Address by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, addressed the Nation on the eve of the 64th Republic Day. Following is the text of the President’s address on the occasion: “My Fellow Citizens: On the eve of our 64th Republic Day, I extend warm greetings to all of you in India and abroad. I convey my special greetings to members of our armed forces, paramilitary forces and internal security forces.             India has changed more in last six decades than in six previous centuries. This is neither accidental nor providential; history shifts its pace when touched by vision. The great dream of raising a new India from the ashes of colonialism reached a historic denouement in 1947; more important, independence became a turning point for an equally dramatic narrative, nation-building. The foundations were laid through our Constitution, adopted on 26 January 1950, which we celebrate each year as Republic Day. Its driving principle was a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nourished by justice, liberty and equality. India did not win freedom from the British in order to deny freedom to Indians. The Constitution represented a second liberation, this time from the stranglehold of traditional inequity in gender, caste, community, along with other fetters that had chained us for too long.             This inspired a Cultural Evolution which put Indian society on the track to modernity: society changed in a gradual evolution, for violent revolution is not the Indian way. Change across the knotted weaves of the social fabric remains a work in progress, impelled by periodic reform in law and the momentum of popular will.             In the last six decades there is much that we can be proud of. Our economic growth rate has more than tripled. The literacy rate has increased by over four times. After having attained self sufficiency, now we are net exporters of food-grain. Significant reduction in the incidence of poverty has been achieved. Among our other major achievements is the drive towards gender equality.             No one suggested this would be easy. The difficulties that accompanied the first quantum leap, the Hindu code bill, enacted in 1955 tell their own story. It needed the unflinching commitment of leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Babasaheb Ambedkar to push through this remarkable legislation. Jawaharlal Nehru would later describe this as perhaps the most important achievement of his life. The time has now come to ensure gender equality for every Indian woman. We can neither evade nor abandon this national commitment, for the price of neglect will be high. Vested interests do not surrender easily. The civil society and the government must work together to fulfill this national goal. Fellow Citizens:             I speak to you when a grave tragedy has shattered complacency. The brutal rape and murder of a young woman, a woman who was symbol of all that new India strives to be, has left our hearts empty and our minds in turmoil. We lost more than a valuable life; we lost a dream. If today young Indians feel outraged, can we blame our youth?             There is a law of the land. But there is also a higher law. The sanctity of a woman is a directive principle of that larger edifice called Indian civilization. The Vedas say that there is more than one kind of mother: birth mother, a guru's wife, a king's wife, a priest's wife, she who nurses us, and our motherland. Mother is our protection from evil and oppression, our symbol of life and prosperity. When we brutalise a woman, we wound the soul of our civilization.             It is time for the nation to reset its moral compass. Nothing should be allowed to spur cynicism, as cynicism is blind to morality. We must look deep into our conscience and find out where we have faltered. The solutions to problems have to be found through discussion and conciliation of views. People must believe that governance is an instrument for good and for that, we must ensure good governance. Fellow Citizens:             We are on the cusp of another generational change; the youth of India spread across villages and towns, are in the vanguard of change. The future belongs to them. They are today troubled by a range of existential doubts. Does the system offer due reward for merit? Have the powerful lost their Dharma in pursuit of greed? Has corruption overtaken morality in public life? Does our legislature reflect emerging India or does it need radical reforms? These doubts have to be set at rest. Elected representatives must win back the confidence of the people. The anxiety and restlessness of youth has to be channelized towards change with speed, dignity and order.             The young cannot dream on an empty stomach. They must have jobs capable of serving their own as well as the nation's ambitions. It is true that we have come a long way from 1947, when our first Budget had a revenue of just over Rs.171 crore. The resource base of the Union government today is an ocean compared to that drop. But we must ensure that the fruits of economic growth do not become the monopoly of the privileged at the peak of a pyramid. The primary purpose of wealth creation must be to drive out the evil of hunger, deprivation and marginal subsistence from the base of our expanding population. Fellow Citizens:             Last year has been a testing time for us all. As we move ahead on the path of economic reforms, we must remain alive to the persisting problems of market-dependent economies. Many rich nations are now trapped by a culture of entitlement without social obligations; we must avoid this trap. The results of our policies should be seen in our villages, farms and factories, schools and hospitals. Figures mean nothing to those who do not benefit from them. We must act immediately, otherwise the current pockets of conflict, often described as "Naxalite" violence, could acquire far more dangerous dimensions. Fellow Citizens:             In the recent past, we have seen serious atrocities on the Line of Control on our troops. Neighbours may have disagreements; tension can be a subtext of frontiers. But sponsorship of terrorism through non-state actors is a matter of deep concern to the entire nation. We believe in peace on the border and are always ready to offer a hand in the hope of friendship. But this hand should not be taken for granted. Fellow Citizens:             India's most impregnable asset is self-belief. Each challenge becomes an opportunity to strengthen our resolve to achieve unprecedented economic growth and social stability. Such resolve must be nourished by an avalanche of investment, particularly in better and greater education. Education is the ladder that can help those at the bottom to rise to the pinnacles of professional and social status. Education is the mantra that can transform our economic fortunes and eliminate the gaps that have made our society unequal. So far education has not reached, to the extent desired, to those most in need of this ladder. India can double its growth rate by turning today's disadvantaged into multiple engines of economic development.             On our 64th Republic Day, there may be some reason for concern, but none for despair. If India has changed more in six decades than six previous centuries, then I promise you that it will change more in the next ten years than in the previous sixty. India’s enduring vitality is at work. Even the British sensed that they were leaving a land which was very different from the one they had occupied. At the base of the Jaipur Column in Rashtrapati Bhavan there is an inscription:             “In thought faith…             In word wisdom…             In deed courage…             In life service…             So may India be great”           The spirit of India is written in stone. JAI HIND!”

