From Calcutta to Sikkim By Minty Clinch

April 26, 2013 6:13 pm

An Indian road trip: From Calcutta to Sikkim

By Minty Clinch

In the second of our series on road trips, Minty Clinch braves tumultuous traffic to explore the hill stations of West Bengal and Sikkim

©Richard Dunwoody

A train makes its way through the traffic in Darjeeling

The streets of Darjeeling reverberated to the sound of honking as the traffic surged, spluttered and stopped. The pedestrians flowed more freely than the vehicles, a peacock tide of saris, old-fashioned school uniforms, agricultural workers in golden wellies, stray dogs and goats. A day much like any other, except one of many hands hard to their horns was mine.

Self-drive rentals for foreigners are new to India and almost unknown in West Bengal. Back in the UK, friends sounded appalled at my plan for a fly-drive trip to northeast India. I explained that I would have an expert co-pilot in Richard Dunwoody, three times champion steeplechase jockey-turned professional photographer. As a double Grand National winner, he is expert at squeezing fast-moving objects through narrow gaps, a spatial awareness talent that is vital when driving in India.

More

IN ADVENTURES

• The expert selection Ultra-marathons
• Great Drives Alone on the ring road
• Tall-ship sailing in the Canary Islands
• A sub-zero safari

We had flown to Siliguri, an hour north of Calcutta, where our car was waiting – not the classic Hindustan Ambassador I’d originally envisaged but a Toyota Innova, a wimpy-sounding people-carrier. Richard took the wheel for the drive to Darjeeling, self-styled “Queen of Hill Stations”. An altered flight time meant a 3.30pm start – inconveniently late, as it would be dark within two hours. The rally driver-style route guidance manual we had been given was equally inauspicious. “Turn left at end of Airport road”, it stated unequivocally, beside an arrow pointing right.

Helped by a Garmin GPS device, we completed the 98km journey to our hotel in Darjeeling’s maze of alleys in five hours. “A foot of space on either side is the most you can hope for,” said Richard, by now a master of close shaves on mountain roads shared with narrow-gauge railway tracks, in the face of dark clouds of pollution and blazing headlights – or no lights at all. Naively, I believed this was the worst Indian driving could throw at us. I was wrong.

High on the euphoria that accompanies a journey unexpectedly completed, we settled into the New Elgin Hotel, one of the former Maharaja of Cooch Behar’s many summer residences. The rulers of the Princely states during the Raj often favoured furnishings lifted from English Victorian drawing rooms – lustrous red brocade, polished walnut, gleaming brass – and His Highness was no exception. Outside, a pair of Siberian Samoyed dogs frolicked in gardens as immaculate as their fluffy white fur.

• 
  Welcome to India. On the first drive of the holiday, from the airport at Siliguri to Darjeeling, a buffalo cart travels down the wrong side of a dual carriageway

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• 
  A tea plantation near Siliguri, West Bengal

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• Looking out over Darjeeling, the "Queen of hill stations"

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, built between 1879 and 1881, passes shops in Ghum

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• Pedestrians taking photos of the tourists at the wheel, a new phenomenon in the area

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• A young boy sits on the tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway at Ghum station

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• A waiter prepares to serve dinner at the New Elgin Hotel, Darjeeling. The hotel is a former summer residence of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• A reception room at the New Elgin Hotel, Darjeeling

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• Four monks share a joke at Rumtek Monastery, near Gangtok, Sikkim

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• The football stadium at Gangtok, Sikkim, is used by local schools for early morning training

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• A worker at the Temi Tea Plantation, Sikkim

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• Traffic congestion in Kalimpong, West Bengal

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• The Toyota Innova - the hire car for the trip - beside a Buddhist temple near Kalimpong

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• A horse-drawn carriage at the gates of Kathgola Gardens in Murshidabad, West Bengal

  ©Richard Dunwoody
• Minty Clinch stops to ask for directions in Murshidabad

  ©Richard Dunwoody

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Next Thumbnails

The next morning we began our pursuit of Kanchenjunga, at 8,586m the world’s third-highest mountain and part of a vast massif that is the focus of tourist activity in the region. Mark Twain, a visitor on a global lecture tour in 1896, described the spectacular terrain as, “the one land that all men desire to see and having seen once even by a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined”.

The views are at their best at first light, so we rose before dawn to join other peak spotters on the nearest strategic hilltop. The show began at sunrise, with the great mountain taunting us with fleeting appearances of razor ridges and remote snowfields wreathed in swirling mists.

