The Indian Panorama

Year: 2013

  • India Rejects Pakistan demand for UN probe

    India Rejects Pakistan demand for UN probe

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India has rejected Pakistan’s demand that the UN be asked to probe allegations that Pakistani troops killed and beheaded two Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir as Indian political parties called for “tough” action against Pakistan. “That (Pakistan’s) demand is rejected out of hand. We will not internationalize the issue nor go to the United Nations,” Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

    He said the cabinet committee on security was briefed about the January 8 killings near the Line of Control (LoC). “Our report is that the Indian forces did not violate the ceasefire (in place in LoC since 203),” he said. In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar reiterated the demand for a third party enquiry into ceasefire violations on the LoC. Khar, addressing a news conference, said Islamabad abides by the 2003 ceasefire. She added that Pakistan has also contacted UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to probe the killing of one of its soldiers Jan 6 in alleged firing by Indian troops. She had a day ago denied the killing of Indian soldiers was a “tit-for-tat” reaction.

    According to Radio Pakistan, a Pakistani soldier was killed when “Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at Tatta Pani Sector in Kotli on January 10”. Hamid Mir of Geo TV said in a tweet: ‘Tatta Pani sector of Kashmir became another battlefield, one Pakistani soldier Havaldar Mohyudin martyred by Indian shelling.’ Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said the heightened border tensions will not to come in the way of a liberalized visa agreement between India and Pakistan. ‘The visa agreement (inked last year) will be carried out as scheduled, there is no rethink on it,’ Shinde told reporters. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon noted that ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the LoC had increased last year. ‘There has been an increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan and in infiltration attempts in 2012 over 2011.’ The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said it would organize nation-wide protests Friday over the killings of the two soldiers. ‘People are very angry over this matter,’ BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitaraman said, adding: ‘We hold the Pakistan government and army accountable for breaking the ceasefire.’ ‘We should give proof, name and shame Pakistan for having done this… we can’t afford to have our goodwill misused,’ she added.

    BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said the party would support the UPA government if it takes ‘tough’ decisions against Pakistan for the killings. Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray demanded that India should ‘take revenge’ against Pakistan for the brutal killing of the two soldiers.

    Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati asked the government to take ‘strong action’ to ensure that such brutalities are not repeated and that India-Pakistan relations did not suffer. The US has asked India and Pakistan to talk to each other to improve relations. ‘We’re urging both sides to take steps to end the violence.

    We continue to strongly support any efforts to improve relations between the two countries,’ State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington. The UNMOGIP has asked India and Pakistan to respect the ceasefire and de-escalate tensions. The UNMOGIP said it has received an official complaint from the Pakistan Army to probe the Jan 6 killing of a Pakistani soldier. But Martin Nesirky, spokesman for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said no official complaint had been from India or Pakistan on the second ‘alleged incident’ of Jan 8 for a probe.

    Indian Army sources have denied a media report linking the current border skirmishes to an elderly Kashmiri woman crossing into Pakistani Kashmir to be with her children. The sources also denied the Indian Army had transgressed the LoC on Jan 6, and said soldiers had only carried out ‘controlled retaliation’ in response to a ceasefire violation by Pakistan.

  • As I See It : Is it time for India to inject greater realism into its Pakistan policy?

    As I See It : Is it time for India to inject greater realism into its Pakistan policy?

    “Regrettably, no policy lessons were drawn by New Delhi from the Mumbai terrorist siege, which occurred because India presented itself as a weak and tempting target. The latest episode â ” one of the worst acts of Pakistani savagery in peacetime ever â ” has followed a dozen Pakistani violations of the line of control in the past one month. The question to ask is what has prompted the Pakistani military establishment to adopt an overtly aggressive posture visa-vis India of late”, says the author.

    Words like “brutal”, “heinous” and “savage” aptly describe the way a Pakistani army unit raided Indian territory and chopped two soldiers, taking away one severed head as a “trophy”. The Indian outrage, however, must not blind us to the unpalatable truth: India is reaping what it sowed. New Delhi is staring at the bitter harvest of a decade-long policy seeking to appease a recalcitrant neighbor with unilateral concessions and gestures. The “peace-at-any-price diplomacy” was started by prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in an abrupt policy U-turn in 2003, and has been pursued with greater vigor by his successor, Manmohan Singh, interrupted only by the Pakistan-orchestrated Mumbai terrorist rampage of 2008.

    Regrettably, no policy lessons were drawn by New Delhi from the Mumbai terrorist siege, which occurred because India presented itself as a weak and tempting target. The latest episode, one of the worst acts of Pakistani savagery in peacetime ever, has followed a dozen Pakistani violations of the line of control in the past one month. The question to ask is what has prompted the Pakistani military establishment to adopt an overtly aggressive posture visa-vis India of late. The Pakistani military is drawing encouragement from two factors. The first factor is that the US-Pakistan relationship, after being on the boil for more than a year, has gradually returned to normalcy. That the USPakistan rift has healed is apparent from Washington’s resumption of large-scale military aid and its coddling of the Pakistan army and ISI.

    US aid to Pakistan is now at a historic high â ” at more than $3 billion a year. US policy, because of the exigencies of an exit strategy from Afghanistan, has permitted political expediency to trump long-term interests vis-a-vis Pakistan. The US has allowed even a key issue to fade away: how was Osama bin Laden able to hide deep inside Pakistan? The reason for that is the same as to why the US didn’t pursue the AQ Khan case. The second factor is the series of unilateral political concessions by India, including delinking dialogue from terrorism, and recognizing Pakistan, the sponsor of terror, as a victim of terror. Whereas US policy has increased the Pakistani military’s room for maneuver against India, Indian policy has both solidified Pakistani reluctance to bring the Mumbai-attack masterminds to justice and emboldened the Pakistani military to commit yet another act of aggression.

    India has considerably eased pressure on Pakistan, both on the Mumbai-attack issue and on Hafiz Saeed, the militant leader who still preaches terrorism against India. India has also pursued a host of goodwill gestures, including resuming high-level political exchanges and cricketing ties and introducing a lessrestricted visa regime for Pakistanis. All these moves, unfortunately, have sent the wrong message to Islamabad. Being nice with a determined adversary in the hope that this will change its behavior is not strategy. With Singh dreaming of open borders with terror-exporting Pakistan, India’s Pakistan policy remains driven by hopes and gushy expectations, not statecraft.

    In fact, some of the public statements Singh has made in recent years have not only been insensitive in relation to those slain by Pakistantrained terrorists but may also have inadvertently encouraged Pakistani intransigence and aggression. Consider the following examples: “We both [Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani and myself] recognize that if there is another attack like Mumbai, it will be a setback to the normalization of relations”. In other words, if there were another Mumbai style terrorist attack, it will merely be a “setback” to ties â ” that, too, a temporary setback followed by Indian concessions. “India-Pakistan relations are prone to accidents.”

    Were the attacks on the Indian Parliament and Red Fort, the Mumbai terrorist strikes, and the myriad other Pakistan-scripted outrages just “accidents”? Will the latest savagery also be treated as another “accident” after the current public indignation fades? “We cannot wish away the fact that Pakistan is our neighbor”. And, therefore, “a stable, peaceful and prosperous Pakistan” is in India’s “own interest”. But the breaking away of South Sudan, East Timor, and Eritrea and the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia since the 1990s have shown that political maps are not carved in stone.

    In fact, the most profound global events in recent history have been the fragmentation of several countries. Didn’t Indira Gandhi change political geography in 1971? India and Pakistan are locked by a “shared destiny”, and thus “our objective must be a permanent peace with Pakistan, where we are bound together by a shared future and a common prosperity”. How can a plural, inclusive and democratic India share a common destiny with a theocratic, militarized, fundamentalist and failing Pakistan?

  • A Barbaric Act

    A Barbaric Act

    The world community needs to get together to condemn the barbaric brutality of Pakistani soldiers in mutilating the bodies of Indian soldiers. It is rather surprising that Pakistan continues to be in the denial mode perpetually for all that emanates from its heartland. . Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has come out with an illogical explanation on expected lines: “No Pakistani troops were involved in any incident on the night that the alleged incident took place.” Suggesting an enquiry by the United Nations Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to find out the truth behind the highly deplorable incident, Ms Khar stated that “Pakistan remains committed to the ceasefire agreement” that was reached back in 2003. Whatever Pakistan may say, the brutal treatment meted out to the killed Indian soldiers, with the decapitation of one of them, after what happened at the Line of Control (LoC) on January 8 indicates a clear design behind the gruesome incident.

    Linking it with a minor happening at the LoC on January 6 or the crossing of the border by an old woman from India to live with her sons and grandchildren settled in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is not fair. That no one in Pakistan has shown the guts to express disapproval of the brutal treatment of the bodies of the killed Indian soldiers cannot be without reason. Of course, nobody would expect Pakistan to admit the perfidy of its troops, but it could have come out with a statement to save the situation from taking a turn that may threaten the peace dialogue between the two countries.