SICB Headquarter in South Sikkim

SIKKIM- Transfer orders for 71 officers

EAST, SOUTH AND NORTH GET NEW DCs

GANGTOK, 24 Jan: The State administration received a frenetic round of transfers and promotions yesterday, touching 71 officers from Under Secretary/ BDO to the Secretary level.

Secretary Science & Technology and Climate Change, PT Ethenpa has been posted as Secretary Commerce & Industries, while District Collector [East], D Anandan has been promoted to the post of Secretary of Science & Technology and Climate Change.

The crucial post of District Collector [East] has gone to AK Singh who comes in from South Sikkim, relieving his office there for Additional District Collector, North, Prabhakar, who has been assigned to the post of District Collector, South.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer, CP Dhakal has been transferred as District Collector, North while and District Collector, North, TW Khangsarpa has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Ecclesiastical Department. Meanwhile, the ADC, Development, East, has been transferred as Joint Chief Electoral Officer, in Election department.

SDM Chungthang, Raj Kumar Yadav has been promoted to the post of Additional District Collector, North. SDM Gyalshing, Kapil Meena has been transferred as SDM Soreong. Special Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies, Tenzing Dolkar has been transferred to Animal Husbandry department in her own capacity.
Additional Secretary of Tourism department, Rinzing Chewang has been transferred to Development and Planning Department. ADC, Development, South, D K Pradhan has been transferred as ADC, East while SDM, East, Dr. AB Karki has been transferred to Rural Development Department as Additional District Collector, East. Anil Prakash Rai has been transferred to South district as Additional District Collector, Development.

Additional Secretary, Transport department, Namrata Thapa has been transferred to Tourism and Civil Aviation department in her own capacity. Benu Gurung has been posted to South district as Additional District Collector, Development under Rural Management and Development department. Similarly, Joint Secretary of Development and Planning department, Cheden P Ladingpa has been transferred as Director, Information and Public Relations department.

Joint Secretary Forest and Environment department, Balaram Subba has been transferred as ADC, West and Additional Secretary of Sports and Youths Affairs department, Vidhya Subba has been transferred to Transport department.

There has also been a substantial rejig at the Block Administrative Centres as well.
Passingdong in Dzongu gets a new BDO in Karnitmit Lepcha moving from the Office of ADC [Dev] East, a post now occupied by Dhiraj Subedi who was serving as BDO Pakyong.
Purna Bdr. Yonzon, SDM Namchi who had been transferred as PS to UD&HD Minister is now directed to take charge as BDO Regu, while Dhiraj Pradha, the Regu BDO has been repatriated and posted as Deputy Director, Food & Civil Supplies on deputation.

