10. The contribution of direct taxes to the GDP has increased three-fold from 1.9% to 6.1%. The annual growth rate of direct taxes has averaged about 24% in the last 5 years. This was despite two low-growth years in 2008-09 and 2009-10 due to slowdown in the global economy. With the Indian economy poised to grow at 8.5% during the current fiscal, we expect the tax growth to regain its past buoyancy.
Tax administration has undergone significant changes in the last two-and-a-half decades, steadily moving towards lower tax rates and enhanced voluntary tax compliance. The role of tax Department and the tax officer has changed from that of a tax-enforcer to that of a tax facilitator. Whereas earlier tax administration enforced laws with intimidation, today it facilitates compliance by creating atmosphere conducive to voluntary payment and discourage tax evasion by credible and non-intrusive technology-driven deterrence.
The new DTC, which is now at final stage of drafting, is a major attempt to rewrite the existing direct tax laws. It will simplify, rationalize and consolidate the laws and procedures relating to direct taxes. The DTC will provide a taxation regime which is simple and broad based leading to lower tax rates, better tax compliance and reduced litigation. The simplified direct tax laws will also provide a conducive environment for investment and will make India an attractive destination for foreign investors.
The Department has embarked on many “taxpayer friendly” schemes and services such as PAN or the taxpayer identification number; electronic filing, payment, refund, accounting and verification of taxes; Centralized Processing Centres to process tax returns faster and for better management of bulk operations; and Sevottam Scheme & Aayakar Sewa Kendras for improved tracking and redressal of taxpayer grievances.
A lot more remains to be done. The Department needs to reinvent itself to meet the challenges of the next 50 years. The Department should concentrate on its core functions of data mining, risk profiling and risk-assessment; tax enforcement and recovery; dispute resolution and grievance redressal; taxpayer awareness and education; and other administrative, judicial, audit and Parliament-related functions.
One area of concern is litigation with taxpayers. Department is filing appeals in a routine manner without careful thought and examination leading to the Department earning the dubious distinction of being the biggest litigant in the Government of India. I have noticed that some of the appeals filed by the Department have been dismissed by the courts on account of gross delays. These issues require a relook at system of legal and judicial management.
The Department also needs to strengthen its administrative structure, including its headquarters, to enable it to undertake greater responsibilities. It needs to evolve functionally to cater to highly specialized and new areas of work.
In a vast, populous and diverse country like India, a Department with a customer base of 3.5 crore taxpayers and nearly 10 crore PAN holders, needs huge resources for manpower, infrastructure and communications systems. I am aware that there is a strong case for increasing the manpower and material resources of the Department. But huge resources bring greater responsibility. The Department should gear itself up to bear the increased responsibility of managing its resources efficiently and effectively.
My long association with the Income Tax Department and experience in public life tells me what is of relevance today may become irrelevant tomorrow. In the fast changing globalized scenario, direct taxes have become highly dynamic and are constantly evolving. Therefore, the Department will have to embark upon a continuous process of learning and upgrading its skills. This involves a complex and continuous process of assessment of business environment and management of change. To my mind, this is a critical area and the Department needs to hone its skill-sets to meet the challenges emerging out of the changing environment. The Mid-Career Training Programme announced earlier should be effectively used for this purpose.
On this Occasion, I extend my best wishes to the entire Income Tax family. I am informed that later in the day an art exhibition is being organized on the theme of “Building the nation through income-tax”. I am happy to note that eminent artists from within and outside the Department have come together to provide a visual representation of the vital contribution of taxes to the emergence of a resurgent India. Department has revised its Citizen’s Charter to reflect the endeavor of the Department to meet the aspirations of the people of India. I dedicate the new Citizen’s Charter to the nation.”
DSM/BY-236/10
*****
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Eco-tourism is the catchword
Nature-based explorations are drawing North Bengal’s enlightened middle-class. Swaati Chaudhury reports
IF are one of those with a knack for eco-tourism or running eco-tourist lodges or cottages in North Bengal, then this piece of information is for you. Help Tourism, a Siliguri-based environmental outfit that has been working on its vision to promote eco-tourism and community tourism programmes in North Bengal and North-eastern region of India has once again started off its training project themed on “Nature-based tourism”. Designed for the project leaders, the training programme is an organized process and will be held at Swiss Hotel in Darjeeling from 14 to 19 July. It’s been past 15 years that the well-known environmental group has been making a good effort to focus its activities on human resource development and motivation programmes in the verticals of eco-tourism, rural and community tourism. The group hosts this kind of training course every year.
The residential training course will be offered free of cost and will span for a period of five days of 75 hours duration without any intervals. With a view to boost the eco-tourist destinations in rural areas of North Bengal, the project leaders will be imparted hand-on experience in areas of hospitality and tourism.
Says Bhaskar Das, training coordinator, Help Tourism, “Our next step will be to provide intensive site-based training for all those participating in the project and this would help them to hone their skills at site and perform their best. The training will emphasize on topics like attitude and behaviour of tourists, developing a mind to get familiar with tourists, receiving and orientation of tourists, housekeeping, room store, planning of food and cuisine, production of food and storage.” The voluntary training will also delve on other significant fields like upkeep of the surrounding ambience, creating programme activities for tourists, training of guides, billing and accounts, handling of computers and online booking procedures as well. The participants have to shell out Rs 3,000 for accommodation and food facilities for six days in Darjeeling.
There will be a team of expert tourism officials heading to Darjeeling to impart training to project leaders in order to enable them to implement the system in the work area.
“There are a number of eco-tourist lodges in North Bengal and Assam that are looked after by unprofessional hands without any exposure in eco-tourism. This kind of training intends to brush up the eco-tourism skills of the participants, encourage them to cater well to the demands of global tourists and make them interact with them. The training aims to bolster the prospects of eco-tourism.” adds Das.
The environmental body has discovered a number of new eco-tourist destinations last year. Most of these impressive places are in North Bengal, including Chilapata in Jalpaiguri district while North-east destinations are Dihing in Upper Assam and Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. The bustling tourist destination of Lataguri in Dooars that witnesses a huge turnout of tourists has been the discovery of this eco-tourism group.
source; statesman
Nature-based explorations are drawing North Bengal’s enlightened middle-class. Swaati Chaudhury reports
IF are one of those with a knack for eco-tourism or running eco-tourist lodges or cottages in North Bengal, then this piece of information is for you. Help Tourism, a Siliguri-based environmental outfit that has been working on its vision to promote eco-tourism and community tourism programmes in North Bengal and North-eastern region of India has once again started off its training project themed on “Nature-based tourism”. Designed for the project leaders, the training programme is an organized process and will be held at Swiss Hotel in Darjeeling from 14 to 19 July. It’s been past 15 years that the well-known environmental group has been making a good effort to focus its activities on human resource development and motivation programmes in the verticals of eco-tourism, rural and community tourism. The group hosts this kind of training course every year.
The residential training course will be offered free of cost and will span for a period of five days of 75 hours duration without any intervals. With a view to boost the eco-tourist destinations in rural areas of North Bengal, the project leaders will be imparted hand-on experience in areas of hospitality and tourism.
Says Bhaskar Das, training coordinator, Help Tourism, “Our next step will be to provide intensive site-based training for all those participating in the project and this would help them to hone their skills at site and perform their best. The training will emphasize on topics like attitude and behaviour of tourists, developing a mind to get familiar with tourists, receiving and orientation of tourists, housekeeping, room store, planning of food and cuisine, production of food and storage.” The voluntary training will also delve on other significant fields like upkeep of the surrounding ambience, creating programme activities for tourists, training of guides, billing and accounts, handling of computers and online booking procedures as well. The participants have to shell out Rs 3,000 for accommodation and food facilities for six days in Darjeeling.
There will be a team of expert tourism officials heading to Darjeeling to impart training to project leaders in order to enable them to implement the system in the work area.
“There are a number of eco-tourist lodges in North Bengal and Assam that are looked after by unprofessional hands without any exposure in eco-tourism. This kind of training intends to brush up the eco-tourism skills of the participants, encourage them to cater well to the demands of global tourists and make them interact with them. The training aims to bolster the prospects of eco-tourism.” adds Das.
The environmental body has discovered a number of new eco-tourist destinations last year. Most of these impressive places are in North Bengal, including Chilapata in Jalpaiguri district while North-east destinations are Dihing in Upper Assam and Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. The bustling tourist destination of Lataguri in Dooars that witnesses a huge turnout of tourists has been the discovery of this eco-tourism group.
source; statesman
PM’s Address At The 55th National Development Council Meeting
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The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the 55th National Development Council meeting in New Delhi today. Following is the text of the Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:
“Three years of the Eleventh Plan are over. It is time to look back on what we have achieved, identify areas where performance falls short and take corrective steps where needed.
The Eleventh Plan objective was to achieve inclusive growth at an annual rate of 9 per cent. As the Deputy Chairman has pointed out in his opening remarks, we have done well on growth despite the effects of the global economic crisis and the severe drought of 2009. The Mid Term Apprisal projects that the Eleventh Plan will achieve an annual average growth rate of 8.1 per cent per year. This is lower than the target of 9 per cent, but is still the highest ever achieved in any Plan period.
Our objective was not just growth, but inclusive growth. This means a growth which would bring tangible benefits to the weaker sections, the SC/ST, minorities and other excluded groups. To measure progress on inclusiveness the Plan had identified a total of 27 monitorable indicators. The data to measure progress on many of these indicators will become available only after some time. For example, the only data available on poverty is for 2004-05. The next estimate will be from the 2009-10 survey, which is now in the field, and will become available in about two years time.
However, some assessment of our success in achieving inclusiveness is possible using other measures. One aspect of inclusiveness is the growth performance of individual States. The Mid-Term Appraisal (MTA) shows that all States have shown significant acceleration in economic growth in recent years, including those which had earlier tended to lag behind. This is a matter of some discussion.
Agricultural performance is yet another important indicator of inclusiveness. The MTA concludes that agricultural growth is likely to be better than in the Tenth Plan, although it may not reach the target of 4 per cent. The supplementary note circulated for this meeting points out that many aspects of our agricultural strategy are working well, but there are others which need much more attention.
The MTA points out that productivity per hectare can be doubled with existing varieties, provided we can adopt improved cultivation practices. We need to do more to manage our water resources and also to increase efficiency of water-use. We also need to focus on soil quality and the use of micro-nutrients, better seeds, improved extension and modernization of agricultural markets and also the development of a distribution network linking farms with consumers.
I would especially draw the attention of Hon’ble Chief Ministers to the Commission’s assessment that agriculture is not receiving the priority it deserves. This must be corrected if we want to achieve a broad based improvement in living standards in rural areas. In this context, I would like to lay particular emphasis on the improvement of the agricultural research system, the working of State Agricultural Universities and the weaknesses of the extension services that are presently visible now.
Better agricultural performance, including especially performance in food production, is crucial for food security and would help in tackling the problem of inflation as well. The present high rate of inflation is mainly due to food price inflation. The government has taken a number of steps to curb inflation. With a normal monsoon, which is the expectation at present, the rate of inflation in food prices will abate in the second half of the year. We expect to see the rate of inflation in wholesale prices come down to around six percent by December.
Our programmes for improving infrastructure in rural areas are very important elements of our development strategy. These include schemes like the Prime Minister’s Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). These programmes are doing well in many States but there are examples of poor implementation as well. We need to make a sustained effort to improve performance, especially in States where it is below the national average.
Other sectors critical for inclusive growth are health and education and skill development. In the past health and education have received less attention than they deserved. The Eleventh Plan has signaled a new direction by giving higher priority to these sectors. But, as the MTA points out, we have made a start but much more needs to be done in these critical areas in the remaining period of the Eleventh Plan and the effort must continue with greater vigour in the Twelfth Plan. Initiatives like the Right to Education and the National Rural Health Mission need to be implemented with vigour. This will require more resources. However, it is equally important to pay attention to improve the quality of delivery system in order to achieve the desired outputs.
The problems of marginalized sections of our country, many of whom live in areas which are affected by Left Wing Extremism, call out for special attention. Our development schemes have not worked well in these backward and impoverished parts of our country, particularly the areas inhabited by the adivasi population. We must make a concerted effort to bridge the development deficit in these backward areas and reduce whatever sense of alienation that may exist among the adivasis living in these areas. As the word “adivasi” implies, they were the original inhabitants and their rights must be fully protected.
There should be no doubt that the security challenge posed by Left Wing Extremism has to be met and it will be met, with the Centre and the States cooperating fully with one another. But this must be supplemented by action on two other fronts. First, we must recognise that good governance alone gives people a sense of participation and empowerment. In this context, effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act and Panchayat Raj (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) are of critical importance. Failure to implement these laws in letter and spirit reduces the credibility of our commitment to bring development to these neglected areas.
Second, these areas must be provided with additional resources for development and the development programmes must be aligned to the special circumstances of these areas. I have asked the Planning Commission to design a holistic development programme for these areas in consultation with the States and other stakeholders.
As all of you know, the state of infrastructure in the country is not good enough to achieve 9-10 per cent growth over a sustained basis. Because the resources required for bridging the infrastructure gap are huge, we adopted the strategy of supplementing public investment by encouraging public-private partnership in infrastructure. This strategy has worked reasonably well. The investment triggered in PPP projects in infrastructure is impressive and many states have also used this route successfully, often with help from the Central Government.
We need to do much more in future. We also need to improve the terms and conditions on which PPP projects are awarded to ensure that the process is transparent, bidding is competitive and public interest is adequately safeguarded.
The power sector is particularly important if we wish to achieve 9 per cent growth. The MTA suggests that we are doing better than in the Tenth Plan. The generation capacity in the Eleventh Plan is likely to expand by 62,000 to 64,000 MW. Though short of the Eleventh Plan target of 78,000 MW, it will be nevertheless three times the capacity that was added in the Tenth Plan.
However, there are problems in this sector, which need to be addressed effectively, which have been highlighted in the supplementary agenda note circulated by the Commission. One of these problems is the need to reduce the high level of losses in power utilities. These losses arise from low-levels of tariff for some categories of consumers, combined with high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. The total loss in 2009-10 is estimated at Rs. 40,000 crores. This is simply not sustainable and unless corrected it will make the whole power sector unviable, since investment in generation and transmission depends upon the ability of the distribution companies to pay.
As the MTA has pointed out, corrective steps needed in this area lie entirely in the domain of the State Governments. I would therefore urge Hon’ble Chief Ministers to give this problem their personal attention.
We must pay special attention to the need to protect our environment, which is under threat from numerous sources. Air pollution, pollution of our rivers from untreated effluent discharge, erosion of our forests in both area and quality; all these are challenges we must face. The threat of climate change also looms large, which requires a national action plan plus international action. How well we handle these problems, will determine whether our growth strategy is indeed sustainable.
Let me now turn to the subject of Plan financing. The MTA points out that we have been able to achieve the investment envisaged in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, at constant prices, I repeat, at constant prices although the sectoral composition of expenditure differs from what was originally planned. However the financing of the Plan expenditure has depended far too much on debt. This must change. We have to reduce our fiscal deficit in the coming years and this means we must find non-debt resources on a much larger scale if we wish to finance a substantial size plan. This would need reducing large losses in the public sector and also reducing the scale of untargeted subsidies. The operationalisation of the Unique Identification Number Scheme, together with developments in information technology, provides an opportunity to target subsidies effectively to those who really need them and deserve them.
Reform of tax structure and tax administration is another important step in resource mobilisation. The implementation of the GST is particularly important in this context and I commend the leads being given in this regard by my colleague Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I would urge Chief Ministers to give full support to the efforts to implement GST with effect from April 1, 2011.
Finally, I would like to emphasise that as we proceed with our ambitious plans, which require substantial deployment of resources, we must keep in mind the need to spur innovation as a driver of national performance. The policy environment in which the private sector functions must stimulate competition and innovation. The Government too must innovate both at the Centre and in the States. There is a strong case for each institution in government to try to re-invent itself to reflect changing needs and circumstances and changing expectations. Information technology now allows us to achieve levels of efficiency undreamt of in the past. Both the Central Government and the State Governments must fully explore the scope for restructuring existing processes to take full advantage of IT to increase efficiency and to impart transparency in public sphere.
I look forward to hearing your views on the many issues posed in the MTA and in the supplementary agenda note. These will be valuable inputs as the Planning Commission formulates the approach to the Twelfth Plan.
With these words, I once again extend a very warm welcome to each one of you for your participation in this important meeting of the National Development Council.”
****
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The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the 55th National Development Council meeting in New Delhi today. Following is the text of the Prime Minister’s address on the occasion:
“Three years of the Eleventh Plan are over. It is time to look back on what we have achieved, identify areas where performance falls short and take corrective steps where needed.
The Eleventh Plan objective was to achieve inclusive growth at an annual rate of 9 per cent. As the Deputy Chairman has pointed out in his opening remarks, we have done well on growth despite the effects of the global economic crisis and the severe drought of 2009. The Mid Term Apprisal projects that the Eleventh Plan will achieve an annual average growth rate of 8.1 per cent per year. This is lower than the target of 9 per cent, but is still the highest ever achieved in any Plan period.
Our objective was not just growth, but inclusive growth. This means a growth which would bring tangible benefits to the weaker sections, the SC/ST, minorities and other excluded groups. To measure progress on inclusiveness the Plan had identified a total of 27 monitorable indicators. The data to measure progress on many of these indicators will become available only after some time. For example, the only data available on poverty is for 2004-05. The next estimate will be from the 2009-10 survey, which is now in the field, and will become available in about two years time.
However, some assessment of our success in achieving inclusiveness is possible using other measures. One aspect of inclusiveness is the growth performance of individual States. The Mid-Term Appraisal (MTA) shows that all States have shown significant acceleration in economic growth in recent years, including those which had earlier tended to lag behind. This is a matter of some discussion.
Agricultural performance is yet another important indicator of inclusiveness. The MTA concludes that agricultural growth is likely to be better than in the Tenth Plan, although it may not reach the target of 4 per cent. The supplementary note circulated for this meeting points out that many aspects of our agricultural strategy are working well, but there are others which need much more attention.
The MTA points out that productivity per hectare can be doubled with existing varieties, provided we can adopt improved cultivation practices. We need to do more to manage our water resources and also to increase efficiency of water-use. We also need to focus on soil quality and the use of micro-nutrients, better seeds, improved extension and modernization of agricultural markets and also the development of a distribution network linking farms with consumers.
I would especially draw the attention of Hon’ble Chief Ministers to the Commission’s assessment that agriculture is not receiving the priority it deserves. This must be corrected if we want to achieve a broad based improvement in living standards in rural areas. In this context, I would like to lay particular emphasis on the improvement of the agricultural research system, the working of State Agricultural Universities and the weaknesses of the extension services that are presently visible now.
Better agricultural performance, including especially performance in food production, is crucial for food security and would help in tackling the problem of inflation as well. The present high rate of inflation is mainly due to food price inflation. The government has taken a number of steps to curb inflation. With a normal monsoon, which is the expectation at present, the rate of inflation in food prices will abate in the second half of the year. We expect to see the rate of inflation in wholesale prices come down to around six percent by December.
Our programmes for improving infrastructure in rural areas are very important elements of our development strategy. These include schemes like the Prime Minister’s Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). These programmes are doing well in many States but there are examples of poor implementation as well. We need to make a sustained effort to improve performance, especially in States where it is below the national average.
Other sectors critical for inclusive growth are health and education and skill development. In the past health and education have received less attention than they deserved. The Eleventh Plan has signaled a new direction by giving higher priority to these sectors. But, as the MTA points out, we have made a start but much more needs to be done in these critical areas in the remaining period of the Eleventh Plan and the effort must continue with greater vigour in the Twelfth Plan. Initiatives like the Right to Education and the National Rural Health Mission need to be implemented with vigour. This will require more resources. However, it is equally important to pay attention to improve the quality of delivery system in order to achieve the desired outputs.
The problems of marginalized sections of our country, many of whom live in areas which are affected by Left Wing Extremism, call out for special attention. Our development schemes have not worked well in these backward and impoverished parts of our country, particularly the areas inhabited by the adivasi population. We must make a concerted effort to bridge the development deficit in these backward areas and reduce whatever sense of alienation that may exist among the adivasis living in these areas. As the word “adivasi” implies, they were the original inhabitants and their rights must be fully protected.