Darjeeling’s other star attraction, recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site, is an 86km narrow gauge railway built between 1879 and 1881, an engineering feat that includes three loops and six “Z-reverses”. Originally used to transport tea from the Himalayan foothills to the flatlands of West Bengal, the “Toy Train” now makes two daily 8km circuits to Ghum, at 2,258m the highest station in India. Pulled by a vintage British-built steam engine, it puffs to a halt on the spectacular Batasia Loop, looking up at Kanchenjunga.

After his white-knuckle introduction to night driving on the first journey, Richard decided we should complete all future stages before darkness fell. Sound thinking, especially as it was my turn to take the wheel for the 95km drive to Gangtok, capital of the former Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. I foresaw a baptism of fire on the rain-lashed mountain road, its surface reduced to bare rock in places by the recent monsoon; but on the upside, I reasoned, it was Sunday. In a region that has retained so much of yesteryear British life, that would mean light traffic. Wrong again; but, as the kilometre signs passed at snail’s pace, I had time at least to absorb some basics.

First, honking is the accepted method of announcing your presence to other road users: it’s a constant decibel assault, but it seems to work. Second, cars are expensive so, despite appearances, drivers aren’t out to kill you. Buses and trucks, however, do whatever they like: non owner-drivers don’t care about paintwork.

Most important, all normal rules of the road are left at the wayside. If the right hand lane is empty, drive the wrong way up it. You may think you won’t be able to cut back into the walls of trucks on your left but you can – and you will often have to.

Following these golden rules, we made it to the Nor-Khill, our second Elgin hotel, in time for a rapturous welcome from more Samoyeds, a curry buffet and strong drinks furtively supplied, as alcohol must not be flaunted on Sundays.

Gangtok has a broad pedestrian main street, with flowerbeds down the centre, a cable car that provides dramatic views and numerous tour companies eager to arrange treks into the mountains. With the car at our disposal, we hit the heights on quiet hill roads, winding up to the monastery and centre for Buddhist studies at Rumtek and the Temi tea plantation, its massed ranks of organic bushes and flowering cherry trees stretching as far as the eye can see.

After another magnificent drive via the Tibetan monastery at Lara on roads fringed by dense hanging ferns, we reached Kalimpong and checked into Silver Oaks, built in 1930 by a British jute magnate with a taste for austere Scottish stonework. The hill station is a poor man’s Darjeeling, a rabbit warren of steep streets with a rewardingly low tourist count. The open-air butchers are not a pretty sight but the Wednesday street market, stalls stocked by farmers from the surrounding countryside, is colourful and photo friendly.

All too soon, it was time to head down to Calcutta, on 730km of trunk roads built to British specifications around 1900. In the flatlands, sacred cows came into the equation, along with cycle rickshaws, wobbly bikes, deranged bus drivers and what seemed like half the world’s trucks.

©Richard Dunwoody

Minty Clinch asks for directions in Murshidabad

Expecting the unexpected became second nature – I had to slam on the brakes to let three wild elephants cross the road; later our progress was blocked by a bullock cart and a belching truck approaching us on our side of the dual carriageway.

We stopped to spend a day at Murshidabad, a former capital of Bengal during the 18th century. Today the peaceful town is a microcosm of the Bengali melting pot, a warren of mosques, temples, tombs and “gardens of delight” competing for space on the banks of the Ganges. The Nabob’s Hazarduari “1,000 door” Palace, built in Italian style in 1837, is a museum to linger in, with a circular durbar hall, notable paintings and a collection of arms. In the run-up to the Diwali festival, it was packed with Bengalis in bling: many of their family group photos from the day include the only two foreigners present, posing bashfully centre frame.

And so our Toyota, the honest workhorse that coped with everything Bengal could throw at it, headed for the ultimate test of nerve and skill on the streets of Calcutta. Except it wasn’t. With rickshaws and tuk-tuks banned from the centre and some of the citizens preferring to walk on the pavements, the traffic ground along much as it would in London. Triumphantly, we cruised past Lord Curzon’s Victoria Monument, the Test match stadium in Eden Gardens, the racecourse on the Maidan and the banks of the river Hugli.

Pulling up at the sumptuous Sonar hotel for a champagne and lobster celebration, I switched off the engine for the last time. No scratches, no punctures, no insurance excess to pay. Sighs of relief for sure, but of regret too, for the end of an unforgettable adventure. Back in London, fellow road users look at me resentfully as I slice through the gridlock. Is honking illegal nowadays?