Pakyong has a new BDO in Satyan Kumar Pradhan coming in from DPER&NECAD, his Deputy Secretary office at the Department now going to Mahesh Sharma, BDO Yangang.
Bandana Rai, BDO Gyalshing has been posted as Welfare Officer, West, exchanging offices with Surat Gurung.
Soreng SDM Somnath Adhikari takes charge as BDO Yangang. Similarly Tenzing Dorji Bhutia, BDO Rakdong Tintek has been transferred to the Finance Department as Deputy Secretary while the Kaluk BDO Gayyas Pega is now the BDO Daramdin on deputation.

The Daramdin BDO Bibhuti Pradhan has in turn been posted as Deputy Secretary RMDD while Hemant Rai, Dy Secy Agricuture has been transferred as BDO Rakdong Tintek. Gilbert Lepcha, BDO Khamdong is now BDO Kaluk while Kabi Tingda gets a new BDO in Suman Gurung.

Deputy Secretary Pema Lhaden Lama moves from Land Revenue Department to Martam as BDO in place of Khemraj Bhattarai who moves to Land Revenue as Under Secretary.

The Temi BDO Harka Giri has been posted as Under Secretary RMDD while the former Kabi Tingda BDO Prem Kamal Rai takes charge as Temi BDO.

‘India, a living example of secularism’

Mahim Pratap Singh

Vaiju Narvane

  

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  The Hindu-Dalai Lama in Diggi Palace on Day 1 of the Lit Fest. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras
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  The Hindu- Dalai Lama with Pico Iyer at the Jaipur Literajure Festival. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras
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  The Hindu- Dalai Lama on stage at the Lit Fest. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras

It was the first time that His Holiness the Dalai Lama participated in the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival since its inception in 2005. And when he did, almost everybody present at the Diggi Palace, the venue of the festival, quit whatever they were doing and congregated in the front lawns where the spiritual leader spoke to author Pico Iyer on “kinships of faiths”.

Historian Faisal Devji, who was moderating a parallel session on “Afghanistan in transition” at another venue right opposite the front lawns, amusingly asked his audience to sit down “in a non-violent way, as opposed to all the violence taking place on the other side”, referring to the jostling hundreds desperately trying to get a glimpse of the Dalai Lama and hear what he had to say.

The Dalai Lama spoke to author Pico Iyer on “Kinships of faiths: finding the middle way” in keeping with the special focus on “Buddha and Literature” of this year’s edition of the JLF.

Mr. Iyer’s father was a very close friend of the Dalai Lama’s. Even Mr. Iyer himself had played with the Lama during his childhood.

While equipped with the advantage of enjoying such proximity with the great spiritual leader, his book “The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama” has surprisingly few personal details about the Lama.

“The lack of personal details was intentional because I did not want to write a celebrity biography of the Dalai Lama,” Mr. Iyer told The Hindu.

“I wanted to present him as a symbol of a movement rather a person whose personal life readers would be interested in,” he said.

The Nobel laureate spiritual leader spoke about Ahimsa and India’s contribution to the promotion of secularism, calling India a “living example for the world to see how different religions can exist together for so many centuries”.

“Secularism does not mean disrespecting other religions,” he said, praising the Indian definition of secularism which accorded respect to all religions while not giving preference to any.

True to his self, His Holiness the Dalai Lama lent his ideas of peace and harmony even to the ongoing debate over giving capital punishment to the accused of the Delhi gangrape.

“I do not like the death sentence,” said the Dalai Lama, adding there were other ways to deal with such crimes.

Advocating people to lead non-materialistic lives, the Dalai Lama said the 21 century belonged to dialogue and not to confrontation or violence. He also spoke on various subjects like moral education and peaceful co existence. 

Courtesy of DSC Jaipur Literature Festival- SourceNYTIMES
The Dalai Lama on the opening day of the Jaipur Literature Festival 2013.