There should be no doubt that the security challenge posed by Left Wing Extremism has to be met and it will be met, with the Centre and the States cooperating fully with one another. But this must be supplemented by action on two other fronts. First, we must recognise that good governance alone gives people a sense of participation and empowerment. In this context, effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act and Panchayat Raj (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) are of critical importance. Failure to implement these laws in letter and spirit reduces the credibility of our commitment to bring development to these neglected areas.
Second, these areas must be provided with additional resources for development and the development programmes must be aligned to the special circumstances of these areas. I have asked the Planning Commission to design a holistic development programme for these areas in consultation with the States and other stakeholders.
As all of you know, the state of infrastructure in the country is not good enough to achieve 9-10 per cent growth over a sustained basis. Because the resources required for bridging the infrastructure gap are huge, we adopted the strategy of supplementing public investment by encouraging public-private partnership in infrastructure. This strategy has worked reasonably well. The investment triggered in PPP projects in infrastructure is impressive and many states have also used this route successfully, often with help from the Central Government.
We need to do much more in future. We also need to improve the terms and conditions on which PPP projects are awarded to ensure that the process is transparent, bidding is competitive and public interest is adequately safeguarded.
The power sector is particularly important if we wish to achieve 9 per cent growth. The MTA suggests that we are doing better than in the Tenth Plan. The generation capacity in the Eleventh Plan is likely to expand by 62,000 to 64,000 MW. Though short of the Eleventh Plan target of 78,000 MW, it will be nevertheless three times the capacity that was added in the Tenth Plan.
However, there are problems in this sector, which need to be addressed effectively, which have been highlighted in the supplementary agenda note circulated by the Commission. One of these problems is the need to reduce the high level of losses in power utilities. These losses arise from low-levels of tariff for some categories of consumers, combined with high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses. The total loss in 2009-10 is estimated at Rs. 40,000 crores. This is simply not sustainable and unless corrected it will make the whole power sector unviable, since investment in generation and transmission depends upon the ability of the distribution companies to pay.
As the MTA has pointed out, corrective steps needed in this area lie entirely in the domain of the State Governments. I would therefore urge Hon’ble Chief Ministers to give this problem their personal attention.
We must pay special attention to the need to protect our environment, which is under threat from numerous sources. Air pollution, pollution of our rivers from untreated effluent discharge, erosion of our forests in both area and quality; all these are challenges we must face. The threat of climate change also looms large, which requires a national action plan plus international action. How well we handle these problems, will determine whether our growth strategy is indeed sustainable.
Let me now turn to the subject of Plan financing. The MTA points out that we have been able to achieve the investment envisaged in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, at constant prices, I repeat, at constant prices although the sectoral composition of expenditure differs from what was originally planned. However the financing of the Plan expenditure has depended far too much on debt. This must change. We have to reduce our fiscal deficit in the coming years and this means we must find non-debt resources on a much larger scale if we wish to finance a substantial size plan. This would need reducing large losses in the public sector and also reducing the scale of untargeted subsidies. The operationalisation of the Unique Identification Number Scheme, together with developments in information technology, provides an opportunity to target subsidies effectively to those who really need them and deserve them.
Reform of tax structure and tax administration is another important step in resource mobilisation. The implementation of the GST is particularly important in this context and I commend the leads being given in this regard by my colleague Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I would urge Chief Ministers to give full support to the efforts to implement GST with effect from April 1, 2011.
Finally, I would like to emphasise that as we proceed with our ambitious plans, which require substantial deployment of resources, we must keep in mind the need to spur innovation as a driver of national performance. The policy environment in which the private sector functions must stimulate competition and innovation. The Government too must innovate both at the Centre and in the States. There is a strong case for each institution in government to try to re-invent itself to reflect changing needs and circumstances and changing expectations. Information technology now allows us to achieve levels of efficiency undreamt of in the past. Both the Central Government and the State Governments must fully explore the scope for restructuring existing processes to take full advantage of IT to increase efficiency and to impart transparency in public sphere.
I look forward to hearing your views on the many issues posed in the MTA and in the supplementary agenda note. These will be valuable inputs as the Planning Commission formulates the approach to the Twelfth Plan.
With these words, I once again extend a very warm welcome to each one of you for your participation in this important meeting of the National Development Council.”
****
Indigenous storytellers 2-day meet announced
Gangtok: A two day meet of the indigenous storytellers from various indigenous communities of India, especially from Sikkim and other parts of Eastern Himalayan region, is slated to be held on July 24 and 25 here at Deorali.
The meet, “1st Indigenous Storytellers’ Fest-Confluence” is being organized by Acoustic Traditional in association with the State culture department and will be held at the conference hall of the State forest department, Deorali.
The programme will draw storytellers from various indigenous communities for strengthening the “Indigenous Storytellers’ Network”, initiated by Acoustic Traditional, it is informed. The meet aims to promote the art of oral storytelling and creating interest in folklore among the younger generation.
Storytellers who have been invited for the event are JR Subba, GS Lama, Ghanshyam Sharma, Abhimaya Mangar, Tashi Bhutia, PC Thomas, Dollo Mihin from Arunachal Pradesh, Pavel from Manipur, Hari Pradhan and Potawa storytellers from West Bengal.
The Acoustic Traditional was initiated in 1997 as a communication project to promote mountain and forest based stories as a means to popularize indigenous cultures. The “Indigenous Storytellers’ Network” is about tribal folklore and storytellers and had been started as a flagship project by the Acoustic Traditional in 2008. The network is now a small, but growing and vibrant collective of tribal people and groups and their storytellers, our disappearing folklorists, the Acoustic Traditional said.
Apart from exploring the pleasures of listening to our folklore, which is an important aspect of reviving our tradition of storytelling, the network is also about reestablishing the links between our stories and our amazingly diverse and rich traditional knowledge, the Acoustic Traditional said.
[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]
Gangtok: A two day meet of the indigenous storytellers from various indigenous communities of India, especially from Sikkim and other parts of Eastern Himalayan region, is slated to be held on July 24 and 25 here at Deorali.
The meet, “1st Indigenous Storytellers’ Fest-Confluence” is being organized by Acoustic Traditional in association with the State culture department and will be held at the conference hall of the State forest department, Deorali.
The programme will draw storytellers from various indigenous communities for strengthening the “Indigenous Storytellers’ Network”, initiated by Acoustic Traditional, it is informed. The meet aims to promote the art of oral storytelling and creating interest in folklore among the younger generation.
Storytellers who have been invited for the event are JR Subba, GS Lama, Ghanshyam Sharma, Abhimaya Mangar, Tashi Bhutia, PC Thomas, Dollo Mihin from Arunachal Pradesh, Pavel from Manipur, Hari Pradhan and Potawa storytellers from West Bengal.
The Acoustic Traditional was initiated in 1997 as a communication project to promote mountain and forest based stories as a means to popularize indigenous cultures. The “Indigenous Storytellers’ Network” is about tribal folklore and storytellers and had been started as a flagship project by the Acoustic Traditional in 2008. The network is now a small, but growing and vibrant collective of tribal people and groups and their storytellers, our disappearing folklorists, the Acoustic Traditional said.
Apart from exploring the pleasures of listening to our folklore, which is an important aspect of reviving our tradition of storytelling, the network is also about reestablishing the links between our stories and our amazingly diverse and rich traditional knowledge, the Acoustic Traditional said.
[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]
Why Value Investing Trumps all Else
By Dr. Mark Mobius
Value investing is the most successful method of investing in equities. It grows out of a common sense approach to investing: that you are more likely to make money by investing in companies with high and growing earnings in relation to the stock price, and those with strong balance sheets. Many successful investors have adhered to and expounded on value investing such as John Templeton and Warren Buffet. Value investors focus on searching for "bargain" stocks. These are stocks that are trading below their "intrinsic" or "true" values. In general, investors look at a wide range of criteria in addition to just price to earnings, price to book value and dividend yield to determine whether a stock is a bargain. These additional criteria include profit margins, debt/equity, return on capital employed, return on equity, and many others.
A fundamentally sound stock may be trading at low prices due to numerous reasons, such as poor market sentiment or unfavourable industry performance. It is these stocks that provide opportunities to value investors. Value investors tend to invest in stocks when things are looking bad so that they are able to invest cheaply and then wait for the market to realise the true value of the stock and eventually lead to higher prices. In general, value investors tend to avoid paying unreasonable prices for stocks.
History has taught us that when we buy value stocks which are trading at low valuations despite strong fundamentals, over time the market will uncover the bargain and yield higher returns. As such, value investing can be successful in all types of markets, including high growth ones such as India or China. This is because it is not the type of market that dictates its success but more so factors such as, but not limited to, market sentiment, lack of knowledge or understanding, and industry life cycles, which lead investors to buy stocks with weak fundamentals or sell stocks with strong fundamentals.
One important factor making value investors successful is their long-term view. There will be periods when value stocks do not perform but over the long term, value emerges as the best method for profitable investing in equities. Taking a long term view, our experience has shown us, value investment trumps its counterparts.
This article appeared in the June 2010 issue of Wealth Insight
By Dr. Mark Mobius
Value investing is the most successful method of investing in equities. It grows out of a common sense approach to investing: that you are more likely to make money by investing in companies with high and growing earnings in relation to the stock price, and those with strong balance sheets. Many successful investors have adhered to and expounded on value investing such as John Templeton and Warren Buffet. Value investors focus on searching for "bargain" stocks. These are stocks that are trading below their "intrinsic" or "true" values. In general, investors look at a wide range of criteria in addition to just price to earnings, price to book value and dividend yield to determine whether a stock is a bargain. These additional criteria include profit margins, debt/equity, return on capital employed, return on equity, and many others.
A fundamentally sound stock may be trading at low prices due to numerous reasons, such as poor market sentiment or unfavourable industry performance. It is these stocks that provide opportunities to value investors. Value investors tend to invest in stocks when things are looking bad so that they are able to invest cheaply and then wait for the market to realise the true value of the stock and eventually lead to higher prices. In general, value investors tend to avoid paying unreasonable prices for stocks.
History has taught us that when we buy value stocks which are trading at low valuations despite strong fundamentals, over time the market will uncover the bargain and yield higher returns. As such, value investing can be successful in all types of markets, including high growth ones such as India or China. This is because it is not the type of market that dictates its success but more so factors such as, but not limited to, market sentiment, lack of knowledge or understanding, and industry life cycles, which lead investors to buy stocks with weak fundamentals or sell stocks with strong fundamentals.
One important factor making value investors successful is their long-term view. There will be periods when value stocks do not perform but over the long term, value emerges as the best method for profitable investing in equities. Taking a long term view, our experience has shown us, value investment trumps its counterparts.
This article appeared in the June 2010 issue of Wealth Insight
PIB Bags Award
First Web Ratna Awards 2009 Presented by A.Raja Today
DIT Launches an access friendly Website
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has bagged the first “Platinum Icon” in Web Ratna Awards 2009 for “Outstanding Web Content” for its user friendly and interactive website http://www.pib.nic.in. Besides PIB, others who got “Platinum Icon” today in other categories viz. “Citizen Centric Service”, “Public Participation Initiative”, “Innovative Use of Technology”, “Comprehensive Web Presence-Ministry”, “Comprehensive Web Presence-State” etc., are Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry System, CIC Online: Filling of Appeal & Complaints online with CIC, Indian Tsunami Early Warning System, Department of Economic Affairs and Tamil Nadu respectively. Smt. Neelam Kapur, Pr. D.G. received the “Platinum Icon” from Thiru A. Raja, the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology on behalf of PIB.
In addition to the recipients of “Platinum Icon” i.e. the best award in each category, 16 received “Gold Icon” and “Silver Icon” in each of the different categories for the second & third best websites. Complete list of awardees is available on http://India.gov.in.
Altogether 24 organizations received Web Ratna Platinum, Gold and Silver Icon from Thiru A. Raja, the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology.
Speaking on the occasion, Thiru A. Raja said that Information Technology holds tremendous potential to extend and enable access to critical information and delivery of public services in a far more efficient and effective manner. Reminding the people who need to access this information and services the most are the ones that currently have virtually little or no access to electronic service delivery channels. He emphasized the need to work together to develop and implement strategies and mechanisms to reach them.
The Minister also launched a new Access Friendly website of Department of Information Technology, www.mit.gov.in on the occasion to make internet accessible to visually impaired and physically challenged persons so that they too can equally benefit from the ICT revolution.
On the occasion, Shri Sachin Pilot, the Union Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology stressed upon the need to increase the penetration of internet and computers to remotest areas of the country to ensure an inclusive digitization of service delivery. He added that enhanced allocation to IT sector calls for concerted effort on part of all stakeholders to translate the same into commensurate enhancement in service delivery.
PIB along with 23 other awardees have been chosen out of 248 nominations received from 27 States/Union Territories as well as from the Ministries/Departments of Government India. These awardees were selected after an in-depth and comprehensive online and offline evaluation by an independent Jury which comprised representatives of IIM (Ahmedabad), IIT (Delhi), NASSCOM, Cyber Media (India) Ltd., Secretary (Department of Information Technology) and Director General (National Informatics Centre), among others. In order to choose the best websites in each category the Jury has evolved a matrix of parameters including “impact innovation”, “significance to common man”, “use of technology”, “sustainability” etc.
The PIB website is more than ten years old and it carries all outputs in electronic form in three languages (English, Hindi & Urdu) on almost real time basis. It is a unique source of Government publicity material such as press releases, photographs, features, backgrounders and special event content such as Budget, General Elections and Summits etc., which media persons access at a click of mouse anywhere anytime. PIB website caters to over 8000 newspapers, magazines, TV channels, agencies, newswire services and gets over 2.5 lakh hits on an average everyday.
The Web Ratna Awards have been instituted this year under the ambit of the National Portal of India (http://www.India.gov.in) in order to promote more and more innovative e-governance initiatives and to acknowledge due recognition to the exemplary efforts in this direction. The Web Ratna Awards, an initiative under the aegis of India.gov.in, and also an endeavour on its maiden voyage, aims to travel long distances and become an able platform to accredit those who excel in e-governance and other best ICT practices. (PIB)
S.K.Sarda says:
April 21, 2010 at 6:55 am
Congrats to PIB for the excellent Web presentation. It deserves the prize Platinum. We at our blogsite:
http://www.sikkimchamberofcommerce.blogspot.com
use many of the materials of PIB.
I suggest our HCM that IPR should also come out with similar site as PIB maintains where all press releases of Sikkim Govt should be available today as well as Archives for all times to come..
We will then have instant on site record which can be referred anytime by anybody.
First Web Ratna Awards 2009 Presented by A.Raja Today
DIT Launches an access friendly Website
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has bagged the first “Platinum Icon” in Web Ratna Awards 2009 for “Outstanding Web Content” for its user friendly and interactive website http://www.pib.nic.in. Besides PIB, others who got “Platinum Icon” today in other categories viz. “Citizen Centric Service”, “Public Participation Initiative”, “Innovative Use of Technology”, “Comprehensive Web Presence-Ministry”, “Comprehensive Web Presence-State” etc., are Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry System, CIC Online: Filling of Appeal & Complaints online with CIC, Indian Tsunami Early Warning System, Department of Economic Affairs and Tamil Nadu respectively. Smt. Neelam Kapur, Pr. D.G. received the “Platinum Icon” from Thiru A. Raja, the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology on behalf of PIB.
In addition to the recipients of “Platinum Icon” i.e. the best award in each category, 16 received “Gold Icon” and “Silver Icon” in each of the different categories for the second & third best websites. Complete list of awardees is available on http://India.gov.in.
Altogether 24 organizations received Web Ratna Platinum, Gold and Silver Icon from Thiru A. Raja, the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology.
Speaking on the occasion, Thiru A. Raja said that Information Technology holds tremendous potential to extend and enable access to critical information and delivery of public services in a far more efficient and effective manner. Reminding the people who need to access this information and services the most are the ones that currently have virtually little or no access to electronic service delivery channels. He emphasized the need to work together to develop and implement strategies and mechanisms to reach them.
The Minister also launched a new Access Friendly website of Department of Information Technology, www.mit.gov.in on the occasion to make internet accessible to visually impaired and physically challenged persons so that they too can equally benefit from the ICT revolution.
On the occasion, Shri Sachin Pilot, the Union Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology stressed upon the need to increase the penetration of internet and computers to remotest areas of the country to ensure an inclusive digitization of service delivery. He added that enhanced allocation to IT sector calls for concerted effort on part of all stakeholders to translate the same into commensurate enhancement in service delivery.
PIB along with 23 other awardees have been chosen out of 248 nominations received from 27 States/Union Territories as well as from the Ministries/Departments of Government India. These awardees were selected after an in-depth and comprehensive online and offline evaluation by an independent Jury which comprised representatives of IIM (Ahmedabad), IIT (Delhi), NASSCOM, Cyber Media (India) Ltd., Secretary (Department of Information Technology) and Director General (National Informatics Centre), among others. In order to choose the best websites in each category the Jury has evolved a matrix of parameters including “impact innovation”, “significance to common man”, “use of technology”, “sustainability” etc.
The PIB website is more than ten years old and it carries all outputs in electronic form in three languages (English, Hindi & Urdu) on almost real time basis. It is a unique source of Government publicity material such as press releases, photographs, features, backgrounders and special event content such as Budget, General Elections and Summits etc., which media persons access at a click of mouse anywhere anytime. PIB website caters to over 8000 newspapers, magazines, TV channels, agencies, newswire services and gets over 2.5 lakh hits on an average everyday.
The Web Ratna Awards have been instituted this year under the ambit of the National Portal of India (http://www.India.gov.in) in order to promote more and more innovative e-governance initiatives and to acknowledge due recognition to the exemplary efforts in this direction. The Web Ratna Awards, an initiative under the aegis of India.gov.in, and also an endeavour on its maiden voyage, aims to travel long distances and become an able platform to accredit those who excel in e-governance and other best ICT practices. (PIB)
S.K.Sarda says:
April 21, 2010 at 6:55 am
Congrats to PIB for the excellent Web presentation. It deserves the prize Platinum. We at our blogsite:
http://www.sikkimchamberofcommerce.blogspot.com
use many of the materials of PIB.
I suggest our HCM that IPR should also come out with similar site as PIB maintains where all press releases of Sikkim Govt should be available today as well as Archives for all times to come..
We will then have instant on site record which can be referred anytime by anybody.
Centre mulls over pollution permits
In what could be the first step towards a market-based system of pollution permits, the government plans to roll out a Rs.500-crore online pollution monitoring system across 6,000 industrial sites across the country.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been asked to prepare a national action plan for online pollution monitoring based on the model being implemented in Tamil Nadu, according to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh. He was interacting with representatives from the Central and State Pollution Control Boards and non-governmental experts, at a workshop on innovative instruments for environmental regulation here.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board launched its Care Air Centre last month to assess real time emissions from factories in the Manali industrial area. Censors have been put in place in the smokestacks, as well as to measure the ambient air around nine plants at Manali, to measure the levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. The data is transmitted every ten seconds to the Care Air Centre.
Mr. Ramesh said that while the system would cover 202 sites in Tamil Nadu by the end of the year, it will be expanded across the country to cover the entire organised industrial sector — approximately 6,000 sites. It is still being debated who will pay the Rs. 500 crore cost of setting up the system.
However, this system could then be used to power a system of pollution permits, the Minister said.
“An inspection-based system is simply not sustainable,” said Mr. Ramesh. “If we think we're going to create more and more laws, and put in more and more inspectors on the field and expect companies to comply, it's just not going to happen. In my view, a market-based system is the only solution in the long run.”
Michael Greenstone, an Economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggested that giving companies permits for allowable amounts of pollution and allowing them to trade it would result in much larger reductions at much lower costs. “Since some industries face much higher costs of reducing pollution, they can buy pollution permits in the market from other industries that have a lower cost,” he said.
In what could be the first step towards a market-based system of pollution permits, the government plans to roll out a Rs.500-crore online pollution monitoring system across 6,000 industrial sites across the country.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been asked to prepare a national action plan for online pollution monitoring based on the model being implemented in Tamil Nadu, according to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh. He was interacting with representatives from the Central and State Pollution Control Boards and non-governmental experts, at a workshop on innovative instruments for environmental regulation here.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board launched its Care Air Centre last month to assess real time emissions from factories in the Manali industrial area. Censors have been put in place in the smokestacks, as well as to measure the ambient air around nine plants at Manali, to measure the levels of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. The data is transmitted every ten seconds to the Care Air Centre.