    The brutality perpetrated by Pakistani soldiers seems to have the imprint of seniors in the Pakistan Army. Perhaps, General Headquarters in Rawalpindi believes that India and Pakistan are slowly but surely moving towards a situation when they may use their geographical location to have greater stake in economic growth. This may pose a threat to the dominance of the Pakistan Army in the scheme of things in that country. The Pakistan Army’s position has already been affected adversely by its unsuccessful Waziristan drive against the Taliban. The emergence of the India factor in a big way in Pakistan’s politics may also go in favor of the party or the leader having the blessings of the army in the coming elections there. But playing politics by coming to this deplorable level will ultimately harm Pakistan considerably.

  • Rapes In India

    Rapes In India

    “Women are part of the human body. If one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. The main source of rapes in India is the electoral practice. Democracy in India is mainly by the elite and for the elite”, says the author, a celebrated Canadian writer.

    The rape on the 16th of December 2012 in New Delhi has shocked India. The victim, a 23 year old medical student, was brutally beaten and molested by six men. She was raped in New Delhi in a moving bus that had tinted windows. She and her male friend were beaten up with iron rods, and thrown off the bus on a highway. She received injuries on her face and stomach. When doctors could not stabilize her condition, she was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore where she died. She was able to give her statement twice before death.
    Her death prompted soul-search in a nation where sexually assaulted victims are condemned. This stigma discourages victims from going to receive justice for fear of exposing their families to ridicule. Under such circumstances, police are also to be blamed because they shirk their duty of registering cases. Police often let the victims and families sit in their stations for hours day after day which is disgraceful after going from one hospital to another for examinations, finding lawyers and facing the shame. Police officers in India expect bribes just to register a case.

    It is widely known in India that police officers normally arrest innocent persons and use the tactics of falsehood and torture to get consent from them. These improperly trained and improperly educated police officers usually have the backing of people in power.

    This corruption and attitude of society forces women to be silent. If any case of any brave woman reaches court, she gives up in frustration because such cases drag on for years. Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress, the ruling party of India, demanded speedy action in this case. The Government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to be congratulated for setting up a toll free hotline to give fast help to rape victims. India needs also fast-track courts for rape-related victims because the judicial system is notoriously slow and discouraging. Indian culture puts women on a pedestal of goddesses, but the streets and work places of these goddesses are not safe.
    Kavitha Rao from Canada on January 2, 2013 in The Nation states that “Every Indian woman has one thing in common: they have almost certainly experienced some kind of sexual harassment. If you are an Indian woman in a public place, you are forever on edge, looking out for men standing too close, wondering if that grope on a crowded bus was accidental. ” There is also violence against women in dowry related cases. Only a few such domestic violence incidents are reported.

    Then there are incidents of kidnapping, and acid attacks. It is estimated that in India every 22 minutes a woman is raped and every 58 minutes a bride is burnt in dowry matters. Associated Press states that “women face daily harassment across India, ranging from catcalls on the streets, groping and touching in public transport to rape”. It was reported in the media about “A global poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in June found that India was the worst place to be a woman because of high rates of infanticide, child marriage and slavery.” Faiz Jamil, a reporter with the BBC from Delhi writes for CBC News of January 4, 2013 that “since 2009 when I started my work, I’ve read almost daily about these kinds of crimes happening around the country, and these are just the ones that are reported.” It has been pointed out that just New Delhi, where 18 million live, a little more than half of the population of Canada, has the highest number of sex crimes in comparison with other cities of India. Rape cases are reported on average one in every 18 hours.

    Delhi is said to have earned the title of the rape capital of India. Indian media reports such cases nearly every day. It is noted that one in three rape cases is a child. Asia News of December 30, 2012 reports that the possibility of a rapist being convicted is less likely in India. Moreover rape is on the increase in the country A latest rape has caused epilepsy to a child.

    This case from Ahmedabad is affirmed by the The Times of India of January 2, 2013. The victim was brutally assaulted by her neighbor when she was only ten years old. Her rapist was sent to a ten year jail sentence but the trauma did not leave her. “Three to four times a week, she suffers from epileptic attacks after which she remains unconscious for a long time.

    It is difficult to imagine that just two years back she was a bright, happy child who used to love going to school.” The Hindu of January 2, 2013 informs that “The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Superintendent of Police of Karnataka’s Bidar district, returnable in four weeks, on the rape of a five-year-old girl allegedly by two men who are yet to be arrested.” It is stated that “She was sleeping in her house when two unidentified persons took her away to a farm land and sexually assaulted her.” There was an attempt to rape a sixteen year old girl in another part of the country. She was burnt by the rapist on the day when attackers in Delhi were being driven to court.

    Days after this brutality, another woman was raped in a neighboring state and dumped in Delhi. However, police is a cog in the wheels of corruption. The main source is the body of law-makers. This toxin organ of the nation’s body needs healing badly that can be done easily through ballots, and the implementation of laws.
    Corrupt and convicted citizens should not be allowed to run for public offices. To change it, the country needs a revolution and that revolution can be by women themselves. Several law-makers and others in public offices are the gods of corruption. One way to make the streets and working places free from danger for women is to deny criminals the ability to contest elections. Indian parliaments have criminals who know how to exploit police for their own benefit.

    The Canadian Press reported on January 6, 2013:
    “On Friday, the court dismissed a petition asking it to suspend Indian lawmakers accused of crimes against women, saying it doesn’t have jurisdiction, according to the Press Trust of India. The Association for Democratic Reforms, an organization that tracks officials’ criminal records, said six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape.” “According to the Election Commission, every one of India’s leading political parties has fielded candidates accused of sexual crimes against women in the past five years. and two members of India’s parliament are facing rape charges.”. It is also important to hire more women police officers.

    At present there are hardly any women seen in police uniforms on the streets of India. Women feel more comfortable in making a report to female officers. Charanjit Kaur, the sister of another rape victim in another part of India said that the male police officer on duty asked vulgar questions when they approached him for help. He asked her to describe graphically what and how it happened in detail. The victim committed suicide because there was no one to listen to her. There is a long list of victims who committed suicide because of the justice system that causes shame and frustration.

    Rape is a terror and terror is the extreme form of fear. Rapists should be treated like any other terrorist. Raping women is terrorism and terrorism is a mindless attack on humanism.
    The rape of Mathura in the late 1970s is a classic example of injustice. The constable who raped her in the police station was acquitted because he said that she had consented that was manifested by lack of injuries and her alarms within the police station.

    Just to rape a victim in a police station under such circumstances is the misuse of authority, but the law did not take this fact into account. Asian Centre for Human Rights has urged the government to declare the 29th of December as the National Day on violence against women to bring more awareness in society. It is not the time for India to hide its weaknesses. Rather this is the time to bring this growing cancer in society onto the table of the public view to get rid of this toxin. There should not be any shame in discussing this subject publicly.
    On the other hand, it is a shame to hide it and let it develop further to eat into the bones of peace of nearly half of the population.

    The sad part is that there are hardly any debates on the family environment in which rapists are nourished. It is also sad that no one talks and takes action for reforming the political system to get rid of criminal law-makers. It is again sad that there is no talk of reforming the judicial system, except that the justice should be fast and more reachable.

    All these reforms are left to the elected politicians and convicted law-makers who find ways to remain in power. What India needs is the implementation of the laws. It is a question of human rights. Women deserve to be treated equally before laws. They have every right to be peaceful and free to move around the streets safely. Representatives are elected and governments are formed to save the citizens from external aggressions as well from internal fears.

    These women who are attacked have the right to take their governments or elected leaders to court for their physical and emotional damage from sexual assault. There must be ways to hold the government or the state responsible and accountable for failing to protect citizens. Movies are also to be blamed for portraying women as sex objects, and providing violence for entertainment. It includes stories as well as photography and songs. There are then videogames. Another culprit is the family environment. To raise a family couples are not required to read even a single pamphlet about parenting. There are laws for teachers, babysitters, for adopted parents, but nothing for the spouses who want to have children.

    Rape is a terror and terror is the extreme form of fear. Rapists should be treated like any other terrorist.
    What India needs is to bring down the status of women as goddesses to the status of a human. Women are human who also feel pain when they are tortured. It has been hinted that the glorification of a violent masculinity is largely responsible for attacks on women, though I don’t see any heroism in rapes. Raping women is terrorism and terrorism is not heroism, but a mindless attack on humanism.