-------------------------------------------

Minty Clinch was a guest of Road Trip India (www.roadtripindia.co.uk) and Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com). A 10-day self-drive trip including car rental, delivery to Siliguri airport and collection from Calcutta, half-board accommodation and guides in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok, costs from £1,975. Qatar Airways flies daily from Heathrow to Calcutta via Doha, from £680 return

Source: Pragmatic Capitalism

Sikkim: Nathu-La trade likely to kick-start from May 1

Gangtok, April 26, 2013

The District Collectorate (East) AK Singth on April 24 said that the process for issuance of passes for the Nathu-La border trade has begun and 222 traders have applied for the post so far.

The border trade is likely to start from May 1 for this season.

“We have received a total of 222 applications from the traders who want to do the business this year and these applications are under verification. The passess will be issued once verification is over,” Singh said, adding that the traders have been asked to submit their applications.

The DC office in Gangtok is the competent authority to issue the passes to traders who are interested to carry out trade through Nathu-La border.

This is the eight year of the trade between two Asian giants after it was resumed in 2006 after a gap of 44 years.

The official sources from the Commerce and Industries department here said that the official opening of the trade this time would be done by the senior official of Directorate General of the Foreign Trade on May 1. “For this, we have already written a letter to the office of the DGFT and waiting for their confirmation,” a senior official said.

On the other hand, the traders this year are hopeful that the trade would go out smoothly.

“Last year frequent landslides had disrupted the trade, we hope this time the trade will be good both the sides, a trader in Gangtok remarked.

The last year’s trade had been beneficial for both the countries, as India registered an export volume at Rs 59881780 and the import recorded was Rs 10146622.

Last year DGFT had included five new items for import and seven more items for export in the list thereby increasing the item of import to 20 and export to 36.

(Courtesy: Sikkim Express)