Mr. Ramesh said that while the system would cover 202 sites in Tamil Nadu by the end of the year, it will be expanded across the country to cover the entire organised industrial sector — approximately 6,000 sites. It is still being debated who will pay the Rs. 500 crore cost of setting up the system.
However, this system could then be used to power a system of pollution permits, the Minister said.
“An inspection-based system is simply not sustainable,” said Mr. Ramesh. “If we think we're going to create more and more laws, and put in more and more inspectors on the field and expect companies to comply, it's just not going to happen. In my view, a market-based system is the only solution in the long run.”
Michael Greenstone, an Economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, suggested that giving companies permits for allowable amounts of pollution and allowing them to trade it would result in much larger reductions at much lower costs. “Since some industries face much higher costs of reducing pollution, they can buy pollution permits in the market from other industries that have a lower cost,” he said.
Language gets a new face
by Sumit Bhattacharjee
C.V. Subrahmanyam Professor Prasanna Sree, Department of English, Andhra University during an interview with The Hindu in Visakhapatnam.
Champa, a teenager, is happy that her spoken language has now got a script. A Bagatha tribal from the Araku Valley of Visakhapatnam district, she said a paper chart containing the script was presented to her husband, and that she will now spend some time learning it.
19-year project
Champa has Prasanna Sree, senior professor in the Department of English in Andhra University, to thank for designing it. The professor has been working on the project for 19 years.
There are about 35 tribal groups spread over different regions in Andhra Pradesh. Out of them, 16 to 19 groups inhabit the hill regions of the Eastern Ghats.
Professor Sree picked 10 major tribes such as the Bagathas, the Gadhabas, the Jathapus, the Valmikis, the Kolams, the Porjas, the Koyas, the Konda-Doras, the Kotias and the Gonds, and designed distinctive and individual scripts for them.
On the process, she said, “Matru Matra is my style of devising a character for a language. Matru means maternal; Matra means alphabet or a letter. Each script designed by me is separate and with a distinct style.”
A combination
Professor Sree has combined elements and influences of religion, culture and lifestyle of the respective tribes, and oriented them to the sound structures of each spoken language.
“One of the main characteristics of folk speech is that it is more restricted to oral circulation, commonly known as oral literature, which is also called ‘verbal art' or ‘expressive' literature. Considering the sound structure of this oral form, I tried to identify them with easy identifiable symbols from their daily life. I have also used a few designs from Oriya, Telugu, Hindi, Devanagari, Bengali and Tamil scripts, as they do have an influence over the oral language spoken by the tribals,” she said.
At times, she faced hostility, both from members of the primitive tribal groups (PTGs) and Maoists.
“The Porjas are shy and aggressive people. It took many months for me to get acquainted with them. The sound from my tape recorder [when replayed] terrified them. Camera flash upset them,” she said. Professor Sree said her work was only the beginning.
“The major task lies ahead — introducing the script to the natives. Nearly 132 tribal volunteers, supervised by 10 motivators, are now shouldering the responsibility of teaching these alphabets in the primary schools, to women of self-help groups and at adult education centres in 167 villages.”
Global acclaim
Globally, her work has been widely acknowledged and appreciated by Tim Brookes, creator and director of endangered alphabets project, Champlain College, Vermont, and Simon Ager, director of Omniglot, a United Kingdom-based researcher in writing systems and languages of the world.
by Sumit Bhattacharjee
C.V. Subrahmanyam Professor Prasanna Sree, Department of English, Andhra University during an interview with The Hindu in Visakhapatnam.
Champa, a teenager, is happy that her spoken language has now got a script. A Bagatha tribal from the Araku Valley of Visakhapatnam district, she said a paper chart containing the script was presented to her husband, and that she will now spend some time learning it.
19-year project
Champa has Prasanna Sree, senior professor in the Department of English in Andhra University, to thank for designing it. The professor has been working on the project for 19 years.
There are about 35 tribal groups spread over different regions in Andhra Pradesh. Out of them, 16 to 19 groups inhabit the hill regions of the Eastern Ghats.
Professor Sree picked 10 major tribes such as the Bagathas, the Gadhabas, the Jathapus, the Valmikis, the Kolams, the Porjas, the Koyas, the Konda-Doras, the Kotias and the Gonds, and designed distinctive and individual scripts for them.
On the process, she said, “Matru Matra is my style of devising a character for a language. Matru means maternal; Matra means alphabet or a letter. Each script designed by me is separate and with a distinct style.”
A combination
Professor Sree has combined elements and influences of religion, culture and lifestyle of the respective tribes, and oriented them to the sound structures of each spoken language.
“One of the main characteristics of folk speech is that it is more restricted to oral circulation, commonly known as oral literature, which is also called ‘verbal art' or ‘expressive' literature. Considering the sound structure of this oral form, I tried to identify them with easy identifiable symbols from their daily life. I have also used a few designs from Oriya, Telugu, Hindi, Devanagari, Bengali and Tamil scripts, as they do have an influence over the oral language spoken by the tribals,” she said.
At times, she faced hostility, both from members of the primitive tribal groups (PTGs) and Maoists.
“The Porjas are shy and aggressive people. It took many months for me to get acquainted with them. The sound from my tape recorder [when replayed] terrified them. Camera flash upset them,” she said. Professor Sree said her work was only the beginning.
“The major task lies ahead — introducing the script to the natives. Nearly 132 tribal volunteers, supervised by 10 motivators, are now shouldering the responsibility of teaching these alphabets in the primary schools, to women of self-help groups and at adult education centres in 167 villages.”
Global acclaim
Globally, her work has been widely acknowledged and appreciated by Tim Brookes, creator and director of endangered alphabets project, Champlain College, Vermont, and Simon Ager, director of Omniglot, a United Kingdom-based researcher in writing systems and languages of the world.
Yarsagumba: The Himalayan Viagra ‘Kira Jhar’
source:VoiceofSikkim
by Parinita Kashyap
Yarsagumba or Yarchagumbu is an exceptional and incredible herb that grows in the pastures above 3,300 meters upto 4000 meters in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India and Tibet. Yarsagumba literally means summer plant and winter insect (dong cong xia cao) in Tibetan. In India it is usually known as ‘Kira Jhar’ which means Insect Plant . Scientific name of this herb is Cordyceps Sinensis.
yarsagumbaYarsa gumba is a exceptional combination of a yellow caterpillar and a mushroom (fungus). Just earlier to the rainy season, spores ofcordyceps fungus infect these Himalayan caterpillars that live on moist grass and hollow soil. After the fungus buries itself in the caterpillar’s body, it works its way out through the insect’s head. The parasite gets the energy from the caterpillar. The fungus parasite gets so much into the body of the caterpillars’ that it drains all the energy from the insect and ultimately it dies. As temperature increases and the snow melts -yarsa gumba emerges and is collected at this time. During monsoon, the yarsa gumba is swept away.
Researches has revealed that the body of Yarsagumba contains:- Cordycepin acid, Cordycepin, D-mannitol, Polysaccharide, SOD, Fatty Acid, Nucleocide Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, Serien, Zinc, Copper, Carbohydrates etc. Cardycepin and Cordycepic acid have been found to be the main constituents.
Yarsagumba is also known as the “Himalayan Viagra” or “Himalayan Gold” for its high medicinal and commercial value. It is mainly used as a treatment for impotency in many countries. Numerous scientific studies and research reveals that it has properties of antibiotic in it. Cordycep sinensis is used for lung and respiratory infection, pain, sciatica and backache. It also provides vitality and increases physical stamina of the body. Yarsa gumba is used by the Chinese to cure chronic hepatitis B and immune function such as dysfunctioning of liver. According to the Hawaiian health products, cordyceptin is found effective against tuberculosis as well as in the treatment of leprosy. Another major use of this is in the treatment of leukemia. It is useful for children, adults, the aged and the sick people.
It energizes lung, kidney and liver; improves memory and purified blood; keeps a person physically and mentally sound. It is of great importance for men and women of any age group, players, people working in physical stress, suffering from premature ejaculation and sexually inactive ones. It gradually empowers internal energy of our body in a natural way as well as acts as a powerful aphrodisiac. Unlike Viagra, it does not cause any mental problem or any other type of physical damage or malfunctioning.
source:VoiceofSikkim
by Parinita Kashyap
Yarsagumba or Yarchagumbu is an exceptional and incredible herb that grows in the pastures above 3,300 meters upto 4000 meters in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India and Tibet. Yarsagumba literally means summer plant and winter insect (dong cong xia cao) in Tibetan. In India it is usually known as ‘Kira Jhar’ which means Insect Plant . Scientific name of this herb is Cordyceps Sinensis.
yarsagumbaYarsa gumba is a exceptional combination of a yellow caterpillar and a mushroom (fungus). Just earlier to the rainy season, spores ofcordyceps fungus infect these Himalayan caterpillars that live on moist grass and hollow soil. After the fungus buries itself in the caterpillar’s body, it works its way out through the insect’s head. The parasite gets the energy from the caterpillar. The fungus parasite gets so much into the body of the caterpillars’ that it drains all the energy from the insect and ultimately it dies. As temperature increases and the snow melts -yarsa gumba emerges and is collected at this time. During monsoon, the yarsa gumba is swept away.
Researches has revealed that the body of Yarsagumba contains:- Cordycepin acid, Cordycepin, D-mannitol, Polysaccharide, SOD, Fatty Acid, Nucleocide Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, Serien, Zinc, Copper, Carbohydrates etc. Cardycepin and Cordycepic acid have been found to be the main constituents.
Yarsagumba is also known as the “Himalayan Viagra” or “Himalayan Gold” for its high medicinal and commercial value. It is mainly used as a treatment for impotency in many countries. Numerous scientific studies and research reveals that it has properties of antibiotic in it. Cordycep sinensis is used for lung and respiratory infection, pain, sciatica and backache. It also provides vitality and increases physical stamina of the body. Yarsa gumba is used by the Chinese to cure chronic hepatitis B and immune function such as dysfunctioning of liver. According to the Hawaiian health products, cordyceptin is found effective against tuberculosis as well as in the treatment of leprosy. Another major use of this is in the treatment of leukemia. It is useful for children, adults, the aged and the sick people.
It energizes lung, kidney and liver; improves memory and purified blood; keeps a person physically and mentally sound. It is of great importance for men and women of any age group, players, people working in physical stress, suffering from premature ejaculation and sexually inactive ones. It gradually empowers internal energy of our body in a natural way as well as acts as a powerful aphrodisiac. Unlike Viagra, it does not cause any mental problem or any other type of physical damage or malfunctioning.
Friday, July 23, 2010
APA B PANT IN SIKKIM AS POLITICAL OFFICER
When the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan delegation crossed the Sikkim border in November 1956, they were welcomed by the Chogyal of Sikkim, Tashi Namgyal and the Indian representative in Sikkim, Apa Pant. For the following three months Apa Pant was in charge of organizing the Dalai Lama’s journey through India, visiting pilgrimage places, but also enabling the Tibetan leader to solicit foreign support for his people under siege.
Some thirty years later my mother presented me with a little book entitled ‘Das Sonnengebet’ (Sun Prayer). I was just about to develop an interest for all things exotic, so I decided to give the seemingly simple yoga exercises a try. For several months I continued to practice the Surya Namaskars and then I must have moved on to something else that was equally exciting and new, but the flavors of discipline and sanity that came with performing a regular exercise stayed with me for much longer.
Just recently, when researching Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö’s students in Sikkim, I found that Apa Pant had not only been the highest Indian political officer in Sikkim at the time, but also that he was an ardent practitioner of the Surya Namaskar. This stirred my memory and I phoned my mother to send me the book. Unbelievably she still found it sitting on some dusty shelf.
Sure enough the same Apa Pant who had requested Jamyang Khyentse again and again for the ultimate instruction on how to meditate (as described in chapter 5 of Sogyal Rinpoche’s Tibetan Book of Living and Dying) was the author whose instructions for yogic exercise I had followed with great curiosity many years before I even knew anything about Tibetan Buddhism.
Parshuram Rao Pant ‘Apa Sahib’, Padma Shri [1912-1991]
Apa Pant was born in 1912 as the eldest son of the Raja of Aundh. He took his M.A. at Oxford, and was called to the Bar before his return to India in 1937. For the next ten years he was involved in an unusual constitutional experiment by which his father Bala Sahib, aided by Mahatma Gandhi and Maurice Frydman, handed over power to the people of Aundh as an early test of village-level self government in British India. [see also Aundh Experiment]
HH Meherban Shrimant Raja BHAVAN RAO SHRINIVAS ‘BALA SAHIB’, Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh [1868-1951]
Many credit the Raja, Apa Pant’s father, for popularizing Surya Namaskars as a simple physical exercise by introducing it to schools as a form of education for the all-round development of an individual. He was not only a benevolent ruler, but also an avid painter know for his beautiful illustrations of the Ramayana
In 1948, Apa Pant was chosen by the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to be India’s Commissioner in British East Africa. From 1951 to 1961 he was made political officer in Sikkim and Bhutan with control over Indian Missions in Tibet.
In 1956 Apa Pant helped facilitate the Indian invitation to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to by way of the Sikkim Crown Prince Thondup Namgyal.
Jamyang Kyentse returned from his pilgrimage to India and Nepal around Losar 1957, just after HH Dalai Lama had returned to Lhasa via Gangtok. It was probably during this time that Apa Pant became a student of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. As Sogyal Rinpoche recounts in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:
“Apa Pant told me this story. One day our master Jamyang Khyentse was watching a “Lama Dance” in front of the Palace Temple in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, and he was chuckling at the antics of the atsara, the clown who provides light relief between dances. Apa Pant kept pestering him, asking him again and again how to meditate, so this time when my master replied, it was in such a way as to let him know that he was telling him once and for all: “Look, it’s like this: When the past thought has ceased, and the future thought has not yet risen, isn’t there a gap?”
“Yes,” said Apa Pant.
“Well, prolong it: That is meditation.”
In the colophon to his teaching “Opening the Dharma” Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö writes:
“This ‘Opening the Dharma’ was written at the request of the Governor of Sikkim, Apa Sahib, by a Tibetan holding the name of Jamyang Khyentse’s emanation (from Dzongsar), stupid Chökyi Lodrö, who, with an extremely good heart, wrote uninterruptedly. May this virtue bring benefit to the Holy Dharma and to all those wandering in Samsara.”
It was this very teaching that HH Sakya Trizin’s sister Jetsün Kushok Chimey Luding happened to hear on radio while playing with her transistor in Sakya.
When, just after Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö had passed away, all of Gangtok was suddenly lit up by a strange, unearthly light, hours after dark, Apa Pant was the first to call and inquire what on earth it could be. (See also the recollections of HH Sakya Trizin in the film: A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö)
Later Apa Pant held diplomatic appointments in Indonesia, Norway, the UAR and as High Commissioner in London from 1969 to 72. As the Indian ambassador to Italy he welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama once again who, visiting Europe for the first time, had made it his priority to meet Pope John Paul VI.
He authored several books some of which contain several references to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, to whom he refers as the ‘Great Khentse Rimpoche’:
• Surya Namaskars: An Ancient Indian Excercise
• An Unusual Raja: Mahatma Gandhi and the Aundh Experiment
• An Extended Family, or Fellow Pilgrims
• A Moment in Time (his autobiography)
• Undiplomatic Incidents
Apa Pant passed away in 1992.
FROM www.rememberthemasters.org
When the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan delegation crossed the Sikkim border in November 1956, they were welcomed by the Chogyal of Sikkim, Tashi Namgyal and the Indian representative in Sikkim, Apa Pant. For the following three months Apa Pant was in charge of organizing the Dalai Lama’s journey through India, visiting pilgrimage places, but also enabling the Tibetan leader to solicit foreign support for his people under siege.
Some thirty years later my mother presented me with a little book entitled ‘Das Sonnengebet’ (Sun Prayer). I was just about to develop an interest for all things exotic, so I decided to give the seemingly simple yoga exercises a try. For several months I continued to practice the Surya Namaskars and then I must have moved on to something else that was equally exciting and new, but the flavors of discipline and sanity that came with performing a regular exercise stayed with me for much longer.
Just recently, when researching Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö’s students in Sikkim, I found that Apa Pant had not only been the highest Indian political officer in Sikkim at the time, but also that he was an ardent practitioner of the Surya Namaskar. This stirred my memory and I phoned my mother to send me the book. Unbelievably she still found it sitting on some dusty shelf.
Sure enough the same Apa Pant who had requested Jamyang Khyentse again and again for the ultimate instruction on how to meditate (as described in chapter 5 of Sogyal Rinpoche’s Tibetan Book of Living and Dying) was the author whose instructions for yogic exercise I had followed with great curiosity many years before I even knew anything about Tibetan Buddhism.
Parshuram Rao Pant ‘Apa Sahib’, Padma Shri [1912-1991]
Apa Pant was born in 1912 as the eldest son of the Raja of Aundh. He took his M.A. at Oxford, and was called to the Bar before his return to India in 1937. For the next ten years he was involved in an unusual constitutional experiment by which his father Bala Sahib, aided by Mahatma Gandhi and Maurice Frydman, handed over power to the people of Aundh as an early test of village-level self government in British India. [see also Aundh Experiment]
HH Meherban Shrimant Raja BHAVAN RAO SHRINIVAS ‘BALA SAHIB’, Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh [1868-1951]
Many credit the Raja, Apa Pant’s father, for popularizing Surya Namaskars as a simple physical exercise by introducing it to schools as a form of education for the all-round development of an individual. He was not only a benevolent ruler, but also an avid painter know for his beautiful illustrations of the Ramayana
In 1948, Apa Pant was chosen by the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to be India’s Commissioner in British East Africa. From 1951 to 1961 he was made political officer in Sikkim and Bhutan with control over Indian Missions in Tibet.
In 1956 Apa Pant helped facilitate the Indian invitation to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to by way of the Sikkim Crown Prince Thondup Namgyal.
Jamyang Kyentse returned from his pilgrimage to India and Nepal around Losar 1957, just after HH Dalai Lama had returned to Lhasa via Gangtok. It was probably during this time that Apa Pant became a student of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. As Sogyal Rinpoche recounts in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:
“Apa Pant told me this story. One day our master Jamyang Khyentse was watching a “Lama Dance” in front of the Palace Temple in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, and he was chuckling at the antics of the atsara, the clown who provides light relief between dances. Apa Pant kept pestering him, asking him again and again how to meditate, so this time when my master replied, it was in such a way as to let him know that he was telling him once and for all: “Look, it’s like this: When the past thought has ceased, and the future thought has not yet risen, isn’t there a gap?”
“Yes,” said Apa Pant.
“Well, prolong it: That is meditation.”
In the colophon to his teaching “Opening the Dharma” Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö writes:
“This ‘Opening the Dharma’ was written at the request of the Governor of Sikkim, Apa Sahib, by a Tibetan holding the name of Jamyang Khyentse’s emanation (from Dzongsar), stupid Chökyi Lodrö, who, with an extremely good heart, wrote uninterruptedly. May this virtue bring benefit to the Holy Dharma and to all those wandering in Samsara.”
It was this very teaching that HH Sakya Trizin’s sister Jetsün Kushok Chimey Luding happened to hear on radio while playing with her transistor in Sakya.
When, just after Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö had passed away, all of Gangtok was suddenly lit up by a strange, unearthly light, hours after dark, Apa Pant was the first to call and inquire what on earth it could be. (See also the recollections of HH Sakya Trizin in the film: A Tribute to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö)
Later Apa Pant held diplomatic appointments in Indonesia, Norway, the UAR and as High Commissioner in London from 1969 to 72. As the Indian ambassador to Italy he welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama once again who, visiting Europe for the first time, had made it his priority to meet Pope John Paul VI.
He authored several books some of which contain several references to Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, to whom he refers as the ‘Great Khentse Rimpoche’:
• Surya Namaskars: An Ancient Indian Excercise
• An Unusual Raja: Mahatma Gandhi and the Aundh Experiment
• An Extended Family, or Fellow Pilgrims
• A Moment in Time (his autobiography)
• Undiplomatic Incidents
Apa Pant passed away in 1992.
