His majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31 married a commoner Ashi Jetsun Pema, 21 on October 13, 2011 in Punakha, Bhutan. The Dzong is the same venue that hosted the King's historic coronation ceremony in 2008. The popular Oxford-educated king's ceremony was followed by celebration in the capital and countryside.
source: Yahoo

Paramilitary forces on patrol along the railway lines in Nampally station in Hyderabad on the first day of the three-day rail roko called by Telangana Joint Action Committee across the Telangana region. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf/Hindu

Entrepreneurs Accenture to set up e-governance portal in Sikkim

New Delhi, Oct 3: IT consultancy major Accenture has bagged a contract from the Sikkim Government to set up an e-governance portal that will provide citizens with easy access to government services.

Financial details of the contract were not divulged.

Accenture will make government services available online through a unified portal, streamlining efficiency and reducing administrative functions, the company said in a statement today.

The contract, which has a contractual completion deadline of 42 months with effect from September, will facilitate improved delivery of information to citizens and businesses and monitoring of services over the internet, it added.

Accenture will leverage its expertise in technology to create a new, internet-based communications channel that will enable collaboration between state departments and increased efficiency in services and information delivery to citizens and businesses.

“E-governance enables stakeholders to access a host of services digitally and conveniently, eliminating the need for citizens to stand in long queues to obtain information and services. This is especially true in the populous emerging markets,” Accenture Head (Health and Public Service - India) and Management Consulting Practice (Asia-Pacific), Mr Krishna G.V. Giri, said.

The Government will be better equipped not only to share important information through this portal, but it will also facilitate future growth by reducing operational costs and overheads, he added.

source: PTI

This photograph released by the Government of India shows captured pirates under guard on board an Indian naval ship.  PTI

A vision for the Indian Ocean

A vision for the Indian Ocean

byRajiv Bhatia

Though three recent developments in the region including piracy and terrorism are major challenges, New Delhi's conception of a suitable politico-strategic environment is fairly clear.

Recent developments in the Indian Ocean region demand attention. Look at a sample collection: Somali pirates, operating in waters off the Horn of Africa with impunity, are now coming closer to our coast; China has commissioned its first aircraft carrier; an Indian company's hydrocarbon exploration activity in Vietnam's waters is being contested by China; a former Japanese Prime Minister visiting Delhi calls for closer cooperation among “maritime democracies,” and every move by Beijing to cement its ties with our immediate neighbours is seen as vindication of the “string of pearls” theory.

India's ‘sea-blindness?'
These developments may seem baffling to northern India's land-centric view. Here, the combined legacy of Alexander and subsequent invaders who crossed the Himalayas is far more important than the rich history of the subcontinent's interaction, through the ocean route, with a vast region stretching from Aden to Bali. While a majority of people in the north have never seen a beach, people living south of the Vindhyas, especially in the southern States and on the east and west coasts, regard the Indian Ocean as a defining element of their destiny.

Having experienced India's centrality in the Indian Ocean region through visits to the Cape of Good Hope, Durban and Mombasa; Port Louis, Colombo and Gan — the southernmost island of Maldives; cities on Myanmar's southwestern flank and the coasts of Java and Bali, I am convinced that there can be no place for “sea-blindness” in our policymaking. Considerable scope, however, exists for developing a holistic approach if India wishes to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.

In order to fully appreciate the magnitude of our challenges, identifying recent trends in different subregions may be helpful.

The stakes in the area
In the western section of the Indian Ocean, three key developments, all negative from our viewpoint, are: piracy, terrorism, and the Chinese Navy's growing presence as part of the broader trend of China's expanding profile in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Piracy has attracted much attention and action. The Indian Navy has deservedly received considerable appreciation for its role in ensuring countermeasures. However, the expert opinion is that, in view of the expanding arc of piracy, much more needs to be done — on land, sea and elsewhere. On land, i.e. in Somalia — the epicentre of forces that gave birth to piracy — the Africans themselves have to resolve the issues, with more assistance from richer and deeply concerned member-states of the U.N. Action on the sea, ensuring the safety of maritime transport on which depends trade and energy security of so many countries, has to be taken by legitimate stakeholders. Action ‘elsewhere' should include measures that effectively reduce the attractiveness and sustainability of piracy as a flourishing industry.

Terrorism through the sea came knocking on India's doors on 26/11. Developments since then have augmented concern, not confidence. Experts worry about the security of our coastal cities, and offshore oil and gas installations. As regards Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean, they are no longer a subject of debate among think tanks. Governments have been factoring in the increased presence of the Chinese Navy. China's assertive approach in Africa contributed, at least partially, to renewed dynamism reflected in two India-Africa Forum Summits in three years.

Regarding India's immediate periphery, two key trends are now obvious. On the one hand, India's endeavour to promote cooperative bilateralism has begun to show positive results. On the other, Beijing continues to be ultra active in deepening its relations with principal South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, besides Pakistan — all located in the Indian Ocean region. These countries are happy playing both the ‘China card' and the ‘India card' to leverage their gains, but they need to promote the interests of South Asia as a whole too. In the eastern theatre of the Indian Ocean, the situation is becoming progressively complex and dangerous as a result of reverberations of China's aggressiveness in the South China Sea. While piracy and terrorism are manageable there, the critical question facing the subregion is: will China and its immediate neighbours ranging from Japan to Thailand chart a pattern of relations marked by cooperation or conflict? India has obviously immense stakes in the answer, and in contributing to the region's collective hopes for peace and stability. Fortunately, this subregion has an elaborate ASEAN-centric institutional architecture for dialogue and cooperation. Much hope is placed on the capability of these institutions to deliver effective results.

New Delhi's approach
New Delhi's conception of a suitable politico-strategic environment in the Indian Ocean is fairly clear. India wants neither a new cold war nor domination of the region by a single country. South Block rejects the view that an outside power is needed as “a sea-balancer” for the area. It envisages a region where stability and cooperation prevail, marked by maritime security for all and a collective ability to deal with sources of non-traditional security threats. Besides, India is set to enhance its hard power and also deploy soft power assets to deepen its links with littoral states.

In this context, several points are noteworthy. First, in the Indian Ocean's western region, India's effort has been to strengthen defence cooperation with island states — Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles, besides Maldives. This exercise, still in an early phase, could do with acceleration. Second, under the overall umbrella of the IBSA Dialogue Forum, cooperation among the navies of the three member-states — India, Brazil and South Africa — through joint exercises, training and strategising has been gaining momentum. The two previous trilateral exercises took place in Cape Town and Durban. The resultant synergy should guide these countries to engage other interested parties by holding more exercises on the eastern seaboard of Africa.