Anarchy and Hegemony

Stratfor

By Robert D. Kaplan
Chief Geopolitical Analyst
Everyone loves equality: equality of races, of ethnic groups, of sexual orientations, and so on. The problem is, however, that in geopolitics equality usually does not work very well. For centuries Europe had a rough equality between major states that is often referred to as the balance-of-power system. And that led to frequent wars. East Asia, by contrast, from the 14th to the early 19th centuries, had its relations ordered by a tribute system in which China was roughly dominant. The result, according to political scientist David C. Kang of the University of Southern California, was a generally more peaceful climate in Asia than in Europe.
The fact is that domination of one sort or another, tyrannical or not, has a better chance of preventing the outbreak of war than a system in which no one is really in charge; where no one is the top dog, so to speak. That is why Columbia University's Kenneth Waltz, arguably America's pre-eminent realist, says that the opposite of "anarchy" is not stability, but "hierarchy."
Hierarchy eviscerates equality; hierarchy implies that some are frankly "more equal" than others, and it is this formal inequality -- where someone, or some state or group, has more authority and power than others -- that prevents chaos. For it is inequality itself that often creates the conditions for peace.
Government is the most common form of hierarchy. It is a government that monopolizes the use of violence in a given geographical space, thereby preventing anarchy. To quote Thomas Hobbes, the 17th century English philosopher, only where it is possible to punish the wicked can right and wrong have any practical meaning, and that requires "some coercive power."
The best sort of inequality is hegemony. Whereas primacy, as Kang explains, is about preponderance purely through military or economic power, hegemony "involves legitimation and consensus." That is to say, hegemony is some form of agreed-upon inequality, where the dominant power is expected by others to lead. When a hegemon does not lead, it is acting irresponsibly.
Of course, hegemony has a bad reputation in media discourse. But that is only because journalists are confused about the terminology, even as they sanctimoniously judge previous historical eras by the strict standards of their own. In fact, for most of human history, periods of relative peace have been the product of hegemony of one sort or another. And for many periods, the reigning hegemonic or imperial power was the most liberal, according to the standards of the age. Rome, Venice and Britain were usually more liberal than the forces arranged against them. The empire of the Austrian Hapsburgs in Central and Eastern Europe often protected the rights of minorities and prevented ethnic wars to a much greater degree than did the modern states that succeeded it. The Ottoman Empire in the Balkans and the Middle East frequently did likewise. There are exceptions, of course, like Hapsburg Spain, with its combination of inquisition and conquest. But the point is that hegemony does not require tyrannical or absolutist rule.
Stability is not the natural order of things. In fact, history shows that stability such as it exists is usually a function of imperial rule, which, in turn, is a common form of hierarchy. To wit, there are few things messier in geopolitics than the demise of an empire. The collapse of the Hapsburgs, of the Ottoman Turks, of the Soviet Empire and the British Empire in Asia and Africa led to chronic wars and upheavals. Some uncomprehending commentators remind us that all empires end badly. Of course they do, but that is only after they have provided decades and centuries of relative peace.
Obviously, not all empires are morally equivalent. For example, the Austrian Hapsburgs were for their time infinitely more tolerant than the Soviet Communists. Indeed, had the Romanov Dynasty in St. Petersburg not been replaced in 1917 by Lenin's Bolsheviks, Russia would likely have evolved far more humanely than it did through the course of the 20th century. Therefore, I am saying only in a general sense is order preferable to disorder. (Though captivating subtleties abound: For example, Napoleon betrayed the ideals of the French Revolution by creating an empire, but he also granted rights to Jews and Protestants and created a system of merit over one of just birth and privilege.)
In any case, such order must come from hierarchal domination.
Indeed, from the end of World War II until very recently, the United States has performed the role of a hegemon in world politics. America may be democratic at home, but abroad it has been hegemonic. That is, by some rough measure of international consent, it is America that has the responsibility to lead. America formed NATO in Europe, even as its Navy and Air Force exercise preponderant power in the Pacific Basin. And whenever there is a humanitarian catastrophe somewhere in the developing world, it is the United States that has been expected to organize the response. Periodically, America has failed. But in general, it would be a different, much more anarchic world without American hegemony.
But that hegemony, in some aspects, seems to be on the wane. That is what makes this juncture in history unique. NATO is simply not what it used to be. U.S. forces in the Pacific are perceived to be less all-powerful than in the past, as China tests U.S. hegemony in the region. But most importantly, U.S. President Barack Obama is evolving a doctrine of surgical strikes against specific individuals combined with non-interference -- or minimal interference -- in cases of regional disorder. Libya and Syria are cases in point. Gone, at least for the moment, are the days when U.S. forces were at the ready to put a situation to rights in this country or that.
When it comes to the Greater Middle East, Americans seem to want protection on the cheap, and Obama is giving them that. We will kill a terrorist with a drone, but outside of limited numbers of special operations forces there will be no boots on the ground for Libya, Syria or any other place. As for Iran, whatever the White House now says, there is a perception that the administration would rather contain a nuclear Iran than launch a military strike to prevent Iran from going nuclear.
That, by itself, is unexceptional. Previous administrations have been quite averse to the use of force. In recent decades, it was only George W. Bush -- and only in the aftermath of 9/11 -- who relished the concept of large-scale boots on the ground in a war of choice. Nevertheless, something has shifted. In a world of strong states -- a world characterized by hierarchy, that is -- the United States often enforced the rules of the road or competed with another hegemon, the Soviet Union, to do so. Such enforcement came in the form of robust diplomacy, often backed by a threat to use military power. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were noted for American leadership and an effective, sometimes ruthless foreign policy. Since the Cold War ended and Bill Clinton became president, American leadership has often seemed to be either unserious, inexpertly and crudely applied or relatively absent. And this has transpired even as states themselves in the Greater Middle East have become feebler.
In other words, both the hegemon and the many states it influences are weaker. Hierarchy is dissolving on all levels. Equality is now on the march in geopolitics: The American hegemon is less hegemonic, and within individual countries -- Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Tunisia and so on -- internal forces are no longer subservient to the regime. (And states like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are not in the American camp to the degree that they used to be, further weakening American hegemony.) Moreover, the European Union as a political organizing principle is also weakening, even as the one-party state in China is under increasing duress.
Nevertheless, in the case of the Middle East, do not conflate chaos with democracy. Democracy itself implies an unequal, hierarchal order, albeit one determined by voters. What we have in the Middle East cannot be democracy because almost nowhere is there a new and sufficiently formalized hierarchy. No, what we have in many places in the Middle East is the weakening of central authority with no new hierarchy to adequately replace it.
Unless some force can, against considerable odds, reinstitute hierarchy -- be it an American hegemon acting globally, or an international organization acting regionally or, say, an Egyptian military acting internally -- we will have more fluidity, more equality and therefore more anarchy to look forward to. This is profoundly disturbing, because civilization abjures anarchy. In his novel Billy Budd (1924), Herman Melville deeply laments the fact that even beauty itself must be sacrificed for the maintenance of order. For without order -- without hierarchy -- there is nothing.