FROM www.rememberthemasters.org
NOW IT IS THE TIME FOR INDIANS TO SET UP MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN US IN BIG NUMBERS. THE CHINESE ARE DOING.
Americans are too used to buy goods with the 'Made in China' label. But soon the Chinese may be buying goods with 'Made in America' tags. Yes, the oriental economy is doing its best to take over Uncle Sam. So much so that, as per Fortune, China's investments in the US rose a sterling 360% in first half of 2010. America itself is worried about the Chinese capturing their markets.
However, there is little that they can do. The Chinese companies promise jobs to Americans in smaller towns. And that is something the US cannot do without given the perilous state the economy is in. While the US has levied heavy duties on Chinese exports, it is unlikely to dissuade Chinese manufacturers to set up shops there. China on its part has announced investment of US$ 5 bn in the US this year as against an average of US$ 500 m in earlier years. The US literally seems at China's mercy.
Americans are too used to buy goods with the 'Made in China' label. But soon the Chinese may be buying goods with 'Made in America' tags. Yes, the oriental economy is doing its best to take over Uncle Sam. So much so that, as per Fortune, China's investments in the US rose a sterling 360% in first half of 2010. America itself is worried about the Chinese capturing their markets.
However, there is little that they can do. The Chinese companies promise jobs to Americans in smaller towns. And that is something the US cannot do without given the perilous state the economy is in. While the US has levied heavy duties on Chinese exports, it is unlikely to dissuade Chinese manufacturers to set up shops there. China on its part has announced investment of US$ 5 bn in the US this year as against an average of US$ 500 m in earlier years. The US literally seems at China's mercy.
It's now time for 100% GDP growth
A simple question to begin with. Who do you think spends money more productively, the Government or the private sector? We bet you don't have to do a detailed analysis on this one. A casual observation of things around you would take you to the answer. It is indeed the private sector that spends its money more productively. Infact, it will not be wrong to say that by taxing the private sector, the Government tends to divert quite a bit of productive resources away from it and thus, actually ends up hurting GDP growth.
The problem is more acute in case of countries like India. Because apart from taxes, what also hurts India is the rather distorted nature of taxes. We certainly do not expect the Government to reduce taxes substantially. There are simply too many vested interests involved for it to take such a step. But we would certainly love it if the Government took steps to correct the current distorted tax regime. It seems the Government has not disappointed us.
A huge step in this direction has been taken in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Infact, the Finance Minister believes that the gains from GST will propel the country from US$ 1 trillion to US$ 2 trillion in a short span of time. A well designed GST, as per the FM, could see an increase of 2-2.5% in the GDP growth per annum.
We are all for such kind of a step. The Government certainly needs more money and hiking taxes would have meant robbing Peter to pay Paul. If the FM is indeed right, GST would ensure more money for both Peter as well as Paul without taking anything away from either of them. What's more, it could also mean greater wealth creation for shareholders as firms rake up more profit growth than usual. Is this the best thing to have happened to India after the LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) of the early 1990s? Well, let's just wait and watch.
A simple question to begin with. Who do you think spends money more productively, the Government or the private sector? We bet you don't have to do a detailed analysis on this one. A casual observation of things around you would take you to the answer. It is indeed the private sector that spends its money more productively. Infact, it will not be wrong to say that by taxing the private sector, the Government tends to divert quite a bit of productive resources away from it and thus, actually ends up hurting GDP growth.
The problem is more acute in case of countries like India. Because apart from taxes, what also hurts India is the rather distorted nature of taxes. We certainly do not expect the Government to reduce taxes substantially. There are simply too many vested interests involved for it to take such a step. But we would certainly love it if the Government took steps to correct the current distorted tax regime. It seems the Government has not disappointed us.
A huge step in this direction has been taken in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Infact, the Finance Minister believes that the gains from GST will propel the country from US$ 1 trillion to US$ 2 trillion in a short span of time. A well designed GST, as per the FM, could see an increase of 2-2.5% in the GDP growth per annum.
We are all for such kind of a step. The Government certainly needs more money and hiking taxes would have meant robbing Peter to pay Paul. If the FM is indeed right, GST would ensure more money for both Peter as well as Paul without taking anything away from either of them. What's more, it could also mean greater wealth creation for shareholders as firms rake up more profit growth than usual. Is this the best thing to have happened to India after the LPG (Liberalisation, Privatisation, Globalisation) of the early 1990s? Well, let's just wait and watch.
Desalination : Cost-Effective Ways to Provide Fresh Water
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16:34 IST
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has worked extensively in quest for techno-economically viable solutions for desalination.
Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) is one process that uses the availability of a temperature gradient between two water bodies or flows to evaporate the Warmer water at low pressure and condense the resultant vapour with the colder water to obtain Freshwater. While ocean, with its temperature variation across its depth, presents one such scenario of two water bodies, a coast based thermal power plant discharging huge amounts of condenser reject water into the nearby ocean represents an alternate scenario. Te simplicity of LTTD process also enables to control the quality of product water in order to provide either good quality drinking water or boiler grade water as the situation warrants.
LTTD Process
The main components that are required for LTTD plant are the evaporation chamber, the condenser, pumps and pipelines to draw warm and cold water, and a vacuum pump to maintain the plant at sub-atmospheric pressures. One of the advantages of the process is that it can be implemented even with a low temperature gradient of about 8o – 10oC between the two water bodies. Even though flash distillation is a commonly used desalination process worldwide and especially in Middle East, none of the established plants work with the temperature gradient as low as 8o C that exists in the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS).
Other Conventional Desalination Processes
Some of the other commonly used desalination processes are Reverse Osmosis, Multi Stage Flash Desalination and Multi Effect Desalination. Reverse Osmosis is the most commonly used membrane process in the industry. Water at high pressure is made to pass through a porous membrane. As the water passes from the high pressure area to the low pressure area through pore of the size of 0.5-1.5 nm, the dissolved solids are left behind. Over the past 20 years, the process has been fine tuned. However, high power consumption and the disposal of the concentrated brine are two of the major drawbacks of the process.
Multi Stage Flash Desalination (MSF) is a flash distillation process that is similar to LTTD process, but works on a higher temperature difference. The flashing is done in multiple stages. Most MSF plants use inlet feed water in the temperature range of 60o-80oC.
In Multi Effect Desalination (MED), the energy available from the steam in the power plants is used to distill the sea water in multiple stages in this method. The use of steam as the primary source makes the process expensive in the Indian context.
NIOT started working with the LTTD applications in 2004 and established various plants, namely Laboratory scale model with a capacity of 5 m3/day (2004),100 m3/day capacity land based plant in the Kavaratti Island of UT Lakshadweep (2005) and 1000 m3/day capacity Barge Mounted Experimental Plant off Chennai coast (2007) – ilot/ experimental plant.
NIOT set up a land based demonstration plant in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep Islands with a capacity of producing one lakh litres per day of freshwater in May 2005. The sea bed bathymetric (depth) near the island was such that350m water depth was abailable at about 600m from the shore. Temperature gradient of 15oc was utilised (temperature at surface water at 28oc, water at 350 m depth at 12oC). High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes of 630mm diameter and 600m long were deployed to draw cold water from a depth of about 350m. The sea water umps inside the partitioned sump supply, warm and cold water to the plant on the land. The plant has been running continuously ever since, fulfilling the needs of the 10000 strong local community for over three years. The salinity of the freshwater produced was reduced from 35000 ppm of the seawater to 280 ppm whereas the permissible limit for drinking water is 2000 ppm.
Subsequent to the commencement of the plant water supply for drinking water needs, there have been significant drop in the incidence of water-borne diseases. NIOT is also the process of establishing similar plants in three more island in Lakshadweep, namely Agati, Minicoy and Androth.
For an LTTD plant meant for the mainland needs, NIOT has demonstrated an experimental 1000 m3/day (one million litres per day) barge mounted desalination plant 40 km off Chennai coast meant for mainland usage. Temperature gradient of about 18oC was utilised with surface water at 28oC and the water at 550m depth at 10oC. The plant was commissioned in April 2007 and the sea trials were successfully conducted for a few weeks. Thereafter, the plant was dismantled.
LTTD has been applied in Power Plants also. An efficient way to utilise the heat available in the condenser reject water of a power plant would reduce the load on the cooling towers and in turn the resultant thermal pollution. One of the aspects of LTTD is that it transfers the available heat from warmer water to the colder water while generating freshwater from the warm water. This aspect could therefore be aptly used in thermal power plants resulting in the double benefits of cooling the condenser reject water and generating the freshwater. A small temperature gradient of about 8o-10oC, as is the case with most power plants, would be sufficient to utilise the concept.
With the idea of demonstrating the concept in a coast based thermal power plant, where the co-existence of warm power plant condenser reject water and the nearby surface sea water with a gradient of about 8o-10oC presents an ideal case for an LTTD application. NIOT took up the task of setting up the LTTD plant in Northern Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS). The 600 MW NCTPS plant discharges about 100,000 m3/hr of condenser reject water at about 37oC. In order to reduce the thermal pollution issues arising out of mixing this water with the nearby seawater at 29oC, NCTPS lets the water run through a long open channel where the water is brought to about 33oC.
The power plant consists of three units each with a capacity of 200 MW. For each unit, the condenser coolant water is supplied through a 2.7m diameter concrete pipe. The reject water from the condenser is led back to the open channel through the 2.7m diameter concrete pipes were provided with a manhole for servicing. These manholes were modified to accommodate the inlet and discharge piping required for the LTTD plants. A structure was designed to accommodate the plant components of flash chamber, condenser and the vacuum system. Being a demonstration plant, it was decided to utilise the existing components from the decommissioned barge-mounted desalination plant. A pump situated in a sump is used to provide water to the flash chamber while the available head in the cold water is used to pass the cold water through the condenser. The final piping connections between the LTTD plant and the main power plant were completed during their annual maintenance schedules. After letting the water through the LTTD plant, the vacuum system was operated to bring the system vacuum to the design pressure. The warm water was flash evaporated at about 33oC and freshwater was obtained. The cold water exit temperature was measured at about 31oC. A fraction of the cold water flow intended for the main power plant condenser is bypassed to the LTTD plant, thereby removing the necessity of a separate cold water pump for the LTTD plant. Thus, the warm water pump and the vacuum system are the main power consumption devices for the LTTD plant, with a power consumption of about 45 kW for the designed capacity of about 2.5 lakh litres per day. The salinity of the freshwater was reduced from 35000 ppm of the seawater to about 24 ppm, the quality well suited for drinking water as well as for use in the boilers. Water Quality Analysis for LTTD Plant at Kavaratti and NCTPS, Chennai .
The successful demonstration of an LTTD plant with the existing temperature gradient of mere 8oC at the NCTPS provides another new area for its application. Since most power plants discharge the condenser reject water at 8o-10oC above the ambient sea water temperature, any increase in the available temperature difference or the provision of additional process steam from power plant will increase the efficiency of the LTTD process, resulting in the generation of huge quantity of freshwater. If implemented in the design stages, further optimisation of the power consumption is also possible. Newer power plant projects are also coming up all over the country, most along the coast. Thus, the LTTD technology, if applied to power plants, world be useful in providing high quality freshwater for boilers, while reducing the thermal pollution.
KP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16:34 IST
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has worked extensively in quest for techno-economically viable solutions for desalination.
Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) is one process that uses the availability of a temperature gradient between two water bodies or flows to evaporate the Warmer water at low pressure and condense the resultant vapour with the colder water to obtain Freshwater. While ocean, with its temperature variation across its depth, presents one such scenario of two water bodies, a coast based thermal power plant discharging huge amounts of condenser reject water into the nearby ocean represents an alternate scenario. Te simplicity of LTTD process also enables to control the quality of product water in order to provide either good quality drinking water or boiler grade water as the situation warrants.
LTTD Process
The main components that are required for LTTD plant are the evaporation chamber, the condenser, pumps and pipelines to draw warm and cold water, and a vacuum pump to maintain the plant at sub-atmospheric pressures. One of the advantages of the process is that it can be implemented even with a low temperature gradient of about 8o – 10oC between the two water bodies. Even though flash distillation is a commonly used desalination process worldwide and especially in Middle East, none of the established plants work with the temperature gradient as low as 8o C that exists in the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS).
Other Conventional Desalination Processes
Some of the other commonly used desalination processes are Reverse Osmosis, Multi Stage Flash Desalination and Multi Effect Desalination. Reverse Osmosis is the most commonly used membrane process in the industry. Water at high pressure is made to pass through a porous membrane. As the water passes from the high pressure area to the low pressure area through pore of the size of 0.5-1.5 nm, the dissolved solids are left behind. Over the past 20 years, the process has been fine tuned. However, high power consumption and the disposal of the concentrated brine are two of the major drawbacks of the process.
Multi Stage Flash Desalination (MSF) is a flash distillation process that is similar to LTTD process, but works on a higher temperature difference. The flashing is done in multiple stages. Most MSF plants use inlet feed water in the temperature range of 60o-80oC.
In Multi Effect Desalination (MED), the energy available from the steam in the power plants is used to distill the sea water in multiple stages in this method. The use of steam as the primary source makes the process expensive in the Indian context.
NIOT started working with the LTTD applications in 2004 and established various plants, namely Laboratory scale model with a capacity of 5 m3/day (2004),100 m3/day capacity land based plant in the Kavaratti Island of UT Lakshadweep (2005) and 1000 m3/day capacity Barge Mounted Experimental Plant off Chennai coast (2007) – ilot/ experimental plant.
NIOT set up a land based demonstration plant in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep Islands with a capacity of producing one lakh litres per day of freshwater in May 2005. The sea bed bathymetric (depth) near the island was such that350m water depth was abailable at about 600m from the shore. Temperature gradient of 15oc was utilised (temperature at surface water at 28oc, water at 350 m depth at 12oC). High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes of 630mm diameter and 600m long were deployed to draw cold water from a depth of about 350m. The sea water umps inside the partitioned sump supply, warm and cold water to the plant on the land. The plant has been running continuously ever since, fulfilling the needs of the 10000 strong local community for over three years. The salinity of the freshwater produced was reduced from 35000 ppm of the seawater to 280 ppm whereas the permissible limit for drinking water is 2000 ppm.
Subsequent to the commencement of the plant water supply for drinking water needs, there have been significant drop in the incidence of water-borne diseases. NIOT is also the process of establishing similar plants in three more island in Lakshadweep, namely Agati, Minicoy and Androth.
For an LTTD plant meant for the mainland needs, NIOT has demonstrated an experimental 1000 m3/day (one million litres per day) barge mounted desalination plant 40 km off Chennai coast meant for mainland usage. Temperature gradient of about 18oC was utilised with surface water at 28oC and the water at 550m depth at 10oC. The plant was commissioned in April 2007 and the sea trials were successfully conducted for a few weeks. Thereafter, the plant was dismantled.
LTTD has been applied in Power Plants also. An efficient way to utilise the heat available in the condenser reject water of a power plant would reduce the load on the cooling towers and in turn the resultant thermal pollution. One of the aspects of LTTD is that it transfers the available heat from warmer water to the colder water while generating freshwater from the warm water. This aspect could therefore be aptly used in thermal power plants resulting in the double benefits of cooling the condenser reject water and generating the freshwater. A small temperature gradient of about 8o-10oC, as is the case with most power plants, would be sufficient to utilise the concept.
With the idea of demonstrating the concept in a coast based thermal power plant, where the co-existence of warm power plant condenser reject water and the nearby surface sea water with a gradient of about 8o-10oC presents an ideal case for an LTTD application. NIOT took up the task of setting up the LTTD plant in Northern Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS). The 600 MW NCTPS plant discharges about 100,000 m3/hr of condenser reject water at about 37oC. In order to reduce the thermal pollution issues arising out of mixing this water with the nearby seawater at 29oC, NCTPS lets the water run through a long open channel where the water is brought to about 33oC.
The power plant consists of three units each with a capacity of 200 MW. For each unit, the condenser coolant water is supplied through a 2.7m diameter concrete pipe. The reject water from the condenser is led back to the open channel through the 2.7m diameter concrete pipes were provided with a manhole for servicing. These manholes were modified to accommodate the inlet and discharge piping required for the LTTD plants. A structure was designed to accommodate the plant components of flash chamber, condenser and the vacuum system. Being a demonstration plant, it was decided to utilise the existing components from the decommissioned barge-mounted desalination plant. A pump situated in a sump is used to provide water to the flash chamber while the available head in the cold water is used to pass the cold water through the condenser. The final piping connections between the LTTD plant and the main power plant were completed during their annual maintenance schedules. After letting the water through the LTTD plant, the vacuum system was operated to bring the system vacuum to the design pressure. The warm water was flash evaporated at about 33oC and freshwater was obtained. The cold water exit temperature was measured at about 31oC. A fraction of the cold water flow intended for the main power plant condenser is bypassed to the LTTD plant, thereby removing the necessity of a separate cold water pump for the LTTD plant. Thus, the warm water pump and the vacuum system are the main power consumption devices for the LTTD plant, with a power consumption of about 45 kW for the designed capacity of about 2.5 lakh litres per day. The salinity of the freshwater was reduced from 35000 ppm of the seawater to about 24 ppm, the quality well suited for drinking water as well as for use in the boilers. Water Quality Analysis for LTTD Plant at Kavaratti and NCTPS, Chennai .
The successful demonstration of an LTTD plant with the existing temperature gradient of mere 8oC at the NCTPS provides another new area for its application. Since most power plants discharge the condenser reject water at 8o-10oC above the ambient sea water temperature, any increase in the available temperature difference or the provision of additional process steam from power plant will increase the efficiency of the LTTD process, resulting in the generation of huge quantity of freshwater. If implemented in the design stages, further optimisation of the power consumption is also possible. Newer power plant projects are also coming up all over the country, most along the coast. Thus, the LTTD technology, if applied to power plants, world be useful in providing high quality freshwater for boilers, while reducing the thermal pollution.
KP
Income Tax Department Celebrates 150 years of Income tax in India Tomorrow: FM to Release Revised Citizen Charter of I-T Department on the Occasion
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16:12 IST
The Income Tax department is celebrating 150 years of income tax in India. The Governor General of India accorded to the bill levying the tax, introduced by James Wilson, the first Finance Member in Council, on 24th July 1860. The 150 years of income tax, spanning 3 centuries, have witnessed tremendous global changes. The Income Tax department has traveled this journey by mobilizing resources, from a meager Rs.1.33 crore in 1860-61 to about Rs.380 thousand crore in 2009-10. These revenues have constituted a vital component in the resources used by the Government of India to lift the people out of abject poverty, disease and misery and propel India into the frontiers of strong and self-reliant nations. In the 150th year, the Income Tax department rededicates itself to the people of India with the avowed objective of mobilizing optimum resources to build a modern, developed, vibrant and prosperous nation.
At the close of the first decade of this century, the role of the Income Tax department has radically altered and needs redefining. The department needs to address the rising expectations of taxpayers through innovative use of technology and modern management skills to ensure equity, transparency and efficiency in delivery systems. The Citizen’s Charter 2007 has, accordingly, been revised and will be released by the Hon’ble Finance Minister in a function on 24th July 2010 at 3:30 PM, FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi. The Charter reflects the best endeavour of the Department and is expected to meet the aspirations of the people of India.
A short documentary film on the journey of 150 years of income tax, anchored by actor Om Puri, will be shown and the third volume of the book “Let Us Share” will be released during the function.
The soul of the country speaks through its art. On this historic occasion, an artists’ workshop was recently organized in Kolkata to ponder and reflect on creativity in the field of resource mobilization. Several eminent artists, including Dhiraj Chowdhury, Ganesh Haloi, Prakash Karmakar, Jogen Choudhury, Wasim Kapoor and Sunil Das joined artists in the Department, Bratati Mukherjee and Prasanna Kumar Dash, in bringing forth 40 paintings of outstanding quality. An exhibition of these paintings, along with other expressions of creative outpouring by personnel of the department, will be organized at AIFACS, New Delhi from 25th to 30th July 2010. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Smt. Suvra Mukherjee in the company of several other renowned artists of different parts of the country on 24th July at 6:30 PM.