Third, since the western segment of the Indian Ocean has limited institutional arrangements for dialogue and cooperation compared to the eastern theatre, many believe it is time to reinvigorate the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). Bold words were uttered by the Ministry of External Affairs at a seminar in Delhi in May. They need to be matched by action with India as chair of this underutilised organisation.

Fourth, India's bilateral cooperation on strategic issues needs to be strengthened with seven countries in the eastern theatre — Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and Australia. Some may term them a ‘potential necklace of diamonds.' However, the proposed cooperation among “maritime democracies” will merit consideration only if it is not a proxy for an anti-China alliance. For cementing collective endeavours to make the Indian Ocean and its periphery safe, India's preference should be to utilise the existing institutions, especially the East Asia Summit.

The way ahead
Diplomacy can help a country achieve its goals when if it is backed by strength. This time-tested dictum and a dispassionate study of the strategic environment drive India to provide the necessary resources for the modernisation of the Indian Navy. Admiral Vishnu Prakash, a retired Navy Chief, has made a persuasive case for this viewpoint, in a recent policy paper by the National Maritime Foundation. He urges India to develop and articulate “a maritime vision for itself and the neighbourhood.” His wise conclusion is: “The time has come for India to craft a new balance of power equation in order to safeguard its core interests and values.”

(The author is a former Ambassador.)
source:the Hindu

Prime Minister’s Address at the 6th Annual Convention RTI

Prime Minister’s Address at the 6th Annual Convention of Information Commissioners

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the 6th Annual Convention of Information Commissioners in New Delhi today. The following is the text of the Prime Minister’s address:

“Let me begin by saying that yours is a very important conference. The Right to Information is now about six years old. I am sure we are all agreed that empowering our citizens with this right was a huge step forward in the direction of curbing corruption and improving process of governance. There are issues which directly affect the life of every citizen of our country. Therefore, as you evaluate past experience in the implementation of the Right to Information Act and deliberate upon ways and means - how to make it more effective, you will be contributing to efforts for improving the quality of life of the common man in our country. Not only this, this convention is taking place at a time when there is a vigorous ongoing debate on the issues of corruption and governance. It is my fondest hope that your discussions will contribute meaningfully to this debate. Let me also say that I am very happy to be amidst you today on this very important occasion.

I had the opportunity to address the third annual convention of Information Commissioners in November 2008. I had then stated, that there were indications that the benefits of the Right to Information had, in fact, starting reaching the common citizens. I had also said that one could discern at that time a gradual but steady process of building a more accountable, more transparent and citizen-friendly government. Three more years have passed since I made those observations and I can say with confidence that the Right to Information Act is now being more extensively and effectively used to bring into public gaze many areas of the work of public authorities which would otherwise remain hidden from public gaze. I think in these three years we have travelled further down the path of ensuring transparency and accountability in our administration. The power and the usefulness of the Right to Information Act are being felt more fully today than ever before. And this is all to the good.

We wish to build upon these achievements. Our government stands committed to a comprehensive agenda of legal, executive and technology initiatives to curb corruption and improve governance and we consider the Right to Information to be a powerful tool to enable us to move in that direction. We wish to make the Right to Information an even more effective instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability in administration. I would like to mention here our initiative to enact a legislation for the protection of Whistleblowers which would further strengthen the Right to Information. We expect this law to be enacted in the next few months and it would, among other things, help in prevention of violence against those who seek to expose wrongdoings in our public administration.

Even as we recognize and celebrate the efficacy and the effectiveness of the Right to Information Act, we must take a critical look at it. There are concerns that need to be discussed and addressed honestly. I had mentioned last time the need to strike a balance between the need for disclosure of information and the limited time and resources available with the public authorities. A situation in which a public authority is flooded with requests for information having no bearing on public interest is something not desirable. We must, therefore, pool all our wisdom, our knowledge, and our experience to come to a conclusion on how to deal with vexatious demands for information, without at the same time hindering the flow of information to those whose demands genuinely serve public interest. Another concern that has been raised is that the Right to Information could end up discouraging honest, well meaning public servants from giving full expression to their views. I think we need to remember here that a point of view brought under public scrutiny and discussion in an isolated manner may sometimes present a distorted or incomplete picture of what really happened in the processes of making the final decisions. The Right to Information should not adversely affect the deliberative processes in the government. We must also take a critical look at the exemption clauses in the Right to Information Act to determine whether they serve the larger good and whether a change is needed in them. I am happy that there is a special focus in your conference on the exemption clauses of the Act and I would urge all of you to come up with concrete suggestions in this area. There are also issues of privacy. The Act does have provisions to deal with privacy issues but there are certain grey areas that require further debate.

The Right to Information enables access to information even from a private party that comes under a regulatory framework. This assumes an added significance in the context of an increasing number of projects being taken up in the Public Private Partnership mode. I understand that your conference is being attended by experts from trade and industry bodies such as the FICCI, CII and the ASSOCHAM. I hope the discussions would also cover the commitment and the responsibility of the private sector companies for dissemination of certain basic information relating to their operations.

I understand that the demand for information under the Right to Information Act has grown significantly year after year in the last six years. It is a matter of considerable satisfaction for us that the rejection of the requested information has shown a consistently decreasing trend, from 7.2% in 2007-08 to 6.4% in 2009-10 and 5.2% in 2010-11. A decreasing trend is also evident in the percentage of requests in which appeals and complaints are filed with the Commission. The Commission, through its decisions from time to time, has laid down principles for disclosure of various classes of information which were not considered fit for disclosure thus far. All this indicates that public authorities today are more open and more sensitive to concerns voiced in the Act, and they are better prepared to respond to citizens` request for information. This is a matter of considerable satisfaction to all of us.

The number of appeals / complaints before the Commission, however, is still very large. This is indicative of the scope for further enhancement of the quantum as well as quality of voluntary disclosure. Public Authorities in our country have still a long way to go in making proactive disclosures of information that is not covered by the exemption provisions of the Right to Information Act. They must endeavor to voluntarily put information in the public domain without waiting for applications from information seekers. If this is done, a lot of time will be saved both for public authorities as well as for citizens. I am told that the Department of Personnel & Training will organize a series of workshops on the subject in the month of November 2011 for the Central Public Information Officers of all the Ministries and public authorities of the Government of India. These workshops will provide a forum for public authorities to learn from the experience of others. I am happy to know that the Central Information Commission has also offered to participate in these workshops.

A major challenge for public authorities in our country lies in the area of `Information Housekeeping`. With the improvement in data management practices through computerization of records and work flows, the time may not be far when citizens may locate on their own, the status of their requests in the work flow artery of public authorities. The RTI Act itself mandates such Disclosure and Record Management. The National e-governance Plan, I hope, would go a long way in promoting the use of information and communication technologies in facilitating access to information.