Read more: Anarchy and Hegemony | Stratfor

Data Source: The Economist

Of the just over 14 crore cooking gas connections in the country, 10-15 per cent were multiple connections held by a single customer

PM's address at the National Panchayati Raj Divas - 2013 function

Following is the text in Hindi, of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address at the National Panchayati Raj Divas - 2013 function in New Delhi today: “राष्ट्रीय पंचायती राज दिवस के अवसर पर आयोजित आज का यह समारोह विशेष रूप से महत्वपूर्ण है। आज भारतीय संविधान में किए गए 73वें संशोधन को लागू होने के दो दशक पूरे हो रहे हैं। इस संशोधन से पंचायत संस्थाओं को local self-governance इकाइयों के रूप में एक नई पहचान मिली है । local self-governance की कल्पना कम-से-कम 19वीं शताब्दी के आखिरी भाग से हमारे देश में राजनैतिक विचारों का अहम हिस्सा रही है। हमारी आजादी की लड़ाई से संबंधित राजनैतिक विचारधारा में इस पर खास ज़ोर दिया गया था। आजादी के बाद पंचायतों की भूमिका को नई दिशा देने की कई कोशिशें की गईं। इसके लिए कई समितियाँ गठित की गईं जिनमें बलवन्त राय मेहता समिति, अशोक मेहता समिति और दंतवाला समिति शामिल थीं। इन सभी समितियों ने पंचायतों को ज्यादा अधिकार तथा वित्तीय शक्तियाँ देने की सिफारिशें कीं। लेकिन इन तमाम कोशिशों के बावजूद पंचायतों को असली तौर पर प्रभावी शक्तियाँ पूरी तरह हासिल नहीं हो सकीं। ज्यादातर मामलों में समय पर चुनाव नहीं कराए गए। विकास कार्यों को लागू करने की जिम्मेदारी ज्यादातर स्थानों पर अधिकारियों के पास ही रही। कुल-मिलाकर, हमारी शासन व्यवस्था अपनी शक्तियों को दूसरों के साथ बांटना नहीं चाहती थी। यह बात सही है कि हमारी आजादी के शुरुआती सालों में Centralized Planning ने राष्ट्र-निर्माण में एक बहुत अहम भूमिका निभाई थी । लेकिन, भारत जैसे बड़े और विविध देश में सही मायनों में inclusive विकास हासिल करने के लिए decentralization बहुत ज़रूरी है। आखिरकार, तत्कालीन प्रधान मंत्री श्री राजीव गांधी के नैतिक साहस और आदर्शवादी सोच की वजह से ‘बुनियादी स्तर पर लोकतंत्र स्थापित करने’ की दिशा में हम आगे बढ़ सके। राजीव जी का सपना था कि पंचायती राज के जरिए लोकतंत्र और शासन भारत के हर चौपाल, हर चबूतरे, हर आंगन और हर दालान तक पहुँच पाए। अप्रैल 1993 में 73वें संशोधन ने local self-governance संस्थाओं को हमारी लोकतांत्रिक व्यवस्था और राष्ट्र निर्माण की प्रक्रियाओं में पूरी तरह से शामिल किया। इस संशोधन का असर बहुत से क्षेत्रों में महसूस किया जा रहा है। मिसाल के तौर पर Article 243 E में चुनाव से संबंधित संवैधानिक प्रावधान अब justiciable है, और वक्त पर चुनाव कराने में इससे मदद मिलती है। इसी प्रकार, पंचायतों में सीटों और अध्यक्ष के पद पर आरक्षण के लिए Article 243 D में प्रावधान किए गए हैं। इसके नतीजे में समाज के सदियों से पिछड़े तबकों जैसे महिलाएं, अनुसूचित जातियां और अनुसूचित जनजातियां local bodies में नेतृत्व वाले पद हासिल कर पाए हैं। कई राज्यों ने अपनी local bodies में अन्य पिछड़े वर्गों और महिलाओं के आरक्षण के लिए कानून बनाए हैं। 15 राज्यों ने पंचायतों में महिलाओं को 50 फीसद आरक्षण देने के लिए भी कानून बनाए हैं, जो महिलाओं को सामाजिक और आर्थिक रूप से हकदार बनाने की दिशा में एक बहुत बड़ा कदम हो सकता है। इन सभी कोशिशों का अच्छा असर हुआ है। दुनियाभर के researchers ने यह पाया है कि भारत में सामाजिक और आर्थिक रूप से पिछड़े तबकों को विकास प्रक्रिया में शामिल करने के लिए जो कार्रवाई की गई है उसके अच्छे नतीजे सामने आए हैं। पंचायतों के कामों में लोगों की भागीदारी बढ़ी है, लोगों की आशाओं के अनुसार खर्च संबंधी फैसले भी लिए गए हैं और लोग राजनैतिक रूप से ज्यादा जागरूक हुए हैं। लेकिन यह