“My Transformation Transforms Nation”

- a chinmaya mission initiative

 

That’s the slogan of “Transforming Indians to Transform India”  – a movement initiated by Chinmaya Mission that is expected to have a pan-India appeal within the next 1 year.   “If Indians transform to become physically fit, emotionally strong, intellectually refined, culturally rooted, actively patriotic and spiritually uplifted with the vision of universal oneness, India will be revitalized.  Indians will not only gain at a personal level, but will be positive contributors to the society and the world at large” says Swami Mitrananda, the conceiver of the movement and a Director of All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, the Youth wing of Chinmaya Mission. This initiative is our first step of a three year program that is being organized as a part of Swami Chinmayananda’s Birth Centenary Celebrations.  It begins with  by a national quiz aimed at reaching out to about 10 lakh individuals and families as participants of the quiz.  During the second phase there will be seminars on transformation in all districts of India in regional languages by Professionals and specialists from respective fields.  The third phase involves a mass awareness drive through rallies covering the length and breadth of India, connecting people.

 The Honorable Prime Minister Sri Manmohan Singh said in a message about the project, “It goes without saying that India can transform for the better only if each one strives for our own improvement. The All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra is attempting to encourage such individual change through the project “Transforming Indians to Transform India”  The Prime Minister further stated that this is a noble endeavour and wished the project all success.

His Excellency The Governor of Maharashtra Shree K.Shankaranarayan  launched the movement in Mumbai on 4th September 2012 at Yashwantrao Chavan Auditorium amidst an exclusive audience of leading educationists, business-persons, other eminent personalities of the city and the Media.  Similar high profile launches have been planned in other metros . There will also be many smaller launches across the country in various places.

 Transforming Indians to Transform India (TITI) Quiz gives a complete new perspective to the entire experience of quizzing altogether by focusing more on transformation and less on competition! Designed with great innovation at every level, this nation-wide family quiz program is being launched with a vision for the entire country in more than 200 centers of Chinmaya Mission and its schools.

 With a negligible registration charge of Rs.100, a participant is given an exclusive complimentary copy of book called “Transforming Indians to India – 7 Short Stories”.  Keeping in mind all age groups, the content has been woven into short, interesting stories to make them easy to read, enjoy and learn.  Each story comes with a set of simple activities to make the reader think and guide him to make the little changes that would eventually bring about a transformation within.  The book also presents the vision of a Transformed Indian and a Transformed India.  The national quiz will be based mainly on this book. The winner of this national quiz will receive a prize money of Rs.2 lakhs and a car! There are many other exciting prizes for the runners-up also. But what really stands out is not the prizes, but the spirit of noble patriotism exhibited by Chinmaya Mission.

In Sikkim, Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim Centre has formed a Core Committee for the purpose of spreading the message so that wide participation is received from all sections of the society for the Quiz- “ Transforming Indians to Transform India”

Shri C P Dhakal has been nominated as Chief Coordinator – Sikkim State for the Quiz. Shri Sagarmani Dhakal-Coordinator . Other core members are: Shri L B Chhetri, Shri N Dorjee, Sh S K Sarda, Ms Ratna Subba, Ms Nirlata Rai ,Shri S D Dhakal, Shri Ganesh Pradhan, Shri Jeewan Dabriwal,Shri Govind Dhakal, Ms Preeti  Pathak, Shri Madav Khanal, Shri Lalchand Khatri, Ms Padma Khatri, Ms Shobha Sarda, Shri D K Pandey, Shri Chhewang K Tamang, Shri Sushen Pradhan, Shri Sujen Poudel, Shri J R Chettri, Shri Tika Chettri , Shri Manorath Dhakal, Shri Amrit Gurung,  Shri Gurudeva,  Ms Madhumita Lama, Ms Priya Agarwal and  Shri R P Sharma. 