I expect the 6th Convention of the Information Commissioners to give us a holistic assessment of the ground situation in regard to the implementation of the RTI Act. I look forward to your suggestions to deal with the difficulties in the effective implementation of the Act. The Chief Information Commissioner has raised certain issues, and I hope that my colleague Mr Narayanasamy has taken note of that. I sincerely hope that we can respond constructively to the various suggestions that have been voiced. Let me conclude that the assessment of our achievements and the suggestions for improvement would go a long way in empowering our citizens in a more real sense of the term. With these words, I wish your conference all success. I wish you very productive discussions over the next two days. I wish you all the very best in your efforts to improve upon the Right to Information Act and its application.”


***


SC/SK
(Release ID :76652)

Govt likely to take decision on mandatory hallmarking gold jewelry


Oct 14, 7:45 PM AIR
The government is likely to take a decision on mandatory hallmarking of gold jewelry in three months. Hallmarking will guarantee the purity or fineness of the precious metal. Currently, the Bureau of Indian Standard, BIS hallmarking scheme for gold jewelry is voluntary in nature.

Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Prof. K. V. thomas said this while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi. Prof. Thomas said that he has asked the agency, BIS which is under his Ministry to look into the option of mandatory hallmarking of gold.

Our correspondent reports that at present, about 77 items, including cement, mineral water and milk products, are certified through mandatory hallmarking under the BIS Act for conformity with expected quality levels.

China voices backing for Nalanda project as board meets in Beijing

by Ananth Krishnan

source: The Hindu  

PTI File photo of Prof. Amartya Sen, Chairperson, Nalanda University Governing Board, during an open session "A 21 Century University: (Re) Calling the Past" in New Delhi in July 2011.

 

China on Friday reiterated its backing to the initiative to rebuild Nalanda University, even as the Governing Board of the University held a board meeting in the Chinese capital and discussed the university’s future with the Chinese leadership.

The Governing Board, led by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, was invited to hold a board meeting in China by Premier Wen Jiabao following last year’s meeting of the East Asia Summit, which had earlier declared its support to the project.

The board on Friday also met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, who reiterated China’s backing to the initiative. China has already announced it would donate U.S. $1 million to the project.

"The proposal to reestablish Nalanda University is one of the key projects of the East Asia Summit," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said at a briefing earlier this week.

The members of the Governing Board spent this week in Xian, once an ancient Chinese capital and centre of Buddhist learning, accompanied by officials from the Indian Embassy in Beijing.

Himalayan disasters force rethink of India's China border strategy

October 14, 2011 16:42 IST

The high-level China Study Group has been asked by the Prime Minister's Office to review and re-prioritise projects along the high Himalayas, reports RS Chauhan

Two major natural calamities in the high Himalayas, some 2000 km apart, in the past 15 months has forced a high-level review of India's military preparedness along the border with China.

If the cloudburst in Ladakh in August 2010 gave the authorities an idea how vulnerable its supply lines were to the vagaries of weather, last month's earthquake in Sikkim brought home the stark truth of the tenuous road link between the plains of north Bengal and the Indian Army's [ Images ] remote posts in the high altitude areas of north Sikkim.

In both the cases, the Army and the Air Force were the first responders to the tragedy, saving hundreds of lives and providing relief to thousands of ordinary citizens before attending to their own problem.

During the commanders' conference this week, top military leaders from Army and Air Force discussed the shortcomings in India's military infrastructure at length and decided to speed up existing projects and initiate some critical new ones.

The Air Force, for instance, has decided to extend the runway at Kargil [ Images ] airstrip as a backup plan in an emergency. It will be turned into a full-fledged airport capable of handling heavy and medium transport aircraft like the C-130J Hercules and the C-17s that the IAF will be inducting into its transport fleet in the next couple of years.

The IAF feels Kargil will add to its airlift capability in Ladakh even if the Thoise air base close to the Siachen base camp becomes inaccessible in case the world's highest motorable road at Khardung La (18,500 feet) shuts down due to heavy snow or landslides.

Kargil, mid-way between Srinagar [ Images ] and Leh, is ideally suited to become a major transport hub since areas beyond Kargil are highly prone to natural calamities and consequent physical isolation, given the fragile mountain roads that connect it to the rest of the country.

Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne announced the decision to strengthen the Kargil airbase exactly a year after the Ladakh region was hit by the cloudburst that affected the winter stocking schedule of Indian Army troops along the China border following the total collapse of the tenuous road network in the area.

As it is, the two roads that connect Ladakh to the rest of the country -- Srinagar-Leh and Manali-Leh-- are open for only about six months a year. As winter approaches, high altitude passes become snow-bound, closing the roads.

Days after the IAF's decision, the Army has decided to operationalise night landing facilities at the Leh airport so that stocking operations by IAF's heavy and medium lift transport aircraft takes places day and night.

The inadequacy of infrastructure in the remote border areas of Ladakh and Sikkim has once again prompted the Indian Army to press for alternate roads between the plains of North Bengal and the China border in Sikkim. So far the Indian Army has depended on the single-lane North Sikkim highway its deployment.

The Army has revived the proposal to immediately have an alternate highway running west of the Teesta river to sustain logistics for its two mountain brigades stationed on the border with China in North Sikkim.

Meanwhile, the high-level China Study Group has been asked by the Prime Minister's Office to review and re-prioritise projects along the high Himalayas. A comprehensive border roads development programme that envisages the construction of 75 important roads in the border areas stretching from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh is being accelerated.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the IAF is upgrading and modernising seven crucial advance landing grounds to allow operations of bigger transport aircraft that can quickly insert and ferry additional troops at the far-flung border posts along the sensitive China border.

Military leaders are hoping that for once these plans will be implemented with alacrity in order to strengthen India's defences all along the disputed Sino-Indian boundary.
RS Chauhan in New Delhi

A perfect recipe for disaster

by Alpa Sheth, Hindustan Times

October 13, 2011First Published: 22:50 IST(13/10/2011)


The Sikkim administration is relieved that only 60 people (0.01% of its population) died in the September 19 earthquake. An excellent report card when compared to Gujarat, where over 13,800 people (0.03% of its population) died in the 2001 quake. However, it's perhaps for the first time in the earthquake history of India that government buildings have fared far more poorly than private buildings. I was in Sikkim recently on a damage-assessment trip and I saw scores of damaged government buildings in Gangtok and elsewhere. The most glaring example was the secretariat, which will now be razed to the ground. A pity since it can be retrofitted and reused for non-critical functions. The legislative assembly building, which had undergone expensive retrofitting just before the quake, also suffered widespread non-structural damage. The same is the state of the police headquarters and a hospital in Gangtok.

While the government may rejoice bec-ause of the low casualty, the extent of damage of the government buildings in this moderate intensity earthquake is unacceptable. The performance of these buildings needs to be reviewed because they, along with some hotels, industries and institutional buildings, are perhaps the only 'engineered' buildings in the state.