    Women are part of human body. If one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. There is no peace in personal life as well as in the life of a nation if any part would suffer. The main source of this suffering is the electoral system that suffers from elitism. Presently, India has more or less the democracy of the elite. To change this elitism it is necessary to eliminate the law-makers who use their caste, religion or language to come to power. The electorate should elect those who are the best for the job, not because of their affiliation to the same cast or religion. The electorate should read the pages of their past to know if they were involved with corruption, particularly with sex-related scandals. The step that the Government of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has taken by establishing a toll-free hotline is the first and the right step in the right direction. Every child in every family and school should be encouraged to memorize the toll free number, and the steps to take in an emergency. However, for a lasting health of the nation, the electorate should be careful in electing the candidates who are involved with rape-related cases. If somehow they get elected, they should be forced to resign through peaceful public demonstrations, and any available legal way.

  • States Showcase Their Strengths To Woo Investments By Overseas Indians

    States Showcase Their Strengths To Woo Investments By Overseas Indians

    KOCHI (TIP): Ten states of India showcased the multifarious investment opportunities for the Indian Diaspora with a view to identifying areas for forging partnerships with overseas Indians at the concluding day of the 11th Bharatiya Pravasi Divas here on Wednesday, January 9th. Kerala, the host state for the three-day event, presented to the delegates its developmental agenda and looked for investment, support and the talent of overseas Indians in helping the State to realize its vision. The multi-point program envisioned for Kerala was spelt out by Mr. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation.

    The program envisages connectivity through coastal waterways for movement of goods, building knowledge cities in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, integration of all ayurveda activities in the state, egovernance, waste management through green technologies, skill development, promotion of traditional industries and creating high-speed rail corridor. Among those who invited overseas Indians to invest in Kerala included Mr. Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala; Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs; Mr. K V Thomas, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Mr. K C Joseph, Minister for Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department & Culture, Government of Kerala.

    The north Indian state of Punjab prides itself in having a strong agriculture base, high consumer index, best infrastructure index, best industrial and agri work culture, high per capita income, highest agriculture output, best human resource and an enterprising populace. According to S. S. Channy, Principal Secretary, Department of Technical Education & Industrial Training & Cultural Affairs and NRI Affairs, the mission was to make Punjab a top-notch state in terms of being surplus in power, best air connectivity, finest road network, futuristic town planning, upgraded transport facilities, maximum emphasis on education, health for all, engaging youth through sports, make Punjab an industry & IT destination, social development, employment generation, heritage preservation and governance reforms.

    On the industrial front, the state’s fiveyear mission is to create a textiles hub at Ferozepur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda; food hub (Amritsar, Ferozepur); IT hub (Mohali, Amritsar); petro park (Bathinda); automobiles hub (Patiala); sugar hub (Amritsar, Gurdaspur); hosiery, garments, knitting, weaving (Ludhiana); hand tools (Jalandhar); sports goods (Jalandhar) and leather goods (Jalandhar). Mr. Rajendra Pareek, Industries Minister, Government of Rajasthan, spelt out the reasons to invest in the state. These include a conducive business environment, strategic location and market accessibility, large land bank, strong backbone of industrial power, availability of skilled manpower at low cost, booming automotive sector, consistently growing IT/ITes industry, home to leaders in ceramic and glass, ever-expanding horizons in tourism, seamless possibilities in non-conventional power generation, rich mineral and oil wealth, active institutional support, a destination favored by corporate and a great place to live.

    “The business friendly initiatives of the Government of Rajasthan, such as Rajasthan Investment promotion Scheme 2010 and Rajasthan Enterprises Single window Enabling and Clearance Act 2011, have attracted leading companies from various sectors. JCB, Honda, Lafarge, Saint Gobain, Infosys, Deutsche Bank, Hero Motorcorp and Petro are some of the prominent companies that have chosen Rajasthan for their operations,” he says. The State of Gujarat holds many records in India for economic development: It boasts of 16% of the country’s industrial output, 22% of India’s exports, 35% of the country’s pharma products, 51% of chemical products and 62% of India’s petrochemical production.

    According to Mr. Arvind Agarawal, Principal Secretary, NRI, Government of Gujarat, the percentage of working days lost in Gujarat due to industrial strife is 0.42%, the lowest in India. And even during the worst years of recession, Gujarat registered double-digit industrial growth over the last seven years. Further, Gujarat is the only Indian state with an integrated state-wide gas grid. It has an extensive transmission network of almost 2200 km. Odisha enjoys its own prominence in the form of agriculture, industries, infrastructure developments, corporate hubs, top-tier educational institutes, good career opportunities, ports for exports and imports, investment avenues and natural beauty.

    Mr. Surya Narayan Patro, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Odisha mentioned that the Odisha Government was trying to create a favorable environment for attracting investment by streamlining the process for regulatory clearances through Single Window System approach, for which Clearance Authorities and Level Nodal Agencies at state and districts level were functional. The agencies provide facilitation and infrastructural support services to investors under the aegis of ‘Team Odisha’. The state is rich in minerals, agriculture and other natural resources. Odisha has 33% of iron ore, 55% of Bauxite, 95% of Chrome, in addition to large reserves of Coal, Dolomite, Graphite and Manganese in the country.

    Odisha has a large number of large, medium and small-scale enterprises in Steel, Aluminium, Chrome, Power, Textile, Handicrafts and IT/ITES. To accelerate the industrial progress in Bihar, the Government has adopted a number of measures. As many as, 939 proposals have been approved and Rs. 300807.45 crore is to be invested, of which investments worth Rs. 502120 crore has already been made. It is also estimated that 229641 job opportunities would be created. The areas of opportunities for investment were food processing, service sector, textile sector, sugar sector, information technology, leather, biotechnology, drug and pharmaceuticals. has strategic locational advantage in Eastern India and is close to Kolkata, Haldia and Paradeep Ports.

    Ranchi, the capital, is well connected by air, rail and road. Industrial towns have excellent Rail and Road connectivity with major market places of the country. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highway passes through Jharkhand. Jharkhand is an ideal location for EOUs interested in emerging markets of South East Asia, because of the freight advantage. According to Mr. D Gupta, Development Commissioner, Government of Jharkhand, the state offers significant opportunities in tourism, building power generation capacity, establishment of quality engineering and Medical Institutes (IITs/Polytechnics/Medical Colleges etc) and setting up of cold chains.

    Mr. Ponnala, Lakshmaiah, Minister for IT & Communication, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said, “I am happy to say that the state of Andhra Pradesh continues to be a favorite destination for industrial investment from all over the world. Industrial investment in the state is consistently growing and the investments received during 2010-11 stands at Rs 29,995 crore recording a growth of 67% over 2009- 10. The state is home to 4416 large industries and 180000 MSMEs, giving employment to nearly 25 lakh people. Today, Andhra Pradesh stands at the forefront of key manufacturing sectors, including cement, paper, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, steel, light and heavy engineering products, leather and food processing sectors.”

    Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the most ideal destination for ICT sector in India. It has the largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies based in AP. It is home for Indian and foreign IT majors such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Mahindra Satyam, Cognizant, Patni, Tech Mahindra, Sonata, Infotech, and Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Google, IBM, Oracle, DELL, Motorola, Deloitte, Convergys, UBS, Bank of America, HSBC, Honeywell, Siemens, JP Morgan, United Health Group, Facebook and so on. The Maharashtra Government’s policy and reforms driven initiatives are demonstrated by its policies on Biotech, IT & ITES, SEZ, Grapes Processing Industry, Tourism and Greenfield Port.

    Some key initiatives of the Government include stateof- the-art infrastructure, development of thrust industries, human resource development, labor laws reforms, cluster development – SME sector, provide information and facilitation, single window clearance portal, capital incentives for SSI and regional development. According to Mr. Vijay Suryawanshi, Joint CEO, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, some of the key policy initiatives of the state government are 5% subsidy on capital equipment for technology upgradation limited to Rs 25 lakh, 50% subsidy on the expenses incurred for quality certification limited to Rs 1 lakh, 25% subsidy on cleaner production measures limited to Rs 5 lakh and 50% subsidy on the expense incurred for patent registration limited to Rs 5 lakh.

    Madhya Pradesh has witnessed rapid industrialization. The major clusters in the state where industrial activity has been observed are regions in and around Gwalior, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Indore. The state has been proactive in adopting a seamless approach across sectors to promote sustainable growth resulting in fructification of investments over Rs. 7 lakh crore in the state. As many as 562 projects worth INR 3,57,558 crore in manufacturing, mining, power, services and infrastructure sector are being set up of which 206 projects costing Rs. 1,55,149 crore are in advance stages of completion and projects worth Rs. 39,000 crore are in various stages of execution.