GAS UPDATE

Consumers now entitled to 5 LPG subsidized cylinders till March

GANGTOK, 22 Jan: SourceSikkim Now

State Trading Corporation of Sikkim [STCS] has officially notified the increase in the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from the existing 6 to 9 cylinders per year as effective from 01 April 2013. A press release issued by the Managing Director STCS informs that for the current financial year, the remaining number of cylinder entitlement for each connection under subsidized category (September 13 2012 to March 31 2013) now stands at 5 against the three earlier.
It is further informed here that currently the service of refilling is being continued on production of the acknowledgement receipt of DGCC book issued by this office. However, the practice shall no longer be continued without the production of mandatory Blue Book confirming KYC registration as per M/s. IOCL guideline.
STCS has requested its consumers to register KYCs immediately in order to get new updated Blue Books and continued service. Those who have already submitted KYC registration forms may immediately contact STCS office at Deorali & Baiguney, as the case may be, for collection of new updated Blue-Books.
Consumers who desire to transfer their connections with their convenient Distributors may also contact the STCS office. However, transfer is not mandatory while Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India has announced its portability within the ambit of the same Oil Manufacturing Companies.
Further, the release mentions that STCS has received a number of KYC forms seeking transfer of connections from the existing names to others which is proving to be difficult in the absence of appropriate documents authenticating proof of identifications. Hence, such consumers are requested to contact STCS offices at Gangtok or Baiguney with sufficient documents that authenticate their proof of identification to enable earlier registration of such cases.
Transfer of connections issued under Janta Mela and other Government welfare schemes are not transferable unless approved by the Government, the release adds.
Those consumers with multiple connections are requested to kindly surrender the same before actions are initiated by the authorities to block such connections. It is once again informed here that as per the new regulations, only one connection with DBC per household is permissible.
This is being informed for all the future exercise that cylinders are sufficiently available but only against prior booking unlike free availability in the past though the practice might be a teething problem initially, the release further states.

SREDA was constituted by the State Government in the year 1999 and mandated for promoting and popularizing renewable energy. Sharing the achievements of SREDA in the year 2011-12, Ms Targain said that 20 KW Micro Hydel Plant was commissioned in Dzongu Gor in North Sikkim, 20 KW Solar Power Plant was commissioned at Sikkim Legislative Assembly, 230 Biogas plants were constructed and awareness camps were organized, 14500 Solar Lanterns were distributed, 100 Solar Water Heaters were distributed to the public of North Sikkim and 5000 Solar home Lights are being distributed to Religious Institutions, Police Check Posts, PHCs and NGOs.

Sikkim asks Maharashtra to partner it at flower show


Mumbai, Jan. 22:  Sikkim has invited Mumbai to be a part of the five-day-long second international flower show to be held at capital Gangtok from February 23.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the festival, which will provide a platform for floriculturists of Sikkim and Maharashtra to meet and exchange technical know-how, besides establishing business partnerships.

The event will host 15,000 different varieties of flowers from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands , US, Taiwan, Nepal and Thailand amongst others.

In all, 25 international and 30 national flora companies and 190 flower growers’ organisations, associations and groups across the globe have confirmed their participation.

Data Source: SIAM

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January 21, 2013, 7:18 

In Rumtek, a Generation of Buddhist Monks Loses Hope

By ANJANI TRIVEDI

Anjani Trivedi for The New York Times The inner courtyard at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim.