The state has been growing at a rate of over 8% annually. Almost 65% of its present stock of 13,000 buildings have mushroomed in the past 10 to 15 years and most of them are made of reinforced concrete. But there are only two private qualified structural engineers in Sikkim and so it's easy to see why most of the private buildings are usually non-engineered, reinforced concrete structures, one of the deadliest building typologies in an earthquake area.

And yet, to the surprise of many earthquake engineers, the apparent damage in Gangtok, the most populous city of Sikkim, is not as bad as it was feared. A majority of buildings have suffered some form of minor or significant non-structural damage which is reversible; few have suffered structural damages. Only three buildings collapsed, 57 have been put on notice for evacuation and 15 have been ordered full or partial demolition.

A layman constructing a multi-storey in Gangtok is not even aware of the need for a structural engineer. While granting permission to build a house, the relevant government department doesn't require the involvement of a structural engineer. So the homeowner, who has no clue about earthquake engineering or ductility requirements in a high seismic zone, constructs his house only with a grid of columns and beams.

Such houses with uniform stiffness and frames on regular grid behaved well in the moderate-intensity Sikkim earthquake, but they may not do so if the quake is a high-intensity one. Those buildings that had an open storey (floors where there were no partition walls causing a sudden change in stiffness of building) collapsed or had severe structural damage.

Sikkim's reinforced concrete homes face two challenges. Being on slopes, they are connected to the earth at numerous floors and are thus subject to shaking at multiple levels. This complicates a building's performance. The second is that they do not have access to machine-mixed concrete - almost all concrete used is hand-mixed, a complete no-no by engineering standards.

The performance of government buildings in the Sikkim earthquake and engineered buildings of Ahmedabad during the Bhuj earthquake have some lessons for us: first, there are problems with how we design and construct buildings; second, designers indulge architects and allow for a lot of things that they do not quite know how to handle; third, poor quality of materials and workmanship; and fourth, most engineers and developers seem to believe that an earthquake will never strike their area and, therefore, they don't follow proper building codes and earthquake designs.

The sad part is that despite having a huge repertoire of earthquake engineering knowledge, there is no will on the part of the engineering community or the stakeholders to implement these. The pressure for improved performance of engineered buildings during an earthquake must come from civil society.

Alpa Sheth is member of the Post-Earthquake Reconnaissance Team of the National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India. The views expressed by the author are personal.

Periphery shaken by Centre's neglect

BY Sushanta Talukdar

Source: The Hindu

  

The Hindu Mahendra P Lama. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

 

 

Recalling the September 18 earthquake, Sikkim University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mahendra P. Lama says the hill areas lack sensible disaster management.

At the age of 46, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of a central university in 2007. Professor Mahendra P. Lama, the present and founding Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University, is widely acclaimed for his scholarly and extensive works on the issues of human security, migration, trade, investment and energy cooperation in South Asia. Author of the first Human Development Report of Sikkim in 2001 and the first Economic Survey of Sikkim in 2007, Prof. Lama, in an interview with Sushanta Talukdar, spoke on the recent earthquake in Sikkim.

What are the lessons learnt from the September 18 earthquake that left a trail of devastation across Sikkim?

There are quite a few lessons we have learnt from this calamity. Firstly, our ability to cope up with natural disasters is still very nascent and limited.

We have not developed any formal institutions in this regard in the real sense of the term. More seriously, we suddenly realised that the robust system of community-based, voluntary management of natural calamities which remained the most pre-dominant phenomenon for centuries together is also fast vanishing. Today the disaster management task has become government centric whereas traditionally it used to be essentially community centric. Many of the States including Sikkim still do not have proper disaster management plans. We, therefore, must rethink our strategy.

Secondly, the communication system and other physical connectivities are also in a state of infancy despite so much of plans and projects.

Thirdly, the entire development dynamics in the mountain areas need to be reconsidered and reoriented in view of the fact that the casualties and destruction could be unprecedented and unmanageable if such calamities recur.

Fourthly, scientific studies and research on issues like seismology, hydrology, geo-morphology and the very nature and dimensions of natural disasters and their impact on the hills and mountain areas need to be strengthened and disseminated to the people at the grass roots. This has to be blended with traditional wisdom and belief about the impending disasters so that the communities are involved in disaster forewarning and management.

And finally, each disaster in the mountain areas is intensely integrated with other national interest issues including national security, physical dislocations and environmental injuries. This is more so as these theatres of disasters are located in the geo-politically sensitive border locations.

How can the challenge of roads blocked by landslips, hampering relief and rescue missions in States like Sikkim, be overcome?

Massive concrete-based development works that go in the mountain areas pose a serious threat to the carrying capacity of these roads. Unless the entire road construction contracting system is reviewed and a five-year guarantee is ensured by these road agencies with strong punitive measures; and techniques like covering toe-cutting edges of the streams and rivers down below is used, the situation is going to be more pathetic and vulnerable. All these are time consuming and demand a lot of engineering wisdom and precision.

Key agencies like the Border Roads Organisation have to rethink both the techniques and technology of road building in the mountain areas. Two very vital traditional wisdoms on road building in the hill and mountain areas have been blatantly ignored. Firstly, the road has to have a drain on the hill slope side so that the water trickling down can be channelled. Secondly, the sinking area requires very careful maintenance and rocks and mud pouring to fill up the sinks must be avoided.

The basics of disasters and their management have to be taught at the village and community levels and also in all the educational institutions.

Universities, with their colleges and other outreach programmes, could in fact be a major bastion for disaster related studies and management.

What role do you envisage for the government, people and private players for effective disaster management?

This disaster has again brought forward the critical issue of connectivity — both physical and virtual — in the Northeast and the mountain areas. This has to be seen in the context of both centre-periphery disconnects and deprivations, say between Delhi and Meghalaya, and also in the larger context of national security needs. This region provides comprehensive security to the nation. However, the blatant lack of political sagacity, absence of bureaucratic resurgence and the feebleness of the civil society to do something substantive and leap-frogging for this region has eaten into the vitals of this so-called Indian periphery.

We are not only ill-prepared but also myopic in our thought process. One accident or a small landslip could dislocate the entire national highway for hours and sometimes days together. Disasters only shake us and do not wake us up.

For us in this region, BSNL is another white elephant. It just does not want to move an inch from its routine activity and tunnel-like thinking. The role of private players in the aftermath of the earthquake needs to be thoroughly inquired. The communications stopped working when you needed it most. We need to really delve into their social responsibilities and make them sensitive and robust to cope with unforeseen calamities.

Popular perception is that the multiple dams on the Teesta have adversely affected the fragile ecology of Sikkim and induced seismicity.