बहुत लम्बा सफ़र है। अभी बहुत कुछ तय करने की ज़रुरत है । संविधान के Article 243 G के तहत पंचायतों को ज़िम्मेदारियां और शक्तियां सौंपने के लिए राज्य सरकारें जिम्मेदार हैं। कोई राज्य सरकार किस हद तक यह काम करती है यह इस बात पर निर्भर करता है कि वह decentralized शासन को public services delivery के लिए कितना उपयोगी मानती है। केन्द्र सरकार Funds, Functions और Functionaries को पंचायतों को सौंपने में अच्छा काम करने वाले राज्यों को पुरस्कार देकर उनके प्रयासों का सम्मान करती है। पंचायतों को भी इस बात के लिए पुरस्कार दिए जाते हैं कि उन्होंने local administration और public services delivery को बेहतर बनाने की दिशा में क्या पहल की है। वर्ष 2011-12 के दौरान 170 पंचायतों को उनके अच्छे प्रदर्शन और खास तौर पर स्थानीय लोगों को फायदा पहुंचाने के नए नए कामों के लिए सम्मानित किया गया था। आज भी हम ऐसी ही 193 पंचायतों के कार्यों को सम्मानित करेंगे। मैं सभी पुरस्कार विजेताओं को बधाई देता हूं और दूसरों से अनुरोध करता हूं कि वे भी इस तरह की कोशिशें करें। हालांकि local governments विकास प्रक्रिया में अहम भूमिका निभा सकती हैं, फिर भी उनकी सफलता अक्सर बाहरी वजहों पर निर्भर करती है। आज, मैं ऐसे ही दो वजहों का ज़िक्र करना चाहूंगा। पहला, स्थानीय निर्वाचित सदस्यों में यह क्षमता होनी चाहिए कि वह स्थानीय लोगों की जरूरतों को समझ सकें और उन्हें पूरा करने की भरपूर कोशिश करें । इसीलिए पंचायती राज मंत्रालय पंचायतों के निर्वाचित प्रतिनिधियों और उनके staff की क्षमताएं बढ़ाने पर ज़ोर दे रहा है। यह मंत्रालय पंचायती राज व्यवस्था को मजबूत करने के लिए राज्य सरकारों द्वारा की जा रही कोशिशों का भी समर्थन कर रहा है। मेरा मानना है कि इन प्रयासों को लगातार जारी रखे जाने की ज़रूरत है। दूसरा, हमें हमेशा यह ख्याल रखना होगा कि पंचायती राज का मकसद decentralization है जिसमें लोगों को खुद शासन की व्यवस्था चलाने का असली हक मिल पाए। हमें यह कोशिश करनी है कि यह केवल एक नारा बनकर न रह जाए, बल्कि हमारे अपने जीवनकाल में एक हकीकत बने। इसके लिए हमें सही मायनों में शक्तियां और जिम्मेदारियां निर्वाचित प्रतिनिधियों को देनी होंगी। मुझे अक्सर यह शिकायतें मिलती हैं कि केन्द्र और राज्यों की नौकरशाही अभी भी अपने अधिकार कम होते नहीं देखना चाहती या अपने अधिकारों को local bodies के साथ पूरी तरह बांटना नहीं चाहती। इस सोच को बदलने की और बहुत जल्द बदलने की ज़रूरत है। 12वीं पंचवर्षीय योजना के तहत केन्द्र सरकार पंचायतों को मजबूत बनाने के लिए राजीव गांधी पंचायत सशक्तीकरण अभियान लागू कर रही है। पंचायतों को मजबूत बनाने की राज्य सरकारों की कोशिशों में मदद करने के लिए हमने 12वीं योजना में पहले से कहीं ज्यादा राशि मुक़र्रर की है। इस मकसद के लिए बजटीय सहायता करीब 10 गुना बढ़ाकर 11वीं पंचवर्षीय योजना के 668 करोड़ रुपये की तुलना में 6437 करोड़ रुपये कर दी गई है। मुझे उम्मीद है कि राज्य सरकारें इस राशि का पूरा इस्तेमाल local self-government की संस्थाओं को मज़बूत करने में करेंगी। हमारा आपसे यह वायदा है कि केन्द्र सरकार इस काम में राज्य सरकारों को हर मुमकिन मदद देगी ताकि हमारी विकास प्रक्रिया ज्यादा inclusive और sustainable बन सके। मेरा मानना है कि पंचायत राज संस्थाओं को असल तौर पर शक्तियां और जिम्मेदारियां देने के लिए हमें अभी बहुत काम करना बाकी है। अब तक जो कामयाबियां इस काम में हमने हासिल की हैं उन्हें तेज़ी से आगे बढ़ाने की ज़रूरत है ताकि राजीव जी का सपना पूरा हो और पंचायतें हमारी लोकतांत्रिक और विकास प्रक्रियाओं में एक महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका अदा कर सकें। इन्हीं शब्दों के साथ मैं आप सभी को आज यहां उपस्थित होने के लिए धन्यवाद देना चाहूंगा। जय हिन्द।" *** KR/SH/NK/SK (Release ID :94999)