    According to Arun Kumar Bhatt, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd., the Government of Madhya Pradesh decided to create a ‘Land Bank’, parcels of government land at various places suitable for industrial use. Such land parcels have been identified and are in the process of being transferred to Industries Department. Regional AKVNs have been entrusted with the responsibility of creating basic enabling infrastructure in such industrial estates or regions. The State Government has created a land bank of about 20,000 hectares across the state, which is being offered to various investors. Further consolidation of government land holdings with various departments that are suitable for industrial use is being carried out to identify more land and provide industries an impetus to set up base in the state.

  • Prime Minister Inaugurates 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas At Kochi

    Prime Minister Inaugurates 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas At Kochi

    KOCHI (TIP): Prime Minister, Dr. Mamohan Singh declared his government’s unequivocal commitment to deepen the connection of expatriate Indians with their country of origin and advance their interests. “While honoring their achievements, we will also seek to facilitate their travel, business and education and make it easier for them to be a part of life of India, enjoy due rights and participate in India’s economic development,” he said while inaugurating the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here on Tuesday, January 8.

    The Prime Minister said that the challenges to achieve an annual growth rate of 8% as set out in the 12th Plan were enormous, adding that “We will require enormous resources, reforms in policies and institutions, new models of public private partnership and community participation and innovation-driven science and technology.” Apart from the focus on rural areas, there is an urgent need to pay greater attention to our expanding cities and towns, the Prime Minister said, for which, new approaches would be needed to address challenges in areas like infrastructure, education, energy, water and agriculture.

    The Prime Minister observed that across India, there are also countless inspirational stories of innovation, enterprise and leadership by citizens and communities that are transforming lives and generating hope for millions of our citizens. “There is now a surge of expectation from an increasingly empowered and articulate public, for more responsive, transparent, participative, clean and efficient governance. The Government is determined to turn any setback into an opportunity to improve legal and regulatory frameworks. I have no doubt that the energy and the passions of our citizens, particularly our youth, will be a force of positive change in our country,” he declared.

    He invited the overseas Indian community to be a strong and vital partner and participant in India’s social and economic development. “Whether you wish to invest or share your knowledge, technology and skills, whether your enterprise takes you to the cities or your compassion brings you to a remote village, I assure you of our continuing effort to support your endeavors,” Dr. Singh said. The Prime Minister assured the Indian expatriate community that their safety and security was uppermost in the government’s mind. “We derive comfort from the assurances that we have received from governments in the countries of your residence that they will do everything for your safety and security.

    We recognize that the primary responsibility rests with the host countries, but when needed, as was the case last year in Libya, our government will provide prompt and necessary assistance.” “Apart from physical safety, we are also concerned with the social and emotional well-being of our overseas brethren. We have therefore launched an insurance scheme for workers, established welfare funds in our embassies for distressed Indians, and created mechanisms to help vulnerable women abroad,” he pointed out. He said that the protection and promotion of the rights and interests of Indian businesses, professionals and workers abroad is also a key task for our Missions in various countries.

    India’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements and Social Security Agreements with a number of countries play an important role in this regard. On the occasion, the Prime Minister released a stamp on ‘Gadar Movement’ and two publications, namely, ‘India Supports’ and ‘Handbook for Emigrants’. Mr. Rajkeswur Purryag, President of Mauritius, the Chief Guest at this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, declared, amid huge applause, that “We take pride in the rise of India… we share common values, a common heritage and we are grateful to India for its selfless support to Mauritius in its social and economic development process.”

    The Indian Diaspora, he said, needed to capitalize on India’s growth story and seek active partnerships with Indian companies is areas such as science & technology, education and other hard and soft infrastructure sectors. Mauritius, he said, offered a great opportunity for Indian companies to reach out to the entire African market, now dubbed as the continent of the century. The President of Mauritius also pledged his country’s support for India’s permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, announced that the emigration system was being amended to keep in step with the needs all concerned with the process of emigration.

    “We have worked on a law in this regard and we hope to finalize it soon,” he said. Mr. Ravi announced that the merger of the OCI and PIO cards would soon be done to create a single OCI card. He said that his Ministry had widened the scope of the Indian Community Welfare Fund to include payment of penalties to release Indian nationals who are in prisons for no fault of their; support to local overseas Indian associations to establish Overseas Indian Community Centers and support to start and run overseas Indian community-based student welfare centers.

    Mr. Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala, in his address, pointed out that he expected the Planning Commission, Government of India, to respond positively to his suggestion to formulate a Centrally-sponsored scheme to supplement the efforts of the State Government in the rehabilitation of returning migrants. Some of the major concerns still being faced by Indian expatriates in their host countries, especially in the Gulf, related to issues of job security, reasonable living conditions and legal protection for the unskilled and semi-skilled workers. These, Mr. Chandy said, needed to be addressed by the Union Government.

  • A Unique Saint Soldier Guru Gobind Singh

    A Unique Saint Soldier Guru Gobind Singh

    Nature has its own ways to establish equilibrium in the universe. Otherwise, the powerful will always prevail and vanquish the weak. At about the time Guru Gobind Singh was born in the winter of 1666 A.D., India was passing through a period of extreme religious bigotry.

    A home grown centuries old religion- Hinduism- was the faith of the majority of Indians. They were subjugated and ruthlessly ruled by a far fewer number of Sunni Muslim conquerors hailing from Afghanistan. The Sunni Muslim Afghan conquerors wanted to propagate and spread only their form of religion in India.

    Guru Gobind Singh was vehemently opposed to such dictats. The founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak was the first high profile social reformer in India, who was a witness to the cruelty and tyranny of the first Mughal Emperor Zahir-Ud-Din Babar. Guru Nanak was briefly imprisoned by Babar, but soon Babar realized his folly, apologized to Guru Nanak and released him from the prison. Babar’s grandson Jalal-Ud-Din Akbar was more tolerant and just to the people of all faiths and he befriended the successors of Guru Nanak.

    By far the most intolerant Mughal Emperor was Aurangzeb Alamgir. He was determined to convert every well-meaning Indian to his Sunni Muslim faith. He picked up the affluent and fair colored and blue eyed Brahmins living in the Northern most hilly areas of Kashmir for forcible conversion into Sunni Islam. Guru Gobind Singh’s father, Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth “Jyot” of Guru Nanak was on a gospel tour of North Eastern India, when Guru Gobind Singh was born in an ancient city of Patna on “Poh Sudi Satween” (according to the Christian Calendar in 1966). Guru Gobind Singh’s early childhood was spent in the North Eastern areas of India consisting of the present states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh.

    As a child, he developed a strong inclination to play with bows and arrows. At his early age before ten, the family moved to a small hamlet in the lower Shivalik Himalayas in Punjab. This place later on became famous as Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district of Punjab. One fine autumn morning in 1675 A.D., a group of Kashmiri Brahmins came to see Guru Gobind Singh’s father Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib. From their grim faces it could be made out that they were quite a frightened lot. Soon they started narrating their tales of utter despair and miseries. According to their version, they were being coerced to convert to Islam.

    Guru Tegh Bahadur was not opposed to conversion by logic and persuasion, but he was fiercely opposed to all forms of forced conversion. On hearing their tales of horror, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was absorbed in thoughts, his nine year old son Gobind Rai came there. Seeing his father immersed in deep thoughts, he asked him about the reason for his being so immersed in thoughts. When Guru Tegh Bahadur told him the story of the Kashmiri Brahmins and asked for his son’s advice, the son surprised everyone when by advising his father to offer his own supreme sacrifice to awake the conscience of the nation.

    This is how Guru Tegh Bahadur made up his mind to offer himself to be beheaded in the national capital, Delhi. The place where Guru Tag Bahadur was beheaded is now a sacred Sikh temple. After Guru Tegh Bahadur’s merciless beheading, his son Gobind Rai made up his mind to fight the Sunni Islamic tyranny of Emperor Aurangzeb with an army of highly motivated saint soldiers. For years, young Gobind Rai struggled consistently against the far superior Mughal Armies. During the spring harvest season in 1699, Gobind Rai gave a call to his “Sikhs” to congregate at Anandpur Sahib in big numbers. In this very congregation he established the order of the “Khalsa” (the pure) and he changed his as well as his male followers’ last name to “Singh” and the last names of the females were changed to “Kaur”. Thus was created the bearded and turbaned “Khalsa”.

    From 1699 to 1907 A.D., Guru Gobind Singh fought a relentless series of battles against the imperial forces of Auranzeb Alamgir and scores of his subject Rajas of small hill area principalities. In the process of fighting the tyranny of Emperor Aurangzb Alamgir, Guru Gobind Singh lost all four of his sons and his mother. Thousands of his saint soldiers, including his five most favorite disciples and forty of his choicest soldiers died in the battlefields.

    Aurangzeb died in 1707. His son Bahadur Shah abandoned his father’s bigotry and coercive policies and befriended Guru Gobind Singh. A meeting marking a period of peace and harmony was arranged between Guru Gobind Singh and Emperor Bahadur Shah in 1707 A.D., after which Guru Gobind Singh moved to the Southern Peninsular India and started living at a place called Nanded (Sri Huzoor Sahib).