Energy is required for national and local development. For that, a potential renewable source is the unharnessed rivers flowing in the mountain areas. If done properly it can transform the entire development dynamics in the region. Bhutan is a good example.

People are not against the hydel power projects as such. They are against the way these projects are done, the casualness with which the environmental impact assessment is conducted and clearances are given and the way project developers are selected. The location, size and scale of these projects, the knowledge and experience of these project developers, the capability of project regulating agencies and the way projects have been designed and the technology used have been questioned all across the fragile Himalayan ecology. Unfortunately, in many cases these issues come up for public discussion only in the aftermath of disasters.

What are the short-term and long-term impacts of the disaster on Sikkim's economy and growth prospects and what needs to be done now?

The short-term impacts are, of course, the scar on ordinary people's psychology about the fear of recurrence; the time and resources taken to rebuild the devastated areas; disruption in the flows of tourists and other productive activities; and the disengagement of governmental machineries from their regular delivery systems and governance. The long-term impacts are more in the form of formidable challenges in terms of material and service demands on the State and the government; reorienting the development strategies; refurbishing and implementing the building regulations and proper urban planning; checking on the quality of construction works; integrating the system with agencies like BRO and GREF and several other central agencies like the Geological Survey of India.

Power of Compounding

Imagine one of our forefathers from around 1,500 years ago going to a goldsmith with a couple of grams of gold and entering into a pact. The pact being that the goldsmith and his descendants get to keep the gold provided they add 5% to the total quantity of gold every year in the form of interest for the next 1,500 years. Since 5% is not a very high rate of interest, the goldsmith readily agrees and signs the pact. His descendants though are in for a rude shock. As things stand today, that tiny piece of metal weighing 2 grams has turned into an astounding 1.22 X 10^32 grams. To put into perspective how big this number is, it is more than 20,000 times more than the entire mass of earth! Well, the goldsmith's descendants would have defaulted a long time back.

This in a nutshell is what the enormous power of compounding all about. And even we can make use of its strength by investing in such a way that interest earned in a year is added to the principle and this new total is considered for calculating future interest. Follow this pattern sincerely for a few years and you will be surprised at the amount of wealth you would have accumulated at the end of the period.

Is there a technique that is more powerful than the compound interest? Indeed. And this technique does not run contrary to compound investing but uses the same principle and takes it a step further. Some prefer calling it compound interest on steroids. It is called so because here, the interest rate does not remain constant but keeps on growing year after year. What we are talking about is nothing but a stock that is able to increase its dividends year after year. Such a stock can easily be an investor's dream come true. This since not only do the reinvested dividends fetch dividends the next year, they also fetch a higher overall dividend by virtue of the dividend growth rates. Hence, they are able to generate much more returns than any instrument that compounds money at a fixed rate.

Put differently, Rs 100 compounding at a fixed rate of 5% will yield Rs 5 in the first year, Rs 5.25 in the second year and Rs 6.1 by the time the fifth year comes to a close. In contrast, a stock priced at Rs 100 and yielding Rs 5 as dividends but growing at 10% every year, will pay out Rs 9.2 as dividends at the end of the fifth year, 50% greater than the first case. We would however like to add a caveat that very few stocks are able to increase dividends for an extended period of time. The investor thus has to be really cautious while putting his money with the hope of benefiting from this strategy. Clearly, if a right stock is unearthed, there is no beating the strategy of dividend compounding, provided the dividends grow year after year.
By J Mulraj

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck holds a young child as he greets locals with Queen Jetsun Pema during a celebration after they were married at the Punakha Dzong in Punakha, Bhutan. Photo: AP

Bangalore will become the third city after Kolkata and Delhi, to have mass rapid transit system. Photo shows a view from Namma Metro at MG Road in Bangalore. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Presdient of Myanmar U. Thein Sein before the delegation-level talks and signing of agreements at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

source:livemint

source:live Mint

source:MINT

Linking genetic changes to human diseases become easy

BY R. PRASAD

source:The Hindu  

The comparative study was able to assign possible functions for more than half of the 360 million DNA letters present in the conserved elements. Photo: Science Photo Library 

Certain regions of the 29 mammalian genomes have remained the same for millions of years

The parts of the human genome that control when and where genes are turned on have been successfully identified.

The map created with this information will be a shot in the arm for researchers trying to understand and interpret genetic changes linked to human diseases.

The results are published in Nature on October 13, 2011.

This has become possible by comparing the sequences of 29 mammalian genomes. The genomes of mammals studied include those of chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, mice, dogs, rabbits, rats, cats, squirrels, fruit bats, horses, cows, and even elephants.

Conserved regions

The authors were able to detect highly conserved regions of the genome in all the 29 mammals studied. The highly conserved regions have remained the same across species for a very long time.

These highly conserved regions make up nearly 4 per cent of the human genome. They were also able to ascribe potential functions to around 60 per cent of the bases found in the conserved regions. This comparative study has helped in understanding how the regulatory controls have remained the same across all mammals.

Compare this with just about 1.5 per cent of the human genome that was found to encode for protein sequence when genome was studied in isolation. But when a comparative study was done with the genomes of mouse, rat and dog, it was found that at least 5 per cent of the protein sequence was probably functional.

A very interesting offshoot of this study was the certainty with which scientists could understand how evolution dating back to more than 100 millions years ago has contributed to adaptation to different environments and lifestyles.

Rapid evolution

For instance, they were able to pinpoint the specific proteins that are under rapid evolution, like those for the immune system, taste perception, and cell division. Even the protein domains within genes — like those related to bone remodelling and retinal functions – have been found to be evolving rapidly.

Of special interest is the finding that certain DNA controls have been changing only in human and primate genomes.

If scientists were earlier able to identify 200 such regions, the latest study has helped in expanding the list to more than 1,000 regions. This will help in understanding human evolution.

Health implications

The study has particular relevance in helping us understand genetic variants or mutations closely tied to certain diseases. Individuals suffer from certain diseases when these mutations are disrupted.

Surprisingly, most of the genetic mutations have been identified in the non-protein coding regions of the genome. But for this comparative study, it would have been very difficult to identify mutations that cause diseases in the non-protein coding regions.

“Sequencing of additional species should enable discovery of lineage-specific elements within mammalian clades and provide increased resolution for shared mammalian constraint,” the authors note.

The authors were also able to assign or suggest possible functions for more than half of the 360 million DNA letters present in the conserved elements. These regions have been carefully preserved across mammals for millions of years.

The authors now intend to sequence 100 to 200 mammalian species so as to achieve single-nucleotide resolution.

The advantages

The biggest advantage of comparing the sequence of many mammals becomes apparent in the case of humans.

For instance, even to undertake experimental studies to know the functional regions requires prior knowledge of the biochemical activity sought.