DSM/BY/KP/GN-234/10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16:12 IST
The Income Tax department is celebrating 150 years of income tax in India. The Governor General of India accorded to the bill levying the tax, introduced by James Wilson, the first Finance Member in Council, on 24th July 1860. The 150 years of income tax, spanning 3 centuries, have witnessed tremendous global changes. The Income Tax department has traveled this journey by mobilizing resources, from a meager Rs.1.33 crore in 1860-61 to about Rs.380 thousand crore in 2009-10. These revenues have constituted a vital component in the resources used by the Government of India to lift the people out of abject poverty, disease and misery and propel India into the frontiers of strong and self-reliant nations. In the 150th year, the Income Tax department rededicates itself to the people of India with the avowed objective of mobilizing optimum resources to build a modern, developed, vibrant and prosperous nation.
At the close of the first decade of this century, the role of the Income Tax department has radically altered and needs redefining. The department needs to address the rising expectations of taxpayers through innovative use of technology and modern management skills to ensure equity, transparency and efficiency in delivery systems. The Citizen’s Charter 2007 has, accordingly, been revised and will be released by the Hon’ble Finance Minister in a function on 24th July 2010 at 3:30 PM, FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi. The Charter reflects the best endeavour of the Department and is expected to meet the aspirations of the people of India.
A short documentary film on the journey of 150 years of income tax, anchored by actor Om Puri, will be shown and the third volume of the book “Let Us Share” will be released during the function.
The soul of the country speaks through its art. On this historic occasion, an artists’ workshop was recently organized in Kolkata to ponder and reflect on creativity in the field of resource mobilization. Several eminent artists, including Dhiraj Chowdhury, Ganesh Haloi, Prakash Karmakar, Jogen Choudhury, Wasim Kapoor and Sunil Das joined artists in the Department, Bratati Mukherjee and Prasanna Kumar Dash, in bringing forth 40 paintings of outstanding quality. An exhibition of these paintings, along with other expressions of creative outpouring by personnel of the department, will be organized at AIFACS, New Delhi from 25th to 30th July 2010. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Smt. Suvra Mukherjee in the company of several other renowned artists of different parts of the country on 24th July at 6:30 PM.
DSM/BY/KP/GN-234/10
Telephone Subscriber Base Reaches 671.69 Million by June End
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18:48 IST
The number of telephone subscribers in India has increased to 671.69 million at the end of June-2010 from 653.92 million in May-2010. As per the figures data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today, it has registered a growth of 2.72%. With this, the overall tele-density in India has reached 56.83.
Wireless subscriber base has increased from 617.53 million in May-2010 to 635.51 million at the end of June-2010 registering a growth of 2.91%. Wireless tele-density stands at 53.77.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18:48 IST
The number of telephone subscribers in India has increased to 671.69 million at the end of June-2010 from 653.92 million in May-2010. As per the figures data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today, it has registered a growth of 2.72%. With this, the overall tele-density in India has reached 56.83.
Wireless subscriber base has increased from 617.53 million in May-2010 to 635.51 million at the end of June-2010 registering a growth of 2.91%. Wireless tele-density stands at 53.77.
Should I Exit From Magnum Contra?
I invested in Magnum Contra (G) through an SIP of Rs 5,000/month over the past year and the results have not been great. Should I stay invested or redeem my units and switch to another fund? My investment horizon is about 15 years.
- Amit Mehra
If you take the 1-year performance of Magnum Contra (20.22%), it has outperformed the Sensex (15.86%) and its benchmark, the BSE 100 (18.65%). However, it has underperformed the equity diversified category average (28.31%). The reason could be that it has more than half of its portfolio in large-cap stocks. Moreover, the fund's objective is to primarily invest in undervalued scrips which could be out of favour at the time of investing but are likely to show attractive growth over the long term. So there could be bouts of underperformance when the fund manager keeps away from momentum stocks. But over the long term this fund has kept its investors happy. Its 5-year annualised return is 25.82 per cent. Since your investment horizon is 15 years, stay on.
source; valueresearch
I invested in Magnum Contra (G) through an SIP of Rs 5,000/month over the past year and the results have not been great. Should I stay invested or redeem my units and switch to another fund? My investment horizon is about 15 years.
- Amit Mehra
If you take the 1-year performance of Magnum Contra (20.22%), it has outperformed the Sensex (15.86%) and its benchmark, the BSE 100 (18.65%). However, it has underperformed the equity diversified category average (28.31%). The reason could be that it has more than half of its portfolio in large-cap stocks. Moreover, the fund's objective is to primarily invest in undervalued scrips which could be out of favour at the time of investing but are likely to show attractive growth over the long term. So there could be bouts of underperformance when the fund manager keeps away from momentum stocks. But over the long term this fund has kept its investors happy. Its 5-year annualised return is 25.82 per cent. Since your investment horizon is 15 years, stay on.
source; valueresearch
SIKKIM: A well meaning tradition
Gangtok: “Bethi”, an important cultural tradition of Nepali community, is observed during paddy planting in the month of “ASAR (July)” by old-timers. This was something like Jharlangi system, the tradition of the landlords giving some cereals to land tillers in lieu of working in the field.
This was said by Mr. C. B. Karki, Minister for Rural Management & Development in a programme organized at Mengli bazaar of South Sikkim to observe Bethi. He said though it is a tradition, it should not be limited in concept. Instead, it should be seen as the way of livelihood.
Now-a-days cultivation is very important for our livelihood and it should be accepted as a source of income, Mr. Karki said. He emphasized that Bethi can be converted and developed as a tourism feature to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
Mr. Mahesh Sharma, Yangyang block development officer, also addressed the meeting. He said paddy planting is not only our cultural tradition but a means of our livelihood. To conserve this tradition we should observe this event every year. This culture will involve and with the support of farmers.
Mr. Parasmani Dangal, president of Press club of Sikkim, also addressed the programme. He emphasized on the importance of cultivation. Bishnu Neopaney, a farmer, said the state government is facilitating farmers in various ways. He maintained that the facilities provided by the government should be utilized in proper way to enhance our production.
On the occasion, a group of farmers who recently completed the training organized by RMDD did paddy planting by singing Behti and Asharey with Naumati baja.
[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]
Gangtok: “Bethi”, an important cultural tradition of Nepali community, is observed during paddy planting in the month of “ASAR (July)” by old-timers. This was something like Jharlangi system, the tradition of the landlords giving some cereals to land tillers in lieu of working in the field.
This was said by Mr. C. B. Karki, Minister for Rural Management & Development in a programme organized at Mengli bazaar of South Sikkim to observe Bethi. He said though it is a tradition, it should not be limited in concept. Instead, it should be seen as the way of livelihood.
Now-a-days cultivation is very important for our livelihood and it should be accepted as a source of income, Mr. Karki said. He emphasized that Bethi can be converted and developed as a tourism feature to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
Mr. Mahesh Sharma, Yangyang block development officer, also addressed the meeting. He said paddy planting is not only our cultural tradition but a means of our livelihood. To conserve this tradition we should observe this event every year. This culture will involve and with the support of farmers.
Mr. Parasmani Dangal, president of Press club of Sikkim, also addressed the programme. He emphasized on the importance of cultivation. Bishnu Neopaney, a farmer, said the state government is facilitating farmers in various ways. He maintained that the facilities provided by the government should be utilized in proper way to enhance our production.
On the occasion, a group of farmers who recently completed the training organized by RMDD did paddy planting by singing Behti and Asharey with Naumati baja.
[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]
BHUTAN: Bhutan proposes ‘anti-conversion’ law
BY VISHAL ARORA
THIMPHU, Bhutan: Christians in this Himalayan nation who are still longing to openly practice their faith were disheartened this month when the government proposed the kind of “anti-conversion” law that other nations have used as a pretext for falsely accusing Christians of “coercion.”
The amendment bill would punish “proselytizing” that “uses coercion or other forms of inducement” – vaguely enough worded, Christians fear, that vigilantes could use it to jail them for following the commands of Christ to feed, clothe and otherwise care for the poor.
“Now, under section 463 [of the Penal Code of Bhutan], a defendant shall be guilty of the offense of proselytization if the defendant uses coercion or other forms of inducement to cause the conversion of a person from one religion or faith to another,” reported the Kuensel newspaper.
“There was always a virtual anti-conversion law in place, but now it is on paper too,” said a senior pastor from Thimphu on condition of anonymity. “Seemingly it is aimed at controlling the growth of Christianity.”
Kuenlay Tshering, a member of Bhutan’s Parliament and the chairperson of its Legislative Council, told Compass that the new section is consonant with Article 7(4) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which states, “A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.”
He said that the National Council had proposed that offenses under the proposal be classified as misdemeanors, punishable by one to less than three years in prison.
Tshering said that the amendment bill “may be passed during the next session of Parliament, after the National Assembly deliberates on it in the winter session.”
Asked if he was aware that similar “anti-conversion” laws in neighboring India had been misused to harass Christians through vague terms of “inducement,” he said he was not.
Authorities usually act on complaints by local residents against Christian workers, so frivolous complaints can lead to their arrest, said another pastor who requested anonymity.
Of the 683,407 people in Bhutan, over 75 percent are Buddhist, mainly from the west and the east. Hindus, mostly ethnic Nepalese from southern Bhutan, are estimated to be around 22 percent of the population.
There are around 6,000 Christians, mostly ethnic Nepalese, but there is neither a church building nor a registered Christian institution. The Bible, however, has been translated into the national language, Dzongkha, as well as into Nepali.
The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has not officially recognized the presence of Christians, whose practice of faith remains confined to their homes.
The Drukpa Kagyue school of Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion, with Hinduism dominant in the south, according to Bhutan’s official website, which adds, “Some residues of Bon, animism and shamanism still exist in some pockets of the country,” but makes no mention of Christianity.
Still, since Bhutan became a democracy in 2008 after its first-ever elections – following more than 100 years of absolute monarchy – people have increasingly exercised their freedom, including religious choice.
‘Why More Religions?’
Home and Culture Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji told Compass that Bhutan’s government had “no problems” with Christianity or any other faith.
“But Bhutan is a small country, with a little more than 600,000 people, and a majority of them are Buddhist,” Dorji said. “We have Hindus, also mainly in southern parts. So why do we need more religions?”
Buddhism is closely linked with political and social life in Bhutan. Dorji’s office sits in a gigantic monastery in Thimphu known as Tashichho Dzong. Buddhism unites and brings people together, Dorji said, explaining that the social life of a village revolves around its dzong (monastery).
Dorji said India’s multi-religious society had led to tensions and bloodshed.
“India can survive riots and unrest,” he said, “but Bhutan may not, because it is a small country between two giants [India and China].”
With leaders who have been proud that they have not allowed it to be colonized, Bhutan historically has been keenly concerned about its survival. Bhutan’s people see their distinct culture, rather than the military, as having protected the country’s sovereignty. And it is no coincidence that Dorji’s portfolio includes both internal security and preservation of culture.
The constitution, adopted in July 2008, also requires the state to protect Bhutan’s cultural heritage and declares that Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan.
A government official who requested anonymity said that, as Tibet went to China and Sikkim became a state in India, “now which of the two countries will get Bhutan?”
This concern is prevalent among the Bhutanese, he added.
Sikkim, now a state in India’s northeast, was a Buddhist kingdom with indigenous Bhotia and Lepcha people groups as its subjects. But Hindus from Nepal migrated to Sikkim for work and gradually outnumbered the local Buddhists. In 1975, a referendum was held to decide if Sikkim, then India’s protectorate, should become an official state of the country. Since over 75 percent of the people in Sikkim were Nepalese – who knew that democracy would mean majority-rule – they voted for its incorporation into India.
Bhutan and India’s other smaller neighbors saw it as brazen annexation. And it is believed that Sikkim’s “annexation” made Bhutan wary of the influence of India.
In the 1980s, Bhutan’s king began a one-nation-one-people campaign to protect its sovereignty and cultural integrity, which was discriminatory to the ethnic Nepalese, who protested. Their non-compliance, however, resulted in a harsh crackdown by authorities, leading to the expulsion or voluntary migration of over 100,000 ethnic Nepalese, many of whom were Christians, to the Nepal side of the border in Jhapa in the early 1990s.
“Bhutan did not want to become another Sikkim,” said a local resident, explaining why the government did not tolerate the protests.
Bhutan is also rigorous in implementing its laws related to the use of the national language, the national dress code and the uniform architectural standards throughout the country to strengthen its cultural integrity. Bhutanese men are required to wear the gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt, when they go to work or attend a public function. Women have to wear the kira, an ankle-length dress clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. Non-compliance can lead to fine and imprisonment
BY VISHAL ARORA
THIMPHU, Bhutan: Christians in this Himalayan nation who are still longing to openly practice their faith were disheartened this month when the government proposed the kind of “anti-conversion” law that other nations have used as a pretext for falsely accusing Christians of “coercion.”
The amendment bill would punish “proselytizing” that “uses coercion or other forms of inducement” – vaguely enough worded, Christians fear, that vigilantes could use it to jail them for following the commands of Christ to feed, clothe and otherwise care for the poor.
“Now, under section 463 [of the Penal Code of Bhutan], a defendant shall be guilty of the offense of proselytization if the defendant uses coercion or other forms of inducement to cause the conversion of a person from one religion or faith to another,” reported the Kuensel newspaper.
“There was always a virtual anti-conversion law in place, but now it is on paper too,” said a senior pastor from Thimphu on condition of anonymity. “Seemingly it is aimed at controlling the growth of Christianity.”
Kuenlay Tshering, a member of Bhutan’s Parliament and the chairperson of its Legislative Council, told Compass that the new section is consonant with Article 7(4) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which states, “A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.”
He said that the National Council had proposed that offenses under the proposal be classified as misdemeanors, punishable by one to less than three years in prison.
Tshering said that the amendment bill “may be passed during the next session of Parliament, after the National Assembly deliberates on it in the winter session.”
Asked if he was aware that similar “anti-conversion” laws in neighboring India had been misused to harass Christians through vague terms of “inducement,” he said he was not.
Authorities usually act on complaints by local residents against Christian workers, so frivolous complaints can lead to their arrest, said another pastor who requested anonymity.
Of the 683,407 people in Bhutan, over 75 percent are Buddhist, mainly from the west and the east. Hindus, mostly ethnic Nepalese from southern Bhutan, are estimated to be around 22 percent of the population.
There are around 6,000 Christians, mostly ethnic Nepalese, but there is neither a church building nor a registered Christian institution. The Bible, however, has been translated into the national language, Dzongkha, as well as into Nepali.
The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has not officially recognized the presence of Christians, whose practice of faith remains confined to their homes.
The Drukpa Kagyue school of Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion, with Hinduism dominant in the south, according to Bhutan’s official website, which adds, “Some residues of Bon, animism and shamanism still exist in some pockets of the country,” but makes no mention of Christianity.
Still, since Bhutan became a democracy in 2008 after its first-ever elections – following more than 100 years of absolute monarchy – people have increasingly exercised their freedom, including religious choice.
‘Why More Religions?’
Home and Culture Minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji told Compass that Bhutan’s government had “no problems” with Christianity or any other faith.
“But Bhutan is a small country, with a little more than 600,000 people, and a majority of them are Buddhist,” Dorji said. “We have Hindus, also mainly in southern parts. So why do we need more religions?”
Buddhism is closely linked with political and social life in Bhutan. Dorji’s office sits in a gigantic monastery in Thimphu known as Tashichho Dzong. Buddhism unites and brings people together, Dorji said, explaining that the social life of a village revolves around its dzong (monastery).
Dorji said India’s multi-religious society had led to tensions and bloodshed.
“India can survive riots and unrest,” he said, “but Bhutan may not, because it is a small country between two giants [India and China].”
With leaders who have been proud that they have not allowed it to be colonized, Bhutan historically has been keenly concerned about its survival. Bhutan’s people see their distinct culture, rather than the military, as having protected the country’s sovereignty. And it is no coincidence that Dorji’s portfolio includes both internal security and preservation of culture.
The constitution, adopted in July 2008, also requires the state to protect Bhutan’s cultural heritage and declares that Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan.
A government official who requested anonymity said that, as Tibet went to China and Sikkim became a state in India, “now which of the two countries will get Bhutan?”
This concern is prevalent among the Bhutanese, he added.
Sikkim, now a state in India’s northeast, was a Buddhist kingdom with indigenous Bhotia and Lepcha people groups as its subjects. But Hindus from Nepal migrated to Sikkim for work and gradually outnumbered the local Buddhists. In 1975, a referendum was held to decide if Sikkim, then India’s protectorate, should become an official state of the country. Since over 75 percent of the people in Sikkim were Nepalese – who knew that democracy would mean majority-rule – they voted for its incorporation into India.
Bhutan and India’s other smaller neighbors saw it as brazen annexation. And it is believed that Sikkim’s “annexation” made Bhutan wary of the influence of India.
In the 1980s, Bhutan’s king began a one-nation-one-people campaign to protect its sovereignty and cultural integrity, which was discriminatory to the ethnic Nepalese, who protested. Their non-compliance, however, resulted in a harsh crackdown by authorities, leading to the expulsion or voluntary migration of over 100,000 ethnic Nepalese, many of whom were Christians, to the Nepal side of the border in Jhapa in the early 1990s.
“Bhutan did not want to become another Sikkim,” said a local resident, explaining why the government did not tolerate the protests.
Bhutan is also rigorous in implementing its laws related to the use of the national language, the national dress code and the uniform architectural standards throughout the country to strengthen its cultural integrity. Bhutanese men are required to wear the gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt, when they go to work or attend a public function. Women have to wear the kira, an ankle-length dress clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. Non-compliance can lead to fine and imprisonment
Gold could soar another 4300%
Bubbles happen across a wide variety of asset classes. But they do share quite a lot of common features. One of those is indeed psychological. Investors become so blinded by the huge run up in price that they start having complete disregard for traditional valuation measures. And consequently, even extremely absurd prices seem justifiable.
Take the case of Gold? There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the yellow metal has been on a tear the past few years. And people wanting to jump in on the Gold bandwagon will come up with umpteen theories to justify excellent returns that lie ahead. Such theories have indeed come dime a dozen. But the one that we would like to highlight really takes the cake. A financial portal has put the fair value of gold at, hold your breath, US$ 52, 381 an ounce! This is a whopping 43 times more than the current price. For an Indian buyer, this is equivalent to nearly Rs 8,00,000 per 10 Gms of gold.
The reasoning behind this is pretty simple. If the world were to move back to the gold standard, all the US dollars will have to be converted into gold. The US currently has 13.8 trillion dollars in circulation whereas it admits to having only 261.5 m ounces of gold. Thus, there is US$ 52,381 dollars worth of currency behind every ounce of gold for the US and this thus would be the fair price of Gold.
The argument made in the above example is very simple. And the real world is indeed very complex. But there is no denying the fact that even if one tenth of the target were to be achieved, we are still far away from the peak price of gold. Furthermore, with the amount of money printing happening, the peak price will keep getting higher and higher. Hence, gold may not go up 43 times from here, but it can still give very attractive returns.
source:equitymaster
Bubbles happen across a wide variety of asset classes. But they do share quite a lot of common features. One of those is indeed psychological. Investors become so blinded by the huge run up in price that they start having complete disregard for traditional valuation measures. And consequently, even extremely absurd prices seem justifiable.
Take the case of Gold? There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the yellow metal has been on a tear the past few years. And people wanting to jump in on the Gold bandwagon will come up with umpteen theories to justify excellent returns that lie ahead. Such theories have indeed come dime a dozen. But the one that we would like to highlight really takes the cake. A financial portal has put the fair value of gold at, hold your breath, US$ 52, 381 an ounce! This is a whopping 43 times more than the current price. For an Indian buyer, this is equivalent to nearly Rs 8,00,000 per 10 Gms of gold.
The reasoning behind this is pretty simple. If the world were to move back to the gold standard, all the US dollars will have to be converted into gold. The US currently has 13.8 trillion dollars in circulation whereas it admits to having only 261.5 m ounces of gold. Thus, there is US$ 52,381 dollars worth of currency behind every ounce of gold for the US and this thus would be the fair price of Gold.