    Here he was assaulted with sharp edged weapons by two Muslim assassins. Guru Gobind Singh died at the age of forty two in 1708. Due to Guru Gobind Singh’s relentless military campaign against Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire’s power base started eroding. After the death of Guru Gobind Singh, even the dreaded Mughal Empire saw its slow disintegration. Guru Gobind Singh was a great soldier, a great linguist and a brilliant scholar of theosophy.

    He composed volumes of spiritual verses. His poetry was composed in a number of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic meters, unmatched by any other poet. The line by line weight in his poetry is so well balanced that it is a treat to sing his poetry in classical Raagas. He was so humble that he did not include his own poetry in the Sikh holy book “Sri Guru Granth Sahib”, although he did include some “Baani” of his illustrious father Guru Tegh Bahadur in the final version of “Sri Guru Granth Sahib”.

    Guru Gobind Singh very well knew that the time to end the practice of living Gurus has arrived. He had a group of fifty two celebrated poets in his court, who used to admire his poetry and likewise the Guru used to enjoy their poetry. Before his death, Guru Gobind Singh most respectfully placed the final version of holy “Sri Guru Granth Sahib” on a higher pedestal and then bowed his head before it.

    This gesture contained a message to his followers to take all spiritual and worldly guidance from the holy book and not to believe in any living Guru henceforth. He believed in a classless society and he created it amongst his followers. He always helped and never abandoned the poor and the downtrodden.

  • Government Makes Many Commitments To NRIs

    Government Makes Many Commitments To NRIs

    KOCHI (TIP): Better air connectivity to Kerala, Voting rights in local bodies, Liberal baggage & gold allowance to NRIs in Gulf
    The Government of India and the Government of Kerala assured NRIs in the Gulf, particularly, Malayalis, that their demands for better air connectivity to Kerala, grant of voting rights in local bodies, and liberal baggage and gold allowance, would be addressed on priority. Inaugurating a pre-PBD seminar on NRIs in the Gulf organized on the occasion of the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here on Monday, January 7, Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, said, “I am deeply aware of the problems faced by Malayalis settled in the Gulf and I assure you that I will take up your suggestions with the Prime Minister and my Cabinet colleagues for expeditious redressal of your problems.”

    Alluding to the problems and the alleged opposition by Air India to the State Government’s proposal to launch ‘Air Kerala’, a state airline to improve connectivity between the Gulf region and India, Mr. Ravi said that the Union Government would try to sort out the issue on priority. In his keynote address Mr. Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister, Kerala, expressed gratitude to non-resident Keralites in the Gulf who annually remit foreign exchange worth Rs. 60,000 crore, a fifth of the State’s Domestic Product. He assured the delegates that the issue of voting rights in local bodies raised by Malayalis, would be addressed in the next session of State Assembly as the Government had decided to amend the Representation of Peoples’ Act and the Kerala Panchayath Act.

    Voting rights in Parliamentary and Assembly Elections have already been granted to NRIs. Earlier,Mr. Ravi and Mr. Chandy inaugurated the exhibition and released, two reports at the seminar — ‘Connecting with Indian Diaspora’ and ‘India Migration Report 2013’. Mr. K C Joseph, Minister of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA) & Culture, Government of Kerala, urged the Central Government to allow NRI women and men to bring in 100 gms and 50 gms of gold, respectively, into the country from the present allowance of Rs. 10,000 worth of gold for women and Rs. 20,000 for men. He suggested to the Ministry of External Affairs that to address the problems faced by NRIs, the staff strength of Indian embassies should be substantially strengthened and called for the appointment of a senior Malayali-speaking officer in the embassy so that their problems are better understood and corrective actions taken expeditiously.

    Mr. E Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, pointed out that according to the World Bank report, India has received remittances of $70 billion in 2012, the highest in the world followed by China. The sharp increase in remittances to India has come from Gulf countries where mostly the unskilled and semi-skilled workers are remitters. He assured the delegates that the Central Government was alive to the problems faced by overseas Indians and offered all help in finding solutions to these issues.

    Other speakers who addressed the delegates were Mr. K Babu,Minister for Excise & Ports, Government; Mr.M I Shanavas, Member of Parliament; Mr.M K Raghavan, Member of Parliament and Mr. Yusuffali M A, Vice Chairman, NORKA ROOTS. In the panel discussion with NRIs,Mr. Hibi Eden, Member of Legislative Assembly, Kerala; Mr. Issac Thomas, President, Kerala Pradesh Pravasi Congress; Mr. A R Ghanashyam, Joint Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Mr. V Vumlunmang, Joint Secretary (Foreigners), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and India’s Ambassadors from the GCC countries, shared their perspectives and sought to allay the apprehensions of the NRIs.

  • Jacqueline Fernandez How Men Can Set Rules For Us

    Jacqueline Fernandez How Men Can Set Rules For Us

    Actress Jacqueline Fernandez spoke out on why men should not tell us how to dress up and behave. With the issue of violence against women and the need for a safer environment gaining momentum; fingers have been pointed and questions raised on the portrayal of women in Hindi films. Reacting strongly to such comments, actor Jacqueline Fernandez said, “I think it’s totally unfair to blame Bollywood for such a disgusting act.” Talking about the recent gang-rape case in Delhi she added, “Rape is not only inhuman, but also animalist. People here feel that they can do anything and get away with it.

    I think it is important for the government to make strict laws and stringent punishment so that people have the fear and think twice before committing such heinous crimes.” The actor also voiced her opinion on some of the recent statements made by politicians on how a woman should dress and that they should restrict themselves to doing household chores. “It’s really unfortunate that women are treated in such a manner. When we don’t set specific rules for men, how can they set rules for us?

    Today the main question is to punish the guilty,” she added. Going back to Bollywood’s portrayal of women, the actress said, “I strongly feel Bollywood lyrics should be modified to avoid vulgarity.” Jacqueline who has been linked to producer Sajid Khan in the past admitted that link-ups do not bother her. “I think link-ups are a part and parcel of our industry and one has to deal with it.

    We have a larger-than -life image. It is better to stay good and happy in your own space. Link-ups do not upset me at all.” The Sri Lankan origin actor, who has tried her hands with comedy and is now all set to do some action packed sequences in Race 2, admits that she enjoys both the genres. “Doing comedy is stress-free while action is physically challenging. I have been training with two Vietnamese martial arts experts for the movie and it was fun doing something new.”

  • India Tourism Woos Indian Diaspora; Incentives And A Conducive Environment Vital To Attract Investments

    India Tourism Woos Indian Diaspora; Incentives And A Conducive Environment Vital To Attract Investments

    KOCHI (TIP): Incentive investors and give them a conducive environment and smoothen the approval processes and witness the surge of investment in the tourism sector, both from overseas and domestic investors. This was the message that tourism professionals conveyed to the Government at a pre-PBD Seminar on Tourism on the occasion of the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Mr. A P Anilkumar, Minister of Tourism, Government of Kerala, said that there are immense investment opportunities in the tourism sector and the Indian Diaspora can venture into building of resorts and hotels, destination development, adventure activities, MICE facilities and human resource development. He mentioned that measures must be taken to strengthen the tourism sector in India and assured that he would play an instrumental role in developing the sector.

    Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO and MD, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, and former Tourism Secretary, Government of Kerala, said building brand India and putting India on the world tourism map would require focused attention on what he described as the 6Cs – civil aviation development, civic governance, capacity building, constant communication strategy, convergence with other sectors and community participation. Mr. Kant said that India needed to replicate the success of Indian-Americans who have collectively put up 21,000 hotels across America. “The Patels need to set up hotels in this country just as they have done so successfully in their host countries.” The multiplier effect of such investment in hotels in terms of creating jobs and other tourism-related infrastructure would be huge, he pointed out.

    Mr. Alkesh Patel, President, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), USA, underlined the need to tap the expertise of the members of AAHOA in setting up franchisee hotels in India. While commending India’s overseas tourism campaigns, Mr. Patel pointed out that such campaigns are not backed up by commensurate infrastructure, and India is thus unable to provide an experience to tourists that could be converted into a return visit. Mr. K Sudhakaran, Member of Parliament, stated that India is becoming a preferred destination for healthcare tourism as it has top-notch medical facilities with only one-fifth cost compared to the West. But there are some challenges such as poor management, lack of sound marketing strategies, communication gap, bad roads, gap between availability of manpower and supply which are hindering the growth of medical tourism.