But “comparative approaches provide an unbiased catalogue of shared functional regions independent of biochemical activity or condition,” the authors write. “It can thus capture experimentally intractable or rare activity patterns.”

source:The Hindu

Royal bride Jetsun Pema offered prayers at the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang in Dochula, on her way to Wangduephodrang where she will spend the night on the eve of the Royal Wedding. The wedding will be held in the 17th century Punakha Dzong on Thursday. Photo Courtesy: Royal Office of Media

Workers decorate and prepare the main stadium for the Royal Wedding of Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema in Thimphu, on Wednesday. The wedding is to take place on Thursday.

Green fashion a matter of making right choices: Designer Omi Gurung Published: Tuesday, Oct 11, 2011, 17:50 IST By Anindita Mitra | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

Designer Omi Gurung Designer Omi Gurung has always been a green warrior. This Bangalore-based designer, originally from Sikkim, feels responsible fashion is a matter of making the right choices. Tell us about your recent work. What kind of products are you designing? Well, I have recently opened Green Gangtok — an eco friendly boutique, the first of its kind in Sikkim. (You can check out www.greengangtok.com and our Facebook page). I was really held up with it. I have been designing mostly home décor products which are natural or upcyled or recyled and made out of waste. How can the average man practice environmentally responsible fashion? It calls for very simple changes in lifestyle. Go green in all the little ways you can and do it from your heart and for yourself. If you Google green tips, you will find many. But do you really practice it? There lies the point. If you avoid waste, wear natural clothing, use organic products and inculcate good habits, it is for your own good! What kind of fabrics do you suggest — for the wardrobe as well as for home décor? I would always advise natural fabric like cotton, linen and silk. Apart from that, I would advise people to upcycle old clothes i.e. reusing them creatively with other fabric to create a new product. Try to avoid synthetic fabrics as they do no good to you, apart from being easily available and affordable. Tell us about the 7 Days 7 Ideas project — has it found sufficient response? I believe creativity is about making the best from what is available to you. Buying things and making thing is easy, but making something beautiful from what is discarded is a challenge. I have always made an attempt to create things in the simplest fashion, so that a lay man too can learn the craft. It’s said an idea can change the world. So all I do is create, share and inspire! 7 Days 7 Ideas was an online event (2nd-8th October, 2011) for Joy of Giving Week 2011 to encourage people to reduce, reuse and recycle their household waste (check out the updates at http://www.ohmyindia.co.nr/). 7 Days 7 Ideas was dedicated to the memory of Sikkim earthquake victims. When the earthquake hit Sikkim on September 18, I was in Gangtok and I know the magnitude of damage it did. So, I thought during the Joy of Giving Week I should do something for those people. And since I was travelling frequently, I felt an online event was the best way to reach out to every one. The numerous emails I have received during the event bear testimony to fact that it was appreciated by many. You are passionate about protecting the environment. What kind of support have you found from the city? People in Bangalore are well-educated and aware of what is happening to the environment, so I could see people with genuine interest. If Oh My India is being talked about by people, credit goes to the youth of namma Bengaluru. Support has come in terms of emails, letters and phone calls. It is nice to read or receive a call from a stranger and finally work together for betterment.

source:MINT

PM's address at the Combined Commanders' Conference

Excerpts of PM's address at the Combined Commanders' Conference


The Prime Minister addressed the Combined Commanders Conference of the Indian Armed Forces in New Delhi today. Following are excerpts from the Prime Minister’s address on the occasion.

“It gives me immense pleasure once again to address the Combined Commanders Conference of the Indian Armed Forces.

You have the singular privilege and honour of leading our gallant soldiers, sailors and air warriors. Our men and women in uniform have demonstrated unflinching devotion to duty each time the nation’s security has been challenged or when we have faced natural calamities.

The armed forces have played a stellar role in safeguarding our borders, in fighting terrorism and infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the North-East, pirates in the Indian Ocean and aiding civil authority in Sikkim during the recent earthquake. Our countrymen look up to the armed forces as the epitome of honesty, integrity, character and professionalism.

Your Conference is taking place at a time when the country is faced with multiple challenges. In this age of rapid information flows and explosion of technologies, one of the most important security imperatives is our ability to respond to these challenges quickly and in an integrated fashion.

We should be justifiably proud of the excellent civil-military relations that we have traditionally maintained, and which has been the bedrock of our democracy. We must, however, continuously build upon this tradition and leverage the combined will of the nation to meet new and emerging threats.

Broadly speaking, the international strategic and political environment has deteriorated from our point of view. The policies we adopt, whether internally or externally, must factor this in.

We have paid special attention to our immediate neighbourhood. This is based on our conviction that the task of India’s socio-economic transformation will always be more difficult and less likely to succeed if we do not manage relations with our neighbours properly; more importantly, if we do not give them a substantial stake in India’s economic progress and stability.

Most major powers today are preoccupied with their own domestic problems. This has made the task of effective and coordinated global response to international issues that much more difficult. While we must work with the international community to address global issues, we must also strengthen our own capabilities and be ready to stand on our own feet, whenever required. We must therefore consolidate our own strategic autonomy and independence of thought and action.

The fundamentals of our economy remain strong. Despite the global slowdown, we will still achieve a growth rate of close to eight percent this year. Our short term challenge is to bring down inflation, while in the long term we have to make our growth process more inclusive, spur agricultural growth, expand the delivery of education, health and other services, protect our environment and improve our overall infrastructure.

It is equally the responsibility of the government to equip our armed forces with all the necessary means to meet all threats to our nation, including those which go beyond conventional warfare.

We have a long history in fighting terrorism. Today terrorist groups are highly networked, nimble footed and more lethal. This calls for appropriate responses. Cyber threats are emerging as a major source of worry. Cyber and information warfare could qualitatively change the concept of a battlefield. Nuclear proliferation and nuclear security remain a serious threat in our neighbourhood.

We must focus much more on maritime security, and on securing our coastline, our exclusive economic zone, our island territories and the sea lanes of communication.

Internally, we have to work assiduously to address problems in the North East and deal with left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner. We have to be sensitive to the needs of the weaker sections of society and ensure that the fruits of our progress reach them. Issues relating to use of scarce resources such as land and water and strengthening institutions of governance require much closer attention than they have received in the past.

The Government will never fight shy of finding the funds for the modernization of our forces. At the same time we have to recognize that resources are not unlimited. I would urge upon you to optimize the use of scarce resources. You are the best judges of how this can be done, but advance and long term planning and the creation of common institutions, communication networks and infrastructure are some examples of how this could be achieved. We should keep this in mind particularly when we build new capacities for meeting emerging threats.

The development of an indigenous defence industry is a national security objective. We have succeeded in persuading many of the advanced countries to dismantle their export control regimes targeted at us which will give us access to high technology, but we need to gear up our own efforts.