The argument made in the above example is very simple. And the real world is indeed very complex. But there is no denying the fact that even if one tenth of the target were to be achieved, we are still far away from the peak price of gold. Furthermore, with the amount of money printing happening, the peak price will keep getting higher and higher. Hence, gold may not go up 43 times from here, but it can still give very attractive returns.
source:equitymaster
HISTORY OF SIKKIM
http://www.sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_his.htm
Sikkim was inhabited in pre-historic times by three tribes namely Naong, Chang and the Mon. The Lepcha who entered Sikkim sometimes later absorbed them completely. The origin of Lepchas is shrouded in mistery but it seems that they belonged to the clan of the Nagas of the Mikir, Garo and Khasia hills which lie to the south of the Bramaputra valley. Some believe they came from somewhere on the borders of Tibet and Burma. According to their own tradition they came to Sikkim from the east in company with Jindaxs, who went to Nepal and shared their tradition. The Lepchas were a very peace loving people, deeply religious and shy, which characteristics they still have retained. They were in fact the children of nature, and worshipped nature or spirits of nature. These Lepcha lived quite close to the nature by way of leading sustenance. Some of them practiced shifting cultivation and raised grains like maize and millets. They led a tribal life at the beck and call of their tribal leader.
The credit of organizing them into some sort of a society goes to a person called Tur ve pa no. He was eventually elected leader of king called "Punu" sometimes in A. D. 1400. He was killed in a battle and was succeeded by three Kings - Tur Song Pa No, Tur Aeng Pa No and Tur Alu Pa No. The monarchy came to an end with the death of the last king. The Lepchas now resorted to the practice of electing a leader whose advice and counsel was sought on crucial matters and followed. The Tibetan migration in early 17th century led the Rongs to shift their habitats so as to avoid conflict. Meanwhile the struggle and conflicts among the followers of the "Yellow hats" and the "Red hats" in Tibet forced the latter to seek refuge in Sikkim, where they attained the status of aristocracy. Being aggressive they occupied lands, which was not registered by the docile Lepchas. These Tibetan migrants (the Bhutias as they came to be known) who were followers of the sect of 'Red Hats' now tried to convert these Sikkimese "Worshippers of nature" to Buddhism. They succeeded to some extent, though the Lepchas tried to keep themselves aloof as far as possible. In order to avoid any possible opposition from the Lepchas, these immigrants now chose one venerable person Phuntsok Namgyal as the temporal and spiritual leader of Sikkim, whose ancestry they traced from a legendary prince, who founded the Kingdom of Minvang in eastern Tibet in 9th century A.D. This dynasty ruled in the Chumbi and Teesta valley for a long time.
Somewhere in the Thirteenth century a prince named Guru Tashi of Minyang dynasty in Tibet had a divine vision that he should go south to seek his fortune in "Denzong- the valley of rice". As directed by the divine vision he along with his family, which included five sons, headed in the southern direction. The family during their wandering came across the Sakya Kingdom in which a monastery was being built at that time. The workers had not been successful in erecting pillars for the monastery. The elder son of Guru Tashi raised the pillar single handedly and thereby came to be known as "Kheye Bumsa" meaning the superior of ten thousand heroes.
The Sakya King offered his daughter in marriage to Khye Bumsa. Guru Tashi subsequently died and Khye Bumsa settled in Chumbi Valley and it was here that he established contacts with the Lepcha Chieftain Thekong Tek in Gangtok. Khye Bumsa being issueless went to Sikkim in the 13th century to seek the blessing of Thekong Tek who was also a religious leader. Khye Bumsa was not only blessed with three sons by the Rong chief but he also prophesied that his successors would be the rulers of Sikkim. Out of gratitude Khye Bumsa visited Thekong Tek a number of times. In due course of times the relationship ultimately culminated in a treaty of brotherhood between the two Chieftains at a place called Kabi Longtsok. This treaty brought about new ties of brotherhood between the Lepchas and the Bhutias.
Mipon Rab the third son of Khye Bumsa assumed the Chief-Ship after the death of his father. He had sons and the four principal clans of Sikkim are said to have sprung from these four sons. The fourth son Guru Tashi succeeded Mipon Rab and shifted to Gangtok. On the other hand after the death of Thekong Tek the Lepchas broke into minor clans. They also gradually turned to Guru Tashi for protection and leadership. Guru Tashi appointed a Lepcha, Sambre as his chief adviser and lieutenant. Guru Tashi's rule marked the absorption of the foreign ruling house into the native soil and also paved a way for a regular monarchy. This way Guru Tashi became the first ruler of Sikkim and was crowned as such. He was followed by Jowo Nagpo, Jowo Apha and Guru Tenzing who pursued the policy creating progressively amicable relation with Lepchas.
Phuntsok (or penchu) Namgyal was the next ruler. He was Guru Tenzing's son (great grandson of Guru Tashi) and was born in 1604. Phuntsok Namgyal's crowning was charged with all the vivid fantacy and miraculous phenomenon that is befitting to so important an occasion. Three venerable lamas are said to have entered sikkim from three different direction direction at the same time. They met at Yoksam (meaning three wise men) and began a debate on the desirability of having a temporal and religious head to rule over pagan Sikkim. Two of the lamas furthered their own claims but the third lama reminded them of the prophecy of Guru Padamsambhava that a man coming from east and Phuntsok by name would rule Sikkim. It was also told that none of them came from east hence the real man must be looked for. Messengers were sent to seek Phuntsok. Near Gangtok the desired youngman was found and lamas lost no time in crowning him the king. They seated him on a nearby rock slab and sprinkled water on him from the sacred urn. He was given one of Lhatsun Chenpo's (the lama told about prophecy) names, Namgyal, and the title of Chogyal or religious king. It happened in the year 1642. The Namgyal dynasty ruled over Sikkim as hereditary kings for about 332 years.
Phuntsok Namgyal, the first consecrated ruler ruled over a vast territory, many times the size of present Sikkim. His kingdom touched Thang La in the Tibet in the north, Tagong La near Paro in Bhutan in the east and the Titalia on the borders of West Bengal and Bihar in the south. The western border Timar Chorten on the Timar river in Nepal. Phuntsok though a distant descendant of Indrabodhi was now a Bhutia by his domicile. He was persuaded by the lamas enthroning him as Chogyal (Heavenly king or king who rules with righteousness) to seek recognition from Dalai Lama of Tibet. The Dalai Lama recognized Phuntsok Namgyal as the ruler of the southern slopes of the Himalayas (Sikkim) and is also credited to have sent ceremonial present such as the silken scarf bearing Dalai Lama's seal, the mitre(hat) of the Guru Rimpoche, the devil dagger (Phurpa) and the most precious sand image of the Guru. Consequently, the newly established Bhutia principality of Namgyal Dynasty was tied to Tibetan theocracy. Since then up to 19th century, the Bhutia rulers of Sikkim looked up to Tibet for protection against political foes. Phuntsok Namgyal proved to be an efficient and capable administrator. He divided his kingdom into twelve Dzongs i.e. districts and appointed Dzongpana i.e. governor for each. He also declared Mahayana Buddhism as the state religion, which continued to be the state religion under all the Namgyal rulers. He very tactfully kept the lepchas, Bhutias and Limbus together. The Governors were appointed from the lepchas who were then in majority. Since Yatung the greatest commercial Tibetan center being nearer to Gangtok posed some danger, he shifted his capital to Yoksom.
Mules - Primary mode of Transportation
Phunstok Namgyal and the three saints immediately got to the task of successfully bringing the Lepcha tribes under the Buddhist fold. Politically, sikkim expanded its borders, which include Chumbi valley, the present Darjeeling district and a part of present-day Nepal and Bhutan. The capital of sikkim was established in Yoksam itself.
Tensung Namgyal succeded his father Phuntsok Namgyal in 1670 and moved his capital to Rabdentse. He had three wives - a Tibetan, a Bhutanese and Limbu girl. The latter was the daughter of the Limbu chief Yo Yo-Hang. The chief's daughter brought with her seven girls who were later on married into important families of Sikkim. Many of them rose to the rank of councilors to the King. These councilors later on came to be known as Kazis who enjoyed immense power and privileges.
Chador Namgyal a minor son from Tensung's second wife succeeded on the death of his father. Pedi the daughter from the first wife who came from Bhutan challenged the succession and invited Bhutanese intervention. Having come to know about this secret move Yungthing Yeshe a loyal minister took the minor king to Lhasa. During his asylum in Lhasa, Chador Namgyal distinguished himself in Buddhist learning and Tibetan literature. By dint of his acumen and scholarship he rose to the position of state astrologer to the Sixth Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama was so much pleased with the erudition of this young scholar that he bestowed high honors and titles on the young king. The young king also received an estate in central Tibet with sovereign rights. On the other hand Bhutanese forces had captured the Rabdentse palace and imprisoned the son of Yugthing Yeshe. But on the intervention of Tibet, King Deb of Bhutan withdrew. Chador Namgyal came back and drove out the rest of Bhutanese forces. The south-eastern tract was, however, lost to sikkim as it had been heavily colonized by then. The Bhutanese after a short while made a second attempt to capture Sikkim territory. Chador Namgyal gave a tough resistance but areas now called as Kalimpong and Rhenock were lost forever. Chador was himself religious and took steps for the propagation of Buddhist religion in his territory. He commanded that the second of every three sons of Bhutia family must be ordained a monk of the Pemiongchi Monastery, which was also open to the Tsongs. He not only built the Guru Lhakhang Tashiding (1715) and patronised the sacred places but also adapted the religious dances (mystery plays) to keep alive the martial and native traditions and invented an alphabet for the Lepchas. However, Pedi the half sister of the ruler did not reconcile. She conspired with a Tibetan man of medicine and caused Chador Namgyal's death by way of blood letting from a main artery while the king was holidaying at Ralang hot water spring in 1716. A force was sent to Namchi, the doctor was executed and Pedi was strangled to death by a silk scarf.
Gyurmed Namgyal succeeded his father Chador. Consequently upon a Mongol (Dzungar) invasion on Tibet to persecute Nyingma sect, the Mindoling Abbot's sister. In his times the people were forced to work on the fortification of Rabdentse in the fear of Gurkhas and Bhutanese raids. Many Tsongs who were not prepared to yield to forced labour fled to Limbuana, which became a rebel district and broke away from Sikkim even earlier to Gurkha expansion. A boundary dispute with Bhutan also arose. The Magar Chieftain Tashi Bidur also revolted, though he was subdued. Limbuana was, however, lost to Nepal. Gyurmed had no issue but while on his death bed at the age of 26 (1733) gave out that a nun in Sanga Choling was carrying his child. But some people do not believe it. It is said, he was impotent and generally shunned his wife.
Therefore, the story goes that in order to keep the Namgyal Dynasty going, the lama priest of Sikkim concocted a story that a nun was carrying the child of the King. Fortunately the nun delivered a male child and he was accepted as heir to Gyurmed. He was named as Phuntsok after the first temporal and the spiritual head of Sikkim.
Phuntsok Namgyal II was opposed by many people including some Bhutias on the plea of illegitimacy. Tamdang a close confident and treasurer of Gyurmed not only opposed the succession but assured the powers of the ruler and continued to rule Sikkim for three years inspite of the opposition by pro-king faction. The Lepchas backed the baby king and fought the pretender under the leadership of Chandzod Karwang. Tamdang was defeated and fled to Tibet to seek guidance and help. But to keep Sikkim under their Tutelage the Tibetan authorities favoured the minority of the king. A convention representing all shades of Sikkimese population was held which defined the functions, powers and responsibilities of the Government. The system of annual taxation was also introduced to augment the state treasury. The Magar tribe, lost its chieftain during this time and asked the regent to appoint the deceased's son as chieftain. But the regent expressed his inability to comply with their demand. This act enraged the Magars who sought the help and protection from Bhutan. This way Sikkim lost Magars allegiance forever. In the year 1752 the Tsongs rose in arms, but were subdued and won over by tactfully by Chandzod Karwang. The rise of Gurkhas also posed a threat for Sikkim. The later years of Phuntsok II witnessed Gurkhas inroads in Sikkim under the leadership of Raja Prithvi Narayan Shah of Nepal who formented the rebellious elements in Sikkim. Bhutan also invaded Sikkim and captured all area east of Tista, but withdrew to present frontiers after negotiation at Rhenock. The Gurkha inroads were beaten back seventeen times. A peace treaty with Nepal was signed in 1775, and Gurkhas promised to abstain from further attacks and collaboration with Bhutanese. But the Gurkhas at a later stage violated the treaty and occupied the land in western Sikkim. Phuntsok II had three queens but had a son Tenzing Namgyal from his second queen in 1769.
Tenzing Namgyal succeeded Phuntsok Namgyal in 1780. During the reign of Tenzing Namgyal, Nepali forces occupied large chunks of Sikkim territory. They attacked Rabdantse and the Chogyal had to flee to Tibet. The Nepalis excursions emboldened them to penetrate even into Tibet. This led to the Chinese intervention and Nepal was defeated. In the Sino-Nepal treaty, Sikkim lost some of its land to Nepal, but monarchy was allowed to be restored in the country. Tenzing Namgyal died in Lhasa and his son Tsudphud Namgyal was sent to Sikkim in 1793 to succeed him as the monarch. Rabdantse was now, considered too insecure because of its proximity to the Nepal border and Tshudphund Namgyal shifted the capital to a place called Tumlong.
The defeat of Nepal by the Chinese did little to weaken the expansionist designs of the Nepalese. They continued to make attacks into the neighbouring British territories and Sikkim. British India successfully befriended Sikkim. They felt that by doing so the expanding powers of the Gorkhas would be curtailed. British also looked forward to establishing trade link with Tibet and it was felt that the route through Sikkim was the most feasible one. War between Nepal and British India broke out in 1814 and came to an end in 1816 with the defeat of the Nepalis and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Sugauli. As a direct spin-off, British India signed another treaty with Sikkim in 1817 known as the Treaty of Titalia in which former territories, which the Nepalis captured, were restored to Sikkim. H. H. Risley writes in the Gazette of Sikkim, 1894, that by the Treaty of Titalia British India has assumed the position of Lord's paramount of Sikkim and a title to exercise a predominant influence in that State has remained undisputed.
The British became interested in Darjeeling both as a hill resort and an outpost from where Tibet and Sikkim would be easily accessible. Following a lot of pressure from the British, Sikkim finally gifted Darjeeling to British India on the understanding that a certain amount would be paid as annual subsidy to Sikkim. The gift deed was signed by the Chogyal Tsudphud Namgyal in 1835. The British appointed a superintendent in the ceded territory. The British however did not pay the compensation as had been stipulated and this led to a quick deterioration of relation between the two countries. There were also difference between the British Government and Sikkim over the status of people of Sikkim. Because of the increased importance of Darjeeling, many citizens of Sikkim mostly of the labor class started to settle there as British subjects. The migration disturbed the feudal lords in Sikkim who resorted to forcibly getting the migrants back to Sikkim. This annoyed the British Government, which considered these as acts of kidnapping of British citizens. The relations deteriorated to such an extent that when Dr. Campbell, the Superintendent of Darjeeling and Dr. Hooker visited Sikkim in connection with the latter's botanical research, they were captured and imprisoned in 1849. The British issued an ultimatum and the two captives were released after a month of detention. In February 1850, an expedition was sent to Sikkim, which resulted in the stoppage of the annual grant of Rs. 6000/- to the Maharaja of Sikkim and also the annexation of Darjeeling and a great portion of Sikkim to British India.
Sikkim resorted to making attacks into British territories and it was in November 1860 that the British sent an expeditionary force to Sikkim. This force was driven back from Rinchenpong in Sikkim. A stronger force was sent in 1861 that resulted in the capture of the capital Tumlong and the signing of a Treaty between the British and Sikkimese the same year.
His son Sidekeong Namgyal succeeded Tsugphud Namgyal in 1863. The British Government started the payment of annual subsidy of Rs. 6000/- in 1850 for Darjeeling. In an attempt to keep good relation with Sikkim, the British enhanced the subsidy to Rs. 12000/- per annum.
Chogyal Sidekong Namgyal defied in 1874 issueless and was succeeded by his half brother Thutob Namgyal. There were serious difference between the Nepalese settlers and the original inhabitants of Sikkim and this led to British intervention. The settlement went in favour of the Nepali settlers and made Thutob Namgyal have ill feeling for the British. He retreated to Chumbi and became more aligned towards the Tibetans.
During the time of Tibet Trade
The British meanwhile were making concerted efforts to establish a trade links with Tibet and also imposed their influence. A delegation led by Colman Macaulay, Financial Secretary to the Bengal Government of British India was sent to Sikkim in 1884 to explore the possibility of establishing a trade route with Tibet through the Lachen Valley. This delegation visited Tumlong the capital where it met the Maharaja.
The Britishers started building of roads in Sikkim. This was viewed with suspicion by Tibet and in 1886, some Tibetan militia occupied Lingtu in sikkim near Jelepla pass. In May 1888, the Tibetans attacked Gnathang below Jelepla but were driven away. In September of the same year the British called for reinforcements and the Tibetans were pushed back from Lingtu. A memorial was built at Gnathang for the few British soldiers who died in the engagement.
The Britishers appointed Claude White as the first political officer in Sikkim in 1889 and Chogyal Thutob Namgyal was virtually under his supervision. Thutob Namgyal shifted the
capital from Tumlong to Gangtok in 1894. The Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital built in 1917 is named in the memory of Thutob Namgyal who died in 1914.
Alarmed by the growing Russian influence in Tibet and also to assert itself, the British sent an expedition led by Col. Younghusband to Lhasa via Jelepla in 1904. The expedition met with resistance from the Tibetan army, which was defeated, and a treaty was dictated by Younghusband on Tibet. The Treaty secured monopoly-trading privileges in Tibet for the British. Thutob Namgyal was succeeded by his son Sidekong Tulku in 1914. Unfortunately he did not live long and died in the same year. He was succeeded by his half brother Tashi Namgyal who promulgated many reforms in the state.
Chogyal Tashi Namgyal In 1947 when India became independent, Tashi Namgyal was successful in getting a special status of protectorate for Sikkim. This was in face of stiff resistance from local parties like Sikkim State Congress who wanted a democratic setup and accession of Sikkim to the Union of India.
The treaty signed between India and Sikkim ratified the status of Sikkim as a protectorate with Chogyal as the Monarch. Tashi Namgyal died in 1963 and was succeeded by his son Palden Thondup Namgyal. By the beginning of 1970 there were rumbling in the political ranks and file of the State, which demanded the removal of Monarchy and the establishment of a democratic setup. This finally culminated in wide spread agitation against Sikkim Durbar in 1973.There was a complete collapse in the administration. The Indian Government tried to bring about a semblence of order in the state by appointing a Chief administrator Mr. B. S. Das. Further events and election led to Sikkim becoming transformed from a protectorate to an associate State. On 4th September 1947, the leader of Sikkim Congress, Kazi Lendup Dorji was elected as the Chief Minister of the state. The Chogyal however still remained as the constitutional figure head monarch in the new setup. Mr. B. B. Lal was the first Governor of Sikkim.
Events leading to the confrontation between the Chogyal and the popular Government caused Sikkim to become a full-fledged 22nd state of the Indian Union on 16th may 1975. The institution of Chogyal was subsequently abolished.
Since then Sikkim has been a state of the Indian Union like any other state. The 1979assembly election saw Mr. Nar Bahadur Bhandari being elected as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. He has been returned to office in the election held in 1984 and 1989. In 1994 assembly election Mr. Pawan Kumar Chamling became the fifth Chief Minister of Sikkim.
http://www.sikkim.nic.in/sws/sikk_his.htm
Sikkim was inhabited in pre-historic times by three tribes namely Naong, Chang and the Mon. The Lepcha who entered Sikkim sometimes later absorbed them completely. The origin of Lepchas is shrouded in mistery but it seems that they belonged to the clan of the Nagas of the Mikir, Garo and Khasia hills which lie to the south of the Bramaputra valley. Some believe they came from somewhere on the borders of Tibet and Burma. According to their own tradition they came to Sikkim from the east in company with Jindaxs, who went to Nepal and shared their tradition. The Lepchas were a very peace loving people, deeply religious and shy, which characteristics they still have retained. They were in fact the children of nature, and worshipped nature or spirits of nature. These Lepcha lived quite close to the nature by way of leading sustenance. Some of them practiced shifting cultivation and raised grains like maize and millets. They led a tribal life at the beck and call of their tribal leader.