    Mr. E M Najeeb, President, Confederation of Tourism Industry, Kerala and CMD, ATE Group, said, “Tourism promotion should be focused on the 30 million strong Indian Diaspora. A mere 5% materialization would change the dimension of Indian tourism. They are high spenders and respect the culture and environment of our country. So they are quality tourists.” He added, “The national carrier Air India should change the policy to focus and take care of the Indian travelers. That would make to the airline profitable. Special packages and programs should be tailor-made for the Indians abroad, particularly the second and third generation PIOs.”

    Mr. Najeeb suggested that tourism promotional campaigns should be aimed at them and called for appointing Indians as tourism brand ambassadors of Indian Tourism. According to a theme paper brought out on the occasion, the emerging new dimensions of tourism include Golf Tourism, Education Tourism, Domestic Tourism, Luxury Trains,Wedding, Eco- Tourism and Tea Tourism. The average growth of global tourism industry is expected to be four per cent during the next 10 years, but the increase is not dispersed equally. Emerging markets, primarily India, contributes a lion’s share of the expansion with an increase of eight per cent. Smaller cities are expected to lead air-traffic growth in the country; the Government is planning to build nearly 200 low-cost airports in the next 20 years in Tier II and III cities.

    This additional aviation infrastructure is likely to be developed through public-private partnership (PPP) model, paving the way for new business opportunities for infrastructure developers. The first phase of growth in the aviation sector was led by low-cost airlines, and the next phase would be driven by lowcost airports. The market size of the Indian medical tourism sector is likely to be more than double and reach USD 2.4 billion by 2015 from USD 1 billion at present. The inflow of medical tourists in India is also expected to cross 32 lakh by 2015 from the current number of 8.5 lakh. Medical travel, health and wellness tourism in India are projected as some of the most important avenues to improve tourism economy.

    The healthtravel industry is increasingly grounded in tourism. Currently, Indian healthcare market is growing at a rate of more than 30 per cent every year. India’s share in the global medical tourism industry is expected to climb to around 2.4 per cent by the end of 2012. India’s competitive edge in Healthcare Tourism is globally recognized with only one-fifth cost as compared to the West, far less or no waiting lines, super specialty hospitals and renowned medical practitioners. The top-notch healthcare facilities like cardiology, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, transplants and urology are some of the key factors which make India a preferred destination in terms of medical tourism. The states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi are fast emerging as India’s best medical centers with several hospitals and specialty clinics.

    India is also offering other medical services such as yoga, meditation and ayurveda, which are increasingly becoming popular as alternate, nonsurgical treatments for various ailments. Large numbers of medical tourists visit India from the Middle East, USA, and Europe and also from neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to avail high quality and low cost medical facilities. India’s topmost cities will see an addition of around 50,000 new rooms in the next 5-6 years.

    About 14,800 new hotel rooms are expected to add by the end of 2012, of which 2,000 rooms have already entered the market. The demand has been strong from both foreign as well as domestic tourists.With a total supply of 17,500 rooms in the next five years, the national capital region is expected to see the highest hotel room supply. Mumbai with 10,200 rooms and Bangalore with 9,400 rooms will significantly add to the existing inventory. The addition of new inventory will largely be in the potential growth areas around airports, commercial growth corridors, industrial corridors and special economic zones.

  • Neha Dhupia Opts Out Of Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster 2

    Neha Dhupia Opts Out Of Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster 2

    Neha Dhupia who was roped in for the item song for the sequel of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster has now opted out of the film. She is now no longer associated with Tigmanshu Dhulia’s upcoming sequel to his 2011 film due to date issues. The actress was initially roped in to add oomph to the film. As reported earlier, Dhulia and producer Rahul Mittra were keen to include an item number and the shoot was scheduled for September in Jaipur, but it has been indefinitely delayed. Confirming the news, Neha tweeted,”Much against my wishes and the team of Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster 2, I had to opt out of the item song as my dates did not work out.”

  • Teach Pakistan A Lesson Like 1965: Hazare

    Teach Pakistan A Lesson Like 1965: Hazare

    RALEGAN-SIDDHI (TIP): Social activist Anna Hazare demanded that India should “teach Pakistan a lesson” like it did in 1965 for the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir. “What they have done is simply unacceptable. How can they mutilate and take away the head of our soldier? This cannot be tolerated by any person,” Hazare told reporters here. “Pakistan seems to have forgotten the beating it took in the 1965 war with India. Don’t they remember how they begged for mercy when Lahore was bombed during that war? But on and off, it keeps raising its head against India. We want a repeat of 1965. Pakistan should be taught a lesson again,” Hazare said. The 75-year-old also expressed his willingness to go to the border and fight enemy soldiers. Hazare served in the Indian Army for 12 years before he was honorably discharged from service in 1975.

  • Hike In Rail Fares

    Hike In Rail Fares

    NEW DELHI (TIP): TRAVEL DEARER FROM JAN 21 MIDNIGHT – Revision after a decade
    The United Progressive Alliance government on January 9 announced an across-theboard hike in railway fares, putting an extra burden on passengers from the midnight of January 21. Ten months after withdrawing its Budget proposal to raise passenger fares under political pressure from the Trinamool Congress, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced that the decision taken after a decade would generate additional revenue of Rs 6,600 crore every year. Fares of ordinary second class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paise per km, while passengers will have to pay an extra 3 paise per km for non-suburban travel. Travel by second class mail and express trains will be costlier by 4 paise per km, while it will be expensive by 6 paise in sleeper class. Travelers in AC chair car and AC three tier will pay 10 paise more per km, first class 3 paise, AC two tier 6 paise and AC first class 10 paise more.

    The fares for first class, AC two tier and AC first/executive class have already been raised by 10, 15 and 30 paise per km, respectively, in the current year’s Budget. On the rationale behind the hike, the minister said it was necessitated by mounting losses, rising input costs and lower than anticipated earnings from freight that cross-subsidised passenger travel. “Basic fares were not revised in the past 10 years, except for the increase in respect of the first class, AC first and AC two-tier travel. “Losses in the passenger segment, which were Rs 6,159 crore in 2004-05, rose to Rs 19,964 crore in 2010-11 and were expected to touch Rs 25,000 crore in the current financial year,” the minister said. Stressing that cross-subsidy through freight business was no longer viable in view of growing competition, Bansal said by the end of December 2012, the Railways registered a shortfall of 13 million tones in carrying load. The decision to restrict the fare hike in the last Budget to the uppermost classes meant that additional resources could be raised from only 0.3 per cent of the total 2.30 crore passengers it carried, he added. This contributed just 10 per cent to the total earnings from the passenger segment.

  • Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

    Cast: Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Shabana Azmi, Arya Babbar
    Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj
    Genre: Comedy
    Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes

    STORY:
    Haryanvi feudal Harry Mandola wants to sell village lands for malls – can Matru, Bijlee and ‘Mao’ stop him? MOVIE REVIEW:Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM) mirrors the dangers of self-indulgence – of texting and ghee, alcohol and directorial profligacy. The film is based on a little gem of a story – a drunken Haryanvi feudal Harry Mandola (Kapur) wants to sell villagers’ lands but is challenged by daughter Bijlee (Sharma), assistant Matru (Khan) and surprisingly, his own drunken self that turns softly socialist at the pour of a peg.

    Some lines are dazzlers – “Bachpan se dekh raha hoon, tum dono ki jodi jaise Mukesh aur Nita Ambani!”, Matru growling at Bijlee, “Apne andar ke jaali saaf karle – haunted house lagne lagi hai,”, sinister CM Choudhary Devi (Azmi) chiding brainless beta Badal (Babbar), “Yahi farak hai tum mein aur Rahul, Sachin aur Jyotiraditya mein!” Indeed, lines like gulabi bhains, sapnon ka Lokpal and the say-no-more pancho-pancho tickle you outside the theatre too.

    Quite like Kapur’s performance, as comfortingly elegant as a velvet dressing gown, his comedy silken as mumbling, drunken Harry, his anger tight like a cord as sober Mandola who dreams of money and won’t let reality stand in his way – even if that means pledging his darling Bijlee to a loveless life with baba-log brute Badal (Babbar, delivering to the dot). But here’s my angst – this movie could have been so much more. Like champagne gone flat, the film’s left lying about for too late, its plot meandering everywhere (including a plane ride through moon-lit clouds, ending in a Maoist meeting), the director so determined to have fun that often, the viewer doesn’t.

    Sure, there are hilarious moments involving pink buffaloes and deep wells, Shakespeare and Sheila Dixit, even a laal rang ka kachcha, and it’s all very clever – but where’s the self-control? With its intellectual foundation and dramatic potential, MKBKM needed disciplined direction, not wandering shots, predictable banter or dull crudity. On the upside, Azmi’s performance is effortlessly evil until the last swig. Anushka plays her now-familiar loud-spunky-sexy babe, unconvincing but attractive as an eccentric rustic. But despite her Pond-girl entry in see-through top and teeny shorts, Mandola’s heart-throb is Imran Khan who’s red-hot (literally), stubble and a sardonic air pumping his sex-appeal. With its Trilbys and tractors, malls and Maoism, its stretch limo and smart-boy! lines, MKBKM could have been such a fun ride.But sadly, director ka bhi man dola, rather too often.