Modernisation of the armed forces should not be limited only to acquisition of foreign equipment or foreign technologies. We have to progressively reduce our dependence on external sources. This has to be a national effort, involving our armed forces, our scientists and captains of Indian industry.

We are among the world leaders in information technology and a knowledge based economy. We have a vibrant private sector. It is necessary to put in place policies to promote a viable defence industry in the country using the large industrial and skill base that already exists. Greater competition will lead to greater efficiencies and more research and development. The Defence Production Policy announced this year is a step in the right direction.

The Ministry of Defence has over the last few years taken several steps to streamline the processes of acquisition. I am glad that the Defence Procurement Procedure 2011 contains new provisions to encourage private sector participation in ship building and expansion in the scope of the offset guidelines. Procurement procedures must ensure transparency, probity and accountability. We must also constantly work towards reducing time for processing proposals. Well formulated long term integrated plans will facilitate this task.

Our armed forces must attract the best and the brightest of our youth. The skills of those who are already in the forces should be continuously upgraded and broad-based so that our forces operate at the cutting edge of technology. As Commanders, you have a special responsibility to inculcate the finest qualities of character, integrity and professionalism among your junior officers and men and women. We live in an increasingly open society characterised by instant communications and mass media. These impose greater responsibilities on all public institutions of our Republic, including the armed forces.

Ensuring the welfare of ex-servicemen is a responsibility that the nation has towards our men and women in uniform. It is necessary that the relevant plans and schemes are implemented diligently, that we ensure appropriate retraining and above all, we show compassion to those who have served our nation so well.

You are commanders of one of the finest armed forces in the world. Our nation is truly proud of your achievements and indebted to you for your bravery, for your valour and for your sacrifices. I wish you even greater success in the service of our nation in the year to come.”


***


SC/LM
(Release ID :76556)

source:MINT

source:The Hindubusinessline

No negative marking in MBBS entrance exam


Oct 11, 9:57 AM ALL INDIA RADIO

The Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India have decided that negative marking would not be used in next year's proposed MBBS entrance examination to reduce marks. The Council however decided to resort to it only in case of a tie between various candidates having same scores in the proposed National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS courses from the next year. The decision was taken at a full meeting of the Board headed by K K Talwar in New Delhi.

An expert committee constituted to look into modalities of the proposed single entrance test for admission to all MBBS courses across India had earlier recommended that there should be no negative marking in the exam.

The Council also accepted the recommendation of the expert committee for having objective type questions.
The Committee had also recommended percentile score to determine the merit of all applicants in NEET next year.

It will be for the first time the centrally-conducted medical entrance test for undergraduate courses in India will not have negative marking.

min votes for political parties

EC raises cap of min votes for political parties to obtain State party status

Oct 10, 2:20 PM

The Election Commission of India has raised the cap of minimum votes a political party must secure in election to get the status of a State party or maintain it further. The new minimum limit is 8 per cent of total valid votes polled in State Assembly or Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, the limit was 6 per cent. In addition the party must have returned at least two members to the Legislative Assembly in case of Assembly polls or at least one member in Parliament from the State in case of Lok Sabha elections.

To make these changes, the Commission has amended its Election Symbols reservations and allotment order 1968 and issued a new order on 16th of last month, the Election Symbol reservations and allotment amendment order 2011. According to the sources, the amended order has been sent to all States and Union Territories.
sOURCE:AIR

Mind and body — Feel it in your bones

Mind and body — Feel it in your bones

by NAMITA JAIN

Among the many conditions that can bog people down as they age, bone-related issues such as osteoporosis are perhaps very common. Thankfully, food, exercise and medication can together work like magic

Occasionally, in life, there's a boohoo moment that makes you wish you were young again! Take osteoporosis, for instance, which makes you feel your age in your very bones.

But, if you know how, there is always a funny bone to tickle that will bring on the laughs once more; and there is always a good diet, exercise and medical plan that will give you a new lease of life, as these true stories go to show.

Journalist Priya Reddy, 49, has a success story to share: “I was slightly underweight, smoked regularly and never exercised. I visited a doctor when my hip and back started to hurt. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and recommended regular exercise, calcium supplements and regular meals every three hours. He also suggested that I give up smoking. I followed his advice. Today, I walk five days a week, perform weight training exercises twice a week with my trainer, and carry healthy snacks in my bag to be consumed at regular intervals. I have gained two pounds, and my lower back pain has almost disappeared. I feel fantastic.” How's that for a bright side?

Avni Kalra, 55, and a chartered accountant, spends most of her days sitting in office. “My back ached when I worked on the computer,” she explains. “On undergoing tests, I discovered I had osteopenia and needed to strengthen my bones. On the advice of my doctor, I started exercising regularly and take calcium and vitamin D supplements. It's such a relief now that my back feels better.”

To put it simply, osteoporosis makes your bones porous with age, less dense and more susceptible to curvature and fracture. In extreme cases you begin to feel like a porcelain doll, fragile and given to breaking up easily. It is part of the ageing process, sure, but there is nothing inevitable about it. It can strike both the sexes, but more women than men are likely to suffer from it: firstly, because many have smaller, thinner frames than men; secondly, because lower estrogen levels in the postmenopausal phase hampers bone production and hastens loss of bone mass.

Statistics reveal that one in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50 are susceptible to osteoporosis. Often referred to as the silent ailment, osteoporosis may have no initial symptoms; it may take an unexpected bone fracture for you to realise that your skeletal frame isn't quite as strong as it used to be. A reduction in height; back and neck pain may be some other indicators.

The best way to determine whether or not you are suffering from it is to get a diagnosis based on medical history, physical examination, skeletal X-rays and bone densitometry. A more progressive stage indicates the onset of osteoporosis.

The Risks

Family history of osteoporosis

Being too thin

Smoking

Being physically inactive

Menopause

A calcium-deficient diet

Certain medications, medical conditions, eating disorders

Vitamin D deficiency

Five ways to fight osteoporosis

Count on calcium

The human skeleton holds 99 per cent of the body's calcium, making this chalky mineral the key to bone health. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for ages between 10 and 30 years is 1,200 mg per day. For those younger than 10 and older than 30, the RDA is 800 mg per day. Postmenopausal women not on estrogen supplementation need 1,200 to 1,500 mg per day. Most women are known to consume less than half this amount. Low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are a great source, but you can also derive it from other foods such as green, leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified juices, beans, broccoli and sardines. In addition, your physician may recommend a calcium supplement.

Exercise

Exercise, in particular weight bearing exercises and resistance training, can improve calcium content in your bones. The former involves movements that make your feet and legs bear your body's weight. Examples include walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing and playing tennis, soccer or golf. Resistance training involves using resistance to strengthen your bones and muscles. In this case, you make use of machines and free weights or simply work with your body weight.