RUMTEK, Sikkim —In their 13th year of waiting for their spiritual leader, the Tibetan Buddhist monks at a mountainside monastery in Sikkim are starting to give up hope.
“Our hearts have fallen — the master isn’t coming,” said Karma Yeshi, a monk and teacher at the Rumtek monastery, home to 150 monks in the Himalayas in the erstwhile kingdom annexed to India in 1975. “It’s like a house without a father.”
The person the monks are eager to see is Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 27-year-old man deemed to be the leader of the Kagyu order of Buddhism, one of the four main schools in Tibetan Buddhism.
Tibetan Buddhism stresses the importance of meeting the Karmapa. Teachings in the Kagyu order are passed on from master to student, and the Kagyu’s Web site says that “all great Kagyu teachers regard his Holiness Karmapa as the embodiment and source of all the blessings of the lineage.”
The young man known as the 17th Karmapa is currently based in Dharamsala at the Gyuto Tantric University, having been granted official refugee status in 2001 after fleeing from Tibet in late December 1999. But since 2000, the Indian government has blocked the Karmapa from entering Rumtek and the state of Sikkim, citing security concerns.
To travel outside Dharamsala, the Karmapa needs prior approval from various government agencies and ministries, and he is given security once he does begin his travels, said a Home Ministry official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Rumtek is the most important seat of the Kagyu tradition outside the Tsurphu monastery in Tibet. Rumtek has also been the site of much controversy, as different factions have fought over who is the real Karmapa, or incarnate lama. At least two others have laid a claim to the title, but the Dalai Lama and China have officially backed Ogyen Trinley Dorje. The monastery’s valuable relics have also been the source of contention among two rival factions, leading to fistfights.
The gated monastery and community in Rumtek is more of an armed garrison, with India’s border forces patrolling it 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While some say the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, which also maintains vigil on the nearby India-China border, is guarding the treasure and symbols of authority at the monastery, others say the forces were placed there after clashes among the monks.
“This has lowered the morale among the monks and Buddhist community at large,” Karma Yeshi said.
The government has two concerns about letting the Karmapa travel: his security and the legal battle over ownership of the relics, according the official in the Home Ministry.
State officials say they believe that the national government thinks the Karmapa is a spy. “There is a strong feeling that he might be an agent of China,” said a state government official, who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. “It’s very difficult to escape from China, as far as Tibetans are concerned.”
However, China, which does not recognize Sikkim as a part of India, has dismissed these claims by the Indian government.
In 2011, the Karmapa came under scrutiny by Indian police officials after trunks filled with foreign currency were discovered at his residence in Dharamsala, drawing even more suspicion from the government. The Karmapa’s lawyer said the money was donations from devotees from all over the world.
The Karmapa’s presence is a “very, very sensitive” issue that involves multiple ministries, including External Affairs, said the Home Ministry official, although he denied it had anything to do with security.
However, the official said, “He’s been living here, so it’s our duty to protect him. Rumtek being a controversial matter, it’s not in his interest to go there because there are other claimants. So it’s as simple as that.”
“The government of India has adopted a policy of refraining from any succession controversy. We are not favoring or supporting anyone. This policy has been consistent – it was the case 10 years ago and it is still the same,” he added.
Sikkim’s state government backs the Kagyu monks. Sikkim’s chief minister, Pawan Chamling, who has governed for 18 years, has appealed to Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, many times to allow the Karmapa to visit the state.
“The chief minister had taken up this matter when he last visited Delhi,” the state government official told India Ink. “At least, if you don’t allow him to visit Rumtek, his official seat, let him visit Sikkim and bless the people of Sikkim, who are great followers. Even that is not being done by the government of India.”
However, the Home Ministry doesn’t want to take a risk with his security, according to officials in the ministry, which deals largely with internal security matters. Ultimately, they say, the responsibility for his safety rests with the central government, and not the Sikkim government.
Karma Yeshi of the Rumtek monastery said that this issue is not just a local matter, as India is a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists, masters and monks alike, as the birthplace of Buddhism.
“This is very important not only for the Karmapa issue but for Buddhism. The Buddha dharma is from India, from India it went to China, from China to Tibet – this is how the lineage came about,” the senior monk said.
The inability to meet the Karmapa is nothing less than a tragedy for these Tibetan Buddhists.
“We have been waiting for long enough now,” said Monay Rai, a 24-year-old guide at the monastery, who was born and raised inside the gates of the Rumtek community. “Sometimes when V.I.P.’s visit, the aged people tell me, ‘Please tell the V.I.P.’s to help us, to allow our guru. I can’t travel. It is my dream before I die to see the Karmapa here.’” SourceNYtimes

As per the Power Department the estimated annual T&D and other losses of the state for 2013-14 have been projected at 55.87%. The net revenue requirement of the Power Department for 2012-13 was estimated at Rs. 297.84 crore; against this, revenue from tariff and sale of electricity [outside Sikkim] is estimated at Rs. 108.56 crore causing a shortfall of Rs. 189.28 crore.

Sale of electricity outside to other states estimated at Rs. 20.33 crore.

Vitamin B and folate supplements may cure Migraine: study

PTI

Melbourne, Jan 21: 

In a relief to migraine sufferers, Australian scientists have claimed that Vitamin B and folic acid supplements can treat severe headaches.

Researchers from Griffith University are on the final phase of this study to determine the most effective Vitamin B and folic acid dosage required to treat this debilitating condition.

They have recruited women aged between 18 and 65 who suffer at least four migraine episodes a year, as they are three times more likely than men to experience migraines.

Queensland researcher Bridget Maher said the remedy would help the 20 per cent of migraine sufferers whose condition is genetic.

“It basically reduces the frequency and severity of the migraines,” she was quoted as saying by AAP.

One in five people prone to migraines have an enzyme that doesn’t work as well as other people, she said adding “By supplementing them with Vitamin B and folate you can get around that enzyme’s defect.”

Migraines linked to genetics are associated with auras, which refers to the experiencing temporary neurological disturbances such as seeing stars, getting pins and needles and numbness.

The team at Griffith is working on the correct dose of the supplements and Maher said the treatment could be available in the market by next few years.