The credit of organizing them into some sort of a society goes to a person called Tur ve pa no. He was eventually elected leader of king called "Punu" sometimes in A. D. 1400. He was killed in a battle and was succeeded by three Kings - Tur Song Pa No, Tur Aeng Pa No and Tur Alu Pa No. The monarchy came to an end with the death of the last king. The Lepchas now resorted to the practice of electing a leader whose advice and counsel was sought on crucial matters and followed. The Tibetan migration in early 17th century led the Rongs to shift their habitats so as to avoid conflict. Meanwhile the struggle and conflicts among the followers of the "Yellow hats" and the "Red hats" in Tibet forced the latter to seek refuge in Sikkim, where they attained the status of aristocracy. Being aggressive they occupied lands, which was not registered by the docile Lepchas. These Tibetan migrants (the Bhutias as they came to be known) who were followers of the sect of 'Red Hats' now tried to convert these Sikkimese "Worshippers of nature" to Buddhism. They succeeded to some extent, though the Lepchas tried to keep themselves aloof as far as possible. In order to avoid any possible opposition from the Lepchas, these immigrants now chose one venerable person Phuntsok Namgyal as the temporal and spiritual leader of Sikkim, whose ancestry they traced from a legendary prince, who founded the Kingdom of Minvang in eastern Tibet in 9th century A.D. This dynasty ruled in the Chumbi and Teesta valley for a long time.
Somewhere in the Thirteenth century a prince named Guru Tashi of Minyang dynasty in Tibet had a divine vision that he should go south to seek his fortune in "Denzong- the valley of rice". As directed by the divine vision he along with his family, which included five sons, headed in the southern direction. The family during their wandering came across the Sakya Kingdom in which a monastery was being built at that time. The workers had not been successful in erecting pillars for the monastery. The elder son of Guru Tashi raised the pillar single handedly and thereby came to be known as "Kheye Bumsa" meaning the superior of ten thousand heroes.
The Sakya King offered his daughter in marriage to Khye Bumsa. Guru Tashi subsequently died and Khye Bumsa settled in Chumbi Valley and it was here that he established contacts with the Lepcha Chieftain Thekong Tek in Gangtok. Khye Bumsa being issueless went to Sikkim in the 13th century to seek the blessing of Thekong Tek who was also a religious leader. Khye Bumsa was not only blessed with three sons by the Rong chief but he also prophesied that his successors would be the rulers of Sikkim. Out of gratitude Khye Bumsa visited Thekong Tek a number of times. In due course of times the relationship ultimately culminated in a treaty of brotherhood between the two Chieftains at a place called Kabi Longtsok. This treaty brought about new ties of brotherhood between the Lepchas and the Bhutias.
Mipon Rab the third son of Khye Bumsa assumed the Chief-Ship after the death of his father. He had sons and the four principal clans of Sikkim are said to have sprung from these four sons. The fourth son Guru Tashi succeeded Mipon Rab and shifted to Gangtok. On the other hand after the death of Thekong Tek the Lepchas broke into minor clans. They also gradually turned to Guru Tashi for protection and leadership. Guru Tashi appointed a Lepcha, Sambre as his chief adviser and lieutenant. Guru Tashi's rule marked the absorption of the foreign ruling house into the native soil and also paved a way for a regular monarchy. This way Guru Tashi became the first ruler of Sikkim and was crowned as such. He was followed by Jowo Nagpo, Jowo Apha and Guru Tenzing who pursued the policy creating progressively amicable relation with Lepchas.
Phuntsok (or penchu) Namgyal was the next ruler. He was Guru Tenzing's son (great grandson of Guru Tashi) and was born in 1604. Phuntsok Namgyal's crowning was charged with all the vivid fantacy and miraculous phenomenon that is befitting to so important an occasion. Three venerable lamas are said to have entered sikkim from three different direction direction at the same time. They met at Yoksam (meaning three wise men) and began a debate on the desirability of having a temporal and religious head to rule over pagan Sikkim. Two of the lamas furthered their own claims but the third lama reminded them of the prophecy of Guru Padamsambhava that a man coming from east and Phuntsok by name would rule Sikkim. It was also told that none of them came from east hence the real man must be looked for. Messengers were sent to seek Phuntsok. Near Gangtok the desired youngman was found and lamas lost no time in crowning him the king. They seated him on a nearby rock slab and sprinkled water on him from the sacred urn. He was given one of Lhatsun Chenpo's (the lama told about prophecy) names, Namgyal, and the title of Chogyal or religious king. It happened in the year 1642. The Namgyal dynasty ruled over Sikkim as hereditary kings for about 332 years.
Phuntsok Namgyal, the first consecrated ruler ruled over a vast territory, many times the size of present Sikkim. His kingdom touched Thang La in the Tibet in the north, Tagong La near Paro in Bhutan in the east and the Titalia on the borders of West Bengal and Bihar in the south. The western border Timar Chorten on the Timar river in Nepal. Phuntsok though a distant descendant of Indrabodhi was now a Bhutia by his domicile. He was persuaded by the lamas enthroning him as Chogyal (Heavenly king or king who rules with righteousness) to seek recognition from Dalai Lama of Tibet. The Dalai Lama recognized Phuntsok Namgyal as the ruler of the southern slopes of the Himalayas (Sikkim) and is also credited to have sent ceremonial present such as the silken scarf bearing Dalai Lama's seal, the mitre(hat) of the Guru Rimpoche, the devil dagger (Phurpa) and the most precious sand image of the Guru. Consequently, the newly established Bhutia principality of Namgyal Dynasty was tied to Tibetan theocracy. Since then up to 19th century, the Bhutia rulers of Sikkim looked up to Tibet for protection against political foes. Phuntsok Namgyal proved to be an efficient and capable administrator. He divided his kingdom into twelve Dzongs i.e. districts and appointed Dzongpana i.e. governor for each. He also declared Mahayana Buddhism as the state religion, which continued to be the state religion under all the Namgyal rulers. He very tactfully kept the lepchas, Bhutias and Limbus together. The Governors were appointed from the lepchas who were then in majority. Since Yatung the greatest commercial Tibetan center being nearer to Gangtok posed some danger, he shifted his capital to Yoksom.
Mules - Primary mode of Transportation
Phunstok Namgyal and the three saints immediately got to the task of successfully bringing the Lepcha tribes under the Buddhist fold. Politically, sikkim expanded its borders, which include Chumbi valley, the present Darjeeling district and a part of present-day Nepal and Bhutan. The capital of sikkim was established in Yoksam itself.
Tensung Namgyal succeded his father Phuntsok Namgyal in 1670 and moved his capital to Rabdentse. He had three wives - a Tibetan, a Bhutanese and Limbu girl. The latter was the daughter of the Limbu chief Yo Yo-Hang. The chief's daughter brought with her seven girls who were later on married into important families of Sikkim. Many of them rose to the rank of councilors to the King. These councilors later on came to be known as Kazis who enjoyed immense power and privileges.
Chador Namgyal a minor son from Tensung's second wife succeeded on the death of his father. Pedi the daughter from the first wife who came from Bhutan challenged the succession and invited Bhutanese intervention. Having come to know about this secret move Yungthing Yeshe a loyal minister took the minor king to Lhasa. During his asylum in Lhasa, Chador Namgyal distinguished himself in Buddhist learning and Tibetan literature. By dint of his acumen and scholarship he rose to the position of state astrologer to the Sixth Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama was so much pleased with the erudition of this young scholar that he bestowed high honors and titles on the young king. The young king also received an estate in central Tibet with sovereign rights. On the other hand Bhutanese forces had captured the Rabdentse palace and imprisoned the son of Yugthing Yeshe. But on the intervention of Tibet, King Deb of Bhutan withdrew. Chador Namgyal came back and drove out the rest of Bhutanese forces. The south-eastern tract was, however, lost to sikkim as it had been heavily colonized by then. The Bhutanese after a short while made a second attempt to capture Sikkim territory. Chador Namgyal gave a tough resistance but areas now called as Kalimpong and Rhenock were lost forever. Chador was himself religious and took steps for the propagation of Buddhist religion in his territory. He commanded that the second of every three sons of Bhutia family must be ordained a monk of the Pemiongchi Monastery, which was also open to the Tsongs. He not only built the Guru Lhakhang Tashiding (1715) and patronised the sacred places but also adapted the religious dances (mystery plays) to keep alive the martial and native traditions and invented an alphabet for the Lepchas. However, Pedi the half sister of the ruler did not reconcile. She conspired with a Tibetan man of medicine and caused Chador Namgyal's death by way of blood letting from a main artery while the king was holidaying at Ralang hot water spring in 1716. A force was sent to Namchi, the doctor was executed and Pedi was strangled to death by a silk scarf.
Gyurmed Namgyal succeeded his father Chador. Consequently upon a Mongol (Dzungar) invasion on Tibet to persecute Nyingma sect, the Mindoling Abbot's sister. In his times the people were forced to work on the fortification of Rabdentse in the fear of Gurkhas and Bhutanese raids. Many Tsongs who were not prepared to yield to forced labour fled to Limbuana, which became a rebel district and broke away from Sikkim even earlier to Gurkha expansion. A boundary dispute with Bhutan also arose. The Magar Chieftain Tashi Bidur also revolted, though he was subdued. Limbuana was, however, lost to Nepal. Gyurmed had no issue but while on his death bed at the age of 26 (1733) gave out that a nun in Sanga Choling was carrying his child. But some people do not believe it. It is said, he was impotent and generally shunned his wife.
Therefore, the story goes that in order to keep the Namgyal Dynasty going, the lama priest of Sikkim concocted a story that a nun was carrying the child of the King. Fortunately the nun delivered a male child and he was accepted as heir to Gyurmed. He was named as Phuntsok after the first temporal and the spiritual head of Sikkim.
Phuntsok Namgyal II was opposed by many people including some Bhutias on the plea of illegitimacy. Tamdang a close confident and treasurer of Gyurmed not only opposed the succession but assured the powers of the ruler and continued to rule Sikkim for three years inspite of the opposition by pro-king faction. The Lepchas backed the baby king and fought the pretender under the leadership of Chandzod Karwang. Tamdang was defeated and fled to Tibet to seek guidance and help. But to keep Sikkim under their Tutelage the Tibetan authorities favoured the minority of the king. A convention representing all shades of Sikkimese population was held which defined the functions, powers and responsibilities of the Government. The system of annual taxation was also introduced to augment the state treasury. The Magar tribe, lost its chieftain during this time and asked the regent to appoint the deceased's son as chieftain. But the regent expressed his inability to comply with their demand. This act enraged the Magars who sought the help and protection from Bhutan. This way Sikkim lost Magars allegiance forever. In the year 1752 the Tsongs rose in arms, but were subdued and won over by tactfully by Chandzod Karwang. The rise of Gurkhas also posed a threat for Sikkim. The later years of Phuntsok II witnessed Gurkhas inroads in Sikkim under the leadership of Raja Prithvi Narayan Shah of Nepal who formented the rebellious elements in Sikkim. Bhutan also invaded Sikkim and captured all area east of Tista, but withdrew to present frontiers after negotiation at Rhenock. The Gurkha inroads were beaten back seventeen times. A peace treaty with Nepal was signed in 1775, and Gurkhas promised to abstain from further attacks and collaboration with Bhutanese. But the Gurkhas at a later stage violated the treaty and occupied the land in western Sikkim. Phuntsok II had three queens but had a son Tenzing Namgyal from his second queen in 1769.
Tenzing Namgyal succeeded Phuntsok Namgyal in 1780. During the reign of Tenzing Namgyal, Nepali forces occupied large chunks of Sikkim territory. They attacked Rabdantse and the Chogyal had to flee to Tibet. The Nepalis excursions emboldened them to penetrate even into Tibet. This led to the Chinese intervention and Nepal was defeated. In the Sino-Nepal treaty, Sikkim lost some of its land to Nepal, but monarchy was allowed to be restored in the country. Tenzing Namgyal died in Lhasa and his son Tsudphud Namgyal was sent to Sikkim in 1793 to succeed him as the monarch. Rabdantse was now, considered too insecure because of its proximity to the Nepal border and Tshudphund Namgyal shifted the capital to a place called Tumlong.
The defeat of Nepal by the Chinese did little to weaken the expansionist designs of the Nepalese. They continued to make attacks into the neighbouring British territories and Sikkim. British India successfully befriended Sikkim. They felt that by doing so the expanding powers of the Gorkhas would be curtailed. British also looked forward to establishing trade link with Tibet and it was felt that the route through Sikkim was the most feasible one. War between Nepal and British India broke out in 1814 and came to an end in 1816 with the defeat of the Nepalis and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Sugauli. As a direct spin-off, British India signed another treaty with Sikkim in 1817 known as the Treaty of Titalia in which former territories, which the Nepalis captured, were restored to Sikkim. H. H. Risley writes in the Gazette of Sikkim, 1894, that by the Treaty of Titalia British India has assumed the position of Lord's paramount of Sikkim and a title to exercise a predominant influence in that State has remained undisputed.
The British became interested in Darjeeling both as a hill resort and an outpost from where Tibet and Sikkim would be easily accessible. Following a lot of pressure from the British, Sikkim finally gifted Darjeeling to British India on the understanding that a certain amount would be paid as annual subsidy to Sikkim. The gift deed was signed by the Chogyal Tsudphud Namgyal in 1835. The British appointed a superintendent in the ceded territory. The British however did not pay the compensation as had been stipulated and this led to a quick deterioration of relation between the two countries. There were also difference between the British Government and Sikkim over the status of people of Sikkim. Because of the increased importance of Darjeeling, many citizens of Sikkim mostly of the labor class started to settle there as British subjects. The migration disturbed the feudal lords in Sikkim who resorted to forcibly getting the migrants back to Sikkim. This annoyed the British Government, which considered these as acts of kidnapping of British citizens. The relations deteriorated to such an extent that when Dr. Campbell, the Superintendent of Darjeeling and Dr. Hooker visited Sikkim in connection with the latter's botanical research, they were captured and imprisoned in 1849. The British issued an ultimatum and the two captives were released after a month of detention. In February 1850, an expedition was sent to Sikkim, which resulted in the stoppage of the annual grant of Rs. 6000/- to the Maharaja of Sikkim and also the annexation of Darjeeling and a great portion of Sikkim to British India.
Sikkim resorted to making attacks into British territories and it was in November 1860 that the British sent an expeditionary force to Sikkim. This force was driven back from Rinchenpong in Sikkim. A stronger force was sent in 1861 that resulted in the capture of the capital Tumlong and the signing of a Treaty between the British and Sikkimese the same year.
His son Sidekeong Namgyal succeeded Tsugphud Namgyal in 1863. The British Government started the payment of annual subsidy of Rs. 6000/- in 1850 for Darjeeling. In an attempt to keep good relation with Sikkim, the British enhanced the subsidy to Rs. 12000/- per annum.
Chogyal Sidekong Namgyal defied in 1874 issueless and was succeeded by his half brother Thutob Namgyal. There were serious difference between the Nepalese settlers and the original inhabitants of Sikkim and this led to British intervention. The settlement went in favour of the Nepali settlers and made Thutob Namgyal have ill feeling for the British. He retreated to Chumbi and became more aligned towards the Tibetans.
During the time of Tibet Trade
The British meanwhile were making concerted efforts to establish a trade links with Tibet and also imposed their influence. A delegation led by Colman Macaulay, Financial Secretary to the Bengal Government of British India was sent to Sikkim in 1884 to explore the possibility of establishing a trade route with Tibet through the Lachen Valley. This delegation visited Tumlong the capital where it met the Maharaja.
The Britishers started building of roads in Sikkim. This was viewed with suspicion by Tibet and in 1886, some Tibetan militia occupied Lingtu in sikkim near Jelepla pass. In May 1888, the Tibetans attacked Gnathang below Jelepla but were driven away. In September of the same year the British called for reinforcements and the Tibetans were pushed back from Lingtu. A memorial was built at Gnathang for the few British soldiers who died in the engagement.
The Britishers appointed Claude White as the first political officer in Sikkim in 1889 and Chogyal Thutob Namgyal was virtually under his supervision. Thutob Namgyal shifted the
capital from Tumlong to Gangtok in 1894. The Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital built in 1917 is named in the memory of Thutob Namgyal who died in 1914.
Alarmed by the growing Russian influence in Tibet and also to assert itself, the British sent an expedition led by Col. Younghusband to Lhasa via Jelepla in 1904. The expedition met with resistance from the Tibetan army, which was defeated, and a treaty was dictated by Younghusband on Tibet. The Treaty secured monopoly-trading privileges in Tibet for the British. Thutob Namgyal was succeeded by his son Sidekong Tulku in 1914. Unfortunately he did not live long and died in the same year. He was succeeded by his half brother Tashi Namgyal who promulgated many reforms in the state.
Chogyal Tashi Namgyal In 1947 when India became independent, Tashi Namgyal was successful in getting a special status of protectorate for Sikkim. This was in face of stiff resistance from local parties like Sikkim State Congress who wanted a democratic setup and accession of Sikkim to the Union of India.
The treaty signed between India and Sikkim ratified the status of Sikkim as a protectorate with Chogyal as the Monarch. Tashi Namgyal died in 1963 and was succeeded by his son Palden Thondup Namgyal. By the beginning of 1970 there were rumbling in the political ranks and file of the State, which demanded the removal of Monarchy and the establishment of a democratic setup. This finally culminated in wide spread agitation against Sikkim Durbar in 1973.There was a complete collapse in the administration. The Indian Government tried to bring about a semblence of order in the state by appointing a Chief administrator Mr. B. S. Das. Further events and election led to Sikkim becoming transformed from a protectorate to an associate State. On 4th September 1947, the leader of Sikkim Congress, Kazi Lendup Dorji was elected as the Chief Minister of the state. The Chogyal however still remained as the constitutional figure head monarch in the new setup. Mr. B. B. Lal was the first Governor of Sikkim.
Events leading to the confrontation between the Chogyal and the popular Government caused Sikkim to become a full-fledged 22nd state of the Indian Union on 16th may 1975. The institution of Chogyal was subsequently abolished.
Since then Sikkim has been a state of the Indian Union like any other state. The 1979assembly election saw Mr. Nar Bahadur Bhandari being elected as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. He has been returned to office in the election held in 1984 and 1989. In 1994 assembly election Mr. Pawan Kumar Chamling became the fifth Chief Minister of Sikkim.
Fanning the Flames of Jihad
July 22, 2010 | 0856 GMT
By Scott Stewart
"This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR"
On July 11, 2010, al-Malahim Media, the media arm of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published the first edition of its new English-language online magazine “Inspire.” The group had tried to release the magazine in late June, but for some reason — whether a technical glitch, virus (as rumored on some of the jihadist message boards) or cyberattack — most of the initial file released was unreadable.
The magazine was produced by someone who has a moderate amount of technological savvy, who speaks English well and who uses a lot of American idioms and phraseology. We did not note any hint of British or South Asian influence in the writing. A government source has suggested to us (and we have seen the claim repeated in the media) that Inspire was produced by a U.S citizen who was born in Saudi Arabia named Samir Khan. Khan is a well-known cyber-jihadist — indeed, The New York Times did an excellent story on Khan in October 2007. Given Khan’s background, history of publishing English-language jihadist material and the fact that he reportedly left the United States for Yemen in 2009 and has not returned, it does seem plausible that he is the driving force behind Inspire.
The magazine contains previously published material from Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Musab al-Suri and Anwar al-Awlaki. While it also contains new material, this material, especially from al-Awlaki and AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi (aka Abu Bashir), is consistent with their previously published statements. One of the messages by al-Awlaki featured in Inspire, “A Message to the American People,” was previously released to CNN and reissued by al-Malahim on the Internet July 19, almost as if to validate Inspire. Even though the way in which some of the material in Inspire is presented is quite elementary, and could lead some to believe the magazine might be a spoof, we have found no analytical reason to doubt its authenticity.
Presentation aside, the material is quite consistent with what we have seen released by al-Malahim Media in its Arabic-language materials over many months. When closely examined, the inaugural issue of Inspire provides a good gauge of AQAP’s thought and suggests the general direction of the broader jihadist movement.