  • Oscars 2013 Will Lincoln Snuff Out Life Of Pi?

    Oscars 2013 Will Lincoln Snuff Out Life Of Pi?

    LOS ANGELES (TIP): Torture. Terror. Depression. Revolt. Where’s Uggie the dog when you need him? The 85th Academy Awards season jolted into place on Thursday, as the heaviest number of Oscar nominations — including nods for best picture — went to “Lincoln”, about a president’s struggle with civil war; ” Life of Pi”, about a shipwreck survivor and a tiger; “Silver Linings Playbook”, a comedy, of sorts, about mental illness; and “Les Miserables”, filled with songs of the oppressed. Close behind were “Argo”, about political captivity; “Amour”, a French-language film about death; and “Django Unchained”, about slavery and retribution. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, about a child’s encounters with rising floodwaters in the South, and “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the murky pursuit of a national enemy, also scored heavily and were nominated for best picture.

    But the real surprise was a triple snub in the best director category: Neither Kathryn Bigelow, who directed “Zero Dark Thirty”, nor Ben Affleck, who directed “Argo”, nor Quentin Tarantino, who directed “Django Unchained”, were included among the five directing nominees. Those were Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”, Ang Lee for “Life of Pi”, Michael Haneke, for “Amour”, David O Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook” and Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” The nominations were announced at the Academy’s Beverly Hills headquarters in an early morning ceremony that paired the actress Emma Stone with the host of this year’s Oscar telecast, Seth MacFarlane.

    Hollywood now faces a somewhat longer-than-usual campaign period. A new digital voting system — despite its reported hitches — allowed the Academy to announce nominees two weeks earlier than last year, and more than six weeks before the awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on February 24. “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg, had gone into the morning as the picture to beat, and it remained a leader, with 12 nominations. But it barely outpaced “Life of Pi”, which beat the expectations by coming up second, with 11 nominations in all, even as ” Zero Dark Thirty,” an early favourite, picked just five. Spielberg’s directing nomination was his seventh (he has won twice), while Daniel Day-Lewis received his fifth best actor nomination, this time for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Though no slouch when it comes to importance, “Zero Dark Thirty”, about the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, may have been hurt by controversy, as several senators and a number of political critics tore into the film for its portrayal of the use of torture. nyt news service.

    007 stumbles
    again The latest James Bond movie “Skyfall” won five Oscar nominations on Thursday, the highest tally for a 007 picture, but the major categories including best picture once again eluded the franchise. Hopes had been raised that “Skyfall”, the first official Bond movie to make over $1 billion at the box office, would finally make its mark at the Academy Awards at the 23rd time of asking.

  • Asaram Says Rape Victim Should Have ‘Begged’, Gets Flak

    Asaram Says Rape Victim Should Have ‘Begged’, Gets Flak

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Spiritual leader Asaram Bapu was reported as saying that the Delhi gang-rape victim should have called her culprits brothers and recited the Saraswati mantra, provoking both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP to lash out at the comments as disturbing and condemnable. Asaram Bapu reportedly said “the victim is as guilty as her rapists” and that she should have “begged” in front of the culprits. “She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop. This could have saved her dignity and life. Can one hand clap? I don’t think so,” CNNIBN quoted Asaram Bapu as saying in a Jaipur-datelined report.

    “Had she recited the Saraswati mantra, she would not have boarded any bus after watching a movie with her boyfriend,” he added. The comment was slammed by India’s two main parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Such comments should be condemned as much as possible,” Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said. He was backed by party colleague Rashid Alvi who said: “Political leaders, including religious leaders, must give serious thought before they speak out.” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the comments were “regrettable and deeply disturbing and painful”. “We expect Asaram Bapuji to kindly introspect, reflect and withdraw the statement,” Prasad said.

    “I am sure he knows in the Hindu chintan (thought), woman of the country have been accorded a place of pride and dignity. Similarly in our constitution also, there is a clear provision of granting a status of equality to a woman and no discrimination. In this case, for him to make a statement in relation to a crime which has shocked the conscience of the country… Sorry, it is not acceptable,” he said. The 23-year-old woman was gangraped in a moving bus on the night of December 16, and brutally beaten. She succumbed to her injuries on December 29 in a Singapore hospital.

  • Govt Raises Financial Aid For Rural Housing

    Govt Raises Financial Aid For Rural Housing

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Centre has increased the amount for construction of houses for rural poor from Rs 45,000 to Rs 70,000 in plains and Rs 75,000 for those in hilly and difficult areas. The landless would get Rs 20,000 in place of the present Rs 10,000 for buying homestead land. The hike in Indira Awas Yojana came after Cabinet members on Thursday prevailed upon finance minister P Chidambaram who wanted to restrict the proposal from rural development ministry to Rs 65,000 per unit and opposed the hike for buying homestead land.

    The issue brought to the fore the difference between the two arms of UPA, with rural development minister Jairam Ramesh telling reporters that finance ministry was overruled by the Cabinet. “The Union Cabinet in its overall collective wisdom decided to increase the amount,” he said. Ramesh cited the agreement signed with Ekta Parishad that stopped marching tribals in Agra in October last year. The protestors were seeking land for the landless and the Centre agreed to bear 75% of the cost for buying homestead land in place of present 50%. There was overwhelming support in the Cabinet for increase in IAY unit cost with Ghulam Nabi Azad, Harish Rawat and Pavan Bansal pitching on other aspects of the debate. Water resources minister Rawat said Rs 75,000 was inadequate for IAY houses in the hills since land was scarce. He demanded that construction cost be decided according to the cost of land.

  • Movie Review:Gangster Squad

    Movie Review:Gangster Squad

    Critic’s Rating: Cast: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan
    Gosling, Emma Stone
    Direction: Ruben Fleischer
    Genre: Action
    Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes

    STORY:
    In the late 1940s, post-Second World War, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will have to do what it takes to tackle the expansion of megalomaniacal boxer-turned-gangster Mickey Cohen’s crime empire in LA. A group of incorruptible officers are given orders to take down the vicious gangster in whichever way possible. The film is inspired by real events.

    Movie Review: Honest and fearless, John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) of LAPD is assigned the job of taking down gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). He is asked to form his own unit, comprising of like-minded, skilled men who can put an end to Mickey’s growing crime empire. He thus forms his own ‘gangster squad’.

    The only difference being, his squad will have to violently kill in order to restore order in the city. When acting heavy-weights like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling come together, one expects a mind-blowing effect, but that doesn’t really happen. Gangster Squad engages and entertains you with its occasional humour, sleek slow-motion action sequences and stylized gun violence but somewhere falls short of substance and depth. As certain righteous cops fight for honour and justice, you do not feel enough for the characters.

    Filmmaker Ruben Fleischer is known for comedy. True to his style, he infuses some good humour in a few scenes. However, in the very next scene, you see extreme bloodshed. The transition doesn’t seem too smooth here. That very style worked in his earlier film Zombieland (2009), owing to its genre, which was a comedy.

    Emma Stone as the gangster’s moll gets a weak role. Ryan Gosling as the ladies-man seems repetitive. In spite of drawbacks though, the film is high on style and keeps you hooked, thanks to some superb stunts and performances by Josh Brolin and Sean Penn who looks absolutely menacing as Mickey Cohen, his gaze and body language perfect for his character. Brolin is as brilliant as the heroic cop who relentlessly chases Cohen down. As far as stunts are concerned, car chases and fist-fight scenes are superbly shot. The 1940’s setting looks authentic too.

    If you like to witness the battle of good versus evil, mafia and mayhem, Gangster Squad has enough fire, guns and bullets to keep you engaged! But if you seek to explore the criminal underbelly, this may be a tad too simple for your liking.

  • Khap Leader On Save Girl Child Mission

    Khap Leader On Save Girl Child Mission

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): When khaps are being criticized for banning girls from wearing jeans and T-shirts, a woman khap leader of Haryana is busy collecting signatures to spread awareness against female foeticide. She has collected signatures of over 35,000 people, mainly youngsters, as part of her save the girl child campaign. An associate professor of Kurukshetra University, Santosh Dahiya, 45, wants to submit one lakh signatures to the President, demanding a curb on crime against women.