Methane hydrates – essentially, natural gas molecules trapped in ice – were once considered a hindrance to natural gas extraction. But thanks to emerging technologies, untapped deposits of methane hydrates around the world now have the potential to alter the global energy landscape and bolster the energy security of traditionally resource-poor countries. Japan is leading the way. The island nation has been heavily involved in methane hydrate research and testing, in hopes of starting commercial production as soon as 2018. In the meantime, stay informed with Stratfor and watch this potential energy revolution unfold over the next decade. Our unique methodology allows us to provide you a clear picture of significant events and how they might impact tomorrow's foreign affairs – you won't find anything like our in-depth, unbiased analyses anywhere else.

Data source: The Hindu *Revised estimates; ^Advance estimates; #Projections

Source: ACE Equity

Sikkim’s Anil Kumar is World’s third most ‘academic people’

by iSikkim

GANGTOK, April 23, 2013

Web classy, a web portal and an independent news source site has ranked Sikkim’s Anil Kumar Yadav as the world’s third most ‘academic people’.

Yadav, 45, who works as Dy General Manager in Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Gangtok is a holder of degrees and diplomas of 28 qualifications.

“When I was surfing the internet last evening, I was shocked to see my  name as the third most academic person in the world, and, moreover, the website has uploaded the fact information detailing that I hold certificates of 28 qualifications,”

Yadav said while talking to SIKKIM EXPRESS on April 22. The website portal reads: “Anil Kumar Yadav, another native of India comes in third with a total of 28 qualifications. He was born in a village named Karahiya in Basti district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, he never stayed there and was educated and brought up in various parts of Sikkim. He had started his formal education at Pathankot in Punjab but later shifted to St. Xavier’s School at Pakyong in Sikkim in 1975.”

Yadav has completed masters in MA (Sociology), MBA (HRM), Master of Financial Management (MFM), MSc (Psychology), MA (Mass Communication), MA (Environment & Development), MCom (Banking & Insurance Management), MA (Economics), and Master of Communication and Journalism.

He also holds numerous diplomas and post graduate diplomas certificates. “Apart from my regular bachelor degree in Bachelor in Science from Sikkim Government College, I have obtained all the degrees and certificates through distance and online learning,” he said.

Yadav also holds degrees from the popular Universities such as Annamalai, Jadavpur, Madras, Guwahati, Pondicherry, Kurukshetra, IGNOU and others.

When asked as how and why he has been obtaining degrees, he replied, “After completing my bachelors I worked in different customs and Central
Excise department and decided to pursue my Masters through distance learning. After getting my first masters degree in Sociology I decided to pursue my studies further and it went on.”

He added that the website must have taken his qualification details from the social networking websites where he has uploaded the complete details.

(Courtesy: Sikkim Express

North-east expansion plans for Phase III

 

RnM Team    22 Apr 13 18:23 IST

MUMBAI: FM Phase III is the much awaited chapter in the history of private radio industry of India. Like most private radio stations, Radio Misty based in North-eastern India, is waiting for it to arrive so that they could expand their hold more strongly in the region.

Growing revenue and listenership has boosted the confidence in Misty to expand. It has witnessed a growth of ten per cent compared to last year. Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Radio Misty 94.3 FM and Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM vice president Dilip Dugar said, “In the next auction, we are planning to have more stations in North-east India. We have done very well in the market so we don’t just want to expand more but add about 17 more stations more in Phase III. We have done well in terms of revenue as well.”