Inspiration
In a letter from the editor appearing at the beginning of the magazine, the purpose of Inspire is clearly laid out: “This magazine is geared towards making the Muslim a mujahid.” The editor also clearly states that Inspire is an effort by al-Malahim Media to reach out to, radicalize and train the millions of English-speaking Muslims in the West, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Inspire does not represent any sort of major breakthrough in jihadist communication. English-language jihadist material has been available on the Internet since the early 1990s on sites such as Azzam.com, and jihadists have released other magazines directly targeting English-speaking audiences. What is remarkable about Inspire is that it was released by al-Malahim and AQAP. Within the jihadist movement, AQAP has assumed the vanguard position on the physical battlefield over the past year with links to several attacks or attempted attacks in the West. AQAP has also been frequently mentioned in Western media over the past several months, and it appears that al-Malahim is trying to exploit that notoriety in order to get the attention of English-speaking Muslims.
Regarding AQAP’s links to recent attacks, Inspire follows the trend of AQAP publications and leaders in recent months in praising Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan and failed Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and lifting them up as examples for all jihadists to follow. “We call on every Muslim who feels any jealousy for their religious beliefs to expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, by killing all of the crusaders working in embassies or otherwise, and to declare war against the crusaders in the land of the Prophet Muhammad — peace be upon him — on the ground, sea and air. And we call on every soldier working in the crusader armies and puppet governments to repent to Allah and follow the example of the heroic mujahid brother Nidal Hassan [sic]; to stand up and kill all the crusaders by all means available to him.…”
In the article discussing Abdulmutallab, the author again brags about the manufacturing of the improvised explosive device used in the Christmas Day attack even though that device, like the one used in the assassination attempt against Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, failed to achieve the objective. “The mujahidin brothers in the manufacturing department managed with the grace of Allah to make an advanced bomb. The bomb had been tested and proven effective as it has passed through the detector ports. The martyrdom bomber managed with the grace of Allah to reach his target, but due to a technical glitch, the bomb did not explode completely; and we will continue on our path until we get what we want….” This statement would seem to indicate that if AQAP is able to recruit a willing suicide bomber who is able to travel to the West, they will again attempt to attack an airliner using a similar device.
Airliners remain vulnerable to such attacks. STRATFOR has previously noted when discussing AQAP and its innovative IED designs, there are many ways to smuggle IED components on board an aircraft if a person has a little imagination and access to explosives. As we wrote in September 2009, three months before the Christmas Day bomber’s attempted attack, efforts to improve technical methods to locate IED components must not be abandoned, but the existing vulnerabilities in airport screening systems demonstrate that an emphasis needs to be placed not only on finding the bomb but also on finding the bomber.
Throughout the magazine, articles criticize the U.S. operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen; Saudi operations against jihadists; the burqa ban in Europe and even global warming — Inspire carried a reproduction of a statement purportedly authored by Osama bin Laden earlier this year titled “The Way to Save the Earth” that criticizes U.S. policy regarding climate change and calls for economic jihad against the United States.
The magazine also contained a portion of a previously-released message titled “From Kabul to Mogadishu” by al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri that encouraged the people of Yemen to join al Qaeda in its global struggle. It only quoted a part of the original message that pertained to Yemen and omitted portions that pertained to other locations.
AQAP Revealed
In addition to the recycled content from al Qaeda’s core leadership, Inspire also contains quite a bit of new and interesting content from AQAP’s military and theological leaders. An interview with AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi provided al-Wahayshi the opportunity to reinforce several points he has been making for months now regarding his call for jihadists to conduct simple attacks using readily available weapons. “My advice to my Muslim brothers in the West is to acquire weapons and learn methods of war. They are living in a place where they can cause great harm to the enemy and where they can support the Messenger of Allah.” Al-Wahayshi continued “…a man with his knife, a man with his gun, a man with his rifle, a man with his bomb, by learning how to design explosive devices, by burning down forests and buildings, or by running over them with your cars and trucks. The means of harming them are many so seek assistance from Allah and do not be weak and you will find a way.”
This call was echoed by Adam Gadahn in March 2010 when the American-born spokesman for al Qaeda prime advised jihadists to strike targets that were close to them with simple assaults and urged his audience to not “wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, and don’t wait for others to do what you can do yourself.”
These calls are part of a move toward a leaderless resistance model of jihadism that has accompanied the devolution of the jihadist threat from one based on al Qaeda the group to a broader threat based primarily on al Qaeda franchises and the wider jihadist movement. (STRATFOR is currently putting the finishing touches on a book that details our coverage of this devolutionary process since 2004.) With this shift, more attacks such as the Times Square bombing attempt, the Fort Hood shooting and the June 1, 2009, Little Rock shootings can be anticipated.
In an effort to provide training in terrorist tradecraft to such grassroots and lone-wolf jihadists, Inspire contains a section called “Open Source Jihad,” which is the term that AQAP uses to refer to leaderless resistance. This section is intended to serve as “a resource manual for those who loathe tyrants.” The material is intended to allow “Muslims to train at home instead of risking a dangerous travel abroad,” and one part exclaims, “Look no further, the open source jihad is now at hand’s reach.” The section also contains a lengthy step-by-step guide to constructing simple pipe bombs with electronic timers, bearing the rhymed title “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.” The images of New York City contained in this section serve as a reminder of the importance New York holds in jihadist thought as a target. Such rudimentary improvised explosive devices are unlikely to cause mass casualties, but like the pipe bombs employed by Eric Rudolph, they could prove deadly on a small scale if they are employed effectively.
When considering this concept of leaderless resistance and of using publications like Inspire to train aspiring jihadists, it is important to remember that this type of instruction has only a limited effectiveness and that there are many elements of terrorist tradecraft that cannot be learned by merely reading about them. In other words, while the jihadist threat may be broadening in one way, it is also becoming less severe, because it is increasingly emanating from actors who do not possess the skill of professional terrorist operatives and who lack the ability to conduct complex and spectacular attacks.
Cartoon Controversy
One of the other features in Inspire is an article by Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born Yemeni cleric who has been linked to Nidal Hasan, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Faisal Shahzad and two of the 9/11 hijackers. In his article, titled “May Our Souls be Sacrificed for You,” al-Awlaki focuses on the controversy that arose over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that first appeared in 2005. Although the cartoons were published nearly five years ago, the jihadists have not allowed the issue to die down. To date, the jihadist response to the cartoons has resulted in riots, arsons, deaths, the 2008 bombing of the Danish Embassy in Islamabad and an attack in January 2010 in which a man armed with an axe and knife broke into the home of Jyllands-Posten newspaper cartoonist Kurt Westergaard in Denmark and allegedly tried to kill him. The Kashmiri militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad e-Islami (HUJI) also dispatched American operative David Headley to Denmark on two occasions to plan attacks against Jyllands-Posten and Westergaard in what HUJI called “Operation Mickey Mouse.”
In his Inspire article, al-Awlaki states, “If you have the right to slander the Messenger of Allah, we have the right to defend him. If it is part of your freedom of speech to defame Muhammad it is part of our religion to fight you.” Al-Awlaki continues: “This effort, the effort of defending the Messenger of Allah, should not be limited to a particular group of Muslims such as the mujahidin but should be the effort of the ummah, the entire ummah.” He also referred to a 2008 lecture he gave regarding the cartoon issue titled “The Dust Will Never Settle Down” and notes that, “Today, two years later, the dust still hasn’t settled down. In fact the dust cloud is only getting bigger.” He adds that “Assassinations, bombings, and acts of arson are all legitimate forms of revenge against a system that relishes the sacrilege of Islam in the name of freedom.”
Inspire also features a “hit list” that includes the names of people like Westergaard who were involved in the cartoon controversy as well as other targets such as Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who produced the controversial film Fitna in 2008; Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the screenplay for the movie Submission (filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, the director of Submission, was murdered by a jihadist in November 2004); and Salman Rushdie, author of the book The Satanic Verses. Most of these individuals have appeared on previous jihadist hit lists. A new notable addition was American cartoonist Molly Norris, who was added due to her idea to have a day where “everybody draws Mohammed.” Norris made her suggestion in response to threats against the irreverent animated television program South Park by Muslims over a brief scene in an episode that lampooned the Prophet. Comedy Central censored the South Park episode featuring Mohammed because of the threats, provoking Norris’s suggestion.
Al-Awlaki and AQAP appear to believe they can use the anger over the Mohammed cartoons to help them inspire Muslims to conduct attacks. In this edition of Inspire, they are clearly attempting to fan the flames to ensure that the dust will not settle down. They are also seeking to train these radicalized individuals to kill people, although, as we note above, that is a difficult task to do remotely over the Internet.
One other thing the magazine seeks to accomplish is to help make the jihadist training experience better for English speakers who seek to travel to jihadist training camps abroad. There have been anecdotal reports of Westerners who have traveled to get training and who have not had positive experiences during the process — and of at least one Somali-American who was executed after expressing his desire to leave an al Shabaab training camp and return home. In light of this problem, AQAP includes an article in Inspire titled “What to Expect in Jihad” and designed to reduce the “confusion, shock and depression” that can be experienced by trainees at such camps. The article also provides a list of things to bring to the training camp, including a friend to help ease the loneliness, and recommends that aspiring jihadists learn the local language.
The time and effort that AQAP put into this first issue of Inspire, and the support the magazine apparently receives from important AQAP figures such as al-Wahayshi and al-Awlaki, are strong indicators of the group’s intent to support leaderless resistance as a way to attack the West, something AQAP has had some difficulty doing itself.
"This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR"
July 22, 2010 | 0856 GMT
By Scott Stewart
"This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR"
On July 11, 2010, al-Malahim Media, the media arm of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published the first edition of its new English-language online magazine “Inspire.” The group had tried to release the magazine in late June, but for some reason — whether a technical glitch, virus (as rumored on some of the jihadist message boards) or cyberattack — most of the initial file released was unreadable.
The magazine was produced by someone who has a moderate amount of technological savvy, who speaks English well and who uses a lot of American idioms and phraseology. We did not note any hint of British or South Asian influence in the writing. A government source has suggested to us (and we have seen the claim repeated in the media) that Inspire was produced by a U.S citizen who was born in Saudi Arabia named Samir Khan. Khan is a well-known cyber-jihadist — indeed, The New York Times did an excellent story on Khan in October 2007. Given Khan’s background, history of publishing English-language jihadist material and the fact that he reportedly left the United States for Yemen in 2009 and has not returned, it does seem plausible that he is the driving force behind Inspire.
The magazine contains previously published material from Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Musab al-Suri and Anwar al-Awlaki. While it also contains new material, this material, especially from al-Awlaki and AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi (aka Abu Bashir), is consistent with their previously published statements. One of the messages by al-Awlaki featured in Inspire, “A Message to the American People,” was previously released to CNN and reissued by al-Malahim on the Internet July 19, almost as if to validate Inspire. Even though the way in which some of the material in Inspire is presented is quite elementary, and could lead some to believe the magazine might be a spoof, we have found no analytical reason to doubt its authenticity.
Presentation aside, the material is quite consistent with what we have seen released by al-Malahim Media in its Arabic-language materials over many months. When closely examined, the inaugural issue of Inspire provides a good gauge of AQAP’s thought and suggests the general direction of the broader jihadist movement.
Inspiration
In a letter from the editor appearing at the beginning of the magazine, the purpose of Inspire is clearly laid out: “This magazine is geared towards making the Muslim a mujahid.” The editor also clearly states that Inspire is an effort by al-Malahim Media to reach out to, radicalize and train the millions of English-speaking Muslims in the West, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Inspire does not represent any sort of major breakthrough in jihadist communication. English-language jihadist material has been available on the Internet since the early 1990s on sites such as Azzam.com, and jihadists have released other magazines directly targeting English-speaking audiences. What is remarkable about Inspire is that it was released by al-Malahim and AQAP. Within the jihadist movement, AQAP has assumed the vanguard position on the physical battlefield over the past year with links to several attacks or attempted attacks in the West. AQAP has also been frequently mentioned in Western media over the past several months, and it appears that al-Malahim is trying to exploit that notoriety in order to get the attention of English-speaking Muslims.
Regarding AQAP’s links to recent attacks, Inspire follows the trend of AQAP publications and leaders in recent months in praising Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan and failed Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and lifting them up as examples for all jihadists to follow. “We call on every Muslim who feels any jealousy for their religious beliefs to expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, by killing all of the crusaders working in embassies or otherwise, and to declare war against the crusaders in the land of the Prophet Muhammad — peace be upon him — on the ground, sea and air. And we call on every soldier working in the crusader armies and puppet governments to repent to Allah and follow the example of the heroic mujahid brother Nidal Hassan [sic]; to stand up and kill all the crusaders by all means available to him.…”
In the article discussing Abdulmutallab, the author again brags about the manufacturing of the improvised explosive device used in the Christmas Day attack even though that device, like the one used in the assassination attempt against Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, failed to achieve the objective. “The mujahidin brothers in the manufacturing department managed with the grace of Allah to make an advanced bomb. The bomb had been tested and proven effective as it has passed through the detector ports. The martyrdom bomber managed with the grace of Allah to reach his target, but due to a technical glitch, the bomb did not explode completely; and we will continue on our path until we get what we want….” This statement would seem to indicate that if AQAP is able to recruit a willing suicide bomber who is able to travel to the West, they will again attempt to attack an airliner using a similar device.
Airliners remain vulnerable to such attacks. STRATFOR has previously noted when discussing AQAP and its innovative IED designs, there are many ways to smuggle IED components on board an aircraft if a person has a little imagination and access to explosives. As we wrote in September 2009, three months before the Christmas Day bomber’s attempted attack, efforts to improve technical methods to locate IED components must not be abandoned, but the existing vulnerabilities in airport screening systems demonstrate that an emphasis needs to be placed not only on finding the bomb but also on finding the bomber.
Throughout the magazine, articles criticize the U.S. operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen; Saudi operations against jihadists; the burqa ban in Europe and even global warming — Inspire carried a reproduction of a statement purportedly authored by Osama bin Laden earlier this year titled “The Way to Save the Earth” that criticizes U.S. policy regarding climate change and calls for economic jihad against the United States.
The magazine also contained a portion of a previously-released message titled “From Kabul to Mogadishu” by al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri that encouraged the people of Yemen to join al Qaeda in its global struggle. It only quoted a part of the original message that pertained to Yemen and omitted portions that pertained to other locations.
AQAP Revealed
In addition to the recycled content from al Qaeda’s core leadership, Inspire also contains quite a bit of new and interesting content from AQAP’s military and theological leaders. An interview with AQAP leader Nasir al-Wahayshi provided al-Wahayshi the opportunity to reinforce several points he has been making for months now regarding his call for jihadists to conduct simple attacks using readily available weapons. “My advice to my Muslim brothers in the West is to acquire weapons and learn methods of war. They are living in a place where they can cause great harm to the enemy and where they can support the Messenger of Allah.” Al-Wahayshi continued “…a man with his knife, a man with his gun, a man with his rifle, a man with his bomb, by learning how to design explosive devices, by burning down forests and buildings, or by running over them with your cars and trucks. The means of harming them are many so seek assistance from Allah and do not be weak and you will find a way.”
This call was echoed by Adam Gadahn in March 2010 when the American-born spokesman for al Qaeda prime advised jihadists to strike targets that were close to them with simple assaults and urged his audience to not “wait for tomorrow to do what can be done today, and don’t wait for others to do what you can do yourself.”
These calls are part of a move toward a leaderless resistance model of jihadism that has accompanied the devolution of the jihadist threat from one based on al Qaeda the group to a broader threat based primarily on al Qaeda franchises and the wider jihadist movement. (STRATFOR is currently putting the finishing touches on a book that details our coverage of this devolutionary process since 2004.) With this shift, more attacks such as the Times Square bombing attempt, the Fort Hood shooting and the June 1, 2009, Little Rock shootings can be anticipated.
In an effort to provide training in terrorist tradecraft to such grassroots and lone-wolf jihadists, Inspire contains a section called “Open Source Jihad,” which is the term that AQAP uses to refer to leaderless resistance. This section is intended to serve as “a resource manual for those who loathe tyrants.” The material is intended to allow “Muslims to train at home instead of risking a dangerous travel abroad,” and one part exclaims, “Look no further, the open source jihad is now at hand’s reach.” The section also contains a lengthy step-by-step guide to constructing simple pipe bombs with electronic timers, bearing the rhymed title “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.” The images of New York City contained in this section serve as a reminder of the importance New York holds in jihadist thought as a target. Such rudimentary improvised explosive devices are unlikely to cause mass casualties, but like the pipe bombs employed by Eric Rudolph, they could prove deadly on a small scale if they are employed effectively.
When considering this concept of leaderless resistance and of using publications like Inspire to train aspiring jihadists, it is important to remember that this type of instruction has only a limited effectiveness and that there are many elements of terrorist tradecraft that cannot be learned by merely reading about them. In other words, while the jihadist threat may be broadening in one way, it is also becoming less severe, because it is increasingly emanating from actors who do not possess the skill of professional terrorist operatives and who lack the ability to conduct complex and spectacular attacks.
Cartoon Controversy
One of the other features in Inspire is an article by Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born Yemeni cleric who has been linked to Nidal Hasan, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Faisal Shahzad and two of the 9/11 hijackers. In his article, titled “May Our Souls be Sacrificed for You,” al-Awlaki focuses on the controversy that arose over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that first appeared in 2005. Although the cartoons were published nearly five years ago, the jihadists have not allowed the issue to die down. To date, the jihadist response to the cartoons has resulted in riots, arsons, deaths, the 2008 bombing of the Danish Embassy in Islamabad and an attack in January 2010 in which a man armed with an axe and knife broke into the home of Jyllands-Posten newspaper cartoonist Kurt Westergaard in Denmark and allegedly tried to kill him. The Kashmiri militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad e-Islami (HUJI) also dispatched American operative David Headley to Denmark on two occasions to plan attacks against Jyllands-Posten and Westergaard in what HUJI called “Operation Mickey Mouse.”
In his Inspire article, al-Awlaki states, “If you have the right to slander the Messenger of Allah, we have the right to defend him. If it is part of your freedom of speech to defame Muhammad it is part of our religion to fight you.” Al-Awlaki continues: “This effort, the effort of defending the Messenger of Allah, should not be limited to a particular group of Muslims such as the mujahidin but should be the effort of the ummah, the entire ummah.” He also referred to a 2008 lecture he gave regarding the cartoon issue titled “The Dust Will Never Settle Down” and notes that, “Today, two years later, the dust still hasn’t settled down. In fact the dust cloud is only getting bigger.” He adds that “Assassinations, bombings, and acts of arson are all legitimate forms of revenge against a system that relishes the sacrilege of Islam in the name of freedom.”
Inspire also features a “hit list” that includes the names of people like Westergaard who were involved in the cartoon controversy as well as other targets such as Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who produced the controversial film Fitna in 2008; Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who wrote the screenplay for the movie Submission (filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, the director of Submission, was murdered by a jihadist in November 2004); and Salman Rushdie, author of the book The Satanic Verses. Most of these individuals have appeared on previous jihadist hit lists. A new notable addition was American cartoonist Molly Norris, who was added due to her idea to have a day where “everybody draws Mohammed.” Norris made her suggestion in response to threats against the irreverent animated television program South Park by Muslims over a brief scene in an episode that lampooned the Prophet. Comedy Central censored the South Park episode featuring Mohammed because of the threats, provoking Norris’s suggestion.
Al-Awlaki and AQAP appear to believe they can use the anger over the Mohammed cartoons to help them inspire Muslims to conduct attacks. In this edition of Inspire, they are clearly attempting to fan the flames to ensure that the dust will not settle down. They are also seeking to train these radicalized individuals to kill people, although, as we note above, that is a difficult task to do remotely over the Internet.
One other thing the magazine seeks to accomplish is to help make the jihadist training experience better for English speakers who seek to travel to jihadist training camps abroad. There have been anecdotal reports of Westerners who have traveled to get training and who have not had positive experiences during the process — and of at least one Somali-American who was executed after expressing his desire to leave an al Shabaab training camp and return home. In light of this problem, AQAP includes an article in Inspire titled “What to Expect in Jihad” and designed to reduce the “confusion, shock and depression” that can be experienced by trainees at such camps. The article also provides a list of things to bring to the training camp, including a friend to help ease the loneliness, and recommends that aspiring jihadists learn the local language.
The time and effort that AQAP put into this first issue of Inspire, and the support the magazine apparently receives from important AQAP figures such as al-Wahayshi and al-Awlaki, are strong indicators of the group’s intent to support leaderless resistance as a way to attack the West, something AQAP has had some difficulty doing itself.
"This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR"
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