Avoid fad diets

Poor nutrition caused by crash dieting lowers bone mineral density. If you want to lose weight, eat right and exercise hard. For once, not being skinny (or being slightly overweight) may protect you from osteoporosis.

Go easy on the salt

Excess sodium causes your body to flush it out, along with other important nutrients, including calcium.

Give up smoking

Limit drinking — not just alcohol, but also tea, coffee and soft drinks. They up your risk of osteoporosis by preventing your body from absorbing calcium better

Restoring above the clouds in Sikkim

Restoring above the clouds


Charlotte Bellizzi a Maltese conservator-restorer of paintings has recently returned from India where she was in charge of the second phase of the restoration of the wall paintings of the Royal Temple of Sikkim which project took 10 weeks to complete.

Sikkim in the Himalayan mountains, at an altitude of around 3,500 meters above sea level, lies between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in China. It was an independent country but for the last 30 years it has been part of India.

Sikkim home to the Kanchenjunga the world’s third-highest mountain, is characterized by Buddhist faith and, once home to numerous old Buddhist Temples, has over recent last years witnessed the destruction of many of these buildings in an urge to modernise the country with the atrocious practice of demolishing old monasteries to make way to build new ones.

The restoration of the wall paintings carried out in the Royal Temple is, in fact, the first restoration project in this land, and has managed to save the precious wall paintings from being destroyed or repainted.

The Royal Chapel, known as the Tsuklakhang, lies within the Palace grounds and incorporates a monastery for young monks. It is also a repository of a vast collection of old Buddhist scriptures. The gompa (local word for temple) is a century old and was built on the same site as the previous Royal Temple after it had collapsed in an earthquake. The walls of the two-storied building are decorated with murals representing intricate scenes from Buddha’s life and teachings. These are some of the finest Buddhist wall paintings in existence and are the work of a very accomplished Tibetan artist sent to embellish the Temple of the King. They are painted with mineral and natural pigments mixed with extracts from yak skin therefore are very delicate. These are further embellished with the use of shell gold applied with a brush.

Leading a team of local assistant restorers, Charlotte Bellizzi was in charge of consolidating the opening cracks in the walls of the temple due to previous earthquakes using mostly local material as to be compatible with the building. The wall paintings which appeared dark due to grime accumulated during the years and from the black sooth resulting from burning butter lamps lit as offerings, were cleaned as to uncover the vivid colours of the original paintings. The project was received with admiration from the local people and was an introduction to conserving past heritage instead of replacing it.

After spending around 15 weeks finishing the ground floor of the temple, the third phase will be a continuation of the same procedure but with further challenges. Since Buddhists profess against the killing of any livings, at the moment chemical combinations are being tested in Germany as to get rid of the insect infestation of the wooden parts present in upper floor. Instead of killing the insects, the product would aim at sterilizing them and providing a bad taste to the wood so that the insects will just leave, therefore offering a compromise between centuries old believes and modern restoration concept.

This was not the first project by Charlotte Bellizzi abroad. Previously she has contributed in the restoration of the Roman Casa dei Dioscuri in Pompei and Tsemo Temple in Leh, India.

Other local projects include the restoration of the Chapel of Sacrament and the nave of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, the wall paintings of the dome of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta and the dome of the Capuchins Monastery in Mdina.

source:BBC:  Bergen Town

The forgotten history of Indian troops in China

by Ananth Krishnan

Source: The Hindu  

A photograph from the Shanghai Museum shows Sikh soldiers on duty in Shanghai. Photo courtesy: Colonel G. Jaishankar

For 55 days, the Boxers laid siege to the heart of Beijing.

The rebels, mainly young Chinese farmers and workers, kept more than 400 foreigners holed up in Beijing’s Foreign Legation Quarter. The siege was the dramatic denouement of months of anti-Imperialist and anti-Christian sentiment that swept across China at the turn of the 20th century. Known as the Boxer Rebellion, the events cast a long shadow on Chinese history throughout the 20th century, invoked by later nationalists in their own fight against Imperialism.

The history of the Boxer Rebellion is well known. What isn’t is the crucial role played by troops from British India in lifting the siege, which eventually paved the way for the occupation of Beijing by foreign troops.

Indian regiments made their way to the foreign quarter “crawling through the Imperial sewage canals”, undetected by the Boxers, and were the first troops to come to the aid of the besieged foreigners.

The lifting of the siege was one of only several key instances where Indian troops left an unlikely mark on the course of Chinese history in the early twentieth century.

This forgotten history of regiments from British India has been retraced by Colonel G. Jaishankar, who is currently serving as the Defence Attaché in the Indian Embassy in Beijing.

“Our leaders have been talking about ancient historical and cultural links, but little is known about the far more recent history of Indian troops in China,” he said in Beijing on Wednesday, at a presentation on the history of Indian regiments in China.

On August 4, 1900, a relief force of more than 3000 soldiers from Sikh and Punjabi regiments left Tianjin, part of the larger eight-nation alliance that was dispatched to aid the besieged quarter, where 11 countries had set up legations. Indian troops were also dispatched to guard churches and Christian missionaries, the targets of the Boxer uprisings.

Among the Indians, there was sympathy for the Boxers, Colonel Jaishankar said. Gaddhar Singh, a Rajput who was in Beijing in 1900-01, empathised with Chinese grievances in his accounts, arguing it was an entirely justified peasant rebellion.

The British also dispatched Indian regiments to China leading up towards the Opium War, which ended with the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 and the opening up of Chinese ports to the British.

The British deployed Sikh soldiers as law enforcement officers in ports like Shanghai, where their trading companies had set up a large presence by the early twentieth century. The Sikh soldiers were feared by the Chinese with their imposing figures, so much so that the British deemed that they did not even need guns when on duty, Colonel Jaishankar said, citing records from the time.

The history of Indian troops in China is one that is ignored in Chinese accounts, and is likely a sensitive legacy considering they were often deployed against the Chinese.

It is, nevertheless, a shared history that both countries should remember, Colonel Jaishankar said. “We should not run away from history,” he said. “But we are too swamped with recent events to take an objective look.”

Shared experiences

There were also positive lessons to be remembered by both countries with shared colonial experiences, he stressed.

An example is the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War, when Indian and Chinese troops fought together against the Japanese.

The 585 Indians who lost their lives are still remembered today in Hong Kong’s war cemeteries.

Another case in point was in 1994, when the Indian army returned a bell that was looted by British troops from Beijing’s Temple of Heaven when the city was ransacked by foreign troops following the Boxer Rebellion. The bell was later put up for display by the Chinese military.

“The Battle of Hong Kong was a unique event,” Colonel Jaishankar said. “That was the first time in history,” he noted, “that Indian and Chinese troops fought on the same side.”