Major revenue for Radio Misty comes through the telecom, FMCG, lifestyle and many local brands. “Last year, we had 10 per cent growth in terms of revenue. In times when radio revenue’s are coming down we are hoping to achieve 25 per cent of the revenue in coming years,” said Dugar.

Radio Misty has two stations in Siliguri and Gangtok which airs programmes in five languages- Hindi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Nepali and English. “We have 82 per cent of the market share in terms of listenership. Radio is a very big medium the more innovation you have the more listenership grows. It is not like the metro stations that play bollywood, all the time we have variety. We aim to inform, innovate and interact which are the key words for our station. Every day, we plan something that is out of the box. We share ideas in the morning and we share the information from our station to our listeners,” added Dugar.

Radio Misty 94.3 FM is the first FM station of North Bengal and Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM is the first and only 24x7 FM station of Sikkim. “Every three months we have a big change.  We ask the listeners to share their views to make changes. We had introduced a Ghazal program in our region. Earlier, we aired it for an hour now it is aired for two hours and we play a lot of retro music. We have a doctor live program that was a hour long show which has now increased to three hours,” said Dugar

Moreover, international content is a part of the programming as the station has partnered with BBC and Radio Netherlands Worldwide to provide innovative programming in the country. He said, “There is a popular program called Euro hits, a very popular program in Europe and we play it.  International music that is English music does well here. Especially in Gangtok there are people who are very inclined to it because of the band culture. Every region here has three to four bands that makes it very prominent.”

With an aim to associate with the local they hire local radio jockey’s who understand the language and culture of the region.

Established in 2007, Radio Misty is a part of the PCM Group, one of the largest groups of eastern India.The group set up Radio Misty after obtaining licenses for Siliguri and Gangtok, as a subsidy company of PCM's in North Bengal. The motto of   the station is ‘Local People - Local Voice, Local Station - Local Choice’.

MUMBAI: FM Phase III is the much awaited chapter in the history of private radio industry of India. Like most private radio stations, Radio Misty based in North-eastern India, is waiting for it to arrive so that they could expand their hold more strongly in the region.

Growing revenue and listenership has boosted the confidence in Misty to expand. It has witnessed a growth of ten per cent compared to last year. Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Radio Misty 94.3 FM and Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM vice president Dilip Dugar said, “In the next auction, we are planning to have more stations in North-east India. We have done very well in the market so we don’t just want to expand more but add about 17 more stations more in Phase III. We have done well in terms of revenue as well.”

Major revenue for Radio Misty comes through the telecom, FMCG, lifestyle and many local brands. “Last year, we had 10 per cent growth in terms of revenue. In times when radio revenue’s are coming down we are hoping to achieve 25 per cent of the revenue in coming years,” said Dugar.

Radio Misty has two stations in Siliguri and Gangtok which airs programmes in five languages- Hindi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Nepali and English. “We have 82 per cent of the market share in terms of listenership. Radio is a very big medium the more innovation you have the more listenership grows. It is not like the metro stations that play bollywood, all the time we have variety. We aim to inform, innovate and interact which are the key words for our station. Every day, we plan something that is out of the box. We share ideas in the morning and we share the information from our station to our listeners,” added Dugar.

Radio Misty 94.3 FM is the first FM station of North Bengal and Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM is the first and only 24x7 FM station of Sikkim. “Every three months we have a big change.  We ask the listeners to share their views to make changes. We had introduced a Ghazal program in our region. Earlier, we aired it for an hour now it is aired for two hours and we play a lot of retro music. We have a doctor live program that was a hour long show which has now increased to three hours,” said Dugar

Moreover, international content is a part of the programming as the station has partnered with BBC and Radio Netherlands Worldwide to provide innovative programming in the country. He said, “There is a popular program called Euro hits, a very popular program in Europe and we play it.  International music that is English music does well here. Especially in Gangtok there are people who are very inclined to it because of the band culture. Every region here has three to four bands that makes it very prominent.”

With an aim to associate with the local they hire local radio jockey’s who understand the language and culture of the region.

Established in 2007, Radio Misty is a part of the PCM Group, one of the largest groups of eastern India.The group set up Radio Misty after obtaining licenses for Siliguri and Gangtok, as a subsidy company of PCM's in North Bengal. The motto of   the station is ‘Local People - Local Voice, Local Station - Local Choice’. 

S&P BSE Sensex vs. Gold

Base Rs 10,000
Data as on April 18, 2013
(Source: ACE MF Research, PersonalFN Research)

DII Activity

Data as on March 28, 2013
(Source: ACE MF Research, PersonalFN Research)