    She was nominated founder president of women wing of Haryana Sarv Jat Sarv Khap Mahapanchayat in a khap mahapanchayat held in Kurukshetra in 2009. According to Dahiya, the khap mahapanchayat is an umbrella body of 150 khaps of Haryana. Dahiya is also president of Haryana Women Boxing Association. As part of her save the girl child campaign, she approaches youngsters asking them to take an oath against female foeticide. Unfazed by the criticism of khaps by women organizations on the issue of honour killings, Dahiya said these bodies don’t order such crimes. “It is a conspiracy to defame khaps,” she insisted. “When I attended a khap mahapanchayat in 2009, I became convinced with the view point of khap leaders,” she said.

  • Delhi Gang Rape Accused Says Police Tortured Him

    Delhi Gang Rape Accused Says Police Tortured Him

    NEW DELHI (TIP): One of the five men charged with the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman said police tortured him in custody and he and at least three of his co-defendants say they are innocent, lawyers said on. The five accused arrived in court for a closed hearing with their faces covered by scarves, and accompanied for the first time by defense lawyers. The physiotherapy student died on December 29, two weeks after being beaten and raped on a moving bus in New Delhi, then thrown bleeding onto the street. Nationwide protests followed against the government’s perceived failure to stem rising violence against women. One of the men, Mukesh Singh, the brother of a bus driver who police say was the leader of the gang, will base his defense on police brutality, his lawyer said.

    “Mukesh was illegally tortured in the custody of the police,” said the lawyer, Manohar Lal Sharma. The five face charges of murder, gang rape and abduction, prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. A sixth suspect is being investigated separately to determine if he is below the age of 18, as he says he is. The case has shone a light on a widespread problem of violence against women but also the failure of the criminal justice system to bring the guilty to justice in a country where official statistics show a rape is reported every 20 minutes.

    The bus driver and alleged gang leader Ram Singh said he was innocent during a two-hour meeting with his lawyer, VK Anand, in Delhi’s Tihar jail, the lawyer said. Two other accused, gym assistant Vinay Sharma and bus cleaner Akshay Kumar Singh, say they were falsely implicated, said their lawyer, AP Singh. ‘I will … prove their innocence,’ the lawyer said after the hearing. The fifth man has yet to be assigned a lawyer and it is not known what he has told court or how he intends to plea. Charges against the sixth member of the group have not been brought while police complete an inquiry to confirm his age. If he is found to be below 18 he will be tried in a juvenile court and if convicted will go to a correctional home, not a prison, to serve a maximum term of three years.

    GROUNDS FOR APPEAL?
    For days after their arrest, soon after the December 16 assault on the woman and a male companion, none of the men had a lawyer. Most members of the judiciary refused to represent them because of the outrage over the attack. Police conducted extensive interrogations of the men in the absence of any lawyer and they say they have recorded confessions. The hearings, which are closed to the media, are taking place in a court across the street from a cinema where the victim watched a movie before boarding the bus with a friend who was also severely beaten. Prosecutors say they have a large file of evidence, including statements and DNA samples taken from blood-stained clothing recovered by police. But legal experts had said the earlier lack of representation for the five suspects could give grounds for appeal if they were found guilty. Convictions in similar cases have often been overturned years later. The woman lived for two weeks after the attack but died in a Singapore hospital where she had been taken for treatment. She was identified by a British newspaper on the weekend but Reuters has opted not to name her. Indian law generally prohibits the identification of victims of sex crimes to protect their privacy in a country where the social stigma associated with rape can be devastating.

  • Jessica Alba Vows Never To Wear Hotpants

    Jessica Alba Vows Never To Wear Hotpants

    Jessica Alba has revealed that she will never wear hotpants again.

    The 31-year-old actress, who named ‘booty shorts’ as a fashion trend, asserted in a recent interview that she will never wear them again, the Sun reported.

    The mother of two, who has donned them on-screen – most famously in 2003 film ‘Honey,’ said that she is pretty confident about ditching hotpants.

    The Sin City star is also unwilling to go back to one aspect of 80s power dressing, as she asserted that she doesn’t like oversize shoulder pads.

  • Gang-Rape Case: Family Slams Move By 2 Accused To Become Witnesses

    Gang-Rape Case: Family Slams Move By 2 Accused To Become Witnesses

    BALLIA (TIP): The family of the Delhi gang-rape victim slammed the move by two of the six accused in the case to become State witnesses, saying this was being done to escape the death sentence and wanted the plea to be rejected. “It is not right to allow two of the accused persons as State witnesses as it is nothing but an attempt by them to escape the death sentence,” the brother of the 23-yearold girl told PTI at their native Medawar Kala village here. The father of the girl said there were enough witnesses in the case and there was no need to make the accused persons as witnesses. The girl’s grandfather and uncle – Lalji Singh and KP Singh, respectively – said the accused who have committed a heinous crime should not get relief of any kind or be made State witnesses.

    Of the four accused who were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Jyoti Kler inside her chamber in Delhi yesterday after expiry of their 14-day judicial remand, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma refused to take the service of legal aid counsel and expressed their willingness to become witnesses on behalf of the State in the gangrapecum- murder case. There are six accused in all, including a juvenile, in the case. Legal experts feel that an accused cannot hope to become a witness especially in a case of heinous crime like the brutal gang-rape to escape punishment.

    Usually in a case where investigators find it difficult to gather evidence, they could ask for an accused to become an approver to get crucial evidence and, in return, the accused could get a lighter sentence or escape punishment, the experts said. The girl’s brother also demanded that the jail term for rape cases be increased to 30 years from the current maximum punishment of life term. He also favored lowering the age of juveniles under the criminal justice system to 14 years from the present 18 years. Replying to questions, he objected to wrong names of the victim and her father being reported in a section of the foreign media. “Though the family has no objection in making the name of the girl and her father public, the names that come out should be correct,” he said.

  • Killed jawan’s father wants “befitting reply” to enemy

    Killed jawan’s father wants “befitting reply” to enemy

    BHOPAL (TIP): The distraught father of Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh, who was one of the soldiers killed in an attack by Pakistan Army across the LoC, wants that the neighbouring nation be given a “befitting reply” for the dastardly act. “The government should respond to the dastardly act by the enemy (Pakistan Army) in a befitting manner. That will be the real tribute to my martyred son,” Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh’s father Sachchidanand Singh said after the cremation of his son yesterday. “Hamari iccha hai ki dushman ka datkar muqabla karke usko usi ki bhasha mein jawab dena chahiye,” (we want that the enemy should be dealt with in a befitting manner),” Singh told from Dadia village in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. “Sudhakar was our strength and was supposed to come to the village on February 15-16, but now everything is lost,” Singh said. The 30-year-old deceased soldier, the youngest of the four siblings, had joined Army on April 7, 2002.

  • Delhi Police’s Advice For Girls: Go Home Directly After School

    Delhi Police’s Advice For Girls: Go Home Directly After School

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Go home directly after school hours and inform parents if you are going out. This and few other advices are seen in posters by Delhi Police outside educational institutions in some areas of the national capital. The posters appeared in front of some colleges and schools in southeast Delhi only. Delhi Police headquarters said it has not authorized any such posters. The dos and don’ts poster came as an awareness campaign launched against the backdrop of the gangrape and brutal assault of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus last month. She died on December 29. The poster advises girl students not to lose self confidence, inform police control room about any suspicious people and never remain silent over harassment. “After school, go home directly. If going out, inform parents. If going to any friend’s place inform parents. The bag should contain a piece of paper with their address and phone number. “Do not talk to strangers or take lift from them. Do not go out of school premises without teachers’ permission. Do not take food, cold drinks or gifts from strangers,” the posters said.

  • Rape Victim’s Dad Wants World To Know Her Real Name

    Rape Victim’s Dad Wants World To Know Her Real Name

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The 23-year-old Delhi gangrape victim’s devastated father says he wants the world to know his daughter’s real name as it will give courage to other women who have survived such attacks, a week after the brave heart succumbed to her gruesome injuries. Following the girl’s brutal assault in a moving bus in Delhi on December 16 by six men, the Indian media has refrained from naming her. She died on December 29 at a Singapore hospital where she was shifted to from Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital in an extremely critical condition.

    “We want the world to know her real name. My daughter didn’t do anything wrong, she died while protecting herself. I am proud of her. Revealing her name will give courage to other women who have survived these attacks. They will find strength from my daughter,” the victim’s 53-year-old father told ‘The Sunday People’, the Daily Mirror’s Sunday edition, in his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh.

    The girl’s family has retreated to their village to grieve away from their Delhi home. ‘At first I wanted to see the men responsible face to face but I don’t want to any more. I just want to hear that the courts have punished them and they will be hanged. ‘Death for all six of them. These men are beasts. They should be made an example of and that society will not allow such things to happen,’ the girl’s father said. What happened to her was ‘just gruesome and I hope no one ever goes through what she had to endure,’ he said. He now hopes mothers and fathers will teach their sons to respect women. ‘The police cannot handle this on their own. But parents need to keep an eye on their children too.’