Some people don’t respond to current migraine remedies so the new research could significantly help those with a genetic predisposition to the condition.

Sikkim airport may go on stream by 2014-end

by Ayan Pramanik

Kolkata, Jan. 20:  By the end of 2014, flying to the Himalayan State of Sikkim will be a reality.

The upcoming Sikkim airport is likely to be operational by then , a senior Airports Authority of India official said.

The Rs 310-crore project is being developed by Punj Lloyd at Pakyong, 30 km south of Gangtok and located in the eastern part of the State. The airport will be spread over 197.72 hectares .

“Construction work is on for the last two years. We expect the airport to be operational by the end of 2014,” the official told Business Line.

According to him, the project has been “quite challenging” as it requires construction of slopes in a hilly terrain. The difficult topography and hostile weather also restrict work to only 125 days in a year, he added.

Located at an altitude of 4,700 ft and flanked by deep valleys on both ends of the runway, the airport would rank one among the five highest airports in India, according to Punj Lloyd.

The project was slated to be completed by December last year. Sikkim Tourism Minister Bhim Prasad Dhungel had last week said the airport would boost the growth of tourism in the State.

voters in Sikkim at 3,46,763

Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls posts number of voters in Sikkim at 3,46,763

GANGTOK, 18 Jan [IPR]: In accordance with the directives of Election Commission of India the Special Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls with reference to 1.1.2013 as the qualifying date commenced in the state from 01 October 2012.
The Summary Revision included registration of names of persons who attain the age of 18 years as on the qualifying date, correction of names, deletion and shifting of names. The final publication of Photo Electoral Rolls in all the 536 polling booths in the state was made on 15 January, 2013.
The total number of electors at the time of draft publication of Electoral rolls made on 01 October 2012 was 330043. There has been an increase of 18,741 voters during the Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls 2013.
Total numbers of deletion from the draft roll in 2012 and the total correction made in the Electoral Roll is 3,787. After the final publication of Electoral Roll the total number of electors in the state are 3,46,763.
The electors can access detailed information from the CEO’s website www.ceosikkim.nic.in and can also call our toll free number 1950 for further information.
The newly registered electors in the electoral roll will be facilitated with the Electoral Photo Id-cards on the occasion of National Voters Day on 25 January, 2013 in all the Polling Stations, district headquarters and at the State Level function. Booth Level Officers of concerned polling booth will distribute the EPIC in a function organised in the polling stations. Eligible electors whose names have been enrolled in the electoral roll may collect their EPIC from their respective booth level officers.

Life is not lived in the tomb of the dead moments of the past, nor in the womb of the unborn moments of the future. Life is lived dynamically in the present moment. Living in the present means conscious action, not mechanical movements.

I have no use for money, says billionaire Gates

IANS

  

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The Hindu Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates with Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. File Photo

sourcethe Hindu 

William Henry ‘Bill’ Gates (57) with an estimated wealth of $65 billion is as rich as two Kenyas; three Trinidads; and a dozen Montenegros but is now engaged in the process of ridding himself of all the money in the hope of extending the lives of others less fortunate than himself.

Having already given away $28 billion, the co-founder now intends to eradicate polio, The Telegraph reported.

“I’m certainly well taken care of in terms of food and clothes,” Mr. Gates said.

“Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organisation and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world.”

Mr. Gates owns a lakeside estate in Washington State worth about $150 million. The house has a swimming pool equipped with an underwater music system.

But even at the age of 57, Mr. Gates is a restless man and wants something more.

Mr. Gates and his wife Melinda have so far given away $28 billion via their charitable foundation, more than $8 billion of it to improve global health.

“We’re focused on the help of the poorest in the world, which really drives you into vaccination. You can actually take a disease and get rid of it altogether, like we are doing with polio,” Mr. Gates told the daily.

“Polio’s pretty special because once you get an eradication you no longer have to spend money on it. It’s just there as a gift for the rest of time.”

The disease is still endemic in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

There is, however, one obstacle. Islamist groups believe polio vaccination was a front for covert sterilisation and other western evils.

“It’s not going to stop us succeeding. It does force us to sit down with the Pakistan government to renew their commitments, see what they’re going to do in security and make changes to protect the women who are doing God’s work and getting out to these children and delivering the vaccine,” Mr. Gates said.